‘All right. Take my word for it then. Neither size nor shape is any impediment to setting up a full, point-for-point correspondence between two spaces. Neither of the words is really appropriate. "Size" has to do with a space's own inner structure, its dimensions in terms of its own unique constants. "Shape" is a matter which happens inside itself - or at least not inside our space - and has to do with how it is curved, open or closed, expanding or contracting.
Grimes shrugged. ‘It all sounds like gibberish to me.' He returned to watching the cuckoo clock swing round and round its wheel
‘Sure it does,' Waldo assented cheerfully. ‘We are limited by our experience. Do you know how I think of the Other World?' The question was purely rhetorical. ‘I think of it as about the size and shape of an ostrich egg, but nevertheless a whole universe, existing side by side with our own, from here to the farthest star. I know that it's a false picture, but it helps me to think about it that way.
‘I wouldn't know,' said Grimes, and turned himself around in the air. The compound motion of the clock's pendulum was making him a little dizzy. ‘Say! I thought you turned off the caster?
‘I did,' Waldo agreed, and looked where Grimes was looking. The deKalbs were still squirming. ‘I thought I did,' he said doubtfully, and turned to the caster's control board. His eyes then opened wider. ‘But I did. It is turned off.
‘Then what the devil-
‘Shut up!' He had to think - think hard. Was the caster actually out of operation? He floated himself over to it, inspected it. Yes, it was dead, dead as the dinosaurs. Just to make sure he went back, assumed his primary waldoes, cut in the necessary circuits, and partially disassembled it. But the deKalbs still squirmed
The one deKalb set which had not been subjected to the Schneider treatment was dead; it gave out no power hum. But the others were working frantically, gathering power from -where?
He wondered whether or not McLeod had said anything to Granmps Schneider about the casters from which the deKalbs were intended to pick up their power. Certainly he himself had not. It simply had not come into the conversation. But Schneider had said something. ‘The Other World is close by and full of power!
In spite of his own intention of taking the old man literally he had ignored that statement. The Other World is full of power. I am sorry I snapped at you, Uncle Gus,' he said
'S all right.
‘But what do you make of that?
‘Looks like you've invented perpetual motion, son.
‘In a way, perhaps. Or maybe we've repealed the law of conservation of energy. Those de Kalbs are drawing energy that was never before in this world!
‘Hm-m-m!
To check his belief he returned to the control ring, donned his waldoes, cut in a mobile scanner, and proceeded to search the space around the deKalbs with the most sensitive pickup for the radio power band he had available. The needles never jumped; the room was dead in the wave lengths to which the deKalbs were sensitive. The power came from Other Space
The power came from Other Space. Not from his own beamcaster, not from NAPA's shiny stations, but from Other Space. In that case he was not even close to solving the prob1cm of the defective deKalbs; he might never solve it. Wait, now - just what had he contracted to do? He tried to recall the exact words of the contract
There just might be a way around it. Maybe. Yes, and this newest cockeyed trick of Gramps Schneider's little pets could have some very tricky aspects. He began to see some possibilities, but he needed to think about it
‘Uncle Gus-
‘Yes, Waldo?
‘You can go back and tell Stevens that I'll be ready with the answers. We'll get his problem licked, and yours too. In the meantime I've got to do some really heavy thinking, so I want to be by myself, please.
‘Greetings, Mr Gleason. Quiet, Baldur! Comein. Be comfortable. How do you do, Dr Stevens.
‘How do you do, Mr Jones.
‘This,' said Gleason, indicating a figure trailing him, ‘is Mr. Harkness, head of our legal staff.
‘Ah, yes indeed. There will be matters of contract to be discussed. Welcome to Freehold, Mr Harkness.
‘Thank you,' Harkness said coldly. ‘Will your attorneys be present?
‘They are present.' Waldo indicated a stereo screen. Two figures showed in it; they bowed and murmured polite forms
‘This is most irregular,' Harkness complained. ‘Witnesses should be present in person. Things seen and heard by television are not evidence.
Waldo drew his lips back. ‘Do you wish to make an issue of it?
‘Not at all,' Gleason said hastily. ‘Never mind, Charles.' Harkness subsided
‘I won't waste your time, gentlemen,' Waldo began. ‘We are here in order that I may fulfil my contract with you. The terms are known, we will pass over them.' He inserted his arms into his primary waldoes. ‘Lined up along the far wall you will see a number of radiant power receptors, commonly called deKalbs. Dr Stevens may, if he wishes, check their serial numbers-
‘No need to.
‘Very well. I shall start my local beamcaster, in order that we may check the efficiency of their operation.' His waldoes were busy as he spoke. ‘Then I shall activate the receptors, one at a time.' His hands pawed the air; a little pair of secondaries switched on the proper switches on the control board of the last set in line. ‘This is an ordinary type, supplied to me by Dr Stevens, which has never failed in operation. You may assure yourself that it is now operating in the normal manner, if you wish, Doctor.
‘I can see that it is.
‘We will call such a receptor a "deKalb" and its operation "normal".' The small waldoes were busy again. ‘Here we have a receptor which I choose to term a "Schneider-deKalb" because of certain treatment it has received' the antennae began to move - ‘and its operation "Schneider-type" operation. Will you check it, Doctor?
‘OK.
‘You fetched with you a receptor set which has failed?
‘As you can see.
‘Have you been able to make it function?
‘No, I have not.
‘Are you sure? Have you examined it carefully?
‘Quite carefully,' Stevens acknowledged sourly. He was beginning to be tired of Waldo's pompous flubdubbery
‘Very well. I will now proceed to make it operative.' Waldo left his control ring, shoved himself over to the vicinity of the defective deKalb, and placed himself so that his body covered his exact actions from the sight of the others. He returncd to the ring and, using waldoes, switched on the activating circuit of the dcKalb
It immediately exhibited Schneider-type activity
‘That is my case, gentlemen,' he announced. ‘I have found out how to repair deKalbs which become spontaneously inoperative. I will undertake to apply the Schneider treatment to any receptors which you may bring to me. That is included in my fee. I will undertake to train others in how to apply the Schneider treatment. That is included in my fee, but I cannot guarantee that any particular man will profit by my instruction. Without going into technical details I may say that the treatment is very difficult, much harder than it looks. I think that Dr Stevens will confirm that.' He smiled thinly. ‘I believe that completes my agreement with you.
‘Just a moment, Mr Jones,' put in Gleason. ‘Is a deKalb foolproof, once it has received the Schneider treatment?
‘Quite. I guarantee it.
They went into a huddle while Waldo waited. At last Gleason spoke for them. ‘These are not quite the results we had expected, Mr Jones, but we agree that you have fulfilled your commission - with the understanding that you will Schneider-treat any receptors brought to you and instruct others, according to their ability to learn.