"Means you iss goofy. Means you got bats in the bonnet." "And you're going to have ants in the pants if you don't start pressing your moist little finger to those buttons." Toffee eyed him humorlessly. "Are you going to start pressing or aren't you? You've had the word." "I'm waste no more time talking foolish with dorty, saxy dame like you," the Leader said petulantly. He got up and started determinedly toward the door. "I call new guards and have them carry you avay." "I warned you," Toffee said, raising her hand tentatively. "You'll regret it." * * * * * But the Leader, unintimidated, continued toward the door. He had just reached out to open it when Toffee brought her hand down quickly over the face of the ring. Events proceeded according to expectations. [Illustration: As Toffee aimed the magic ring, You Know Who suddenly sprawled across the desk with a howl of pained surprise!] "Halpovitch!" the Leader screamed, and plumped down heavily on the floor. "Oi!" Following the pattern of his forerunners he slapped his hands to his bottom and hugged himself into a knot of pulsating agony. A stream of highly charged verbiage sullied the air. "You kick me in restricted, top secret area!" he wailed. "Not exactly," Toffee said. "Though it's a shame. So many people have longed to." She moved closer to her distressed victim. "Going to start punching buttons? If you do I'll take the heat off." "No!" the Leader gritted pettishly. "I ponch you in nose!" "I see," Toffee said. "Suppose I call those guards back in here and let them see you like this? In no time at all the news will get around that the Great Leader has gone off his rocker and is snapping at his own bottom like a beagle after ham hock. A fine laughing stock you'll make, won't you?" "No!" the Leader pleaded. "No! Oh, soch a pain!" "Then suppose we have a little friendly cooperation around here?" "Hokay!" the Leader cried. "I can't stand it no longer!" Toffee made a pass at the ring and the Leader, after a moment of adjustment, arose. "How you do soch rotten thing?" he asked. "You haven't got all the secret weapons," Toffee said. "That's one your agents missed. Now hop to it and start thumbing those discs." Shaking his head which was heavy with disillusion, the Leader made his way shakily to the desk. He looked at Toffee, then reached for the first of the buttons. "Don't double cross me," Toffee said, raising her hand. "If you do you'll writhe in agony for the rest of your days." "Hokay," the Leader said and pressed the button. A moment later a voice answered distantly. "Halpovitch!" the Leader yelled at the top of his lungs. Instantly Toffee made the necessary gesture, and for the second time the great man assumed the position, placing his equipment as he went. He was moaning low in every sense of the word. "I warned you," Toffee said. "Trickery will get you nothing but a pain in the terminus."