Thornberry seemed to be," Senator Giles said.

Bennington nodded politely, though he had not been much impressed by
the lean, high-voiced man who had greeted him with such open delight.
Dr. Thornberry had expressed too much burbling joy when he had been
relieved of his administrative job as Acting Warden, had been
overly-happy about resuming his normal duties as Assistant Warden and
Chief Psychologist.

"I'm very much interested in some of your ideas on reducing the
overhead here, general," Culpepper said, "although I'm also wondering
if they may not cost my good friend, the senator, some votes in his
district."

"That will be no real worry," Giles said thoughtfully, "if I can show
the changes are real economies. Today that's the way to gain votes and
I'd come up with more than I'd lose."

"But your turnover," Culpepper said. "I can see that in a regular
prison, where they have the men a long time, it's easy to train them
in kitchen work and supply. But here.... How long do you plan to keep
them, general?"

"I'll try to get back to the original purpose in setting up Duncannon
as quickly as possible," Bennington said. "Dr. Thornberry agreed that
five days is the maximum time his sections need to complete the
analysis of a prisoner and decide what prison he should go to. After
that, we will have sound reason to start charging the individual
states for each day we have to keep their consignment."

"Complicated," Giles said. "I mean, the bookkeeping."

"Not at all. I'll either hold the next top-sergeant that comes through
here or borrow one from Carlisle or Indiantown Gap. He can set up a
sort of morning-report system, and when the states learn they will
have to pay us to handle the men _they_ should be feeding, we will
soon see ... well, there won't be six hundred and fifty men, women and
children stuffed into barracks designed to hold three hundred and
fifty."

Bennington had spoken calmly and he lifted his glass casually. But
over the rim of his drink he caught the eye of another old soldier.

Ferguson, who had been a private when Bennington had been only a
captain in Korea, eased himself to within earshot.

The two had risen in rank and grade together. Thirty-three years had
taught them the value of an unobtrusive witness to the general's
conversations.

* * * * *

"But with personnel changing so rapidly--frankly, I didn't understand
your reference to a replo-depot," Culpe