“Yes,” they both said simultaneously. Outside, the landlady gasped and began speaking in an uncertain voice.
“Th-that gentleman is downstairs. He’d like to see you. Shall I tell him you’re in?”
“No, I’m not at home,” said the double.
“Tell him I left an hour ago,” said Sam at exactly the same moment.
There was another, longer gasp and the sound of footsteps receding hurriedly.
“That’s one clever way to handle a situation,” Sam’s facsimile exploded. “Couldn’t you keep your mouth shut? The poor woman’s probably gone off to have a fit.”
“You forget that this is my room and you are just an experiment that went wrong,” Sam told him hotly. “I have just as much right, in fact more right… hey, what do you think you’re doing?”
The other had thrown open the closet door and was stepping into a pair of pants. “Just getting dressed. You can wander around in the nude if you find it exciting, but I want to look a bit respectable.”
“I undressed to take my measurements… or your measurements. Those are my clothes, this is my room—”
“Look, take it easy. You could never prove it in a court of law. Don’t make me go into that cliché about what’s yours is mine and so forth.”