"She's just a young Krishnan widow I'm sorry for, that's all," said Reith stiffly, hoping against hope that his words carried conviction. "I'll give the matter the most careful consideration. Meanwhile, the less said about Alicia and me, or Sári and me, the better."
Alicia came in, looking as fresh as springtime. While Kardir served her breakfast, Reith said, "Did you sleep well?"
"Just fine. Have you read Swords Beneath Three Moons?" When Reith, his mouth full, nodded, she added: "And what did you think?"
"Bloody awful, as our old friend Percy Mjipa would say."
She sighed. "I was afraid of that. Fodor and his stooge Motilal wouldn't hear a word of advice." She stared at the window. "What's that going bop-bop outside? Sounds as if someone's playing tennis."
"Good guess," smiled Reith. "I've built a court behind the house, and a couple of my neighbors are knocking off a set"
"Marvelous! We must play when we can find the time."
"Me, play an intercollegiate champion? You'd sweep me off the court."
"My game has gone down dreadfully from lack of practice."
"Well, mine was never much to begin with; but we'll give it a try. Some Krishnans, even, are taking up the game."
Alicia laughed lightly. "My movie people had better shoot their medieval scenes soon, or all the Krishnans will be playing golf and tennis and going to work with briefcase in hand and bowler on head."
"That's not so farfetched. Last time I was in Majbur, some merchants asked my advice on setting up a Chamber of Commerce on the Terran model."
A small, slight Krishnan, with antennae of exceptional length and luxuriance, came in. In fluent but accented English, he said: "Good morning, Mr. Reit'. What do you—" His glance alighted on Alicia, and his eyes widened. "M-madam!" he stammered. "Fuf-forgive my forwardness, but are you not de Doctor Dyckman, wiz who—wiz whom I once traveled in de Khaldoni lands?"
"Why, Minyev!" cried Alicia. "What a pleasant surprise! Fergus said you were working for him."
"Oh, madam!" cried Minyev, falling to his knees and touching his forehead to the floor. In the Khaldoni language he reverently added: "Thou are a goddess to me! Thou shouldst have been a queen!"
"Come," she said, smiling indulgently. "Do get up!"
Reith turned to his secretary. "Minyev, Doctor Dyckman and I are going in to Novo. You're to start bringing my card files up to date."
Back at Novorecife, Reith stabled his trap. Alicia said: "My charges won't be up for an hour or two. Let's look around." As they strolled, she remarked, "My goodness! With all these new buildings, I'd hardly know the place. What is this one?"
"Our Athletic Club."
"Who are those people in front of it?"
Three Terrans were pacing back and forth before the entrance, bearing signs. All wore transmundanes, the semi-safari suits favored by Terrans on planets with Earthlike climates and atmospheres. Their headgear, however, varied. One, who combined a clerical collar with his suit, wore a black felt hat. His sign read: FORA AS INDECÉNCIAS—AWAY WITH INDECENCY!
Another, swarthy and black-bearded, wore a kaffiyyah or Arab head cloth. His sign bore a sentence in the fishhooks of Arabic script, and beneath them the words À BAS L'IMPUDEUR!
The third, darker yet and gray-bearded, wore a turban. He carried a sign painted with the flat-topped characters of India's Devenagari alphabet and below it: THE SHAME OF THY NAKEDNESS, Rev. iii, 18.
"What on earth?" said Alicia.
"They're campaigning for compulsory bathing suits in the A.C. pool. Most of the time the Christian, Muslim, and Hindu missionaries hate and intrigue against one another; but for this campaign they've formed a united front." Reith lowered his voice as they neared the demonstrators. "They asked the new Comandante, Planquette, to issue an order, but he just laughed. And Judge Keshavachandra wouldn't help."
"Is old Ram Keshavachandra still your magistrate?"
"Yep; he and Herculeu are the only officials left over from when—when you lived here before."
"I'd like to see the Club."
"Okay," said Reith as he approached the demonstrators. "Alicia, these are the Reverends Hafiz Misri, Arjuna Ghosh, and Gaspar Corvo. Gentlemen, Dr. Alicia Dyckman."
Ghosh, the Indian, frowned. "The Alicia Dyckman, who worked here years ago?"
"Yes. Let's go in, Fergus."
"A minute, please!" said Ghosh. "Are you thinking of taking a swim?"
Alicia's eyes narrowed ominously. "I might, if I feel like it."
"With a proper bathing suit?"
"With what I consider a proper bathing suit."
"May I see your suit, please?"
"You're looking at some of it now. My skin."
"We cannot permit that!" said Misri the Arab. The three missionaries clustered in front of the entrance and all began speaking at once: "It is a sin against God!" "Thou shalt not uncover ..." ".., example to the young ..." "... promoting immorality ..."
"Lish!" said Reith. "If you want to swim, I'll take you elsewhere."
Alicia ignored him. "Stand aside!" she snapped at the clerics. Passersby stopped to watch.
The demonstrators continued: "Please, we are only doing our duty ..." "... our consciences compel us ..." "... we act in love ..."
"Out of my way if you don't want to be hurt!" grated Alicia, swinging her handbag by its chain.
"We cannot!" said Misri. "God will not permit us!" He feinted at her with his sign.
"Hey!" said Reith. "If you hit her with that thing, I'll make a grease spot of you!"
"Guard my back, Fergus," said Alicia. "I'll handle these—"
Reith glanced around. A small East Asian young woman pushed forward and aimed a camera. "Oh-oh," said Reith, "Here's Meilung!"
"I'll give her a story," said Alicia. Turning back to the missionaries, she said: "We'll put on a counterdemonstration for the paper. I'll model my idea of a bathing suit, and the reporter can shoot the four of us together." She handed Reith her handbag, peeled off her khaki shirt, and called: "Closer, Meilung!"
"Walla!" cried Hafiz Misri. "You cannot do this thing. Our reputations—"
"I'll stand between two of you, with an arm around each," Alicia said, dropping her trousers and stepping out of them. She fumbled with the fastening of her brassiere.
"God help us all!" cried Ghosh, backing away. Father Corvo, muttering Latin, put down his sign and melted into the crowd. In a matter of seconds, the other two missionaries had likewise vanished. Most of the spectators roared with laughter, although Reith heard a few murmurs of sympathy for the discomfited preachers.
Pulling her outer garments back on, Alicia asked: "Get some good pictures, Meilung?"
"I d-don't know," sputtered the reporter. "I was laughing so I could hardly aim the camera."
The pool contained only a handful of swimmers. Reith said: "Later in the day, the pool's so popular you always find someone's knee or elbow in your eye. Shall we give it a try?"
Alicia looked at her watch. "Too late, I'm afraid. I've got to visit the Outfitting Shop for this safari."
As they left the building, Reith said: "Anyway, I prefer a swimming hole a couple of hoda west of my house. Glad to show it to you."
"I'll take you up on that. Coming with me?"
"Thanks, but I have to drop in on Herculeu to check up on the countries where we'll be working. Pick you up at the shop in an hour, eh?"
Reith found Castanhoso comparing photographs of troublesome Terrans. "Ohé!" said the security officer. "Here's that trapaceiro Enrique Schlegel. Wasn't he in last night's fracas?"
"Yes," said Reith. "After the fight, he challenged me to a duel."
"He did? If I'd known, I'd have jailed him. Now he has left Novo for Qirib. Did you strike him in the confusion?"