Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 53 — page 56: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

CONSPIRACY old tin ash-tray, and shook hands with her. “Your friend wouldn’t come then?’ ““No. He told me I wasn’t to come either.” “But you disobeyed him? Very sensible of you. It’s a thing people commonly find hard to do—to be fond of a person and yet to appreciate that for their own good one must run counter to their most strongly expressed wishes.” “One thing. It’s very im- portant. You won’t tell any- one else what I’ve been telling you? You promise that?” “I will, but it isn’t really necessary. It’s part of our duty to protect the privacy of people who come to us. And the fact that we are in business at all is proof that we do it. It would get around quickly enough if we were in the habit of repeating things and trade would very soon drop off.” “But not even other doc- tors ?”’ “The privacy is absolute.” She said discouraged: “But I still don’t see how I can 35 persuade him to come and see you. I can’t even tell him that I’ve seen you again.”’ “‘We shall have to make a campaign of it. The first thing to do is to learn more of the nature of your friend’s divorce from his environment—that is to find out what he believes to be the truth about his origin. I think perhaps you can do something in that line with- out disturbing him and without mentioning me. You must remember of course that he honestly believes these things. But I can see I don’t need to give you that kind of advice. You are a sympathetic person. To a large extent, that is why your friend has come to depend on you.” hes lonely 35.2" ““Of course he’s lonely. And he will get even lonelier if his trouble isn’t checked; in time he will grow away from you as well, and it may be too late to do anything at all for him then. It’s now we must act.” ““‘What do you want me to do?” connicloooks.comn