"Not in the usual way," said Joe. "But I _am_ in trouble. Maybe I'd better explain it. You see, several months ago the Devil came to my house, and said he was going to set up headquarters for some new deviltry he had in mind in my town. He also said he was going to use my body while he was there, and that he'd take over by hypnosis. Well, I can't be hypnotized, so it didn't work--but we scuffled. He was choking me, and would have gained control of my body except for my wife. She hit him over the head with a snow shovel, and while he was unconscious we chained him to the basement wall where I formerly kept a big dog of mine. We nailed the basement door shut, and left him there. But he finally escaped, by changing bodies with a mouse. That's when this trouble in the world started--you'll recollect that for several months, crime and evil had taken a holiday...." * * * * * He stopped, and eyed the priest, who had been staring at him and licking his lips. "You don't believe me," he said. "It isn't a matter of belief," said the priest. "But granting that all this is true, what do you want of me?" "Just some information. For instance, I believe the Church knows some means of exorcism, or some way of overcoming the Devil's influence." "Well, yes, there are such things. But why do you wish to know this? As you say, the Devil is no longer at your house...." "True enough. But you see, when I found out he'd escaped, I shot the mouse...." "Shot ... the mouse?" Father Lengowski shifted his feet nervously. "Well, that is, I shot the Devil's body, thus killing the mouse. Of course, it also made it impossible for the Devil to regain his own body--it was quite dead and useless." "I see ... and what can the exorcism rites do?" "Well, you see, the Devil is very angry with us, and he's been following us in a Mercury. We eluded him in a town awhile back, and now we're on our way to my wife's mother's place, to sort of hide out awhile. But if he should find us, we'd like some sort of defense...." "Exorcism might work," said Father Lengowski nervously. "But we'd have to have the Devil, or the possessed person, right before us, and you couldn't do it. I don't believe I could do it. Perhaps the Bishop...." "I'm afraid such a complicated procedure won't help, Father Lengowski. There won't be time, if he should appear. What I want is something we can use ourselves, in an emergency." "Well, there is an old stand-by," said Father Lengowski, "very simple. I will give you a blessed crucifix, and you merely hold it before you, thrusting it out at the Devil, and utter the words 'Get Thee behind me, Satan.'" "I've heard of that," admitted Joe.