Pirolo laughed.
'No!' he thundered. (Why have small men such large voices?) 'I give you my word and the Board's word that there was nothing except light--just light! You stchewpids! Your birth-rate is too low already as it is. Some day I must invent something to send it up, but send it down--never!'
'Is that true?--We thought--somebody said--'
One could feel the tension relax all round.
'You too big fools,' Pirolo cried. 'You could have sent us a call and we would have told you.'
'Send you a call!' a deep voice shouted. 'I wish you had been at our end of the wire.'
'I'm glad I wasn't,' said De Forest. 'It was bad enough from behind the lamps. Never mind! It's over now. Is there any one here I can talk business with? I'm De Forest--for the Board.'
'You might begin with me, for one--I'm Mayor,' the bass voice replied.
A big man rose unsteadily from the street, and staggered towards us where we sat on the broad turf-edging, in front of the garden fences.
'I ought to be the first on my feet. Am I?' said he.