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_Feb. 22, 2631_: Dear Diary: Congratulate me! I knew my chance would
come. Late last night I sneaked into the physics building. That fool of
a Myers hadn't even had the sense to lock the door of his laboratory. I
opened it and went in, pulled down the shade, turned on the light, and
was able to work in complete security. Luckily, I had already played
on his credulity to the extent of representing myself as overawed by
the mechanical mind, and so induced him to give me a rough idea of how
he operated the time-grapple (this over the lunch table in the Faculty
Club) so, with a little experimenting, and--I will admit it--some luck,
I was able to carry off my plans without a hitch.
I bagged sixteen young males from the period of Nero's reign--along
somewhere in the last years. By great good luck they happened to
be Christians taken prisoner and destined for the Roman Games.
Consequently the guards had them all huddled together in a tiny cell.
That's why the time-grapple was able to pick up so many at one grab.
They came along quite docilely, and I have quartered them in the
basement of my house where they seem to be quite comfortable and I can
study them at my leisure.
Wait until the Sociomatics department here at the University sees the
paper I'll write on this!
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_Feb. 23, 65_: MEMO TO CAPTAIN OF POLICE: Where are my Christians?
Don't think you can gyp me out of my villa and then not deliver.
(signed) Lictus,