ves wherever you can, and
lessen the tedium of those days by working upon whatever problems are
most pressing in your respective researches."

The gray monster fell silent, immersed in what thoughts no one knew, and
the scientists set out to obey his orders. Baxter, the British chemist,
followed Penrose, the lantern-jawed, saturnine American engineer and
inventor, as he made his way to the furthermost cubicle of the section.

"I say, Penrose, I'd like to ask you a couple of questions, if you don't
mind?"

"Go ahead. Ordinarily it's dangerous to be a cackling hen anywhere
around _him_, but I don't imagine that he can hear anything here now.
His system must be pretty well shot to pieces. You want to know all I
know about Roger?"

"Exactly so. You have been with him so much longer than I have, you
know. In some ways he impresses one as being scarcely human, if you know
what I mean. Ridiculous, of course, but of late I have been wondering
whether he really _is_ human. He knows too much, about too many things.
He seems to be acquainted with many solar systems, to visit which would
require lifetimes. Then, too, he has dropped remarks which would imply
that he actually saw things that happened long before any living man
could possibly have been born. Finally, he looks--well, peculiar--and
certainly does not act human. I have been wondering, and have been able
to learn nothing about him; as you have said, such talk as this aboard
the planetoid was not advisable."

"You needn't worry about being paid your price; that's one thing. If we
live--and that was part of the agreement, you know--we will get what we
sold out for. You will become a belted earl. I have already made
millions, and shall make many more. Similarly, Chatelier has had and
will have his women, Anandrusung and Nishimura their cherished revenges,
Hartkopf his power, and so on." He eyed the other speculatively, then
went on:

"I might as well spill it all, since I'll never have a better chance and
since you should know as much as the rest of us do. You're in the same
boat with us and tarred with the same brush. There's a lot of gossip,
that may or may not be true, but I know one very startling fact. Here it
is. My great-great-grandfather left some notes which, taken in
connection with certain things I myself saw on the planetoid, prove
beyond question that our Roger went to Harvard University at the same
time he did. Roger was a grown man then, and the elder P