The cabinet stood in the north end of Venus Equilateral but it was not alone. It may even be the record for all times; certainly no other cabinet three by three by five ever had twenty-seven men all standing in a circle awaiting developments. The cabinet at the south end of Venus Equilateral was no less popular, though the number of watchers was less by one. Here, then, were winner and runner-up of inanimate popularity for the ages. The communicator system set in the walls of the two rooms carried sounds from the north room to the south, and those sounds in the south room could be heard in the north room. Channing grinned boyishly at Arden. "This, my love, is a device which may make it quite possible for me to send you back to mother." Arden smiled serenely. "No dice," she said, "Mother went back to grandmother last week. When is this thing going to cook?" "Directly." "What are we waiting for?" "Walt." "I'm ready," came Walt's voice through the speaker. "About time, slowpoke." "Really, it was not his fault," objected Wes. "I wanted to check the scanner-synchronization." "He's precious," chortled Arden in Don's ear. "He wouldn't think of letting Walt--the big bum--take the blame for anything that wasn't Walt's fault." "That's a good line," grinned Don. "Walt's faults. After we set this thing aside as a finished project, we'll set that 'Walt's faults' to music. Ready, Walt?" "Right. I am now slipping the block into the cabinet. The door is closed. Have you got the preliminary synchronizing signal in tick?" Channing called: "Wait a minute, I'm lagging a whole cycle." "Cut your synchronization input and let the thing catch up." "O. K. Um-m-m--Now, Walt." "Has anyone any last words to say?" asked Walt. No answer. "Then since no one has any objections at this time, I assume that everything may be run off. Silence, people, we are going on the air!" "There was a very faint odor of corn in Walt's last remark," said Don. "I think the corn was on his breath," said Arden. "Done!" announced Walt. "Don, crack the door so that the rest of us can laugh if it don't work." Channing swaggered over and opened the door. He reached inside and took out the--object. He held it up. "Walt," said he, "what are you giving me?" "Huh?" "I presume that you shipped me one of the cubes?" "Right." "Well, what we got at this end would positively scare the right arm off of a surrealist sculptor." "Hang on to it--I'll be up." "Hang on to it?" laughed Don. "I'm afraid to." It was three miles from one end of Venus Equilateral to the other and Walt made it in six minutes from the time he stepped into the little runaway car to the time he came into the north-end laboratory and looked over Channing's shoulder at the--thing--that stood on the table. "Um," he said. "Sort of distorted, isn't it?"