"The crystal," said Claverly, "was developed last week. We'd done everything but taste it by telemeter. It had been tested chemically, electrically, mechanically, atomically, physically and about any other way you can think of. We've had it white-hot and down to a half-degree Kelvin. We've dropped it, hit it, subjected it to electrostatic and electromagnetic fields, dunked it in everything from aqua to zerone, looked at it and through it, bombarded it with every radiation possible from the pile, and let it sit on a glass-topped platform to meditate. We believed it was safe; that we'd been successful. We came in to hook it up and test its power output, like the Manhattan Crystal. You came along." Dave nodded. The message in his pocket told him that Merion Laboratory had successfully created a replica of the Manhattan Crystal and if he so desired, he could be present at its testing. He said slowly, "It seems as if there might be something important here." "What?" "I hate to suggest it; it sounds silly." "So do a lot of things," said Claverly. "Go on." "I'm out of my depth here," said Dave. "But I've read of the so-called human aura. The sort of thing that gives certain gardeners a 'green thumb' and makes other men capable of curing a headache by merely rubbing the head with the fingertips. Is this sort of thing merely superstition or has it any basis in fact?" Claverly frowned. "We don't like to answer such questions," he said. "But I'm being honest with you, Dave. The reason we don't like to answer is that we are not too certain. The best answer is maybe, and who knows?" "So the crystal sat here and took all sorts of radiation, treatment, investigation, and the like. Then when the group of us assemble, blooey!" Claverly looked at Dave. "What do you suggest?" "I suggest that the crystal be worked on by one person at a time. Perhaps there's a critical mass of life-force--?" "Sounds fantastic. You'll keep this out of your paper, Dave?" "You bet--until we prove it. I don't want to sound any crazier than I am." He looked around. "I'm going to file a yarn on the explosion," he said. "Where's a typewriter and a telephone?" Claverly said, "Jane, you show him. The rest of us will mix another batch and make us a new crystal. Then--" He left it unfinished. Jane Nolan nodded. "Come on, Dave." * * * * * She led him to one of the jeeps that the laboratory crew used, and they started back towards the main collection of buildings. "Dave, I like you." Dave blinked. She laughed. "Does my directness bother you?" "Not exactly. But--" "It's caused me a lot of grief in the past; it's one of the reasons why I've never been a howling social success. However, saying and doing what I think makes a fine physicist out of me." "That I believe," said Dave. The jeep drew up to one of the buildings. "Now," he said, "where's that typer?"