WELL,“ SAID JUBAL, .what did you do? Cheer?“.Like hell. I left, at once. I dashed for the outer door, grabbed my clothes andshoes-forgot my bag and didn’t go back for it-ignored the sign on the door,went on through-jumped in that bounce tube with my clothes in my arms.

　　Blooie! Gone without saying good-by.“.Rather abrupt“.I felt abrupt. I had to leave. In fact I left so fast that I durn near killed myself.

　　You know the ordinary bounce tube-.

　　.I do not.“.Well, unless you set it to take you up to a certain level, when you get into ityou simply sink slowly, like cold molasses I didn’t sink, I fell_and I was aboutsix stories up. But just when I thought I had made my last mistake, something.Ah, you’ve raised an entirely different issue. Public exhibitiOn ~luSt I wouldfind most distasteful, either as participant or spectator . . but I grok thisreflects my early indoctrination, nothing more. A very large minority ofmankind-possibly a majority-do not share my taste in this matter. Decidedlynot-for the orgy has a long and very widespread history. Nonetheless it is notto my taste. But shocking? My dear sir, I can be shocked only by that whichoffends me ethically. Ethical questiotions are subject to logic-but this is amatter of taste and the old saw is in point-.de gusribus non est disputandu.“caught me. Not a safety net-a field of some sort I didn’t quite splash. ButMike needs to smooth out that gadget. Or put in the regular sort of bouncetube.“Jubal said, .I’ll stick to stairs and, when unavoidable,elevators“.Well, I hadn’t realized that this one was so risky. But the only safetyinspector they’ve got is Duke . . . and to Duke whatever Mike says is Gospel.

　　Jubal, that whole place is riding for a fall. They’re all hypnotized by one man .

　　. . who isn’t right in his head. What can be done about it?“Jubal jutted out his lips and then scowled, .Let’s see first if you’ve got itanalyzed correctlY. Just what aspects of the situation did you finddisquieting?“.Why...the whole thing.“.So? In fact, wasn’t it just one thing? And that an essentiallY harmless actwhich we both know was nothing new . . . but was, we can assume ratherconclusively, initially performed in this house or on these grounds about twoyears ago? I did not then object-nor did you, when you learned of it,whenever that was, in fact, I have implied that you yourself have, on otheroccasions, joined in that same act with the same young lady-and she is alady, despite your tale-and you neither denied my implication nor actedoffended at my presumPtion. To put it bluntly, son-what are you belly-achingabout?“.Well, for cripe’s sake, Jubal...Would you put up with it, in your livingroom?“.Decidedly not-unless perhaps I have, it having taken place so clandestinely,at night perhaps, that no one noticed. In which case it would be-or has been,if such be the case-no skin off’n my nose. But the point is that it was not myliving room . . . nor would I presume to lay down rules for another man’s livingroom. It was Mike’s house . . . and his wife-common law or otherwise, weneed not inquire. So what business is it of mine? Or yours? You go into aman’s house, you accept his household rules-that’s a universal law ofcivilized behavior.“.You mean to say you don’t find it shocking?“.Precisely. In which respect I concede that my own taste, rooted in earlytraining, reinforced by some three generations of habit, and now, I believe,calcified beyond possibility of change, is no more sacred than the verydifferent taste of Nero. Less sacred-Nero was a god; I am not.“.Well, I’ll be damned.“.In due course, possibly-if it is possible ... a point on which I am .neutralagainst.’

　　But, Ben, this wasn’t public.“.Huh?“.You yourself have said it. You described this group as a plural marriage-agroup theogamy, to be precise. Not public but utterly private. Aint nobodyhere but just us gods’-so how could anyone be offended?“.I was offended!“.That was because your own apotheosis was less complete than theirs-I’mafraid they over-rated you . . . and you misled them. You invited it.“.Me? Jubal, I did nothing of the sort“.Tommy busted my dolly ... I hitted him over the head with it.’ The time toback out was the instant you got there, for you saw at once that their customsand manners were not yours. Instead you stayed, and enjoyed the favors ofone goddess-and behaved yourself as a god toward her-in short, you learnedthe score, and they knew it. It seems to me that Mike’s error lay only inaccepting your hypocrisy as solid coin. But he does have the weakness-agodlike one-of never doubting his .water brothers’-but even Jove nods-andhis weakness-or is it a strength?- comes from his early training; he can’t helpit. No, Ben, Mike behaved with complete propriety; the offense against goodmanners lay in your behavior.“.Damn it, Jubal, you’ve twisted things again. I did what I had to do-I wasabout to throw up on their rug!“.So you claim reflex. So stipulated; however, anyone over the emotional ageof twelve could have clamped his jaws and made a slow march for thebathroom with at worst the hazard of clogged sinuses-instead of a panickeddash for the street door-then returned when the show was over with aeuphemistic but acceptable excuse.“.That wouldn’t have been enough. I tell you I had to leave!“.I know. But not through reflex. Reflex will evacuate the stomach; it will notchoose a course for the feet, recover chattels, take you through doors andcause you to jump down a hole without looking. Panic, Ben. Why did youpanic?“Caxton was long in replying. He sighed and said, .I guess when you comeright down to it, Jubal-I’m a prude.“Jubal shook his head. .Your behavior was momentarily prudish, but not fromprudish motivations. You are not a prude, Ben. A prude is a person whothinks that his own rules of propriety are natural laws. You are almost entirelyfree of this prevalent evil. You adjusted, at least with passable urbanity, tomany things which did not fit your code of propriety whereas a true-blue, stiffnecked,incorrigible prude would promptly have affronted that delightfultattooed lady and stomped out. Dig deeper.. Do you wish a hint?“.Uh, maybe you’d better. All I know is that I am mixed up and unhappy aboutthe whole Situation-on Mike’s account, too, Jubal!- which is why I took a dayoff to see you.“.Very well. Hypothetical situation for you to evaluate: You mentioned a ladynamed Ruth whom you met in passing-a kiss of brotherhood and a fewminutes conversation-nothing more.“.Yeah?“.Suppose the actors had been Ruth and Mike? Gillian not even present?

　　Would you have been shocked?“.Huh? Hell, yes, I would have been shocked!“.Just how shocked? Retching? Panic flight?“Caxton looked thoughtful, then sheepish. .I suppose not. I still would havebeen startled silly. But I guess I would’ve just gone out to the kitchen orsomething . . . then found an excuse to leave. I still feel like a fool for havingmade that mad dash to get out.“.Would you actually have sought an excuse to leave? Or were you lookingforward to your own .welcome home’ party that night?“.Well,“ Caxton mused. .I hadn’t made up my mind about that when thishappened. I was curious, I admit-but I wasn’t quite sold.“.Very well. You now have your motivation.“.Do I?“.You name it, Ben. Haul it out and look at it-and find out how you want todeal with it.“Caxton chewed his lip and looked unhappy. .All right. I would have beenstartled if it had been Ruth-but I wouldn’t really have been shocked. Hell, inthe newspaper racket you get over being shocked by anything but-well, youexpressed it: something that cuts deep about right and wrong. Shucks, if ithad been Ruth, I might even have sneaked a look ~ -even though I still think Iwould have left the room; such things ought to be-or at least I feel that theyought to be-private.“ He paused. .It was because it was Jill. I was hurt . . .

　　and jealous.“.Stout fellow, Ben.“.Jubal, I would have sworn that I wasn’t jealous. I knew that I had lost out-Ihad accepted it. It was the circumstances, Jubal. Now don’t get me wrong. Iwould still love Jill if she were a two-peso whore. Which she is not. Thishands-around harem deal upsets the hell out of me. But by her lights Jill ismoral.“Jubal nodded. .I know. I feel sure that Gillian is incapable of being corrupted.

　　She has an invincible innocence which makes it impossible for her to beimmoral.“ lie frowned. .Ben we are close to the root of your trouble. I amafraid that you-and I, too, i admit-lack the angelic innocence to abide by theperfect morality those people live by.“Ben looked surprised. .Jubal, you think what they are doing is moral?

　　Monkeys in the zoo stuff and all? All I meant was that Jill really didn’t knowthat what she was doing was wrong__Mike’s got her homswoggled-and Mikedoesn’t know he’s doing wrong either. He’s the Man front Mars; he didn’t getoff to a fair start. Everything about us was strange to him-he’ll probably neverget straightened out.“Jubal looked troubled. .You’ve raised a hard question, Ben-but I’ll give you astraight answer. Yes, I think what those people-the entire Nest, not just ourown kids-are doing is moral. As you described it to me _yes. I haven’t had achance to examine details-but yes: all of it. Group orgies, and open andunashamed swapping off at other times . . . their communal living and theiranarchistic code, everything. And most especially their selfless dedication tOgiving their perfect morality to others.“.Jubal, you utterly astonish me.“ Caxton scratched his head and frowned.

　　.Since you feel that way, why don’t you join them? You’re welcome, theywant you, they’re expecting you. They’ll hold a jubilee-and Dawn is waiting tokiss your feet and serve you in any way you will permit; I wasn’texaggerating.“Jubal shook his head. .No. Had I been approached fifty years ago- But now?

　　Ben my brother, the potential for such innocence is no longer in me-and I amnot referring to sexual potency, so wipe that cynical smile off your face. Imean that I have been too long wedded to my own brand of evil andhopelessness to be cleansed in their water of life and become innocentagain. If I ever was.“.Mike thinks you have this innocence-he doesn’t call it that-in full measurenow. Dawn told me, speaking ex officio.“.Then Mike does me great honor; I would not disillusion him. He sees hisown reflection-I am, by profession a mirror.“.Jubal, you’re chicken.“.Precisely, sir! The thing that troubles me most is whether those innocentscan make their pattern fit into a naughty world. Oh, it’s been tried beforel-andevery time the world etched them away like acid. Some of the earlyChristians_anarchy, communism, group marriage-why even that kiss ofbrotherhood has a strong primitive-Christian flavor to it. That might be whereMike picked it up, since all the forms he uses are openly syncretistic,especially that Earth-Mother ritual.“ Jubal frowned. .If he picked that up fromprimitive christa ity-and not just from kissing girls, which he enjoys, I nowthenI would expect men to kiss men, too.“Ben snorted. .I held out on you-they do. But it’s not a pansy gesture. I gotcaught once; after that I managed to duck.“.So? It figures. The Oneida Colony was much like Mike’s .Nest’; it managedto last quite a while but in a low population density-not as an enclave in aresort city. There have been many others, all with the same sad story: a planfor perfect sharing and perfect love, glorious hopes and high idea—followedby persecution and eventual failure.“ Jubal sighed. .I was worried about Mikebefore-now I’m worried about all of them.“.You’re worried? How do you think I feel? Jubal, I can’t accept yoursweetness and light theory. What they are doing is wrong.“.So? Ben, it’s that last incident that sticks in your craw.“.Well ... maybe. Not entirely.“.Mostly. Ben. the ethics of sex is a thorny problem because each of us has tofind a solution pragmatically compatible with a preposterous, utterlyunworkable, and evil public code of so-called .morals.’ Most of us know, orsuspect, that the public code is wrong, and we break it. Nevertheless we payDanegeld by giving it lip service in public and feeling guilty about breaking itin private. Willy-nilly, that code rides us, dead and stinking, an albatrossaround the neck. You think of yourself as a free soul, I know, and you breakthat evil code yourself-but faced with a problem in sexual ethics new to you,you unconsciously tested it against that same Judeo-Christian code whichyou consciously refuse to obey. All so automatically that you retched . . . andbelieved thereby-and continue to believe-that your reflex proved that youwere .right’ and they were .wrong.’ Faugh! I’d as lief use trial by ordeal as useyour stomach to test guilt. All your stomach can reflect are prejudices trainedinto you before you acquired reason.“.What about your stomach?“.Mine is as stupid as yours-but I don’t let it rule my brain. I can at least seethe beauty of Mike’s attempt to devise an ideal human ethic and applaud hisrecognition that such a code must be founded on ideal sexual behavior, eventhough it calls for changes in sexual mores so radical as to frighten mostpeople—including you. For that I adm............