He realized that the phone had been ringing for some time. He disconnected it, and then heard loud knocking.
"It's Dr. Anderson," he heard a man's voice calling impatiently and angrily.
Cautiously, Stern opened the door, but his care was needless. With a few testy remarks, the doctor quickly cleared a space about the door and entered.
He went at once to Curtis, with only a single shocked glance at Schaughtowl.
"Where the devil have you been and where in hell did you get that thing?" he asked as he unbuttoned Curtis's coat and shirt.
Since playing with his pet, Curtis seemed more awake. "I went to Mars," he said. "They're incredibly advanced in ways we hardly guess. We're entirely off the track. I just came back to explain how."
"Your friend doesn't look very intelligent," the doctor answered, busy with his stethoscope.
"Animals like Schaughtowl are used for steeds or pets," said Curtis. "The Ladonai are pretty much like mankind, only smaller."
"Why did you stay so long?"
"After I left, the Ladonai told me, they were going to shut off any possible communication with Earth until we advance more. They think we're at a very dangerous animal-like stage of development. Once I came home, I knew I couldn't go back, so I wanted to learn as much as I could before I left them."