the
reasons for everything.

"Pretty barren," said Dr. Hoyt, looking out the window at the
vegetationless ground below. "Why's that?"

He'd known he was going to Deneb, Dr. Kalmar thought angrily. The least
he could have done was read up on the place. _He_ had.

"It's an Earth-type planet," Dr. Kalmar said in a blunt voice, "except
that life never developed on it. We had to bring everything--benign germ
cultures, seed, animals, fish, insects--a whole ecology. Our farms are
close to the cities. Too wasteful of freight to move them out very far.
Another few centuries and we'll have a _real_ population, millions of
people instead of the 20,000 we have now in a couple of dozen
settlements around this world. Then we'll have the whole place a nice
shade of green."

"City boy myself," said Dr. Hoyt. "Hate the country. Hydroponics and
synthetic meat--that's the answer."

"For Earth. It'll be a long time before we get that crowded here on
Deneb."

"Deneb," the young doctor repeated, dissatisfied. "That's the name of
the star. You mean to tell me the planet has the same name?"

"Most solar systems have only one Earth-type planet. It saves a lot of
trouble to just call that planet Deneb, Vega or whatever."

"Is _that_ clutch of shacks the _city_?" exclaimed Dr. Hoyt.

"Denebia," said Dr. Kalmar, beginning to enjoy himself finally.

"Why, you could lose it in a suburb or Bosyorkdelphia!"

"That monstrosity that used to be New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut,
Rhode Island and Massachusetts? I wouldn't want to."

He was pleased when Dr. Hoyt sank into stunned silence. If luck was with
him, that stupefaction might last the whole day. It seemed as though it
might, for the sight of the modest little hospital was too much for the
youngster who had just come from the mammoth health factories of Earth.

Dr. Hoyt revived somewhat when he saw the patients waiting in the
scantily furnished outer room, but Dr. Kalmar said, "Better get yourself
settled," and opened a door for his immature colleague.

"But there's only one bed in this room," Dr. Hoyt objected. "You must
have made a mistake."

Dr. Kalmar, recalling the crowded cubicles of Earth, gave out a proud
little dry laugh. "You're on Deneb now, boy. Here you'll have to get
used to spaciousness. We like elbow room."

The young doctor went in hesitantly, leaving the door open for a fast
escape in case an error had been made. Dr. Kalmar had done the same when
he'd arrived