ed dress-as-a-whole is
quite strong. So is that of the seamstress or tailor who made the
garment, and that of the weaver who made the cloth. But, except in
certain circumstances, the person who wears or wore the garment has
little actual relevancy to the garment itself."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," said Sir Pierre, looking puzzled.

"Look at it like this, sir: That gown wouldn't be what it is if the
weaver hadn't made the cloth in that particular way. It wouldn't be
what it is if the seamstress hadn't cut it in a particular way and
sewed it in a specific manner. You follow, sir? Yes. Well, then, the
connections between garment-and-weaver and garment-and-seamstress are
strongly relevant. But this dress would still be pretty much what it
is if it had stayed in the closet instead of being worn. No
relevance--or very little. Now, if it were a well-worn garment, that
would be different--that is, if it had always been worn by the same
person. Then, you see, sir, the garment-as-a-whole is what it is
because of the wearing, and the wearer becomes relevant."

He pointed at the little handgun he was still holding in his hand.
"Now you take your gun, here, sir. The--"

"It isn't my gun," Sir Pierre interrupted firmly.

"I was speaking rhetorically, sir," said Master Sean with infinite
patience. "This gun or any other gun in general, if you see what I
mean, sir. It's even harder to place the ownership of a gun. Most of
the wear on a gun is purely mechanical. It don't matter _who_ pulls
the trigger, you see, the erosion by the gases produced in the
chamber, and the wear caused by the bullet passing through the barrel
will be the same. You see, sir, 'tisn't relevant _to the gun_ who
pulled its trigger or what it's fired at. The bullet's a slightly
different matter. To the bullet, it _is_ relevant which gun it was
fired from and what it hit. All these things simply have to be taken
into account, Sir Pierre."

"I see," said the knight. "Very interesting, Master Sean." Then he
turned to Lord Darcy. "Is there anything else, your lordship? There's
a great deal of county business to be attended to."

Lord Darcy waved a hand. "Not at the moment, Sir Pierre. I understand
the pressures of government. Go right ahead."

"Thank you, your lordship. If anything further should be required, I
shall be in my office."

As soon as Sir Pierre had closed the door, Lord Darcy held out his
hand toward the sorcerer. "Master Sean; the gun."