The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Sensitive Man, by Poul William Anderson

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Sensitive Man

Author: Poul William Anderson

Release Date: March 4, 2010 [EBook #31501]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SENSITIVE MAN ***

Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Fantastic Universe January 1954.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

[_Conspiracy seems to be as much a part of our times as it
was in the times of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. Hence it finds
frequent reflection in all branches of fiction, including science
fiction. Yet, as in life, something new has been added, the most
gigantic conspiracy of all, the human conspiracy against conspirators.
Which makes for a fine stirring story in this short novel of the
future by Mr. Anderson, one of our best young authors._]

the

sensitive

man

_by ... Poul Anderson_

One man stood between a power-hungry cabal and world
mastery--but a man of unusual talents.

* * * * *

The Mermaid Tavern had been elaborately decorated. Great blocks of
hewn coral for pillars and booths, tarpon and barracuda on the walls,
murals of Neptune and his court--including an outsize animated picture
of a mermaid ballet, quite an eye-catcher. But the broad quartz
windows showed merely a shifting greenish-blue of seawater, and the
only live fish visible were in an aquarium across from the bar.
Pacific Colony lacked the grotesque loveliness of the Florida and Cuba
settlements. Here they were somehow a working city, even in their
recreations.

The sensitive man paused for a moment in the foyer, sweeping the big
circular room with a hurried glance. Less than half the tables were
filled. This was an hour of interregnum, while the tw