39

with making a light in the night. But making “That should answer the question of night in the light is something different.”

whether the street was dimly lighted enough I think I admitted it was different, all for the black ‘thing’ effect to be achieved,”

right.

Savage said.

The Macs subsided. They didn’t want to, but they saw they were getting nowhere, SAVAGE was speaking naturally and and probably felt that they had made their even using a tone that implied there was still point for Miss Fenisong—that Savage could a great deal he didn’t know about the thing, be lying.

but he was becoming impressive as any-

“Now,” Savage continued, “we have thing. The Macs did not like that; both of produced the chromospheric eruption on a them were glancing at Miss Fenisong dubi-laboratory scale, proving we have the fun-ously, and the admiration on her face did not damentals of the system used. And we have cheer them. The long Mac began tearing it a demonstration of the neutralization of the down. He said: “Mr. Savage, you admit being visible spectrum of the emanations to indi-present when Albert Gross died last night”—cate how the effect of black shapeless ob-he gave that some extra meaning—”and you jects was produced. If you’ll step to the other said, I believe, that it was a city street where end of the room . . .”

it happened. The street near the hotel. Now, He had the other piece of apparatus, you’re not telling us there would be the dark-the stuff in the suitcase, for our attention.

ness of night in a city street, with lighted win-He said: “This is also a neutralizer, but dows and streetlamps, are you? After all, of a different type—I won’t become technical witnesses say a black thing pursued poor about this one either. Let’s say that it merely Albert. By your own words, there couldn’t be creates a high-frequency field which blocks a black thing unless there was night. How do certain cathode functions in the other trans-you account for that?”

mitter, with violent results. Any questions?”

Savage turned to me. “Sammy, what McGraff put out his jaw and said: “You did I do with you after I took you out of the say you’re not being technical, but it sounds hotel?”

damned complicated to me. If you turn on “After these two lugs were scared off this contraption here—what will happen ex-before they could knock me off, you took me actly?”

downstairs and we talked in your car,” I said.

“I could demonstrate,” Savage said.

McCutcheon yelled: “You silly fool! Do “Do that.”

you imply your life was in danger from us last “Hold your hat,” Savage said. He night?”

closed a switch and nothing much happened “I know damn well it was!” I yelled back except some tubes lighted up; then closed a at him.

second switch, and the other end of the room Savage made smoothing-down mo-came apart in flash and noise.

tions with his hands and said: “Let’s skip personalities—we can gain nothing by becoming a house divided. . . . The point is that Sammy IT was a little too late to hit the floor, sat in the car on the street and talked to me.

but I hit it anyway. The Macs were there Isn’t that right, Sammy?”

ahead of me. Their speed in getting there “That’s right. But I don’t like this guy gave me a fact from their past history—they calling me a fool—”

had once been in a war somewhere. A one “Did you see Albert Gross immedi-hundred per

cent

civilian

background

ately?” Savage asked.

wouldn’t produce that kind of reaction.

“See him? No, not right away.”

The plastic shields came in handy, be-

“Why not?”

cause a little glass reached us, fragments “It was a side street, kind of dark.

that buzzed like mosquitoes as they traveled.

Pretty darn dark, in fact.”

And the room suddenly had the smell of an “You’re sure it was rather dark?”

electrical power-house in a thunderstorm.

“I ought to know,” I said. “I could hardly “Jove! The transmitter blew up,” Ham make Gross out even after you pointed at Brooks said, sounding about as startled as a him, and I didn’t recognize him until we were senator who had dropped his briefcase.

right beside him.”