The officer examining Plum said, "It won't make any difference in a
while."
Harry looked at both of them, and felt sharp, personal fear.
"Take the horse back to his farm," the officer holding Harry said. He
opened the door of the little car and pushed Harry inside. He went
around to the driver's side and got behind the wheel and drove away.
Harry looked back. Pete was leading Plum after them; not riding him,
walking him. "He sure must like horses," he said.
"Yes."
"Am I going to jail?"
"No."
"Where then?"
"The doctor's place."
They stopped in front of the new house two miles past Dugan's farm.
Except he'd never seen it before. Or had he? Everyone seemed to know
about it--or was everyone only Edna and the Shanks?
He got out of the car. The officer took his arm and led him up the
path. Harry noticed that the new house was big.
When they came inside, he knew it wasn't like any house he'd ever seen
or heard of. There was this long central passageway, and dozens of
doors branched off it on both sides, and stairways went down from it in
at least three places that he could see, and at the far end--a good two
hundred yards away--a big ramp led upward. And it was all gray plaster
walls and dull black floors and cold white lighting, like a hospital,
or a modern factory, or maybe a government building. Except that he
didn't see or hear people.
He did hear _something_; a low, rumbling noise. The further they came
along the hall, the louder the rumbling grew. It seemed to be deep down
somewhere.
* * * * *
They went through one of the doors on the right, into a windowless
room. A thin little man with bald head and frameless glasses was there,
putting on a white coat. His veiny hands shook. He looked a hundred
years old. "Where's Petey?" he asked.
"Pete's all right, Dad. Just leading a horse back to Burr's farm."
The old man sighed. "I didn't know what form it would take. I expected
one or two cases, but I couldn't predict whether it would be gradual or
sudden, whether or not it would lead to violence."
"No violence, Dad."
"Fine, Stan." He looked at Harry. "I'm going to give you a little
treatment, Mr. Burr. It'll settle your nerves and make everything...."
"What happened to Davie?" Harry asked, things pushing at his brain
again.