Conrad Manz nodded and Major Grey waited another full
minute for the shift to complete itself before he continued.
'Mr. Manz, during the two days you waited in the hospital
for us to catch Walden in shift, I discussed this case quite
thoroughly with you, especially as it applied to the case of
Clara Manz, on which we were already working.
'You will recall that in the case of your wife, the Modi-
corps diagnosis was one of a clearly localized aberration.
It was quite simple to apply the mnemonic eraser to that
small section without disturbing in any way her basic per-
sonality. Medicorps agreement was for this procedure and
the case did not come to trial, but simply went to opera-
tion, because lay agreement was obtained. First yourself and
eventually' Major Grey paused and let the memory of
Helen's stubborn insistence that Clara die stir in Conrad's
mind'Mrs. Walden agreed with the Medicorps.'
Major Grey let the room wait in silence for awhile. 'The
case of Bill Walden is quite different. The aberration in-
volves the whole personality, and the alternative actions
to be taken are permanent hospitalization or total erasure.
In this case, I believe that Medicorps opinion will be divided
as to proper action and' Major Grey paused again and
looked levelly at Conrad Manz'this may be true, also, of the
lay opinion.'
'How's that, Major?' demanded the highest ranking Medi-
corps officer present, a colonel named Hart, a tall, handsome
man on whom the military air was a becoming skin. 'What
do you mean about Medicorps opinion being divided?'
Major Grey answered quietly, 'I'm holding out for hospitali-
zation.'
Colonel Hart's face reddened. He thrust it forward and
straightened his back. 'That's preposterous! This is a clear-
cut case of a dangerous threat to our society, and we, let me
remind you, are
Major Grey felt very tired. It was, after all, difficult to un-
derstand why he always fought so hard against erasure of
these aberrant cases. But he began with quiet determination.
'The threat to society is effectively removed by either of the
alternatives, hospitalization or total erasure. I think you can
all see from Bill Walden's medical record that his is a well-
rounded personality with a remarkable mind. In the environ-
ment of the 20th Century, he would have been an outstanding
citizen, and possibly, if there had been more like him,
our present society would have been better for it.
--'Our history has been one of weeding out all personalities
that did not fit easily into our drugged society. Today there
are so few left that I have handled only one hundred and
thirty-six in my entire career. . . .'
Major Grey saw that Helen Walden was tensing in her
chair. He realized suddenly that she sensed better than he the
