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Show slowly spreading across the folds of his face. "And these wights," he said slowly, "can make laws until they be black in the face, b u t . . . " He smiled widely, "...but these laws must go through a small committee of the most ruthless, the most pitiless of e d i t o r s . . ." "...who will reduce the whole of the legislation passed for that year to.. . t o . . . o n e screenful of characters, o r . . . ." " . . . or two hundred words! " Janni and Phrapp leaned back in their chairs and laughed heartily. "That should keep the memory to manageable size!" said Janni. Phrapp and the girl stopped laughing and looked at each other with real affection. Then Janni's eyes widened. "Thou!" she whispered. "Thou wert the wight with spacephobia!" For she had just got a quick glimpse into his memory. "And thou," Phrapp said, "wert the screaming maid!" Then he clutched his head with one hand. "Out," he begged. "Out, if it please thee!" For he had no experience at all with someone rattling around in his head, spying out the lay of the land. "But how was it that ye came to this place in an aircar?" Phrapp lowered his hand and frowned. "I was full unconscious, methinks-at least, for the most part." He shuddered. "'Twill go hard with me to go back that way." "'Tis better than plying the cliffs!" said Janni fervently, "Believest thou me!" Then she looked at him keenly. "But thou, thou hast also the Skill " "The Skill? Myself?" 341 |