cimal
places if you ever need it. Just count the letters."

Over his glass, Tim eyed James thoughtfully. "So if this is true, James,
just who owns that fabulous machine of yours?"

"It is mine, or ours."

"You gave me to believe that it was a high-priority Government project,"
he said accusingly.

"Sorry. But I would lie as glibly to God Himself if it became necessary
to protect myself by falsehood. I'm sorry it isn't a Government project,
but it's just as important a secret."

"Anything as big as this _should_ be the business of the Government."

"Perhaps so. But it's mine to keep or to give, and it's mine to study."
James was thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose that you can argue that
anything as important as this should be handed over to the authorities
immediately; that a large group of men dedicated to such a study can
locate its difficulties and its pitfalls and failures far swifter than
a single youth of eleven. Yet by the right of invention, a process
protected by the Constitution of the United States and circumvented by
some very odd rulings on the part of the Supreme Court, it is mine by
inheritance, to reap the exclusive rewards for my family's work. Until
I'm of an age when I am deemed capable of managing my own life, I'd be
'protected' out of my rights if I handed this to anybody--including the
Government. They'd start a commission full of bureaucrats who'd first
use the machine to study how to best expand their own little empire,
perpetuate themselves in office, and then they'd rule me out on the
quaint theory that education is so important that it mustn't be wasted
on the young."

Tim Fisher smiled wryly. He turned to Janet Bagley. "How do you want it?"
he asked her.

"For Martha's sake, I want it his way," she said.

"All right. Then that's the way we'll have it," said Tim Fisher. He eyed
James somewhat ruefully. "You know, it's a funny thing. I've always
thought this was a screwy set-up, and to be honest, I've always thought
you were a pretty bumptious kid. I guess you had a good reason. Anyway, I
should have known Janet wouldn't have played along with it unless she had
a reason that was really helping somebody."

James saw with relief that Tim had allied himself with the cause; he was,
in fact, very glad to have someone knowledgeable and levelheaded in on
the problem. Anyway he really liked Tim, and was happy to have the
deception out of the way.

"That's all right," he said awkwardly.