"Unfortunately," one or all of the Senators replied, "we do not know. It is said there is a continual production of new minds in the universe, which appear here and there, wherever there are suitable housings. Others disagree but have no real answer. If we lend you housing--a panther-style body for personal racing on the grass steppes, say, or a vast whale-style body for enjoying some of our oceans, and so on, there is some risk. Among certain cultures, we find a return of the mind to a similar vacant housing. In other places, we have found an obscuration of the mind. We think there are parallel universes differing from this as mind-form differs from substance. And we believe each mind continues in these further dimensions. This would be practical if you were unable to leave a dying housing. Our advice is not to get caught in any accidents. "Should it be advantageous to you, we will keep housings ready for you here. One male and one female, of course. Ah--on one question which you did not ask--you will find our guest housings are a uniform breed which became popular on your Planet among the Greeks and Romans as ideal godlike forms, shortly before we returned here. "And as to the other question you have not asked--we never interfere with local cultures, for the greater the variety of each, the greater the enrichment of all. Your system is entirely safe; we propose to observe it more closely from now on. It is our impression, however, that you would be wise _not_ to mention the galactic system we represent, when you return to your Earth. It would be too upsetting to the established pattern. We are all human beings, but we have solved the same problems in very different ways." "We have not solved ours," Fred said. "Oh, neither have we. But at least the few of us here, including yourselves, at any time as our guests, have achieved what you would probably call immortality." "We are free to accept your invitation at any time?" "Certainly." "Then we will report that no other envoy is needed," Pat said clearly. "That would be beneficial indeed." "And may we send you a very limited number of friends?" "Your guests shall be our guests. Again, we suggest you limit knowledge of us so far as possible." "We are called Divers because we can leave our bodies. Only Divers could visit you in this way, and we will not send any others." "Thank you. It is largely our fault. We have come across traces here and there of other colonies which we assumed were the successful result of past experiments. It occurs to us now that several of these may be in fact body-bound expeditions from your solar system. We will investigate and correct our catalogues." "We can be of assistance there," Pat answered. "Excellent. We wish you Godspeed and a pleasant return." * * * * *