tural."

Silvers turned slowly to face Hockley. "I presented them with the
Legrandian Equations today," he said. "I expected to get a
straightforward answer to a perfectly legitimate scientific question.
That is what we were led to expect, was it not?"

[Illustration]

Hockley nodded. "That's my impression. Did you get something less than a
straightforward answer?"

The mathematician exhaled noisily. "The Legrandian Equations will lead
to a geometry as revolutionary as Riemann's was in his day. But I was
told by the Rykes that I 'should dismiss it from all further
consideration. It does not lead to any profitable mathematical
development.'"

Hockley felt that his heart most certainly skipped a beat, but he
managed to keep his voice steady, and sympathetic. "That's too bad. I
know what high hopes you had. I suppose you will give up work on the
Equations now?"

"I will not!" Silvers exclaimed loudly. Nearby groups who had returned
hesitantly to their own conversations now stared at him again. But
abruptly he changed his tone and looked almost pleadingly at Hockley. "I
don't understand it. Why should they say such a thing? It appears to be
one of the most profitable avenues of exploration I have encountered in
my whole career. And the Rykes brush it aside!"

"What did you say when they told you to give it up?"

"I said I wanted to know where the development would lead. I said it had
been indicated that we could have an answer to any scientific problem
within the range of their abilities, and certainly this is, from what
I've seen.

"The instructor replied that I'd been given an answer to my question,
that 'the first lesson you must learn if you wish to acquire our pace in
science is to recognize that we have been along the path ahead of you.
We know which are the possibilities that are worthwhile to develop. We
have gained our speed by learning to bypass every avenue but the main
one, and not get lost in tempting side roads.'

"He said that we've got to learn to trust them and take their word as to
which is the correct and profitable field of research, that 'we will
show you where to go, as we agreed to do. If you are not willing to
accept our leadership in this respect our agreement means nothing.'
Wouldn't that be a magnificent way to make scientific progress!"

The mathematician shifted in his chair as if trying to control an
internal fury that would not be capped. He held out his hand abruptly.
"I'll tak