f course I knew," I told him. "I ran away
from home at thirteen to get away from having her inside my head all the
time. That's how I learned to close my mind--closing her out as much as
I could. The power got stronger as I grew older."

"It's embarrassing," George said, turning away from me to look out the
window. "To have you, of all people, Gyp, with telepathic heredity.
Still, if no one knows, and since you've never had the slightest
manifestation of psi powers yourself, there may be some way we can
preserve your usefulness."

"Today, within the last half hour, George, my latent telepathic ability
became manifest. George, I'm a snake."

His face froze. Then the batonlike cigar stopped its movement. He was
like a statue. The pose broke, and he pressed a button.

"Send Carol Lundgren in," he ordered. I knew Carol, another short-range
telepath that George used as his private lie-detector.

Carol was at my elbow in a moment or so. George wasted no words. "Carol,
is there a telepath in this room?" he asked.

Carol grinned. "Yep," he said to the enforced silence. "There is."
George Kelly's face fell. "His name is Carol Lundgren," the kid went on.
"Next question?"

George looked as though he could have brained him. "All right, you
Philadelphia lawyer," he grumbled. "Besides yourself, Carol, is there a
telepath in this room?"

"No, Mr. Kelly, there is not."

"Get out, and don't scare me like that again." George told him.

I didn't get it. I said so: "George, I don't get it. I read my mother's
thoughts, and for that matter, Fred Plaice's thoughts, too. That's why I
asked you not to give him my job. I swear to you I can read thoughts."

"So?"

"If I _know_ I'm a telepath, Carol should be able to read the thought
that I know it," I protested.

"You're like me," George Kelly said. "You automatically close your mind
in the presence of a telepath. It's pure reflex now. Carol couldn't read
a thing because you clammed your thoughts the instant he walked in."

"That was _then_!" I yelled at him. "_Before_ my psi powers became
manifest. You know that a telepath can't close his mind! Why couldn't
Carol read my thoughts?"

_Well_, George thought, _he couldn't read mine either, could he?_

_No_, I thought. _He couldn't. He ... George!_ my mind shrieked at him.

Somebody kicked the props out from under my world. _George Kelly was a
snake!_

_Don't be silly_, he thought. _I'm no more a snake than you are, Gyp._

_B