Joe were with theirs。 Skyhaven didn't e to me gift…wrapped。
〃It wasn't until we put aside restaurant business and I got out presents Laura had sent to their kids； and had admired the latest pictures of their kids and shown them pictures of Laura and my kids and all that ancient ritual； that I thought about it at all。 The pix； of course。 This tall lad； J。A。； all hands and feet； wasn't the little boy I recalled from my last visit。 Libby was about a year younger than Laura's oldest； and J。A。's age I knew to the second…which is to say that he was about the age I was when I was almost caught with a girl in the belfry of our church about a thousand years earlier。
〃My godson was no longer a child； he was an adolescent whose balls were not just ornaments。 If he had not tried them as yet； he was certainly jerking off and thinking about it。
〃The possibilities raced through my mind the way a man's past life is supposed to； when he is dying…which isn't true； by the way。 So I tackled it and was subtle about it。 Diplomatic。
〃I said； 'Joe； which one do you lock up at night？ Libby？ Or this young wolf？'〃
The puter chuckled。 〃'Diplomatic；'〃 she repeated。
〃How would you have put it； dear？ They looked puzzled。 When I made it clear； Llita was indignant。 Deprive her kids of each other？ When they had slept together since they were babies？ Besides； there wasn't room any other way。 Or was I suggesting that she sleep with Libby while J。A。 slept with Joe？ If so； I could forget it！
〃Minerva； most people never learn anything about any science； and geics stands at the bottom of the list。 Gregor Mendel had been dead twelve centuries at that time； yet all theold wives' tale were what most people believed…and still do； I might add。
〃So I tried to explain； knowing。that Llita and Joe weren't stupid； just ignorant。 She cut in on me。 'Yes； yes； Aaron； certainly。 I've thought about the possibility that Libby； may want to marry Jay Aaron…will want to；I think…and I know it's frowned on here。 But it's silly to ruin their happiness over a superstition。 So； if it works out that way； we think it's best for them to move to Colombo…or at least as far as Kingston。
Then they can use different family names and get married； and no one will be the wiser。 Not that we want them to be so far away。 But we won't stand in the way of their happiness。
〃She loved them；〃 said Minerva。
〃Yes； she did； dear； by the exact definition of love。 Llita placed their welfare and happiness ahead of her own。 So I had to try to explain it…why the taboo against union of brother and sister wasn't superstition but a real danger…even though it had turned out to be safe in their case。
〃'Why' was the hard part。 Starting cold on the plexities of geics with persons who don't even know elementary biology is like trying to explain multidimensional matrix algebra to someone who has to take off his shoes to count above ten。
〃Joe would have accepted my authority。 But Llita had the sort of mind that has to know why…else she was going to smile her sweetly stubborn smile； agree with me； then do as she had intended to all along。 Llita was well above average smart but suffered from the democratic fallacy： the notion that her opinion was as good as anyone's…while Joe suffered from the aristocratic fallacy： he accepted the notion of authority in opinion。 I don't know which fallacy is the more pathetic； either one can trip you。 However； my mind matches Llita's in this respect； so I knew I had to convince her~
〃Minerva； how do you condense a thousand years of research in the second…most plex subject into an hour of talk？ Llita didn't even know she laid eggs…in fact she was certain she didn't； as she had served thousands of eggs； fried； scrambled； boiled； and so forth。 But she listened； and I sweated at it； with nothing but stylus and paper…when I needed the resources of a teaching machine in a college of geics。
〃But I kep？ at it； drawing pictures and simplifying outrageously some very plex concepts； until I thought they had grasped the ideas of genes； chromosomes； chromosome reduction； paired genes； dominants； recessives…and that bad genes made defective babies…and defective babies； thank Frigg under all Her many Names； was something Llita had known about since she was a little girl； listening to gossip of
older female slaves。 She quit smiling。
〃I asked if they had playing cards？…not hopefully since they had no time for such。 But Llita dug up a couple of decks from the children's room。 The cards were the monest sort used on Landfall then： fifty…six cards in four suits； Jewels and Hearts were red； Spades and Swords were black； and each suit had royal cards。 So I had 'em play the oldest randomchance gene…matching simulation used in beginning geics… the 'Let's…Make…a…Healthy…Baby' game that children here on Secundus can play…and explain…long before they are old enough to copulate。
〃I said； 'Llita； write down these rules。 Black cards are recessives； red cards are dominants； Jewels and Spades e from the mother； Hearts and Swords e from the father。 A black ace is a lethal gene； reinforced the baby is stillborn。 A black empress reinforced gives us a 'blue baby'…needs surgery to stay alive…' And so on； Minerva； except that I set the rules for a 'hit'…a bad reinforcement…so that they were four times as probable for brother and sister as for strangers； and explained why…and then made them keep records for twenty games played by each set of rules for shuffling and matching； reduction and rebination。
〃Minerva； it was not as good a structural analogy as the 'Make…a…Healthy…Baby' kindergarten games； but using two decks with different back patterns did enable me to set up degrees of consanguinity。 Llita was simply intent at first…then started looking grim the first time the turn of the cards caused a black to reinforce a black。
〃But when we played by brother…and…sister rules； and she dealt the cards and twice in a row got the Ace of Spades matched with the Ace of Swords for a dead baby； she stopped。 She turned pale and looked at them。 Then said slowly； with horror in her voice： 'Aaron 。 。 does this mean that we must lock Libby into a virgin's basket？ Oh； no！
〃I told her gently that it wasn't that bad。 Little Libby would never be locked up that way or any way…we'd work it out so that the children would not marry and so that J。A。 would not give his sister a baby even by accident。 'Quit worrying； dear！'
The puter said； 〃Lazarus； what method did you use to cheat in those card games？ May I ask？〃
〃Why； Minerva； how could you think such a thing？'
〃I withdraw the question； Lazarus。〃
〃Of course I cheated！ All sorts of ways。 I said those two had never had time to play cards 。 。 whereas I had played with every sort of a deck and by endless rules。 Minerva； I won my first oil well from a boy who made the mistake of putting readers into a game。 Dear； I had Llita deal…but from a deck so cold it almost froze solid。 I used all sorts of things…false cut； whorehouse cut； tops and bottoms； stacking the deck in front of their eyes。 There wasn't any money on the game； I simply had to convince them that inbreeding was for stock； not for their beloved children…and I did。〃
（Omitted）
〃'…your bedroom here； Llita； yours and Joe's； I mean。 Libby's room adjoins yours； while J。A。 winds up down the hall。 How you reshuffle later depends on the sex of the baby you are going to have and on how many more you choose to have and when…but putting a crib in with Libby must be considered temporary； you can't figure on using it indefinitely as an excuse to keep an eye on her。
〃'But this is merely a stopgap； like not leaving the cat alone with the roast。 Kids are slick at beating such arrangements； and nobody has ever been able to keep a girl off her back when she decides it's time。 When she decides…that's the key to the matter。 So our pressing problem is to get these children into separate beds…then to see to it that Libby； does not make a bad de？ision。 Any reason Libby can't go with