t a delightful girl to marry."

Hoddan squirmed.

"We're old friends," said Fani kindly, "and you did me a great favor
once. I'll return it. I'll round up some really delightful girls for you
to look over."

"I'm leaving," said Hoddan, alarmed.

"The only thing is-- I don't know what type you like. Nedda isn't it."

Hoddan shuddered.

"Nor I," said Fani. "What type would you say I was?"

"Delightful," said Hoddan hoarsely.

The Lady Fani stopped and looked up at him. She said approvingly:

"I hoped that word would occur to you one day. Er ... what does a man
usually do when he discovers a girl is delightful?"

Hoddan thought it over. He started. He put his arms around her with
singularly little skill. He kissed her, at first as if amazed at
himself, and then with enthusiasm.

There were scraping sounds on the stone nearby. Footsteps. Don Loris
appeared, gazing uncertainly about.

"Fani!" he said plaintively. "Hoddan? Our guests are going to the
spaceships. I want to speak privately to Hoddan."

"Yes?" said Hoddan. Don Loris peered blindly about. He kissed Fani
again.

"I've been thinking," said Don Loris fretfully. "I've made some
mistakes, my dear boy, and I've given you excellent reason to dislike
me, but at bottom I've always thought a great deal of you.
And ... ah ... there seems to be only one way in which I can properly
express how much I admire you. Ah-- How would you like to marry my
daughter?"

Hoddan looked down at Fani. She did not try to move away.

"What do you think of the idea, Fani?" he asked. "How about marrying me
tomorrow morning?"

"Of course not!" said Fani indignantly. "I wouldn't think of such a
thing! I couldn't possibly get married before tomorrow afternoon!"

THE END

Transcriber's Notes:

This etext was produced from Astounding Science Fiction
February, March and April 1959. Extensive research did not
uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication
was renewed.

Spelling and typography have been normalized.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Pirates of Ersatz, by Murray Leinster

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