"My home planet," he began, "is also in the system of Capella. We are an old race, but neither decadent nor degenerative. Our physical sciences—as you can judge from your presence here—are at least 500 orbits beyond the outermost probings of science on Earth."
He paced across to the door, and back to the window again.
"But in our obsession and fascination with the ever new horizons of physical science, we neglected that which was potentially of far greater significance. We ignored the possibilities of psionic evolution—we ignored them until it was almost too late!"
"Too late," breathed Nina. "Is that why your mind feels like a machine?"
Huth inclined his massive head in her direction.
"That could be why, Mrs. Brill. What society—or our bodies—neglect will eventually die. It is true even of psi, Dr. Brill."
"Can you be specific?" Lucifer challenged.
"I can. If you had taken your eyes out of the laboratory long enough to look at your world as it is and has been, you would have learned that psi manifestations were quite customary on Earth during the 13th and 14th centuries. But your industrial age did not have much room for psionics. With Daniel Dunglas Home went the last of your great psi talents!"
"Our card tests have discovered many psi positives," Lucifer interjected heatedly. "You ought to know—you have many of them here now!"
"Psi positives with thwarted, arrested or frustrated talents," replied Huth. "Psi positives who wanted to be 'normal', because that is what society demanded.... Psi positives who were ashamed of their talent and quite willing to have it overlooked! Yes, we have them here ... and, what is more important, we have their less inhibited children!"