least for
some time, do you?"

"Probably not, sir. Good-bye."

Next morning, shortly after the office opened, Perkins, whose principal
characteristic was that of absolute noiselessness, glided smoothly into
Brookings' office. Taking a small bottle about half full of a
greenish-yellow liquid from his pocket, he furtively placed it under
some papers upon his superior's desk.

"A man found this last night, sir, and thought it might belong to you.
He said this was a little less than half of it, but that you could have
the rest of it any time you want it."

"Thank you, Perkins, he was right. It is ours. Here's a letter which
just came," handing him an envelope, which rustled as Perkins folded it
into a small compass and thrust it into his vest pocket. "Good morning."

As Perkins slid out, Brookings spoke into his telephone, and soon
Chambers, his chief chemist, appeared.

"Doctor Chambers," Brookings began, showing him the bottle, "I have here
a solution which in some way is capable of liberating the intra-atomic
energy of matter, about which I asked you yesterday. It works on copper.
I would like to have you work out the process for us, if you will."

"What about the man who discovered the process?" asked Chambers, as he
touched the bottle gingerly.

"He is not available. Surely what one chemist can do, others can? You
will not have to work alone. You can hire the biggest men in the line to
help you--expense is no object."

"No, it wouldn't be, if such a process could be worked out. Let me see,
whom can we get? Doctor Seaton is probably the best man in the country
for such a research, but I don't think that we can get him. I tried to
get him to work on the iridium-osmium problem, but he refused."

"We might make an offer big enough to get him."

"No. Don't mention it to him," with a significant look. "He's to know
nothing about it."

"Well, then, how about DuQuesne, who was in here yesterday? He's
probably next to Seaton."

"I took it up with him yesterday. We can't get him, his figures are
entirely out of reason. Aren't there any other men in the country who
know anything? You are a good man, why don't you tackle it yourself?"

"Because I don't know anything about that particular line of research,
and I want to keep on living awhile longer," the chemist replied
bluntly. "There are other good men whom I can get, however. Van
Schravendyck, of our own laboratory, is nearly as good as either Seaton
or DuQuesn