ldered protest. "I assure you we have no
intention--" he began.

And then he stopped. In one moment of incredible clarity while they
stood there, eyes locked in bitter stares, he understood. He knew the
myth was not a myth. It was cold, unbelievable reality. The Ids _had_
tamed the Markovians.

In a moment of fear he wondered if it were anything more than a thin
shell that could be shattered by a whisper from a stupid dabbler in
cultures, who really knew nothing at all about the profession to which
he pretended.

V

As if upon some secret signal Sal Karone appeared from the serving room
at their left.

"Our visitors are no longer our guests," Marthasa said sharply with
accusing eyes still upon Cameron. "They will remain in their rooms until
time for deportation.

"I trust it will not be necessary to use force," he said directly to
Cameron.

"Of course not. But won't you let me explain--won't you even allow an
apology for breaking a taboo we did not understand?"

"Is it not taboo among all civilized peoples, including your own, to
invent and spread lies about those who wish you only well?"

It was useless to argue, Cameron saw. He turned, taking Joyce's arm, and
allowed Sal Karone to lead them back to their rooms. As they paused at
the doorway the Id spoke without expression on his dark face. "This is
not a good thing, Cameron Wilder. It would have been best for you to
have considered my warning."

He turned and stepped away, locking the door behind him.

Joyce slumped on the bed in dejection. "This is a fine fix we've got
ourselves into, being declared _persona non grata_ before we even get a
good start! They'll remember _that_ back home when A Study of the
Metamorphosis of the Markovian Nucleus is mentioned in professional
circles!"

"Don't rub it in," Cameron said, half angrily. "How was I to know that
was such a vicious taboo? It can't be any secret to the Markovians that
the Ids look upon them as tamed. Why should they get their hackles up
because _I_ mentioned it?"

"All I know is we're washed up as of now. What do we do when we get back
home?"

Cameron stood with his back to her, looking through the windows to the
garden beyond. "I'm not thinking of that," he said. "Can't you see we
haven't failed? We've almost got it--the thing we came to find. We
_knew_ why the Markovians suddenly became good Indians. The Ids actually
did tame them. We've got to find out how such an apparently impossible
t