The harbor level had dropped several feet in the recent past, and the bottom four rungs were slimy with a mixture of lubricant, algae, and the organic waste which nourished the algae.“Ah, thank you, your ladyship,” Cleveland said. He turned his head, obviously looking for a place to deposit the rag.Adele took it between her right thumb and forefinger. “I prefer to be called Mundy, Cleveland,” she said. “In Xenos, and certainly here.”She dropped the rag into the slip. “Returning like to like,” she explained with a cold smile. “I can no more clean up this harbor than I could remove all negative and discourteous people from the human race.”“I …” Cleveland said. He suddenly smiled. “I understand, Mundy. I’m trying to do the latter, starting with myself; but until I have become perfect, I won’t bother the rest of humanity.”He cocked his head slightly. “From what I’ve seen,” he said, “you have less need of correction than anyone I’ve previously met.”“It depends on what you mean by ‘negative,’”
