He looked toward the bright lights of the powerhouse, considering whether he should return. "It's too late," said one of them. "The alarm is already out." "Go into the town and mix with the people," another suggested. "If you stay within a half mile of the hafnium pile, the detection man will not be able to pick up your radiation and maybe you will have a second chance." They all assented in that, and Hall, weary of making his own decisions turned toward the town. He walked through a tree-lined residential street, the houses with neatly trimmed lawns, and each with a copter parked on the roof. In almost every house the teledepths were turned on and he caught snatches of bulletins about himself: "... Is known to be in the Mojave area." "... About six feet in height and very similar to a human being. When last seen, he was dressed in--" "Governor Leibowitz has promised speedy action and attorney general Markle has stated--" The main street of Ballarat was brilliantly lighted. Many of the residents, aroused by the alarm from the powerhouse, were out, standing in small groups in front of the stores and talking excitedly to one another. He hesitated, unwilling to walk through the bright street, but uncertain where to turn. Two men talking loudly came around the corner suddenly and he stepped back into a store entrance to avoid them. They stopped directly in front of him. One of them, an overalled farm hand from his looks, said, "He killed a kid just a little while ago. My brother-in-law heard it." "Murderer," the other said viciously. The farmer turned his head and his glance fell on Hall. "Well, a new face in town," he said after a moment's inspection. "Say I bet you're a reporter from one of the papers, aren't you?" Hall came out of the entrance and tried to walk around the two men, but the farmer caught him by the sleeve. "A reporter, huh? Well, I got some news for you. That thing from Grismet just killed a kid." Hall could restrain himself no longer. "That's a lie," he said coldly. The farmer looked him up and down. "What do you know about it," he demanded. "My brother-in-law got it from somebody in the state guard." "It's still a lie." "Just because it's not on the teledepth, you say it's a lie," the farmer said belligerently. "Not everything is told on the teledepth, Mr. Wiseheimer. They're keeping it a secret. They don't want to scare the people." Hall started to walk away, but the farmer blocked his path. "Who are you anyway? Where do you live? I never saw you before," he said suspiciously. "Aw, Randy," his companion said, "don't go suspecting everybody." "I don't like anyone to call me a liar." Hall stepped around the man in his path, and turned down the street. He was boiling inside with an almost uncontrollable fury. * * * * *