Tedor was interested in spite of himself. He was moving at top speed through the crowds and if Dorlup could keep up with him, they'd talk. "I thought the whole idea of solidiofilms was to keep clear of time travel," Tedor said. Dorlup puffed like a blowfish out of water, lighting a big cigar. "Used to be that way. But time's become the universal solvent. Business, pleasure, anything--all else is a dull routine. If the solidios don't turn to time, they'll go out of business in a couple of years." "I'd like to help you, but the law requires secrecy. Besides, I'm in a hurry." "I can keep up with you." "Who told you I was here?" "Coincidence." "My foot." "Well, Fornswitthe told me." "What!" "Fornswitthe, your assistant." * * * * * Tedor paused on the slidefloor and Dorlup, his weight yielding considerable momentum, collided with him. Tedor grabbed the fat man's tunic and yanked him up on his toes. "All right, how did you find Fornswitthe?" "I--I have my contacts. By Heaven, what's so important about that? You're hurting me, Tedor. You're causing a scene." "I want to know." "And I won't tell you." "All right." Tedor let him go. "Get away from me. Go on, beat it." A disgruntled Dorlup edged over toward the other side of the slidefloor, but Tedor called him back. "No, wait a minute. Who else knew where Fornswitthe could be found?" "A lot of people. Secretaries. Directors. My producer. My comings and goings are no secret, Barwan. I merely told my associates I was going to visit Fornswitthe today and--" "Today!" "A little while ago." "My comings and goings _are_ secret," Tedor said bitterly, hurrying again along the slidefloor. "So are Fornswitthe's." "I'll make a note of that," Dorlup promised. "Haven't you done enough already? Someone on your staff talked. You talked. Either or both. Fornswitthe's in trouble. I hope you're satisfied, Dorlup." "You're being melodramatic. I happen to know your territory is the 20th century; perhaps that's responsible for the way you talk. Couldn't be better for my purposes, you know. The Age of Atoms and Intrigue. Can't you see it now, in lights, glaring across a million solidio screens? _Atoms and Intrigue, The Life and Adventures of Tedor Barwan, Time Agent._ How about ten thousand? Wait, don't answer. What do you know about the year 1955?" Tedor didn't even turn to look at him. He elbowed his way through the crowd. "You know, man. You must know." Dorlup huffed and puffed but managed to hold a running conversation, mostly a monologue. "The mystery year, with a capital 'M' if I ever saw one. It's in your territory. If we can crack that particular barrier and do a solidio on 1955, we'd make a fortune. I'll split it with you. We could call it '1955!' Simple. Stark. To the point...." "Just what makes you think the 20th century is my territory?" "Oh, experienced agents like you can't ever be tricked into talking, but younger men--"