le, that's all. Let's go see what Carl
and Jean and the boys have dug up." Fisher smiled grimly, an eager
gleam in his eye.

Carl and Jean and the boys had dug up plenty. The floor of offices Dan
rented for the work of his organization was going like Washington
Terminal at rush hour. A dozen people were here and there, working
with tapes, papers, program cards. Jean met them at the door, hustled
them into the private offices in the back. "Carl just got here, too.
He's down eating. The boys outside are trying to make sense out of his
insurance and advertising figures."

"He got next to them okay?"

"Sure--but you were right, they didn't like it."

"What sort of reports?"

* * * * *

The girl sighed. "Only prelims. Almost all of the stuff is up in the
air, which makes it hard to evaluate. The ad-men have to be figuring
what they're going to do next half-century, so that they'll be there
with the right thing when the time comes. But it seems they don't like
what they see. People have to buy what the ad-men are selling, or the
ad-men shrivel up, and already the trend seems to be showing up.
People aren't in such a rush to buy. Don't have the same sense of
urgency that they used to--" Her hands fluttered. "Well, as I say,
it's all up in the air. Let the boys analyze for a while. The suicide
business is a little more tangible. The rates are up, all over. But
break it into first-generation and Repeaters, and it's pretty clear
who's pushing it up."

"Like Armstrong," said Dan slowly.

Jean nodded. "Oh, here's Carl now."

He came in, rubbing his hands, and gave Dan a queer look. "Everything
under control, Dan?"

Dan nodded. He told Carl about Tyndall's proposition. Carl gave a wry
grin. "He hasn't changed a bit, has he?"

"Yes, he has. He's gotten lots stronger."

Carl scowled, and slapped the desk with his palm. "You should have
stopped him, Dan. I told you that a long time ago--back when I first
came in with you. He was aiming for your throat even then, trying to
use me and what I knew about Dad to sell the country a pack of lies
about you. He almost did, too. I hated your guts back then. I thought
you were the rottenest man that ever came up in politics, until you
got hold of me and pounded sense into my head. And Tyndall's never
forgiven you that, either."

"All right--we're still ahead of him. Have you just finished with the
ad-men?"

"Oh, no. I just got back from a trip so