guilty.
`You know this hospital is a farce, but tragic suffering - a tragic farce. You know there are nuts running this place #161;nuts! - not even counting you! - that makes most inmates look like Ozzie and Marriat and David and Ricky. You know what American racism is. You know what the war in Vietnam is. And you toss dice! You toss dice!' He banged both fists down on the desk before me two, three, four times, his long hair falling forward at each blow like a black mantilla. Then he stopped.
`I'm leaving, Doc,' he said to me calmly. `I'm going out into the world and try to make it better. You can stay here and
drop your random bombs.'
`Just a minute, Eric.'
I stood up. `Before you go-'
`I'm leaving. Thanks for the pot, thanks for the silences, thanks even for the games, but don't say another word about
tossing your fucking dice, or I'll kill you.'
`Eric. . I'm . . . You're…' He left.
Chapter Thirty-five
Dr. Rhinehart should have known when Mr. Mann summoned him to his office at QSH that there was trouble. And
seeing old Cobblestone erect and solemn as he entered made Dr. Rhinehart certain there was trouble. Dr. Cobblestone
is tall and thin and gray-haired, and Dr. Mann is short and plump and balding, but their facial expressions were
identical: stern, firm, severe. Being called to a director's office at QSH reminded Rhinehart of being summoned to the
principal's office at age eight for winning money off sixth graders at craps. His problems hadn't changed much.
`What's this about dice, young man?' Dr. Cobblestone asked sharply, leaning forward in his chair and banging once
noisily on the floor the cane he held upright between his legs. He was the senior director of the hospital.
`Dice?' asked Dr. Rhinehart, a puzzled expression on his face. He was wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt and
sneakers, a dice decision which had made Dr. Mann pale when he had entered the office. Dr. Cobblestone had not
seemed to notice.
`I think we ought to take things in the order you suggested earlier,' Dr. Mann said to his co-director.
`Ah yes. Yes, indeed: Dr. Cobblestone banged his cane again as if it were some accepted signal for the restarting of a
game. `What's this we've heard about your using prostitutes and homosexuals in your sex research?'
Dr. Rhinehart didn't answer immediately but looked intently from one stern face to another. He said quietly: `The
research will be detailed in our report. Is there anything wrong?'
`Dr. Felloni says she has withdrawn entirely from the project,' said Dr. Mann.
'Ahh. She's back from Zurich?'
'She states she withdraw because subjects were being asked to commit immoral acts,' said Dr. Cobblestone.
`The subjects of the experiment was sexual change.'
`Were the subjects asked to commit immoral acts?' Dr. Cobblestone continued.
`The instructions made it clear that they didn't have to do anything they didn't want to.'
`Dr. Felloni reports that the project encouraged young people to fornicate,' said Dr. Mann neutrally.
`She should know. She helped me draw up the instructions.'
`Does the project encourage young people to fornicate?' asked Dr. Cobblestone.
`And old people t- Look, I think perhaps you ought to ask to have a copy of my research report when it's finished.'
The two stern faces had not relaxed, and Dr. Cobblestone went on `One of your subjects claims that he was raped.'
`That's true,' replied Dr. Rhinehart. `But our investigation indicated that he either fantasized or prevaricated the rape to
suppress his active unconscious participation in the act of which he complains.'
`What's that?' said Dr. Cobblestone, irritably cupping an ear at Dr. Rhinehart.
`He enjoyed being laid and is lying about the rape.'
`Oh. Thank you.'
`You realize, Luke,' said Dr. Mann, `that in letting you use some of our patients here at QSH for your research that we are legally and morally responsible for what occurs in that research.'
`I understand.'
`Certain attendants and nurses have reported that a large number of patients were volunteering for your sex research
project and have claimed that prostitutes were being supplied to the patients.'
`You can read my report when it's done.'
Dr. Cobblestone banged his cane a third time.
`A report has reached us that you yourself participated in . . . as . . . as . . . in this experiment.'
`Naturally.'