This placed him in jeopardy for while they laughed behind his back for toying with the useless records, their derision would change to far deeper distrust and hate were he known to have outguessed them. There is nothing more dangerous than turning a man's bitter joke against him. So for hours Carroll had been both helpless under the machine and also doing that which was forbidden. He was like the small boy who has been swimming and is not certain of his future until he meets his parents and discovers whether they know of his truancy. Carroll replaced the record. There was no sense in permitting Rhinegallis to be trapped. Besides, this might go on for some time--and if he could he would fight this out to the very bitter end. Who knew what he might learn next. This night's work had been language. Not that the volume taught him Alien. It was a volume for aliens, to teach them the Terran languages. But by reverse reasoning it also taught Carroll the alien tongue as well as a couple of good Terran tongues he did not know. He was--because he formerly possessed an excellent knowledge of American--now possessed of Russian, Chinese and Spanish, as well as the single alien tongue. For the record dealt with concepts and then impressed the word-symbol of the idea in all tongues. And if _Hombre_ means _Man_, conversely, _Man_ means _Hombre_! Best of all it was a specialized course that dealt with the kind of language scientists and engineers would use, though not exclusively so. Carroll felt cheered. Now he might mingle with them if he wanted to. Stealthily he left the laboratory to return to his room. CHAPTER VII _Free-for-all_ Carroll passed a partly opened door down the corridor, and as he passed, he heard Kingallis utter a single word of dislike at someone unknown. Though it was in the alien tongue Carroll's well-trained mind gave him the translation in terms of real meaning rather than the transliteration of the word in terms of his mother tongue, as is often the case with a language learned after the initial schooling as a child. Carroll paused instantly, and as he did so, the door opened more, showing both Kingallis and his sister. Kingallis shook his head angrily. "So you gave him the record," he said flatly. Rhinegallis was silent. It was obvious to Carroll that there had been accusal and denial previously but that his instant recognition of the alien word had been perfect evidence. Carroll sailed in instantly. "She's given me nothing," he said sharply. "I just happen to be curious." Kingallis turned from his sister to face Carroll. "That is a bald-faced lie," he said. Carroll's reply was in the alien tongue, a rather harsh alien platitude pertaining to the fact that a guilty man always requires a sucker to account for his own mistakes, whereas an honest man can admit an error. Kingallis sneered and his eyes became glittery-hard.