“If Supreme will come with me to the spot, it will be easier to decide upon this case.”

Immediately the two set off without another word; and after perhaps four minutes of the speediest travel Billie had known outside the doctor’s sky-car, they descended to within a somewhat short distance from the ground.  Here they hovered, and Billie saw that they were stopped above some bills at the foot of a low mountain range.

Next moment she made out the figures of four humans on top of a knoll just below.  A little nearer, and the architect was looking, from the air, down upon the same scene which the doctor was then witnessing through the eyes of Rolla, the older of the two Sanusian women.  Billie could make out the powerful physique of Corrus, the slighter figure of Dulnop, the small but vigorous form of Cunora, and Rolla’s slender, graceful, capable body.  But at that moment the other flier began to say to Supreme: 

“The big man is a tender of cattle, Supreme; and he owes his peculiar aptitude to the fact that his parents, for twenty generations back, were engaged in similar work.  The same may be said for the younger of the two women; she is small, but we owe much of the excellence of our crops to her energy and skill.

“As for the other woman,” indicating Rolla, “she is a soil-tester, and very expert.  Her studies and experiments have greatly improved our product.  The same may be said in lesser degree of the youth, who is engaged in similar work.”

“Then,” coolly commented the Sanusian whose eyes and ears Billie enjoyed; “then your line of action is clear enough.  You will see to it that the big man marries the sturdy young girl, of course; their offspring should give us a generation of rare outdoor ability.  Similarly the young man and the older woman, despite their difference in ages, shall marry for the sake of improving the breed of soil-testers.”

“Quite so, Supreme.  There is one slight difficulty, however, such as caused me to summon you.”

“Name the difficulty.”

The Sanusian hesitated only a trifle with her reply:  “It is, Supreme, that the big man and the older woman have seen fit to fall in love with one another, while the same is true of the youth and the girl.”

“This should not have been allowed!”

“I admit it, Supreme; my force has somehow overlooked their case, heretofore.  What is your will?”

The commandant answered instantly:  “Put an immediate end to their desires!”

“It shall be done!”

At that moment there was a stir on the ground.  In fact, this was the instant when Corrus began his vehement outcry against the tyranny of “They.”  The two in the air came closer; whereupon Billie discovered that Supreme did not understand the language of the humans below. [Footnote:  The humans did not realize this fact, however; they assumed that “They” always understood.] Yet the herdsman’s tones were unmistakably angry.