In the morning Garth Bidgrass, looking tired and stern, invited Cole to breakfast with the family. Cole had never been in the large, wood-panelled room overlooking the south garden through broad windows. Pia was subdued, Mrs. Vignoli strangely cheerful. The meal, served by a giant maid, was the customary plain porridge and fried meat.
The women left when the maid cleared the table. Bidgrass poured more coffee, then leaned back and looked across at Cole.
"Mr. Cole, I did you a wrong in having you sent here. I kept you in the dark for your own protection. Can you believe that?"
"I can believe that you believe it."
"You came too soon. You were too curious, too smart. I have had to compound that wrong with others to Pia and my own good name."
Cole smiled. "I know I'm curious. But why can't I know—"
"You can, lad. You've nosed through to it and I'll tell you if you insist. But it will endanger you even more and I wish you would forego it."
Cole shook his head. "I'm an ecologist. If I have the big picture, maybe I can help."
"I thought you'd say that. Well, history first, and settle yourself because it is a big picture and not a pretty one. This planet was settled directly from Earth in the year 145 After Space, almost eight hundred years ago. It seemed ideal—native protein was actually superior to Earth protein in human metabolism. Easy climate, geophysically stable, no diseases—but planetology was not much of a science in those days.