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.He's sitting, or standing, or whatever it is he does, about two metres on the other side of the screen.If the resolution had been a bit better, we might even have calculated his size."Stormgren's feelings were very mixed as he stared at that scarcely visible inflexion of the trace.Until now, there had been no proof that Karellen even had a material body.The evidence was still indirect, but he accepted it without question."The other thing we had to do," said Duval, "was to calculate the transmission of the screen to ordinary light.We think we've got a reasonable idea of that-anyway it doesn't matter if we're out even by a factor often.You'll realize, of course, that there's no such thing as a truly one-way glass.It's simply a matter of arranging the lights.Karellen sits in a darkened room; you are illuminated-that's all." Duval chuckled."Well, we're going to change that!"With the air of a conjurer producing a whole litter of white rabbits, he reached into his desk and pulled out an overgrown flashlight.The end flared out into a wide nozzle, so that the whole device looked rather like a blunderbuss.Duval grinned."It's not as dangerous as it looks.All you have to do is to ram the nozzle against the screen and press the trigger.It gives out a very powerful beam lasting ten seconds, and in that time you'll be able to swing it round the room and get a good view.All the light will go through the screen and it will floodlight your friend beautifully.""It won't hurt Karellen?""Not if you aim low and sweep upwards.That will give his eyes time to adapt-I suppose he has reflexes like ours, and we don't want to blind him."Stormgren looked at the weapon doubtfully and hefted it in his hand.For the last few weeks his conscience had been pricking him.Karellen had always treated him with unmistakable affection, despite his occasional devastating frankness, and now that their time together was drawing to its close he did not wish to do anything that might spoil that relationship.But the Supervisor had received due warning, and Stormgren had the conviction that if the choice had been his, Karellen would long ago have shown himself.Now the decision would be made for him; when their last meeting came to its end, Stormgren would gaze upon Karellen's face.If, of course, Karellen had a face.The nervousness that Stormgren had first felt had long since passed away.Karellen was doing almost all the talking, weaving the intricate sentences which he was occasionally prone to use.Once this had seemed to Stormgren the most wonderful and certainly the most unexpected of all Karellen's gifts.Now it no longer appeared quite so marvelous, for he knew that like most of the Supervisor's abilities it was the result of sheer intellectual power and not of any special talent.Karellen had time for any amount of literary composition when he slowed his thoughts down to the pace of human speech."There is no need for you or your successor to worry unduly about the Freedom League, even when it has recovered from its present despondency.It has been very quiet for the past month, and though it will revive again it will not be a danger for some years.Indeed, since it is always valuable to know what your opponents are doing, the League is a very useful institution.Should it ever get into financial difficulties I might even have to subsidize it."Stormgren had often found it difficult to tell when Karellen was joking.He kept his face impassive and continued to listen."Very soon the League will lose another of its arguments.There has been a good deal of criticism, all somewhat childish, of the special position you have held for the past few years.I found it very valuable in the early days of my administration, but now that the world is moving along the lines that I planned, it can cease.In future, all my dealings with Earth will be indirect and the office of Secretary-General can revert to something resembling its original form."During the next fifty years there will be many crises, but they will pass.The pattern of the future is clear enough, and one day all these difficulties will be forgotten-even to a race with memories as long as yours."The last words were spoken with such peculiar emphasis that Stormgren immediately froze in his seat.Karellen, he was sure, never made accidental slips; even his indiscretions were calculated to many decimal places.But there was no time to ask questions-which certainly would not be answered-before the Supervisor had changed the subject again [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]