He felt no misgivings as he reached the administration building through which he had passed on the day of his arrival. There would be questions about his failure to report Nik's assumption of his identity. The prospect of stiff debits against his tax debt no longer had the power to frighten. Even the possibility of more severe penalties, whatever they might be, did not matter. There was a reassuring familiarity in the whir and drone of office machinery inside the beige building. One of the uniformed personnel behind a counter looked up brightly. He had an air of eagerness accentuated by prominently bulging blue eyes that reminded Hendley of a frog's. "_Good_ morning, sir!" the clerk piped. "What can we do for you? Not that there's much we _can_ do for the free, eh?" Hendley decided there was no point in avoiding the issue. "I'm not a Freeman," he said bluntly. A startled look crossed the face of the clerk, whose pop-eyes blinked. The surprise gave way to amusement. "Ha! Ha!" He was pleased to share Hendley's joke. "That's _quite_ good, sir." "It's not a joke. I'm here by mistake. I mean, I don't belong here. I'm only a visitor." "Oh!" The clerk managed a nervous smile. "For a moment I thought--but you're not wearing a visitor's _uniform_!" he exclaimed. "I don't understand." "My name is TRH-247," Hendley explained patiently. "You'll find me in your records. They'll show me leaving a week ago--but I didn't leave. Someone else left in my place--a Freeman." The clerk was bewildered, his protruding eyes growing larger than ever. "I--I think you'd better talk to the Office Manager," he said quickly. "If you'll wait just a moment...." Breathless, he almost ran for the glass door of an adjoining office. In a few seconds he reappeared, flushed with excitement, pointing Hendley out to a beige-uniformed official. Hendley was relieved to recognize the brisk, efficient man who had given him his final briefing when he entered the camp. "Now then," the Office Manager said with a genial smile which failed to cover an acute inspection. "What is this about a confusion in status? I'm afraid my assistant was a bit, ah, excited." "It's simple enough," Hendley said. "I'm a visitor. I shouldn't be here. A week ago I--" "I think we'd better be concerned only with the, er, the present," the official said with a touch of impatience. "I see you're not wearing a visitor's uniform. Can you explain that?" "Another man switched uniforms with me," Hendley said. "And more than just uniforms!" The Manager frowned. "I see. It's irregular, of course, but no great harm done, I suppose. You were scheduled to leave today? What is your number?" "TRH-247," Hendley said. "And I was scheduled to leave a week ago!" The assistant, still hovering nearby, gasped. His superior eyed Hendley coldly, turned to the shocked clerk, and snapped, "Check that!" To Hendley he said, his manner now less carefully polite, "I think you'd better explain."