m. So we walked in through the big door, peered around,
listened for the sounds of machinery and walked in that direction.

And then we found him; he was sound asleep. Amy, looking indignant,
shook him awake.

"Is that how you guard military property?" she scolded. "Don't you
know the penalty for sleeping at your post?"

The guard said something irritable and unhappy. I got her off his back
with some difficulty, and we located Arthur.

Picture a shiny four-gallon tomato can, with the label stripped off,
hanging by wire from the flashing-light panels of an electric
computer. That was Arthur. The shiny metal cylinder was his prosthetic
tank; the wires were the leads that served him for fingers, ears and
mouth; the glittering panel was the control center for the
Consolidated Edison Eastside Power Plant No. 1.

"Hi, Arthur," I said, and a sudden ear-splitting thunderous hiss was
his way of telling me that he knew I was there.

I didn't know exactly what it was he was trying to say and I didn't
want to; fortune spares me few painful moments, and I accept with
gratitude the ones it does. The Major's boys hadn't bothered to bring
Arthur's typewriter along--I mean who cares what a generator-governor
had to offer in the way of conversation?--so all he could do was blow
off steam from the distant boilers.

* * * * *

Well, not quite all. Light flashed; a bucket conveyor began crashingly
to dump loads of coal; and an alarm gong began to pound.

"Please, Arthur," I begged. "Shut up a minute and listen, will you?"

More lights. The gong rapped half a dozen times sharply, and stopped.

I said: "Arthur, you've got to trust Vern and me. We have this thing
figured out now. We've got the _Queen Elizabeth_--"

A shattering hiss of steam--meaning delight this time, I thought. Or
anyway hoped.

"--and its only a question of time until we can carry out the plan.
Vern says to apologize for not looking in on you--" _hiss_--"but he's
been busy. And after all, you know it's more important to get
everything ready so you can get out of this place, right?"

"Psst," said Amy.

She nodded briefly past my shoulder. I looked, and there was the
guard, looking sleepy and surly and definitely suspicious.

I said heartily: "So as soon as I fix it up with the Major, we'll
arrange for something better for you. Meanwhile, Arthur, you're doing
a capital job and I want you to know that all of us loyal New York