be forgotten that even the
humblest helpers in the Institute had their share in the project, that
some of them acted as human volunteers in the experiments, well knowing
the risks they ran, and were afterward rewarded by a Free Choice.

"One person in Office Category, for instance, was given the privilege of
learning to play the flute, although nobody in his family had ever
belonged to Music, and another person in Menial Category was permitted a
month's study of elementary algebra, a nearly unheard of indulgence for
a person in his position. But as Leader Marley so graciously remarked in
conferring the awards: To the individual who risks much, the State gives
much."

"Like me and Tanya?" the girl asked, stopping her typing.

"Yes, like you and Tanya. You were allowed to act a part in an amateur
Theater group, I remember, and since Tanya was made too ill to be able
to use a Free Choice, she was sent out west to the Playground, just as
though she had belonged to Ruler Category. Now where was I?"

"'The State gives much.'"

"Oh, yes. Paragraph. Since the discovery of the immunizing mechanism to
Blue Martian, permanent colonies have been established on Mars. But
there remains the more elusive problem of White Martian Fever, which,
though its mortality is only thirty per cent, is still so crippling to
those victims who survive that the Martian colonies cannot begin to
expand, and the resources of the planet cannot be fully developed, until
an immunizing agent is found.

"For the past eight years this laboratory has been working at the
problem, among others, and we are now in a position to report a small
degree of progress. Since it proved to be impossible to grow the virus
in the usual media, it occurred to us--"

The intercom buzzed, and Dr. Wong turned away to open the dial.

"David? What's happened to you? I've been waiting here in the lab a
quarter of an hour."

"Sorry, Karl. I thought I had more time. Be right down."

He reached for his white lab coat and shoved his long arms into the
starched sleeves. "That's all we have time for now, Leah. Can you get an
early lunch and be back here this afternoon at two?"

But she was not listening. She was leaning over to look at the desk,
staring avidly at the open pages of Dr. Wong's notebook. Without comment
he picked up the book, closed it, put it in the top drawer and locked
the drawer. She watched him with curious eyes.

"What funny marks those were, Dr. Wong! Do