“Well, you⁠—you’re a rather lonely man⁠—have been, that is. You haven’t married.”

“Never wanted to. But why⁠—?”

“And you never grew richer than you happened to be?”

“Never wanted that either.”

“You’ve just rooted after knowledge?”

“Well, a certain curiosity is natural⁠—”

“You think so. That’s just it. You think every other mind wants to know . I remember once, when I asked you why you conducted all these researches, you said you wanted your F.R.S. , and to have the stuff called Cavorite, and things like that. You know perfectly well you didn’t do it for that; but at the time my question took you by surprise, and you felt you ought to have something to look like a motive. Really you conducted researches because you had to. It’s your twist.”

“Perhaps it is⁠—”