Trade secret

Wolfe nodded. “If you had lived in ancient Salem, they would no doubt have burned you for witchcraft. They were more clever at catching on to these things back in them days. But I’m not entirely sure it won’t happen yet. You have just delivered one of the deadliest rabbit punches ever given to the glorious age of scientific superstition, and I don’t think its high priests are going to let you go entirely unscratched.

“Dykstra is not the only one. He just happened to be in the minority at the Committee meetings. The others would have come if they had known you had a chance of winning. The universities are bulging with them. There are plenty, too, in the commercial labs. The AEC and the Bureau of Standards are salted liberally with them.”

Mart laughed and gave up the work he was trying to do. He leaned back and looked at Don Wolfe. “I’m afraid I haven’t the least idea what you are talking about, Don.”

“The old way was a good way because it was essentially designed to discourage new thinking. It encouraged a man to try to make a million by selling a new and patented writing tool that wouldn’t work. It encouraged file clerks to invent collar holders and tie clips. It got ten million tinkerers and garage mechanics to spend their week-ends thinking up dimestore ding-whizzits and mail order thingoolies so they could get enough to retire.

“And it kept nicely under its thumb the thousands of good brains that might have been engaged in new, basic thinking on how the Universe is put together — which is what its chief purpose came to be. Oh, not consciously, of course! You know that better than I. The human organism is far more devious than that. But that’s been the effect.

“Now it’s blown wide open. You meant to blow it open. You did it deliberately, knowing the full effect of what you were doing. And I almost missed it!

“I want a piece of it. I recognize that, compared to you guys, I’m a sort of subhuman moron, but I’m bright enough to see what’s going on. I can sweep floors and brush off desks and take care of laboratory equipment. So — have you got a place for me?”

Mart laughed again and turned to his partner who was chuckling softly. “I guess the firm of Nagle and Berkeley can always scare up room,” said Mart, “for a young man who exhibits such terrific powers of imagination!”