People?" and
that brittle snap was only too familiar to me. "What have the people
to do with it? This is no time for anything but a decision, and a
quick one!"

Morgan agreed with that. "Correct, General. The question, I believe,
is not that a decision be made, but the wording and definition of that
decision."

"Bah!" and the cigar jumped to the other side. "Words! Definitions!
Decisions! Words, words, words! Let's decide what's to be done and do
it!"

The Undersecretary coughed gently behind his palm. "Unfortunately,
General Legree, for the sake of speedy action, and as unfortunately
for the sake of all concerned, words mean one thing to one man, and
another thing to a second."

* * * * *

A fine party this turned out to be. In the dark as to what happened
before I came in, and equally at sea as to what was going on, I leaned
toward the Old Man.

"What's this?" I whispered.

He shot a quick retort. "Keep your mouth shut for the time being." He
paused, and then bent in my direction. "You'll get your chance to
talk." He grasped my extended arm tightly. "I'll nudge you when the
time comes. Then talk, and _talk_! You know what I mean?"

Did I? I didn't know. He saw my indecision and motioned for quiet.
Evidently he was expecting me to catch the trend if I waited long
enough. I waited, and I watched, and I listened.

Simon had been right about one thing. Words, words, words. But I began
to get some of the drift. They'd already settled the part of the
problem I thought was supposed to be bothering them. They'd decided
that since the news on me was out, the facts had to be faced--the way
they understand facing them.

I should have been reading the papers or listening to the radio. It
must have been something to hear when the news that I was a new secret
weapon to end them all was confirmed; but they'd confused the issue by
indicating that I was just one of the men with the new power, and that
the country was now practically blanketed with it.

It was fine for them. It meant that the people were happy, and that
Army, Navy and all the other departments were being openly and
publicly adulated for the fine thing they had done for everyone.

The Undersecretary made an answer to one of Simon's remarks. I hadn't
been listening for a few seconds while the scheme sank in, but this
registered.

"You're right, of course, General. Certain foreign information bureaus
won't be deceived by t