Well we did it. We had a party for Maisie.  She was absolutely astounded. I was pretty surprised myself. Julien really did do her proud. I managed to organize some food. I had a few credits spare and Julien added a few more.

But it was the bubbling nectar that made it. It wasn’t the ordinary stuff. It was something he’d found which was made by the same methods as the old world drink they used to call champagne. Except that the grapes were grown in one of the glass houses and not out in the air as they would have been fifteen centuries ago. It really was a lovely drink though not all that strong. He insisted that we drank it out of veriglass – out of strange-looking tumblers with long thin stems which open up to form a tulip-like cup. Maisie was so excited that she broke th...

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