rs. And by insisting that something
is wrong here and demanding the truth, you have placed Mrs. Bagley in the
awkward position of having to make a decision that divides her loyalties.
She has had the complete trust of Mr. Maxwell for almost a year and a
half. Now, tell me, Mr. Fisher, to whom shall she remain loyal?"

"That isn't the point--"

"Yes, it is the point, Mr. Fisher. It is exactly the point. You're asking
Mrs. Bagley to tell you the details of her employer's business, which is
unethical."

"How much have you heard?" demanded Fisher crossly.

"Enough, at least to know what you've been hammering at."

"Then you know that I've as much as said that there was some suspicion
attached."

"Suspicion of what?"

"Well, why aren't you in school?"

"That's Mr. Maxwell's business."

"Let me tell you, youngster, it is more than your Mr. Maxwell's business.
There are laws about education and he's breaking them."

James said patiently: "The law states that every child shall receive an
adequate education. The precise wording I do not know, but it does
provide for schooling outside of the state school system if the parent or
guardian so prefers, and providing that such extraschool education is
deemed adequate by the state. Can you say that I am not properly
educated, Mr. Fisher?"

"Well, you'd hardly expect me to be an expert on the subject."

"Then I'd hardly expect you to pass judgment, either," said James
pointedly.

"You're pretty--" Tim Fisher caught his tongue at the right moment. He
felt his neck getting hot. It is hard enough to be told that you are
off-base and that your behavior has been bad when an adult says the
damning words. To hear the same words from a ten-year-old is unbearable.
Right or wrong, the adult's position is to turn aside or shut the child
up either by pulling rank or cuffing the young offender with an open
hand. To have this upstart defend Mrs. Bagley, in whose presence he could
hardly lash back, put Mr. Fisher in a very unhappy state of mind. He
swallowed and then asked, lamely, "Why does he have to be so furtive?"

"What is your definition of 'furtive'?" asked James calmly. "Do you
employ the same term to describe the operations of that combination
College-A.E.C. installation on the other side of town?"

"That's secret--"

"Implying that atomic energy is secretly above-board, legal, and
honorable, whereas Mr. Maxwell's--"

"But we know about atomic energy."

"Sure we do," j