When Holman opened the door a tall, slender young man, wearing a conservative suit, stepped out of the darkness and into the light of the corridor. He had a neat black mustache and was carrying a big bunch of red and gold forest flowers. "Is Miss Nancy at home?" "Who are you?" The young man was standing close to him but Holman didn't move back. The young man bowed slightly and smiled. "Tell Miss Nancy it's Shandy. Or better, Mr. Shandy." "Christ," said Holman, backing now. Shandy bowed again politely and walked to the door of the kitchen, knocking on the wall before he entered. Holman jerked himself together when he heard Nancy gasp, and ran back to her. Shandy was sitting in a kitchen chair, his legs crossed. "It's a rather interesting story, Miss Nancy," he said, smiling evenly. Nancy reached out and turned off the stove. "I imagine." Shandy brushed each side of his mustache. "Well, to begin then. I was in the wood and suddenly I tripped, carelessly, over a fallen log and was knocked unconscious. When I recovered I found myself in this state." He paused to rub his head. "And, of course, I remembered." Looking straight at him, Nancy said, "You'd had amnesia." "Yes. You see, Miss Nancy, many years ago, I'm not sure how many, my people lived here and I was quite a prominent member of the ruling class. But I incurred, unfortunately, the wrath of an evil scientist." "And?" asked Holman. For somebody who'd recently been a teddy bear, Shandy looked pretty dapper. Shandy smiled. "She put a spell on me which caused me to change shape, and also made me forget what I had originally been." Nancy laughed softly. "Well, it's good to have you back." With a faint flourish Shandy held out the wild flowers. "For you, Miss Nancy." "Why, thank you, Shandy." Holman leaned against the wall under the clock and eyed Shandy. "You back to stay?" "Well," Shandy said. "I've known Miss Nancy quite a while. And am really quite fond of her. I hate to see her go." He looked at the flowers Nancy held against her chest. "I have come to ask Miss Nancy to allow me to court her. With all due respects to Mr. Holman." "Damn it to hell," Holman said, straightening. Nancy placed the flowers on the table and smiled at Shandy. He stood as she approached him. Nancy laughed and put her arms around the young man. With her head against Shandy's chest Nancy said, "Poor Shandy. Poor Shandy." She made him sit down again. Then she patted him fondly on the head. "Stay right there, Shandy." Nancy hurried from the room. Holman followed her. "Listen, are you _sure_ he isn't intelligent? Because, my God, the scientists down at the settlement--" Nancy said, "Oh, no, Ken. He just copies things he's heard people say. Wait a minute." She disappeared into the storeroom. When she returned she was holding a dusty album in her hand. Holman followed her back into the kitchen. Shandy looked at the album for a moment and then smiled. "I meant well," he said.