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\viewkind4\uc1\pard\fi142\qj\tx204\lang1033\f0\fs20   Waldo by Robert Heinlein\par
\pard\qj\tx204\par
    The act was billed as ballet tap \fs8 - \fs20 which does not describe it.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 His feet created an intricate tympany of crisp, clean taps. \par
There was a breath-catching silence as he leaped high \par
into the air, higher than a human being should \fs8 - \fs20 and \par
performed, while floating there, a fantastically improbable\par
 \i entrechat douze.\par
\i0 He landed on his toes, apparently poised, yet producing \par
a fortissimo of thunderous taps.\par
The spotlights cut, the stage lights came up. The audience \par
stayed silent a long moment, then realized it was time to \par
applaud, and \i gave.\par
\i0 He stood facing them, letting the wave of their emotion \par
sweep through him. He felt as if he could lean against it; \par
it warmed him through to his bones.\par
It was wonderful to dance, glorious to be applauded, to be \par
\i liked, \i0 to be \i wanted.\par
\i0 When the curtain rang down for the last time he let his \par
dresser lead him away. He was always a little bit drunk at \par
the end of a performance; dancing was a joyous intoxication \par
even in rehearsal, but to have an audience lifting him, \par
carrying him along, applauding him \fs8 - \fs20 He never grew jaded \par
to it. It was always new and heartbreakingly wonderful.\par
\lquote This way, chief. Give us a little smile.\rquote  The flash bulb flared. \par
\lquote Thanks.\rquote\par
\i\lquote Thank\rquote you. \i0 Have a drink.\rquote  He motioned towards one end of \par
his dressing room. They were all such nice fellows, such grand \par
guys \fs8 - \fs20 the reporters, the photographers \fs8 - \fs20 all of them.\par
\lquote How about one standing up?\rquote  He started to comply, but his \par
dresser, busy with one slipper, warned him:\par
\lquote You operate in half an hour.\rquote\par
\lquote Operate?\rquote  the news photographer said. \lquote What\rquote s it this time?\rquote\par
\pard\li215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote A left cerebrectomy,\rquote  he answered. \par
\lquote Yeah? How about covering it?\rquote\par
\lquote Glad to have you \fs8 - \fs20 if the hospital doesn\rquote t mind.\rquote\par
\lquote We\rquote ll fix that.\rquote\par
Such grand guys.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote -trying to get a little different angle on a feature article.\rquote\par
 It was a feminine voice, near his ear. He looked around hastily, \par
slightly confused. \lquote For example, what made you decide to take \par
up dancing as a career?\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote m sorry,\rquote  he apologized. \lquote I didn\rquote t hear you. I\rquote m afraid it\rquote s \par
pretty noisy in here.\rquote\par
\lquote I said, why did you decide to take up dancing?\rquote\par
\lquote Well, now, I don\rquote t quite know how to answer that. I\rquote m afraid \par
we would have to go back quite a way-\rquote\par
\pard\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215 James Stevens scowled at his assistant engineer. \lquote What have \par
you got to look happy about?\rquote  he demanded.\par
\lquote It\rquote s just the shape of my face,\rquote  his assistant apologized. \par
\lquote Try laughing at this one: there\rquote s been another crash.\rquote\par
\lquote Oh, cripes! Don\rquote t tell me, \fs8  \fs20 let me guess. Passenger or freight?\rquote\par
\lquote A Climax duo-freighter on the Chicago-Salt Lake shuttle, \par
just west of North Platte. And, chief-\rquote\par
\lquote Yes?\rquote\par
\lquote The Big Boy wants to see you.\rquote\par
\lquote That\rquote s interesting. That\rquote s very, very interesting. Mac-\rquote\par
\lquote Yeah, chief.\rquote\par
\lquote How would you like to be Chief Traffic Engineer of North \par
American Power-Air? I hear there\rquote s going to be a vacancy.\rquote\par
Mac scratched his nose. \lquote Funny that you should mention \par
that, chief. I was just going to ask you what kind of a \par
recom\f1\-\f0 mendation you could give me in case I went back into \par
civil engineering. Ought to be worth something to you to \par
get rid of me.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ll get rid of you \fs8 - \fs20 right now. You bust out to Nebraska, \par
find that heap before the souvenir hunters tear it apart, \par
and bring back its deKalbs and its control board.\rquote\par
\lquote Trouble with cops, maybe?\rquote\par
\lquote You figure it out. Just be sure you come back.\rquote\par
\ldblquote With my slipstick, or on it.\rdblquote\par
Stevens\rquote s office was located immediately adjacent \par
to the zone power plant; the business offices of \par
North American were located in a hill, a good three \par
quarters of a mile away. There was the usual inter-\par
connecting tunnel; Stevens entered it and \par
deliberately chose the low-speed slide in order to \par
have more time to think before facing the boss.\par
By the time he arrived he had made up his mind, \par
but he did not like the answer.\par
The Big Boy, \fs8  \fs20 Stanley F. Gleason, Chairman of the Board\par
greeted him quietly. \lquote Come in, Jim. Sit down. Have a cigar.\rquote\par
Stevens slid into a chair, declined the cigar and pulled out \par
a cigarette, which he lit while looking around. Besides the \par
chief and himself, there were present Harkness, head of the\par
 legal staff, Dr Rambeau, Stevens\rquote s opposite number for \par
research, and Striebel, the chief engineer for city power. \par
Us five and no more, he thought grimly\fs8 -  \fs20 All the heavy-\par
weights and none of the middleweights. Heads will roll!\fs8 -\par
 \fs20 Starting with mine.\par
\lquote Well,\rquote  he said, almost belligerently, \lquote we\rquote re all here. Who\rquote s \par
got the cards? Do we cut for deal?\rquote\par
Harkness looked faintly distressed by the impropriety; \par
Rambeau seemed too sunk in some personal gloom to pay \par
any attention to wisecracks in bad taste. Gleason ignored it. \par
\lquote We\rquote ve been trying to figure a way out of our troubles,\par
 James. \par
I left word for you on the chance that you might not have left.\rquote\par
\lquote I stopped by simply to see if I had any personal mail,\rquote  \par
Stevens said bitterly. \lquote Otherwise I\rquote d be on the beach at Miami, \par
turning sunshine into vitamin D.\rquote\par
\lquote I know,\rquote  said Gleason, \lquote and I\rquote m sorry. You deserve that \par
vacation, Jimmie. But the situation has gotten worse instead \par
of better. Any ideas?\rquote\par
\lquote What does Dr Rambeau say?\rquote\par
Rambeau looked up momentarily. \lquote The deKalb receptors can't\b\fs16  \b0\fs20 fail,\rquote  \par
he stated.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\tx226\lquote But they do.\par
\rquote\lquote They can\rquote t. You\rquote ve operated them improperly.\rquote  He sunk back\par
 into his personal prison.\par
Stevens turned back to Gleason and spread his hands. \lquote So far \par
as I know, Dr Rambeau is right,\fs8  \fs20 but if the fault lies in the \par
engineering department, I haven\rquote t been able to locate it. \par
You can have my resignation.\rquote\par
\lquote I don\rquote t want your resignation,\rquote  Gleason said gently. \lquote What I \par
want is results. We have a responsibility to the public.\rquote\par
\lquote And to the stockholders,\rquote  Harkness put in.\par
\lquote That will take care of itself if we solve the other,\rquote  Gleason \par
observed. \lquote How about \fs18 it, \fs20 Jimmie? Any suggestions?\rquote\par
Stevens bit his lip. \lquote Just one,\rquote  he announced, \lquote and one I don\rquote t \par
like to make. Then I look for a job peddling magazine \par
sub\f1\-\f0 scriptions.\rquote\par
\lquote So? Well, what is it?\rquote\par
\pard\li226\tx226\i\lquote We\rquote ve got to consult Waldo.\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\tx226\i0 Rambeau suddenly snapped out of his apathy. \lquote What! That \par
charlatan? This is a matter of \i science.\rquote\par
\i0 Harkness said, \lquote Really, Dr Stevens-\rquote\par
Gleason held up a hand. \lquote Dr Stevens\rquote s suggestion is logicaL \par
But I\rquote m afraid it\rquote s a little late, Jimmie. I talked with him last week.\rquote\par
Harkness looked surprised; Stevens looked annoyed as well. \par
\lquote Without letting me know?\rquote\par
\lquote Sorry, Jimmie. I was just feeling him out. But it\rquote s no good. \par
His terms, to us, amount to confiscation.\rquote\par
\lquote Still sore over the Hathaway patents?\rquote\par
\lquote Still nursing his grudge.\rquote\par
\lquote You should have let me handle the matter,\rquote  Harkness put in. \par
\lquote He can\rquote t do this to us \fs8 -\fs20  There is public interest involved. \par
Retain him, if need be, and let the fee be adjudicated in equity. \par
I\rquote ll arrange the details.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote m afraid you would,\rquote  Gleason said dryly. \lquote Do you think a \par
court order will make a hen lay an egg?\rquote\par
Harkness looked indignant, but shut up.\par
Stevens continued, \lquote I would not have suggested going to \par
Waldo if I had not had an idea as to how to approach him. \par
I know a friend of his-\rquote\par
\lquote A friend of W\i aldo? \i0 I didn\rquote t know he had any.\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote This man is sort of an uncle to him,\fs8   \fs20 his first physician. \par
With his help I might get on Waldo\rquote s good side.\rquote\par
Dr Rambeau stood up. \lquote This is intolerable,\rquote  he announced. \par
\lquote I must ask you to excuse me.\rquote  He did not wait for an answer, \par
but strode out, hardly giving the door time to open in front \par
of him.\par
Gleason followed his departure with worried eyes. \lquote Why does \par
he take \fs18 it \fs20 so hard, Jimmie? You would think he hated Waldo \par
personally.\rquote\par
\lquote Probably he does, in a way. But it\rquote s more than that; his whole \par
universe is toppling. For the last twenty years, ever since \par
Pryor\rquote s reformulation of the General Field Theory did away \par
with Heisenberg\rquote s Uncertainty Principle, physics has been \par
con\f1\-\f0 sidered an exact science. The power failures and transmission \par
failures we have been suffering are a terrific nuisance to you and \par
to me, but to Dr Rambeau they amount to an attack on his faith. \par
Better keep an eye on him.\rquote\par
\pard\li232\qj\tx232\fs18\lquote Why?\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\fs20\lquote Because he might come unstuck entirely. It\rquote s a pretty ser\f1\-\f0 ious \par
matter for a man\rquote s religion to fail him.\rquote\par
\lquote Hm-m-m. How about yourself? Doesn\rquote t it hit you just as hard?\rquote\par
\lquote Not quite. I\rquote m an engineer\fs8 - \fs20 From Rambeau\rquote s point of view just \par
a high-priced tinker. Difference in orientation. Not but what I\rquote m \par
pretty upset.\rquote\par
The audio circuit of the communicator on Gleason\rquote s desk came \par
to life. \lquote Calling Chief Engineer Stevens \fs8 - \fs20 calling Chief Engineer \par
Stevens.\rquote  Gleason flipped the tab.\par
\lquote He\rquote s here. Go ahead.\rquote\par
\lquote Company code, translated. Message follows: \ldblquote Cracked up \par
four miles north of Cincinnati. Shall I go on to Nebraska, or \par
bring in the you-know-what from my own crate?\rdblquote  Message \par
ends. Signed \ldblquote Mac\rdblquote .\rquote\par
\lquote Tell him to \i walk \i0 back!\rquote  Stevens said savagely.\par
\lquote Very well, sir.\rquote  The instrument cut off.\par
\lquote Your assistant?\rquote  asked Gleason.\par
\lquote Yes. That\rquote s about the last straw, chief. Shall I wait and try \par
to analyse this failure, or shall I try to see Waldo?\rquote\par
\lquote Try to see Waldo.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote OK. If you don\rquote t hear from me, just send my severance pay \par
care of Palmdale Inn, Miami. I\rquote ll be the fourth beachcomber \par
from the right.\rquote\par
Gleason permitted himself an unhappy smile. \lquote If you \i don\rquote t \i0 get \par
results, I\rquote ll b\'e7 the fifth. Good luck.\rquote\par
\lquote So long.\rquote\par
When Stevens had gone, Chief Stationary Engineer Striebel \par
spoke up for the first time. \lquote If the power to the cities fails,\rquote  he \par
said softly, \lquote you know where I\rquote ll be, don\rquote t you?\rquote\par
\lquote Where? Beachcomber number six?\rquote\par
\lquote Not likely. I\rquote ll be number one in my spot, \fs8  \fs20 first man to be lynched.\rquote\par
\lquote But the power to the cities \i can\rquote t \i0 fail. You\rquote ve got too many cross-\par
connects and safety devices.\rquote\par
\lquote Neither can the deKalbs fail, supposedly. Just the same, think \par
about Sublevel 7 in Pittsburgh, with the lights out. Or, rather, \par
don\rquote t think about it!\rquote\par
\par
Doc Grimes let himself into the aboveground access which led \par
into his home, glanced at the announcer, and noted with mild, \par
warm interest that someone close enough to him to pos\f1\-\f0 sess \par
his house combination was inside. He moved ponderously \par
downstairs, favouring his game leg, and entered the lounging \par
room.\par
\lquote Hi, Doc!\rquote  James Stevens got up when the door snapped open \par
and came forward to greet him.\par
\lquote H\rquote lo, James. Pour yourself a drink. I see you have. Pour me one.\rquote\par
\lquote Right.\rquote\par
While his friend complied, Grimes shucked himself out of the \par
outlandish anachronistic greatcoat he was wearing and threw \par
it more or less in the direction of the robing alcove. It hit the \par
floor heavily, much more heavily than its appearance justified, \par
despite its unwieldy bulk. It clunked.\par
\pard\fi-2250\li2471\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\tx2471 Stooping, he peeled off thick overtrousers as massive as the coat.\par
He was dressed underneath in conventional business tights in \par
blue and sable. It was not a style that suited him. To an eye \par
unsophisticated in matters of civilized dress, \fs8  \fs20 let us say the \par
mythical Man-from-Antares \fs8 - \fs20 he might have seemed \par
uncouth, even unsightly. He looked a good bit like an elderly \par
fat beetle.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\tx221 James Stevens\rquote s eye made no note of the tights, but he looked \par
with disapproval on the garments which had just been dis\f1\-\f0 carded. \par
\lquote Still wearing that fool armour,\rquote  he commented.\par
\lquote Certainly.\rquote\par
\lquote Damn it, Doc \fs8 - \fs20 you\rquote ll make yourself sick, carrying that junk around. \par
It\rquote s unhealthy.\rquote\par
\lquote Danged sight sicker if I don\rquote t.\rquote\par
\lquote Rats! \i 1 \i0 don\rquote t get sick, and \i I \i0 don\rquote t wear armour \fs8 - \fs20 outside the lab.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote You should.\rquote  Grimes walked over to where Stevens had re\f1\-\f0 seated \par
himself. \lquote Cross your knees.\rquote  Stevens complied; Grimes struck him \par
smartly below the kneecap with the edge of his palm. The reflex \par
jerk was barely perceptible. \lquote Lousy,\rquote  he remarked, then peeled back \par
his friend\rquote s right eyelid.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\tx221\lquote You\rquote re in poor shape,\rquote  he added after a moment. Stevens drew \par
away impatiently. \i\lquote i\rquote m \i0 all right. It\rquote s you we\rquote re talking about.\rquote\par
\lquote What about me?\rquote\par
\lquote Well- Damnation, Doc, you\rquote re throwing away your repu\f1\-\f0 tation. \par
They talk about you.\rquote\par
Grimes nodded. \lquote I know. \ldblquote Poor old Gus Grimes -\fs8  \fs20 a slight touch of \par
cerebral termites.\rdblquote  Don\rquote t worry about my reputation; I\rquote ve always \par
been out of step. What\rquote s your fatigue index?\rquote\par
\lquote I don\rquote t know. It\rquote s all right.\rquote\par
\lquote It is, eh? I\rquote ll wrestle you, two falls out of three.\rquote  Stevens rubbed \par
his eyes. \lquote Don\rquote t needle me, Doc. I\rquote m run\f1\-\f0 down. I know that, but it \par
isn\rquote t anything but overwork.\rquote\par
\pard\li221\sl-215\slmult0\tx221\lquote Humph! James, you are a fair-to-middlin\rquote  radiation physicist \fs24 - \fs20\lquote Engineer.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\tx221\lquote -engineer. But you\rquote re no medical man. You can\rquote t expect to pour every sort\par
of radiant energy through the human system year after\fs24  \fs20 year and not pay \par
for it. It wasn't designed to stand it.\rquote\par
\pard\li204\sl-221\slmult0\tx204\lquote But I wear armour in the lab. You know that.\rquote\par
\lquote Surely. And how about outside the lab?\rquote\par
\lquote But- Look, Doc - I hate to say it, but your whole thesis\par
is ridiculous. Sure there is radiant energy in the air these \fs24 days, \par
\fs20 but nothing harmful. All the colloidal chemists agree-\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote Colloidal, fiddlesticks!\rquote\par
\lquote But you\rquote ve got to admit that biological economy is a matter of \par
colloidal chemistry.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ve got to admit nothing. I\rquote m not contending that colloids are \par
not the fabric of living tissue\fs8 - \fs20 They are. But I\rquote ve main\f1\-\f0 tained for \par
forty years that it was dangerous to expose living tissue to assorted \par
radiation without being sure of the effect. From an evolutionary \par
standpoint the human animal is habitu\f1\-\f0 ated to and adapted to only \par
the natural radiation of the sun, and he can\rquote t stand that any too well, \par
even under a thick blanket of ionization. Without that blanket- Did \par
you ever see a solar-X type cancer?\rquote\par
\lquote Of course not.'\par
\lquote No, you\rquote re too young. \i I \i0 have. Assisted at the autopsy of one, when \par
I was an intern. Chap was on the Second Venus Expedition. Four \par
hundred and thirty-eight cancers we counted in him, then gave up.\rquote\par
\lquote Solar-X is whipped.\rquote\par
\lquote Sure it is. But it ought to be a warning. You bright young squirts \par
can cook up things in your labs that we medicos can\rquote t begin to \par
cope with. We\rquote re behind -\fs8  \fs20 bound to be. We usually don\rquote t know \par
what\rquote s happened until the damage is done. This time you\rquote ve torn it.\rquote  \par
He sat down heavily and suddenly looked as tired and whipped as \par
did his younger friend.\par
Stevens felt the sort of tongue-tied embarrassment a man may feel \par
when a dearly beloved friend falls in love with an utterly worthless \par
person. He wondered what he could say that would not seem rude.\par
He changed the subject. \lquote Doc, I came over because I had a couple \par
of things on my mind-\rquote\par
\lquote Such as?\rquote\par
\lquote Well, a vacation for one. I know \b I\rquote m \b0 run-down. I\rquote ve been overworked, \par
and a vacation seems in order. The other is your pal, Waldo.\rquote\par
\pard\li204\qj\tx204\lquote Huh?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote Yeah. Waldo Farthingwaite-Jones, bless his stiff-necked, bad-tempered \par
heart.\rquote\par
\pard\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226   \lquote Why Waldo? You haven\rquote t suddenly acquired an interest in \par
\pard\fi142\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx142  \i myasthenia gravis, \i0 have you?\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote Well, no. I don\rquote t care what\rquote s wrong with him physically. \par
He can have hives, dandruff, or the galloping never-get-overs, \par
for all I care. I hope he has. What I want is to pick his brains.\rquote\par
\lquote So?\rquote\par
\lquote I can\rquote t do it alone. Waldo doesn\rquote t help people; he \i uses \i0 them. \par
You\rquote re his only normal contact with people.\rquote\par
\lquote That is not entirely true-\rquote\par
\lquote Who else?\rquote\par
\lquote You misunderstand me. He has \i no \i0 normal contacts. I am \par
\pard\fi226\ri4718\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 simply the only person who dares to be rude to him.\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote But I thought- Never mind. D\rquote you know, this is an \par
incon\f1\-\f0 venient setup? Waldo is the man we\rquote ve got to have. \par
Why should it come about that a genius of his calibre \par
should be so unapproachable, so immune to ordinary social \par
demands? Oh, I know his disease has a lot to do with it, but \par
why should \i this \i0 man have \i this \i0 disease? It\rquote s an improbable \par
coincidence.\rquote\par
\lquote It\rquote s not a matter of his infirmity,\rquote  Grimes told him. \lquote Or, rather, \par
not in the way you put it. His weakness \i is \i0 his genius, in a way-\rquote\par
\pard\li215\qj\tx215\lquote Huh?\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote Well-\rquote  Grimes turned his sight inward, let his mind roam back \par
over his long association,\fs8  \fs20 lifelong, for Waldo, \fs8  \fs20 with this \par
particular patient. He remembered his subliminal mis\f1\-\f0 givings \par
when he delivered the child. The infant had been sound \par
enough, superficially, except for a slight blueness. But then \par
lots of babies were somewhat cyanotic in the delivery room. \par
Nevertheless, he had felt a slight reluctance to give it the tunk \par
on the bottom, the slap which would shock it into taking its \par
first lungful of air.\par
But he had squelched his own feelings, performed the neces\f1\-\f0 sary \par
\lquote laying on of hands\rquote , and the freshly born human had de\f1\-\f0 clared its \par
independence with a satisfactory squall. There was nothing else \par
he could have done; he was a young GP then, who took his \par
Hippocratic oath seriously. He still took it seri\f1\-\f0 ously, he supposed, \par
even though he sometimes referred to it as the \lquote hypocritical\rquote  oath. \par
Still, he had been right in his feelings; there \i had \i0 been something \par
rotten about that child, something that was not entirely \i myasthenia \par
gravis.\i0 He had felt sorry for the child at first, as well as having an \par
irrational feeling of responsibility for its condition. Pathologi\f1\-\f0 cal \par
muscular weakness is an almost totally crippling condi\f1\-\f0 tion, since \par
the patient has no unaffected limbs to retrain into substitutes. \par
There the victim must lie, all organs, limbs, and functions present, \par
yet so pitifully, completely weak as to be unable to perform any \par
normal action. He must spend his life in a condition of exhausted \par
collapse, such as you or I might reach at the finish line of a \par
gruelling cross-country run. No help for him, and no relief.\par
During Waldo\rquote s childhood he had hoped constantly that the child \par
would die, since he was so obviously destined for tragic \par
uselessness, while simultaneously, as a physician, doing \par
every\f1\-\f0 thing within his own skill and the skills of numberless \par
consult\f1\-\f0 ing specialists to keep the child alive and cure it.\par
Naturally, Waldo could not attend school; Grimes ferreted out \par
sympathetic tutors. He could indulge in no normal play; Grimes \par
invented sickbed games which would not only stimu\f1\-\f0 late Waldo\rquote s \par
imagination but encourage him to use his flabby muscles to the full, \par
weak extent of which he was capable.\par
Grimes had been afraid that the handicapped child, since it was not \par
subjected to the usual maturing stresses of growing up, would remain \par
infantile. He knew now, \fs8  \fs20 had known for a long time, \fs8  \fs20 that he need not \par
have worried. Young Waldo grasped at what little life was offered him, \par
learned thirstily, tried with a sweating tenseness of will to force his \par
undisciplined muscles to serve him.\par
He was clever in thinking of dodges whereby to circum\f1\-\f0 vent his \par
muscular weakness. At seven he devised a method of controlling \par
a spoon with two hands, which permitted him, painfully, \fs8  \fs20 to feed himself. \par
His first mechanical invention was made at ten.\par
It was a gadget which held a book for him, at any angle, controlled \par
lighting for the book, and turned its pages. The gadget responded to \par
fingertip pressure on a simple control panel. Naturally, Waldo could \par
not build it himself, but he could conceive it, and explain it; the \par
Farthingwaite-Joneses could well afford the services of a designing \par
engineer to build the child\rquote s conception.\par
Grimes was inclined to consider this incident, in which the child Waldo \par
acted in a role of intellectual domination over a trained mature adult \par
neither blood relation nor servant, as a landmark in the psychological \par
process whereby Waldo even\f1\-\f0 tually came to regard the entire human \par
race as his servants, his \i hands, \i0 present or potential.\par
\lquote What\rquote s eating you, Doc?\rquote\par
\lquote Eh? Sorry, I was daydreaming. See here, son \fs8 - \fs20 you mustn\rquote t be too harsh \par
on Waldo. I don\rquote t \i like \i0 him myself. But you must take him as a whole.\rquote\par
\i\lquote You \i0 take him.\rquote\par
\i\lquote Shush. \i0 You spoke of needing his genius. He wouldn\rquote t have been a \par
genius if he had not been crippled. You didn\rquote t know his parents. \par
They were good stock,\fs8   \fs20 fine, intelligent people,\fs8  \fs20 but nothing spectacular. \par
Waldo\rquote s potentialities weren\rquote t any greater than theirs, but he had to \par
do more with them to accomplish anything. He had to do everything \par
the hard way. He \i had \i0 to be clever.\par
\lquote Sure. Sure, but why should he be so utterly poisonous? Most \par
big men aren\rquote t.\rquote\par
\lquote Use your head. To get anywhere in his condition he had to develop a \par
will, a driving one-track mind, with a total disre\f1\-\f0 gard for any other \par
considerations. What would you expect him to be but stinking selfish?\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote d- Well, never mind. We need him and that\rquote s that.\rquote\par
\lquote Why?\rquote\par
Stevens explained. \par
It may plausibly be urged that the shape of a culture, \par
\fs8  \fs20 its mores, evaluations, family organization, eating habits, living \par
patterns, pedagogical methods, institutions, forms of govern\f1\-\f0 ment, \par
and so forth, \fs8  \fs20 arise from the economic necessities of its technology. \par
Even though the thesis be too broad and much oversimplified, it is \par
nonetheless true that much which charac\f1\-\f0 terized the long peace which \par
followed the constitutional estab\f1\-\f0 lishrnent of the United Nations grew \par
out of the technologies which were hot-house-forced by the needs of the \par
belligerents in the war of the forties. Up to that time broadcast and \par
beam-cast were used only for commercial radio, with rare excep\f1\-\f0 tions. \par
Even telephony was done almost entirely by actual metallic connexion \par
from one instrument to another. If a man in Monterey wished to speak \par
to his wife or partner in Boston, a physical, copper neuron stretched \par
bodily across the continent from one to the other.\par
Radiant power was then a hop dream, found in Sunday sup\f1\-\f0 plements \par
and comic books.\par
A concatenation, \fs8  \fs20 no, a meshwork \fs8  \fs20 of new developments was necessary \par
before the web of copper covering the continent could be dispensed with. \par
Power could not be broadcast econ\f1\-\f0 omically; it was necessary to wait for \par
the co-axial beam, \fs8  \fs20 a direct result of the imperative military shortages of \par
the Great War. Radio telephony could not replace wired telephony until \par
ultra micro-wave techniques made room in the ether, so to speak, for the \par
traffic load. Even then it was necessary to invent a tuning device which \par
could be used by a nontechnical person, a ten-year-old child, let us say\par
\fs8  \fs20 ,as easily as the dial selector which was characteristic of the commercial \par
wired telephone of the era then terminating.\par
Bell Laboratories cracked that problem; the solution led directly to the \par
radiant power receptor, domestic type, keyed, sealed, and metered. \par
The way was open for commercial radio power transmission, \fs8  \fs20 except in \par
one respect: efficiency. Avia\f1\-\f0 tion waited on the development of the \par
Otto-cycle engine; the Industrial Revolution waited on the steam \par
engine; radiant power waited on a really cheap, plentiful power \par
source. Since radiation of power is inherently wasteful, it was \par
necessary to have power cheap and plentiful enough to waste.\par
The same war brought atomic energy. The physicists work\f1\-\f0 ing for \par
the United States Army, \fs8  \fs20 the United States of North America had its \par
own army then, \fs8  \fs20 produced a superexplosive; the notebooks recording \par
their tests contained, when properly correlated, everything necessary \par
to produce almost any other sort of nuclear reaction, even the so-called \par
Solar Phoenix, the hydrogen-helium cycle, which is the source of the \par
sun\rquote s power. \par
The reaction whereby copper is broken down into phospho\f1\-\f0 rus, \par
\pard\li142\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx204  silicon\sub 29\nosupersub , and helium\sub 8\nosupersub , plus degenerating chain reactions, was one \par
of the several cheap and convenient means developed for producing \par
\pard\li284\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx204 unlimited and practically free power.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Radiant power became economically feasible,\fs8  \fs20 and inevit\f1\-\f0 able.\par
Of course Stevens included none of this in his explanation to Grimes. \par
Grimes was absent-mindedly aware of the whole dy\f1\-\f0 namic process; \par
he had seen radiant power grow up, just as his grandfather had seen \par
the development of aviation. He had seen the great transmission lines \par
removed from the sky \fs8 -\fs20\lquote mined\rquote  for their copper; he had seen the heavy \par
cables being torn from the dug-up streets of Manhattan. He might even \par
re\f1\-\f0 call his first independent-unit radiotelephone with its some\f1\-\f0 what \par
disconcerting double dial. He had gotten a lawyer in Buenos Aires \par
on \b\fs16 it \b0\fs20 when attempting to reach his neighbour\f1\-\f0 hood delicatessen. \par
For two weeks he made all his local calls by having them relayed back \par
from South America before he dis\f1\-\f0 covered that it made a difference \par
which dial he used first.\par
At that time Grimes had not yet succumbed to the new style in \par
architecture. The London Plan did not appeal to him; he liked a \par
house aboveground, where he could see it. When it became \par
necessary to increase the floor space in his offices, he finally \par
gave in and went subsurface, not so much for the cheapness, \par
convenience, and general all-around practicability of living in a \par
tri-conditioned cave, but because he had already become a little \par
worried about the possible consequences of radiation pouring \par
through the human body. The fused-earth walls of his new \par
residence were covered with lead; the roof of the cave had a \par
double thickness. His hole in the ground was as near radiation-\par
proof as he could make it. \par
\lquote -the meat of the matter,\rquote  Stevens was saying, \lquote is that the \par
delivery of power to transportation units has become erratic \par
as the devil. Not enough yet to tie up traffic, but enough to be \par
very disconcerting. There have been some nasty accidents; \par
we can\rquote t keep hushing them up forever. I\rquote ve got to do \par
something about it.\rquote\par
\lquote Why?\rquote\par
\ldblquote Why?\rdblquote  Don\rquote t be silly. In the first place as traffic engineer\par
for NAPA my bread and butter depends on it. In the second \par
place the problem is upsetting in itself. A properly \par
designed piece of mechanism ought to work \fs8 - \fs20 all the time, \par
every time. These don\rquote t, and we can\rquote t find out why not. \par
Our staff mathe\f1\-\f0 matical physicists have about reached the \par
babbling stage.\rquote\par
Grimes shrugged. Stevens felt annoyed by the gesture. \par
\lquote I don\rquote t think you appreciate the importance of this \par
problem, Doc. Have you any idea of the amount of \par
horsepower involved in transportation? Counting both \par
private and commercial vehicles and common carriers, \par
North American Power-Air supplies more than half the \par
energy used in this continent. We \i\fs18 have \i0\fs20 to be right. \par
You can add to that our city-power affiliate. No trouble \par
there, \fs8  \fs20 yet. But we\sub  \nosupersub don\rquote t \i\fs18 dare \i0\fs20 think what a city-power \par
breakdown would mean.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ll give you a solution.\rquote\par
\lquote Yeah? Well, give.\rquote\par
\lquote Junk it. Go back to oil-powered and steam-powered \par
vehicles. Get rid of these damned radiant-powered \par
deathtraps.\rquote\par
\lquote Utterly impossible. You don\rquote t know what you\rquote re \par
saying. It took more than fifteen years to make the \par
change-over. Now we\rquote re geared to it. Gus, if NAPA \par
closed up shop, half the population of the northwest \par
seaboard would starve, to say nothing of the lake \par
states and the Philly-Boston axis.'\par
\lquote Hrrmph- Well, all I\rquote ve got to say is that that might \par
be better than the slow poisoning that is going on now.\rquote\par
Stevens brushed it away impatiently. \lquote Look, Doc, \par
nurse a bee in your bonnet if you like, but don\rquote t ask \par
me to figure it into my calculations. Nobody else \par
sees any danger in radiant power.'\par
Grimes answered mildly. \lquote Point is, son, they aren\rquote t \par
looking in the right place. Do you know what the \par
high-jump record was last year?\rquote\par
\lquote I never listen to the sports news.\rquote\par
\lquote Might try it sometime. The record levelled off at \par
seven foot two, \lquote bout twenty years back. Been \par
dropping ever since. You might try graphing \par
athletic records against radiation in the air -\fs8  \fs20 artificial \par
radiation. Might find some results that would surprise you.\rquote\par
\lquote Shucks, everybody knows there has been a swing away \par
from heavy sports. The sweat-and-muscles fad died out, \par
that\rquote s all. We\rquote ve simply advanced into a more intellectual \par
culture.\rquote\par
\lquote Intellectual, hogwash! People quit playing tennis and \par
such because they are tired all the time. Look at you. \par
You\rquote re a mess.\rquote\par
\lquote Don\rquote t needle me, Doc.\rquote\par
\lquote Sorry. But there has been a clear deterioration in the \par
per\f1\-\f0 formance of the human animal. If we had decent \par
records on such things I could prove it, but any \par
physician who\rquote s worth his salt can \i\fs18 see \i0\fs20 it, if he\rquote s \par
got eyes in him and isn\rquote t wedded to a lot of fancy \par
instruments. I can\rquote t prove what causes it, not yet, \par
but I\rquote ve a damned good hunch that it\rquote s caused by \par
the stuff you peddle.\rquote\par
\lquote Impossible. There isn\rquote t a radiation put on the air \par
that hasn\rquote t been tested very carefully in the bio labs. \par
We\rquote re neither fools nor knaves.\par
\lquote Maybe you don\rquote t test \lquote em long enough. I\rquote m not \par
talking about a few hours, or a few weeks; I\rquote m \par
talking about the cumu\f1\-\f0 lative effects of years of \par
radiant frequencies pouring through the tissues. \par
What does that do?\rquote\par
\lquote Why, nothing-I believe.\rquote\par
\lquote You believe, but you don\rquote t know. Nobody has \par
ever tried to find out. F\rquote rinstance -\fs8  \fs20 what effect \par
does sunlight have on sili\f1\-\f0 cate glass? Ordinarily \par
you would say \ldblquote none\rdblquote , but you\rquote ve seen desert \par
glass?\rquote\par
\lquote That bluish-lavender stuff? Of course.\rquote\par
\lquote Yes. A bottle turns coloured in a few months in \par
the Mojave Desert. But have you ever seen the \par
windowpanes in the old houses on Beacon Hill?\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ve never been on Beacon Hill.\rquote\par
\lquote OK, then I\rquote ll tell you. Same phenomena,\fs8  \fs20 only it \par
takes a century more, in Boston. Now tell me,\fs8  \fs20 you \par
savvy physics - could you measure the change \par
taking place in those Beacon Hill windows?\rquote\par
\pard\li215\qj\tx215\lquote Mm-rn-in \fs8 - \fs20 probably not.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote But it\rquote s going on just the same. Has anyone ever \par
tried to measure the changes produced in human \par
tissue by thirty years of exposure to ultra short\par
-wave radiation?\rquote\par
\lquote No, but-\rquote\par
\lquote No \ldblquote buts\rdblquote . I see an effect. I\rquote ve made a wild guess at a\par
cause. Maybe I\rquote m wrong. But I\rquote ve felt a lot more spry \par
since I\rquote ve taken to invariably wearing my lead overcoat \par
whenever I go out.\rquote\par
Stevens surrendered the argument. \lquote Maybe you\rquote re right, \par
Doc. I won\rquote t fuss with you. How about Waldo? Will you \par
take me to him and help me handle him?\rquote\par
\lquote When do you want to go?\rquote\par
\lquote The sooner the better.\rquote\par
\lquote Now?\rquote\par
\lquote Suits.\rquote\par
\lquote Call your office.\rquote\par
\lquote Are you ready to leave right now? It would suit me. As \par
far as the front office is concerned, I\rquote m on vacation; \par
nevertheless, I\rquote ve got this on my mind. I want to get at it.\rquote\par
\pard\li232\qj\tx232\lquote Quit talking and git.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 They went topside to where their cars were parked. \par
Grimes headed towards his, a big-bodied, old-fashioned \par
Boeing family landau. Stevens checked him. \par
\lquote You aren\rquote t planning to go in that? It \lquote u\rquote d take us the rest \par
of the day.\rquote\par
\ldblquote Why not? She\rquote s got an auxiliary space drive, and she\rquote s \par
tight. You could fly from here to the Moon and back.\rquote\par
\lquote Yes, but she\rquote s so infernal slow. We\rquote ll use my \ldblquote broomstick\rdblquote .\par
 Grimes let his eyes run over his friend\rquote s fusiformed little \par
speedster. Its body was as nearly invisible as the plastic \par
indus\f1\-\f0 try could achieve. A surface layer, two molecules \par
thick, gave it a refractive index sensibly identical with that \par
of air. When perfectly clean it was very difficult to see. \par
At the moment it had picked up enough casual dust and \par
water vapour to be faintly seen -\fs8  \fs20 a ghost of a soap bubble \par
of a ship.\par
Running down the middle, clearly visible through the walls, \par
was the only metal part of the ship -\fs8  \fs20 the shaft, or, more \par
pro\f1\-\f0 perly, the axis core, and the spreading sheaf of deKalb \par
recep\f1\-\f0 tors at its terminus. The appearance was enough like \par
a giant witch\rquote s broom to justify the nickname. Since the \par
saddles, of transparent plastic, were mounted tandem \par
oven the shaft so that the metal rod passed between the \par
legs of the pilot and passengers, the nickname was doubly \par
apt.\par
\pard\fi-2279\li2500\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\tx2500\lquote Son,\rquote  Grimes remarked, \lquote I know I ain\rquote t pretty, nor am I \par
graceful. Nevertheless, I retain a certain residuum of self-\par
respect and some shreds of dignity. I am \i\fs18 not \i0\fs20 going to \par
tuck that thing between my shanks and go scooting \par
through the air on it.\b\fs16\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\b0\fs20\lquote Oh, rats! You\rquote re old-fashioned.\rquote\par
\lquote I may be. Nevertheless, any peculiarities I have \par
managed to retain to my present age I plan to \par
hang on to. No.\rquote\par
\lquote Look \fs8 - \fs20 I\rquote ll polarize the hull before we raise. How about it?\rquote\par
\lquote Opaque?\rquote\par
\lquote Opaque.\rquote\par
Grimes slid a regretful glance at his own frumpish boat, \par
but assented by fumbling for the barely visible port of \par
the speed\f1\-\f0 ster. Stevens assisted him; they climbed in \par
and straddled the stick.\par
\lquote Atta boy, Doc,\rquote  Stevens commended, \lquote I\rquote ll have you \par
there in three shakes. That tub of yours probably won\rquote t \par
do over five hundred, and Wheelchair must be all of \par
twenty-five thousand miles up.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote m never in a hurry,\rquote  Grimes commented, \lquote and don\rquote t \par
call Waldo\rquote s house \ldblquote Wheelchair\rdblquote  \fs8 - \fs20 not to his face.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ll remember,\rquote  Stevens promised. He fumbled, \par
apparently in empty air; the hull suddenly became \par
dead black, concealing them. It changed as suddenly \par
to mirror bright; the car quiv\f1\-\f0 ered, then shot up out of sight.\par
\par
Waldo F. Jones seemed to be floating in thin air at the centre \par
of a spherical room. The appearance was caused by the fact \par
that he was indeed floating in air. His house lay in a free orbit, \par
with a period of just over twenty-four hours. No spin had \par
been impressed on his home; the pseudo gravity of \par
centri\f1\-\f0 fugal force was the thing he wanted least. He had left \par
Earth to get away from its gravitational field; he had not been \par
down to the surface once in the seventeen years since his \par
house was built and towed into her orbit; he never intended \par
to do so for any purpose whatsoever.\par
Here, floating free in space in his own air-conditioned shell, \par
he was almost free of the unbearable lifelong slavery to his \par
impotent muscles. What little strength he had he could spend \par
economically, in movement, rather than in fighting against the \par
tearing, tiring weight of the Earth\rquote s thick field.\par
Waldo had been acutely interested in space flight since early \par
boyhood, not from any desire to explore the depths, but \par
be\f1\-\f0 cause his boyish, overtrained mind had seen the enormous \par
ad\f1\-\f0 vantage, \fs8  \fs20 to him, \fs8  \fs20 in weightlessness. While still in his teens \par
he had helped the early experimenters in space flight over a \par
hump by supplying them with a control system which a pilot \par
could handle delicately while under the strain of two or three \par
gravi\f1\-\f0 ties.\par
Such an invention was no trouble at all to him; he had simply \par
adapted manipulating devices which he himself used in \par
combating the overpowering weight of one gravity. The first \par
successful and safe rocket ship contained relays which had \par
once aided Waldo in moving himself from bed to wheelchair.\par
The deceleration tanks, which are now standard equipment \par
for the lunar mail ships, traced their parentage to a flotation \par
tank in which Waldo habitually had eaten and slept up to \par
the time when he left the home of his parents for his present, \par
somewhat unique home. Most of his basic inventions had \par
originally been conceived for his personal convenience, \par
and only later adapted for commercial exploitation. Even \par
the ubi\f1\-\f0 quitous and grotesquely humanoid gadgets known \par
universally as \lquote waldocs\rquote  \fs8 - \fs20 Waldo F. Jones\rquote s Synchronous \par
Reduplicating Pantograph, Pat \b\fs16 #296,001,437, \b0\fs20 new series, \par
\i\fs18 et al \i0\fs8 - \fs20 passed through several generations of development \par
and private use in Waldo\rquote s machine shop before he \par
redesigned them for mass production. The first of them, \par
a primitive gadget compared with the waldoes now to be \par
found in every shop, factory, plant, and warehouse in the \par
country, had been designed to enable Waldo to operate \par
a metal lathe.\par
Waldo had resented the nickname the public had fastened \par
on them\fs8 -.I\fs20  It struck him as overly familiar, \fs8  \fs20 but he had coldly \par
recognized the business advantage to himself in having \par
the public identify him verbally with a gadget so useful \par
and im\f1\-\f0 portant.\par
When the newscasters tagged his spacehouse \par
\lquote Wheelchair\rquote , one might have expected him to regard it as \par
more useful pub\f1\-\f0 licity. That he did not so regard it, that \par
he resented it and tried to put a stop to it, arose from \par
another and peculiarly Waldo-ish fact: Waldo did not \par
think of himself as a cripple.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 He saw himself not as a crippled human being, but as \par
some\f1\-\f0 thing higher than human, the next step up, a being so \par
superior as not to need the coarse, brutal strength of the \par
smooth apes. Hairy apes, smooth apes, then Waldo \fs8 - \fs20 so the \par
progression ran in his mind. A chimpanzee, with muscles that \par
hardly bulge at all, can tug as high as fifteen hundred \par
pounds with one hand. This Waldo had proved by obtaining \par
one and patiently enrag\f1\-\f0 ing it into full effort. A well-\par
developed man can grip one hundred and fifty pounds with \par
one hand. Waldo\rquote s own grip, straining until the sweat sprang \par
out, had never reached fifteen pounds.\par
Whether the obvious inference were fallacious or true, Waldo \par
believed in it, evaluated by it. Men were overmuscled canaille, \par
smooth chimps. He felt himself at least ten times superior to \par
them.\par
He had much to go on.\par
Though floating in air, he was busy, quite busy. Although be \par
never went to the surface of the Earth his business was there. \par
Aside from managing his many properties he was in regular \par
practice as a consulting engineer, specializing in motion \par
analy\f1\-\f0 sis. Hanging close to him in the room were the \par
paraphernalia necessary to the practice of his profession. \par
Facing him was a four-by-five colour-stereo television receptor. \par
Two sets of co\f1\-\f0 ordinates, rectilinear and polar, crosshatched it. \par
Another smaller receptor hung above it and to the right. Both \par
receptors were fully recording, by means of parallel circuits \par
conveni\f1\-\f0 ently out of the way in another compartment.\par
The smaller receptor showed the faces of two men watching him. \par
The larger showed a scene inside a large shop, hangar-like in \par
its proportions. In the immediate foreground, almost full size, \par
was a grinder in which was being machined a large casting of \par
some sort. A workman stood beside it, a look of controlled \par
exasperation on his face.\par
\lquote He\rquote s the best you\rquote ve got,\rquote  Waldo stated to the two men in the \par
smaller screen. \lquote To be sure, he is clumsy and does not have the \par
touch for fine work, but he is superior to the other morons \par
you call machinists.\rquote\par
The workman looked around, as if trying to locate the voice. \par
It was evident that he could hear Waldo, but that no vision\par
receptor had been provided for him. \par
\lquote Did you mean that crack for me?\rquote  he said harshly.\par
\lquote You misunderstand me, my good man,\rquote  Waldo said sweetly. \lquote I was \par
complimenting you. I actually have hopes of being able to teach \par
you the rudiments of precision work. Then we shall expect you \par
to teach those butter-brained oafs around you. The gloves, \par
please.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215 Near the man, mounted on the usual stand, were a pair of primary \par
waldoes, elbow length and human digited. They were floating on \par
the line, in parallel with a similar pair physically in front of \par
Waldo. The secondary waldoes, whose actions could be controlled \par
by Waldo himself by means of his primaries, were mounted in front \par
of the power tool in the position of the operator.\par
Waldo\rquote s remark had referred to the primaries near the work\f1\-\f0 man. \par
The machinist glanced at them, but made no move to insert his \par
arms in them. \lquote I don\rquote t take no orders from nobody I can\rquote t see,\rquote  \par
he said flatly. He looked sideways out of the scene as he spoke.\par
\lquote Now, Jenkins,\rquote  commenced one of the two men in the smaller screen.\par
Waldo sighed. \lquote I really haven\rquote t the time or the inclination to \par
solve your problems of shop discipline. Gentlemen, please turn \par
your pickup, so that our petulant friend may see me.\rquote\par
The change was accomplished; the workman\rquote s face appeared in the \par
background of the smaller of Waldo\rquote s screens, as well as in the \par
larger. \par
\lquote There \fs8 - \fs20 is that better?\rquote  Waldo said gently. The workman grunted.\par
\lquote Now.. \fs8 . \fs20 your name, please?\rquote\par
\lquote Alexander Jenkins.\rquote\par
\lquote Very well, friend Alec \fs8 - \fs20 the gloves.\rquote\par
Jenkins thrust his arms into the waldoes and waited. Waldo put \par
his arms into the primary pair before him; all three pairs, \par
including the secondary pair mounted before the machine, came to \par
life. Jenkins bit his lip, as if he found unpleasant the \par
sensation of having his fingers manipulated by the gauntlets he \par
wore.\par
\pard\fi-2234\li2449\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\tx2449 Waldo flexed and extended his fingers gently; the two pairs of \par
waldoes in the screen followed in exact, simultaneous paral\par
-lelism. \par
\lquote Feel it, my dear Alec,\rquote  Waldo advised. \lquote Gently, gently-\par
the sensitive touch. Make your muscles work for you.\rquote  \par
He then started hand movements of definite pattern; the \par
waldoes at the power tool reached up, switched on the power, \par
and began gently, gracefully, to continue the machining of \par
the cast\f1\-\f0 ing. A mechanical hand reached down, adjusting a \par
vernier, while the other increased the flow of oil cooling \par
the cutting edge. \lquote Rhythm, Alec, rhythm. No jerkiness, no \par
unnecessary movement. Try to get in time with me.\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 The casting took shape with deceptive rapidity, disclosed \par
what it was \fs8 - \fs20 the bonnet piece for an ordinary three-way \par
nurse. The chucks drew back from it; it dropped to the \par
belt beneath, and another rough casting took its place. \par
Waldo continued with unhurried skill, his finger motions \par
within his waldoes exerting pressure which would need to \par
be measured in fractions of ounces, but the two sets of \par
waldoes, paralleled to him thous\f1\-\f0 ands of miles below, \par
followed his motions accurately and with force appropriate \par
to heavy work at hand.\par
Another casting landed on the belt \fs8 -  \fs20 several more. Jenkins, \par
although not called upon to do any work in his proper person, \par
tired under the strain of attempting to anticipate and match \par
Waldo\rquote s motions. Sweat dripped down his forehead, ran off \par
his nose, accumulated on his chin. Between castings he \par
suddenly withdrew his arms from the paralleled primaries. \par
\lquote That\rquote s enough,\rquote  he announced.\par
\lquote One more, Alec. You are improving.\rquote\par
\lquote No!\rquote  He turned as if to walk off. Waldo made a sudden \par
movement \fs8 -  \fs20 so sudden as to strain him, even in his weight-\par
free environment. One steel hand of the secondary waldoes \par
lashed out, grasped Jenkins by the wrist.\par
\lquote Not so fast, Alec.\rquote\par
\lquote Let go of me!\rquote\par
\lquote Softly, Alec, softly. You\rquote ll do as you are told, \i\fs18 won\rquote t you?\rquote  \par
\i0\fs20 The steel hand clamped down hard, twisted. Waldo had ex\f1\-\f0 erted \par
all of two ounces of pressure.\par
Jenkins grunted. The one remaining spectator \fs8 - \fs20 one had left \par
soon after the lesson started \fs8 - \fs20 said, \lquote Oh, I say, Mr Jones!\rquote\par
\lquote Let him obey, or fire him. You know the terms of my con\f1\-\f0 tract.\rquote\b\fs16\par
\b0\fs20 There was a sudden cessation of stereo and sound, cut from \par
the Earth end. It came back on a few seconds later. \par
Jenkins was surly, but no longer recalcitrant. Waldo \par
continued as if nothing had happened. \lquote Once more, my dear Alec.\rquote\par
When the repetition had been completed, Waldo directed, \par
\lquote Twenty times, wearing the wrist and elbow lights with the \par
chronanalyser in the picture. I shall expect the superposed \par
strips to match, Alec.\rquote  He cut off the larger screen without \par
further words and turned to the watcher in the smaller screen. \par
\lquote Same time tomorrow, McNye. Progress is satisfactory. In time \par
we\rquote ll turn this madhouse of yours into a modern plant.\rquote  He \par
cleared that screen without saying goodbye.\par
Waldo terminated the business interview somewhat hastily, \par
because he had been following with one eye certain \par
announce\f1\-\f0 ments on his own local information board. A craft \par
was ap\f1\-\f0 proaching his house. Nothing strange about that; \par
tourists were forever approaching and being pushed away by \par
his auto-guardian circuit. But this craft had the approach \par
signal, was now clamping to his threshold flat. It was a \par
broomstick, but he could not place the licence number. \par
Florida licence. Whom did he know with a Florida licence?\par
He immediately realized that he knew no one who possessed \par
his approach signal \fs8 - \fs20 that list was \i\fs18 very \i0\fs20 short \fs8 - \fs20 and who \par
could also reasonably be expected to sport a Florida \par
licence. The suspicious defensiveness with which he \par
regarded the entire world asserted itself; he cut in the \par
circuit whereby he could control by means of his primary \par
waldoes the strictly illegal but highly lethal inner \par
defences of his home. The craft was opa\f1\-\f0 qued; he did \par
not like that.\par
A youngish man wormed his way out. Waldo looked him over. \par
A stranger \fs8 - \fs20 face vaguely familiar perhaps. An ounce of \par
pressure in the primaries and the face would cease to be \par
a face, but Waldo\rquote s actions were under cold cortical \par
control; he held his fire. The man turned, as if to \par
assist another passenger. Yes, there was another. \par
Uncle Gus! \fs8 - \fs20 but the doddering old fool had brought a \par
stranger with him. He knew better than that. He knew \par
how Waldo felt about strangers!\par
Nevertheless, he released the outer lock of the \par
reception room and let them in.\b\fs16\par
\b0\fs20 Gus Grimes snaked his way through the lock, pulling \par
him\f1\-\f0 self from one handrail to the next, and panting a \par
little as he always did when forced to move weight \par
free. Matter of dia\f1\-\f0 phragm control, he told himself \par
as he always did; can\rquote t be the exertion. Stevens \par
streaked in after him, displaying a ground\f1\-\f0 hog\rquote s \par
harmless pride in handling himself well in space \par
condi\f1\-\f0 tions. Grimes arrested himself just inside \par
the reception room, grunted, and spoke to a \par
mansized dummy waiting there. \par
\lquote Hello, Waldo.\rquote\par
The dummy turned its eyes and head slightly. \par
\lquote Greetings, Uncle Gus. I do wish you would \par
remember to phone before dropping in. I would \par
have had your special dinner ready.\rquote\par
\lquote Never mind. We may not be here that long. Waldo, \par
this is my friend, Jimmie Stevens.\rquote\par
The dummy faced Stevens. \lquote How do you do, Mr Stevens,\rquote\par
the voice said formally. \lquote Welcome to Freehold.\rquote\par
\lquote How do you do, Mr Jones,\rquote  Stevens replied, and eyed \par
the dummy curiously. It was really surprisingly \par
lifelike; he had been taken in by it at first. \par
A \lquote reasonable facsimile\rquote . Come to think of it, \par
he had heard of this dummy. Except in vision \par
screen few had seen Waldo in his own person. \par
Those who had business at Wheelchair \fs8 -\b\fs12  \b0\fs20\lquote Freehold\rquote , \par
he must remember that \fs8 - \fs20 those who had business at \par
Freehold heard a voice and saw this simulacrum.\par
\lquote But you \i\fs18 must \i0\fs20 stay for dinner, Uncle Gus,\rquote  Waldo \par
contin\f1\-\f0 ued. \lquote You can\rquote t run out on me like that; \par
you don\rquote t come often enough for that. I can stir \par
something up.\rquote\par
\lquote Maybe we will,\rquote  Grimes admitted. \lquote Don\rquote t worry \par
about the menu. You know me. I can eat a turtle \par
\i\fs18 with \i0\fs20 the shell.\rquote\par
It had really been a bright idea, Stevens \par
congratulated him\f1\-\f0 self, to get Doc Grimes to bring \par
him. Not here five minutes and Waldo was insisting \par
on them staying for dinner. Good omen!\par
He had not noticed that Waldo had addressed the \par
invitation to Grimes alone, and that it had been \par
Grimes who had as\f1\-\f0 sumed the invitation to be for \par
both of them.\par
\lquote Where are you, Waldo?\rquote  Grimes continued. \lquote In the \par
lab?\rquote  He made a tentative movement, as if to leave \par
the reception room.\b\fs16\par
\b0\fs20\lquote Oh, don\rquote t bother,\rquote  Waldo said hastily. \lquote I\rquote m sure \par
you will be more comfortable where you are. Just a \par
moment and I will put some spin on the room so that \par
you may sit down.\rquote\par
\lquote What\rquote s eating you, Waldo?\rquote  Grimes said testily. \par
\lquote You know I don't\b\fs14  \b0\fs20 insist on weight. And I don\rquote t \par
care for the company of your talking doll. I want \par
to see you.\rquote  \par
Stevens was a little surprised by the older man\rquote s \par
insistence; he had thought it con\f1\-\f0 siderate of Waldo \par
to offer to supply acceleration. Weightless\f1\-\f0 ness put \par
him a little on edge.\par
Waldo was silent for an uncomfortable period. At \par
last he said frigidly, \lquote Really, Uncle Gus, what \par
you ask is out of the question. You must be aware \par
of that.\rquote\par
Grimes did not answer him. Instead, he took Stevens\rquote s \par
arm. \lquote Come on, Jimmie. We\rquote re leaving.\rquote\par
\lquote Why, Doc! What\rquote s the matter?\rquote\par
\lquote Waldo wants to play games. I don\rquote t play games.\rquote\par
\lquote But-\rquote\par
\lquote Ne\rquote  mind! Come along. Waldo, open the lock.\rquote\par
\lquote Uncle Gus!\rquote\par
\lquote Yes, Waldo?\rquote\par
\lquote Your guest \fs8 - \fs20 you vouch for him?\rquote\par
\lquote Naturally, you dumb fool, else I wouldn\rquote t have \par
brought him.\rquote\par
\lquote You will find me in my workshop. The way is open.\rquote\par
Grimes turned to Stevens. \lquote Come along, son.\rquote\par
Stevens trailed after Grimes as one fish might \par
follow another, while taking in with his eyes as \par
much of Waldo\rquote s fabulous house as he could see. \par
The place was certainly unique, he conceded to \par
himself \fs8 - \fs20 unlike anything he had ever seen. It \par
completely lacked up-and-down orientation. Space \par
craft, even space stations, although always in free \par
fall with respect to any but internally impressed \par
accelerations, invariably are designed with up-and-\par
down; the up-and-down axis of a ship is deter\f1\-\f0 mined \par
by the direction of its accelerating drive; the \par
up-and \f1\-\f0 down of a space station is determined by its \par
centrifugal spin. Some few police and military craft \par
use more than one axis of acceleration; their up-\par
and-down shifts, therefore, and their personnel, \par
must be harnessed when the ship manoeuvres. Some \par
space stations apply spin only to living quarters. \par
Neverthe\f1\-\f0 less, the rule is general; human beings are \par
used to weight; all their artifacts have that \par
assumption implicit in their construc\f1\-\f0 tion \fs8 - \fs20 except \par
Waldo\rquote s house.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 It is hard for a groundhog to dismiss the notion of \par
weight. We seem to be born with an instinct which \par
demands it. If one thinks of a vessel in a free orbit \par
around the Earth, one is inclined to think of the \par
direction towards the Earth as \lquote down\rquote , to think of \par
oneself as standing or sitting on that wall of the \par
ship, using it as a floor. Such a concept is \par
completely mistaken. To a person inside a freely \par
falling body there is no sensation of weight \par
whatsoever and no direction of up-and-down, except \par
that which derives from the gravitatioiial field of \par
the vessel itself. As for the latter, neither \par
Waldo\rquote s house nor any space craft as yet built is \par
massive enough to produce a field dense enough for \par
the human body to notice it. Believe it or not, that \par
is true. It takes a mass as gross as a good-sized \par
planetoid to give the human body a feeling of weight.\par
It may be objected that a body in a free orbit around \par
the Earth is not a freely falling body. The concept \par
involved is human, Earth surface in type, and \par
completely erroneous. Free flight, free fall, and \par
free orbit are equivalent terms. The Moon falls \par
constantly towards the Earth; the Earth falls \par
constantly towards the Sun, but the sideways vector \par
of their several mo\f1\-\f0 tions prevents them from \par
approaching their primaries. It is free fall \par
nonetheless. Consult any ballistician or any \par
astrophy\f1\-\f0 sicist.\par
Where there is free fall there is no sensation \par
of weight. A gravitational field must be opposed \par
to be detected by the human body.\par
Some of these considerations passed through \par
Stevens\rquote s mind as he handwalked his way to \par
Waldo\rquote s workshop. Waldo\rquote s home had been constructed \par
without any consideration being given to up-and-down. \par
Furniture and apparatus were affixed to any wall; \par
there was no \lquote floor\rquote . Decks and platforms were \par
arranged at any convenient angle and of any size or \par
shape, since they had nothing to do with standing or \par
walking. Properly speaking, they were bulkheads and \par
working surfaces rather than decks. Furthermore, \par
equipment was not necessarily placed close to such \par
surfaces; frequently it was more convenient to \par
locate it with space all around it, held in place \par
by light guys or slender stanchions.\par
The furniture and equipment was all odd in design \par
and fre\f1\-\f0 quently odd in purpose. Most furniture on \par
Earth is extremely rugged, and at least 90\b\fs14  \b0\fs20 per cent \par
of it has a single purpose \fs8 - \fs20 to oppose, in one way \par
or another, the acceleration of gravity. Most of \par
the furniture in an Earth-surface \fs8 - \fs20 or subsurface \fs8 -\par
\fs20 house is stator machines intended to oppose \par
gravity. All tables, chairs, beds, couches, \par
clothing racks, shelves, drawers, et cetera, have \par
that as their one purpose. All other furniture \par
and equip\f1\-\f0 ment have it as a secondary purpose \par
which strongly conditions design and strength.\par
The lack of need for the rugged strength necessary \par
to all ter\f1\-\f0 restrial equipment resulted in a \par
fairylike grace in much of the equipment in \par
Waldo\rquote s house. Stored supplies, massive in \par
themselves, could be retained in convenient order \par
by compart\f1\-\f0 mentation of eggshell-thin transparent \par
plastic. Ponderous machinery, which on Earth would \par
necessarily be heavily cased and supported, was \par
here either open to the air or cov\f1\-\f0 ered by gossamer-\par
like envelopes and held stationary by light elastic \par
lines.\par
Everywhere were pairs of waldoes, large, small, and \par
life-size, with vision pickups to match. It was \par
evident that Waldo could make use of the compartments \par
through which they were passing without stirring out \par
of his easy chair \fs8 -~ \fs20 if he used an easy chair. The \par
ubiquitous waldoes, the insubstantial quality of the \par
furniture, and the casual use of all walls as work or \par
storage surfaces, gave the place a madly fantastic air. \par
Stevens felt as if he were caught in a Disney.\par
So far the rooms were not living quarters. Stevens \par
wondered what Waldo\rquote s private apartments could be like \par
and tried to visualize what equipment would be \par
appropriate. No chairs, no rugs, no bed. Pictures, \par
perhaps. Something pretty clever in the way of indirect \par
lighting, since the eyes might be turned in any \par
direction. \par
Communication instruments might be much the same. But \par
what could a washstand be like? Or a water tum\f1\-\f0 bler? \par
A trap bottle for the last \fs8 - \fs20 or would any container be \par
necessary at all? He could not decide and realized \par
that even a competent engineer may he confused in \par
the face of mechanical conditions strange to him.\par
What constitutes a good ashtray when there is no \par
gravity to hold the debris in place? Did Waldo smoke? \par
Suppose he played solitaire; how did he handle the \par
cards? Magnetized cards, perhaps, and a magnetized \par
playing surface.\par
\lquote In through here, Jim.\rquote  Grimes steadied himself with \par
one hand, gesturing with the other. Stevens slid \par
through the man\f1\-\f0 hole indicated. Before he had had time \par
to look around he was startled by a menacing bass growl. \par
He looked up; charging through the air straight at him \par
was an enormous mastiff, lips drawn back, jaws slavering. \par
Its front legs were spread out stiffly as if to balance \par
in flight; its hind legs were drawn up under its lean \par
belly. By voice and manner it announced clearly its \par
intention of tearing the intruder into pieces, then \par
swallow\f1\-\f0 ing the pieces.\par
\lquote Baldur!\rquote  A voice cut through the air from some point \par
be\f1\-\f0 yond. The dog\rquote s ferocity wilted, but it could not check \par
its lunge. A waldo snaked out a good thirty feet and grasped \par
it by the collar. \lquote I am sorry, sir,\rquote  the voice added. \par
\lquote My friend was not expecting you.\rquote\par
Grimes said, \lquote Howdy, Baldur. How\rquote s your conduct?\rquote  \par
The dog looked at him, whined, and wagged his tail. \par
Stevens looked for the source of the commanding voice, \par
found it.\par
The room was huge and spherical; floating in its centre \par
was a fat man \fs8 - \fs20 Waldo.\par
He was dressed conventionally enough in shorts and singlet, \par
except that his feet were bare. His hands and forearms were \par
covered by metallic gauntlets \fs8 - \fs20 primary waldoes. He was softly \par
fat, with double chin, dimples, smooth skin; he looked like a \par
great, pink cherub, floating attendance on a saint. But the \par
eyes were not cherubic, and the forehead and skull were those \par
of a man. He looked at Stevens. \lquote Permit me to introduce you to \par
my pet,\rquote  he said in a high, tired voice. \lquote Give the paw, Baldur.\rquote\par
The dog offered a foreleg, Stevens shook it gravely. \lquote Let him \par
smell you, please.\rquote\par
The dog did so, as the waldo at his collar permitted him to \par
come closer. Satisfied, the animal bestowed a wet kiss on \par
Stevens\rquote s wrist. Stevens noted that the dog\rquote s eyes were \par
sur\f1\-\f0 rounded by large circular patches of brown in contrast to \par
his prevailing white, and mentally tagged it the Dog with Eyes \par
as Large as Saucers, thinking of the tale of the soldier and \par
the flint box. He made noises to it of \lquote Good boy!\rquote  and \lquote That\rquote s \par
a nice old fellow!\rquote  while Waldo looked on with faint distaste.\par
\lquote Heel, sir!\rquote  Waldo commanded when the ceremony was complete. \par
The dog turned in mid air, braced a foot against Stevens\rquote s thigh, \par
and shoved, projecting himself in the direction of his master. \par
Stevens was forced to steady himself by clutch\f1\-\f0 ing at a handgrip. \par
Grimes shoved himself away from the man\f1\-\f0 hole and arrested his \par
flight on a stanchion near their host. Stevens followed him.\par
Waldo looked him over slowly. His manner was not overtly rude, \par
but was somehow, to Stevens, faintly annoying. He felt a slow \par
flush spreading out from his neck; to inhibit it he gave his \par
attention to the room around him. The space was commo\f1\-\f0 dious, \par
yet gave the impression of being cluttered because of the \par
assemblage of, well, \i\fs18 junk \i0\fs20 which surrounded Waldo. \par
There were half a dozen vision receptors of various sizes \par
around him at different angles, all normal to his line of \par
sight. Three of them had pickups to match. There were control \par
panels of seve\f1\-\f0 ral sorts, some of which seemed obvious enough \par
in their pur\f1\-\f0 pose \fs8 - \fs20 one for lighting, which was quite \par
complicated, with little ruby tell-tales for each circuit, \par
one which was the key\f1\-\f0 board of a voder, a multiplex television \par
control panel, a board which seemed to be power relays, \par
although its design was unu\f1\-\f0 sual. But there were at least half \par
a dozen which stumped Stevens completely.\par
There were several pairs of waldoes growing out of a steel ring \par
which surrounded the working space. Two pairs, mere monkey \par
fists in size, were equipped with extensors. It had been one \par
of these which had shot out to grab Baldur by his collar. \par
There were waldoes rigged near the spherical wall, too, \par
including one pair so huge that Stevens could not conceive \par
of a use for it. \par
Extended, each hand spread quite six feet from little finger \par
tip to thumb tip.\par
There were books in plenty on the wall, but no bookshelves. \par
They seemed to grow from the wall like so many cabbages.\par
It puzzled Stevens momentarily, but he inferred \fs8 - \fs20 correctly \par
it turned out later \fs8 - \fs20 that a small magnet fastened to the \par
binding did the trick.\par
The arrangement of lighting was novel, complex, automatic, \par
and convenient for Waldo. But it was not so convenient for \par
anyone else in the room. The lighting was, of course, \par
indirect; but, furthermore, it was subtly controlled, so \par
that none of the lighting came from the direction in which \par
Waldo\rquote s head was turned. There was no glare \fs8 - \fs20 for Waldo. \par
Since the lights be\f1\-\f0 hind his head burned brightly in order \par
to provide more illu\f1\-\f0 mination for whatever he happened to be \par
looking at, there was glare aplenty for anyone else. An \par
electric eye circuit, obviously. Stevens found himself \par
wondering just how simple such a cir\f1\-\f0 cuit could be made.\par
Grimes complained about it. \lquote Damn it, Waldo; get those \par
lights under control. You\rquote ll give us headaches.\rquote\par
\lquote Sorry, Uncle Gus.\rquote  He withdrew his right hand from its \par
gauntlet and placed his fingers over one of the control \par
panels. The glare stopped. Light now came from whatever \par
direction none of them happened to be looking, and much \par
more brightly, since the area source of illumination was \par
much reduced. Lights rippled across the walls in pleasant \par
patterns. Stevens tried to follow the ripples, a difficult \par
matter, since the setup was made \i\fs18 not \i0\fs20 to be seen. He found \par
that he could do so by rolling his eyes without moving \par
his head. It was movement of the head which controlled the \par
lights; movement of an eyeball was a little too much for it.\par
\lquote Well, Mr Stevens, do you find my house interesting?\rquote  \par
Waldo was smiling at him with faint superciliousness.\par
\lquote Oh \fs8 - \fs20 quite! Quite! I believe that it is the most remark\f1\-\f0 able \par
place I have ever been in.\rquote\par
\lquote And what do you find remarkable about it?\rquote\par
\lquote Well \fs8 - \fs20 the lack of definite orientation, I believe. That and\par
the remarkable mechanical novelties. I suppose I am a bit of \par
a groundlubber, but I keep expecting a floor underfoot and a\par
ceiling overhead.\rquote\par
\lquote Mere matters of functional designs, Mr Stevens; the \par
con\f1\-\f0 ditions under which I live are unique; therefore, my house \par
is unique. The novelty you speak of consists mainly in the\par
elimination of unnecessary parts and the addition of new \par
con\f1\-\f0 veniences.\par
\lquote To tell the truth, the most interesting thing I have seen \par
yet is not a part of the house at all.\rquote\par
\lquote Really? What is it, pray?\rquote\par
\lquote Your dog, Baldur.\rquote  The dog looked around at the mention of \par
his name. \lquote I\rquote ve never before met a dog who could handle \par
himself in free flight.\rquote\par
Waldo smiled; for the first time his smile seemed gentle and \par
warm. \par
\lquote Yes, Baldur is quite an acrobat. He\rquote s been at it since he was \par
a puppy.\rquote  He reached out and roughed the dog\rquote s cars, showing \par
momentarily his extreme weakness, for the gesture had none of \par
the strength appropriate to the size of the brute. The finger \par
motions were flaccid, barely sufficient to disturb the coarse \par
fur and to displace the great ears. But he seemed un\f1\-\f0 aware, or \par
unconcerned, by the disclosure. Turning back to Stevens, he \par
added, \lquote But if Baldur amuses you, you must see Ariel.\rquote\par
\lquote Ariel?\rquote\par
Instead of replying, Waldo touched the keyboard of the voder, \par
producing a musical whistling pattern of three notes. There \par
was a rustling near the wall of the room \lquote above\rquote  them; a tiny \par
yellow shape shot towards them \fs8 - \fs20 a canary. It sailed through \par
the air with wings folded, bullet fashion. A foot or so \par
away from Waldo it spread its wings, cupping the air, beat \par
them a few times with tail down and spread, and came to a \par
dead stop, hovering in the air with folded wings. Not quite \par
a dead stop, perhaps, for it drifted slowly, came within an \par
inch of Waldo\rquote s shoulder, let down its landing gear, and dug \par
its claws into his singlet.\par
Waldo reached up and stroked it with a fingertip. It preened.\par
\lquote No earth-hatched bird can learn to fly in that fashion,\rquote  he \par
stated. \lquote I know. I lost half a dozen before I was sure that \par
they were incapable of making the readjustment. Too much \par
thalamus.\rquote\par
\lquote What happens to them?\rquote\par
\lquote In a man you would call it acute anxiety psychosis. They try to \par
fly; their own prime skill leads them to disaster. Natur\f1\-\f0 ally, \par
everything they do is wrong and they don\rquote t understand it.\par
Presently they quit trying; a little later they die. Of a \par
broken heart, one might say, poetically.\rquote  He smiled thinly. \par
\lquote But Ariel is a genius among birds. He came here as an egg; \par
he invented, unassisted, a whole new school of flying.\rquote  \par
He reached up a fin\f1\-\f0 ger, offering the bird a new perch, which \par
it accepted.\par
\lquote That\rquote s enough, Ariel. Fly away home.\rquote\par
The bird started the \lquote Bell Song\rquote  from \i Lakm\'e9.\par
\i0 He shook it gently. \lquote No, Ariel. Go to bed.\rquote\par
The canary lifted its feet clear of the finger, floated for \par
an instant, then beat its wings savagely for a second or two \par
to set course and pick up speed, and bulleted away whence he \par
bad come, wings folded, feet streamlined under.\par
\lquote Jimmie\rquote s got something he wants to talk with you about,\rquote  \par
Grimes commenced.\par
\lquote Delighted,\rquote  Waldo answered lazily, \lquote but shan\rquote t we dine \par
first? Have you an appetite, sir?\rquote\par
Waldo full, Stevens decided, might be easier to cope with than \par
Waldo empty. Besides, his own midsection informed him that \par
wrestling with a calorie or two might be pleasant. \lquote Yes, I have.\rquote\par
\lquote Excellent.\rquote  They were served.\par
Stevens was never able to decide whether Waldo had pre\f1\-\f0 pared the \par
meal by means of his many namesakes, or whether servants somewhere \par
out of sight had done the actual work. Modern food-preparation \par
methods being what they were, Waldo could have done it alone; \par
he, Stevens, batched it with no difficulty, and so did Gus. \par
But he made a mental note to ask Doc Grimes at the first \par
opportunity what resident staff, if any, Waldo employed. \par
He never remembered to do so.\par
The dinner arrived in a small food chest, propelled to their \par
midst at the end of a long, telescoping, pneumatic tube. \par
It stopped with a soft sigh and held its position. Stevens \par
paid little attention to the food itself \fs8 - \fs20 it was adequate and \par
tasty, he knew \fs8 - \fs20 for his attention was held by the dishes and \par
serving methods. Waldo let his own steak float in front of him, \par
cut bites from it with curved surgical shears, and conveyed \par
them to his mouth by means of dainty tongs. He made hard work of \par
chewing.\par
\lquote You can\rquote t get good steaks any more,\rquote  he remarked. \lquote This one is \par
tough. God knows I pay enough \fs8 - \fs20 and complain enough.\rquote\par
Stevens did not answer. He thought his own steak had been \par
tenderized too much; it almost fell apart. He was managing it \par
with knife and fork, but the knife was superfluous. It appeared \par
that Waldo did not expect his guests to make use of his own \par
admittedly superior methods and utensils. Stevens ate from a \par
platter clamped to his thighs, making a lap for it after \par
Grimes\rquote s example by squatting in mid air. The platter itself had \par
been thoughtfully provided with sharp little prongs on its service \par
side.\par
Liquids were served in small flexible skins, equipped with nipples. \par
Think of a baby\rquote s plastic nursing bottle.\par
The food chest took the utensils away with a dolorous in\f1\-\f0 sufflation. \par
\lquote Will you smoke, sir?\rquote\par
\lquote Thank you.\rquote  He saw what a weight-free ashtray necessarily should be: \par
a long tube with a bell-shaped receptacle on its end. A slight \par
suction in the tube, and ashes knocked into the bell were swept \par
away, out of sight and mind.\par
\lquote About that matter-\rquote  Grimes commenced again. \lquote Jimmie here is Chief \par
Engineer for North American Power-Air.\rquote\par
\i\lquote What?\rquote  \i0 Waldo straightened himself, became rigid; his chest rose and \par
fell. He ignored Stevens entirely. \lquote Uncle Gus, do you mean to say \par
that you have introduced an officer of \i\fs18 that \i0\fs20 com\f1\-\f0 pany into my \fs8 - \fs20 home?\rquote\par
\lquote Don\rquote t get your dander up. Relax. Damn it, I\rquote ve warned you not to \par
do anything to raise your blood pressure.\rquote  Grimes propelled himself \par
closer to his host and took him by the wrist in the age-old fashion \par
of a physician counting pulse. \lquote Breathe slower. Whatcha trying to do? \par
Go on an oxygen jag?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\tx215 Waldo tried to shake himself loose. It was a rather pitiful gesture; \par
the old man had ten times his strength. \lquote Uncle Gus, you- \par
\lquote Shut up!\rquote\par
The three maintained a silence for several minutes, uncom\f1\-\f0 fortable for \par
at least two of them. Grimes did not seem to mind it.\par
\lquote There,\rquote  he said at last. \lquote That\rquote s better. Now keep your shirt on and \par
listen to me. Jimmie is a nice kid, and he has never done anything \par
to you. And he has behaved himself while he\rquote s been here. You\rquote ve got \par
no right to be rude to him, no matter who he works for. Matter of \par
fact, you owe him an apology.\rquote\par
\lquote Oh, really now, Doc,\rquote  Stevens protested. \lquote I\rquote m afraid I \i have \i0 been \par
here somewhat under false colours. I\rquote m sorry, Mr Jones. I didn\rquote t \par
intend it to be that way. I tried to explain when we arrived.\rquote\par
Waldo\rquote s face was hard to read. He was evidently trying hard to \par
control himself. \lquote Not at all, Mr Stevens. I am sorry that I \par
showed temper. It is perfectly true that I should not transfer to \par
you any animus I feel for your employers though God knows I bear \par
no love for them.\rquote  \par
\lquote I know it. Nevertheless, I am sorry to hear you say it.\rquote\par
\lquote I was cheated, do you understand? \i Cheated \i0\fs8 - \fs20 by as rotten a piece \par
of quasi-legal chicanery as has ever-\rquote\par
\lquote Easy, Waldo!\rquote\par
\lquote Sorry, Uncle Gus.\rquote  He continued, his voice less shrill. \par
\lquote You know of the so-called Hathaway patents?\rquote\par
\lquote Yes, of course.\rquote\par
\lquote\ldblquote So-called\rdblquote  is putting it mildly. The man was a mere machinist. \par
Those patents are mine.\par
Waldo\rquote s version, as he proceeded to give it, was reasonably \par
factual, Stevens felt, but quite biased and unreasonable. Per\f1\-\f0 haps \par
Hathaway had been working, as Waldo alleged, simply as a servant \fs8 - \par
\fs20 a hired artisan, but there was nothing to prove it, no contract, \par
no papers of any sort. The man had filed cer\f1\-\f0 tain patents, the \par
only ones he had ever filed and admittedly Waldo-ish in their \par
cleverness. Hathaway had then promptly died, and his heirs, \par
through their attorneys, had sold the patents to a firm which \par
had been dickering with Hathaway.\par
Waldo alleged that this firm had put Hathaway up to steal\f1\-\f0 ing from \par
him, had caused him to hire himself out to Waldo for that purpose. \par
But the firm was defunct; its assets had been sold to North \par
American Power-Air. NAPA had offered a settlement; Waldo had \par
chosen to sue. The suit went against him.\par
Even if Waldo were right, Stevens could not see any means by which the \par
directors of NAPA could, legally, grant him any relief. The officers \par
of a corporation are trustees for other\par
people\rquote s money; if the directors of NAPA should attempt to give \par
away property which had been adjudicated as belonging to the \par
corporation, any stockholder could enjoin them before the act or \par
recover from them personally after the act.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 At least so Stevens thought. But he was no lawyer, he ad\f1\-\f0 mitted to \par
himself. The important point was that he needed Waldo\rquote s services, \par
whereas Waldo held a bitter grudge against the firm he worked for.\par
He was forced to admit that it did not look as if Doc Grimes\rquote s \par
presence was enough to turn the trick. \par
\lquote All that hap\f1\-\f0 pened before my time,\rquote  he began, \lquote and naturally I \par
know very little about it. I\rquote m awfully sorry it happened. It\rquote s \par
pretty un\f1\-\f0 comfortable for me, for right now I find myself in a \par
position where I need your services very badly indeed.\rquote\par
Waldo did not seem displeased with the idea. \lquote So? How does this \par
come about?\rquote\par
Stevens explained to him in some detail the trouble they had been \par
having with the deKalb receptors. Waldo listened atten\f1\-\f0 tively. \par
When Stevens had concluded he said, \lquote Yes, that is much the same \par
story your Mr Gleason had to tell. Of course, as a technical \par
man you have given a much more coherent picture than that money \par
manipulator was capable of giving. But why do you come to me? \par
I do not specialize in radiation engineer\f1\-\f0 ing, nor do I have any \par
degrees from fancy institutions.~\par
\lquote I come to you,\rquote  Stevens said seriously, \lquote for the same reason \par
everybody else comes to you when they are really stuck with an \par
engineering problem. So far as I know, you have an un\f1\-\f0 broken \par
record of solving any problem you cared to tackle. Your record \par
reminds me of another man-\rquote\par
\lquote Who?\rquote  Waldo\rquote s tone was suddenly sharp.\par
\lquote Edison. He did not bother with degrees either, but he solved \par
all the hard problems of his day.\rquote\par
\lquote Oh, Edison- I thought you were speaking of a contem\f1\-\f0 porary. \par
No doubt he was all right in his day,\rquote  he added with overt \par
generosity.\par
\lquote I was not comparing him to you, I was simply recalling that \par
Edison was reputed to prefer hard problems to easy ones. \par
I\rquote ve heard the same about you; I had hopes that this problem \par
might be hard enough to interest you.~\par
\lquote It is mildly interesting,\rquote  Waldo conceded. \lquote A little out of \par
my line, but interesting. I must say, however, that I am \par
sur\f1\-\f0 prised to hear you, an executive of North American \par
Power-Air, express such a high opinion of my talents. One \par
would think that, if the opinion were sincere, it would not \par
have been difficult to convince your firm of my indisputable \par
handiwork in the matter of the so-called Hathway patents.'\par
Really, thought Stevens, the man is impossible. A mind like \par
a weasel. Aloud, he said, \lquote I suppose the matter was handled \par
by the business management and the law staff. They would \par
hardly be equipped to distinguish between routine \par
engineering and inspired design.\rquote\par
The answer seemed to mollify Waldo. He asked, \lquote What does \par
your own research staff say about the problem?\rquote\par
Stevens looked wry. \lquote Nothing helpful. Dr Rambeau does not \par
really seem to believe the data I bring him. He says it\rquote s \par
impossible, but it makes him unhappy. I really believe that \par
he has been living on aspirin and nembutal for a good many \par
weeks.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Rambeau,\rquote  Waldo said slowly. \lquote I recall the man. A mediocre \par
mind. All memory and no intuition. I don\rquote t think I would \par
feel discouraged simply because Rambeau is puzzled.\rquote\par
\pard\li232\qj\tx232\lquote You really feel that there is some hope?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote It should not be too difficult. I had already given the \par
matter some thought, after Mr Gleason\rquote s phone call. You \par
have given me additional data, and I think I see at least \par
two new lines of approach which may prove fruitful. In \par
any case, there is al\f1\-\f0 ways some approach \fs8 - \fs20 the correct one.\rquote\par
\lquote Does that mean you will accept?\rquote  Stevens demanded, ner\f1\-\f0 vous \par
with relief.\par
\lquote Accept?\rquote  Waldo\rquote s eyebrows climbed up. \lquote My dear sir, what in \par
the world are you talking about? We were simply indulging in \par
social conversation. I would not help your company under \par
any circumstances whatsoever. I hope to see your firm \par
destroyed utterly, bankrupt, and ruined. This may well be \par
the occasion.\par
Stevens fought to keep control of himself. Tricked! The fat \par
slob had simply been playing with him, leading him on. There\par
was no decency in him. In careful tones he continued, \par
\lquote I do not ask that you have any mercy on North American, \par
Mr Jones, but I appeal to your sense of duty. There is \par
public interest in\f1\-\f0 volved. Millions of people are vitally \par
dependent on the service we provide. Don\rquote t you see that the \par
service \i must \i0 continue, re\f1\-\f0 gardless of you or me?\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 Waldo pursed his lips. \lquote No,\rquote  he said, \lquote I am afraid that does \par
not affect me. The welfare of those nameless swarms of Earth \par
crawlers is, I fear, not my concern. I have done more for \par
them already than there was any need to do. \par
They hardly deserve help. Left to their own devices, most of \par
them would sink back to caves and stone axes. Did you ever \par
see a performing ape, Mr Stevens, dressed in a man\rquote s clothcs \par
and cutting capers on roller skates? Let me leave you with \par
this thought: I am not a roller-skate mechanic for apes.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 If I stick around here much longer, Stevens advised him\f1\-\f0 self, \par
there will be hell to pay. Aloud, he said, \lquote I take it that \par
is your last word?\rquote\par
\lquote You may so take it. Good day, sir. I enjoyed your visit. \par
Thank you.\rquote\par
\lquote Goodbye. Thanks for the dinner.\rquote\par
\lquote Not at all.\rquote\par
As Stevens turned away and prepared to shove himself to\f1\-\f0 wards \par
the exit, Grimes called after him, \lquote Jimmie, wait for me in \par
the reception room.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 As soon as Stevens was out of earshot, Grimes turned to Waldo \par
and looked him up and down. \lquote Waldo,\rquote  he said slowly, \lquote I always \par
did know that you were one of the meanest, orneriest men \par
alive, but-\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote Your compliments don\rquote t faze me, Uncle Gus.\rquote\par
\lquote Shut up and listen to me. As I was saying, I knew you were too \par
rotten selfish to live with, but this is the first time I ever \par
knew you to be a fourflusher to boot.\rquote\par
\lquote What do you mean by that? Explain yourself.\rquote\par
\lquote Shucks! You haven\rquote t any more idea of how to crack the problem \par
that boy is up against than I have. You traded on your \par
reputation as a miracle man just to make him unhappy. \par
Why, you cheap tinhorn bluffer, if you-\rquote\par
\pard\li226\qj\tx226\i\lquote Stop it!\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\i0\lquote Go ahead,\rquote  Grimes said quietly. \lquote Run up your blood pres\f1\-\f0 sure. \par
I won\rquote t interfere with you. The sooner you blow a gasket the better.\rquote\par
Waldo calmed down. \lquote Uncle Gus \fs8 - \fs20 what makes you think I was blufiing?\rquote\par
\lquote Because I know you. If you had felt able to deliver the goods, \par
you would have looked the situation over and worked out a plan to get \par
NAPA by the short hair, through having something they had to have. \par
That way you would have \i\fs18 proved \i0\fs20 your revenge.'\par
Waldo shook his head. \lquote You underestimate the intensity of my feeling \par
in the matter.\rquote\par
\lquote I do like hell! I hadn\rquote t finished. About that sweet little talk you \par
gave him concerning your responsibility to the race. You\rquote ve got a \par
head on you. You know damned well, and so do I, that of all people \par
you can least afford to have anything serious happen to the setup \par
down on Earth. That means you don\rquote t see any way to prevent it.\par
\lquote Why, what do you mean? I have no interest in such troubles; I\rquote m \par
independent of such things. You know me better than that.\rquote\par
\lquote Independent, eh? Who mined the steel in these walls? Who raised \par
that steer you dined on tonight? You\rquote re as independent as a queen \par
bee, and about as helpless.\rquote\par
Waldo looked startled. He recovered himself and answered, \lquote Oh no, \par
Uncle Gus. I really am independent. Why, I have supplies here for years.\rquote\par
\pard\li226\qj\tx226\i\fs18\lquote How many years?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\i0\fs20\lquote Why. \fs8 . . \fs20 uh, five, about.\rquote\par
\lquote And then what? You may live another fifty \fs8 - \i\fs18 if \i0\fs20 you have regular supply \par
service. How do you prefer to die \fs8 - \fs20 starvation or thirst?\rquote\par
\lquote Water is no problem,\rquote  Waldo said thoughtfully; \lquote as for supplies, I \par
suppose I could use hydroponics a little more and stock up with some \par
meat animals-\rquote\par
Grimes cut him short with a nasty laugh. \lquote Proved my point. You don\rquote t \par
\i\fs18 know \i0\fs20 how to avert it, so you are figuring some way to save your own \par
skin. I know you. You wouldn\rquote t talk about starting a truck garden \par
if you knew the answers.\rquote\par
Waldo looked at him thoughtfully. \lquote That\rquote s not entirely true. I don\rquote t \par
know the solution, but I do have some ideas about it. I\rquote ll bet you a \par
half interest in hell that I can crack it. Now that you have called \par
my attention to it, I must admit I am rather tied in with the economic \par
system down below, and\rquote  \fs8 - \fs20 he smiled faintly \fs8 - \fs20\lquote I was never one to \par
neglect my own interests. Just a moment \fs8 - \fs20 I\rquote ll call your friend.\rquote\par
\lquote Not so fast. I came along for another reason, besides intro\f1\-\f0 ducing \par
Jimmie to you. It can\rquote t be just any solution; it\rquote s got to be a \par
particular solution.\rquote\par
\lquote What do you mean?\rquote\par
\lquote It\rquote s got to be a solution that will do away with the need for \par
filling up the air with radiant energy.\rquote\par
\lquote Oh, \i\fs18 that. \i0\fs20 See here, Uncle Gus, I know how interested you are in your \par
theory, and I\rquote ve never disputed the possibility that you may be right, \par
but you can\rquote t expect me to mix that into another and very difficult \par
problem.\rquote\par
\lquote Take another look. You\rquote re in this for self-interest. Suppose \par
everybody was in the shape you are in.\rquote\par
\pard\li226\qj\tx226\lquote You mean my \i\fs18 physical condition?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\i0\fs20\lquote I mean just that. I know you don\rquote t like to talk about it, but\par
we blamed well need to. If everybody was as weak as you are \fs8 - \fs20 presto! \par
No coffee and cakes for Waldo. And that\rquote s just what I see coming. \par
You\rquote re the only man I know of who can apprecl\f1\-\f0 ate what it means.\rquote\par
\lquote It seems fantastic.\rquote\par
\lquote It is. But the signs are there for anybody to read who wants to. \par
Epidemic \i\fs18 myasthenia, \i0\fs20 not necessarily acute, but enough to raise hell \par
with our mechanical civilization. Enough to play hob with your \par
supply lines. I\rquote ve been collating my data since I saw you last and \par
drawing some curves. You should see \lquote em\rquote\par
\lquote Did you bring them?\rquote\par
\lquote No, but I\rquote ll send \lquote em up. In the meantime, you can take my word \par
for it.\rquote  He waited. \lquote Well, how about it?\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ll accept it as a tentative working hypothesis,\rquote  Waldo said slowly, \par
\lquote until I see your figures. I shall probably want you to conduct some \par
further research for me, on the ground \fs8 - \fs20 if your data is what you say \par
it is.\rquote\par
\lquote Fair enough. G\rquote bye.\rquote  Grimes kicked the air a couple of times as he \par
absent-mindedly tried to walk.\par
Stevens\rquote s frame of mind as he waited for Grimes is better left \par
undescribed. The mildest thought that passed through his mind was a \par
plaintive one about the things a man had to put up with to hold down \par
what seemed like a simple job of engineering. Well, he wouldn\rquote t have \par
the job very long. But he decided not to resign \fs8 - \fs20 he\rquote d wait until they \par
fired him; he wouldn\rquote t run out.\par
But he would damn well get that vacation before he looked for another \par
job.\par
He spent several minutes wishing that Waldo were strong enough for him \par
to be able to take a poke at him. Or kick him in the belly \fs8 - \fs20 that would \par
be more fun!\par
He was startled when the dummy suddenly came to life and callcd him by \par
name. \lquote Oh, Mr Stevens.\rquote\par
\pard\li215\qj\tx215\lquote Huh? Yes?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote I have decided to accept the commission. My attorneys will arrange \par
the details with your business office.\rquote\par
He was too surprised to answer for a couple of seconds; when he did \par
so the dummy had already gone dead. He waited impatiently for Grimes \par
to show up.\par
\lquote Doc!\rquote  he said, when the old man swam into view. \lquote What got into him? \par
How did you do it?\rquote\par
\lquote He thought it over and reconsidered,\rquote  Grimes said suc\f1\-\f0 cinctly. \lquote Let\rquote s \par
get going.\rquote\par
Stevens dropped Dr Augustus Grimes at the doctor\rquote s home, then \par
proceeded to his office. He had no more than parked his car and \par
entered the tunnel leading towards the zone plant when he ran into his \par
assistant. McLcod seemed a little out of breath. \lquote Gee, chief,\rquote  he said, \par
\lquote I hoped that was you. I\rquote ve had \lquote em watching for you. I need to see you.\rquote\par
\lquote What\rquote s busted now?\rquote  Stevens demanded apprehensively.. \lquote One of the cities?\rquote\par
\lquote No. What made you think so?\rquote\par
\lquote Go ahead with your story.\rquote\par
\lquote So far as I know ground power is humming sweet as can be. No trouble \par
with the cities. What I had on my mind is this: \i\fs18 I fixed my heap.\rquote\i0\fs20\par
\pard\fi221\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote Huh? You mean you fixed the ship you crashed in?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote It wasn\rquote t exactly a crash. I had plenty of power in the reserve banks; \par
when reception cut off, I switched to emergency and landed her.\rquote\par
\lquote But you fixed it? Was it the deKalbs? Or something else?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote It was the deKalbs all right. And they\rquote re fixed. But I didn\rquote t exactly \par
do it myself. I got it done. You see-\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote What was the matter with them?\rquote\par
\lquote I don\rquote t know exactly. You see I decided that there was no point in \par
hiring another skycar and maybe having another forced landing on the way \par
home. Besides, \fs18 it \fs20 was my own crate I was flying, and I didn\rquote t want to \par
dismantle her just to get the deKalbs out and have her spread out all \par
over the countryside. So I hired a crawler, with the idea of taking her \par
back all in one piece. I struck a deal with a guy who had a twelve-ton \par
semitractor combination, and we-\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote For criminy\rquote s sake, make it march! What happened?\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote m trying to tell you. We pushed on into Pennsylvania and we were making \par
pretty fair time when the crawler broke down. The right lead wheel, \par
ahead of the treads. Honest to goodness, Jim, those roads are something fierce.\rquote\par
\lquote Never mind that. Why waste taxes on roads when ninety per cent of the \par
traffic is in the air? You messed up a wheel. So then what?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote Just the same, those roads are a disgrace,\rquote  McLeod main\f1\-\f0 tained stubbornly. \par
\lquote I was brought up in that part of the country. When I was a kid the road \par
we were on was six lanes wide and smooth as a baby\rquote s fanny. They ought to be \par
kept up; we might need \lquote em someday.\rquote  Seeing the look in his senior\rquote s eye, \par
he went on hastily: \lquote The driver mugged in with his home office, and they \par
promised to send a repair car out from the next town. All told, it would \par
take three, four hours \fs8 - \fs20 maybe more. Well, we were laid up in the country \par
I grew up in. I says to myself, \ldblquote McLeod, this is a wonderful chance to \par
return to the scenes of your childhood and the room where the sun came \par
peeping in the morn.\rdblquote  Figuratively speaking, of course. Matter of fact, \par
our house didn\rquote t have any windows.\rquote\par
\lquote I don\rquote t care if you were raised in a barrel!\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 'Temper \fs8 ... \fs20 temper-\rquote  McLeod said imperturbably. \lquote I\rquote m telling you this so \par
you will understand what happened. But you aren\rquote t going to like it.\rquote\par
\lquote I don\rquote t like it now.\par
\lquote You\rquote ll like it less. I climbed down Out of the cab and took a look \par
around. We were about five miles from my home town \fs8 - \fs20 too far for me \par
to want to walk it. But I thought I recognized a clump of trees on \par
the brow of a little rise maybe a quarter of a mile off the road, \par
so I walked over to see. I was right; just over the rise was the \par
cabin where Gramps Schneider used to live.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote Gramps Snyder?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Not Snyder \fs8 - \fs20 Schneider. Old boy we kids used to be friendly with. \par
Ninety years older than anybody. I figured he was dead, but \fs18 it \par
\fs20 wouldn\rquote t hurt any to walk down and see. He wasn\rquote t. \ldblquote Hello, Gramps,\rdblquote  \par
I said. \ldblquote Come in, Hugh Donald,\rdblquote  he said. \ldblquote Wipe the feet on the mat.\rdblquote\par
\lquote I came in and sat down. He was fussing with something simmering in \par
a stewpan on his base-burner. I asked him what it was. \ldblquote For morning \par
aches,\rdblquote  he said. Gramps isn\rquote t exactly a hex doctor.\rquote\par
\lquote Huh?\rquote\par
\lquote I mean he doesn\rquote t make a living by it. He raises a few chickens and \par
garden truck, and some of the Plain People \fs8 -\fs20 House Amish, mostly \fs8 - \fs20 give \par
him pies and things. But he knows a lot about herbs and such.\par
\lquote Presently he stopped and cut me a slice of shoo-fly pie. I told \par
him \i\fs18 danke. \i0\fs20 He said, \ldblquote You\rquote ve been up-growing, Hugh Donald,\rquote  and asked \par
me how I was doing in school. I told him I was doing pretty well. \par
He looked at me again and said, \ldblquote But you have trouble fretting you.\rdblquote  \par
It wasn\rquote t a question; it was a statement. While I finished the pie I \par
found myself trying to tell him what kind of troubles I had.\par
\lquote It wasn\rquote t easy. I don\rquote t suppose Gramps has ever been off the ground \par
in his life. And modern radiation theory isn\rquote t some\f1\-\f0 thing you can \par
explain in words of one syllable. I was getting more and more tangled \par
up when he stood up, put on his hat and said, \ldblquote We will see this car \par
you speak about.\rdblquote\par
\lquote We walked over to the highway. The repair gang had arrived, but the \par
crawler wasn\rquote t ready yet. I helped Gramps up on to the platform and \par
we got into my bus. I showed him the deKalbs and tried to explain \par
what they did \fs8 - \fs20 or rather what they were supposed to do. Mind you, I \par
was just killing time.\par
\lquote He pointed to the sheaf of antennae and asked, \ldblquote These fingers \fs8 - \fs20 they \par
reach out for the power?\rdblquote  It was as good an explanation as any, so I \par
let it ride. He said, \ldblquote I understand,\rdblquote  and pulled a piece of chalk out \par
of his trousers, and began drawing lines on each antenna, from front \par
to back. I walked up front to see how the repair crew were doing. \par
After a bit Gramps joined me. \ldblquote Hugh Donald,\rdblquote  he says, \ldblquote the fingers \fs8 -\par
\fs20 now they will make.\rdblquote\par
\lquote I didn\rquote t want to hurt his feelings, so I thanked him plenty. The \par
crawler was ready to go; we said goodbye, and he walked back towards \par
his shack. I went back to my car, and took a look \i in, \i0 just in case. \par
I didn\rquote t think he could hurt anything, but I wanted to be sure. \par
Just for the ducks of \fs18 it I \fs20 tried out the receptors. They worked!\rquote\par
\lquote What!\rquote  put in Stevens. \lquote You don\rquote t mean to stand there and tell me \par
an old witch doctor fixed your deKalbs.\rquote\par
\lquote Not witch doctor \fs8 - \i\fs18 hex \i0\fs20 doctor. But you get the idea.\rquote\par
Stevens shook his head. \lquote It\rquote s simply a coincidence. Some\f1\-\f0 times they \par
come back into order as spontaneously as they go out.\rquote\par
\lquote That\rquote s what you think. Not this one. I\rquote ve just been pre\f1\-\f0 paring you \par
for the shock you\rquote re going to get. \i Come take a look.\rquote\par
\i0\lquote What do you mean? Where?\rquote\par
\lquote In the inner hangar.\rquote  While they walked to where McLeod had left \par
his broomstick, he continued, \lquote I wrote out a credit for the crawler \par
pilot and flew back. I haven\rquote t spoken to anyone else about it. I\rquote ve \par
been biting my nails down to my elbows waiting for you to show up.\rquote\par
The skycar seemed quite ordinary. Stevens examined the deKalbs and \par
saw some faint chalk marks on their metal sides \fs8 - \fs20 nothing else \par
unusual. \par
\lquote Watch while I cut in reception,\rquote  McLeod told him.\par
Stevens waited, heard the faint hum as the circuits became activized, \par
and looked.\par
The antennae of the deKalbs, each a rigid pencil of metal,were bending, \par
flexing, writhing like a cluster of worms. They were \i\fs18 reaching out, \i0\fs20 like \par
fingers.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215 Stevens remained squatting down by the deKalbs, watching their \par
outrageous motion. McLeod left the control saddle, came back, and \par
joined him. \par
\lquote Well, chief,\rquote  he demanded, \lquote tell me about it. Whaduh yuh make of it?\rquote\par
\lquote Got a cigarette?\rquote\par
\lquote What are those things sticking Out of your pocket?\rquote\par
\lquote Oh! Yeah \fs8 - \fs20 sure.\rquote  Stevens took one out, lighted it, and burned it \par
halfway down, unevenly, with two long drags.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Go on,\rquote  McLeod urged. \lquote Give us a tell. What makes it do that?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Well,\rquote  Stevens said slowly, \lquote I can think of three things to do next-\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Yeah?\rquote\par
\ldblquote The first is to fire Dr Rambeau and give his job to Gramps Schneider.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote That\rquote s a good idea in any case.'\par
\lquote The second is to just wait here quietly until the boys with the \par
strait-jackets show up to take us home.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote And what\rquote s the third?\rquote\par
\lquote The third,\rquote  Stevens said savagely, \lquote is to take this damned heap out \par
and sink it in the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean and pretend \par
like it never happened!\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215 A mechanic stuck his head in the door of the car. \lquote Oh, Dr Stevens--\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote Get out of here!\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 The head hastily withdrew; thc voice picked up in aggrieved tones. \par
\lquote Message from the head office.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Stevens got up, went to the operator\rquote s saddle, cleared the board, \par
then assured himself that the antennae had ceased their disturbing \par
movements. They had; in fact, they appeared so beautifully straight \par
and rigid that he was again tempted to doubt the correctness of his \par
own senses. He climbed out\fs16  \fs20 to the floor of the hangar, McLeod behind \par
him. \par
\lquote Sorry to have blasted at you, Whitey,\rquote  he said to the workman in \par
placating tones. \lquote What is the message?\rquote\par
\lquote Mr Gleason would like for you to come into his office as soon as \par
you can.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote I will at once. And, Whitey, I\rquote ve a job for you.\rquote\par
\lquote Yeah?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote This heap here \fs8 - \fs20 seal up its doors and don\rquote t let anybody monkey with \par
it. Then have it dragged, dragged, mind you; don\rquote t try to start it \fs8 - \par
\fs20 have it dragged over into the main lab.\rquote\par
\lquote OK.\rquote\par
Stevens started away; McLeod stopped him. \lquote What do I go home in?\rquote\par
\lquote Oh yes, it\rquote s your personal property, isn\rquote t it? Tell you what, Mac \fs8 - \par
\fs20 the company needs it. Make out a purchase order and I\rquote ll sign it.\rquote\par
\lquote Weeell, now \fs8 - \fs20 I don\rquote t rightly know as I want to sell it. It might \par
be the only job in the country working properly before long.\rquote\par
\lquote Don\rquote t be silly. If the others play out, it won\rquote t do you any good \par
to have the only one in working order. Power will be shut down.\rquote\par
\lquote I suppose there\rquote s that,\rquote  McLeod conceded. \lquote Still,\rquote  he said, \par
brightening visibly, \lquote a crate like that, with its special talents, \par
ought to be worth a good deal more than list. You couldn\rquote t just go \par
out and buy one.\rquote\par
\lquote Mac,\rquote  said Stevens, \lquote you\rquote ve got avarice in your heart and thievery \par
in your fingertips. How much do you want for it?\rquote\par
\lquote Suppose we say twice the list price, new. That\rquote s letting you off easy.'\par
\lquote I happen to know you bought that job at a discount. But go ahead. \par
Either the company can stand it, or it won\rquote t make much difference \par
in the bankruptcy.\rquote\par
Gleason looked up as Stevens came in. \lquote Oh, there you are, Jim. \par
You seemed to have pulled a miracle with our friend Waldo the \par
Great. Nice work.\rquote\par
\lquote How much did he stick us for?\rquote\par
\lquote Just his usual contract. Of course his usual contract is a bit \par
like robbery with violence. But it will be worth it if he is \par
successful. And it\rquote s on a straight contingent basis. He must \par
feel pretty sure of himself. They say he\rquote s never lost a \par
contingent fee in his life. Tell me \fs8 - \fs20 what is he like? Did you \par
really get into his house?\rquote\par
\lquote I did. And I\rquote ll tell you about it \fs8 - \fs20 sometime. Right now another \par
matter has come up which has me talking to myself. You ought \par
to hear about it at once.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote So? Go ahead.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215 Stevens opened his mouth, closed it again, and realized that it \par
had to be seen to be believed. \lquote Say, could you come with me to \par
the main lab? I\rquote ve got something to show you.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote Certainly.\rquote\par
Gleason was not as perturbed by the squirming metal rods as \par
Stevens had been. He was surprised, but not upset. The truth \par
of the matter is that he lacked the necessary technical \par
background to receive the full emotional impact of the \par
in\f1\-\f0 escapable implications of the phenomenon. \par
\lquote That\rquote s pretty un\f1\-\f0 usual, isn\rquote t it?\b\i\fs16\rquote  \b0\i0\fs20 he said quietly.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Unusual! Look, chief, if the sun rose in the west, what would \par
you think?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote I think I would call the observatory and ask them why.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Well, all I can say is that I would a whole lot rather that \par
the sun rose in the west than to have this happen.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote I admit it is pretty disconcerting,\rquote  Gleason agreed. \par
\lquote I can\rquote t say that I\rquote ve ever seen anything like it. What is \par
Dr Rambeau\rquote s opinion?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote He hasn\rquote t seen it.\par
\lquote Then perhaps we had better send for him. He may not have \par
gone home for the night as yet.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Why not show it to Waldo instead?\rquote\par
\lquote We will. But Dr Rambeau is entitled to see it first. After \par
all, it\rquote s his bailiwick, and I\rquote m afraid the poor fellow\rquote s nose \par
is pretty well out of joint as it is. I don\rquote t want to go over \par
his head.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Stevens felt a sudden flood of intuition. \lquote Just a second, chief. \par
You\rquote re right, but if it\rquote s all the same to you I would rather that \par
you showed it to him than for me to do it.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote Why so, Jimmie? You can explain it to him.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote I can\rquote t explain a damn thing to him I haven\rquote t already told you. \par
And for the next few hours I\rquote m going to be very, very busy indeed.\rquote\par
Gleason looked him over, shrugged his shoulders, and said mildly, \par
\lquote Very well, Jim, if you prefer it that way.\rquote\par
Waldo was quite busy, and therefore happy. He would never have \par
admitted \fs8 - \fs20 he did not admit even to himself, that there were \par
certain drawbacks to his self-imposed withdrawal from the world \par
and that chief among these was boredom. He had never had much \par
opportunity to enjoy the time-consuming delights of social \par
intercourse; he honestly believed that the smooth apes had nothing \par
to offer him in the way of com\f1\-\f0 panionship. Nevertheless, the pleasure \par
of the solitary intel\f1\-\f0 lectual life can pall.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 He repeatedly urged Uncle Gus to make his permanent home in Freehold, \par
but he told himself that it was a desire to take care of the old \par
man which motivated him. True \fs8 - \fs20 he enjoyed arguing with Grimes, but \par
he was not aware how much those arguments meant to him. The truth of \par
the matter was that Grimes was the only one of the human race who \par
treated him entirely as another human and an equal \fs8 - \fs20 and Waldo wallowed \par
in it, completely unconscious that the pleasure he felt in the old \par
man\rquote s company was the commonest and most precious of all human \par
pleasures. But at present he was happy in the only way he knew \par
how to be happy \fs8 - \fs20 working.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 There were two problems: that of Stevens and that of Grimes. Required: \par
a single solution which would satisfy each of them. There were three \par
stages to each problem; first, to satisfy himself that the problems \par
really did exist, that the situations were in fact as they had been \par
reported to him verb\f1\-\f0 ally; second, to undertake such research as the \par
preliminary data suggested; and third, when he felt that his data was \par
com\f1\-\f0 plete, to invent a solution.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote Invent\rquote , not \lquote find\rquote . Dr Rambeau might have said \lquote find\rquote , or \lquote search for\rquote . \par
To Rambeau the universe was an inexorably ordered cosmos, ruled by \par
unvarying law. To Waldo the uni\f1\-\f0 verse was the enemy, which he strove to \par
force to submmiit to his will. They might have been speaking of the \par
same thing, but their approaches were different.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 There was much to be done. Stevens had supplied him with a mass of data, \par
both on the theoretical nature of the radiated power system and the \par
deKalb receptors which were the key\f1\-\f0 stone of the system, and also on the \par
various cases of erratic performance of which they had lately been \par
guilty. Waldo had not given serious attention to power radiation up to \par
this time, simply because he had not needed to. He found it interesting \par
but comparatively simple. Several improvements suggested themselves to \par
his mind. That standing wave, for example, which was the main factor in \par
the co-axial beam \fs8 - \fs20 the efficiency of reception could be increased \par
considerably by sending a mes\f1\-\f0 sage back over it which would \par
automatically correct the aiming of the beam. Power delivery to moving \par
vehicles could be made nearly as efficient as the power reception to \par
stationary receivers.\par
Not that such an idea was important at present. Later, when he had \par
solved the problem at hand, he intended to make NAPA pay through the \par
nose for the idea; or perhaps it would be more amusing to compete with \par
them. He wondered when their basic patents ran out \fs8 - \fs20 must look it up.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Despite inefficiencies the deKalb receptors should work every time, \par
all the time, without failure. He went happily about finding out why \par
they did not.\par
He had suspected some obvious \fs8 - \fs20 obvious to \i\fs18 him \i0\fs8 - \fs20 defect in manufacture. \par
But the inoperative deKalbs which Stevens had delivered to him refused \par
to give up their secret. He X-rayed them, measured them with micrometer \par
and interferometer, subjected them to all the usual tests and some \par
that were quite unusual and peculiarly Waldo-ish. They would not perform.\par
He built a deKalb in his shop, using one of the inoperative ones as a \par
model and using the reworked metal of another of the same design, also \par
inoperative, as the raw material, he used his finest scanners to see \par
with and his smallest waldoes \fs8 -\fs20 tiny pixy hands, an inch across \fs8 - \fs20 for \par
manipulation in the final stages. He created a deKalb which was as \par
nearly identical with its model as technology and incredible skill \par
could produce.\par
It worked beautifully.\par
Its elder twin still refused to work. He was not discouraged by this. \par
On the contrary, he was elated. He had proved, proved with certainty, \par
that the failure of the deKalbs was not a failure of workmanship, \par
but a basic failure in theory. The problem was real.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Stevens had reported to him the scandalous performance of the deKalbs \par
in McLeod\rquote s skycar, but he had not yet given his attention to the matter. \par
Presently, in proper order, when he got around to it, he would look \par
into the matter. In the mean\f1\-\f0 time he tabled the matter. The smooth apes \par
were an hysterical lot; there was probably nothing to the story. \par
Writhing like Medusa\rquote s locks, indeed!\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 He gave fully half his time to Grimes\rquote s problem.\par
He was forced to admit that the biological sciences \fs8 - \fs20 if you could call \par
them science! \fs8 - \fs20 were more fascinating than he had thought. He had shunned \par
them, more or less; the failure of expensive \lquote experts\rquote  to do anything \par
for his condition when he was a child had made him contemptuous of such \par
studies. Old wives nostrums dressed up in fancy terminology! Grimes he \par
liked and even respected, but Grimes was a special case.\par
Grimes\rquote s data had convinced Waldo that the old man had a case. Why, \par
this was serious! The figures were incomplete, but nevertheless \par
convincing. The curve of the third decrement, extrapolated not too \par
unreasonably, indicated that in twenty years there would not be a man \par
left with strength enough to work in the heavy industries. Button \par
pushing would be all they would be good for.\par
It did not occur to him that all he was good for was button pushing; \par
he regarded weakness in the smooth apes as an old-style farmer \par
might regard weakness in a draft animal. The farmer did not expect \par
to pull the plough \fs8 - \fs20 that was the horse\rquote s job.\par
Grimes\rquote s medical colleagues must be utter fools.\par
Nevertheless, he sent for the best physiologists, neurologists, brain \par
surgeons, and anatomists he could locate, ordering them as one might \par
order goods from a catalogue. He must under\f1\-\f0 stand this matter.\par
He was considerably annoyed when he found that he could not make \par
arrangements, by any means, to perform vivisection on human beings. \par
He was convinced by this time that the damage done by ultra short-wave \par
radiation was damage to the neurological system, and that the whole \par
matter should be treated from the standpoint of electromagnetic theory. \par
He wanted to perform certain delicate manipulations in which human \par
beings would be hooked up directly to apparatus of his own design to \par
find out in what manner nerve impulses differed from electrical current. \par
He felt that if he could dis\f1\-\f0 connect portions of a man\rquote s nervous circuit, \par
replace it in part with electrical hookups, and examine the whole matter \par
\i\fs18 in situ, \i0\fs20 he might make illuminating discoveries. True, the man might not \par
be much use to himself afterwards.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 But the authorities were stuffy about it; he was forced to content \par
himself with cadavers and with animals.\par
Nevertheless, he made progress. Extreme short-wave radia\f1\-\f0 tion had a \par
definite effect on the nervous system \fs8 - \fs20 a double effect: it produced \par
\lquote ghost\rquote  pulsations in the neurons, In\f1\-\f0 sufficient to accomplish muscular \par
motor response, but, he sus\f1\-\f0 pected, strong enough to keep the body in a \par
continual state of inhibited nervous excitation; and, secondly, a living \par
specimen which had been subjected to this process for any length of time \par
showed a definite, small but measurable, lowering in the efficiency of \par
its neural impulses. If it had been an electrical circuit, he would have \par
described the second effect as a decrease in insulating efficiency.\par
The sum of these two effects on the subject individual was a condition of \par
mild tiredness, somewhat similar to the malaise of the early stages of \par
pulmonary tuberculosis. The victim did not feel sick; he simply lacked pep. \par
Strenuous bodily activity was not impossible; it was simply distasteful; \par
it required too much effort, too much willpower.\par
But an orthodox pathologist would have been forced to re\f1\-\f0 port that the \par
victim was in perfect health \fs8 - \fs20 a little run-down, perhaps, but nothing wrong \par
with him. Too sedentary a life, probably. What he needed was fresh air, \par
sunshine, and healthy exercise.\par
Doc Grimes alone had guessed that the present, general, marked preference \par
for a sedentary life was the effect and not the cause of the prevailing lack \par
of vigour. The change had been slow, at least as slow as the increase in \par
radiation in the air. The individuals concerned had noticed it\b\fs16 , \b0\fs20 if at all, \par
simply as an indication that they were growing a little bit older,\lquote slowing \par
down, not so young as I used to be\rquote . And they were content to slow down; it \par
was more comfortable than exertion.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Grimes had first begun to be concerned about it when he began to notice that \par
\i\fs18 all \i0\fs20 of his younger patients were \lquote the book\f1\-\f0 ish type\rquote . It was all very well \par
for a kid to like to read books, he felt, but a normal boy ought to be out \par
doing a little hell raising too. What had become of the sand-lot football \par
games, the games of scrub, the clothes-tearing activity that had \par
characterized his own boyhood?\par
Damn it, a kid ought not to spend \i\fs18 all \i0\fs20 his time poring over a stamp collection.\par
Waldo was beginning to find the answer.\par
The nerve network of the body was not dissimilar to an\f1\-\f0 tennae. Like antennae, \par
it could and did pick up electro\f1\-\f0 magnetic waves. But the pickup was evidenced \par
not as induced electrical current, but as nerve pulsation \fs8 - \fs20 impulses which were \par
maddeningly similar to, but distinctly different from, electrical current. \par
Electromotive force could be used in place of nerve impulses to activate muscle \par
tissue, but emf was \i\fs18 not \i0\fs20 nerve impulse. For one thing they travelled at vastly \par
different rates of speed. Electrical current travcls at a speed approach\f1\-\f0 ing \par
that of light; neural impulse is measured in feet per second.\par
Waldo felt that somewhere in this matter of speed lay the key to the problem.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 He was not permitted to ignore the matter of McLeod\rquote s fantastic skycar as \par
long as he had intended to. Dr Rambeau called him up. Waldo accepted the call, \par
since it was routed from the laboratories of NAPA. \lquote Who are you and what do you \par
want?\rquote  he demanded of the image.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Rambeau looked around cautiously. \i\fs18\lquote Sssh! \i0\fs20 Not so loud,\rquote  he whispered. \lquote They \par
might be listening.\rquote\par
\lquote Who might be? And who are you?\rquote\par
\lquote\ldblquote They\rdblquote  are the ones who are doing it. Lock your doors at night. I\rquote m Dr \par
Rambeau.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote Dr Rambeau? Oh yes. Well, Doctor, what is the meaning of this intrusion?\rquote\par
The doctor leaned forward until\b\fs16  \b0\fs20 he appeared about to fall out of the stereo \par
picture. \lquote I\rquote ve learned how to do it,\rquote  he said tensely.\par
\lquote How to do what?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote Make the deKalbs work. The dear, dear deKalbs.\rquote  He suddenly thrust his \par
hands at Waldo, while clutching franti\f1\-\f0 cally with his fingers. \lquote They go like \par
this: \i\fs18 Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!\rquote\par
\i0\fs20 Waldo felt a normal impulse to cut the man off, but it was overruled by a \par
fascination as to what he would say next. Rambeau continued, \lquote Do you know \par
why? Do you? Riddle me that.\rquote\par
\lquote Why?\rquote\par
Rambeau placed a finger beside his nose and smiled roguishly. \lquote Wouldn\rquote t you \par
like to know? Wouldn\rquote t you give a pretty to know? B\i\fs18 ut I\rquote ll tell you!\rquote\par
\i0\fs20\lquote Tell me, then.\rquote\par
Rambeau suddenly looked terrified. \lquote Perhaps I shouldn\rquote t. Perhaps they are \par
listening. But I will, I will! Listen carefully:\par
Nothing is certain.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote Is that all?\rquote  inquired Waldo, now definitely amused by the man\rquote s antics.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote\ldblquote Is that all?\rdblquote  Isn\rquote t that enough? Hens will crow and cocks will lay. You \par
are here and I am there. Or maybe not. Nothing is certain. Nothing, \i\fs18 nothing, \par
\b\i0\fs16 NOTHING \b0\fs20 is certain! Around and around the little ball goes, and where it \par
stops nobody knows. Only I\rquote ve learned how to do it.\rquote\par
\lquote How to do what?\rquote\par
\lquote How to make the little ball stop where I want it to. Look.\rquote  He whipped \par
out a penknife. \lquote When you cut yourself, you bleed, don\rquote t you? Or do you?\rquote  \par
He sliced at the forefinger of his left hand. \lquote See?\rquote  He held the finger \par
close to the pickup; the cut though deep, was barely discernible and it \par
was bleeding not at all.\par
Capital! thought Waldo. Hysteric vascular control \fs8 - \fs20 a per\f1\-\f0 fect clinical case. \par
\lquote Anybody can do that,\rquote  he said aloud. \lquote Show me a hard one.\rquote\par
\lquote Anybody? Certainly anybody can \fs8 - \fs20 if they know how. Try this one.\rquote  He jabbed \par
the point of the penknife straight into the palm of his left hand, so that \par
it stuck out the back of his hand. He wiggled the blade in the wound, \par
withdrew it, and dis\f1\-\f0 played the palm. No blood, and the incision was closing\par
rapidly. \lquote Do you know why? The knife is only probably there, \i\fs18 and I\rquote ve found \par
the improbability!\rquote\par
\i0\fs20 Amusing as it had been, Waldo was beginning to be bored by it. \lquote Is that all?\rquote\par
\lquote There is no end to it,\rquote  pronounced Rambeau, \lquote for nothing is certain any \par
more. Watch this.\rquote  He held the knife flat on his palm, then turned his \par
hand over.\par
The knife did not fall, but remained in contact with the underside of his \par
hand.\par
Waldo was suddenly attentive. It might be a trick; it prob\f1\-\f0 ably was a \par
trick \fs8 - \fs20 but it impressed him more, much more, than Rambeau\rquote s failure to \par
bleed when cut. One was common to certain types of psychosis; the other \par
should not have hap\f1\-\f0 pened. He cut in another vicwphonc circuit. \lquote Get me \par
Chief Engineer Stevens at North American Power-Air,\rquote  he said sharply. \par
\lquote At once!\rquote\par
Rambeau paid no attention, but continued to speak of the penknife. \lquote It \par
does not know which way is down,\rquote  he crooned, \lquote for nothing is certain any \par
more. Maybe it will fall \fs8 - \fs20 maybe not. I think it will. There \fs8 - \fs20 it has. Would \par
you like to see me walk on the ceiling?\rquote\par
\lquote You called me, Mr Jones?\rquote  It was Stevens.\par
Waldo cut his audio circuit to Rambeau. \lquote Yes. That jump\f1\-\f0 ing jack, Rambeau. \par
Catch him and bring him to me at once. I want to see him.\rquote\par
\lquote But Mr Jo-\rquote\par
\lquote Move!\rquote  He cut Stevens off, and renewed the audio to Rambeau.\par
\lquote -uncertainty. Chaos is King, and Magic is loose in the world!\rquote  \par
Rambeau looked vaguely at Waldo, brightened, and added, \lquote Good day, \par
Mr Jones. Thank you for calling.\rquote\par
The screen went dead.\par
Waldo waited impatiently. The whole thing had been a hoax, he told himself. \par
Rambeau had played a gigantic practical joke. Waldo disliked practical jokes. \par
He put in another call for Stevens and left it in.\par
When Stevens did call back his hair was mussed and his face was red. \par
\lquote We had a bad time of it,\rquote  he said.\par
\lquote Did you get him?\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\tx221\lquote Rambeau? Yes, finally.\rquote\par
\lquote Then bring him up.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\tx209\lquote To Freehold? But that\rquote s impossible. You don\rquote t understand. He\rquote s blown his \par
top; he\rquote s crazy. They\rquote ve taken him away to a hospital.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\tx221\lquote You assume too much,\rquote  Waldo said icily. \lquote I know he\rquote s crazy, but I meant \par
what I said. Arrange it. Provide nurses. Sign affidavits. Use bribery. Bring \par
him to me at once. It is necessary.~\par
\lquote You really mean that?\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote m not in the habit of jesting.\rquote\par
\lquote Something to do with your investigations? He\rquote s in no shape to be useful to \par
you, I can tell you that.\rquote\par
\lquote That,\rquote  pronounced Waldo, \lquote is for me to decide.\rquote\par
\lquote Well,\rquote  said Stevens doubtfully, \lquote I\rquote ll try.\rquote\par
\lquote See that you succeed.\rquote\par
Stevens called back thirty minutes later. \lquote I can\rquote t bring Rambeau.\rquote\par
\lquote You clumsy incompetent.\rquote\par
Stevens turned red, but held his temper. \lquote Never mind the personalities. \par
He\rquote s gone. \par
He never got to the hospital.\rquote\par
\lquote What?\rquote\par
\lquote That\rquote s the crazy part about it. They took him away in a confining \par
stretcher, laced up like a corset. I saw them fasten him in myself. \par
But when they got there he was gone. And the attendants claim \i\fs18 the \par
straps weren\rquote t even unbuckled.\rquote\par
\i0\fs20 Waldo started to say, \lquote Preposterous,\rquote  thought better of it. Stevens \par
went on.\par
\lquote But that\rquote s not the half of it. I\rquote d sure like to talk to him myself. \par
I\rquote ve been looking around his lab. You know that set of deKalbs that \par
went nuts \fs8 -. \fs20 the ones that were hexed?\rquote\par
\lquote I know to what you refer.\rquote\par
\lquote Rambeau\rquote s got a second set to do the same thing!\rquote  Waldo remained \par
silent for several seconds, then said quietly, \lquote Dr Stevens-\rquote\par
\lquote Yes.\rquote\par
\lquote I want to thank you for your efforts. And will you please have \par
both sets of receptors, the two sets that are misbehaving, sent \par
to Freehold at once?\rquote\i\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\i0 There was no doubt about it. Once he had seen them with his own \par
eyes, watched the inexplicable squirming of the an\f1\-\f0 tennae, applied \par
such tests as suggested themselves to his mind, Waldo was forced \par
to conclude that he was faced with new phenomena, phenomena for \par
which he did not know the rules.\par
If there were rules.\par
For he was honest with himself. If he saw what he thought he saw, \par
then rules were being broken by the new phenomena, rules which he \par
had considered valid, rules to which he had never previously \par
encountered exceptions. He admitted to him\f1\-\f0 self that the original \par
failures of the deKalbs should have been considered just as \par
overwhelmingly upsetting to physical law as the unique behaviour \par
of these two; the difference lay in that one alien phenomenon \par
was spectacular, the other was not.\par
Quite evidently Dr Rambeau had found it so; he had been informed \par
that the doctor had been increasingly neurotic from the first \par
instance of erratic performance of the deKalb receptors.\par
He regretted the loss of Dr Rambeau. Waldo was more im\f1\-\f0 pressed by \par
Rambeau crazy than he had ever been by Rambeau sane. Apparently \par
the man had had some modicum of ability after all; he had found \par
out \i\fs18 something \i0\fs8 - \fs20 more, Waldo admitted, than he himself had been able \par
to find out so far, even though it had driven Rambeau insane.\par
Waldo had no fear that Rambeau\rquote s experience, whatever it had been, \par
could unhinge his own reason. His own self-confidence was, perhaps, \par
fully justified. His own mild para\f1\-\f0 noid tendency was just sufficient \par
to give him defences against an unfriendly world. For him it was \par
healthy, a necessary adjustment to an otherwise intolerable \par
situation, no more pathological than a callous, or an acquired \par
immunity.\par
Otherwise he was probably more able to face disturbing facts with \par
equanimity than ninety-nine per cent of his contem\f1\-\f0 poraries. He had \par
been \i\fs18 born \i0\fs20 to disaster; he had met it and had overcome it, time and \par
again. The very house which sur\f1\-\f0 rounded him was testimony to the \par
calm and fearless fashion in which he had defeated a world to \par
which he was not adapted.\par
He exhausted, temporarily, the obvious lines of direct re\f1\-\f0 search \par
concerning the strangely twisting metal rods. Rambeau was not \par
available for questioning. Very well, there remained one other \par
man who knew more about it than Waldo did. He would seek him out. \par
He called Stevens again.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\tx221\lquote Has there been any word of Dr Rambeau?\rquote\par
\lquote No word, and no sign. I\rquote m beginning to think the poor old fellow \par
is dead.\rquote\par
\lquote Perhaps. That witch doctor friend of your assistant \fs8 - \fs20 was Schneider \par
his name?\rquote\par
\lquote Gramps Schneider.\rquote\par
\lquote Yes indeed. Will you please arrange for him to speak with me?\rquote\par
\lquote By phone, or do you want to see him in person?\rquote\par
\lquote I would prefer for him to come here, but I understand that he is \par
old and feeble; it may not be feasible for him to leave the ground. \par
If he is knotted up with spacesickness, he will be no use to me.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ll see what can be done.\rquote\par
\lquote Very good. Please expedite the matter. And, Dr Stevens-\rquote\par
\lquote Well?\rquote\par
\lquote If it should prove necessary to use the phone, arrange to have a \par
portable full stereo taken to his home. I want the cir\f1\-\f0 cumstances \par
to be as favourable as possible.\rquote\par
\lquote OK.\rquote\par
\lquote Imagine that,\rquote  Stevens added to McLeod when the circuit had been \par
broken. \lquote The Great-I-Am\rquote s showing consideration for somebody else\rquote s \par
convenience.\par
\lquote The fat boy must be sick,\rquote  McLeod decided.\par
\lquote Seems likely. This chore is more yours than mine, Mac. Come along \par
with me; we\rquote ll take a run over into Pennsylvania.\rquote\par
\lquote How about the plant?\rquote\par
\lquote Tell Carruthers he\rquote s \ldblquote It\rdblquote . If anything blows, we couldn\rquote t help it \par
anyway.\rquote\par
Stevens mugged back later in the day. \lquote Mr Jones-\rquote\par
\lquote Yes, Doctor?\rquote\par
\lquote What you suggest can\rquote t be arranged.\rquote\par
\lquote You mean that Schneider can\rquote t come to Freehold?\rquote\par
\lquote I mean that and I mean that you can\rquote t talk with him on the viewphone.\rquote\par
\lquote I presume that you mean he is dead.\rquote\par
\lquote No, I do not. I mean that he will not talk over the view-phone under \par
any circumstances whatsoever, to you or to any\f1\-\f0 one. He says that he is \par
sorry not to accommodate you, but that he is opposed to everything of \par
that nature \fs8 - \fs20 cameras, ein\'e9cams, television, and so forth. He considers \par
them dangerous. I am afraid he is set in his superstition.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote As an ambassador, Dr Stevens, you leave much to be desired.\rquote\par
Stevens counted up to ten, then said, \lquote I assure you that I have done \par
everything in my power to comply with your wishes. If you are \par
dissatisfied with the quality of my cooperation, I suggest that you speak \par
to Mr Gleason.\rquote  He cleared the circuit.\par
\lquote How would you like to kick him in the teeth?\rquote  McLeod said dreamily.\par
\lquote Mac, you\rquote re a mind reader.\rquote\par
\par
Waldo tried again through his own agents, received the same answer. \par
The situation was, to him, almost intolerable; it had been years since \par
he had encountered a man whom he could not buy, bully, nor \fs8 - \fs20 in \par
extremity \fs8 - \fs20 persuade. Buying had failed; he had realized instinctively \par
that Schneider would be unlikely to be motivated by greed. And how \par
can one bully, or wheedle, a man who cannot be seen to be talked with?\par
It was a dead end \fs8 - \fs20 no way out. Forget it.\par
Except, of course, for a means best classed as a Fate-Worse-Than-Death.\par
No. No, not that. Don\rquote t think about it. Better to drop the whole matter, \par
admit that it had him licked, and tell Gleason so. It had been seventeen \par
years since he had been at Earth sur\f1\-\f0 face; nothing could induce him to \par
subject his body to the in\f1\-\f0 tolerable demands of that terrible field. Nothing!\par
It might even kill him. He might choke to death, suffocate. No.\par
He sailed gracefully across his shop, an overpadded Cupid. Give up this \par
freedom, even for a time, for that tortuous bond\f1\-\f0 age? Ridiculous! It was \par
not worth it.\par
Better to ask an acrophobe to climb Half Dome, or demand that a \par
claustrophobe interview a man in the world\rquote s deepest mine.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\tx215\lquote Uncle Gus?\rquote\par
\lquote Oh, hello. Waldo. Glad you called.\rquote\par
\lquote Would it be safe for me to come down to Earth?\rquote  \par
\lquote Eh? How\rquote s that? Speak up, man. I didn\rquote t understand you.\rquote  \par
\lquote I said would it hurt me to make a trip down to Earth.\rquote  \par
\lquote This hookup,\rquote  said Grimes, \lquote is terrible. It sounded just like you were \par
saying you wanted to come down to Earth.\rquote\par
\lquote That\rquote s what I did say.\rquote\par
\lquote What\rquote s the matter, Waldo? Do you feel all right?\rquote\par
\lquote I feel fine, but I have to see a man at Earth surface. There isn\rquote t any \par
other way for me to talk to him, and I\rquote ve got to talk to him. Would the \par
trip do me any harm?\rquote\par
\lquote Ought not to, if you\rquote re careful. After all, you were born there. Be careful \par
of yourself, though. You\rquote ve laid a lot of fat around your heart.\rquote\par
\lquote Oh dear. Do you think it\rquote s \i\fs18 dangerous?\rquote\par
\i0\fs20\lquote No. You\rquote re sound enough.. Just don\rquote t overstrain yourself. And be careful \par
to keep your temper.\rquote\par
\lquote I will. I most certainly will. Uncle Gus?\rquote\par
\lquote Yes?\rquote\par
\lquote Will you come along with me and help me see it through?\rquote\par
\lquote Oh, I don\rquote t think that\rquote s necessary.\rquote\par
\lquote Please, Uncle Gus. I don\rquote t trust anybody else.\rquote\par
\lquote Time you grew up, Waldo. However, I will, this once.\rquote\par
\par
\lquote Now remember,\rquote  Waldo told the pilot, \lquote the absolute acceler\f1\-\f0 ation \par
must never exceed one and one tenth gs, \i\fs18 even in landing. \i0\fs20 I\rquote ll be \par
watching the accelograph the whole time.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ve been driving ambulances,\rquote  said the pilot, \lquote for twelve years, \par
and I\rquote ve never given a patient a rough ride yet.\rquote\par
\lquote That\rquote s no answer. Understand me? One and one tenth; and it should \par
not even approach that figure until we are under the stratosphere. \par
Quiet, Baldur! Quit snuffling.\rquote\par
\lquote I get you.\rquote\par
\lquote Be sure that you do. Your bonuses depend on it.\rquote\par
\lquote Maybe you\rquote d like to herd it yourself.\rquote\par
\lquote I don\rquote t like your attitude, my man. If I should die in the tank, \par
you would never get another job.\rquote\par
The pilot muttered something.\par
\pard\li215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote What was that?\rquote  Waldo demanded sharply. \lquote Well, I said it might be \par
worth it.\rquote\par
Waldo started to turn red, opened his mouth\rquote .\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Grimes Cut in: \lquote Easy, Waldo! Remember your heart.\rquote\par
\lquote Yes, Uncle Gus.\rquote\par
Grimes snaked his way forward, indicated to the pilot that he wanted \par
him to join him there.\par
\lquote Don\rquote t pay any attention to anything he says,\rquote  he advised the man \par
quietly, \lquote except what he said about acceleration. He really can\rquote t \par
stand much acceleration. He \i\fs18 might \i0\fs20 die in the tank.\rquote\par
\lquote I still don\rquote t think it would be any loss. But I\rquote ll be careful.\rquote\par
\lquote Good.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote m ready to enter the tank,\rquote  Waldo called out. \lquote Will you help me \par
with the straps, Uncle Gus?\rquote\par
\lquote Be there in a second.\rquote\par
The tank was not a standard deceleration type, but a modi\f1\-\f0 fication \par
built for this one trip. The tank was roughly the shape of an \par
oversized coffin and was swung in gimbals to keep it always normal \par
to the axis of absolute acceleration. Waldo floated in water \fs8 - \fs20 the \par
specific gravity of his fat hulk was low \fs8 -\fs20 from which he was \par
separated by the usual flexible, gasketed tarpaulin. Supporting \par
his head and shoulders was a pad shaped to his contour. A \par
mechanical artificial resuscitator was built into the tank, the \par
back pads being under water, the breast pads out of the water but \par
retracted out of the way.\par
Grimes stood by with neoadrenalin; a saddle had been pro\f1\-\f0 vided for \par
him on the left side of the tank. Baldur was strapped to a shelf on \par
the right side of the tank; he acted as a counter\f1\-\f0 weight to Grimes.\par
Grimes assured himself that all was in readiness, then called Out to\par
\b\fs14  \b0\fs20 the pilot, \lquote Start when you\rquote re ready.\rquote\par
\lquote OK.\rquote  He sealed the access port; the entry tube folded itself back \par
against the threshold flat of Freehold, freeing the ship. Gently they \par
got under way.\par
Waldo closed his eyes; a look of seraphic suffering came over his face.\par
\lquote Uncle Gus, suppose the deKalbs fail?\rquote\par
\lquote No matter. Ambulances store six times the normal reserve.\rquote\par
\lquote You\rquote re \i\fs18 sure?\rquote\par
\i0\fs20 When Baldur began to feel weight, he started to whimper. Grimes \par
spoke to him; he quieted down. But presently \fs8 - \fs20 days later, it seemed \par
to Waldo \fs8 - \fs20 as the ship sank farther down into the Earth\rquote s gravitational \par
field, the absolute acceleration neces\f1\-\f0 sarily increased, although the \par
speed of the ship had not changed materially. The dog felt the weary \par
heaviness creeping over his body. He did not understand it and he liked \par
it even less; it terrified him. He began to howl.\par
Waldo opened his eyes. \lquote Merciful heavens!\rquote  he moaned. \lquote Can\rquote t you do \par
something about that? He must be dying.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ll see.\rquote  Grimes undid his safety belt and swung himself across the tank. \par
The shift in weight changed the balance of the load in the gimbals; Waldo \par
was rocked against the side of the tank.\par
\lquote Oh!\rquote  he panted. \lquote Be careful.\rquote\par
\lquote Take it easy.\rquote  Grimes caressed the dog\rquote s head and spoke to him. When he \par
had calmed down, Grimes grabbed a handful of hide between the dog\rquote s shoulders, \par
measured his spot, and jabbed in a hypo. He rubbed the area. \lquote There, old fellow! \par
That will make you feel better.\rquote\par
Getting back caused Waldo to be rocked again, but he bore it in martyred silence.\par
The ambulance made just one jerky manoeuvre after it en\f1\-\f0 tered the atmosphere. Both \par
Waldo and the dog yelped. \lquote Private ship~\rquote  the pilot yelled back. \lquote Didn\rquote t heed \par
my right-of-way lights.\rquote  He muttered something about women drivers.\par
\lquote It wasn\rquote t his fault,\rquote  Grimes told Waldo. \lquote I saw it.\rquote\par
The pilot set them down with exquisite gentleness in a clearing which had been \par
prepared between the highway and Schneider\rquote s house. A party of men was \par
waiting for them there; under Grimes\rquote s supervision they unslung the tank and \par
carried Waldo out into the open air. The evolution was performed slowly and \par
carefully, but necessarily involved some degree of bumping and uneven movement. \par
Waldo stood it with silent fortitude, but tears leaked out from under his lowered \par
lids.\par
Once outside he opened his eyes and asked, \lquote Where is Bal\f1\-\f0 dur?\rquote\par
\lquote I unstrapped him,\rquote  Grimes informed him, \lquote but he did not follow us out.\rquote\par
Waldo called out huskily, \lquote Here, Baldur! Come to me, boy.\rquote\par
Inside the car the dog heard his boss\rquote s voice, raised his head, and gave a low \par
bark. He still felt that terrifying sickness, but he inched forward on his belly, \par
attempting to comply. Grimes reached the door in time to see what happened.\par
The dog reached the edge of his shelf and made a grotesque attempt to launch \par
himself in the direction from which he had heard Waldo\rquote s voice. He tried the \par
only method of propulsion he knew; no doubt he expected to sail through the door \par
and arrest his flight against the tank on the ground. Instead he fell several \par
feet to the inner floor plates, giving one agonized yelp as he did so, and \par
breaking his fall most clumsily with stiffened forelegs.\par
He lay sprawled where he had landed, making no noise, but not attempting to \par
move. He was trembling violently.\par
Grimes came up to him and examined him superficially, enough to assure him \par
that the beast was not really hurt, then returned to the outside. \par
\lquote Baldur\rquote s had a little accident,\rquote  he told Waldo; \lquote he\rquote s not hurt, but the \par
poor devil doesn\rquote t know how to walk. You had best leave him in the ship.\rquote\par
Waldo shook his head slightly. \lquote I want him with me. Arrange a litter.\rquote\par
Grimes got a couple of the men to help him, obtained a stretcher from \par
the pilot of the ambulance, and undertook to move the dog. One of the men \par
said, \lquote I don\rquote t know as I care for this job. That dog looks vicious. Look\rquote t \par
those eyes.\rquote\par
\lquote He\rquote s not,\rquote  Grimes assured him. \lquote He\rquote s just scared out of his wits. Here, \par
I\rquote ll take his head.\rquote\par
\lquote What\rquote s the matter with him? Same thing as the fat guy?\rquote\par
\lquote No, he\rquote s perfectly well and strong; he\rquote s just never learned to walk. \par
This is his first trip to Earth.\rquote\par
\lquote Well, I\rquote ll be a cross-eyed owl!\rquote\par
\lquote I knew a case like it\b ,\rquote  \b0 volunteered the other. \lquote Dog raised in Lunopolis \fs8 - \par
\fs20 first week he was on Earth he wouldn\rquote t move \fs8 -\fs20 just squatted down, and howled, \par
and made messes on the floor.\rquote\par
\lquote So has this one,\rquote  the first said darkly.\par
They placed Baldur alongside Waldo\rquote s tub. With great effort Waldo raised \par
himself on one elbow, reached out a hand, and placed it on the creature\rquote s \par
head. The dog licked it; his trembling almost ceased. \lquote There! There!\rquote  \par
Waldo. whispered. \lquote It\rquote s pretty bad, isn\rquote t it? Easy, old friend, take it easy.\rquote\par
Baldur thumped his tail.\par
It took four men to carry Waldo and two more to handle Baldur. Gramps \par
Schneider was waiting for them at the door of his house. He said nothing \par
as they approached, but indicated that they were to carry Waldo inside. \par
The men with the dog hesitated. \lquote Him, too,\rquote  he said.\par
When the others had withdrawn \fs8 - \fs20 even Grimes returned to the neighbourhood \par
of the ship \fs8 - \fs20 Schneider spoke again. \lquote Wel\f1\-\f0 come, Mr Waldo Jones.\rquote\par
\lquote I thank you for your welcome, Grandfather Schneider.\rquote\par
The old man nodded graciously without speaking. He went to the side of \par
Baldur\rquote s litter. Waldo felt impelled to warn him that the beast was \par
dangerous with strangers, but some odd res\f1\-\f0 traint \fs8 - \fs20 perhaps the effect \par
of that enervating gravitational field \fs8 - \fs20 kept him from speaking in time. \par
Then he saw that he need not bother.\par
Baldur had ceased his low whimpering, had raised his head, and was licking \par
Gramps Schneider\rquote s chin. His tail thumped cheerfully. Waldo felt a sudden \par
tug of jealousy; the dog had never been known to accept a stranger without \par
Waldo\rquote s speci\f1\-\f0 fic injunction. This was disloyalty \fs8 - \fs20 treason! But he \par
sup\f1\-\f0 pressed the twinge and coolly assessed the incident as a tactical \par
advantage to him.\par
Schneider pushed the dog\rquote s face out of the way and went over him thoroughly, \par
prodding, thumping, extending his limbs. He grasped Baldur\rquote s muzzle, pushed \par
back his lips, and eyed his gums. He peeled back the dog\rquote s eyelids. He then \par
dropped the matter and came to Waldo\rquote s side. \lquote The dog is not sick,\rquote  he said; \par
\lquote his mind confuses. What made it?\rquote\par
Waldo told him about Baldur\rquote s unusual background. Schneider nodded acceptance \par
of the matter \fs8 - \fs20 Waldo could not tell whether he had understood or not \fs8 - \fs20 and \par
turned his atten\f1\-\f0 tion to Waldo. \lquote It is not good for a sprottly lad to lie abed. \par
The weakness \fs8 - \fs20 how long has it had you?\rquote\par
\lquote All my life, Grandfather.\rquote\par
'That is not good.\rquote  Schneider went over him as he had gone over Baldur. \par
Waldo, whose feeling for personal privacy was much more intense than that of \par
the ordinarily sensitive man, endured it for pragmatic reasons. It was going \par
to be neces\f1\-\f0 sary, he felt, to wheedle and cajole this strange old creature. \par
It would not do to antagonize him.\par
To divert his own attention from the indignity he chose to submit to, and \par
to gain further knowledge of the old quack, Waldo let his eyes rove the room. \par
The room where they were seemed to be a combination kitchen-living room. \par
It was quite crowded, rather narrow, but fairly long. A fireplace dominated \par
the kitchen end, but it had been bricked up, and a hole for the flue pipe of \par
the base-burner had been let into the chimney. The fireplace was lopsided, \par
as an oven had been included in its left side. The corresponding space at the \par
right was occupied by a short counter which supported a tiny sink. The sink \par
was sup\f1\-\f0 plied with water by a small hand pump which grew out of the counter.\par
Schneider, Waldo decided, was either older than he looked, which seemed \par
incredible, or he had acquired his house from someone now long dead.\par
The living room end was littered and crowded in the fashion which is simply \par
unavoidable in constricted quarters. Books filled several cases, were piled \par
on the floor, hung pre\f1\-\f0 cariously on chairs. An ancient wooden desk, crowded \par
with papers and supporting a long-obsolete mechanical typewriter, filled \par
one corner. Over it, suspended from the wall, was an ornate clock, carved \par
somewhat like a house. Above its face were two little doors; while Waldo \par
looked at it, a tiny wooden bird painted bright red popped out of the \par
left-hand door, whistled \i\fs18\lquote Th-wu th-woo!\rquote  \i0\fs20 four times, and popped fran\f1\-\f0 tically \par
back into its hole. Immediately thereafter a little grey bird came out of \par
the right-hand door, said \i\fs18\lquote Cuckoo\rquote  \i0\fs20 three times in a leisurely manner, and \par
returned to its hole. \par
Waldo decided that he would like to own such a clock; of course its \par
pendulum-and-weight movement would not function in Freehold, but he \par
could easily devise a one-g centrifuge frame to enclose it, wherein it \par
would have a pseudo Earth-surface environment.\par
It did not occur to him to fake a pendulum movement by means of a \par
concealed power source; he liked things to work properly.\par
To the left of the clock was an old-fashioned static calen\f1\-\f0 dar of paper. \par
The date was obscured, but the letters above the calendar proper were \par
large and legible: New York World\rquote s Fair \fs8 - \fs20 Souvenir of the World of \par
Tomorrow. Waldo\rquote s eyes widened a little and went back to something he \par
had noticed before, sticking into a pincushion on the edge of the desk. \par
It was a round plastic button mounted on a pin whereby it could be \par
affixed to the clothing. It was not far from Waldo\rquote s eyes; he could read \par
the lettering on it:\par
\pard\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\par
\par
\pard\qc\tx215\b FREE SILVER\par
\fs16 SIXTEEN TO ONE\par
\pard\qj\tx215\par
\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\b0\fs20 Schneider must be \fs8 - \i\fs18 old!\par
\i0\fs20 There was a narrow archway, which led into another room. Waldo could not \par
see into it very well; the arch was draped with a fringe curtain of \par
long strings of large ornamental beads.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 The room was rich with odours, many of them old and musty, but not dirty.\par
Schneider straightened up and looked down at Waldo. \par
\lquote There is nought wrong with your body. Up get yourself and walk.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Waldo shook his head feebly. \b\lquote I \b0 am sorry, Grandfather. I cannot.\rquote\par
\lquote You must reach for the power and make it serve you. Try.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\b\lquote I \b0 am sorry. I do not know how.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote That is the only trouble. All matters are doubtful, unless one knows. \par
You send your force into the Other World. You must reach into the Other \par
World and claim it.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\lquote Where is this \ldblquote Other World\rdblquote , Grandfather?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Schneider seemed a little in doubt as to how to answer this. \lquote The Other World,\rquote  \par
he said presently, \lquote is the world you do not see. It is here and it is there and \par
it is everywhere. But it is especially \i\fs18 here.\rquote  \i0\fs20 He touched his forehead. \lquote The mind \par
sits in it and sends its messages through it to the body. Wait.\rquote  Hc shuf\f1\-\f0 fled \par
away to a little cupboard, from which he removed a small jar. It contained a \par
salve, or unguent, which he rubbed on his hands.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 He returned to Waldo and knelt down beside him. Grasping one of Waldo\rquote s hands in \par
both of his, he began to knead \b\fs16 it \b0\fs20 very gently. \lquote Let the mind be quiet)\rquote  he \par
directed. \lquote Feel for the power. The Other World is close and full of power. \par
Feel \fs16 it\b .\rquote  \b0\fs20 The massage was very pleasant to Waldo\rquote s tired muscles.\par
The salve, or the touch of the old man\rquote s hand, produced a warm, relaxing tingle. \par
If he were younger, thought Waldo, I would hire him as a masseur. He has a \par
magnetic touch.\par
Schneider straightened up again and said, \lquote There \fs8 - \fs20 that betters you? Now you \par
rest while I some coffee make.\rquote\par
Waldo settled back contentedly. He was very tired. Not only was the trip \par
itself a nervous strain, but he was still in the grip of this damnable, \par
thick gravitational field, like a fly trapped in honey. Gramps Schneider\rquote s \par
ministrations had left him relaxed and sleepy. He must have dozed, for \par
the last thing he remembered was seeing Schneider drop an eggshell into \par
the coffeepot. Then the old man was standing before him, holding the pot \par
in one hand and a steaming cup in the other. He set them down, got three \par
pillows, which he placed at Waldo\rquote s back, then offered him the coffee. \par
Waldo laboriously reached out both hands to take it. Schneider held it back. \par
\lquote No,\rquote  he reproved, \lquote one hand makes plenty. Do as I showed. Reach into the \par
Other World for the strength.\rquote  He took Waldo\rquote s right hand and placed \b\fs16 it \b0\fs20 on the \par
handle of the cup, steadying Waldo\rquote s hand with his own. With his other hand \par
he stroked Waldo\rquote s right arm gently, from shoulder to fingertips. Again the \par
warm tingle.\par
Waldo was surprised to find himself holding the cup alone. It was a pleasant \par
triumph; at the time he left Earth, seventeen years before, \b\fs16 it \b0\fs20 had been his \par
invariable habit never to attempt to grasp anything with only one hand. In \par
Freehold, of course, he frequently handled small objects one-handed, without \par
the use of waldoes. The years of practice must have improved his control. \par
Excellent!\par
So, feeling rather cocky, he drank the cupful with one hand, using extreme\par
care not to slop it on\b\fs14  \b0\fs20 himself. It was good coffee, too, he was bound to \par
admit \fs8 - \fs20 quite as good as the sort he him\f1\-\f0 self made from the most expensive \par
syrup extract \fs8 - \fs20 better, perhaps.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 When Schneider offered him coffeecake, brown with sugar and cinnamon and \par
freshly rewarmed, he swaggeringly accepted it with his left hand, without \par
asking to be relieved of the cup. He continued to eat and drink, between \par
bites and sips resting and steadying his forearms on the edges of the tank.\par
The conclusion of the \i\fs18 Kaffeeklatsch \i0\fs20 seemed a good time to broach the matter \par
of the deKalbs. Schneider admitted know\f1\-\f0 ing McLeod and recalled, somewhat \par
vaguely it seemed, the incident in which he had restored to service McLeod\rquote s \par
broom\f1\-\f0 stick. \par
\lquote Hugh Donald is a good boy,\rquote  he said. \lquote Machines I do not like, but it \par
pleasures me to fix things for boys.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Grandfather,\rquote  \fs18 asked \fs20 Waldo, \lquote will you tell me how you fixed Hugh Donald \par
McLeod\rquote s ship?\rquote\par
\lquote Have you such a ship you wish me to fix?\rquote\par
\lquote I have many such ships which I have agreed to fix, but I must tell you that \par
I have been unable to do so. I have come to \fs18 you \fs20 to find out the right way.\rquote\par
Schneider considered this. \lquote That is difficult. I could show you, but it \par
is not so \fs18 much \fs20 what you do as how you think about it. That makes only with \par
practice.\rquote\par
Waldo must have looked puzzled, for the old man looked at him and added, \par
\lquote It is said that there are two ways of looking at everything. That is \par
true and less than true, for there are many ways. Some of them are good \par
ways and some are bad. One of the ancients said that everything either \par
\i\fs18 is, \i0\fs20 or \i\fs18 is not. \i0\fs20 That is less than true, for a thing can both \i\fs18 be \i0\fs20 and \i\fs18 not he. \par
\i0\fs20 With practice one can see it both ways. Sometimes a thing which \i\fs18 is \i0\fs20 for \par
this world is a thing which \i\fs18 is not \i0\fs20 for the Other World. Which is important, \par
since we live in the Other World.\rquote\par
\lquote We live in the Other World?\rquote\par
\lquote How else could we live? The mind \fs8 - \fs20 not the brain, but the mind \fs8 - \fs20 is in the \par
Other World, and reaches this world through the \fs18 body. That \fs20 is one true way \par
of looking at it, though there are others.\rquote\par
\lquote Is there more than one way of looking at deKalb receptors?\rquote\par
\pard\li215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Certainly.\rquote\par
\lquote If I had a set which is not working right brought in here, would you \par
show me how to look at it?\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote It is not needful,\rquote  said Schneider, \lquote and I do not like for machines to \par
be in my house. I will draw you a picture.\rquote\par
Waldo felt impelled to insist, but he squelched his feeling. \lquote You have come \par
here in humility,\rquote  he told himself, \lquote asking for instruction. Do not tell \par
the teacher how to teach.\rquote\par
Schneider produced a pencil and a piece of paper, on which he made a \par
careful and very neat sketch of the antennae sheaf and main axis of a skycar. \par
The sketch was reasonably accurate as well, although it lacked several \par
essential minor details.\par
\lquote These fingers,\rquote  Schneider said, \lquote reach deep into the Other World to draw \par
their strength. In turn it passes down this pillar\rquote  \fs8 - \fs20 he indicated the axis \fs8 - \par
\fs20 to where it is used to move the car.\rquote\par
A fair allegorical explanation, thought Waldo. By consider\f1\-\f0 ing the \lquote Other \par
World\rquote  simply a term for the hypothetical ether, it could be considered \par
correct if not complete. But it told him nothing. \lquote Hugh Donald,\rquote  \par
Schneider went on, \lquote was tired and fretting. He found one of the bad \par
truths.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\tx209\lquote Do you mean,\rquote  Waldo said slowly, \lquote that McLeod\rquote s ship failed because he \par
was worried about it?\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote How else?\rquote\par
Waldo was not prepared to answer that one. It had become evident that \par
the old man had some quaint superstitions; never\f1\-\f0 theless he might still \par
be able to show Waldo \i\fs18 what \i0\fs20 to do, even though Schneider did not know \i\fs18 why. \par
\i0\fs20\lquote And what did you do to change it?\rquote\par
\lquote I made no change; I looked for the other truth.\rquote\par
\lquote But how? We found some chalk marks-\rquote\par
\lquote Those? They were but to aid me in concentrating my at\f1\-\f0 tention in the \par
proper direction. I drew them down \i\fs18 so,\rquote  \i0\fs8 - \fs20 he illustrated with pencil \par
on the sketch \fs8 - \fs20\lquote and thought how the fingers reached out for power. \par
And so they did.\rquote\par
\lquote That is all? Nothing more?\rquote\par
\lquote That is enough.\rquote\par
Either, Waldo considered, the old man did not know how he had \par
accomplished the repair, or he had had nothing to do with it \fs8 - \fs20 sheer \par
and amazing coincidence.\fs16  \par
\fs20 He had been resting the empty cup on the rim of his tank, the weight \par
supported by the metal while his fingers merely steadied it. His \par
preoccupation caused him to pay too little heed to it; it slipped \par
from his tired fingers, clattered and crashed to the floor.\par
He was much chagrined. \lquote Oh, I\rquote m \i\fs18 sorry, \i0\fs20 Grandfather. I\rquote ll send you \par
another.\rquote\par
\lquote No matter. I will mend.\rquote  Schneider carefully gathered up the pieces \par
and placed them on the desk. \lquote You have tired,\rquote  he added. \lquote That is \par
not good. It makes you lose what you have gained. Go back now to \par
your house, and when you have rested, you can practise reaching for \par
the strength by yourself.\rquote\par
It seemed a good idea to Waldo; he was growing very tired, and it \par
was evident that he was to learn nothing specific from the pleasant \par
old fraud. He promised, emphatically and quite in\f1\-\f0 sincerely, to \par
practise \lquote reaching for strength\rquote , and asked Schnei\f1\-\f0 der to do him \par
the favour of summoning his bearers.\par
The trip back was uneventful. Waldo did not even have the spirit to \par
bicker with the pilot.\par
Stalemate. Machines that did not work but should, and machines that \par
did work but in an impossible manner. And no one to turn to but one \par
foggy-headed old man. \par
Waldo worked lackadaisically for several days, repeating, for the most \par
part, investigations he had already made rather than admit to himself \par
that he was stuck, that he did not know what to do, that he was, in fact, \par
whipped and might as well call Gleason and \fs18 admit \fs20 it.\par
The two \lquote bewitched\rquote  sets of deKalbs continued to work whenever activated, \par
with the same strange and incredible flex\f1\-\f0 ing of each antenna. Other \par
deKalbs which had failed in opera\f1\-\f0 tion and had been sent to him for \par
investigation still refused to function. Still others, which had not yet \par
failed, performed beautifully without the preposterous fidgeting.\par
For the umpteenth time he took out the little sketch Schneider had made \par
and examined it. There was, he thought, just one more possibility: \par
to return again to Earth and insist that Schneider actually \i\fs18 do \i0\fs20 in his \par
presence, whatever it was he had done which caused the deKalbs to work. \par
He knew now that he should have insisted on it in the first place, but he \par
had been so utterly played out by having to fight that devilish thick field \par
that he had not had the will to persist.\par
Perhaps he could have Stevens do it and have the process stereophotoed for a \par
later examination. No, the old man had a superstitious prejudice against \par
artificial images.\par
\pard\li215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 He floated gently over to the vicinity of one of the inopera\f1\-\f0 tive deKalbs. \par
What Schneider had claimed to have done was preposterously simple. He had \par
drawn chalk marks down each antenna \i\fs18 so, \i0\fs20 for the purpose of fixing his \par
attention. Then he had gazed down them and thought about them \lquote reaching \par
out for power\rquote , reaching into the Other World, stretching- Baldur began to \par
bark frantically.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Shut up, you fool!\rquote  Waldo snapped, without taking his eyes off the antennae.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\i\fs18 Each separate pencil of metal was wiggling, stretching. There was the low, smooth hum of perfect operation.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\i0\fs20 Waldo was still thinking about it when the televisor deman\f1\-\f0 ded his attention. \par
He had never been in any danger of crack\f1\-\f0 ing up mentally as Rambeau had done; \par
nevertheless, he had thought about the matter in a fashion which made his \par
head ache. He was still considerably bemused when he cut in his end of the \par
sound-vision circuit. \par
\lquote Yes?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 It was Stevens. \lquote Hello, \fs18 Mr \fs20 Jones. Uh, we wondered \fs8 . . . \fs20 that is- \par
\lquote Speak up, man!\rquote\par
\lquote Well, how close are you to a solution?\rquote  Stevens blurted out. \lquote Matters are \par
getting pretty urgent.\rquote\par
\lquote In what way?\rquote\par
\lquote There was a partial breakdown in Great New York last night. Fortunately it \par
was not at peak load and the ground crew were able to install spares before the \par
reserves were ex\f1\-\f0 hausted, but you can imagine what it would have been like \par
during the rush hour. In my own department the crashes have doubled in the \par
past few weeks, and our underwriters have given notice. We need results \par
pretty quick.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote You\rquote ll get your results,\rquote  Waldo said loftily. \lquote I\rquote m in the final stages of \par
the research.\rquote  He was actually not that confident, but Stevens irritated \par
him even more than most of the smooth apes.\par
Doubt and reassurance mingled in Stevens\rquote s face. \par
\lquote I don\rquote t suppose you could care to give us a hint of the general nature of \par
the solution?\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\tx209 No, Waldo could not. Still \fs8 - \fs20 it would be fun to pull Stevens\rquote s leg. \lquote Come \par
close to the pickup, Dr Stevens. I\rquote ll tell you.\rquote  He leaned forward himself, \par
until they were almost nose to nose \fs8 - \fs20 in \fs18 effect. \lquote Magic \fs20 is loose in the world!\rquote\par
\pard\li215\sl-215\slmult0\tx215 He cut the circuit at once.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\tx215 Down in the underground labyrinth of North America\rquote s home plant, Stevens \par
stared at the blank screen. \par
\lquote What\rquote s the trouble, chief?\rquote  McLeod inquired.\par
\lquote I don\rquote t know. I don\rquote t rightly know. But I \i\fs18 think \i0\fs20 that Fatty has slipped his \par
cams, just the way Rambeau did.\rquote\par
McLeod grinned delightedly. \lquote How sweet! I always did think he was a hoot owl.\rquote\par
Stevens looked very sober. \lquote You had better pray that he \i\fs18 hasn\rquote t \i0\fs20 gone nuts. \par
We\rquote re depending on him. Now let me see those operation reports.\rquote\par
\pard\sl-215\slmult0\tx215\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\tx215 Magic loose in the world. It was as good an explanation as any, Waldo mused. \par
Causation gone haywire; sacrosanct physi\f1\-\f0 cal laws no longer operative. Magic. \par
As Gramps Schneider had put it, it seemed to depend on the way one looked \par
at it.\par
Apparently Schneider had known what he was talking about, although he naturally \par
had no real grasp of the physical theory involved in the deKalbs.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Wait a minute now! Wait a minute. He had been going at this problem wrongly \par
perhaps. He had approached it with a certain point of view himself, a point \par
of view which had made him critical of the old man\rquote s statements \fs8 - \fs20 an assumption \par
that he, Waldo, knew more about the whole matter than Schneider did. \fs18 To \fs20 be \par
sure he had gone to see Schneider, but he had thought of him as a back-\par
country hex doctor, a man who might possess one piece of information useful \par
to Waldo, but who was basically ignorant and superstitious.\par
\pard\li215\sl-215\slmult0\tx215 Suppose he were to review the situation from a different viewpoint. Let \fs16 it \fs20 be \par
assumed that everything Schneider had to say was coldly factual and enlightened, \par
rather than allegorical and superstitious- He settled himself to do a few hours \par
of hard thinking. \par
In the first place Schneider had used the phrase \lquote the Other World\rquote  time and \par
again. What did it mean, literally? A \lquote world\rquote  was a space-time-energy continuum; \par
an \lquote Other World\rquote  was, therefore, such a continuum, but a different one from the \par
one in which he found himself. Physical theory found nothing repugnant in such a \par
notion; the possibility of infinite numbers of continua was a familiar, orthodox \par
speculation. It was even convenient in certain operations to make such an \par
assumption.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Had Gramps Schneider meant that? A literal, physical \lquote Other World\rquote ? On rcflection, \par
Waldo was convinced that he must have meant just that, even though he had not \par
used con\f1\-\f0 ventional scientific phraseology. \lquote Other World\rquote  sounds poeti\f1\-\f0 cal, but to \par
say an \lquote additional continuum\rquote  implies physical meaning. The terms had led him \par
astray.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 Schneider had said that the Other World was all round, here, there, and everywhere. \par
Well, was not that a fair descrip\f1\-\f0 tion of a space superposed and in one-to-one \par
correspondence? Such a space might be so close to this one that the interval \par
between them was an infinitesimal, yet unnoticed and unreach\f1\-\f0 able, just as two \par
planes may be considered as coextensive and separated by an unimaginably short \par
interval, yet be perfectly discreet, one from the other.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 The Other Space was not entirely unreachable; Schneider had spoken of reaching \par
into it. The idea was fantastic, yet he must accept it for the purposes of this \par
investigation. \par
Schneider had implied \fs8 - \fs20 no \fs8 - \i\fs18 stated \i0\fs20 that it was a matter of mental out\f1\-\f0 look.\par
Was that really so fantastic? If a continuum were an un\f1\-\f0 measurably short \par
distance away, yet completely beyond one\rquote s physical grasp, would it be strange \par
to find that it was most easily reached through some subtle and probably \par
subconscious operation of the brain? The whole matter was subtle \fs8 - \fs20 and Heaven \par
knew that no one had any real idea of \i\fs18 how \i0\fs20 the brain works. No idea at all. \par
It was laughably insufficient to try to explain the writing of a symphony \par
in \fs18 terms \fs20 of the mechanics of colloids. No, nobody knew how the brain worked; \par
one more inexplicable ability in the brain was not too much to swallow.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 Come to think of it, the whole notion of consciousness and thought was \par
fantastically improbable. All right, so McLeod disabled his skycar himself \par
by think\f1\-\f0 ing bad thoughts; Schneider fixed it by thinking the correct thoughts. \par
Then what?\par
He reached a preliminary conclusion almost at once: by ex\f1\-\f0 tension, the other \par
deKalh failures were probably failures on the part of the operators. The \par
operators were probably run\f1\-\f0 down, tired out, worried about something, and in \par
some fashion still not clear they infected, or affected, the deKalbs with \par
their own troubles. For convenience let us say that the deKalbs were short-\par
circuited into the Other World. Poor terminology, but it helped him to form \par
a picture.\par
Grimes\rquote s hypothesis! \lquote Run-down, tired out, worried about something!\rquote  Not \par
proved yet, but he felt sure of it. The epi\f1\-\f0 demic of crashcs through material \par
was simply an aspect of the general a\i\fs18 nyasthenia \i0\fs20 caused by short-wave radiation.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\tx226 If that were true- He cut in a sight-sound circuit to Earth and demanded to \par
talk with Stevens.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote Dr Stevens,\rquote  he began at once, \lquote There is a preliminary pre\f1\-\f0 cautionary \par
measure which should be undertaken right away.\rquote\par
\lquote Yes?\rquote\par
\lquote First, let me ask you this: Have you had many failures of deKalbs in private \par
ships? What is the ratio?\rquote\par
\lquote I can\rquote t give you exact figures at the moment,\rquote  Stevens answered, somewhat \par
mystified, \lquote but there have been practically none. It\rquote s the commercial lines \par
which have suffered.\rquote\par
\lquote Just as I suspected. A private pilot won\rquote t fly unless he feels up to it, but \par
a man with a job goes ahead no matter how he feels. Make arrangements for \par
special physical and psycho ex\f1\-\f0 aminations for all commercial pilots flying \par
deKalb-type ships. Ground any who are not feeling in tiptop shape. Call Dr \par
Grimes. He\rquote ll tell you what to look for.\rquote\par
\lquote That\rquote s a pretty tall order, Mr Jones. After all, most of those pilots, \par
practically all of them, aren\rquote t our employees. We don\rquote t have much control \par
over them.\rquote\par
\lquote That\rquote s your problem,\rquote  Waldo shrugged. \lquote I\rquote m trying to tell you how to \par
reduce crashes in the interim before I submit my complete solution.\rquote\par
\lquote But-\rquote  \par
Waldo heard no more of the remark; he had cut off when he himself was through. \par
He was already calling over a perman\f1\-\f0 ently energized, leased circuit which kept \par
in touch with his terrestrial business office \fs8 - \fs20 with his \lquote trained seals\rquote . \par
He gave Them some very odd instructions \fs8 - \fs20 orders for books, old books, rare \par
books. Books dealing with magic.\par
Stevens consulted with Gleason before attempting to do anything about Waldo\rquote s \par
difficult request. Gleason was dubi\f1\-\f0 ous. \lquote He offered no reason for the advice?\rquote\par
\lquote None. He told me to look up Dr Grimes and get his advice as to what \par
specifically to look for.\rquote\par
\lquote Dr Grimes?\rquote\par
\lquote The MD who introduced me to Waldo \fs8 - \fs20 mutual friend.\rquote\par
\pard\fi232\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232\lquote I recall. him... it will be difficult to go about ground\f1\-\f0 ing men who don\rquote t \par
work for us. Still, I suppose several of our larger customers would \par
cooperate if we asked them to and gave them some sort of a reason. \par
What are you looking so odd about?\rquote\par
Stevens told him of Waldo\rquote s last, inexplicable statement. \lquote Do you suppose \par
it could be affecting him the way it did Dr Rarnbeau?\rquote\par
\lquote Mm-m-m. Could be, I suppose. In which case it would not be well to follow \par
his advice. Have you anything else to sug\f1\-\f0 gest?\rquote\par
\lquote No \fs8 - \fs20 frankly.\rquote\par
\lquote Then I see no alternative but to follow his advice. He\rquote s our last hope. \par
A forlorn one, perhaps, but our only one.\rquote\par
Stevens brightened a little. \lquote I could talk to Doc Grimes about it. He knows \par
more about Waldo than anyone else.\rquote\par
\lquote You have to consult him anyway, don\rquote t you? Very well \fs8 -\fs20 do so.\rquote\par
\pard\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 Grimes listened to the story without comment. When Stevens had concluded he \par
said, \lquote Waldo must be referring to the symptoms I have observed with respect \par
to short-wave exposure. That\rquote s easy; you can have the proofs of the mono\f1\-\f0 graph \par
I\rquote ve been preparing. It\rquote ll tell you all about it.\rquote\par
\pard\fi232\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232 The information did not reassure Stevens; it helped to con\f1\-\f0 firm his suspicion \par
that Waldo had lost his grip. But he said nothing. \par
Grimes continued, \lquote As for the other, Jim, I can\rquote t visu\f1\-\f0 alize Waldo losing \par
his mind that way.\rquote\par
\lquote He never did seem very stable to me.\rquote\par
\lquote I know what you mean. But his paranoid streak is no more like what Rambeau \par
succumbed to than chickenpox is like mumps. Matter of fact, one psychosis \par
protects against the other. But I\rquote ll go see.\rquote\par
\lquote You will? Good!\rquote\par
\lquote Can\rquote t go today. Got a broken leg and some children\rquote s colds that\rquote ll bear \par
watching. Been some polio around. Ought to be able to make it the end of \par
the week though.\rquote\par
\lquote Doc, why don\rquote t you give up GP work? It must be deadly.\rquote\par
\lquote Used to think so when I was younger. But about forty years ago I quit \par
treating diseases and started treating people. Since then I\rquote ve enjoyed it.\rquote\par
Waldo indulged in an orgy of reading, gulping the treatises on magic and \par
related subjects as fast as he could. He had never been interested in such \par
subjects before; now, in reading about them with the point of view that \par
there might be \fs8 - \fs20 and even probably was \fs8 - \fs20 something to be learned, he found \par
them in\f1\-\f0 tensely interesting.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 There were frequent references to another world; sometimes it was called \par
the Other World, sometimes the Little World. Read with the conviction that \par
the term referred to an actual, material, different continuum, he could \par
see that many of the practitioners of the forbidden arts had held the same \par
literal viewpoint. They gave directions for using this other world; \par
sometimes the directions were fanciful, sometimes they were baldly practical.\par
\pard\fi232\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232 It was fairly evident that at least 90\b\fs14  \b0\fs20 per cent of all magic, probably more, \par
was balderdash and sheer mystification. The mystification extended even to \par
the practitioners, he felt; they lacked the scientific method; they employed \par
a single-valued logic as faulty as the two-valued logic of the obsolete \par
Spencer determinism; there was no suggestion of modern extensional, \par
many-valued logic.\par
Nevertheless, the laws of contiguity, of sympathy, and of homeopathy had \par
a sort of twisted rightness to them when con\f1\-\f0 sidered in relation to the \par
concept of another, different, but accessible, world. \par
A man who had some access to a different space might well believe in a \par
logic in which a thing could \i\fs18 be, not be, \i0\fs20 or \i\fs18 be anything \i0\fs20 with equal ease.\par
Despite the nonsense and confusion which characterized the treatments \par
of magic which dated back to the period when the art was in common \par
practice, the record of accomplishment of the art was impressive. \par
There was curare and digitalis, and quinine, hypnotism, and telepathy. \par
There was the hydraulic engineering of the Egyptian priests. Chemistry \par
itself was de\f1\-\f0 rived from alchemy; for that matter, most modern science \par
owed its\rquote  origins to the magicians. Science had stripped off the \par
surplusage, run it through the wringer of two-valued logic, and placed \par
the knowledge in a form in which anyone could use it.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 Unfortunately, that part of magic which refused to conform to the neat \par
categories of the nineteenth-century methodologists was lopped off and \par
left out of the body of science. It fell into disrepute, was forgotten \par
save as fable and superstition.\par
\pard\fi232\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232 Waldo began to think of the arcane arts as aborted sciences, abandoned \par
before they had been clarified.\par
And yet the manifestations of the sort of uncertainty which had \par
characterized some aspects of magic and which he now attributed to \par
hypothetical additional continua had occurred frequently, even in \par
modern times. The evidence was over\f1\-\f0 whelming to anyone who approached \par
it with an \i\fs18 open mind:\par
Poltergeisten, \i0\fs20 stones falling from the sky, apportation. \lquote be\f1\-\f0 witched\rquote  \par
persons \fs8 - \fs20 or, as he Thought of them, persons who for some undetermined \par
reason were loci of uncertainty \fs8 - \fs20\lquote haunted\rquote  houses, strange fires of the \par
sort that would have once been attributed to salamanders. There were \par
hundreds of such cases, carefully recorded and well vouched for, but \par
ignored by ortho\f1\-\f0 dox science as being impossible. They \i\fs18 were \i0\fs20 impossible, \par
by known law, but considered from the standpoint of a coexten\f1\-\f0 sive \par
additional continuum, they became entirely credible.\par
He cautioned himself not to consider his tentative hypothe\f1\-\f0 sis of the \par
Other World as proved; nevertheless, it was an ade\f1\-\f0 quate hypothesis \par
even if it should develop that it did not apply to some of the \par
cases of strange events.\par
\pard\fi-2234\li2466\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232\tx2466 The Other Space might\tab have different physical laws \fs8 - \fs20 no reason why it \par
should not. \par
Nevertheless, he decided to proceed on the assumption that it was \par
much like the space he knew.\par
\pard\fi232\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232 The Other World might even be inhabited. That was an in\f1\-\f0 triguing \par
thought! In which case anything could happen through \lquote magic\rquote . \par
Anything!\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 Time to stop speculating and get down to a little solid re\f1\-\f0 search. \par
He had previously regretfully given up trying to apply the formulas \par
of the medieval magicians. It appeared that they never wrote down \i\fs18 all \par
\i0\fs20 of a procedure; some essential \fs8 - \fs20 so the reports ran and so his \par
experience confirmed \fs8 - \fs20 was handed down verbally from master to student. \par
His experience with Schneider confirmed this; there were things, \i\fs18 attitudes, \par
\i0\fs20 which must needs be taught directly.\par
\pard\fi232\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232 He regretfully set out to learn what he must unassisted.\par
\pard\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232\par
\pard\fi232\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx232\lquote Gosh, Uncle Gus, i\rquote m glad to see you!\rquote\par
\lquote Decided I\rquote d better look in on you. You haven\rquote t phoned me in weeks.\rquote\par
\lquote That\rquote s true, but I\rquote ve been working awfully hard, Uncle Gus.\rquote\par
\lquote Too hard, maybe. Mustn\rquote t overdo it. Lemme see your tongue.~\par
\b\lquote I\rquote m OK.\rquote  \b0 But Waldo stuck out his tongue just the same; Grimes looked \par
at it and felt his pulse.\par
\lquote You seem to be ticking all right. Learning anything?\rquote\par
\lquote Quite a lot. I\rquote ve about got the matter of the deKalbs whipped.\rquote\par
\lquote That\rquote s good. The message you sent Stevens seemed to indi\f1\-\f0 cate that you \par
had found some hookup that could be used on my pet problem too.~\par
\lquote In a way, yes; but around from the other end. It begins to seem as if \par
it was your problem which created Stevens\rquote s prob\f1\-\f0 lem.\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote Huh?\rquote\par
\pard\fi204\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx204\b\lquote\b0 I\b  \b0 mean it. The symptoms caused by ultra short-wave radia\f1\-\f0 tion may have \par
had a lot to do with the erratic behaviour of the deKalbs.\rquote\par
\pard\li198\qj\tx198\b\lquote\b0 How?\b\rquote  \b0\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\tx226\lquote I don\rquote t know myself. But I\rquote ve rigged up a working hypo\f1\-\f0 thesis and I\rquote m \par
checking it.\rquote\par
\lquote Hm-m-m. Want to talk about it?\rquote\par
\pard\fi238\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx238\lquote Certainly \fs8 - \fs20 to you.\rquote  Waldo launched into an account of his interview with \par
Schneider, concerning which he had not pre\f1\-\f0 viously spoken to Grimes, even \par
though Grimes had made the trip with him. He never, as Grimes knew, \par
discussed anything until he was ready to.\par
The story of the third set of deKalbs to be infected with the incredible \par
writhings caused Grimes to raise his eyebrows. \lquote Mean to say you caught \par
on how to do \i\fs18 that?\rquote\par
\i0\fs20\lquote Yes indeed. Not \i\fs18\ldblquote how\rdblquote , \i0\fs20 maybe, but I can do it. I\rquote ve done it more than \par
once. I\rquote ll show you.\rquote  He drifted away towards one side of the great room \par
where several sets of deKalbs, large and small, were mounted, with their \par
controls, on temporary guys. \par
\lquote This fellow over on the end, it just came in today. Broke down. I\rquote ll give \par
it Gramps Schneider\rquote s hocus-pocus and fix it. Wait a minute. I forgot to \par
turn on the power.\rquote\par
He returned to the central ring which constituted his usual locus and \par
switched on the beamcaster. Since the ship itself effectively shielded \par
anything in the room from outer radiation, he had installed a small power \par
plant and caster similar in type to NAPA\rquote s giant ones; without it he \par
would have had no way to test the reception of the deKalbs.\par
He rejoined Grimes and passed down the line of deKalbs, switching on the \par
activizing circuits. All save two began to dis\f1\-\f0 play the uncouth motions he \par
had begun to think of as the Schneider flex. \par
\lquote That one on the far end,\rquote  he remarked, \lquote is in operation but doesn\rquote t flex. \par
It has never broken down, so it\rquote s never been treated. It\rquote s my control; \par
but this one\rquote  \fs8 - \fs20 he touched the one in front of him \fs8 - \fs20\lquote needs fixing. \par
Watch me.\rquote\par
\pard\li238\sl-215\slmult0\tx238\lquote What are you going to do?\rquote\par
\lquote To tell the truth, I don\rquote t quite know. But I\rquote ll do it.\rquote  He did not know. \par
All he knew was that it was necessary to gaze down the antennae, think \par
about them reaching into the Other World, think of them reaching for power, \par
reaching - The antennae began to squirm.\par
\pard\fi238\sl-215\slmult0\tx238\lquote That\rquote s all there is to it \fs8 - \fs20 strictly between ourselves. I learned it from \par
Schneider.\rquote  They had returned to the centre of the sphere, at Grimes\rquote s \par
suggestion, on the pretext of wanting to get a cigarette. The squirming \par
deKalbs made him nervous, but he did not want to say so.\par
\pard\fi238\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx238\lquote How do you explain it?\rquote\par
\lquote I regard it as an imperfectly understood phenomenon of the Other Space. \par
I know less about it than Franklin knew about lightning. But \b I \b0 will know\fs8 - \par
\fs20 I will! I could give Stevens a solution right now for his worries if I \par
knew some way to get around your problem too.\rquote\par
\lquote I don\rquote t see the connexion.\rquote\par
\lquote There ought to be some way to do the whole thing through the Other Space. \par
Start out by radiating power into the Other Space and pick it up from there. \par
Then the radiation could not harm human beings. It would never get at them; \par
it would duck around them. I\rquote ve been working on my caster, but with no luck \par
so far. I\rquote ll crack it in time.\rquote\par
\lquote I hope you do. Speaking of that, isn\rquote t the radiation from your own caster \par
loose in this room?\rquote\par
\lquote Yes.\rquote\par
\lquote Then I\rquote ll put on my shield coat. It\rquote s not good for you either.\rquote\par
\lquote Never mind. I\rquote ll turn it off.\rquote  As he turned to do so there was the sound of \par
a sweet, chirruping whistle. Baldur barked. Grimes turned to see what caused it.\par
\lquote What,\rquote  he demanded, \lquote have you got there?\rquote\par
\lquote Huh? Oh, That\rquote s my cuckoo clock. Fun, isn\rquote t it?\rquote  Grimes agreed that it was, \par
although he could not see much use for it. Waldo had mounted it on the edge \par
of a light metal hoop which spun with a speed just sufficient to produce a \par
centrifugal force of one g.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote I rigged it up,\rquote  Waldo continued, \lquote while I was bogged down in this problem \par
of the Other Space. Gave me something to do.\rquote\par
\pard\fi238\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx238\lquote This \ldblquote Other Space\rdblquote  business \fs8 - \fs20 I still don\rquote t get it.\rquote\par
\lquote Think of another continuum much like our own and super\f1\-\f0 posed on it the way \par
you might lay one sheet of paper on another. The two spaces aren\rquote t identical, \par
but they are separated from each other by the smallest interval you can \par
imagine \fs8 - \fs20 coextensive but not touching \fs8 - \fs20 usually. There is an absolute one-to-\par
one, point-for-point correspondence, as I con\f1\-\f0 ceive it, between the two spaces, \par
but they are not necessarily the same size or shape.\rquote\par
\lquote Hey? Come again \fs8 - \fs20 they would \i\fs18 have \i0\fs20 to be.\rquote\par
\lquote Not at all. Which has the larger number of points in it? A line an inch long, \par
or a line a mile long?\rquote\par
\lquote A mile long, of course.\rquote\par
\lquote No. They have exactly the same number of points. Want me to prove it?\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ll take your word for it. But I never studied that sort of maths.\rquote\par
\lquote All right. Take my word for it then. Neither size nor shape is any \par
impediment to setting up a full, point-for-point corres\f1\-\f0 pondence between \par
two spaces. Neither of the words is really appropriate. \ldblquote Size\rdblquote  has to do \par
with a space\rquote s own inner struc\f1\-\f0 ture, its dimensions in terms of its own \par
unique constants. \ldblquote Shape\rdblquote  is a matter which happens inside itself \fs8 - \fs20 or at \par
least not inside \i\fs18 our \i0\fs20 space \fs8 - \fs20 and has to do with how it is curved, open or \par
closed, expanding or contracting.\rquote\par
Grimes shrugged. \lquote It all sounds like gibberish to me.\rquote  He returned to \par
watching the cuckoo clock swing round and round its wheel.\par
\lquote Sure it does,\rquote  Waldo assented cheerfully. \lquote We are limited by our experience. \par
Do you know how I think of the Other World?\rquote  The question was purely \par
rhetorical. \lquote I think of it as about the size and shape of an ostrich egg, \par
but nevertheless a whole universe, existing side by side with our own, from \par
here to the farthest star. I know that it\rquote s a false picture, but it helps \par
me to think about it that way.\rquote\par
\lquote I wouldn\rquote t know,\rquote  said Grimes, and turned himself around in the air. The \par
compound motion of the clock\rquote s pendulum was making him a little dizzy. \par
\lquote Say! I thought you turned off the caster?\rquote\par
\lquote I did,\rquote  Waldo agreed, and looked where Grimes was look\f1\-\f0 ing. The deKalbs were \par
still squirming. \lquote I thought I did,\rquote  he said doubtfully, and turned to the \par
caster\rquote s control board. His eyes then opened wider. \lquote But I \i\fs18 did. \i0\fs20 It \i\fs18 is \par
\i0\fs20 turned off.\rquote\par
\lquote Then what the devil-\rquote\par
\i\fs18\lquote Shut up!\rquote  \i0\fs20 He had to think \fs8 - \fs20 think hard. Was the caster actually out of \par
operation? He floated himself over to it, in\f1\-\f0 spected it. Yes, it was dead, \par
dead as the dinosaurs. Just to make sure he went back, assumed his primary \par
waldoes, cut in the necessary circuits, and partially disassembled it. \par
But the deKalbs still squirmed.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 The one deKalb set which had not been subjected to the Schneider treatment \par
was dead; it gave out no power hum. But the others were working frantically, \par
gathering power from \fs8 -\i\fs18 where?\rquote\par
\pard\fi238\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx238\i0\fs20 He wondered whether or not McLeod had said anything to Granmps Schneider \par
about the casters from which the deKalbs were intended to pick up their \par
power. Certainly he himself had not. It simply had not come into the \par
conversation. But Schnei\f1\-\f0 der had said something. \par
\lquote The Other World is close by and full of power!\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 In spite of his own intention of taking the old man literally he had ignored \par
that statement. The Other World is full of power. I am sorry I snapped at you, \par
Uncle Gus,\rquote  he said.\par
'S all right.\rquote\par
\lquote But what do you make of that?\rquote\par
\lquote Looks like you\rquote ve invented perpetual motion, son.\rquote\par
\pard\fi238\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx238\lquote In a way, perhaps. Or maybe we\rquote ve repealed the law of con\f1\-\f0 servation of energy. \par
Those de Kalbs are drawing energy that was never before in this world!\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote Hm-m-m!\rquote\par
To check his belief he returned to the control ring, donned his waldoes, \par
cut in a mobile scanner, and proceeded to search the space around the \par
deKalbs with the most sensitive pickup for the radio power band he had \par
available. \par
The needles never jumped; the room was dead in the wave lengths to which the \par
deKalbs were sensitive. The power came from Other Space.\par
The power came from Other Space. Not from his own beamcaster, not from \par
NAPA\rquote s shiny stations, but from Other Space. In that case he was not even \par
close to solving the prob\f1\-\f0 1cm of the defective deKalbs; he might never \par
solve it. Wait, now \fs8 - \fs20 just what had he contracted to do? He tried to \par
recall the exact words of the contract.\par
There just might be a way around it. Maybe. Yes, and this newest cockeyed \par
trick of Gramps Schneider\rquote s little pets could have some very tricky aspects. \par
He began to see some possibili\f1\-\f0 ties, but he needed to think about it.\par
\pard\fi238\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx238\lquote Uncle Gus-\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote Yes, Waldo?\rquote\par
\lquote You can go back and tell Stevens that I\rquote ll be ready with the answers. \par
We\rquote ll get his problem licked, and yours too. In the meantime I\rquote ve got to \par
do some really heavy thinking, so I want to be by myself, please.\rquote\par
\par
\pard\fi238\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx238\lquote Greetings, Mr Gleason. \i\fs18 Quiet, Baldur! \i0\fs20 Come\b  \b0 in. Be com\f1\-\f0 fortable. How do \par
you do, Dr Stevens.\rquote\par
\lquote How do you do, Mr Jones.\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote This,\rquote  said Gleason, indicating a \fs18 figure \fs20 trailing him, \lquote is Mr. Harkness, \par
head of our legal staff.\rquote\par
\pard\fi238\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx238\lquote Ah, yes indeed. There will be matters of contract to be dis\f1\-\f0 cussed. \par
Welcome to Freehold, Mr Harkness.\rquote\par
\lquote Thank you,\rquote  Harkness said coldly. \lquote Will your attorneys be present?\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote They are present.\rquote  Waldo indicated a stereo screen. Two figures \par
showed in it; they bowed and murmured polite forms.\par
\lquote This is most irregular,\rquote  Harkness complained. \lquote Witnesses should be \par
present in person. Things seen and heard by television are not evidence.\rquote\par
Waldo drew his lips back. \lquote Do you wish to make an issue of it?\rquote\par
\lquote Not at all,\rquote  Gleason said hastily. \lquote Never mind, Charles.\rquote  Harkness subsided.\par
\lquote I won\rquote t waste your time, gentlemen,\rquote  Waldo began. \lquote We are here in order \par
that I may fulfil my contract with you. The \fs18 terms \fs20 are known, \fs8  \fs20 we will pass \par
over them.\rquote  \par
He inserted his \fs18 arms \fs20 into his primary waldoes. \lquote Lined up along the far wall you\par
will see a number of radiant power receptors, commonly called deKalbs. \par
Dr Stevens may, if he wishes, check their serial numbers-\rquote\par
\lquote No need to.\rquote\par
\lquote Very well. I shall start my local beamcaster, in order that we may check \par
the efficiency of their operation.\rquote  His waldoes were busy as he spoke. \par
\lquote Then I shall activate the receptors, one at a time.\rquote  His hands pawed the \par
air; a little pair of secondaries switched on the proper switches on the \par
control board of the last set in line. \lquote This is an ordinary type, supplied \par
to me by Dr Stevens, which has never failed in operation. You may assure \par
yourself that it is now operating in the normal manner, if you wish, Doctor.\rquote\par
\lquote I can see that it is.\rquote\par
\lquote We will call such a receptor a \ldblquote deKalb\rdblquote  and its operation \ldblquote normal\rdblquote .\rquote  The \par
small waldoes were busy again. \lquote Here we have a receptor which I choose to \par
term a \ldblquote Schneider-deKalb\rdblquote  be\f1\-\f0 cause of certain treatment it has received\rquote  \par
the antennae be\f1\-\f0 gan to move \fs8 - \fs20\lquote and its operation \ldblquote Schneider-type\rdblquote  operation. \par
Will you check it, Doctor?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote OK.\rquote\par
\lquote You fetched with you a receptor set which has failed?\rquote\par
\lquote As you can see.\rquote\par
\lquote Have you been able to make it function?\rquote\par
\lquote No, I have not.\rquote\par
\lquote Are you sure? Have you examined it carefully?\rquote\par
\lquote Quite carefully,\rquote  Stevens acknowledged sourly. He was be\f1\-\f0 ginning to be tired \par
of Waldo\rquote s pompous flubdubbery.\par
\lquote Very well. I will now proceed to make it operative.\rquote  Waldo left his control \par
ring, shoved himself over to the vicinity of the defective deKalb, and placed \par
himself so that his body covered his exact actions from the sight of the \par
others. He returncd to the ring and, using waldoes, switched on the activating \par
circuit of the dcKalb.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 It immediately exhibited Schneider-type activity.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote That is my case, gentlemen,\rquote  he announced. \lquote I have found out how to repair \par
deKalbs which become spontaneously inop\f1\-\f0 erative. I will undertake to apply \par
the Schneider treatment to any receptors which you may bring to me. That is \par
included in my fee. I will undertake to train others in how to apply the \par
Schneider treatment. That is included in my fee, but I cannot guarantee that \par
any particular man will profit by my instruc\f1\-\f0 tion. Without going into \par
technical details I may say that the treatment is very difficult, much \par
harder than it looks. I think that Dr Stevens will confirm that.\rquote  \par
He smiled thinly. \par
\lquote I believe that completes my agreement with you.\rquote\par
\lquote Just a moment, Mr Jones,\rquote  put in Gleason. \lquote Is a deKalb foolproof, once \par
it has received the Schneider treatment?\rquote\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote Quite. I guarantee it.\rquote\par
They went into a huddle while Waldo waited. At last Glea\f1\-\f0 son spoke for them. \par
\lquote These are not quite the results we had expected, Mr Jones, but we agree \par
that you have fulfilled your commission \fs8 - \fs20 with the understanding that you \par
will Schneider-treat any receptors brought to you and instruct others, \par
accord\f1\-\f0 ing to their ability to learn.\rquote\par
\lquote That is correct.\rquote\par
\lquote Your fee will be deposited to your account at once.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Good. That is fully understood and agreed? I have com\f1\-\f0 pletely and \par
successfully performed your commission?\rquote\par
\lquote Correct.\rquote\par
\lquote Very well then. I have one more thing to show you. If you will be \par
patient-\rquote  \par
A section of the wall folded back; gigantic waldoes reached into \par
the room beyond and drew forth a large apparatus, which resembled \par
somewhat in general form an ordi\f1\-\f0 nary set of deKalbs, but which \par
was considerably more compli\f1\-\f0 cated. Most of the complications were \par
sheer decoration, but it would have taken a skilled engineer a \par
long time to prove the fact.\par
The machine did contain one novel feature: a built-in meter of a \par
novel type, whereby it could be set to operate for a \par
predetermined time and then destroy itself, and a radio con\f1\-\f0 trol \par
whereby the time limit could be varied. Furthermore, the meter \par
would destroy itself and the receptors if tampered with by any \par
person not familiar with its design. It was Waldo\rquote s tentative \par
answer to the problem of selling free and unlimited power.\par
But of these matters he said nothing. Small waldoes had been \par
busy attaching guys to the apparatus; when they were through \par
he said, \lquote This, gentlemen, is an instrument which I choose \par
to call a Jones-Schneider-deKalb. And it is the reason why \par
you will not be in the business of selling power much longer.~\par
\lquote So?\rquote  said Gleason. \lquote May I ask why?\rquote\par
\lquote Because,\rquote  he was told, \lquote I can sell it more cheaply and \par
con\f1\-\f0 veniently and under circumstances you cannot hope to match.\rquote\par
\lquote That is a strong statement.\rquote\par
\lquote I will demonstrate. Dr Stevens, you have noted that the other \par
receptors are operating. I will turn them off.\rquote  The wal\f1\-\f0 does did \par
so. \par
\lquote I will now stop the beamcast and I will ask you to assure \par
yourself, by means of your own instruments, that there is \par
\i\fs18 no \i0\fs20 radiant power, other than ordinary visible light, in this room.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Somewhat sullenly Stevens did so. \lquote The place is dead,\rquote  he \par
announced some minutes later.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226\lquote Good. Keep your instruments in place, that you may be sure it \par
remains dead. I will now activate my receptor.\rquote  Little mechanical \par
hands closed the switches. \par
\lquote Observe it, Doctor. Go over it thoroughly.\rquote\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Stevens did so. He did not trust the readings shown by its \par
instrument hoard; he attached his own meters in parallel. \par
\lquote How about it, James?\rquote  Gleason whispered.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 Stevens looked disgusted. \lquote The damn thing draws power from nowhere!\rquote\par
They all looked at Waldo. \lquote Take plenty of time, gentle\f1\-\f0 men,\rquote  he \par
said grandly. \lquote Talk it over.\rquote\par
They withdrew as far away as the room permitted and whis\f1\-\f0 pered. \par
Waldo could see that Harkness and Stevens were argu\f1\-\f0 ing, that \par
Stevens was noncommittal. That suited him. He was hoping that \par
Stevens would not decide to take another look at the fancy \par
gadget he had termed a Jones-Schneider-deKalb. Stevens must \par
not learn too much about it \fs8 - \fs20 yet. He had been careful to say \par
nothing but the truth about it, but perhaps he had not said \par
all of the truth; he had not mentioned that \i\fs18 all \i0\fs20 Schneider-treated \par
deKalbs were sources of free power.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Rather embarrassing if Stevens should discover that!\par
The meter-and-destruction device Waldo had purposely made \par
mysterious and complex, but it was not useless. Later he would \par
be able to point out, quite correctly, that without such a \par
device NAPA simply could not remain in business.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Waldo was not easy. The whole business was a risky gamble; \par
he would have much preferred to know more about the phenomena \par
he was trying to peddle, but \fs8 - \fs20 he shrugged mentally while \par
preserving a smile of smug confidence \fs8 - \fs20 the business had \par
dragged on several months already, and the power situation \par
really was critical. This solution would do \fs8 - \fs20 if he could get \par
their names on the dotted line quickly enough.\par
\pard\li221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 For he had no intention of trying to compete with NAPA.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Gleason pulled himself away from Stevens and Harkness, came to \par
Waldo. \lquote Mr Jones, can\rquote t we arrange this amicably?\rquote\par
\lquote What have you to suggest?\rquote\par
\pard\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 It was quite an hour later that Waldo, with a sigh of relief, \par
watched his guests\rquote  ship depart from the threshold flat. \par
A fine caper, he thought, and it had worked; he had got away \par
with it. He had magnanimously allowed himself to be persua\f1\-\f0 ded \par
to consolidate, provided \fs8 - \fs20 he had allowed himself to be quite \par
temperamental about this \fs8 - \fs20 the contract was concluded at once, \par
no fussing around and fencing between lawyers. Now or never \fs8 - \par
\fs20 put up or shut up. The proposed contract, he had pointed out \par
virtuously, gave him nothing at all unless his alle\f1\-\f0 gations \par
about the Jones-chneider-deKalb were correct.\par
Gleason considered this point and had decided to sign, had signed.\par
Even then Harkness had attempted to claim that Waldo had been an \par
employee of NAPA. Waldo had written that first contract himself \fs8 - \par
\fs20 a specific commission for a contingent fee. Harkness did not have \par
a leg to stand on; even Gleason had agreed to that.\par
In exchange for all rights to the Jones-Schneider-deKalb, for \par
which he agreed to supply drawings \fs8 - \fs20 wait till Stevens saw, and \par
understood, those sketches! \fs8 - \fs20 for that he had received the promise \par
of senior stock in NAPA, non-voting, but fully paid up and non-\par
assessable. The lack of active participation in the company had \par
been his own idea. There were going to be more headaches in the \par
power business, headaches aplenty. He could see them coming \fs8 - \fs20 bootleg \par
designs, means of out\f1\-\f0 witting the metering, lots of things. Free \par
power had come, and efforts to stop it would in the long run, he \par
believed, be fruitless.\par
Waldo laughed so hard that he frightened Baldur, who set up an \par
excited barking.\par
He could afford to forget Hathaway now. His revenge on NAPA \par
contained one potential flaw; he had assured Gleason that the \par
Schneider-treated deKalbs would continue to operate, would not \par
come unstuck. He believed that to be true simply because he had \par
faith in Gramps Schneider. But he was not prepared to prove it. \par
He knew himself that he did not know enough about the phenomena \par
associated with the Other World to be sure that something would, \par
or would not, happen. It was still going to be necessary to do \par
some hard, extensive research.\par
But the Other World was a devilishly difficult place to in\f1\-\f0 vestigate!\par
Suppose, he speculated, that the human race were blind, had never \par
developed eyes. No matter how civilized, enlightened, and scientific \par
the race might have become, it is difficult to see how such a race \par
could ever have developed the concepts of astronomy. They might know \par
of the Sun as a cyclic source of energy having a changing, directional \par
character, for the Sun is so overpowering that it may be \lquote seen\rquote  with \par
the skin. They would notice it and invent instruments to trap it and \par
examine it.\par
But the pale stars, would they ever notice them? It seemed most \par
unlikely. The very notion of the celestial universe, its silent \par
depths and starlit grandeur, would be beyond them. Even if one of \par
their scientists should have the concept forced on him in sueh a \par
manner that he was obliged to accept the fantastic, incredible \par
thesis as fact, how then would he go about investigating its details?\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 Waldo tried to imagine an astronomical phototelescope, conceived \par
and designed by a blind man, intended to he oper\f1\-\f0 ated by a blind man, \par
and capable of collecting data which could he interpreted by a blind \par
man. He gave it up\b\fs12 ; \b0\fs20 There were too many hazards. It would take a \par
subtlety of genius far beyond his own to\fs14  \fs20 deal with the inescapably \par
tortuous con\f1\-\f0 catenations of inferential reasoning necessary to the \par
solution of such a problem. It would strain him to invent such \par
instruments \i\fs18 for \i0\fs20 a blind man; he did not see how a blind man could \par
ever overcome the difficulties unassisted.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 In a way that was what Schneider had done for him; alone, he would \par
have bogged down.\par
But even with Schneider\rquote s hints the problem of investigat\f1\-\f0 ing the \par
Other World was still much like the dilemma of the blind astronomer. \par
He could not \i\fs18 see \i0\fs20 the Other World; only through the Schneider \par
treatment had he been able to contact it. \par
Damnation! how could he design instruments to study it?\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 He suspected that he would eventually have to go back to Schneider \par
for further instruction, but that was an expedient so distasteful \par
that he refused to think much about it. Further\f1\-\f0 more, Gramps \par
Schneider might not be able to teach him much; they did not speak \par
the same language.\par
This much he did know: the Other Space was there and it could be \par
reached sometimes by proper orientation of the mind, deliberately \par
as Schneider had taught him, or subconsciously as had happened to \par
McLeod and others.\par
He found the idea distasteful. That thought and thought alone should \par
be able to influence physical phenomena was con\f1\-\f0 trary to the whole \par
materialistic philosophy in which he had grown up. He had a prejudice \par
in favour of order and invari\f1\-\f0 able natural laws. His cultural \par
predecessors, the experimental philosophers who had built up the world \par
of science and its concomitant technology, Galileo, Newton, Edison, \par
Einstein, Steinmetz, Jeans, and their myriad colleagues \fs8 - \fs20 these men had \par
thought of the physical universe as a mechanism proceeding by \par
inexorable necessity. Any apparent failure to proceed thus was regarded \par
as an error in observation, an insufficient formula\f1\-\f0 tion of hypothesis, \par
or an insufficiency of datum.\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Even the short reign of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle had not \par
changed the fundamental orientation towards Order and Cosmos; the \par
Heisenbcrg uncertainty was one they were certain of! It could be \par
formulated, expressed, and a rigorous statistical mechanics could be \par
built from it. \par
In \i\fs18 1958 \i0\fs20 Horo\f1\-\f0 witz\rquote s reformulation of wave mechanics had eliminated the \par
concept. Order and causation were restored. \par
But this damned business! One might as well pray for rain, wish on the \par
Moon, go to faith healers, surrender whole hog to Bishop Berkeley\rquote s \par
sweetly cereb-al world-in-your-head. \lquote -the tree\rquote s not a tree, when \par
there\rquote s no one about on the quad!\rquote\par
\pard\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221\par
\pard\fi221\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx221 Waldo was not emotionally wedded to Absolute Order as Rambeau had been; \par
he was in no danger of becoming ment\f1\-\f0 ally unbalanced through a failure \par
of his basic conceptions; nevertheless, consarn it, it was convenient \par
for things to work the way one expected them to. \par
On order and natural law was based predictability; without \par
predictability it was impossible to live. Clocks should run evenly; \par
water should boil when heat is applied to it; food should nourish, \par
not poison; deKalb recep\f1\-\f0 tors should \i\fs18 work, \i0\fs20 work the way they were designed \par
to; Chaos was insupportable \fs8 - \fs20 it could not be lived with.\par
\pard\fi226\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx226 Suppose Chaos \i\fs18 were \i0\fs20 king and the order we thought we de\f1\-\f0 tected in the \par
world about us a mere phantasm of the imagina\f1\-\f0 tion; where would that \par
lead us? In that case, Waldo decided, it was entirely possible that \par
a ten-pound weight \i\fs18 did \i0\fs20 fall ten times as fast as a one-pound weight \par
until the day the audacious Galileo decided in his mind that it was \par
not so. \par
Perhaps the whole meticulous science of ballistics derived from the \par
convic\f1\-\f0 tions of a few firm-minded individuals who had sold the no\f1\-\f0 tion \par
to the world. Perhaps the very stars were held firm in their courses \par
by the unvarying faith of the astronomers. Orderly Cosmos, created \par
out of Chaos \fs8 - \fs20 by Mind!\par
The world was flat before geographers decided to think of it otherwise. \par
The world was flat, and the Sun, tub size, rose in the east and set in \par
the west. The stars were little lights, stud\f1\-\f0 ding a pellucid dome which \par
barely cleared the tallest moun\f1\-\f0 tains. Storms were the wrath of gods and \par
had nothing to do with the calculus of air masses. A Mind-created animism \par
dominated the world then.\par
More recently it had been different. A prevalent convention of materialistic \par
and invariable causation had ruled the world; on it was based the whole \par
involved technology of a machine-served civilization. The machines \i\fs18 worked, \par
\i0\fs20 the way they were designed to work, because everybody believed in them.\par
Until a few pilots, somewhat debilitated by overmuch ex\f1\-\f0 posure to radiation, \par
had lost their confidence and infected their machines with uncertainty \fs8 - \par
\fs20 and thereby let magic loose in the world.\par
He was beginning, he thought, to understand what had hap\f1\-\f0 pened to magic. \par
Magic was the erratic law of an animistic world; it had been steadily \par
pushed back by the advancing philosophy of invariant causation. It was \par
gone now \fs8 - \fs20 until this new outbreak \fs8 - \fs20 and its world with it, except for \par
backwaters of \lquote superstition\rquote . Naturally an experimental scientist reported \par
failure when investigating haunted houses, apportations, and the like; his \par
convictions prevented the phenomena from hap\f1\-\f0 pening.\par
The deep jungles of Africa might be very different places \fs8 -\fs20 when there was no \par
white man around to see! The strangely slippery laws of magic might still obtain.\par
Perhaps these speculations were too extreme; nevertheless, they had one advantage \par
which orthodox concepts had not: they included Gramps Schncider\rquote s hexing of the \par
deKalbs. Any working hypothesis which failed to account for Schneider\rquote s \fs8 -\fs20 and his \par
own \fs8 - \fs20 ability to \i\fs18 think a \i0\fs20 set of deKalbs into operation was not worth a continental. \par
This one did, and it conformed to Gramps\rquote s own statements: \lquote All matters are \par
doubtful\rquote  and \lquote A thing can both b\i\fs18 e, \fs16 not b\fs18 e, \i0\fs20 and he \i\fs18 anything. \i0\fs20 There are many true \par
ways of looking at the same thing. Some ways are good, some are bad.\rquote\par
Very well. Accept it. Act on it. The world varied according to the way one \par
looked at it. In that case, thought Waldo, he knew how he wanted to look at it. \par
He cast his vote for order and predictability!\par
He would \i\fs18 set \i0\fs20 the style. He would impress his \i\fs18 own \i0\fs20 concept of the Other World on \par
the cosmos!\par
It had been a good start to assure Gleason that the Schnei\f1\-\f0 der-treated deKalbs \par
were foolproof. Good. So let it be. They were foolproof. They would never get \par
out of order.\par
He proceeded to formulate and clarify his own concept of the Other World in his \par
mind. He would think of it as orderly and basically similar to this space. \par
The connexion between the two spaces lay in the neurological system; the cortex, \par
the thala\f1\-\f0 mus, the spinal cord, and the appended nerve system were closely \par
connected with both spaces. Such a picture was consis\f1\-\f0 tent with what Schneider \par
had told him and did not conflict with phenomena as he knew it.\par
Wait. If the neurological system lay in both spaces, then that might account \par
for the relatively slow propagation of nerve impulses as compared with \par
electromagnetic progression. Yes! If the other space had a \i\fs18 c \i0\fs20 constant relatively \par
smaller than that of this space, such would follow.\fs14\par
\fs20 He began to feel a calm assurance that it was \i\fs18 so.\par
\i0\fs20 Was he merely speculating \fs8 - \fs20 or creating a universe?\par
Perhaps he would have to abandon his mental picture of the Other Space, as being \par
the size and shape of an ostrich egg, since a space with a slower propagation \par
of light is not smaller, but larger, than the space he was used to. \par
No \fs8 . . . \fs20 no, wait a second, the \i\fs18 size \i0\fs20 of a space did not depend on its \i\fs18 c \i0\fs20 constant, \par
but on its radius of curvature in terms of its \i\fs18 c \i0\fs20 constant. Since \i\fs18 c \i0\fs20 was a \par
velocity, size was dependent on the notion of time \fs8 - \fs20 in this case time as entropy \par
rate. Therein lay a characteristic which could be compared between the two spaces: \par
they ex\f1\-\f0 changed energy; they affected each other\rquote s entropy. The one which \par
degenerated the more rapidly towards a state of level entropy was the \lquote smaller\rquote .\par
He need not abandon his picture of the ostrich egg-good old egg! The Other \par
World was a closed space, with a slow \i\fs18 c, \i0\fs20 a high entropy rate, a short radius, \par
and an entropy state near level \fs8 - \fs20 a perfect reservoir of power at every point, \par
ready to spill over into this space wherever he might close the interval. \par
To its inhabitants, if any. it might seem to be hundreds of millions of light \par
years around; to him it was an ostrich egg, turgid to bursting with power.\par
He was already beginning to think of ways of checking his hypothesis. If, \par
using a Schneider-deKalb, he were to draw energy at the highest rate he could \par
manage, would he affect the local potential? Would it establish an entropy \par
gradient? Could he reverse the process by finding a way to pump power into \par
the Other World? Could he establish different levels at different points and \par
thereby check for degeneration towards level, maximum entropy?\par
Did the speed of nerve impulse propagation furnish a clue to the \i\fs18 c \i0\fs20 of the Other \par
Space? Could such a clue be combined with the entropy and potential \par
investigations to give a mathe\f1\-\f0 matical picture of the Other Space, in terms of \par
its constants and its age?\par
He set about it. His untrammeled, wild speculations had produced some definite \par
good: he\rquote d tied down at least one line of attack on that Other Space; he\rquote d \par
devised a working prin\f1\-\f0 ciple for his blind man\rquote s telescope mechanism. \par
Whatever the truth of\b\fs16  \b0\fs20 the thing was, it was more than a truth; it was a \par
complete series of new truths. It was the very complexity of that series \par
of new truths \fs8 - \fs20 the truths, the characteristic laws, that were inherent \par
properties of the Other Space, plus the new truth laws resultant from the \par
interaction of the characteristics of the Other Space with Normal Space. \par
No wonder Rambeau had said anything could happen! Almost anything could, \par
in all probability, by a proper application and combination of the three \par
sets of laws: the laws of Our Space, the laws of Other Space, and the \par
coordinate laws of Both Spaces.\par
But before theoreticians could begin work, new data were most desperately \par
needed. Waldo was no theoretician, a fact he admitted left-handedly in \par
thinking of theory as unpractical and unnecessary, time waste for him as \par
a consulting engineer. Let the smooth apes work it out.\par
But the consulting engineer had to find out one\b\fs16  \b0\fs20 thing: would the Schneider-\par
deKalbs continue to function uninterrup\f1\-\f0 tedly as guaranteed? If not, \par
what must be done to assure con\f1\-\f0 tinuous function?\par
The most difficult and the most interesting aspect of the in\f1\-\f0 vestigation \par
had to do with the neurological system in relation to Other Space. \par
Neither electromagnetic instruments nor neural surgery was refined \par
enough to do accurate work on the levels he wished to investigate.\par
But he had waldoes.\par
The smallest waldoes he had used up to this time were ap\f1\-\f0 proximately \par
half an inch across their palms \fs8 - \fs20 with micro-scanners to match, of course. \par
They were much too gross for his purpose. He wished to manipulate living \par
nerve tissue, ex\f1\-\f0 amine its insulation and its performance \i\fs18 in situ.\par
\i0\fs20 He used the tiny waldoes to create tinier ones.\par
The last stage was tiny metal blossoms hardly an eighth of an inch across. \par
The helices in their stems, or forearms, which served them as pseudo \par
muscles, could hardly be seen by the naked eye \fs8 - \fs20 but then, he used scanners.\par
His final team of waldoes used for nerve and brain surgery varied in \par
succeeding stages from mechanical hands nearly life\f1\-\f0 size down to these \par
fairy digits which could manipulate things much too small for the eye \par
to see. They were mounted in bank to work in the same locus. Waldo \par
controlled them all from the same primaries; he could switch from one \par
size to another without removing his gauntlets. \par
\par
The same change in circuits which brought another size of waldoes under \par
control automatically accomplished the change in sweep of scanning to \par
increase or decrease the magnification so that Waldo always saw before \par
him in his stereo receiver a \lquote life-size\rquote  image of his other hands.\par
\pard\fi243\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx243 Each level of waldoes had its own surgical instruments, its own \par
electrical equipment.\par
Such surgery had never been seen before, but Waldo gave that aspect \par
little thought; no one had told him that such sur\f1\-\f0 gery was unheard-of.\par
He established, to his own satisfaction, the mechanism whereby short-\par
wave radiation had produced a deterioration in human physical \par
performance. The synapses between dendrites acted as if they were \par
points of leakage. Nerve impulses would sometimes fail to make the \par
jump, would leak off \fs8 - \fs20 to where? To Other Space, he was sure. Such leakage \par
seemed to estab\f1\-\f0 lish a preferred path, a canalization, whereby the condition \par
of the victim became steadily worse. Motor action was not lost entirely, as \par
both paths were still available, but efficiency was lost. It reminded him \par
of a metallic electrical circuit with a partial ground.\par
An unfortunate cat, which had become dead undergoing the experimentation, had \par
supplied him with much of his data. The kitten had been born and raised free \par
from exposure to power radiation. He subjected it to heavy exposure and saw \par
it acquire a \i\fs18 myasthenia \i0\fs20 nearly as complete as his own \fs8 - \fs20 while studying in minute \par
detail what actually went on in its nerve tissues. He felt quite sentimental \par
about it when it died.\par
\pard\fi243\sl-215\slmult0\tx243 Yet, if Gramps Schneider were right, human beings need not be damaged by \par
radiation. If they had the wit to look at it with the proper orientation, the \par
radiation would not affect them; they might even draw power out of the \par
Other World.\par
That was what Grarnps Schneider had told him to do.\par
That was what Gramps Schneider had told \i\fs18 him \i0\fs20 to do!\par
Gramps Schneider had told him he need not be weak!\par
That he could be strong-Strong!\par
STRONG!\par
He had never thought of it. Schneider\rquote s friendly ministra\f1\-\f0 tions to him, his ]\par
advice about overcoming the weakness, he had ignored, had thrown off as \par
inconsequential. His own weakness, his own peculiarity which made him different \par
from the smooth apes, he had regarded as a basic, implicit fact. He had accepted \par
it as established when he was a small child, a final unquestioned factor.\par
Naturally he had paid no attention to Schneider\rquote s words in so far as they \par
referred to him.\par
To be strong!\par
To stand alone \fs8 - \fs20 to walk, to \i\fs18 run!\par
\i0\fs20 Why, he \fs8 ... \fs20 he could, he could go down to Earth surface without fear. He wouldn\rquote t \par
mind the field. They \i\fs18 said \i0\fs20 they didn\rquote t mind it; they even \i\fs18 carried \i0\fs20 things \fs8 - \fs20 great, heavy \par
things. Every\f1\-\f0 body did. They \i\fs18 threw \i0\fs20 things.\par
He made a sudden convulsive movement in his primary waldoes, quite unlike his \par
normal, beautifully economical rhythm. The secondaries were oversize, as he was \par
making a new setup. The guys tore loose, a brace plate banged against the wall. \par
Baldur was snoozing nearby; he pricked up his ears, looked around, then turned \par
his face to Waldo, questioning him.\par
Waldo glared at him and the dog whined. \lquote Shut up!\rquote\par
The dog quieted and apologized with his eyes.\par
Automatically he looked over the damage \fs8 - \fs20 not much, but he would have to fix it. \par
Strength. Why, if he were strong, he could do anything \fs8 - \fs20 anything! No 6 extension \par
waldoes and some new guys- Strong! Absent-mindedly he shifted to the No 6 \par
waldoes.\par
Strength!\par
He could even meet women \fs8 - \fs20 be stronger than they were!\par
He could swim. He could ride. He could fly a ship \fs8 - \fs20 run, jump. He could handle \par
things with his bare hands. He could even learn to dance!\par
Strong!\par
He would have muscles! He could break things.\par
\pard\li243\sl-215\slmult0\tx243 He could- He could- He switched to the great waldoes with hands the size of a\par
man\rquote s body. Strong \fs8 - \fs20 they were strong! With one giant waldo he hauled from the \par
stock pile a quarter-inch steel plate, held it up, and shook it. A booming rumble. \par
He shook it again. Strong\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 He took it in both waldoes, bent it double. \fs18 The \fs20 metal buckled unevenly. \par
Convulsively he \fs18 crumpled \fs20 it like wastepaper between the two huge palms. \par
The grinding racket raised hackles on Baldur; he himself had not been aware of \par
it. He relaxed for a moment, gasping. There was sweat on his forehead; blood \par
throbbed in his ears. But he was not spent; he wanted something heavier~ \i\fs18 stronger. \par
\i0\fs20 Cutting to the adjoining storeroom he selected an L-beam twelve feet long, \par
shoved it through to where the giant hands could reach it, and cut back to them.\par
The beam was askew in the port; he wrenched it loose, knocking a big dent in the \par
port frame. He did not notice it.\par
The beam made a fine club in the gross fist. He brandished it. Baldur backed away, \par
placing the control ring between him\f1\-\f0 self and the great hands.\par
\pard\li215\sl-215\slmult0\tx215 Power! Strength! Smashing, unbeatable strength- With a spastic jerk he checked his \par
swing just before the beam touched the wall. No- But he grabbed the other end of \par
the club with the left waldo and tried to bend it. The big waldoes were built \par
for heavy work, but the beam was built to resist. He strained inside the primaries, \par
strove to force the great fists to do his will. A warning light flashed on his \par
control board. Bliiidly he kicked in the emergency overload and persisted.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 The hum of the waldoes and the rasp of his own breath were drowned out by the \par
harsh scrape of metal on metal as the beam began to give way. Exulting, he bore \par
down harder in the pri\f1\-\f0 maries. The beam was bending double when the waldobs blew \par
out. The right-hand tractors let go first; the fist flung open. The left fist, \par
relieved of the strain, \i\fs18 threw \i0\fs20 the steel from it.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 It tore its way through the thin bulkhead, making a ragged hole, crashed and \par
clanged in the room beyond.\par
But the giant waldoes were inanimate junk.\par
\pard\tx153\tqdec\tx2641\tab He drew his soft pink hands from the waldoes and looked at them. His shoulders \par
\pard\fi-142\li142\tx153\tqdec\tx2641   heaved, and racking sobs pushed up out of him. He covered his face with his \par
hands; the tears leaked out between his fingers. Baldur whimpered and edged \par
in closer.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 On the control board a bell rang persistently.\par
The wreckage had been cleared away and an adequate, neat patch covered the place \par
where the L-beam had made its own exit. But the giant waldoes had not yet been \par
replaced; their frame was uninhabited. Waldo was busy rigging a strength tester.\par
It had been years since he had paid any attention to the exact strength of his \par
body. He had had so little use for strength; he had concentrated on dexterity, \par
particularly on the exact and discriminating control of his namesakes. In the \par
selective, effi\f1\-\f0 cient, and accurate use of his muscles he was second to none; \par
he had control \fs8 - \fs20 he \i\fs18 had \i0\fs20 to have. But he had had no need for strength.\par
With the mechanical equipment at hand it was not difficult to jury-rig a device \par
which would register strength of grip as pounds-force on a dial. \par
A spring-loaded scale and a yoke to act on it sufficed. He paused and looked at \par
the contrivance.\par
He need only take off the primary waldoes, place his bare hand on the grip, bear \par
down \fs8 - \fs20 and he would know. Still he hesitated.\par
\pard\fi243\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx243 It felt strange to handle anything so large with his bare hand. Now. Reach into \par
the Other World for power. He closed his eyes and pressed. He opened them. \par
Fourteen pounds \fs8 - \fs20 less than he used to have.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 But he had not really tried yet. He tried to imagine Gramps Schneider\rquote s hands \par
on his arm, that warm tingle. Power. Reach Out and claim it.\par
Fourteen pounds, fifteen \fs8 - \fs20 seventeen, eighteen, twenty, twenty-one! He was \par
winning! He was winning!\par
\pard\fi243\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx243 Both his strength and his courage failed him, in what order he could not say. \par
The needle spun back to zero; he had to rest.\par
Had he really shown exceptional strength \fs8 - \fs20 or was twenty\f1\-\par
\f0 one pounds of grip simply normal for him at his present age and weight? A \par
normally strong and active man, he knew, should have a grip of the order of \par
one hundred and fifty pounds.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Nevertheless, twenty-one pounds of grip was six pounds higher than he had ever \par
before managed on test.\par
Try, again. Ten, eleven \fs8 - \fs20 twelve. Thirteen. The needle hesi\f1\-\f0 tated. Why, he had \par
just started \fs8 - \fs20 this was ridiculous. Fourteen.\par
There it stopped. No matter how he strained and concen\f1\-\f0 trated his driving will \par
he could not pass that point. Slowly, he dropped back from it.\par
\pard\fi243\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx243 Sixteen pounds was the highest he managed in the following days. Twenty-one \par
pounds seemed to have been merely a fluke, a good first effort. He ate bitterness.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 But he had not reached his present position of wealth and prominence by easy \par
surrender. He persisted, recalling care\f1\-\f0 fully just what Schneider had said to \par
him, and trying to \i\fs18 feel \i0\fs20 the touch of Schneider\rquote s hands. He told himself now \par
that he really had been strong under Schneider\rquote s touch, but that he had failed \par
to realize it because of the Earth\rquote s heavy field. He continued to try.\par
In the back of his mind he knew that he must eventually seek out Gramps Schneider \par
and ask his help, if he did not find the trick alone. But he was extremely \par
reluctant to do so, not because of the terrible trip it entailed \fs8 - \fs20 though that \par
would ordinarily have been more than enough reason \fs8 - \fs20 but because if he did so \par
and Schneider was not able to help him, then there would be no hope, no hope \par
at all.\par
It was better to live with disappointment and frustration than to live without \par
hope. He continued to postpone it.\par
Waldo paid little attention to Earth time; he ate and slept when he pleased. \par
He might catch a cat nap at any time; how\f1\-\f0 ever, at fairly regular intervals \par
he slept for longer periods. Not in a bed, of course. A man who floats in \par
air has no need for a bed. But he did make it a habit to guy himself into \par
place before undertaking eight hours of solid sleep, as it prevented him \par
from casual drifting in random air currents which might carry him, \par
unconscious, against controls or switches.\par
Since the obsession to become strong had possessed him he had frequently \par
found it necessary to resort to soporifics to ensure sleep.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 Dr Rambeau had returned and was looking for him. Rambeau \fs8 - \fs20 crazy and filled \par
with hate. Rambeau, blaming his troubles on Waldo. He was not safe, even \par
in Freehold, as the crazy physicist had found out how to pass from one \par
space to another. There he was now! Just his head, poked through from \par
the Other World. \lquote I\rquote m going to get you, Waldo!\rquote  He was gone \fs8 - \fs20 no, there \par
he was behind him! Reaching, reaching out with hands that were writhing \par
antennae. \lquote You, Waldo!\rquote  But Waldo\rquote s own hands were the giant waldoes; he \par
snatched at Rambeau.\par
The big waldoes went limp.\par
Rambeau was at him, was on him; he had him around the throat.\par
Gramps Schneider said in his ear, in a voice that was calm and strong, \par
\lquote Reach out for the power, my son. Feel it in your fingers.\rquote  Waldo \par
grabbed at the throttling fingers, strained, tried.\par
\pard\li209\sl-215\slmult0\tx209 They were coming loose. He was winning. He would stuff Rambeau back into \par
the Other World and keep him there. There! He had one hand free. Baldur \par
was barking frantically; he tried to tell him to shut up, to bite \par
Rambeau, to help- The dog continued to bark.\par
He was in his own home, in his own great room. Baldur let out one more \par
yipe. \par
\lquote Quiet!\rquote  He looked himself over.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 When he had gone to sleep he had been held in place by four light guys, \par
opposed like the axes of a tetrahedron. Two of them were still fastened \par
to his belt; he swung loosely against the control ring. Of the other \par
two, one had snapped off at his belt; its end floated a few feet away. \par
The fourth had been broken in two places, near his belt and again \par
several feet out; the severed piece was looped loosely around his neck.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 He looked the situation over. Study as he might, he could conceive no \par
way in which the guys could have been broken save by his own struggles \par
in the nightmare. The dog could not have done it; he had no way to get \par
a purchase. He had done it himself. \par
The lines were light, being intended merely as stays. Still- It took \par
him a few minutes to rig a testing apparatus which\par
would test pull instead of grip; the yoke had to be reversed. When it \par
was done, he cut in a medium waldo pair, fastened the severed piece \par
of line to the tester, and, using the waldo, pulled.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 The line parted at two hundred and twelve pounds.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Hastily, but losing time because of nervous clumsiness, he re-rigged \par
the tester for grip. He paused, whispered softly, \lquote Now is the time, \par
Gramps!\rquote  and bore down on the grip.\par
Twenty pounds \fs8 - \fs20 twenty-one. Twenty-five!\par
Up past thirty. He was not even sweating! Thirty-five \fs8 -\fs20 forty, -one, \par
-two, -three. Forty-five! And -six! And a half. Forty-seven pounds!\par
With a great sigh he let his hand relax. He was strong. Strong.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 When he had somewhat regained his composure, he con\f1\-\f0 sidered what to \par
do next. His first impulse was to call Grimes, but he suppressed it. \par
Soon enough when he was sure of him\f1\-\f0 self.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 He went back to the tester and tried his left hand. Not as strong as \par
his right, but almost \fs8 - \fs20 nearly forty-five pounds. Funny thing, he \par
didn\rquote t feel any different. Just normal, healthy. \fs18 No sensation.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\fs20 He wanted to try all of his muscles. It \fs18 would take too \fs20 long to rig \par
testers for kick, and shove, and back lift, and, oh, a dozen others. \par
He needed a field, that \fs18 was it, a one-g field. \fs20 Well, there was the \par
reception room; it could be centrifuged.\par
But its controls were in the ring and it was long corridors away. \par
There was a nearer one, the centrifuge for the cuckoo clock. He had \par
rigged the wheel with a speed control as an easy way to regulate the \par
clock. He moved back to the control ring and stopped the turning of \par
the big wheel; the clockwork was disturbed by the sudden change; \par
the little red bird popped out, said, \i\lquote TIz-wu \fs18 th-woo\rquote  \i0\fs20 once, hopefully, \par
and subsided.\par
Carrying in his hand a small control panel radio hooked to the motor \par
which inipelled the centrifuge wheel, he propelled himself to the \par
wheel and placed himself inside, planting his feet on the inner surface \par
of the rim and grasping one of the spokes, so that he would be in a \par
standing position with respect to the centrifugal force, once it \par
was impressed. He started the wheel slowly.\par
Its first motion surprised him and he almost fell off. But he \par
recovered himself and gave it a littlc more power. All right so far. \par
He speeded it up gradually, triumph spreading through him as he felt \par
the pull of the pseudo gravitational field, felt his legs grow \fs18 heavy, \par
\i but still strong!\par
\i0\fs20 He let it out, one full g. He could take it. He could, indeed! To be \par
sure, the force did not affect the upper part of his body so strongly \par
as the lower, as his head was only a foot or so from the point of \par
rotation. He could fix that; he squatted down slowly, hanging on \par
tight to the spoke. It was all right.\par
But the wheel swayed and the motor complained. His un\f1\-\f0 balanced weight, \par
that far out from the centre of rotation, was putting too much of \par
a strain on a framework intended to sup\f1\-\f0 port a cuckoo clock and its \par
counterweight only. He straightened up with equal caution, feeling \par
the fine \i\fs18 shove \i0\fs20 of his thigh muscles and calves. He stopped the wheel.\par
Baldur had been much perturbed by the whole business. He had almost \par
twisted his neck off trying to follow \fs18 the \fs20 motions of Waldo.\par
He still postponed calling Grimes. He wanted to arrange for some \par
selective local controls on the centrifuging of the reception room, \par
in order to have a proper place in which to practice standing up. \par
Then he had to get the hang of this walk\f1\-\f0 ing business; it looked \par
easy, but he didn\rquote t know. Might be quite a trick to learn it.\par
Thereafter he planned to teach Baldur to walk. He tried to get Baldur \par
into the cuckoo-clock wheel, but the dog objected. He wiggled free \par
and retreated to the farthest part of the room. No matter -\fs8  \fs20 when he \par
had the beast in the reception room he would damn well have to learn \par
to walk. Should have seen to it long ago. A big brute like that, \par
and couldn\rquote t walk!\par
He visualized a framework into which the dog could be placed which \par
would force him to stand erect. It was roughly equivalent to a baby\rquote s \par
toddler, but Waldo did not know that. He had never seen a baby\rquote s toddler.\par
\lquote Uncle Gus-\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Oh, hello, Waldo. How you been?\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote Fine. Look, Uncle Gus, could you come up to Freehold \fs8 -\fs20 right away?\rquote\par
Grimes shook his head. \lquote Sorry. My bus is in the shop.\rquote\par
\lquote Your bus is too slow anyhow. Take a taxi, or get somebody to drive you.\rquote\par
\lquote And have you insult \lquote em when we get there? Huh-uh.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ll be sweet as sugar.\rquote\par
\lquote Well, Jimmie Stevens said something yesterday about want\f1\-\f0 ing to see you.\rquote\par
Waldo grinned. \lquote Get him. I\rquote d like to see him.\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote ll try.\rquote\par
\lquote Call me back. Make it soon.\rquote\par
Waldo met them in the reception room, which he had left uncentrifuged. \par
As soon as they came in he started his act. \lquote My, I\rquote m glad you\rquote re here. \par
Dr Stevens \fs8 - \fs20 could you fly me down to Earth rightaway? Something\rquote s \par
comeup.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Why \fs8 - \fs20 I suppose so.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote Let\rquote s go.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote Wait a minute, Waldo. Jimmie\rquote s not prepared to handle you the way you \par
have to be handled.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote I\rquote ll have to chance it, Uncle Gus. This is urgent.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote But-\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209\lquote No \ldblquote buts\rdblquote . Let\rquote s leave at once.\rquote\par
\pard\fi209\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx209 They bustled Baldur into the ship and tied him down. Grimes saw to it \par
that Waldo\rquote s chair was tilted back in the best approxi\f1\-\f0 mation of a \par
deceleration rig. Waldo settled himself into it and closed his eyes \par
to discourage questions. He sneaked a look and found Grimes grimly \par
silent. \par
Stevens made very nearly a record trip, but set them down quite gently \par
on the parking flat ovcr Grimes\rquote s home. Grimes touched Waldo\rquote s arm. \par
\lquote How do you feel? I\rquote ll get someone and we\rquote ll get you inside. I want \par
to get you to bed.\rquote\par
\lquote Can\rquote t do that, Uncle Gus. Things to do. Give me your arm, will you?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Huh?\rquote  But Waldo reached for the support requested and drew himself up.\par
\lquote I\rquote ll be all right now, I guess.\rquote  He let go the physician\rquote s arm and \par
started for the door. \lquote Will you untie Baldur?\rquote\par
\pard\li226\qj\tx226\i\fs18\lquote Waldo!\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\i0\fs20 He turned around, grinning happily. \lquote Yes, Uncle Gus, it\rquote s true. I\rquote m \par
not weak any more. \i\fs18 I can walk.\rquote\par
\i0\fs20 Grimes took hold of the back of one of the seats and said shakily, \par
\lquote Waldo, I\rquote m an old man. You ought not to do things like this to me.\rquote  \par
He wiped at his eyes.\par
\pard\li226\qj\tx226\fs18\lquote Yes,\rquote  agreed Stevens, \lquote it\rquote s a \fs20 damn dirty trick.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Waldo looked blankly \fs18 from \fs20 one face to the other. \lquote I\rquote m sorry,\rquote  he said \par
humbly. \lquote I just wanted to surprise you.\rquote\par
\lquote It\rquote s all right. Let\rquote s go downside and have a drink. You \fs18 can tell \par
us about it then.\rquote\par
\fs20\lquote All right. Come on, Baldur.\rquote  The dog got up and followed after his \par
master. He had a very curious gait; Waldo\rquote s trainer gadget had taught \par
him to pace instead of trot.\par
Waldo stayed with Grimes for days, gaining strength, gain\f1\-\f0 ing new \par
reflex patterns, building up his flabby muscles. He had no setbacks; \par
the \i\fs18 myasthenia \i0 was gone. \fs20 All he required was conditioning.\par
\pard\fi209\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx209 Grimes had forgiven him at once for his unnecessarily abrupt and \par
spectacular revelation of his cure, but Grimes had insisted that he \par
take it easy and become fully readjusted before he undertook to \par
venture out unescorted. It was a wise pre\f1\-\f0 caution. Even simple \par
things were hazards to him. Stairs, for example. He could walk \par
on the level, but going downstairs had to be learned. Going up \par
was not so difficult.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 Stevens showed up one day, let himself in, and found Waldo alone \par
in the living room, listening to a stereo show. \lquote Hello, Mr Jones.\rquote\par
\lquote Oh \fs8 - \fs20 hello, Dr Stevens.\rquote  Waldo reached down hastily, fumbled for \par
his shoes, zipped them on. \lquote Uncle Gus says I should wear them all \par
the time,\rquote  he explained. \lquote Everybody does. But you caught me unawares.\rquote\par
\lquote Oh, that\rquote s no matter. You don\rquote t have to wear them in the house. \par
Where\rquote s Doc?\rquote\par
\lquote Gone for the day. Don\rquote t you, really? Seems to me my \fs18 nurses always wore \par
shoes.\rquote\par
\fs20\lquote Oh yes, everybody does \fs8 - \fs20 but there\rquote s no law to make you.\rquote\par
\lquote Then I\rquote ll wear them. But I can\rquote t say that I like them. They feel dead, \par
like a pair of disconnected waldoes. But I want to learn how.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote How to wear shoes?\rquote\par
\lquote How to act like people act. It\rquote s really quite difficult,\rquote  he said \par
seriously.\par
Stevens felt a sudden insight, a welling of sympathy for this man \par
with no background and no friends. It must be odd and strange to him. \par
He felt an impulse to confess something which had been on his mind \par
with respect to Waldo. \lquote You really are strong now, aren\rquote t you?\rquote\par
Waldo grinned happily. \lquote Getting stronger every day. I gripped two \par
hundred pounds this morning. And see how much fat I\rquote ve worked off.\rquote\par
\lquote You\rquote re looking fit, all right. Here\rquote s a funny thing. Ever \fs18 since \par
\fs20 I first met you I\rquote ve wished to high heaven that you were as strong \par
as an ordinary man.\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote You really did? Why?\rquote\par
\pard\fi215\sl-221\slmult0\qj\tx215\lquote Well \fs8 . .. \fs20 I think you will admit that you used some pretty poisonous \par
language to me, one time and another. You had me riled up all the \par
time. I wanted you to get strong so that I could just beat the hell \par
out of you.\rquote\par
Waldo had been walking up and down, getting used to his shoes. He \par
stopped and faced Stevens. He seemed considerably startled. \lquote You \par
mean you wanted to fist-fight me?\rquote\par
\lquote Exactly. You used language to me that a man ought not to use \par
unless he is prepared to back it up with his fists. If you had \par
not been an invalid I would have pasted you one, oh, any number \par
of times.\rquote\par
Waldo seemed to be struggling with a new concept. \lquote I think I see,\rquote  \par
he said slowly. \lquote Well \fs8 - \fs20 all right.\rquote  On the last word he delivered \par
a roundhouse swipe with plenty of power behind it. Stevens was \par
not in the least expecting it; it happened to catch him on the \par
button. He went down. out cold.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\qj\tx215 When he came to he found himself in a chair. Waldo was shaking \par
him. \lquote Wasn\rquote t that right?\rquote  he said anxiously.\par
\lquote What did you hit me with?\rquote\par
\lquote My hand. Wasn\rquote t that right? Wasn\rquote t that what you wanted?\rquote\par
\lquote Wasn\rquote t that what I-\rquote  He still had little bright lights float\f1\-\f0 ing \par
in front of his eyes, but the situation began to tickle him. \par
\lquote Look here \fs8 - \fs20 is that your idea of the proper way to start a fight?\rquote\par
\lquote Isn\rquote t it?\rquote\par
Stevens tried to explain to him the etiquette of fisticuffs, \par
contemporary American. Waldo seemed puzzled, but finally he \par
nodded. \lquote I get it. You have to give the other man warning. \par
All right \fs8 - \fs20 get up, and we\rquote ll do it over.\rquote\par
\lquote Easy, easy! Wait a minute. You never did give me a chance \par
to finish what I was saying. \b I \b0\i\fs18 was \i0\fs20 sore at you, but I\rquote m not \par
any more. That is what I was trying to tell you. Oh, you \par
were utterly poisonous; there is no doubt about that. But \par
you couldn\rquote t help being.\rquote\par
\lquote I don\rquote t mean to be poisonous,\rquote  Waldo said seriously.\par
\lquote I know you don\rquote t, and you\rquote re not. I rather like you \par
now \fs8 -\fs20 now that you\rquote re strong.\rquote\par
\lquote Do you really?\rquote\par
\lquote Yes, I do. But don\rquote t practise any more of those punches on me.\rquote\par
\b\lquote\b0 I\b  \b0 won\rquote t. But I didn\rquote t understand. But, do you know, Dr Stevens, \par
it\rquote s-\rquote\par
\lquote Call inc Jim.\rquote\par
\lquote Jim. It\rquote s a very hard thing to know just what people do expect. \par
There is so little pattern to it. Take belching; I didn\rquote t know \par
it was forbidden to burp when other people are around. It seems \par
obviously necessary to me. But Uncle Gus says not.\rquote\par
Stevens tried to clear up the matter for him \fs8 - \fs20 not too well, as he \par
found that Waldo was almost totally lacking in any notion, even \par
theoretical, of social conduct. Not even from fic\f1\-\f0 tion had he \par
derived a concept of the intricacies of \i\fs18 mores, \i0\fs20 as he bad read \par
almost no fiction. He had ceased reading stories in his early \par
boyhood, because he lacked the background of experi\f1\-\f0 ence necessary \par
to appreciate fiction.\par
He was rich, powerful, and a mechanical genius, but he still needed \par
to go to kindergarten.\par
Waldo had a proposition to make. \lquote Jim, you\rquote ve been very helpful. \par
You explain these things better than Uncle Gus does. I\rquote ll hire you \par
to teach me.\rquote\par
Stevens suppressed a slight feeling of pique. \lquote Sorry. I\rquote ve got a \par
job that keeps me busy.\rquote\par
\lquote Oh, that\rquote s all right. I\rquote ll pay you better than they do. You can \par
name your own salary. It\rquote s a deal.\rquote\par
Stevens took a deep breath and sighed. \lquote You don\rquote t under\f1\-\f0 stand. I\rquote m \par
an engineer and I don\rquote t hire out for personal ser\f1\-\f0 vice. You can\rquote t \par
hire me. Oh, I\rquote ll help you all I can, but I won\rquote t take money for \b\fs16 it.\par
\b0\fs20\lquote What\rquote s wrong with taking money?\rquote\par
The question, Stevens thought, was stated wrongly. As it stood it \par
could not be answered. He launched into a long, in\f1\-\f0 volved \par
discussion of professional and business conduct. He was really not \par
fitted for it; Waldo soon bogged down. \par
\lquote I\rquote m afraid I don\rquote t get it. But see here \fs8 - \fs20 could you teach me how to \par
behave with girls ~ Uncle Gus says he doesn\rquote t dare take me out \par
in company.\par
\lquote Well, I\rquote ll try. I\rquote ll certainly try. But, Waldo, I came over to \par
see you about some of the problems we\rquote re running into at the \par
plant. About this theory of the two spaces that you were telling \par
me about-\rquote\par
\lquote It\rquote s not theory; it\rquote s fact.\rquote\par
\lquote All right. What I want to know is this: When do you expect to go \par
back to Freehold and resume research? We need some help.\rquote\par
\lquote Go back to Freehold? I haven\rquote t any idea. I don\rquote t intend to \par
resume research.\rquote\par
\lquote You don\rquote t? But, my heavens, \fs16 you \fs20 haven\rquote t finished half the \par
investigations you outlined to me.\rquote\par
\lquote You fellows can do \lquote em. I\rquote ll help out with suggestions, of course\b\fs16 .\rquote\par
\b0\fs20\lquote Well \fs8 - \fs20 maybe we could interest Gramps Schneider,\rquote  Stevens said \par
doubtfully.\par
\lquote I would not advise it,\rquote  Waldo answered. \lquote Let me show you a letter \par
he sent me.\rquote  He left and fetched it back. \lquote Here.\rquote\par
Stevens glanced through it. \lquote -your generous offer of your share in \par
the new power project I appreciate, but, truthfully, I have no \par
interest in such things and would find the responsi\f1\-\f0 bility a burden. \par
As for the news of your new strength I am happy, but not surprised. \par
\fs18 The \fs20 power of the Other World is his who would claim it-\rquote  \par
There was more to it. It was written in a precise Spencerian hand, \par
a trifle shaky; the rhetoric showed none of the colloquialisms with \par
which Schneider spoke.\par
\pard\fi215\sl-215\slmult0\tx215\lquote Hm-m-m \fs8 - \fs20 I think I see what you mean.\rquote\par
\lquote I believe,\rquote  Waldo said seriously, \lquote that he regards our manipulations \par
with gadgets as rather childish.\rquote\par
\lquote I suppose. Tell me, what do \i\fs18 you \i0\fs20 intend to do with your-self?\rquote\par
\lquote Me? I don\rquote t know, exactly. But I can tell you this: I\rquote m going to \par
have fun. I\rquote m going to have lots of fun. I\rquote m just beginning to find \par
out bow much fun it is to be a man!\rquote\par
\par
His dresser tackled the other slipper. \lquote To tell you just why I took \par
up dancing would be a long story,\rquote  he continued. \par
\lquote I want details.\rquote\par
\lquote Hospital calling,\rquote  someone in the dressing room said. \par
\lquote Tell \lquote em I\rquote ll be right there, fast. Suppose you come in to\f1\-\f0 morrow \par
afternoon?\rquote  he added to the woman reporter. \lquote Can you?\rquote\par
\lquote Right.\rquote\par
A man was shouldering his way through the little knot around him. \par
Waldo caught his eye. \lquote Hello, Stanley. Glad to see you.\rquote\par
\lquote Hello, Waldo.\rquote  Gleason pulled some papers out from under his cape \par
and dropped them in the dancer\rquote s lap. \lquote Brought these over myself \par
as I wanted to see your act again.\rquote\par
\lquote Like it?\rquote\par
\lquote Swell!\rquote\par
Waldo grinned and picked up the papers. \lquote Where is the dotted line?\rquote\par
\lquote Better read them first,\rquote  Gleason cautioned him.\par
\lquote Oh shucks, no. If it suits you, it suits me. Can I borrow \fs18 your stylus?\rquote\par
\fs20 A worried little \fs18 man worked his way up \fs20 to them. \lquote About that recording, \par
Waldo-\rquote\par
\lquote We\rquote ve discussed that,\rquote  Waldo said flatly. \lquote I only perform before \par
audiences.\rquote\par
\lquote We\rquote ve combined it with the Warm \fs18 Springs benefit.\rquote\par
\fs20\lquote That\rquote s different. OK.\rquote\par
\lquote While you\rquote re about it, take a look at this layout.\rquote  It was a\b\fs16  \par
\b0\fs20 reduction, for a twenty-four sheet:\par
\par
\b                      THE GREAT WALDO\par
                      \fs16 AND HIS TROUPE\par
\par
\b0\fs20 with the opening date and theatre left blank, but with a picture \par
of Waldo, as Harlequin, poised high in the air.\par
\lquote Fine, Sam, fine!\rquote  Waldo nodded happily.\par
\lquote Hospital calling again!\rquote\par
\lquote I\rquote m ready now,\rquote  Waldo answered, and stood up. His dresser draped \par
his street cape over his lean shoulders. Waldo whistled sharply. \par
\lquote Here, Baldur! Come along.\rquote  At the door he stopped an instant, \par
and waved. \lquote Goodnight, fellows!\rquote\par
\lquote Goodnight, Waldo.\rquote\par
They were all such grand guys.\par
}