Earl sat down suddenly, "It's just as well. I thought maybe some day I might hate them too, or learn to like them. But I can do neither, so I am halfway between, and no man can live this way."
She did not answer him. Finally he said, "It doesn't make sense to you, does it?"
"No, it doesn't. This is not the time for such discussions, anyway. The Agents have their machines working at top speed, while we sit here and talk."
Suddenly they were not alone.
No sound was generated by the man's coming. One instant they were talking alone, the next he was here. Earl saw him first. He was a middle-aged man whose hair was completely white. He stood near the desk, easily, as if standing there were the most natural way to relax. He was entirely nude ... but it seemed natural and right.
Then Mrs. Jamieson saw him.
"Benjamin!" she cried. "I knew someone would come."
He smiled. "This is your son?"
"Yes," she said. "We are ready."