"Yes. Exact data is not to be expected. Hints, suggestions, possible leads, will be of inestimable value."
"Well, I met a very short, very fat Venerian, named Ossmen, at a party at the European Embassy. Do either of you know him?"
"I know of him," DalNalten replied. "A highly reputable merchant, with such large interests on Tellus that he has to spend most of his time here. He is not in any one of our books ... although there is nothing at all surprising in that fact. Go on, please, Miss Samms."
"He didn't come to the party with Senator Morgan; but he came to some kind of an agreement with him that night, and I am pretty sure that it was about thionite. That's the only new item I have."
"Thionite!" The three Lensmen were equally surprised.
"Yes. Thionite. Definitely."
"How sure are you of this, Miss Samms?" Knobos asked, in deadly earnest.
"I am not sure that this particular agreement was about thionite, no; but the probability is roughly nine-tenths. I am sure, however, that both Senator Morgan and Ossmen know a lot about thionite that they want to hide. Both gave very high positive reactions—well beyond the six-sigma point of virtual certainty."
There was a pause, broken by the Martian, but not by a thought directed at any one of the three.
"Sid!" he called, and even Jill could feel the Lensed thought speed.