the spectrum of lines that bared the comet's secret. He had begun to
understand the pleasure his father had spoken of, the pleasure of being
consumed utterly by a problem important in its own right.

As he left the campus there was no moon in the sky. The comet was gone,
and the stars seemed new in a glory he had not seen for many nights. He
felt that he wouldn't be able to sleep even when he got home, and he
continued walking for several blocks, in the direction of town.

He came abreast, finally, of the former Rainbow Skating Rink, which had
been converted into a food warehouse. In the darkness, he saw a sudden,
swift movement against the wall of the building. His night vision was
sharp after the long walk; he saw what was going on.

The broad doors of the rink had been broken open. There were three or
four men lifting sacks and boxes and barrels stealthily into a wagon.

Even as he started toward them he realized his own foolishness and
pulled back. A horse whinnied softly. He turned to run in the direction
of Sheriff Johnson's house, and behind him came a sudden, hoarse cry of
alarm.

Horses' hoofs rattled frighteningly loud on the cement. Ken realized he
stood no chance of escaping if he were seen. He dodged for an instant
into a narrow space between two buildings with the thought of reaching
an alley at the back. However, it was boarded at the end and he saw that
he would have to scale the fence. A desperate horseman would ride him
down in the narrow space.

He fled on and reached the shadows in front of the drugstore. He pressed
himself as flat as possible in the recess of the doorway, hoping his
pursuer would race by. But his fleeing shadow had been seen.

The rider whirled and reined the horse to a furious stop. The animal's
front legs pawed the air in front of Ken's face. Then Ken saw there was
something familiar about the figure. He peered closer as the horseman
whirled again.

"Jed," he called softly. "Jed Tucker--"

The figure answered harshly, "Yeah. Yeah, that's me, and you're--you're
Ken. I'm sorry it had to be you. Why did you have to come by here at
this time of night?"

Ken heard the sound of running feet in the distance as others came to
join Jed Tucker. Jed had not dismounted, but held Ken prisoner in the
recess with the rearing, impatient horse.

Ken wondered how Jed Tucker could be mixed up in a thing like this. His
father was president of the bank and owned one of the best homes in