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"And yet you must not jump to the conclusion that we all use restaurants. We have no such thing as a public eating place. Or rather," and here she spoke very carefully, "rather, every place is an eating place." The doctor looked Myrin over as though she were a patient with a new kind of disease. "You do not mean that literally, of course," said he kindly. But she nodded gravely.
Whereupon she showed them a series of automatic machines, all working away there in the solid rock of the planet; and of such an extraordinary nature that Smith, the engineer, moved about in an atmosphere of supreme bliss. "You will understand," said Myrin, "that the usual processes of nutrition, on the Earth, depend entirely upon plant life.
Of course, we might have known that you long ago abolished poverty, unearned wealth, pestilence, drunkenness and the other causes of premature death; but as for three and a half trillion!" "Nevertheless," remarked Myrin, "every last one of us, once born, lives to die of old age; and in most cases this means several hundred of your years."
Here the four were given seats in the usual saddellike chairs, and then Myrin answered Van Emmon's question: "I knew that this point would arise soon, and you will pardon me if I handle it in a prearranged fashion. I will admit that it is not an easy question Mr. Van Emmon has put; not because the answer is at all complicated but, on the contrary, extremely simple."
She raised a hand in a gesture of emphasis; and it was then that Billie, her eyes on Myrin's fingers, saw another sign of the great advancement these people had made direct proof, in fact, of what Myrin had just claimed. For there must have been a tremendous gain in the intellect to have caused such a drain upon the body as Billie saw.
"That is what it amounts to, Myrin!" For a moment the two stared at one another challengingly. On the earth, their attitude would have indicated some unimportant tiff. None would have dreamed that the most momentous question in their lives had come up, and had found them at outs. Next instant Myrin turned, and without another word walked from the room.
Her name, Estra told them later, was Myrin; and he explained that he and she were associated solely because of their mutual interest in the same planet the Earth. Said Myrin: "You are accustomed to the idea of government. We, however, have outgrown it. "If you stop to think, you will agree that the purpose of government is to maintain peace, on the one hand, and to wage war, on the other.
"That gets me, Myrin! Those houses seem to be merely floating, yet I see no motion whatever! Why are there no waves?" The doctor snorted. "Shame on you, Van! Don't let our friends think that you're an absolute ignoramus." He added: "Venus has no moon, and no wind, at least under the roof. Therefore, no waves."
Estra and Myrin, walking very slowly, took them to a side street, where two of the cigar-shaped cars were standing. Billie and Smith got in with Estra, while Van Emmon and the doctor were given seats beside the Venusian woman. The two cars were connected by telephone, so that in effect the two parties were one.
Originally mankind was only able to distinguish fresh from stale, and animal from vegetable flavors." After a while Myrin went on: "You know, the processes of nutrition, as they take place among your people, are extremely wasteful.
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