"In fact, if anything, she's worse than she was when she came home," Barry continued. "Isolation has permitted her illness to spread, to intensify, and joining her in isolation, even temporarily, has permitted the disease to infect you."

Ben looked at his brothers in surprise and confusion. Had there been clues, hints that they were thinking along those lines? He realized that by asking the question he had answered another. He should have known. In a perfectly functioning unit there are no secrets. Slowly he shook his head, and he spoke very carefully. "For a time, I believed I was ill also, but I continued to function according to our schedule, our needs, and I dismissed the thoughts that had troubled me. In what way have I given offense?"

Barry shook his head impatiently.

For a moment Ben could sense their unhappiness. "I have a theory about Molly that perhaps applies also to me." They waited. "Always before us, in infancy there was a period when ego development naturally occurred, and if all went well during that period, the individual was formed, separate from his parents. With us such a development is not necessary, or even possible, because our brothers or sisters obviate the need for separate existence, and instead a unit consciousness is formed. There are very old studies of identical twins that recognized this unit or group consciousness, but the researchers were not prepared to understand the mechanism. Very little attention was paid to it, and little further study." He stood up and moved again to the window. The rain was steady and hard now. "I suggest that we all still have the capability for individual ego development latent within us. It becomes dormant when the physiological time passes for its spontaneous emergence, but with Molly, and perhaps with others, if there is enough stimulus, under the proper conditions, this development is activated."

"The proper conditions being separation from the brothers or sisters under stressful circumstances?" Barry asked thoughtfully.

"I think so. But the important thing now," Ben said urgently, "is to let it develop and see what happens. I can't predict her future behavior. I don't know what to expect from one day to the next."

Barry and Bruce exchanged glances, and then looked at the other brothers. Ben tried to interpret the looks and failed. He felt chilled and turned to watch the rain instead.

"We will decide tomorrow," Barry said finally. "But whatever our decision about Molly is, there is another decision that we made that is unaltered. You must not continue to see her, Ben. For your own welfare, and ours, we must forbid your visits to her."

Ben nodded in agreement. "I'll have to tell her," he said.

At the tone in his voice Barry again looked at the other brothers, and reluctantly they agreed.

"Why are you so surprised?" Molly asked. "This had to happen."

"I brought you some tea," Ben said brusquely.