orth, wearing dusty khaki puttees, brown
plastic boots, a yellow polo shirt. He carried a twig which he used as a
riding crop, slapping his boots as he walked. He turned his head as
Murphy appeared, pointed his twig at a wicker bench.

"I pray you sit down, Mr. Murphy." He paced once up and back. "How is
your suite? You find it to your liking?"

"Very much so."

"Excellent," said the Sultan. "You do me honor with your presence."

Murphy waited patiently.

"I understand that you had a visitor this morning," said the Sultan.

"Yes. Mr. Trimmer."

"May I inquire the nature of the conversation?"

"It was of a personal nature," said Murphy, rather more shortly than he
meant.

The Sultan nodded wistfully. "A Singhalusi would have wasted an hour
telling me half-truths--distorted enough to confuse, but not
sufficiently inaccurate to anger me if I had a spy-cell on him all the
time."

Murphy grinned. "A Singhalusi has to live here the rest of his life."

A servant wheeled a frosted cabinet before them, placed goblets under
two spigots, withdrew. The Sultan cleared his throat. "Trimmer is an
excellent fellow, but unbelievably loquacious."

Murphy drew himself two inches of chilled rosy-pale liquor. The Sultan
slapped his boots with the twig. "Undoubtedly he confided all my private
business to you, or at least as much as I have allowed him to learn."

"Well--he spoke of your hope to increase the compass of Singhalut."

"That, my friend, is no hope; it's absolute necessity. Our population
density is fifteen hundred to the square mile. We must expand or
smother. There'll be too little food to eat, too little oxygen to
breathe."

Murphy suddenly came to life. "I could make that idea the theme of my
feature! Singhalut Dilemma: Expand or Perish!"

"No, that would be inadvisable, inapplicable."

Murphy was not convinced. "It sounds like a natural."

The Sultan smiled. "I'll impart an item of confidential
information--although Trimmer no doubt has preceded me with it." He gave
his boots an irritated whack. "To expand I need funds. Funds are best
secured in an atmosphere of calm and confidence. The implication of
emergency would be disastrous to my aims."

"Well," said Murphy, "I see your position."

The Sultan glanced at Murphy sidelong. "Anticipating your cooperation,
my Minister of Propaganda has arranged an hour's program, stressing our
progressive social attitude, our prosperity and financial prospects ..."