t the meeting, along with half a dozen
of his associates. Dr. Rude was a small man, dapper, totally unlike a
research chemist, and his speech and manner were as impeccable as his
dress. Only his hands were a giveaway; they were stained with yellow and
black stains that looked completely out of place on the man. Dr. Rude
opened the meeting with an explanation concerning the technician he had
hired from the Marchare Laboratories two years earlier. "Just a week
ago," said Dr. Rude, "we put him on a problem of paper chemistry. He
told us that the properties we sought--and more--had already been found
by your laboratory. He said no more, and we would not have allowed him
to say any more, except that you were the patent lawyer who was working
on the case. That is all we know about it. We hope you have something of
mutual interest, but we don't know any more than what I have told you."

I said, "Thank you, Dr. Rude. I understand how it was. I assure you it
never crossed our minds down in Washington that anything could have been
out of line in any manner whatsoever."

The assembled group smiled, and I smiled back, and we all felt friendly
with one another. Dr. Rude cleared his throat and said, "Well, is there
anything you can tell us about this tearpr ... about a paper having some
of these very interesting properties?"

I said, "There is a great deal I can tell you about the paper we have,
but suppose I let you see some specimens before I say anything. There's
nothing like the actual goods themselves to do most of the talking."

We all laughed as I took half a dozen twelve-by-twelve hand sheets out
of my briefcase and passed them around the table. I watched the chemists
finger the sheets, savoring their soft coolness, and I heard the
whispered comments, "good hand," "excellent softness," "fine color," and
a few others. Dr. Rude said, "Are these 'breaking samples', Mr. Saddle?
Do you mind if we tear them?"

Well, you can see that this was the question I was waiting for. I sat
back and allowed a slight smile to play over my face. I said, "Oh no,
gentlemen. Go ahead and tear them."

I saw several of the people take the sheets between their thumbs and
forefingers, and gently pull. I saw the sheets tighten momentarily, and
then--as if the sheets were no more than ordinary cleansing tissue--I
saw the fibers pull apart as each man easily tore the sheet in half.

I felt the blood drain from my face, and it seemed to me that my
p