ers you, forget it. In the first place, you're
so perfectly modal, the government would never suspect you. In the
second place, you're so well adjusted you're bound to follow our
instructions."

"Or any instructions," Dorcas Sinclair said. "That's what I'm afraid
of, Mulden."

* * * * *

Ellaby still couldn't get over it. He never expected to find poor,
unfortunate Sam Mulden in such a high position in the organization or
anywhere. He remembered Mulden clearly from their school days
together. Mulden was a character, a real character. Physically, he was
barely acceptable: more than eighty percent of the men and some
sixty-five percent of the women were able to knock Mulden down in the
High Falls gymnasium classes. But mentally Mulden was a misfit. His I.
Q. was in the neighborhood of a hundred and fifty. His gangling,
ineffectual physique wasn't too far below the mode, but mentally he
soared intolerably above it.

Now Mulden told Dorcas Sinclair, "Don't worry about that. We've had
ten years to work on him. They can't undo it in a few days. Ellaby,
you are quite sure you know what you must do?"

"Oh, yes. Tomorrow morning I will take my security tests. According to
the record of my previous physical and mental testing, I should make
top secret classification. I will work here in the capitol. I will
find the Dictator and kill him. The only thing that bothers me is I
don't know who to look for. What does the Dictator look like?"

"Didn't they explain all of that to you in High Falls?" the woman
asked irritably, without even making an effort to poker her face.

"Ease off," Mulden told her for the second time. "He's confused.
Listen to me, Ellaby. Don't you remember? The Dictator never makes
public appearances."

"Yes. Yes, now I remember. No one knows what the Dictator looks like.
He keeps to himself. He issues orders which are instantly obeyed,
helping to maintain universal modality in the country. It almost seems
a shame I'll have to kill him."

"So we've pavloved him for ten years, have we?" Dorcas Sinclair raged.
Ellaby turned away in embarrassment. "Damn you, Mulden, he still
questions it!"

"He's supposed to," Mulden explained quietly. "If he accepted what we
told him, he'd go around talking about it naively. This way, he
understands the necessity for secrecy."

"He doesn't understand--"

"Well, then he realizes it. Let him get some sleep, will you?
Tomorrow's going to be