"I say!" he said. "But do you mean to say ... Your science ..."

"Nothing," said the medical man. "A few opiates. The thing is your own

doing, you know, to a certain extent."

I was sorely tempted in my youth."

It's not that so much. But you come of a bad stock. Even if you'd have

taken precautions you'd have had bad times to wind up with. The mistake

was getting born. The indiscretions of the parents. And you've shirked

exercise, and so forth."

I had no one to advise me."

Medical men are always willing."

I was a spirited young fellow."

We won't argue; the mischief's done now. You've lived. We can't start

you again. You ought never to have started at all. Frankly--the

Euthanasia!"

Bindon hated him in silence for a space. Every word of this brutal

expert jarred upon his refinements. He was so gross, so impermeable to

all the subtler issues of being. But it is no good picking a quarrel

256

Tales of Space and Time-1