BEN CAXTON HAD AWAKENED not knowing where he was nor what time itwas. It was dark around him, perfectly quiet, he was lying on something soft.

　　Not a bed-where was he?

　　The night came back in a rush. The last he clearly remembered he had beenlying on the soft floor of the Innermost Temple, talking quietly and intimatelywith Dawn. She had taken him there, they had immersed, shared water,grown closer- Frantically he reached around him in the dark, found nothing.

　　.Dawn!“Light swelled softly to a gentle dimness. .Here, Ben.“.Oh! I thought you had gone!“.I didn’t intend to wake you.“ She was wearing-to his sudden and intensedisappointment-her robe of office. .I must go start the Sunrisers’ OuterService. Gillian isn’t back yet. As you know, it was a fairly big class.“Her words brought back to him things she had told him last night thingswhich, at the time, had upset him despite her gentle and quite logicalexplanations . . . and she had soothed his upset until he found himselfagreeing with her. He still was not quite straight in his mind he didn’t grok itall-but, yes, Jill was probably still busy with her rites as high priestess-a task,or perhaps a happy duty, that Dawn had offered to take for her. Ben felt atwinge that he really should have been sorry that Jill had refused, hadinsisted that Dawn get much needed rest.

　　But he did not feel sorry. .Dawn ... do you have to leave?“ He scrambled tohis feet, put his arms around her.

　　.I must go, Ben dear ... dear Ben.“ She melted up against him.

　　.Right now? In such a rush?“.There is never,“ she said softly, .that much hurry.“ Suddenly the robe nolonger kept them apart. He was too bemused to wonder what had become ofit.

　　He woke up a second time, found that the .little nest“ he was in lighted softlywhen he stood up. He stretched, discovered that he felt wonderful, thenlooked around the room for his shorts. They were not in sight and no way forthem to be out of sight. He tried to recall where he had left them . . . and hadno recollection of ever having taken them off. But he certainly had not wornthem into the water. Probably beside the pool in the Innermost Temple- Hemade a mental note to stop back there and pick them up, then went out andfound a bathroom.

　　Some minutes later, shaved, showered, and refreshed, he did remember tolook into the Innermost Temple, failed to find his shorts and decided thatsomebody, Patty maybe, had noticed them and put them near the outer doorwhere apparently everybody kept what they needed for street wear . . . saidto hell with it and grinned at himself for having made such a jittery old-maidissue last night out of wearing them or not. He needed them, here in theNest, the way he needed a second head.

　　Come to think of it, he didn’t have the slightest trace of a head-a hangoverhead-although he recalled that he had had more than several drinks withDawn. Hadn’t got drunk, as he recalled, but certainly more than he ordinarilyallowed himself-he couldn’t sop up the stuff the way Jubal did without payingfor it.

　　Dawn didn’t seem to be affected by liquor at all-which was probably why hehad gone over his usual quota. Dawn . . . what a gal, what a gal! She hadn’teven seemed annoyed when, in a moment of emotional confusion, he hadcalled her Jill-she had seemed pleased.

　　He found no one in the big room and wondered what time it was? Not that hegave a damn, except that his stomach told him that it was long past breakfasttime. He went into the kitchen to see what he could scrounge.

　　A man in there looked up as he came in. .Ben!“.Well! Hi, Duke!“Duke gave him a bear hug and slapped him on the back. .Ben, you’re a sightfor sore eyes! Gosh, it’s good to see you. Thou art God. How do you like youreggs?“.Thou art God. Are you the cook?“.Only when I can’t find somebody else to do it for me-such as right now. Tonydoes most of it. We all do some. Even Mike unless Tony catches him andchases him out-Mike is the world’s worst cook, bar none.“ Duke went onbreaking eggs into a dish.

　　Ben moved in on the job. .You look after toast and coffee. Any Wocestershiresauce around here?“.You name it, Pat’s got it. Here.“ Duke added, .I looked in on you a half hourago, but you were still sawing wood. I’ve been busy or you’ve been busy eversince you got here-until now.“.What do you do around here, Duke? Aside from cooking when you can’tavoid it?“.Well, I’m a deacon ... and I’ll be a priest someday. But I’m slow-not that itmatters. I study Martian . . . everybody does that. And I’m the fix-it boy, sameas I was for Jubal“.Must take quite a gang to maintain a place this size.“.Ben, you’d be surprised how little it takes. Aside from keeping an eye on theplumbing-and sometime you must see Mike’s unique way of dealing with astopped toilet-I don’t have to play plumber very much. Aside from plumbing,ninety percent of the gadgetry in this building is right here in the kitchen . . .

　　and it’s not as gadgeted as Jubal’s kitchen.“.I had the impression that you have some very complicated gadgets for someof the temple ceremonies.“.Uuh uh, nary a gadget. Some lighting controlS, that’s all, and simple ones.

　　Actually“ Duke grinned. .-One of my most important jobs is no job at all. Firewarden“.Huh?“.I’m a licensed deputy fire warden, examined and everything, and same forsanitation and safety inspector-neither one takes any work. But it means thatwe never have to let an outsider go through the joint-and we don’t. Theyattend outer services...but they never get any farther unless Mike gives an upcheck.“They transferred food to plates and sat down at a table. Duke said, .You’restaying, aren’t you, Ben?“.I don’t see how I can, Duke.“.Mmmm . . . I had hoped that you would have more sense than I had. I camefor just a short visit, too . . went back and moped around for nearly a monthbefore I told Jubal I was leaving and wouldn’t be back. But never mind; you’llbe back. Don’t make any final decisions before the water sharing tonight.“.Didn’t Dawn tell you? Or Jill?“.Uh ... I don’t think so.“.Then they didn’t. Hmm, maybe i should let Mike explain it. No, no need to;people will be mentioning it to you all day long. Sharing water you grok, ofcourse; you’re one of the First Called.“.’First Called?’ Dawn used that expression.“.That handful of us who became Mike’s water brothers without learningMartian. The others ordinarily do not share water and grow closer until theypass from the Seventh Circle to the Eighth . . . and by that time they arebeginning to think in Martian. Heck, some of them know more Martian by thatstage than I do now, since I’m a .First Called’ myself and started my studiesafter I was already in the Nest. Oh, it’s not actually forbidden to share waterwith someone who isn’t ready for Eighth Circle. Hell, if I wanted to, I couldpick up a babe in a bar, share water with her, then take her to bed—and thentake her to the Temple and start her on her apprentisship But I wouldn’t wantto. That’s the point; I wouldn’t even want to. At the very most I might decidethat it was worth while to bring her around to an outer service and let Mikelook her over and find out whether any of it clicked with her. Ben, I’ll make aflat-footed prediction. You’ve been around a lot—I’m sure you’ve been insome fancy beds with some fancy babes.“.Uh . . some,“.I know damn’ well you have. But you will never again in your life crawl in withone who is not your water brother.“.Hmm.“.You’ll see. Let’s cheek it a year from now and you tell me. Now Mike maydecide that someone is ready to share water before that person reacheseven Seventh Circle. One couple we’ve got in the Nest, Mike picked, andoffered them Water, when they had just entered Third Circle and now he’s apriest and she’s a priestess . . . Sam and Ruth.“.Haven’t met .em.“.You will. Tonight at the latest. But Mike is the only one who can be certain,that soon. Very occasionally Dawn, and sometimes Patty, will spot somebodyfor special promotion and special training . . but never as far down as ThirdCircle and I’m pretty sure that they always consult Mike before going ahead.

　　Not that they are required to. Anyhow, into the Eighth Circle . . . and sharingand growing closer starts. Then, sooner or later, into Ninth Circle, and theNest itself—and that’s the service we mean when we say .Sharing Water’

　　even though we share water all day long. The whole Nest attends and thenew brothers—usually it’s a couple—becomes forever part of the Nest. Inyour case you already are . . , but we’ve never held the service for you, soeverything else is being pushed aside tonight while we welcome you. Theydid the same for me.“ Duke got a faraway look. .Ben, it’s the most wonderfulfeeling in the world“.But I still don’t know what it is, Duke.“.Uh ...it’s a lot of things. Ever been on a real luau of a party, the kind the copsraid and usually ends up in a divorce or two?“.Well ... yes.“.Up to now, brother, you’ve only been on Sunday School picnics. That’s oneaspect of it. Have you ever been married?“.No.“.You are married. You just don’t know it yet. After tonight there will neveragain be any doubt in your mind about it.“ Duke again looked faraway,happily pensive. .Ben, I was married before ... and for a short time it waspretty nice and then it was steady hell on wheels. This time I like it, all thetime. Shucks, I love it! And look, Ben, I don’t mean just that it’s fun to beshacked up with a bunch of bouncy babes. I love them-all my brothers, bothsexes. Take Patty-and you willi-Patty mothers all of us . . . and I don’t thinkanybody, man or woman, gets over needing that, even if they think they’veoutgrown it. Patty . . . well, Patty is just swell! She reminds me of Jubal . . .

　　and that old bastard had better get down here and get the word! My point isthat it is not just that Patty is female. Oh, I’m not running down tail-.

　　.Who is running down tail?“ The voice, a rich contralto, came from behindthem.

　　Duke swung around. .Not me, you limber Levantine whore! Come here,babe, and kiss your brother Ben.“.Never charged for it in my life,“ the woman denied as she glided towardthem. .Started giving it away before anybody told me.“ She kissed Bencarefully and thoroughly. .Thou art God, brother.“.Thou art God. Share water.“.Never thirst. And don’t ever pay any mind to what Duke says- from the wayhe behaves he must have been a bottle baby.“ She leaned over Duke andkissed him even more lingeringly while he patted her ample fundament. Bennoted that she was short, plump, brunette almost to swarthiness, and had amane of heavy blue-black hair almost to her waist .Duke, did you seeanything of a Ladies’ Home Journal when you got up?“ She reached past hisshoulder, took his fork and started eating his scrambled eggs. .Mmm ... good.

　　You didn’t cook these, Duke.“.Ben did. What in the world would I want with a Ladies’ Home Journal?“.Ben, stir up a couple of dozen more exactly the same way and I’ll scramble.em in relays. There was an article in it I wanted to show Patty, dear.“.Okay,“ agreed Ben and got up to do it.

　　.Don’t you two get any ideas about redecorating this dump or I’m moving out.

　　And leave some of those eggs for me! You think us men can do our work onmush?“.Tut, tut, Dukie darling. Water divided is water multiplied. As I was saying,Ben, Duke’s complaints never mean anything-as long as he has enoughwomen for two men and enough food for three, he’s a perfect little lamb.“ Sheshoved one forkful into Duke’s mouth, went on eating the rest herself. .Soquit making faces, brother; I’m about to cook you a second breakfast. Or willthis be your third?“.Not even the first, yet. You ate ~. Ruth, I was telling Ben how you and Sampole-vaulted from Third to Ninth. I think he’s uneasy about whether hebelongs in the Sharing-Water tonight.&ldquo............