Gaya Lel Rayne's entry into the grand ballroom had the same effect,
just as it always had. In another woman it might have produced
triangle-trouble, but Gaya's attraction for men was not her only charm;
the woman who hated her for her ability to draw men was one who did
not know her. Once introduced, and permitted to talk with Gaya, the
jealous dislike died, for Gaya was not far below her husband in wit and
intelligence. Like all intelligent people, Gaya was capable of making
herself liked by all, even in the face of dislike. Those who still
felt the twinge of jealousy often pitied her; feeling that her beauty
was compensation for the necessity that she be of high intelligence,
and quite certain of their husbands, whom they knew would not care to
live their lives with a woman who outshone them in every field. They
knew also that there was but one man on the whole planet that Gaya
loved--Gerd. He was the only man she could possibly love and the only
man who could possibly love her. Gerd was the only man who could even
keep up with her thought-processes.
Gerd had his amusement, too. Partly in payment for the slight put upon
them by their husbands, Gerd was surrounded by women as he entered. And
they knew that he was more than capable of running far ahead of their
own devious thought-processes, a condition which they hoped was untrue
in their husbands. Yet he was interesting and attractive, and equally
as versatile as his wife.
The party took on a faster air, and all were dazzled save one. Andrew
Tremaine stood on the side lines and watched.
He saw Gaya whirl from man to man across the dance floor and with equal
amusement he saw Gerd moving through a closely-knit crowd. He wished
fervently for someone to discuss it with, but even his wife was in the
press of people about Gerd Lel Rayne.
Emissaries, he thought. Ambassadors who cut their mentality because
they did not care to appear so far beyond their friends would certainly
develop a contempt. It must be so, if for no other reason than it could
not be otherwise. Andrew wondered what made them tick.
He'd heard from Gene Leglen briefly. It was not good. A negative
result--which was inconclusive. Yet, according to the letter, the
thought-process frequencies had been inspected carefully by the most
delicate detector that Gene could make, and he had found nothing out of
line. Strays from the I.Q. Register machine that ran continually in
the shielded vault below the psychology building in government square
were recorded; a few pip-markers leaked out of the intent-register on
strong impulses and caused Gene's machine to chatter wildly at long
and indefinite times; even a few infra-faint recordings came from the
intent-register machine as a matrix was sent through to record changes
from a previous marking were caught on Gene's detector.
But nothing with overall intensity. Nothing that could be expected to
block the operation of nine tenths of a man's brain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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