hundred artificial situations and every reaction from his blood
sugar to the frequency ranges of his voice was measured.
They gave him only small amounts of drugs in order to test
his reaction to them.
Late in the evening. Major Grey came by and interrupted
an officer who was taking an electro-encephalogram for the
sixth time after injection of a drug.
'All right. Bill, you have really given us co-operation. But
after you've had your dinner, I hope you won't mind if I
come to your room and talk with you for a little while.'
When Bill finished eating, he waited impatiently in his
room for the Medicorps officer. Major Grey came soon after.
He shook his head at the mute question Bill shot at him.
'No, Bill. We will not have the results of your tests evalu-
ated until late tomorrow morning. I can't tell you a thing
until the trial in any case.'
'When will that be?'
'As soon as the evaluation of your tests is in.' Major
Grey ran his hand over bis smooth chin and seemed to sigh.
'Tell me, Bill, how do you feel about your case? How did
you get into this situation and what do you think about it
now?' The officer sat in the room's only chair and motioned
Bill to the cot.
Bill was astonished at his sudden desire to talk about
his problem. He had to laugh to cover it up. 'I guess I
feel as if I am being condemned for trying to stay sober.'
Bill used the ancient word with a mock tone of rigliteousness
that he knew the major would understand.
Major Grey smiled. 'How do you feel when you're sober?'
Bill searched his face. 'The way the ancient Moderns did,
--. I guess. I feel what happens to me the
roe, not the artificial way the drugs let it happen. I think
there is a way for us to live without the drugs and really enjoy
life. Have you ever cut down on your drugs, Major?'
The officer shook his head.
Bill smiled at him dreamily. 'You ought to try it. It's as
though a new life has suddenly opened up. Everything looks
different to you.
'Look, with an average life span of a hundred years, each
of us only lives fifty years and our alter lives the other
fifty. Yet even on half-time we experience only about half the
living we'd do if we didn't take the drugs. We would be
able to feel the loves and hatreds and desires of life. No
matter how many mistakes we made, we would be able
occasionally to live those intense moments that made the
ancients great.'
Major Grey said tonelessly. 'The ancients were great at
killing, cheating and debasing one another. And they were
worse sober than
word.
