er, was dreaming. But that was Fenwick.

The President of Clearwater College entered the outer office promptly at
nine-thirty. Pehrson greeted him, and Doris showed him into Baker's
office.

Dr. John Fenwick didn't look like a college president, and Baker,
unknowingly, held this vaguely against him, too. He looked more like a
prosperous small business man and gave the impression of having just
finished a brisk workout on the handball court, and a cold shower. He
was ruddy and robust and ill-equipped with academic dignity.

Baker pumped his hand as if genuinely glad to see him. "It's good to see
you again, John. Come on over and sit down."

"I'll bet you hoped I'd break a leg on the way here," said Fenwick. He
took a chair by the desk and glanced at the file folder, reading the
title, Clearwater College. "And you've been hoping my application would
get lost, and the whole thing would just disappear."

"Now, look, John--" Baker took his own seat behind the desk. Fenwick had
always had a devilish knack for making him feel uncomfortable.

"It's all right," said Fenwick, waving away Baker's protests with a
vigorous flap of his hand. "I know Clearwater isn't MIT or Cal Tech, but
we've got a real hot physics department, and you're going to see some
sparks flying out of there if you'll give us half a chance in the
finance department. What's the good word, anyway? Do we get the research
grant?"

Baker took a deep breath and settled his arms on the desk in front of
him, leaning on them for support. He wished Fenwick wasn't so abrupt
about things.

"John," Baker said slowly. "The head of your physics department doesn't
even have a Ph. D. degree."

Fenwick brightened. "He's working on that, though! I told you that in
answer to the question in the application. Bill, I wish you'd come down
and see that boy. The things he can do with crystals would absolutely
knock your hat off. He can stack them just like a kid stacking building
blocks--crystals that nobody else has ever been able to manipulate so
far. And the electrical characteristics of some of them--you wouldn't
believe the transistors he's been able to build!"

"John," said Baker patiently. "The head of the physics department in any
institution receiving a grant must have a Ph. D. degree. That is one
absolutely minimum requirement."

"You mean we've got to wait until George finishes his work for his
degree before we get the grant? That puts us in kind of a predicame