"Your honor," said Barnett, "There are two things I want to say before I close. One is that James Forrest Carroll is not sane. Therefore he should be committed to an institution. The other is that James Forrest Carroll, for all of his insanity, is still a brilliant physicist. "He knows something about the Lawson Radiation that men have gone mad for previously, that men have sought for thirty years, that time and money has been spent for. Therefore, in this institution, James Forrest Carroll should be permitted to experiment at his own will. "For if nothing else he will produce many other marvelous things in an effort to prove that the science of the aliens is far greater than ours." The judge asked Carroll, "You have a reason for believing all this?" "I know why. The alien culture wants to conquer the universe. Because we are very close to them in scientific achievement they have cause to fear us. "The Lawson Radiation is the spilled energy from their interstellar ships and possession of this secret will permit Terra--or any other system--to fight them on their own terms, even to beat them back to their own system. Therefore they are suppressing all research by clever misdirection." "I see. You seem to have an answer to every angle," mused the judge. "The trouble is," said Carroll, "that people insist upon judging me in accordance with their own views--which means that they have an answer to my every objection." "In other words," smiled the judge, "the world is wrong and you are right?" "Precisely." "You know what is said about such people?" Carroll smiled. "They said the same thing about Galileo, Columbus, the Wright brothers, Bell, Edison and Marconi," he said. "It is often hard to tell," said the judge. "However, there are some good ways." Carroll faced the judge. "Sentence me," he said in a surly tone. "For only by silencing me can you stop me from seeking you out." "Me?" asked the judge in surprise. "Either you are Terran and must therefore do everything to help me unravel this mad pattern or you are really an alien who has succeeded in penetrating to a high place in our civilization--and are therefore interested in seeing that my knowledge of you is not given any recognition." "But why--" "It has been said that when the superman arrives, he will be well concealed and will occupy a high place in the world without anybody knowing about it. You may or may not be. Yet by your decision you will prove it to me!" "I see no reason to defend my opinion against your attack," replied the judge. "However, in view of the circumstances, I hereby direct the jury to return a verdict of 'guilty of criminal assault while in an insane condition' and a sentence of committal to an institution until such a time as you are pronounced sane and rational. Court is dismissed!" CHAPTER X _Flight from Asylum_