“You can’t prove anything,” Seven said, crossly. “The book won’t be discovered in your time by others—” As soon as he said this, Seven figuratively bit his tongue, because George’s eyes suddenly glistened. “You’re right,” he said, “I’ll have to steal it somehow; and bring it back with me. If the time change happens again, that’s what I’ll do.”

“No, no, no, you mustn’t do that,” Seven cried. “I grabbed ahold of a vase of flowers in your parlor when the times were changing back and forth, and when I held the vase, I got the time that went along with it.”

“My mind is clear as space,” George said, wonderingly. “You’re saying that if I steal the future book, I might wind up there.”

“Exactly,” Seven said, reminding himself of Cyprus.

George half-closed his eyes, leaned backward, and negligently played with the tassels on the belt of his maroon dressing gown. He wiggled his shoeless black stockinged feet and said smugly, “That would be most auspicious.”

“Auspicious! It would be disastrous,” Seven cried. Just as he spoke, a sound from below caught his attention.

“Zounds, it’s the carriage,” said George. “The housekeeper, Mrs. Norway, must be returning from her visit with her aunt. I suppose I’ll have to make myself presentable and—“

“Will you be quiet!” Oversoul Seven cried. He was thinking as fast as he could. If the carriage was returning in this time, then just possibly the car was pulling into the driveway in 1985—with the right George Brainbridge in it. Seven ran to the window.

The carriage came slowly past the peony bushes. Seven waited until the horses drew up to the carriage house—apparently Mrs. Norway was taking them all the way inside the barn, ignoring the hitching post. Then with all his might, Seven imagined George’s small Porsche car. He saw every detail in his mind and he kept trying mentally to transpose the desired shape of the car over the carriage. One of the horses neighed, distracting him, and behind him George the First muttered dreamily, “What are you doing now?”

The carriage shimmered, the horses disappeared, the car came into position, and then the horses and carriage (and Mrs. Norway) returned. Seven gasped because the Porsche also remained. Mrs. Norway got out of the carriage, apparently without seeing the automobile. George Brainbridge leapt out of his car, slammed the door, started whistling, and ambled up the sidewalk. And then, both he and Mrs. Norway went in the back door.

Seven didn’t know what to do. Beside him, George the First stood up, straightened out his dressing gown and shoved the gas canister under the cot. When he turned around Seven was gone. George shook his head, said, “Zounds” beneath his breath, and thought that there was no telling how long the effects of sniffing lasted.