t?"

"I think I can answer those questions for you."

Harry wheeled at the sound of the familiar voice.

Dr. Manschoff beamed down at him from the top of the river bank.
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "I wasn't following you with any intent
to eavesdrop. I was merely concerned about him." His eyes flickered as
he directed his gaze past Harry's shoulder, and Harry turned again to
look at Arnold Ritchie.

* * * * *

The little man was no longer standing and he was no longer alone. Two
attendants now supported him, one on either side, and Ritchie himself
sagged against their grip with eyes closed. A hypodermic needle in one
attendant's hand indicated the reason for Ritchie's sudden collapse.

"Merely a heavy sedative," Dr. Manschoff murmured. "We came prepared,
in expectation of just such an emergency." He nodded at his
companions. "Better take him back now," he said. "I'll look in on him
this evening, when he comes out of it."

"Sorry about all this," Manschoff continued, sitting down next to
Harry as the orderlies lifted Ritchie's inert form and carried him up
the slanting slope. "It's entirely my fault. I misjudged my
patient--never should have permitted him such a degree of freedom.
Obviously, he's not ready for it yet. I do hope he didn't upset you in
any way."

"No. He seemed quite"--Harry hesitated, then went on
hastily--"logical."

"Indeed he is." Dr. Manschoff smiled. "Paranoid delusions, as they
used to call them, can often be rationalized most convincingly. And
from what little I heard, he was doing an excellent job, wasn't he?"

"Well--"

"I know." A slight sigh erased the smile. "Leffingwell and I are mad
scientists, conducting biological experiments on human guinea pigs.
We've assembled patients for breeding purposes and the government is
secretly subsidizing us. Also, we incinerate our victims--again, with
full governmental permission. All very logical, isn't it?"

"I didn't mean that," Harry told him. "It's just that he said Sue was
pregnant and he was hinting things."

"Said?" Manschoff stood up. "_Hinted?_ I'm surprised he didn't go
further than that. Just today, we discovered he'd been using the
office facilities--he had a sort of probationary position, as you may
have guessed, helping out the staff in administration--to provide
tangible proof of his artistic creations. He was writing out 'official
reports' and then photostating them. Apparently he intended t