“And what is wrong with that?” asked Mary.
“The wrongness is that women should not be engineers. They should be faithful wives, competent keepers of the home, efficient raisers of children. These activities are the natural sphere of women.”
“In my world women are not only engineers,” said Mary. “They are physicists, physicians, chemists, philosophers, paleontologists, geologists, members of the board of great corporations, presidents of prestigious companies, lawyers and lawmakers, heads of executive agencies. The list could be greatly added to.”
Mine Host came bustling up to the table.
“Make way,” he said. “Make way for supper. I hope you’ll find it to your liking.”
7
The meal was finished, a most satisfactory one. Now, the table pushed back, they sat in front of the blazing fire. Back of them, in the other corner of the room, the card players were hunched above their table.
Lansing made a thumb over his shoulder in their direction. “What about them? They did not join us at supper.”
Mine Host made a gesture of contempt. “They will not leave their play. We served them sandwiches and they continued with their game. They will not cease until early in the morning and then be up again after little sleep. Then they hold a prayer breakfast and go back to the cards.”
“To whom do they pray?” asked Mary. “The gods of chance, perhaps.”
Mine Host shook his head. “I do not know. I have never eavesdropped.”
“It seems to me you are a most incurious man,” said the Parson. “You know less of common matters than any man I have ever met. You do not know what land we’re in. You do not know why we’re here or what we’re supposed to do.”
“I tell you true,” said Mine Host. “I do not know these things and I have never asked.”
“Could it be true that there is no one for you to ask? No one we can ask?”
“I think that is a fair statement,” said Mine Host.
“So we’ve been dumped here,” said Mary, “without knowledge and without instructions. Someone, or some agency, must have dumped us here for whatever reason. Do you have the slightest idea of—”
“I have none whatsoever, my lady. I can tell you this — the other groups that have come here have left this place, following an ancient road to seek out what lies beyond.”
“So there have been other groups?”
“Oh, yes. Very many of them. But at long intervals.”
“And do they return?”
“Seldom. Only stragglers now and then.”
“What happens when the stragglers return?”
“That I do not know. I close up for winter.”
“The ancient road you speak of,” said the Brigadier. “Can you tell us more of it? Where it might go or what’s to be found along the way?”
“Only rumors. There are rumors of a city and rumors of a cube.”
“Rumors only?”
“That is all.”
“A cube?” asked Lansing.
“That is all I know,” said Mine Host. “I know naught other of it. And now a matter that I hesitate to mention, but that must be done.”
“What is it?” asked the Parson.
“It is the matter of payment. I must be paid for my lodging and the meals, and I run a small commissary from which you might wish to purchase food and other items before you set out upon your way.”
“I have no money on me,” said the Brigadier. “I seldom carry any. Had I known I was coming here, I would have obtained some cash.”
“I have but a few bills and a handful of change,” the Parson told Mine Host. “As are all the clergy in my country, I am very poor.”
“I could write you a check,” said Mary.
“I am sorry. I can accept no checks. I must have cold, hard cash.”
Sandra Carver complained, “I do not understand all this. Cash and checks?”
“He is talking about money,” said the Brigadier. “You must know of money.”
“But I don’t. Pray tell me — what is money?”
The Brigadier answered gently. “It is a token, either paper or metal, that has a stated value. It is used to pay for goods or services. You must use it, certainly, to buy what you need, your food and clothing.”
“We do not buy,” she said. “We give. I give my poems and my songs. Others give me food and clothing as I have need of them.”
“A perfect communistic society,” said Lansing.
“I see no reason for all of you to look so shocked and puzzled,” Jurgens said. “Sandra’s way is the only sensible way for a society to operate.”
“Which means, I suppose,” said the Brigadier, “that you have no money, either.”
He turned to Mine Host and said, “Sorry, old chap. It seems you’re out of luck.”
“Hold up for a moment,” said Lansing. To Mine Host he said, “Does it sometimes happen that only one member of a group carries money? Money possibly supplied by the agency that has initiated each particular wild goose chase?”
“It sometimes happens that way,” said Mine Host. “As a matter of fact, it almost always happens that way.”
“Then why didn’t you say so?”
“Well,” said Mine Host, licking his lips, “a man can never know. And he must be careful.”
“Do I gather,” asked the Parson, “that you, Mr. Lansing, are the treasurer for our group?”
“It would seem so,” Lansing said. “I wondered at the time.”
He took one of the golden coins out of his jacket pocket and flipped it to the innkeeper.
“That is honest gold,” he said, not knowing if it was or not. “How far can that coin cover us?”
“Two more like this,” said Mine Host, “will take care of the meal tonight, the night’s lodgings and tomorrow’s breakfast.”
“I think, Mr. Lansing,” said the Parson, “that he may be gouging you.”
“I think so, too,” said Lansing. “I think the one coin might cover all of it. But out of sheer generosity, I’ll give you another, but no more.”
Mine Host whined. “With costs going up and labor so expensive…”
“One more,” said Lansing, holding up the second coin, “but that is all.”
“All right,” said Mine Host. “The next group may prove more generous.”
The Parson said, “I still think it’s too much.”
Lansing flipped the coin, and the innkeeper grabbed it with a swoop of his flabby hand.
“It well may be too much,” Lansing told the Parson, “but I do not wish him saying that we cheated him.”
Mine Host got slowly to his feet. “When you wish to retire,” he said, “call me and you’ll be shown to your rooms.”
When he was gone Mary said, “What a strange way to finance an expedition. You could have said nothing, Edward, and hung onto the money.”
“It wouldn’t have washed,” he said. “He knew that someone had it.”
“It appears, from this matter of the money,” she said, “that someone sent us here.”
“Or something.”
“That is right. Or something. They must want us here quite badly to have paid our way.”
“In that case wouldn’t you think they would have told us what they wanted?”
“Yes, one would. We are dealing with strange people.”
“Mr. Lansing, it may be none of our business,” said the Brigadier, “but I wonder if you’d mind telling us how you got the money.”
“I’d be glad to,” Lansing said. “First of all, have any of you ever heard of a slot machine?”
It seemed none of them had.
“Well, then,” said Lansing, “I’ll tell you a tale of students and of slot machines and of an eccentric friend of mine.”
He told them and they listened, paying close attention.
“I must say,” said the Brigadier when Lansing had finished, “that your experience was excessively involved.”