foot.

The tall, rough-stone wall of the Embassy was visible, now, beyond the
monument to the First Settlers of Walden. He leaped to the ground and
ran. Stun-pistol bolts, a little beyond their effective range, stung
like fire. They spurred him on.

The gate of the Embassy was closed. He bolted around the corner and
swarmed up the conveniently rugged stones of the wall. He was well aloft
before the cops spotted him. Then they fired at him industriously and
the charges crackled all around him.

But he'd reached the top and had both arms over the parapet before a
charge hit his legs and stunned them--paralyzed them. He hung fast,
swearing at his bad luck.

Then hands grasped his wrists. A white-haired man appeared on the other
side of the parapet. He took a good, solid grip, and heaved. He drew
Hoddan over the breast-high top of the wall and let him down to the
walkway inside it.

"A near thing, that!" said the white-haired man pleasantly. "I was
taking a walk in the garden when I heard the excitement. I got to the
wall-top just in time." He paused, and added, "I do hope you're not just
a common murderer with the police after him! We can't offer asylum to
such--only a breathing-space and a chance to start running again. But if
you're a political offender--"

Hoddan began to try to rub sensation and usefulness back into his legs.
Feeling came back, and was not pleasant.

"I'm the Interstellar Ambassador," said the white-haired man politely.

"My name," said Hoddan bitterly, "is Bron Hoddan and I'm framed for
trying to save the Power Board some millions of credits a year!" Then he
said more bitterly: "If you want to know, I ran away from Zan to try to
be a civilized man and live a civilized life. It was a mistake! I'm to
be permanently jailed for using my brains!"

The ambassador cocked his head thoughtfully to one side.

"Zan?" he said. "The name Hoddan fits to that somehow. Oh, yes!
Space-piracy! People say the people of Zan capture and loot a dozen or
so ships a year, only there's no way to prove it on them. And there's a
man named Hoddan who's supposed to head a particularly ruffianly gang."

"My grandfather," said Hoddan defiantly. "What are you going to do about
it? I'm outlawed! I've defied the planetary government! I'm disreputable
by descent, and worst of all I've tried to use my brains!"

"Deplorable!" said the ambassador mildly. "I don't mean outlawry is
deplorable, you understand, or defiance of th