ether they tried
to puzzle out the theory behind them.

But not for long. Because once again Harry Collins awoke in the
morning to find the adjoining cell empty, and once again he was alone
for a long time.

At last a new neighbor came. His name was Lars Neilstrom. Neilstrom
talked to him of ships and shoes and sealing-wax and the thousand and
one things men will discuss in their loneliness and frustration,
including--inevitably--their reasons for being here.

Neilstrom had been an instructor under Vocational Apt, and he was at a
loss to explain his presence at Stark Falls. When Harry spoke of the
stockpiling theory, his fellow-prisoner demurred. "It's more like
Kafka than science fiction," he said. "But then, I don't suppose
you've ever read any Kafka."

"Yes, I have," Harry told him. "Since I came here I've done nothing
but read old books. Lately they've been giving me microscans. I've
been studying up on biology and genetics; talking to Chang got me
interested. In fact, I'm really going in for self-education. There's
nothing else to do."

"Self-education! That's the only method left nowadays." Neilstrom
sounded bitter. "I don't know what's going to become of our heritage
of knowledge in the future. I'm not speaking of technological skill;
so-called scientific information is carefully preserved. But the
humanities are virtually lost. The concept of the well-rounded
individual is forgotten. And when I think of the crisis to come--"

"What crisis?"

"A new generation is growing up. Ten or fifteen years from now we'll
have succeeded in erasing political and racial and religious
divisions. But there'll be a new and more dangerous differentiation; a
_physical_ one. What do you think will happen when half the world is
around six feet tall and the other half under three?"

"I can't imagine."

"Well, I can. The trouble is, most people don't realize what the
problem will be. Things have moved too swiftly. Why, there were more
changes in the last hundred years than in the previous thousand! And
the rate of acceleration increases. Up until now, we've been concerned
about too rapid technological development. But what we have to worry
about is social development."

"Most people have been conditioned to conform."

"Yes. That's our job in Vocational Apt. But the system only works when
there's a single standard of conformity. In a few years there'll be a
double one, based on size. What then?"

Harry wanted some time