believe Mersey's words than that he did. The doctor treated
hundreds of patients and surely many of them had delusions as fanciful
as this one might seem.

The traveler's alarm simmered down until he was capable of
appreciating the irony of the situation.

But at the same time, he thought with pain, "Is it our fate that of
all the millions of creatures on this world, we can establish
communication only through the insane? And even then to have only
imperfect control of the mind and, worse, to have it become a
transmitter for our most secret thoughts?"

It was heartbreaking.

Dr. Cloyd broke the long silence. Pulling at his ear, he spoke calmly
and matter-of-factly:

"Let me see if I understand your problem, Mersey. You believe yourself
to be from another world, from which you have traveled, although not
physically. Your world is not a material one, as far as its people
are concerned. Your civilization is a mental one, which has been
placed in danger. You must resettle your people, but this cannot be
done here, on Earth, except in the minds of the mentally ill--and that
would not be a satisfactory solution. Have I stated the case
correctly?"

"Yes," Mersey's voice said over the traveler's mental protests.
"Except that it is not a 'case,' as you call it. I am not Mersey. He
is merely a vehicle for my thoughts. I am not here to be treated or
cured, as the human being Mersey is. I'm here with a life-or-death
problem affecting an entire race, and I would not be talking to you
except that, at the moment, I'm trapped and confused."

* * * * *

The madman was doing it again, the traveler thought
helplessly--spilling out his knowledge, betraying him and his kind.
Was there no way to muffle him?

"I must admit that I'm confused myself," Dr. Cloyd said. "Humor me for
a moment while I think out loud. Let me consider this in my own
framework, first, and then in yours, without labeling either one
absolutely true or false.

"You see," the doctor went on, "this is a world of vitality. My
world--Earth. Its people are strong. Their bodies are developed as
well as their minds. There are some who are not so strong, and some
whose minds have been injured. But for the most part, both the mind
and the body are in balance. Each has its function, and they work
together as a coordinated whole. My understanding of your world, on
the other hand, is that it's in a state of imbalance, where the
physical