sts two or three
hundred dollars you still retain caste whatever the styling.

Simon said unenthusiastically, "Good morning, Mr. Oyster." He indicated
the client's chair. "Sit down, sir."

The client fussed himself with Betty's assistance into the seat,
bug-eyed Simon, said finally, "You know my name, that's pretty good.
Never saw you before in my life. Stop fussing with me, young lady. Your
ad in the phone book says you'll investigate anything."

"Anything," Simon said. "Only one exception."

"Excellent. Do you believe in time travel?"

Simon said nothing. Across the room, where she had resumed her seat,
Betty cleared her throat. When Simon continued to say nothing she
ventured, "Time travel is impossible."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Yes, why?"

Betty looked to her boss for assistance. None was forthcoming. There
ought to be some very quick, positive, definite answer. She said, "Well,
for one thing, paradox. Suppose you had a time machine and traveled back
a hundred years or so and killed your own great-grandfather. Then how
could you ever be born?"

"Confound it if I know," the little fellow growled. "How?"

Simon said, "Let's get to the point, what you wanted to see me about."

"I want to hire you to hunt me up some time travelers," the old boy
said.

Betty was too far in now to maintain her proper role of silent
secretary. "Time travelers," she said, not very intelligently.

The potential client sat more erect, obviously with intent to hold the
floor for a time. He removed the pince-nez glasses and pointed them at
Betty. He said, "Have you read much science fiction, Miss?"

"Some," Betty admitted.

"Then you'll realize that there are a dozen explanations of the
paradoxes of time travel. Every writer in the field worth his salt has
explained them away. But to get on. It's my contention that within a
century or so man will have solved the problems of immortality and
eternal youth, and it's also my suspicion that he will eventually be
able to travel in time. So convinced am I of these possibilities that I
am willing to gamble a portion of my fortune to investigate the presence
in our era of such time travelers."

Simon seemed incapable of carrying the ball this morning, so Betty said,
"But ... Mr. Oyster, if the future has developed time travel why don't
we ever meet such travelers?"

Simon put in a word. "The usual explanation, Betty, is that they can't
afford to allow the space-time continuum track to