and made open," someone said.

"Seconded."

"All in favor of the appropriation for the psychologist raise your
left hand," the chairman requested.

They complied and looked at each other. All hands were up.

"Carried on the second vote," the chairman said without apparent
interest. "For my own curiosity will the gentleman who voted nay on
the secret vote the first time speak up and explain his objections,
and why he changed his mind on the open vote?"

There was silence a moment--Neiswanger looking at his neat
fingernails, Bryce Carter smoking, and smiling slightly as he always
smiled, Stout leaning back casually scanning his eyes from face to
face. Beldman lit a cigar and released a cloud of blue smoke with a
contented sigh. No one spoke.

"Gentlemen," said the chairman. "It is entirely likely that the
culprit is among us."

"Never mind the melodrama, John." Irving tapped the table impatiently.
"We've dealt with that. Let's get on to the next business."

II

In the exit lounge at floor five Bryce Carter stopped a moment and
glanced at himself in the mirror. Thick neck, thick body--a physique
so evenly and heavily muscled that it looked fat until he moved. Atop
the thick body a lean face that he didn't like stared back at him. It
was darkly tanned, with underlying freckles that were almost black.
Years had passed since he had worked in space, but the space-tan
remained indelible. It was not a bland or pretty face.

At the dinner, deep in discussion with Mr. Wan, he had been surprised
to find himself smiling at intervals, irrepressibly. He hoped it had
looked cordial, and not too much like a cat enjoying the company of
mice.

They had no defense against him. The drugs organization could never be
traced to him. The connection was too well concealed. Even the
organization knew nothing about him.

The only evidence which could make the connection was in his own mind.
The only witness against him was himself. He cast his mind back over
the meeting and dinner but there had been no slips past the first
shock of the chairman's announcement, and that had been unobserved by
anyone. The psychologist they had hired might perhaps get a betraying
flicker of expression from him in an interview, many well-trained
observers of human reactions could read expressions that keenly, but
the interviewing of all the Board by the psychologist was not likely.
The Directors of the Board were even now climbing into trains and
s