isdainfully.

"Develop the film in those automatic cameras," Spaulding said, "and I'll
show you what I'm talking about!"

As far as Colonel Spaulding was concerned, the film showed clearly what
had happened. A beam of energy had leaped from the "tail" of the Q-tube,
hit the ceramic tile of the wall, and burned its way through in half a
second or so. The hole in the wall, surrounded by fused ceramic, was mute
evidence of the occurrence of what Spaulding had seen.

But Dr. Davenport pooh-poohed the whole thing. Evidence to the contrary,
he was quite certain that no such thing had happened. A piece of hot glass
from a broken vacuum tube had done it, he insisted.

A piece of hot glass had burned its way through half an inch of tile? And
a wall?

Davenport muttered something about the destructive effects of shaped
charges. He was more willing to believe that something as wildly
improbable as that had happened than admit that the device had done what
Colonel Spaulding was quite certain it had done.

Within three hours, Davenport had three possible explanations of what had
happened, each of which required at least four unlikely things to happen
coincidentally.

Colonel Spaulding stalked back to his office in a state of angry disgust.
Just because the thing was foreign to Davenport's notions, he had
effectively tied his own hands--and Colonel Spaulding's, too.

"Where's Lenny Poe?" he asked the WAC sergeant. "I want to talk to him."

She shook her head. "I don't know, sir. Lieutenant Fesner called in half
an hour ago. Mr. Poe has eluded them again."

[Illustration]

Colonel Spaulding gazed silently at the ceiling for a long moment. Then:
"Sergeant Nugget, take a letter. To the President of the United States,
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.

"Dear Sir. Consider this my resignation. I have had so much experience
with jackasses lately that I have decided to change my name to Hackenbush
and become a veterinarian. Yours truly, et cetera. Got that?"

"Yes, sir," said the sergeant.

"Burn it. When Fumblefingers Fesner and his boys find Lenny Poe again, I
want to know immediately."

He stalked on into his office.

* * * * *

Raphael Poe was beginning to feel distinctly uncomfortable. Establishing a
close rapport with another mind can be a distinct disadvantage at times. A
spy is supposed to get information without giving any; a swapping of
information is not at all to his a