is said. "I've never heard anything like it--
at least, not since the Bilbo days. And I've only heard about those,"
he added hurriedly.

"What story?" Malone said. "He talked about inefficiency--"

"Not exactly," Burris said carefully. "He said that somebody was out
to get him--him, personally. He said somebody was trying to discredit
him by sabotaging all his legislative plans."

"Well," Malone said, feeling that some comment was called for, "three
cheers."

"That isn't the point," Burris snapped. "No matter how we feel about
Senator Lefferts or his legislative plans, we're sworn to protect him.
And he says 'they' are out to get him."

"They?" Malone said.

"You know," Burris said, shrugging. "The great 'they.' The invisible
enemies all around, working against him."

"Oh," Malone said. "Paranoid?" He had always thought Senator Lefferts
was slightly on the batty side, and the idea of real paranoia didn't
come as too much of a surprise. After all, when a man was batty to
start out with ... and he even _looked_ like a vampire, Malone thought
confusedly.

"As far as paranoia is concerned," Burris said, "I checked with one of
our own psych men, and he'll back it up. Lefferts has definite
paranoid tendencies, he says."

"Well, then," Malone said, "that's that."

Burris shook his head. "It isn't that simple," he said. "You see,
Malone, there's some evidence that somebody _is_ working against him."

"The American public, with any luck at all," Malone said.

"No," Burris said. "An enemy. Somebody sabotaging his plans. Really."

Malone shook his head. "You're crazy," he said.

Burris looked shocked. "Malone, I'm the Director of the FBI," he said.
"And if you insist on being disrespectful--"

"Sorry," Malone murmured. "But--"

"I am perfectly sane," Burris said slowly. "It's Senator Lefferts
who's crazy. The only trouble is, he has evidence to show he's not."

Malone thought about odd cases, and suddenly wished he were somewhere
else. Anywhere else. This one showed sudden signs of developing into
something positively bizarre. "I see," he said, wondering if he did.

"After all," Burris said, in a voice that attempted to sound
reasonable, "a paranoid has just as much right to be persecuted as
anybody else, doesn't he?"

"Sure," Malone said. "Everybody has rights. But what do you want me to
do about that?"

"About their rights?" Burris said. "Nothing, Malone. Nothing."

"I mean," Malone said patiently, "ab