Dag stared at the amazing heads, then began rapidly reading the story aloud to herself.
"Merl Wisson received a divorce from his first-wife, Sar, ten minutes after the court had refused the divorce on the charge of incompetence. In a sudden reversal of position, Sar Wisson agreed to the separation for reasons of incompatibility immediately after she had won her unprecedented contesting action. For the record, Justice Klyutch...."
The newstrip fluttered to the floor as Dag's lifeless toss missed the disposall opening. She sat dazedly, watching the newsmachine disgorge strip after strip onto the growing pile of paper at her feet. Too stunned for the moment to get up and turn the machine off, she was vaguely thankful that she had set it only for local news. If the whole edition was allowed to accumulate on the floor, she'd have to dig herself out!
The machine clicked off automatically after a last strip floated down to the pile on the floor.
Aroused from her reverie as the newsmachine snapped itself off, Dag stood up. She searched her pockets for a barkastem, found one in a crumpled pack and slid it into her mouth. She nibbled thoughtfully.
Ignoring the mess of strips on the floor, she headed for the door, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery of Sar's change of heart.
Half an hour later, she was pressing the call button of Sar's apartment.
The door was opened by a tall, distinguished-looking man. Dag brushed by him abruptly and walked into the room. She saw her sister at the bar, mixing a couple of drinks.
"Sar!" she exclaimed. "What happened? I thought you were going to fight it."
Sar looked up and smiled a greeting. "Hello, Dag," she said.