The Vilbar Party
By EVELYN E. SMITH
Illustrated by KOSSIN
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science FictionJanuary 1955. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that theU.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
"The Perzils are giving a vilbar party tomorrow night," Professor Sloodsaid cajolingly. "You will come this time, won't you, Narli?"
Narli Gzann rubbed his forehead fretfully. "You know how I feel aboutparties, Karn." He took a frismil nut out of the tray on his desk andnibbled it in annoyance.
"But this is in your honor, Narli—a farewell party. You must go. Itwould be—it would be unthinkable if you didn't." Karn Slood's eyes werepleading. He could not possibly be held responsible for his friend'santi-social behavior and yet, Narli knew, he would somehow feel atfault.
Narli sighed. He supposed he would have to conform to public sentimentin this particular instance, but he was damned if he would give ingracefully. "After all, what's so special about the occasion? I'm justleaving to take another teaching job, that's all." He took another nut.
"That's all!" Slood's face swelled with emotion. "You can't really bethat indifferent."
"Another job, that's all it is to me," Narli persisted. "At anexceptionally high salary, of course, or I wouldn't dream of accepting aposition so inconveniently located."
Slood was baffled and hurt and outraged. "You have been honored by beingthe first of our people to be offered an exchange professorship onanother planet," he said stiffly, "and you call it 'just another job.'Why, I would have given my right antenna to get it!"
Narli realized that he had again overstepped the invisible boundarybetween candor and tactlessness. He poked at the nuts with a stylus.
"Honored by being the first of our species to be offered aguinea-pigship," he murmured.
He had not considered this aspect of the matter before, but now that itoccurred to him, he was probably right.
"Oh, I don't mind, really." He waved away the other's suddencommiseration. "You know I like being alone most of the time, so I won'tfind that uncomfortable. Students are students, whether they'reTerrestrials or Saturnians. I suppose they'll laugh at me behind myback, but then even here, my students always did that."
He gave a hollow laugh and unobtrusively put out one of his hands for anut. "At least on Earth I'll know why they're laughing."
There was pain on Slood's expressive face as he firmly removed the nuttray from his friend's reach. "I didn't think of it from that angle,Narli. Of course you're right. Human beings, from what I've read ofthem, are not noted for tolerance. It will be difficult, but I'm sureyou'll be able to—" he choked on the kindly lie—"win them over."
Narli repressed a bitter laugh. Anyone less likely than he to win over ahostile alien species through sheer personal charm could hardly be foundon Saturn. Narli Gzann had been chosen as first exchange professorbetween Saturn and Earth because of his academic reputation, not hispersonality. But although the choosers had probably not had that aspectof the matter in mind, the choice, he thought, was a wise one.
As an individual of solitary habits, he was not apt to be much lonelieron one planet than another.
And he had accepted the post largely because he felt that, as an alienbeing, he would be left strictly alone. This would give him the chanceto put in a lot of work on his