t's all. Please leave."

* * * * *

Willy was the first to leave, with his head hanging low in shame.
Orrin left next, with fury shining plainly from his eyes. I lingered
until Willy had left. Then I closed the door and swung around to face
Goil.

Goil was looking at me peculiarly. He said, "I told you to go,
Weston."

"I will," I said. "But first I want to tell you something."

"When I want to hear your side of the story, I'll ask you for it,"
Goil said nastily.

"It won't wait," I said in a new voice that caused Goil to look at me
closely. "I want to tell you now while we are alone."

Goil's eyes narrowed. "Weston, anything you have to say one way or the
other I'll use against you later. Anything you want to say to save
your own skin just won't do any good."

I became suddenly infuriated. I stepped forward and slammed my fist on
the desk top and said in a low, poisonous voice, "Goil, you've shoved
your prying nose into something you know very little about. You're
jumping to conclusions about something you know only part of. Now I'm
forced to reveal certain facts which you shouldn't be knowing. And I'm
going to tell you here and now whether you want to listen or not!"

Goil had reddened and risen from his chair. But I towered over him
threateningly and he dropped back in his chair in quiet incense.

"That's better," I said, somewhat cooled off. "Now listen. What I have
to say may seem incredible to you. Hear me out, then speak your piece.
And I think I can prove what I say to your satisfaction. In any event,
I hope I can trust your confidence on this. You'll understand what I
mean by the time I'm finished.

"First, Willy did take the energizer and the generator. 'Steal,' if
you wish to say so. I knew it. Orrin, nor anyone else knows it though.
Second, those are not the only things he has taken. Third, his taking
things like that has been happening all the time he has been here. It
happened before he got here, wherever he was.

"He is not a kleptomaniac. He steals, not because he has a compulsion
to do so, nor for economic gain, but for a more important reason."

Goil said, "Stop beating around the bush. If you think you have
something to say, go ahead and say it."

"I'm trying to," I said. "But it's not something easily explained.

"Willy is nothing but a great big rabbit's foot."

"_What?_"

"Mr. Goil, Willy is the exact opposite of an accident prone. Willy is
a saf