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had to be paid for by those who enjoyed it. The Department of Mortic Revenue was a term that always chilled her mind and heart whenever she heard it mentioned, or even thought about it. The word mortic was a polite euphemism; what they meant was death. It was the word which pinpointed the entire mechanism of the tax system and, incidentally, gave a clue to the means by which population level was controlled and kept within the limits proscribed by the parameters of industrial productivity.

She discussed the subject with Valinia one evening after having read during the day a statistical report which stated that the number of mortic revenue deaths below the age of forty-five had increased by nearly seven per cent during the past year. Mortic revenue deaths was another way of saying compulsory euthanasia. It was, in a sense, the exact opposite of parthenogenetic births, and the two were strictly balanced. Birth and death rates always increased or decreased in exact proportion.

"At one time," said Aubretia, "the question of mortic law never entered my head at all. But now that I'm growing older I find myself thinking about it more and more, and it seems to me that the taxation side is only a small part of it."

Valinia regarded her with bright brown eyes. "Why should you worry, Aubry? The mortic tax assessors must be quite happy with your record."

"I'm not worried. It's just that, well, it seems to me that this business of mortics is the only unpleasant thing in a very pleasant world."

Valinia laughed lightly. "It's the old story of day and night, light and dark. You can't have one without the other. Besides, the arrangement is much more satisfactory and efficient than the old obsolete systems of taxation. At one time the machinery of State revenue became so complex that it took five years for tax assessors to learn their job and everybody had to employ an accountant because the rules