rapist opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, and
said: "Sure, Doc. I can get some other stuff done. I'll see you in
twenty-three minutes. But don't let him out of there till I get back."
He went out through the far door.

After the door closed, Dr. Yoritomo pulled up a chair and sat down.
"There have been new developments," he said, "as you may have surmised."

The physical therapist, like many other of the personnel around the
Institute, knew of Stanton's abilities, but he didn't know the purpose
of the long series of operations that had made him what he was. Such
persons knew about Stanton himself, but they knew nothing of any
connection with the Nipe, although they might suspect. And all of them
kept their knowledge and their suspicions to themselves.

"I guessed," Stanton said. "What is it, George?" He flexed his muscles
under the caress of the hot, moist currents in the box.

He wondered why it was so important that the psychologist interrupt him
while he was relaxing after strenuous exercise. Yoritomo looked excited
in spite of his attempt to be calm. And yet Stanton knew that, whatever
it was, it wasn't anything tremendously urgent or Dr. Yoritomo would be
acting a great deal differently.

Yoritomo leaned forward in his chair, his thin lips in an excited smile,
his black-irised eyes sparkling. "I had to come tell you. The sheer,
utter beauty of it is too much to contain. Three times in a row was
almost absolute, Bart. The probability that our hypotheses were correct
was computed as straight nines to seven decimals. But now! The fourth
time! Straight nines to _twelve_ decimals!"

Stanton lifted an eyebrow. "Your Oriental calm is deserting you, George.
I'm not reading you."

Yoritomo's smile became broader. "Ah! Sorry. I refer to the theory we
have been discussing. About the peculiar mentality of our friend, the
Nipe. You remember?"

Stanton remembered. After six years of watching the recorded actions of
the Nipe, Dr. Yoritomo had evolved a theory about the kind of mentality
that lay behind the four baleful violet eyes in that snouted alien head.
In order that his theory be validated, it was necessary that the theory
be able to predict, in broad terms, the future actions of the Nipe.
Evidently that proof had now come. The psychologist was smiling and
rubbing his long, bony hands together. For Dr. George Yoritomo, that was
almost the equivalent of hysterical excitement.

"We have been able to