more
attempt suicide. How many of them end up in a place like this?"

"They don't, though. That's just Naturalist propaganda. Dr. Manschoff
said--"

"_Dr. Manschoff said!_ I know what he said, all right. And you
believed him, because you wanted to believe him. You wanted the
reassurance he could offer you--the feeling of being unique and
important. So you didn't ask him any questions, you didn't ask any
questions of yourself. Such as why anybody would consider an
insignificant little agency man, without friends, family or
connections, worth the trouble of rehabilitating at all, let alone
amidst such elaborate and expensive surroundings. Why, men like you
are a dime a dozen these days--Vocational Apt can push a few buttons
and come up with half a million replacements to take over your job.
You aren't important to society, Collins. You aren't important to
anyone at all, besides yourself. And yet you got the red-carpet
treatment. It's about time somebody yanked that carpet out from under
you. What's it all about?"

Harry blinked. "Look here, I don't see why this is any of your
business. Besides, to tell the truth, I'm expecting--"

"I know who you're expecting, but I've already told you she won't be
here. Because she's expecting."

"What--?"

"It's high time you learned the facts of life, Collins. Yes, the
well-known facts of life--the ones about the birds and the bees, and
barefoot boys and blondes, too. Your little friend Sue is going to
have a souvenir."

"I don't believe it! I'm going to ask Dr. Manschoff."

"Sure you are. You'll ask Manschoff and he'll deny it. And so you'll
tell him about me. You'll say you met somebody in the woods
today--either a lunatic or a Naturalist spy who infiltrated here under
false pretenses. And Manschoff will reassure you. He'll reassure you
just long enough to get his hands on me. Then he'll take care of both
of us."

"Are you insinuating--"

"Hell, no! I'm _telling_ you!" Ritchie put his hand down suddenly, and
his voice calmed. "Ever wonder about those other two big buildings on
the premises here, Collins? Well, I can tell you about one of them,
because that's where I work. You might call it an experimental
laboratory if you like. Sometime later on I'll describe it to you. But
right now it's the other building that's important; the building with
the big chimney. That's a kind of an incinerator, Collins--a place
where the mistakes go up in smoke, at night, when there's no