ed Graham.

The man smiled, a cold, superior smile. "It is no joke. Now I will make
you a proposition."

Ted nodded warily. "All right, let's have the stinger."

"The people who brought you here were tax collectors we Rojac recruited
from a subject planet. They were conditioned to make it impossible for
them to leave their job untended. Unfortunately, they were clever enough
to realize that if they brought someone else in who could do their job,
they were released from their mental bonds. Very clever."

"But--"

"You may have their job," said the man. "Normally, you would be put to
work in the lower echelons, but we believe in meting out justice
wherever possible. The Raimees undoubtedly stumbled on your planet by
accident and lured you into this position without--"

"How do you know I can do your job?"

"That moment of brilliance was an aptitude test. You passed. Well, do
you accept?"

"What about our baby?" Martha Graham worriedly wanted to know.

"You will be allowed to keep it until it reaches the age of
decision--about the time it will take the child to reach adult
stature."

[Illustration]

"Then what?" insisted Martha Graham.

"The child will take its position in society--according to its ability."

"Will we ever see our child after that?"

"Possibly."

Ted Graham said, "What's the joker in this?"

Again the cold, superior smile. "You will receive conditioning similar
to that which we gave the Raimees. And we will want to examine your
memories to aid us in our search for your planet. It would be good to
find a new inhabitable place."

"Why did they trap us like this?" asked Martha Graham.

"It's lonely work," the man explained. "Your house is actually a type of
space conveyance that travels along your collection route--and there is
much travel to the job. And then--you will not have friends, nor time
for much other than work. Our methods are necessarily severe at times."

"_Travel?_" Martha Graham repeated in dismay.

"Almost constantly."

Ted Graham felt his mind whirling. And behind him, he heard his wife
sobbing.

* * * * *

The Raimees sat in what had been the Grahams' trailer.

"For a few moments, I feared he would not succumb to the bait," she
said. "I knew you could never overcome the mental compulsion enough to
leave them there without their first agreeing."

Raimee chuckled. "Yes. And now I'm going to indulge in everything the
Rojac never p