Stahl was unmoved. "I still say it's been stolen." He opened the box. "See—the dollar's different! When the people of the Old Times made us their heirs and children they left piles of this real stuff around along with almost everything else they'd made. It's practically worthless!"
Tinker frowned uncertainly. "If it makes you feel better I'll submit to a lie-detector. I hope you're capable of feeling shame when it proves my innocence!"
"Good enough," said Stahl, turning expectantly to his other guest. As he waited, Smith pulled back a little.
"Well?" Mary smiled, moving a little toward him.
Smith leaped away from her, heading toward an open window, but the others moved faster and grabbed him before he reached the wall.
"What's the matter with you anyway?" Tinker grunted, straining to hold him. "The window's painted on the wall!"
Smith slumped forward in despair as Stahl triumphantly wormed the valued counterfeit from his pocket. "I can't do anything right," Smith wailed. "I heard about this collection and thought I could manage to get one little thing for myself. I haven't been given much else by life."
"You—you defective!" Stahl shouted.
Smith only slumped further forward. "How can I help it? The Monte Carlo computer gave me one of the last places for advanced altering and I have to wait and wait. Compared to you, I'm still a half-breed!"
"Don't hand me that," Stahl snapped. "I didn't mean physical defects. You look as normal as anyone else."