"If everybody in this time forgets, why so much to-do about secrecy? Won't anyone else I tell forget too?"
"There is a limit to the possible displacement. If the limit is exceeded, according to the Alwyn hypothesis the continuum itself may be altered, and one of the ways in which it might change would be to eliminate the irritant—in other words, all of us concerned directly."
"I see. So they figured two of us put too much of a strain on the displacement, that's why they killed this other joker—what was his name, anyway?"
"Nelson. Perhaps," she said uncertainly, "that might be it."
"And maybe they figure even one is too much strain, better to be safe than sorry, huh?"
"No, I don't think so. Killing requires even more displacement than ... loss of memory. Really, I don't understand it, you see, I am just a sort of employee, they don't confide in me. If they knew I had been talking to you about these things like this—" she shuddered and smiled wryly. "Perhaps I too know too much, perhaps I should be worrying about the pros and cons of various types of displacement for myself."
Dolan looked at her thoughtfully. "This displacement thing," he said gently, "I'll forget you too?"
She nodded. "You will forget me. But I will remember you—for a long time, I am afraid."
He frowned and kicked at a tuft of sod. "I don't want to forget you. Do you have to leave with the others? Couldn't you stay? For a little while anyway? You haven't really had a good chance to see our world yet."
"No. They would never trust me out of their control. If I refused to go ... well ..." she shrugged.