the Planetoid Police is, necessarily, an
unofficial one. Probably not since Sherlock Holmes has there
been such mutual respect and co-operation between the
official police and a private investigator."

The was only one explanation, Stanton thought. Martin, too, had been
treated by the Institute. His memory was still blurry and incomplete, but
he did suddenly remember that a decision had been made for Martin to take
the treatment.

He chuckled a little at the irony of it. They hadn't been able to make a
superman of Martin, but they _had_ been able to make a normal and
extraordinarily capable man of him. Now it was Bart who was the freak, the
odd one.

_Turn about is fair play,_ he thought. But somehow it didn't seem quite
fair.

He crumpled the newspaper, dropped it into a nearby waste chute, and
walked on through the night toward the Neurophysical Institute.

XII

INTERLUDE

"You understand, Mrs. Stanton," said the psychiatrist, "that a great part
of Martin's trouble is mental as much as physical. Because of the nature
of his ailment, he has withdrawn, pulled himself away from communication
with others. If these symptoms had been brought to my attention earlier,
the mental disturbance might have been more easily analyzed and treated."

"I'm sorry, Doctor," said Mrs. Stanton. Her manner betrayed weariness and
pain. "It was so--so difficult. Martin could never talk very well, you
know, and he just talked less and less as the years went by. It was so
gradual that I never really noticed it."

_Poor woman_, the doctor thought. _She's not well, herself. She should
have married again, rather than carry the whole burden alone. Her role as
a doting mother hasn't helped either of the boys to overcome the handicaps
that were already present._

"I've tried to do my best for Martin," Mrs. Stanton went on unhappily.
"And so has Bart. When they were younger, Bart used to take him out all
the time. They went everywhere together. Of course, I don't expect Bart to
do that so much any more; he has his own life to live. He can't take
Martin out on dates or things like that. But when he's home, Bart helps me
with Martin all the time."

"I understand," said the doctor. _This is no time to tell her that
Bartholomew's tests indicate that he has subconsciously resented Martin's
presence for a long time. She has enough to worry about._

"I don't understand," said Mrs. Stanton, breaking into sudden tears. "I
don't u