"Good—come along. It'll save the gentleman some time. He's looking for this sort of thing."
"Save him some time! He's in a hurry?" interrupted Sethos.
"For this man, time is very important," said Mr. First gravely.
"Where is he now?" asked Third.
"In my office, studying the vocabulary. Shall we go over?"
More curious than ever, Sethos followed the mechanoids down the corridor to a slide. Holding the rail, he felt the car surge through its shaft at a tremendous speed.
They emerged into the first level office. Two other first level mechanoids sat reading formulated material, while near the center stood a tall man, his eyes on a page of printed matter in his hands. He had no hair, and wore only a simple gray cloak over a white, loose-fitting one-piece suit. Sethos regarded his graceful appearance and sophisticated demeanor.
"Hello," he said, looking up. "I am Hol."
Sethos nodded cautiously. "My name is Sethos."