thought of that. So I'm going under an assumed name.
Your girl said you had something very important to tell me."

"Sure. I want another play," I told him. "_Updraft_ won't run forever,
you know."

"Oh, I have plenty of money now, so I won't have to bother. The people
at the sanitarium have become interested in my project, and all I'm
spending is board and room there. Thanks to your royalty checks I've got
quite a pile in the bank."

"Won't have to bother?" I yelled. "Here I launch you on Broadway, and
that's all the gratitude I get. Now's the time to cash in on the
reputation of your first play. It's setting attendance records."

"Sorry, Mr. Crocker," he said. "I'm in a critical stage of my
experiments. I just can't afford the time at the moment."

"Experiments! Experiments! What is this business?"

He brightened. "Would you believe it? I've contacted memories back to
three months after my birth. And at this rate I'll reach birth itself
within a few weeks."

I shuddered. What a nasty ambition! "What's the percentage?"

"You don't understand," he said warming to his subject. "The further
back I go the more nearly I approach total recall. At present I can
contact any memory in my experience back to six months, day by day,
minute by minute. I can run off these memories like colored movies,
recalling every sight, sound, smell, feel and taste."

"So what happened earlier than six months that's so important?"

"Probably nothing of great interest," Hardy granted, "but the further
back I go, the more intense is the reality of all my memories. For
instance, right now I can return to the day, hour, minute and second I
went to school for the first time. I can remember the look on the
teacher's face and hear the screams of twenty-six kindergarten kids. I
can smell the freshly oiled floors and the newly painted walls. I can
feel the wart on my mother's finger, the one I was holding onto for dear
life."

The almost fanatic glow in his eager, young face impressed me. Realism
of memory! Could that be the essence of his successful first play? Did
his down-to-earth touch account for _Updraft's_ surprising audience
appeal?

I pleaded, "Don't let me down now, Hillary. I gambled thousands of
dollars on your first play. If you can repeat we'll both enjoy an even
better pay-off. Besides, have you looked into what your taxes will be?"

"Taxes? No, I really haven't, but I'm sure I have enough to last another
year. Sorry, Mr. C