ly admitted. "I'll try to do it
superficially. But it's difficult. It's awfully hard to know what's
going on in his body from just looking at it and listening to him talk."

He turned to Tensor. "How long have you been having these--er, spurious
moods?"

"About six months."

"Are you having any other troubles?"

"No sir. It's just the simple things, like the weather, that seem to be
affected."

"I see. Melancholia." Curl frowned thoughtfully. "These moods come
unwillingly, is that it? And they don't go away entirely when you shift
your endocrine balance?"

"I'm not so sure about that endocrine shift, sir," Tensor stated
emotionlessly.

"You mean--" Curl stopped incredulously. He shook his head as he
comprehended. "Great Iso Oxys!"

"What is it?" Ruut asked in a hushed voice.

"This is deeper than I thought, Ruut. You did very well to put him under
nego. The man can't control his endocrine system properly."

"Well do something," Ruut demanded. "Don't just float there."

"All I can do," Curl said, raising his voice exactly one decibel to show
his irritation, "is give advice. Obviously, in his condition, the man
can't follow it."

Ruut gazed unhappily at his friend. He was in authority over Tensor, and
therefore far inferior in native gifts. Now it seemed that Tensor was
regressing in some obscure way to his own level, a tragic and
uncivilized situation.

"This has happened before," Curl admitted. "But I can't quite remember
when." He sighed resignedly. "I guess I'll have to teleport again.
Somebody probably remembers."

He disappeared for a few minutes and returned again, face beaming
despite the fatigue.

"Oh yes," he said cheerfully. "Now I know."

Tensor stared at him with uninterested eyes.

"The man is dying," Curl explained with satisfaction.

"Dying?" Ruut murmured incredulously. "But that's impossible unless the
Council orders him to destroy himself. Why--why that would make him just
like an animal."

"That's what it is," Curl insisted.

Ordinarily, Tensor would have been somewhat interested to know about
this strange process that was taking place within his body, but the nego
kept his mind dull and unconcerned. He did not even question for
reasons.

Ruut, however, did, and the physician happily explained. "You just have
never been concerned with these rare symptoms, my dear administrator.
You see, actually we are animals in a sense. We don't die like them, but
if we are not in a focu