ere to try to live here, it would mean war."

"And you think Bobby is one of these--these seedlings?"

"Maybe. He's unbelievingly intelligent. _And_ he's a foundling."

"What has that to do with it?"

"I've looked up the statistics on foundlings. When the Saucers first
began to appear, back in the 20th Century, the number of foundlings
began to increase. Not a lot, but some. Then the Saucers disappeared for
almost two and a half centuries and the number decreased. Now, since the
Outspacers are once more evident, the number of foundlings has increased
very greatly."

"And your other geniuses? All foundlings?"

"Not all. But that doesn't mean anything--plenty of foundlings are
adopted. And who knows which child is an adopted one?"

Ann Ward sat down again. "You're quite serious about this, John?"

"There's no way of being sure, but I am convinced."

"It's frightening."

"Is Bobby frightening? In all the time I've been tutoring him, has he
ever been out of line?"

"Bobby's no alien!"

"He may be."

"Well, anyway, of course Bobby isn't frightening. But that business of
the tigers--_that_ is!"

"They didn't hurt anyone."

"No, but don't you see, John? It's--irresponsible. How do you fit it in
with your super-intelligent super-beings?"

"Ann," he said impatiently, "we're dealing with fantastically
intelligent beings, but beings who are still _children_--can't you
understand that? They're just finding out their powers--one is a
telepath, another levitates, a third is a teleport. A riot is started by
Alec Cress or Jacky Hodge or one of those 3R hoodlums. And our child
genius can't resist making a kind of joke of his own."

"Joke? With _tigers_? John, I tell you I'm frightened." Her husband said
nothing and she looked at him sharply. "You _hope_ it's this way, don't
you?"

For a moment he didn't answer. Then he sighed. "Yes. Yes, I do both
believe and hope I'm right, Ann. I never thought that I'd be willing to
give up the struggle--that's what it amounts to. But I don't think the
human race can manage itself any more. So, I'm willing and glad to have
some other race teach us how to live. I know we've always looked on the
idea of domination by some race from the stars with both terror and
revulsion. But we've made such a mess of things on Earth that I, at
least, would be glad to see them come."

After a while, Ann said, "I've got to do some shopping for supper."

She began mechanically putting her work a