Astounding Science Fiction (British Edition) — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

3 74 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION “All right,” said Roger, “‘let’s take a hypothetical case. Suppose I ad- mitted I could levitate. Suppose I didn’t know how I did it. Suppose I had nothing to give the government but my body and an insoluble prob- lem.” ‘“How can you know it’s insoluble?” asked Deering eagerly. “I once asked you to study such a phenomenon,” pointed out Roger, mildly. ““You refused.” “Forget that.” “Look,” Deering spoke rapidly, urgently. “You don’t have a position at the moment. I can offer you one in my department as Associate Professor of Physics. Your teaching duties will be nominal. Full time research on levitation. What about it?” “It sounds attractive,” said Roger. “IT think it’s safe to say that un- limited government funds will be available.” “What do I have to do? Just admit I can levitate?” “IT know you can. I saw you. I want you to do it now for Mr. Cannon.” Roger’s legs moved upward and his body stretched out horizontally at the level of Cannon’s head. He turned to one side and seemed to rest _ on his right elbow. 3 Cannon’s hat fell backward onto the Ged; He yelled: “‘He floats.”’ Deering was almost incoherent with excitement. “Do you see it, man?” “I sure see something.” “Then report it. Put it right down -_ in your report, do you hear me? Make a complete record of it. They won’t say there’s anything wrong with me. I didn’t doubt for a minute that I had seen it.”’ But he couldn’t have been so happy if that were entirely true. “TI don’t even know what the climate is like in Seattle,’’ wailed Jane, “and there are a million things I have to do.” “Need any help?” asked Jim Sarle from his comfortable position in the depths of the armchair. ““There’s nothing you can do. Oh, dear.”’ And she flew from the room, but unlike her husband, she did so figuratively only. Roger Toomey came in. “Jane, do we have the crates for the books yet? Hello, Jim. When did you come in? And where’s Jane?” “I came in a minute ago and Jane’s in the next room. I had to get past a policeman to get in. Man, they’ve got you surrounded.” “Um-m-m,” said Roger, absently. “I told them about you.” “T know you did. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. I told them it was a matter of professional confidence in any case. Why don’t you let the movers do the packing? The government is paying, isn’t it?” | “Movers wouldn’t do it right,” said Jane, suddenly hurrying in again and flouncing down on the sofa. ‘I’m going to have a cigarette.” “Break down, Roger,” said Sarle, “and tell me what happened.” Roger smiled sheepishly. “As you said, Jim, I took my mind off the wrong problem and applied it to the right one. It just seemed to me that I was forever being faced with two alternatives. I was either crooked or crazy. Deering said that flatly in his letter to Morton. The dean assumed I was crooked and Morton suspected that I was crazy. But supposing I could show them that I could really levitate. Well, Morton told me what would happen in the case. Either I would be crooked or the witness would be insane. Morton said that . . . he said that if he saw me fly, he’d prefer to believe himself insane than accept the evidence. Of COMME DOOKSxE© im