y the way, it is ordered that from now on no one is to refer to Betsy
or any work on these broadcasts, over any type of electronic
communication. No telephone, no communicator, no teletype, no radio, no
form of communication except _viva voce_. And that means you talking to
somebody else, Sergeant, with no microphone around. Understand? And from
now on you will not talk about anything at all except to these gentlemen
and to me."

Sergeant Bellews said incredulously:

"Suppose I got to talk to somebody in the Rehab Shop. Do I signal with
my ears and fingers?"

"You don't talk," said the colonel flatly. "Not at all."

Sergeant Bellews shook his head sadly. He regarded the colonel with such
reproach that the colonel stiffened. But Sergeant Bellews had a gift for
machinery. He had what amounted to genius for handling Mahon-modified
devices. So long as no more competent men turned up, he was apt to get
away with more than average.

The colonel frowned and went out of the room. The tall young lieutenant
followed him faithfully. The sergeant regarded the three scientists with
the suspicious air he displayed to everyone not connected with Mahon
units in some fashion.

"Well?" he said with marked reserve. "What can I tell you first?"

Lecky was the smallest of the three scientists. He said ingratiatingly,
with the faintest possible accent in his speech:

"The nicest thing you could do for us, Sergeant, would be to show us
that this--Betsy, is it?--with other machines before her, has developed
a contagious machine insanity. It would frighten me to learn that
machines can go mad, but I would prefer it to other explanations for the
messages she gives."

"Betsy can't go crazy," said Bellews with finality. "She's
Mahon-controlled, but she hasn't got what it takes to go crazy. A Mahon
unit fixes a machine so it can loaf and be a permanent dynamic system
that can keep acquired habits of operatin'. It can take trainin'. It can
get to be experienced. It can learn the tricks of its trade, so to
speak. But it can't go crazy!"

"Too bad!" said Lecky. He added persuasively: "But a machine can lie,
Sergeant? Would that be possible?"

Sergeant Bellews snorted in denial.

* * * * *

"The broadcasts," said Lecky mildly, "claim a remarkable reason for
certainty about an extremely grave danger which is almost upon the
world. If it's the truth, Sergeant, it is appalling. If it is a lie, it
may be more