The girl he had been talking to was leaving with the rest of the patients now, like one more among a herd of two-legged sheep, and Flamen himself was approachwith his face set in a frown.
“Mr. Flamen!” Dan exclaimed. “I do hope you haven’t been disappointed! I assure you, this is the first time I’ve ever had to cut Lyla short in public.”
“Had to?” Lyla blazed. “You didn’t ‘have’ to do anyof the kind! Stop talking as though it’s my fault, or you’ll be out one pythoness. I mean that!”
“I knew what I was doing,” Dan muttered. “You’re not the first pythoness I’ve macked for.”
“No, just the first who didn’t have to supplement her earnings by sacking out with strangers!” Lyla blasted back.
“Mr. Flamen, Lyla’s a bit overwrought, I’m afraid,” Dan said apologetically. “Perhaps we could-”
“And shouldn’t I be? I might have woken up crazy, don’t you realize that?”
“Ah, Miss Clay-Mr. Kazer!” Another voice cut in, and there was Ariadne coming to join them. “That was very interesting. I really am impressed! I wonder if you could spare the time to discuss the oracles and see if you can attach them to any of the.” The words died away. Glancing uncertainly from face to face, she asked, “Is something the matter?”
“I never talk about my oracles,” Lyla said firmly. “Take them or leave them, it’s up to you. I want to go home.
I don’t like this place and I can’t stand what it does to people. Give me my rapitrans ticket, Dan.” She held out her hand, but he made no move to comply.
“That’s very interesting,” Flamen murmured. “I don’t much like what this place does to people, either.” He rounded on Ariadne. “You told me that the only patients being invited to this show were those making a good recovery. But when I tried to talk to Celia just now she’d hardly even exchange a civil hello with me. Is that what your famous boss regards as a decent cure?”
“We undertake nothing more than to try and help our patients reconstruct their personalities,” Ariadne said stiffly. “If it turns out that some of their previous emotional involvements were manifestations of some deep-lying immaturity or other malfunction, that simply can’t be helped.”
Flamen’s face went milk-white and every muscle visible on his body tightened like an overwound clock-spring. Ariadne took half a pace back, as though driven by the sheer vehemence of his glare.
“I said I don’t like what you’ve done to Celia, doctor! As far as I can see, if she stays here any longer she won’t have a mind left to be mended-she’s just being drained!”
“If you disapprove of Dr. Mogshack’s methods, you’re at liberty to transfer her into someone else’s care,” Ariadne snapped, scarcely seeming to realize whom she was talking to. Her eyes were darting to Lyla every few seconds, then away again as though she were afraid of being rebuked for staring.
“I’ll take that as an invitation!” Flamen said icily. “Good afternoon! By the way, Miss Clay, I’m heading back to the city by skimmer-perhaps I can give you a ride somewhere?”
“The fastest route out of here is the one I take,” Lyla said. “Yes, please.”
“But, Lyla-!” Dan reached out to take hold of her arm. In the same instant Ariadne said anxiously, “Miss Clay, is it wise to-?”
“But nothing,” Lyla cut in. “You blamed me for giving a short performance, then you admitted that you slapped me awake ahead of time. You come home at all, you come crawling. Do you understand?”
Three faces, not just one, appeared in Prior’s comweb screen, split by a half and two quarters. Voigt occupied the half, naturally; Prior noticed he’d invested in some new ears. He, and the blank occupying the upper quaron the other side, had sound and vision links workbut the remaining caller-a scowling kneeblank-seemed as yet not to be spliced into the circuit
“Mr. Priori” Voigt said with professional cordiality. “We haven’t spoken in far too long. Nonetheless, I should apologize for disturbing you at your home.”
Prior mouthed a conventional rejoinder.
“Let me introduce Mr. Frederick Campbell, of the Bureau of State and Federal Relations,” Voigt went on. “He’s appealed to me for some assistance, and I think the best thing I can do is refer him to you. Mr. Campsuppose you brief Mr. Prior yourself.”