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What do you mean?
I told you, did I not, that the Sons of the Bird are being dealt with? They, and all their works.
How?
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Hoag did not answer, but stared again at the fog. It was creeping up on the city. I think I must go now.
Do as I have told you to do. He started to turn away. Cynthia lifted up her face and spoke to him.
Don t go! Not yet.
Yes, my dear?
You must tell me one thing:Will Teddy and I be together?
He looked into her eyes and said. I see what you mean. I don t know.
But youmust know!
I do not know. If you are both creatures of this world, then your patterns may run alike. But there are
the Critics, you know.
The Critics? What havethey to do withus?
One, or the other, or both of you maybe Critics. I would not know. Remember, the Critics are
men here. I did not even know myself as one until today. He looked at Randall meditatively. He may
be one. I suspected it once today.
Am I?
I have no way of knowing. It is most unlikely. You see, we can t know each other, for it would spoil
our artistic judgment.
But . . . but . . . if weare not the same, then
That is all. He said it, not emphatically, but with such a sound of finality that they were both startled.
He bent over the remains of the feast and selected one more grape, ate it, and closed his eyes.
He did not open them. Presently Randall said, Mr. Hoag? No answer. Mr. Hoag! Still no answer.
He separated himself from Cynthia, stood up, and went around to where the quiet figure sat. He shook
him. Mr. Hoag!
But we can t just leave him there! Randall insisted, some minutes later.
Teddy, he knew what he was doing. The thing for us to do is to follow his instructions.
Well we can stop in Waukegan and notify the police.
Tell them we left a dead man back there on a hillside? Do you think they would say, Fine, and let us
drive on? No, Teddy just what he told us to do.
Honey you don t believe all that stuff he was telling us, do you?
She looked him in his eyes, her own eyes welling with tears, and said, Do you? Be honest with me,
Teddy.
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He met her gaze for a moment, then dropped his eyes and said, Oh, never mind! We ll do what he
said. Get in the car.
The fog which appeared to have engulfed the city was not visible when they got down the hill and had
started back toward Waukegan, nor did they see it again after they had turned south and drove toward
the city. The day was bright and sunny, as it had started to be that morning, with just enough nip in the air
to make Hoag s injunction about keeping the windows rolled up tight seem like good sense.
They took the lake route south, skipping the Loop thereby, with the intention of continuing due south
until well out of the city. The traffic had thickened somewhat over what it had been when they started out
in the middle of the morning; Randall was forced to give his attention to the wheel. Neither of them felt
like talking and it gave an excuse not to.
They had left the Loop area behind them when Randall spoke up, Cynthia
Yes.
We ought to tell somebody. I m going to ask the next cop we see to call the Waukegan station.
Teddy!
Don t worry. I ll give him some stall that will make them investigate without making them suspicious of
us. The old run-around you know.
She knew his powers of invention were fertile enough to do such a job; she protested no more. A few
blocks later Randall saw a patrolman standing on the sidewalk, warming himself in the sun, and watching
some boys playing sand-lot football. He pulled up to the curb beside him. Run down the window, Cyn.
She complied, then gave a sharp intake of breath and swallowed a scream. He did not scream, but he
wanted to.
Outside the open window was no sunlight, no cops, no kids nothing. Nothing but a gray and formless
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