Hodge said; “I agree that poverty is a minor matter in this particular case. But it seems to me that you’re assuming too much when you speak of the emotional problem of that couple as solved. It’s not like a sum in arithmetic, with a simple answer in definite figures. There are all sorts of sub- and side-problems involved, to which no definite values can be assigned. For instance, isn’t the memory of the girl, Leece, together with one of Lalette’s outbursts of temper, going to produce an explosive mixture at some point? And aren’t they keeping a good deal from each other?” Penfield’s long face was thoughtful. “There are secrets in the background of every union,” he said. “Even secrets as black as the murder by witchcraft, and as inexplicable as the failure and recovery of the Blue Star. But it seems to me that they are like the disagreements of parties in a politically stable state. Once the essential agreement to abide has been reached, any difficulties can be resolved or compromised. Another thing—these people have a capacity for . . . well, close attunement to each other. More of it than we have. What puzzles me—” he took a pull at his cigarette “—is a certain preoccupation with sex.” McCall laughed. “Since it was the product of all three of us, that probably came out of Hodge’s mind somehow. Persons of your age and mine . . .” Hodge said; “I don’t know where it came from, but I think I can explain it. It goes with religion, which is so often an outgrowth of sex—or a substitute for it.” “What really interests me,” said McCall, “is what happened in a political sense.” “Well, the short-range developments seem fairly obvious,” said Penfield, “and long-range ones are always unpredictable.” “I wonder if it really exists,” said Hodge, as Penfield had the night before. Penfield got up, went to the window, and looked out at the scudding clouds. “I wonder if we do,” he said. Transcriber’s Notes --Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public domain in the country of publication. --Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged. --Provided a new cover image for free and unrestricted use with this eBook. --In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Blue Star, by Fletcher Pratt