Like a man in a trance, Blair got up from his desk and grasped the pencil. It wouldn't move. He got red in the face and threw all his weight on it. It would neither pull nor push. It stayed where it was. Finally Blair backed away from the thing. He leaned on his desk and panted. "You see," Ted said, "The hole goes into the fourth dimension. There's no other explanation. And the fourth dimension holds solider than concrete." Old Blair's head was spinning, but business instinct came quickly to his rescue. "What happens," he asked, "if something in the third dimension is in the way?" "It gets out of the way," Bill said. Ted demonstrated. He trained the box on the visible remains of the pencil. It vanished. Blair said, "Well, I'll be damned!" "We figure this will save you a lot of money in construction work," Bill said. "You can get along without riveters. You just have a man put holes in girders with this and push the rivets through. You also make holes for the beam-ends, and your entire building will be anchored in the fourth dimension." "Do it again," Blair said. Ted made another hole and put another pencil into it. Blair grasped the pencil and applied leverage. The pencil snapped at the point it entered the next dimension but the broken end of the far piece was not to be seen. Blair asked, "You say you two invented this gadget?" "That's right," Bill said. "We've got a workshop in my basement. We invent in the evenings after we come home from work." "What do you work at?" "I read gas meters. He's a clerk in a supermarket." "I suppose you want money for this thing." "We'd like to sell it, yes, sir." "How much do you want for it?" "Well, we don't know. What's it worth to you?" "Nothing probably. Leave it here a few days. I'll look it over and let you know." "But--" "And don't call me--I'll call you." "But--" "Leave your address and phone number with my secretary." After Ted and Bill left, Blair yelled, "Get me Jake Steadman in the engineering department!" He didn't bother using the intercom, but his secretary heard him anyhow. * * * * * Ted and Bill went to work on an idea they had for the treatment of leather. You dipped your shoes in a solution and they lasted forever. The thing didn't work too well, however. It was full of bugs. They tried to eliminate the bugs and once in a while they thought of H. Joshua Blair. "Don't you think it's about time he called us?" Ted asked. "Don't be so impatient. He's a big man. He owns a big company. It takes time." "He's had over a month." "Relax. We'll hear from him." * * * * * Another week passed, and another, until one evening Ted came galloping into the workshop with news. "That big new addition to the City Hall! They're working on it! H. Joshua Blair Construction Company. A big sign says so!" "Relax. You'll blow a tube."