he took the helmet off. Who in the world would have dreamed
that they had jet-rifles in this day and age!

The absurdity of the thought snapped him back to full awareness. A
moment later he remembered the peal of familiar laughter.

Perfidion!

The man must have wanted the Grail desperately to have come after it
himself, which meant that it was probably worth much more than he had
let on. But how had he known when and where to essay the lift? More
specifically, how had he found out when and where to essay the lift on
such short notice?

Mallory thought back. He was reasonably certain that he had made no
slips of the tongue during his visit to the Perfidion Tower and during
the ensuing game of golp, and he was equally certain that he had let
fall no revealing references to the place-time he had so carefully
pinpointed. Where, then, had he gone astray?

Suddenly, way back in his mind, Perfidion said, "By the way, Tom, I
take it you're all set as regards costume, equipment and the like."

"I've got the sweetest little suit of armor you ever laid eyes on,"
Mallory heard himself answer.

He swore. So that was it! All Perfidion had needed to do was to make
the rounds of the costumers who specialized in armor, and to shell out
a few Kennedees to the one Mallory had patronized last. Then, in
possession of the knowledge that Mallory was embarking into the past
as Sir Galahad, all Perfidion had had to do was to consult one of the
many experts he kept at his beck and call. The expert had undoubtedly
told him where Sir Galahad was supposed to have found the Grail before
taking it to Sarras, and, equally as important, approximately when the
event was supposed to have taken place. Further questions could not
have failed to elicit the additional information that Sir Launcelot
had come to the chamber of the Sangraal before Sir Galahad had, and
from this Perfidion had undoubtedly deduced that Sir Launcelot could
very well have been a time-thief in disguise, too, and that the man,
having arrived on the scene first, could very well have been
responsible for the Grail's so-called return to Heaven, despite what
legend said to the contrary. Certainly it had been a gamble worth
taking, and obviously Perfidion had taken it.

And won the jackpot.

But that didn't mean he was going to keep the jackpot. Not by a long
shot. Mallory encephalopathed Easy Money to his side and pulled
himself to his feet with the help of the left stirrup an