form of the old woman. He lifted
out the tray, revealing masses of silvery tubing and a number of
flasks of iridescent solutions nestling among loops of rubber
insulated wiring. One flask he emptied into the bath, making the water
seethe and turn a cloudy green.

Then, dashing down the stairs again, he began looking for the
telephone. His search became more and more hurried, as he opened
cupboards and drawers in front room and kitchen with no success.
Returning upstairs, he almost missed the instrument in the
sitting-room because he was expecting the familiar sight of a round
vizer screen. He stood over the phone and dialed.

"Hey, Alice!"

"What luck, Riggy?"

"I'm in. The old lady's out cold on the bathroom floor. Primer
solution's in the bath at five above tepid. I'm shoving her in
now--with all her clothes on, of course--and I've wasted a lot of time
already looking for this hypoblastic phone, so beat it on over here
with Margy and get to work."

"Are you ordering me around, Rigel O'Maffey?"

"You know I never did this job on a woman. And don't forget, honey,
we'll get enough out of this to get a new copter together. C'mon now."
He put the phone back in, the cradle before she could answer.

* * * * *

Back in the bathroom, he drew a long thermometer from the case, took a
careful reading on the water, ran in a little more hot from the faucet
and left it running the slightest dribble.

Carefully lifting the small body of Barbara Noble, Ph.D., he slid it
gently into the water feet first over the end, smoothing down with one
hand the percale housedress which ballooned as she went into the
water. Finally he knelt beside the tub, holding her head out of the
water in the crook of his elbow.

A banging on the inner door downstairs some fifteen minutes later
reminded him of the force with which he had slammed it in his hurry to
reach the uncontaminated air of the front room. He looked longingly
across the bathroom at the racks of towels on the other side, but
finally, as the banging stopped and a feminine voice began yelling,
"Hey, Riggy! Let us in!" he grabbed up the bright rug and wadded it
under the scrawny neck.

The girls scolded him all the way up the stairs for not leaving the
door unlocked, while he tried to explain, at the same time, that he
had to hold up the woman's head.

"Screepers, Riggy, what do you think the perfectly good pair of
water-wings in your case is fo