Marco raised his eyebrows a little and said, "Come inside, please." Inside he found a chair for Pell. He sat across from him at his dressing table, half-turned toward the room. "I must get ready for my show in a little while. You understand that, of course." Pell nodded. "What's on my mind won't take long. First of all, I want to ask a few questions about hypnotism. They may seem silly to you, or maybe a little elementary, but I'd like you to answer 'em just the same." Marco's eyebrows went a little bit higher and he said, "Proceed." "Okay. Question number one: can anybody be hypnotized against his will?" "Some can, some can't." Marco smiled. "The average person, under average circumstances--no. I appear in my act to hypnotize people against their wills. Actually, subconsciously, they _wish_ to be hypnotized, which is why they volunteer to let me try in the first place." "Okay, number two. Is there any drug that can hypnotize a person?" Marco frowned. "Pentothal and several things _appear_ to do that. You could argue it either way, whether the subject is actually hypnotized or not. I believe post-hypnotic commands have been given to subjects under sodium pentothol and carried out, even back in the dark ages of psychiatry several hundred years ago." "I've got one more really important question," Pell said then. "I'd understood that somebody under hypnosis won't do anything against his moral or ethical sense. An honest man, for instance, can't be forced to steal. Is that true?" Marco laughed and gestured with his graceful fingers. "I don't think it is true. It was once believed to be, because hypnotic technique was not strong enough. That is, the subject's hypnosis was not strong enough to overcome a strong moral sense, which is actually a surface veneer on a deeper, more brutal nature. But I think with deep enough hypnosis, and the right kind of command, you can get a person to do most anything in post-hypnotic behavior--and of course not know why he _must_ do it, even knowing it's wrong. Do you follow me?" "I hope I do." Then Pell leaned forward. "And now I have a very great favor to ask of you." "Yes?" "I want you to put on a little special private performance for me, right here and now." "I'm afraid I don't understand." "You will, in about sixty seconds. Just listen carefully...." Chapter V He was late for his date with Ciel, of course. He glanced at his chrono as he entered the Stardust Cafe by the front door and saw that he was twenty minutes late. However, this time he was certain Ciel wouldn't complain too vigorously.