Azazel - By Isaac Asimov Page 0,14

three brothers and myself, and not one of us could bear the thought of her being disappointed.' "

"'Do your brothers resemble you, sir?' I asked.

"'Not at all,' he said, sorrowfully. 'As a result of childhood illness, I have been stunted and wizen all my life. My brothers, however, are fine figures of men who stand this high.He lifted his hand to a point about eight and a half feet above the ground.

"'I am sure,' I said fervently, 'your charming sister will have an excellent chance.'

"'I am delighted to hear that. Actually, I am gifted with second sight in compensation, I think, for my unfortunate puniness of physique, and somehow I am certain that my little sister will win the competition. For some strange reason,' he went on, 'my little sister has taken a girlish liking to you, and my brothers and myself would feel lower than hound dogs if she were disappointed. And if we were ' "

"He grinned even more fangily than before and slowly cracked the knuckles of his right hand, one by one, making a sound like that of thigh bones breaking. I had never heard a thigh bone break but a sudden surge of second sight told me that was what the sound was like."

"I said, 'I have a feeling, sir, that you may be right. Do you have a photograph of the damsel for reference?' "

"'Oddly enough,' he said, 'I have.' He produced one in a frame and for a moment I must admit my heart sank. I didn't see how she could possibly win the competition.

"And yet there must be something to second sight, for despite the odds against her the young lady won a clear victory. There was a near approach to a riot when that fact was announced, but the winner herself cleared the room with marvelous celerity and ever since we have been, unfortunately - or, rather, fortunately - inseparable. In fact, there she is, hovering over the meat counter. She is a great eater of meat - sometimes cooked."

I saw the maiden in question and at once recognized her as the one who had chased our taxi for two blocks. Clearly a determined young woman. I admired her rippling biceps, her sturdy gastrocnemii, and her strong eyebrow ridges.

I said, "You know, Theophilus, it may be possible to decrease your attraction to women to its former insignificant level."

Theophilus sighed. "I wouldn't feel safe. My fiancee and her amply designed brothers might misinterpret her loss of interest. Besides, there are compensations. I can, for instance, walk any street in the city at any hour of the night, no matter how intrinsically dangerous that might be, and feel totally secure if she is with me. The most unreasonable traffic policeman is sweetness itself if she chances to frown upon him. And she is both outgoing and innovative in her demonstrations of affection. No, George, I accept my fate. On the fifteenth of next month, we will marry and she will carry me over the threshold of the new home which her brothers have supplied us. They have amassed a fortune in the car-compacting business, you see, because of their low overhead; they use their hands. It's just that sometimes I long - "

His eyes had wandered, involuntarily, to the fragile form of a fair young woman who was strolling down the aisle toward him. She happened to look at him even as he looked at her, and a tremor seemed to course over her being.

"Pardon me," she said shyly, her voice a musical lilt, "but didn't you and I meet in a Turkish bath recently?"

Even as she said that there was the sound of firm footsteps from behind us and we were interrupted by a wrathful baritone. "Theophilus, my sweet," it said, "are you being annoyed by this - floozy?"

Theophilus's light-of-love, her forehead tightened into a magnificent frown, bore down upon the young lady, who shrank in upon herself in obvious terror.

I quickly interposed myself between the two women - at considerable risk to myself, of course, but I am well known to be as brave as a lion. I said, "This sweet child is my niece, madam. Having spied me from a distance, she had hastened in this direction to imprint a chaste kiss upon my forehead. That this also carried her in the direction of your dear Theophilus was a complete, but inevitable,