by the time the examination was over and the Black Doctor was moved
aboard the hospital ship, word had come through official channels to the
_Lancet_ announcing that the quarantine order had been a dispatcher's
unfortunate error, and directing the ship to return at once to Hospital
Earth with the new contract that had been signed on 31 Brucker VII. The
crewmen of the _Lancet_ had special orders to report immediately to the
medical training council at Hospital Seattle upon arrival, in order to
give their formal General Practice Patrol reports and to receive their
appointments respectively as Star Physician, Star Diagnostician and Star
Surgeon. The orders were signed with the personal mark of Hugo Tanner,
Physician of the Black Service of Pathology.

Now the ceremony and celebration in Hospital Seattle were over, and Dal
had another appointment to keep. He lifted Fuzzy from his elbow and
tucked him safely into an inner jacket pocket to protect him from the
crowd in the station, and moved swiftly through to the subway tubes.

He had expected to see Black Doctor Arnquist at the investment
ceremonies, but there had been neither sign nor word from him. Dal tried
to reach him after the ceremonies were over; all he could learn was that
the Black Doctor was unavailable. And then a message had come through to
Dal under the official Hospital Earth headquarters priority, requesting
him to present himself at once at the grand council building at Hospital
Philadelphia for an interview of the utmost importance.

He followed the directions on the dispatch now, and reached the grand
council building well ahead of the appointed time. He followed corridors
and rode elevators until he reached the twenty-second story office suite
where he had been directed to report. The whole building seemed alive
with bustle, as though something of enormous importance was going on;
high-ranking physicians of all the services were hurrying about,
gathering in little groups at the elevators and talking among themselves
in hushed voices. Even more strange, Dal saw delegation after delegation
of alien creatures moving through the building, some in the special
atmosphere-maintaining devices necessary for their survival on Earth,
some characteristically alone and unaccompanied, others in the company
of great retinues of underlings. Dal paused in the main concourse of
the building as he saw two such delegations arrive by special car from
the port of Philadelph