d thereafter was able to make it
perform.

"Very nicely done," the old goat grumbled. He hadn't expected anything
of the kind. But I was only half through with him.

"Now," I said. "The more important part of the demonstration. Do you
object to a little minor pain?"

"I certainly do," he growled, bringing his bushy brows down.

"Well, the only way you can tell that Pheola is able to employ her TK
within you is to give you a little sensation. It will only be some
twinges," I said.

He wanted to argue about it, and I dragged the conversation out until
I felt a little tug on my ear. Pheola had completed her scan of
Maragon's heart.

"Oof!" he said as she hit him lightly in the diaphragm. Then she made
his hands jump, first one and then the other. None of it felt real
good, I could see, from the flinching and lip biting that was going on
across the desk.

"That's enough!" he exclaimed as she went to work on his throat. His
hand flew up to massage his larynx. "Quite convincing, young woman.
But what is it good for?"

I laughed at him. "What are most Psi powers good for?" I asked him.
"All that we require for membership is that a person be able to
display them under standardized conditions."

"Yes," he agreed. "Yes, I guess that's so. Well, I gather you'll be
ready to go into your act at the next Chapter Meeting, then?"

Pheola nodded. "I hope so," she said.

"I do, too," the old goat agreed, getting in the last word. "It would
be nice if you could figure out what to do with your ability to snap
my nerve-strings!"

* * * * *

We were silent in the ride down the elevator to our apartments. I took
the chance that Pete wasn't having us peeped, and spoke as soon as we
were in my study.

"What did you find out, Pheola?" I asked her.

"I could feel something, Lefty," she said. "When you had the heart
model over at the hospital, you showed me the coronary artery, you
remember?"

"Yes."

"There are two little bumps in his artery, one about three times as
large as the other."

"Bumps?" I said, frowning. "I'm not sure I know what that means,
Pheola."

"Well, remember how I told you that your own arteries were nice and
clear?"

I nodded.

"His coronary artery isn't like that. It's sort of caked and crusty.
And I think some of that coating has broken away in a couple spots,
and they are like scabs on the sores, only they aren't hard."

This was as close to a classic descript