signed by three doctors, and allowed you mail on alternate leap years. Iâm wondering what they are going to do to him.â
âWhat can they do?â
âWell, he might dieâfrom gee-fatigue, say.â
âYou mean murder him?â
âTut, tut! Donât use nasty words. I donât think they will. In the first place he is a mine of information. In the second place, he is a bridge between us and the only other civilized race we have encountered. How are you on the classics? Ever read H. G. Wellsâ The War of the Worlds?â
âA long time ago, in school.â
âSuppose the Martians turn out nasty. They might and we have no way of guessing how big a club they swing. Smith might be the go-between who could make the First Interplanetary War unnecessary. Even if this is unlikely, the administration canât ignore it. The discovery of life on Mars is something that, politically, they havenât figured out yet.â
âThen you think he is safe?â
âFor the time being. The Secretary General has to guess right. As you know, his administration is shaky.â
âI donât pay attention to politics.â
âYou should. Itâs barely less important than your own heart beat.â
âI donât pay attention to that, either.â
âDonât talk when Iâm orating. The patchwork majority headed by Douglas could slip apart overnightâPakistan would bolt at a nervous cough. There would be a vote of no confidence and Mr. Secretary General Douglas would go back to being a cheap lawyer. The Man from Mars can make or break him. Are you going to sneak me in?â
âIâm going to enter a nunnery. Is there more coffee?â
âIâll see.â
They stood up. Jill stretched and said, âOh, my ancient bones! Never mind coffee, Ben; Iâve got a hard day tomorrow. Run me home, will you? Or send me home, thatâs safer.â
âOkay, though the evening is young.â He went into his bedroom, came out carrying an object the size of a small cigarette lighter. âYou wonât sneak me in?â
âGee, Ben, I want to, butââ
âNever mind. It is dangerousâand not just to your career.â He showed her the object. âWill you put a bug on him?â
âHuh? What is it?â
âThe greatest boon to spies since the Mickey Finn. A microminiaturized recorder. The wire is spring driven so it canât be spotted by a snooper circuit. The insides are packed in plasticâyou could drop it out of a cab. The power is about as much radioactivity as in a watch dial, but shielded. The wire runs twenty-four hours. Then you slide out a spool and stick in anotherâthe spring is part of the spool.â
âWill it explode?â she asked nervously.
âYou could bake it in a cake.â
âBen, youâve got me scared to go into his room.â
âYou can go into the room next door, canât you?â
âI suppose so.â
âThis thing has donkeyâs ears. Fasten the concave side against a wallâtape will doâand it picks up everything in the room beyond.â
âIâm bound to be noticed if I duck in and out of that room. Ben, his room has a wall in common with a room on another corridor. Will that do?â
âPerfect. Youâll do it?â
âUmm . . . give it to me. Iâll think it over.â
Caxton polished it with his handkerchief. âPut on your gloves.â
âWhy?â
âPossession is good for a vacation behind bars. Use gloves and donât get caught with it.â
âYou think of the nicest things!â
âWant to back out?â
Jill let out a long breath. âNo.â
âGood girl!â A light blinked, he glanced up. âThat must be your cab. I rang for it when I went to get this.â
âOh. Find my shoes, will you? Donât come to the roof. The less Iâm