g
directly in front of Fenwick.

"What do you want?" said Fenwick finally. "What do you want the Bureau
to do about your device? How much money do you want for development?"

"Money? I don't need any money!" Ellerbee exploded. "All I want is for
the Government to make some use of the thing. I've had a patent on it
for six months. The Patent Office had sense enough to give me a patent,
but nobody else would look at it. I just want somebody to make some use
of it!"

"I'm sure a great many practical applications can be found," Fenwick
said lamely. "We'll have to make a report, first, however. There will be
a need for a great many more experiments--"

But most important of all, Baker would have to be shown. Baker would
have to _know_ from his own experience that this thing worked.

Fenwick suddenly wanted to get away from Ellerbee as much as he had from
Baker a little earlier. There was just so much a man's aging synapses
could stand, he told himself. He had to do a bit of thinking by himself.
When Ellerbee drove up again, Fenwick told him what he wanted.

Ellerbee looked disappointed but resigned. "I hope this isn't another
runaround, Mr. Fenwick. You'll pardon me for being blunt, but I've had
some pretty raw treatment from your office since I started writing about
my communicator."

"I promise you this isn't a runaround," said Fenwick, "but it's
absolutely necessary to get Dr. Baker to view your demonstration. We
will want to see your laboratories and your methods of production. I
promise you it won't be more than two or three days, depending on Dr.
Baker's busy schedule."

"O.K. I'll wait until the end of the week," said Ellerbee. "If I don't
hear something by then, I'll go ahead with my plans to market the
crystals as a novelty gadget."

"I'll be in touch with you. I promise," said Fenwick. He stood by the
curb and watched Ellerbee drive away.

* * * * *

Fenwick moved slowly back to his own car and sat behind the wheel
without starting the motor. It seemed a long time since nine-thirty
yesterday morning, when he had come in to Baker's office to check on the
grant he had known Baker wasn't going to give him. Now, merely by
kicking Baker's refuse pile with his toe, so to speak, he had turned up
a diamond that Baker was ready to discard.

Fenwick felt a sudden surge of revulsion. How was it possible for such a
blind, ignorant fool as Baker to be placed in the position he was i