Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 37: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

HUMPTY one foot to another, his reflection blurring in the shining surface of the calculator’s control panel. Cody said without turning, “But if the Inductor is a failure, then we'll have to—” An image of death and dying formed like a cloud in his thoughts. He had not said this aloud. Allenby interrupted very quickly, not speaking aloud either, but his thoughts cutting into Cody’s, ending it before the image of destruction could take full shape in Cody’s mind. “No. We’ve had another setback. But we'll try again. We’ll keep on trying. We may never have to use— that.” His mind sketched in the thin crystal in the calculator, with death for most of the race of man locked in it. “Call it setback or call it failure,” Cody said, in the silence of his mind. “The goal’s too high. Nobody knows what makes a man telepathic. No- body’s ever going to induce it with a machine. No Inductor will ever work. You know that.” “I don’t know it,”’ Allenby’s thought said quietly. “I think it can be done. Jeff, you’re under too much pressure.” Cody laughed shortly. “Merriam _ lasted three months in this job,” he said. “Brewster stood it longest— eight months. This is my sixth month. What’s the matter? Afraid I'll resign ‘the way Brewster did?’.. “No,” Allenby said. “But—”’ “O.K.,” Cody interrupted the thought irritably. “Forget it.” He felt Allenby’s mind touch the edges of his with tentative, uneasy brushing motions. Allenby was a psychologist. And therefore Cody was a little afraid of him. He did not want expert atten- tion brought to bear on him just now. There was something terrifying and yet very tempting down close under the surface of his thoughts, and he did not mean to expose it just yet to DUMPTY 35 anyone. He made an effort of the will and summoned up a shimmer of pleasant images like a smoke screen to puff in Allenby’s face. Pine woods with warm rain blowing through them, a quarter of a mile over their heads above the limestone sky. The quiet and clearness of the empty heavens broken only by the buzz of a helicopter and the soft, continual swish of its vanes. The face of Cody’s wife when she was in a good mood and laughing gently. ) He felt Allenby’s uneasiness tenta- tively subside. He did not turn as he heard Allenby’s feet shift on the floor. “Tl get back, then,”’ Allenby said without words. “I just wanted to see you when I told you that we'd hit an- other dead end. Is it all right, Jeff?” “Fine,” Cody said. “I won’t keep ou.” Allenby went out. Cody listened while the receding footsteps crossed the room beyond. He heard the door close and lock. He was alone now, physically, though all through the cavern an interlacing play of telepathic thoughts moved con- tinually, touching his own and passing. Even Allenby sent back a vague un- easiness as he moved away. So Cody kept the images of pine woods and clear sky and laughing women playing over the surface of his mind. But his eyes turned sidewise and without moving his head he saw lying on the edge of a work table within reach of his hand the thing he had not dared admit into his mind till now. Too many other minds were watching. What he saw was a knife with a heavy, narrow blade and a sharp point, left by some careless workman. What he thought of was the man be- fore him in his job, and the way Brewster had resigned from it after eight months. Brewster had used a revolver. But a knife was good, too. COMIGIOO <SiCO