Blish,James – And all the Stars a Stage

at all, cost nothing to maintain, had no fleas and required neither bedding

nor toilet facilities, had all combined to transform a hapless test-tube

freak into an almost universal pet in the short span of fifty years.

In that time they had proven their right to be regarded as truly living

creatures by their marked individuality and the unpredictability of their

behavior. In that sense it had to be admitted that fifty years of

experience with them had raised many more questions than it had resolved.

The woman-dominated

42 fames Blish

government viewing with purse-lipped matronly disapproval the obviously

compensatory and symbolic aspects of the man/familiar

relationship—especiaUy among the vast masses of jobless

bacbelors-developed powerful urges toward banning them. However, a twoyear

fact-finding commission was unable to turn up a shred of evidence that the

familiars were harmful in

any way, except for an unexceptionable tendency to bite anyone who seemed to

be menacing either the creature or her master. If nevertheless there was

subtle

psychological damage being done-the suspicion that had launched the inquiry

in the first place-it proved impossible to demonstate.

It did not seem very likely, Jorn thought with regret,

that any male allowed into the crew of an interstellar

ship would be permitted so purely supernumerary a

piece of baggage. The deprivation, it it did take place,

was going to seem strange. He had had Tabath since

he was thirteen years old-she bad been a birthday

present from one of his fathers. If his relationship with