E.E. 'Doc' Smith SF Gateway Omnibus: The Skylark of Space, Skylark Three, Skylark of Valeron, Skylark DuQuesne (21 page)

‘I’m sorry, ace.’ He tightened his arms. ‘Sorrier than I can say. You’ve got nerve, and you aren’t going to fall apart; I know
that. It’s just that you haven’t roughed it away from home enough to be able to feel at home wherever your hat is. The reason you feel safe with me is probably that I feel perfectly at home here myself – except for the temperature and so on.’

‘Uh-huh … probably.’ Dorothy gnawed at her lower lip. ‘I never thought I was a clinging-vine type, but I’m getting to be. I’m simply scared to death to go to bed.’

‘Chin up, sweetheart.’ An interlude. ‘I wish I could be with you all the time – you know how much I wish it – but it won’t be long. We’ll fix the chariot and snap back to Earth in a hurry.’

She pushed him into his room, followed him inside, closed the door, and put both hands on his shoulders.

‘Dick Seaton,’ she said, blushing hotly, ‘you’re not as dumb as I thought you were – you’re dumber! But if you won’t say it, even after such a sob-story as that, I will. No law says that a marriage
has
to be performed on Earth to be legal.’

He pressed her close; his emotion so great that for a minute he could not talk. Then he said, ‘I never thought of anything like that, Dottie girl.’ His voice was low and vibrant. ‘If I had I, wouldn’t have dared say it out loud. With you so far away from home, it’d seem …’

‘It wouldn’t seem anything of the kind,’ she denied, without waiting to find out what it was that she was denying. ‘Don’t you see, you big, thick-headed, wonderful lug, it’s the only thing to do? We need each other – at least I need you so much …’

‘Say “each other”– it’s right,’ he declared fervently.

‘The family would like to have seen me married, of course … but there are some advantages, even there. Dad would hate a grand Washington wedding, and so would you. It’s better all-around to be married here.’

Seaton, who had been trying to get a word in, silenced her.

‘I’m convinced, Dottie, have been ever since I came out of shock. I’m so glad I can’t express it. I’ve been scared stiff every time I’ve thought about our wedding. I’ll speak to the karfedix the first thing in the morning … or say, how’d it be to wake him up and have it done right now?’

‘Oh, Dick, be reasonable!’ Dorothy’s eyes, however, danced with glee. ‘That would
never
do. Tomorrow will be too awfully sudden, as it is. And Dick, please speak to Martin, will you? Peggy’s scared a lot worse than I am, and Martin, the dear old stupid jerk, is a lot less likely than even you are to think of being prime mover in anything like this. And Peggy’s afraid to suggest it to him. Said she’d curl right up and die and she just about would.’

‘Ah. Aha!’ Seaton straightened up and held her out at arm’s length. ‘A light dawns. I thought there was something fishy about your walking me home. Queer – like a nine-dollar bill. I
didn’t register, even that “sob-story”– I thought my bad example was corrupting your English. A put-up job, eh?’

‘What do
you
think? That I’d have the nerve to do it all by myself? But not all, Dick.’ She snuggled up to him again blissfully content. ‘Just the littlest,
teeniest
bit of it, was all.’

Seaton opened the door. ‘Mart, bring Peggy over here!’

‘Heavens, Dick! Be careful! You’ll spoil everything!’

‘No, I won’t. Leave it to me – I bashfully admit that I’m a blinding flash and a deafening report at this diplomacy stuff. Smooth, like an eel.’ The other two joined them.

‘Dottie and I have been talking things over, and have decided that today would be the best possible day for a wedding. She’s afraid of these long daylight nights, and I’d sleep a lot better if I knew where she was all the time instead of part of it. She’s willing, if you two see it the same way and make it a double. So how about it? And if you say anything but “yes” I’ll tie you, Mart, up like a pretzel; and take you, Peg, over my knee and spank you. I’ll give you one whole second to think it over.’

Margaret blushed furiously but pressed herself closer against Crane’s side.

‘That’s time enough for me,’ Crane said. ‘A marriage here would be recognized anywhere, I think … with the certificate registered … if the final court declared it invalid we could be married again … Considering all the circumstances, it would be the best thing for everyone concerned.’ Crane’s lean, handsome face assumed a darker color as he looked down at Margaret’s sparkling eyes and happily animated face. ‘Nothing else in existence is as certain as our love. It is, of course, the bride’s privilege to set the date. Peggy?’

‘The sooner the better,’ Margaret said, blushing again. ‘Did you say today, Dick?’

‘That’s what I said. I’ll see the karfedix about it as soon as we get up,’ and the two couples separated.

‘I’m just too perfectly happy for words,’ Dorothy whispered into Seaton’s ear as he kissed her goodnight. ‘I simply don’t care whether I sleep a wink tonight or not.’

Seaton woke up, hot and uncomfortable, but with a great
surge of joy in his heart – this was his wedding day! Springing out of bed, he released the full stream of ‘cold’ water, filling the pool in a few moments. Poising lightly on the edge, he made a clean, sharp dive – and yelled in surprise as he came snorting to the surface. For Dunark had made his promise good; the water was only a couple of degrees above the freezing point! After a few minutes of swimming and splashing in the icy water he rubbed himself down, shaved, put on shirt and slacks, and lifted his powerful bass voice in the wedding chorus from ‘The Rose Maiden.’

‘Rise, sweet maid, arise, arise;

‘Rise, sweet maid, arise, arise;

‘’Tis the last fair morning for thy maiden eyes,’

he sang lustily, out of his sheer joy in being alive, and was surprised to hear three other voices – soprano, contralto, and tenor – continue the song from the adjoining room. He opened the door.

‘Good morning, Dick, you sounded happy,’ Crane said.

‘So did you all, but who wouldn’t be? Look what today is!’ He embraced Dorothy ardently. ‘Besides, I found some cold water this morning.’

‘Everybody within a mile heard you discover it,’ Dorothy giggled. ‘We warmed ours up a little. I like a cold bath, too, but not in ice-water. B-r-r-r!’

‘But I didn’t know you two boys could sing,’ Margaret said.

‘We can’t,’ Seaton assured her. ‘We just barber-shop it now and then, for fun. But it sounded as though
you
can really
sing
.’

‘I’ll say she can sing!’ Dorothy exclaimed. ‘I didn’t know it ‘til just now, but she’s soprano soloist in the First Episcopal, no less!’

‘Whee!’ Seaton whistled. ‘If she can stand the strain, we’ll have to give this quartet a workout some day – when there’s nobody around.’

All four became silent, thinking of the coming event of the day, until Crane said, ‘They have ministers here, I know, and I know something of their religion, but my knowledge is vague. You know more about it than we do, Dick – tell us about it while we wait.’

Seaton paused a moment, an odd look on his face. As one turning the pages of an unfamiliar book of reference, he was seeking the answer to Crane’s question in the vast store of Osnomian information received from Dunark. He spoke slower than usual, and used much better English, when he replied.

‘As well as I can explain it, it’s a very peculiar mixture, partly theology, partly Darwinian evolution or its Osnomian equivalent, and partly pure pragmatism or economic determinism. They
believe in a supreme being, the First Cause being its nearest English equivalent. They recognize the existence of an immortal and unknowable life-principle, or soul. They believe that the First Cause has laid down the survival of the fittest as the fundamental law, which belief accounts for their perfect physiques …’

‘Perfect physiques! Why, they’re as weak as children!’ Dorothy exclaimed.

‘That’s because of the low gravity,’ Seaton explained. ‘You see, a man of my size weighs only about eighty-six pounds here, on a spring balance, so he wouldn’t need any more muscle than a boy of twelve or so on Earth. Either one of you girls could easily handle any two of the strongest men on Osnome. It’d probably take all the strength Dunark has, just to stand up on Earth.

‘Considering that fact, they are magnificently developed. They have attained this state by centuries of weeding out the unfit. They have no hospitals for the feeble-minded or the feeble-bodied; all such are executed. The same reasoning accounts for their cleanliness, physical and moral – vice is practically unknown. Clean thinking and clean living are rewarded by the production of a better mental and physical type …’

‘Especially since they correct wrong living by those terrible punishments Dunark told us about,’ Margaret put in.

‘Perhaps, although the point is debatable. They also believe that the higher the type, the faster the evolution and the sooner will mankind reach what they call the Ultimate Goal and know all things. Believing as they do that the fittest must survive, and of course thinking themselves the superior type, it is ordained that Mardonale must be destroyed utterly, root and branch.

‘Their ministers are chosen from the very fittest, next to the royal family, which is, and must remain, tops. If it doesn’t, it ceases to be the royal family and a fitter family takes over. Anyway, the ministers are strong, vigorous, and clean, and are almost always high army officers as well as ministers.’

An attendant announced the coming of the emperor and his son, to pay the call of state; and, after the ceremonious greetings had been exchanged, all went into the dining-hall for first-meal. After eating, Seaton brought up the question of the double wedding. The emperor was overjoyed.

‘Karfedix Seaton, nothing could please us more than to have such a ceremony performed in our palace. Marriage between such highly-evolved persons as are you four is demanded by the First Cause, whose servants we all are. Aside from that, it is an unheard-of honor for any ruler to have even one other karfedix married under his roof, and you are granting me the honor of two! I thank you, and assure you that we will do our best to make the occasion memorable.’

‘Nothing fancy, please,’ Seaton said. ‘Just a simple, plain wedding will do very nicely.’

‘I will summon Karbix Tarnan to perform the ceremony,’ Roban said, paying no attention to Seaton’s remark. ‘Our customary time for ceremonies is just before fourth-meal. Is that time
satisfactory to all concerned?’

It was entirely satisfactory.

‘Dunark, since you are more familiar than I with the customs of our illustrious visitors, you will take charge.’ Emperor Roban strode out of the room.

Dunark took up his microphone and sent out call after call after call.

Dorothy’s eyes sparkled. ‘They must be going to make a production out of our weddings, Dick – the Karbix is the highest dignitary of the church, isn’t he?’

‘Yes, as well as being commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of Kondal. Next to Roban he’s the most powerful man in the whole empire. They’re going to throw a brawl, all right – it’ll make the biggest Washington wedding you ever saw look like some small fry’s birthday party. And
how
you’ll hate it!’

‘Uh-huh, I do already.’ She laughed rapturously. ‘I’ll cry bitter and salty tears all over the place – I don’t think. It’s you that will suffer – in silence, I hope?’

‘As silently as possible – check.’ He grinned; and she became, all of a sudden, serious.

‘I’ve always wanted a big wedding, Dick – but remember. I wanted to give it up and thought I had.’

‘I’ll remember that always, sweetheart. As I have said before and am about to say again, you’re a blinding flash and a deafening report – the universe’s best.’

As Dunark finished his telephoning. Seaton spoke to him.

‘Dottie said, a while back, she’d like to have a few yards of that tapestry-fabric for a dress … but, say, she’s going to get one anyway, only finer and fancier.’

‘Just so,’ Dunark agreed. ‘In high state ceremonials we always wear robes of state. But you two men, for some reason or other, do not wish to wear them.’

‘We’ll wear white slacks and sport shirts. As you know – if you can find the knowledge – while the women of our race go in for ornamental dress, most of the men do not.’

‘True.’ Dunark frowned in perplexity. ‘Another one of those incomprehensible oddities. However, since your dress will be something no Kondalian has ever seen, it will actually be more resplendent than the robes of your brides.

‘I have called in our most expert weavers and tailors, to make the gowns. Before they arrive, let us discuss the ceremony and decide what it will be. You are all somewhat familiar with our customs, but on this I make very sure. Each couple is married twice. The first marriage is symbolized by the exchange of plain bracelets. This marriage lasts two years,
during which period either may divorce the other by announcing the fact.’

‘Hmmm …’ Crane said. ‘Some very such system of trial marriage is advocated among us every few years, but they all so surely degenerate into free love that none has found a foothold.’

‘We have no such trouble. You see, before the first marriage each couple, from lowest to highest, is given a mental examination. Any person whose graphs show moral turpitude is shot.’

No questions being asked, Dunark went on, ‘At the end of the two years the second marriage, which is indissoluble, is performed. Jeweled bracelets are substituted for the plain ones. In the case of highly-evolved persons, it is permitted that the two ceremonies be combined into one. Then there is a third ceremony, used only in the marriage of persons of the very highest evolution, in which eternal vows are taken and the faidon, the eternal jewel, is exchanged. I am virtually certain that all four of you are in the eternal class, but that isn’t enough. I must be absolutely certain. Hence, if either couple elects the eternal ceremony, I must examine that couple here and now. Otherwise, and should one of you be rejected by Tarnan, not only would my head roll, but my father would be intolerably disgraced.’

‘Huh? Why?’ Seaton demanded.

‘Because I am responsible,’ Dunark replied, quietly. ‘You heard my father give me the responsibility of seeing to it that your marriages, the first of their kind in Kondalian history, are carried out as they should be. If such a frightful thing as a rejection occurred it would be my fault. I would be decapitated, there and then, as an incompetent. My father would kill himself, because only an incompetent would delegate an important undertaking to an incompetent.’