I kept quiet while making a mental note for a hundred years hence-one that involved Pallas Athene as a flesh-and-blood and getting her into a helpless position.

This side conversation was cut short; Athene notified us that Lazarus was arriving. Galahad waved his arms. "Hey! Pappy! Back here!"

"Coming." Lazarus bussed me in passing, did so to Galahad as he slid in by him and grabbed what was left of Galahad's second breakfast-a home-baked jam roll-stuffed it into his mouth and said around it: 'Well? Did he fight the hook?"

"Not nearly the way you did with Hamadryad, Pappy. I was telling Justin about that-how the Hamadarling tripped you and thereby set up our family."

"My God, what a canard!" Lazarus helped himself to Galahad's hot-cup. "Justin, Galahad is a sweet lad but romantic. I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish, so I started by raping Hamadryad. That broke down her resistance, and now she sleeps with anybody, even Galahad. Everything else followed in logical sequence." He added, "You still plan to go back to Secundus?"

I answered, "Perhaps I didn't understand what Galahad has been telling me. I thought I was committing myself, in joining, to-" I stopped. "Lazarus, I don't know what I'm committed to, and I don't know what I'm joining."

Lazarus nodded. "One must make allowances for youth, Justin; Galahad doesn't speak clearly as yet."

"Thanks, Pappy. Too much. I sold him the deal. Now you've got him wondering."

"Quiet, Son. Let me spell it out, Justin. What you are joining is a family. What you are committed to is the welfare of the children. All of them, not just any that you may sire." He looked at me, waited.

I said, "Lazarus, I've raised a number of children-"

"I know."

"I don't think I've let one down yet. Very well, three that I haven't seen, plus your two-your sisters or adopted daughters-plus others as they come along. Correct?"

"Yes. But it's not a lifetime commitment; that's not practical for a Howard. This family may outlive us all-I hope so. But an adult can opt out anytime and thereby be committed only to kids then on hand-underfoot or in womb. Call it a maximum of eighteen years. However, I assume that the rest of the family would prefer to relieve such a person of his or her responsibilities in order to see the back of his neck. I can't envision a happy relationship continuing for years after someone has announced that he wants out. Can you?"

"Well...no. But I won't let it worry me."

"Of course it might not happen that way. Suppose Ishtar and Galahad decided to set up a separate household-"

"Now wait one fiddlin' minute, Pappy! You can't get rid of me that easily! Ish won't have me except as part of the package. I know, I tried to get her to marry me years back."

"-and wanted to take our three youngest with them. We would not stop them nor would we try to dissuade children who preferred to go with them. All three of them are Galahad's-"

"There he goes again! Pappy, you put Undine into Ish in the soak pool; that's why we named her that. Elf is either yours or Ira's; the Hamadear told me so. And nobody has any doubt about Andrew Jackson. Justin, I'm sterile."

"-based on statistical probability, both on sperm count and the fact that he keeps so busy at it. But Ishtar reads the gene charts and keeps such matters to herself; we prefer it that way. But it is extremely unlikely that Hamadryad ever said that, or that she has or ever will have a child by Ira. No genetic hazard, Ishtar is certain. And the fact that we have yet to have any defectives in this colony gives me great confidence in Ishtar's skill in reading a gene chart; she screened the first wave, a job that gave her eyestrain for months. Nevertheless, Ira has some unease about it and won't even stand close to Hamadryad when she is fertile-an irrational-attitude I understand, as I am cursed with it myself.

I remember too well a time in the past when all the Howards had to go on was percentage of mutual ancestry-and got defectives all too often. Of course today a woman with a clean gene chart is better off married to her brother than to a stranger from another planet-but old ghosts die hard.

"What it amounts to, Justin, is three fathers-four, with you-three mothers, but four when Minerva asks to have her adolescence protection canceled-an ever-changing number of kids to be taught and spanked and loved-plus always the possibility of the number of parents being either enhanced or diminished. But this is my house, in my name, and I've kept it that way because I planned it to house one family, not to make life jolly for goats such as Galahad-"

"But it does! Thank you, Pappy darling."

"-but for the welfare of children. I've seen catastrophe strike colonies that looked as safe as this one. Justin, a disaster could wipe out all but one mother and father in this family, and our kids would still grow up normally and happily. This is the only long-run purpose of a family. We think our setup insures that purpose more than a one-couple family can. When you join, you commit yourself to that purpose-that's all."

I took a deep breath. 'Where do I sign?"

"I see no use in written marriage contracts; they can't be enforced...whereas if the partners want to make it work, no written instrument is necessary. If you seriously want to join us, a nod of your head is enough."

"I do!"

"-or if you want ritual, Laz and Lor would be delighted to dream up a fancy one-and we can all have a crying jag -together-"

"-and on his wedding night Justin gets to sleep with the babies so he'll know how serious it is."

"Seal it, Galahad. If you want to add that touch, you should make it the night before, so he'll have a fair chance to back out if he can't take it."

"Lazarus, I volunteer for the diaper watch tonight; I'm hardened to such things."

"I doubt if the women will let you."

"And you won't live till morning," Galahad added. "They're an emotional lot. Last night you had it easy. Better take the pee watch."

"Galahad could be right; I should check your heart. As may be-keep quiet, Galahad-Justin, this household is not a jail. The setup is not only safer for children, it is more flexible for adults. When I asked you whether you intended to go back to Secundus, I meant simply that. An adult can be away for a year, ten years, any length of time for any purpose-and know that the kids are taken care of and know that he-she will be welcomed back. The twins and I have been off-planet several times and will' be again. And...well, you know I intend to attempt this time-tripping experiment. That won't involve much elapsed time in this framework but it does involve a slight -element of risk."

"Slight!' Meaning that Pappy is out of his silly head. Be sure to kiss him good-bye when he leaves, Justin; he won't be back."

I was alarmed to see that Galahad was not joking. Lazarus said quietly, "Galahad it is all right to say that to me. But don't say it in front of the women. Or children." He went on to me, "Of course there is an element of risk; there is in anything. But not to a time trip itself, as Galahad seems to think." (Galahad shuddered.) "The risk is the same as in visiting any planet; someone there may not like you. But the time jump takes place in the safest possible surroundings: in space with a ship around you-any risk comes later."

Lazarus grinned. "That's why I was so riled at that old cow Arabelle-telling me to go look-see at battles! Justin, the best thing about modern times is that we are all so spread apart that war is no longer practical. But- Did I tell you what I'm going to use as a practice run?"

"No. I had the impression from Madam Chairman Pro Tern that you already had a perfected technique."

"It's possible that I let her think so. But Arabelle wouldn't know an imperial number from an imperial edict; she couldn't ask the right questions."