There was a sense of relief from the Medicine Seller now that his personal problems were no longer under scrutiny. He was loathe to reveal much of himself, let alone any troubles that may plague him.

Besides, Cole already saw the worst of people. He seemed a nice young man and he certainly didn't need a double dose of that filtered through the Medicine Seller's own cynical view.

"Yes. They are for relaxing, socializing, thinking - the uses people find for them are multifarious indeed."