posed it. Nothing could have
so impressed us all with the desirability of accepting the Ryke's
tutelage. It was a stroke of genius, Dr. Hockley. And for a time I
thought you were actually opposed to the Rykes!"

He sipped his drink while Hockley said nothing. Then his brow furrowed a
bit. "But I wonder why our guide cut short our tour this afternoon. If I
recall correctly he said at the beginning there was a great deal more to
see than he actually showed us."

Hockley smiled and sipped politely at his drink before he set it down
and faced the Senator. "I was wondering if anyone else noticed that," he
said.

* * * * *

Hockley slept well that night except for the fact that occasional whiffs
of chlorine seemed to drift from various corners of the room even though
he turned the air-conditioning system on full blast.

In the morning there began a series of specialized lectures which had
been prepared in accordance with the Earthmen's request to acquaint them
with what they would be getting upon acceptance of the Ryke offer.

It was obviously no new experience for the Rykes. The lectures were well
prepared and anticipated many questions. The only thing new about it,
Hockley thought, was the delivery in the language of the Earthmen.
Otherwise, he felt this was something prepared a long time ago and given
a thousand times or more.

They were divided into smaller groups according to their specialties,
electronic men going one way, astronomers and mathematical physicists
another, chemists and general physicists in still another direction.
Hockley, Showalter and the senators were considered more or less free
floating members of the delegation with the privilege of visiting with
one group or another according to their pleasure.

Hockley chose to spend the first day with the chemists, since that was
his own first love. Dr. Showalter and Senator Markham came along with
him. As much as he tried he found it virtually impossible not to sit
with the same open-mouthed wonder that his colleagues exhibited. The
swift, free-flowing exposition of the Ryke lecturer led them immediately
beyond their own realms, but so carefully did he lead them that it
seemed that they must have come this way before, and forgotten it.

Hockley felt half angry with himself. He felt he had allowed himself to
be hypnotized by the skill of the Ryke, and wondered despairingly if
there were any chance at all of combating thei