The first man looked at him sharply. "The devil you say!" he exclaimed. He thought about it for a moment. "By heaven, you're right. Sometimes I forget. I thought I was the Water Commissioner. Haven't been to my office for weeks to see what it says on the door." He started away, then turned back. "Why don't you come in and complain to me about this goat? It wouldn't look right if I complained to myself, would it? My secretary would think it was odd." Meanwhile Marc and Toffee had wedged themselves into the doorway of the telephone booth and were staring incredulously at George. "Well," George said uneasily, "haven't you ever seen a ghost before?" "I should hope to tell you I haven't," Toffee said fervently. She looked at George with suspicion. "How do we know you're a ghost? Can you prove it?" "Do I have to?" George said unhappily. "It would help clear things up considerably," Marc said. "Personally, I don't believe a word of it." George stared at them for a long moment, then sighed. "Oh, all right," he murmured. "If you insist. Of course this is terribly corny, and you probably won't like it, but it should give you an idea." * * * * * As Marc and Toffee watched, George carefully controlled his ectoplasm, dissolved his head down to a grinning skull, and issued a low moaning sound. "Mother in heaven!" Toffee said, closing her eyes. "Stop doing that!" George, only too happy to do so, quickly rematerialized his head. "I told you you wouldn't like it," he said. "But how could you be my ghost?" Marc said shakenly. "I'm not dead." "Are you sure?" Toffee said. "Personally, I feel quite dead and gone to hell after looking at that." "But you're supposed to be dead," George said with sudden self-righteousness. "If you were any good at all, you'd be mouldering in your grave at this very moment. You were supposed to have been blown to bits in an explosion. That's why they sent me." "Who sent you?" Marc asked. "I'd rather not discuss them, if it's all the same to you," George said. "Well," Marc said, "I'm alive. So you can just go back to them, whoever they are, and tell them they're mistaken." "But I don't want to go back," George said unhappily. He looked at Marc speculatively. "Couldn't you just sort of kick off?" "I beg your pardon?" Marc asked incredulously. "Do I understand you right? Are you asking me to kill myself just to accommodate you?" "Oh, you wouldn't have to do it all yourself," George said. "I'd be very happy to assist you." "So!" Toffee cried. "So that's what you were up to! You were trying to strangle him with that phone booth!" George shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't think I should pass up any opportunity. I'll admit it's not a very fancy way to die...." "You fiend!" Marc said. "You horror!" "Oh, please, no!" George objected woundedly. "You just aren't looking at the thing right, that's all. Fair's fair, you know. After all, I've been waiting years for you to pop off, and...."