"That wouldn't help anything," the doctor said. "Come on, man." Mersey sat up and, through his eyes, the traveler saw the doctor's legs. Were they legs or were they iron bars? The traveler cringed away from the mad thought. A room with a desk, a chair, a couch, and sunlight through a window. Crawling sunlit snakes. The visitor shuddered. He sought the part of the mind that was clear, but he sought in vain. Only the whirling chaos and the distorted images remained now. There was a pain in the throat and with Mersey he lifted a hand to it. Bandaged--gleaming teeth and a snarling animal's mouth--fear, despair and hatred. With the prisoner, he collapsed on the couch. "Lie down, if you like," said Dr. Cloyd's voice. "Try to relax. Let me help you." "Drop dead," Mersey replied automatically. The visitor felt the tenseness of the man, the unreasoning fear, and the resentment. But as the man lay there, the traveler sensed a calming of the turbulence. There was an urgent rational thought. He concentrated and tried to help the man phrase it. "The girl--is she all right? Did I...?" "She's all right." The doctor's voice was soothing. It pushed back the shadows a little. "She's perfectly all right." The visitor sensed a dulled relief in Mersey's mind. The shadows still whirled, but they were less ominous. He suggested a question, exulted as Mersey attempted to phrase it: "Doctor, am I real bad off? Can...?" But still the shadows. "We'll work together," said the doctor's voice. "You've been ill, but so have others. With your help, we can make you well." The traveler made a tremendous effort. He urged Mersey to say: "I'll help, doctor. I want to find peace." But then Mersey's voice went on: "I must find a new home. We need a new home. We can't stay where we are." * * * * * The traveler was shocked at the words. He hadn't intended them to come out that way. Somehow Mersey had voiced the underlying thoughts of his people. The traveler sought the doctor's reaction, but Mersey wouldn't look at him. The man's gaze was fixed on the ceiling above the couch. "Of course," the doctor said. His words were false, the visitor realized; he was humoring the madman. "We had so much, but now there is no future," Mersey said. The visitor tried to stop him. He would not be stopped. "We can't stay much longer. We'll die. We must find a new world. Maybe you can help us." Dr. Cloyd spoke and there was no hint of surprise in his voice. "I'll help you all I can. Would you care to tell me more about your world?"