CHAPTER FOURTEEN
In his years of searching, Paul Brennan had followed eleven fruitlessleads. It had cost him over thirteen hundred dollars and he was preparedto go on and on until he located James Holden, no matter how much ittook. He fretted under two fears, one that James had indeed suffered amishap, and the other that James might reveal his secret in a dramaticannouncement, or be discovered by some force or agency that would placethe whole process in hands that Paul Brennan could not reach.
The registered letter from Tim Fisher culminated this six years offrantic search. Unlike the previous leads, this spoke with authority,named names, gave dates, and outlined sketchily but adequately theoperations of the young man in very plausible prose. Then the letter wenton in the manner of a man with his foot in a cleft stick; the writer didnot approve of James Holden's operations since they involved his wife andnewly-adopted daughter, but since wife and daughter were fond of JamesHolden, the writer could not make any overt move to rid his household ofthe interfering young man. Paul Brennan was asked to move with cautionand in utter secrecy, even to sending the reward in cash to a specialpost-office box.
Paul Brennan's reaction was a disappointment to himself. He neither feltgreat relief nor the desire to exult. He found himself assaying his owncalmness and wondering why he lacked emotion over this culmination of somany years of futile effort. He re-read the letter carefully to see ifthere were something hidden in the words that his subconscious hadcaught, but he found nothing that gave him any reason to believe thatthis letter was a false lead. It rang true; Brennan could understand TimFisher's stated reaction and the man's desire to collect. Brennan evensuspected that Fisher might use the reward money for his own privatepurpose.
It was not until he read the letter for the third time that he saw thesuggestion to move with caution and secrecy not as its stated request toprotect the writer, but as an excellent advice for his own guidance.
And then Paul Brennan realized that for six years he had beenconcentrating upon the single problem of having James Holden returned tohis custody, and in that concentration he had lost sight of the moreimportant problem of achieving his true purpose of gaining control of theHolden Educator. The letter had not been the end of a long quest, butjust the signal to start.
Paul Brennan of course did not give a fig for the Holden Estate nor thewelfare of James. His only interest was in the machine, and the secret ofthat machine was locked in the young man's mind and would stay that wayunless James could be coerced into revealing it. The secret indubitablyexisted as hardware in the machine rebuilt in the house on Martin's Hill,but Brennan guessed that any sight of him would cause James to repeat hisjob of destruction. Brennan also envisioned a self-destructive devicethat would addle the heart of the machine at the touch of a button,perhaps booby-traps fitted like burglar alarms that would ruin themachine at the first touch of an untrained hand.
Brennan's mind began to work. He must plan his moves carefully to acquirethe machine by stealth. He toyed with the idea of murder and rejected itas too dangerous to chance a repeat, especially in view of the existenceof the rebuilt machine.
Brennan read the letter again. It gave him to think. James had obviouslysucceeded in keeping his secret by imparting it to a few people that hecould either trust or bind to him, perhaps with the offer of educationvia the machine, which James and only James maintained in hiding couldprovide. Brennan could not estimate the extent of James Holden'sknowledge but it was obvious that he was capable of some extremelyintelligent planning. He was willing to grant the boy the likelihood ofbeing the equal of a long and experienced campaigner, and the fact thatJames was in the favor of Tim Fisher's wife and daughter meant that thelad would be able to call upon them for additional advice. Brennancounted the daughter Martha in this planning program, most certainlyJames would have given the girl an extensive education, too. Everythingadded up, even to Tim Fisher's resentment.
But there was not time to ponder over the efficiency of James Holden'soperations. It was time for Paul Brennan to cope, and it seemed sensibleto face the fact that Paul Brennan alone could not plot the illegalgrab of the Holden Educator and at the same time masquerade as thedeeply-concerned loving guardian. He could label James Holden's littlegroup as an organization, and if he was to combat this organization heneeded one himself.
Paul Brennan began to form a mental outline of his requirements. First hehad to figure out the angle at which to make his attack. Once he knew thelegal angle, then he could find ruthless men in the proper position ofauthority whose ambitions he could control. He regretted that the elderHolden had not allowed him to study civil and criminal law along with hiscourses in real estate and corporate law. As it was, Brennan was unsureof his legal rights, and he could not plan until he had researched theproblem most thoroughly.
To his complete surprise, Paul Brennan discovered that there was no lawthat would stay an infant from picking up his marbles and leaving home.So long as the minor did not become a ward of responsibility of theState, his freedom was as inviolable as the freedom of any adult. Theuniversal interest in missing-persons cases is overdrawn because of theirdramatic appeal. In every case that comes to important notice, themissing person has left some important responsibilities that had to besatisfied. A person with no moral, legal, or ethical anchor has everyright to pack his suitcase and catch the next conveyance for partsunknown. If he is found by the authorities after an appeal by friends orrelatives, the missing party can tell the police that, Yes he did leavehome and, No he isn't returning and, furthermore he does not wish hiswhereabouts made known; and all the authorities can report is that themissing one is hale, happy, and hearty and wants to stay missing.
Under the law, a minor is a minor and there is no proposition thatdivides one degree of minority from another. Major decisions, such asvoting, the signing of binding contracts of importance, the determinationof a course of drastic medical treatment, are deemed to be matters thatrequire mature judgment. The age for such decisions is arbitrarily set atage twenty-one. Acts such as driving a car, sawing a plank, or buyingfood and clothing are considered to be "skills" that do not requirejudgment and therefore the age of demarcation varies with the state andthe state legislature's attitude.
James was a minor; presumably he could repudiate contracts signed while aminor, at the time he reached the age of twenty-one. From a practicalstandpoint, however, anything that James contracted for was expendableand of vital necessity. He could not stop payment on a check for hisrent, nor claim that he had not received proper payment for his storiesand demand damages. Paul Brennan might possibly interfere with the smoothoperation by squawking to the bank that Charles Maxwell was a phantomfront for the minor child James Holden. And bankers, being bankers, mightvery well clog up the operation with a lot of questions. But there wasthe possibility that James Holden, operating through the agency of anadult, would switch his method. He could even go so far as to bringBrennan to lawsuit to have Brennan stopped from his interference. Childor not, James Holden had been running a checking account by mail for anumber of years which could be used as evidence of his good faith andability.
Indeed, the position of James Holden was so solid that Brennan could onlyplead personal interest and personal responsibility in the case forsecuring a writ of habeas corpus to have the person of James Holdenreturned to his custody and protection. And this of itself was a bit onthe dangerous side. A writ of habeas corpus will, by law, cause thedelivery of the person to the right hands, but there is no part of thewrit that can be used to guarantee that the person will remainthereafter. If Brennan tried to repeat this program, James Holden wasvery apt to suggest either the rather rare case of Barratry orMaintenance against Brennan. Barratry consists of the constant harassmentof a citizen by the serial entry of lawsuit after lawsuit against him,each of which he must defend to the loss of time and money--and the tyingup of courts and their officials. Maintenance is the re-opening of thesame suit and its charges time after time in court after court. One need
only be sure of the attitude of the plaintiff to strike back; if he isinterested in heckling the defendant and this can be demonstrated inevidence, the heckler is a dead duck. Such a response would surely damagePaul Brennan's overt position as a responsible, interested, affectionateguardian of his best friends' orphaned child.
Then to put the top on the bottle, James Holden had crossed state linesin his flight from home. This meant that the case was not the simpleproposition of appearing before a local magistrate and filing anemotional appeal. It was interstate. It smacked of extradition, and JamesHolden had committed no crime in either state.
To Paul Brennan's qualifications for his henchmen, he now added the needfor flouting the law if the law could not be warped to fit his need.
Finding a man with ambition, with a casual disregard for ethics, is nothard in political circles. Paul Brennan found his man in Frank Manison,a rising figure in the office of the District Attorney. Manison hadgubernatorial ambitions, and he was politically sharp. He personallyconducted only those cases that would give him ironclad publicity; hepreferred to lower the boom on a lighter charge than chance an acquittal.Manison also had a fine feeling for anticipating public trends, a senseof the drama, and an understanding of public opinion.
He granted Brennan a conference of ten minutes, and knowing from longexperience that incoming information flows faster when it is notinterrupted, he listened attentively, oiling and urging the flow byfacial expressions of interest and by leaning forward attentivelywhenever a serious point was about to come forth. Brennan explained aboutJames Holden, his superior education, and what it had enabled the lad todo. He explained the education not as a machine but as a "system ofstudy" devised by James Holden's parents, feeling that it was better toleave a few stones lying flat and unturned for his own protection.Manison nodded at the end of the ten-minute time-limit, used his deskinterphone to inform his secretary that he was not to be disturbed untilfurther notice (which also told Paul Brennan that he was indeedinterested) and then said:
"You know you haven't a legal leg to stand on, Brennan."
"So I find out. It seems incredible that there isn't any law set up tocontrol the activity of a child."
"Incredible? No, Brennan, not so. To now it hasn't been necessary. Peoplejust do not see the necessity of laws passed to prevent something thatisn't being done anyway. The number of outmoded laws, ridiculous laws,and laws passed in the heat of public emotion are always a subject forpublic ridicule. If the state legislature were to pass a law stating thatany child under fourteen may not leave home without the consent of hisparents, every opposition newspaper in the state would howl about thewaste of time and money spent on ridiculous legislation passed to governactivities that are already under excellent control. They would poll thestate and point out that for so many million children under age fourteen,precisely zero of them have left home to set up their own housekeeping.One might just as well waste the taxpayer's money by passing a law thatconfirms the Universal Law of Gravity.
"But that's neither here nor there," he said. "Your problem is to figureout some means of exerting the proper control over this intelligentinfant."
"My problem rises higher than that," said Brennan ruefully. "He dislikesme to the point of blind, unreasonable hatred. He believes that I am theparty responsible for the death of his parents and furthermore that theact was deliberate. Tantamount to a charge of first-degree murder."
"Has he made that statement recently?" asked Manison.
"I would hardly know."
"When last did you hear him say words to that effect?"
"At the time, following the accidental death of his parents, James Holdenran off to the home of his grandparents. Puzzled and concerned, theycalled me as the child's guardian. I went there to bring him back to hishome. I arrived the following morning and it was during that session thatJames Holden made the accusation."
"And he has not made it since, to the best of your knowledge?"
"Not that I know of."
"Hardly make anything out of that. Seven years ago. Not a formal charge,only a cry of rage, frustration, hysterical grief. The complaint of afive-year-old made under strain could hardly be considered slanderous.It is too bad that the child hasn't broken any laws. Your success incollecting him the first time was entirely due to the associations he'dmade with this automobile thief--Caslow, you said his name was. We can'tgo back to that. The responsibility has been fixed, I presume, upon JakeCaslow in another state. Brennan, you've a real problem: How can you besure that this James Holden will disclose his secret system of study evenif we do succeed in cooking up some legal means of placing him and keephim in your custody?"
Brennan considered, and came to the conclusion that now was the time tolet another snibbet of information go. "The system of study consists ofan electronic device, the exact nature of which I do not understand. Theentire machine is large and cumbersome. In it, as a sort of 'heart,' is aspecial circuit. Without this special circuit the thing is no more thanan expensive aggregation of delicate devices that could be used elsewherein electronics. One such machine stands unused in the Holden Home becausethe central circuit was destroyed beyond repair or replacement by youngJames Holden. He destroyed it because he felt that this secret shouldremain his own, the intellectual inheritance from his parents. There isone other machine--undoubtedly in full function and employed daily--inthe house on Martin's Hill under James Holden's personal supervision."
"Indeed? How, may I ask?"
"It was rebuilt by James Holden from plans, specifications, andinformation engraved on his brain by his parents through the use of theirfirst machine. Unfortunately, I have every reason to believe that thisnew machine is so booby-trapped and tamper-protected that the firstinterference by someone other than James Holden will cause itsdestruction."
"Um. It might be possible to impound this machine as a device of highinterest to the State," mused Manison. "But if we start any proceedingas delicate as that, it will hit every newspaper in the country and ouradvantage will be lost."
"Technically," said Paul Brennan, "you don't know that such a machineexists. But as soon as young Holden realizes that you know about hismachine, he'll also know that you got the information from me." Brennansat quietly and thought for a moment. "There's another distressing angle,too," he said at last. "I don't think that there is a soul on earth whoknows how to run this machine but James Holden. Steal it or impound it ortake it away legally, you've got to know how it runs. I doubt that we'dfind a half-dozen people on the earth who'd willingly sit in a chair witha heavy headset on, connected to a devilish aggregation of electricalmachinery purported to educate the victim, while a number of fumblersexperimented with the dials and the knobs and the switches. No sir, somesort of pressure must be brought to bear upon the youngster."
"Um. Perhaps civic pride? Might work. Point out to him that he is incontrol of a device that is essential to the security of the UnitedStates. That he is denying the children of this country the right totheir extensive education. Et cetera?"
"Could be. But how are you going to swing it, technically in ignorance ofthe existence of such a machine?"
"Were I a member of the Congressional Committee on Education, I couldinvestigate the matter of James Holden's apparent superiority ofintellect."
"And hit Page One of every newspaper in the country," sneered Brennan.
"Well, I'm not," snapped Manison angrily. "However, there is a way,perhaps several ways, once we find the first entering wedge. After all,Brennan, the existence of a method of accelerating the course ofeducational training is of the utmost importance to the future of notonly the United States of America, but the entire human race. Once I canlocate some plausible reason for asking James Holden the first questionabout anything, the remainder of any session can be so slanted as tobring into the open any secret knowledge he may have. We, to make thedisclosure easier, shall hold any sessions in the strictest of secrecy.We can quite readily agree with James Holden's concern over thelong-range ef
fectiveness of his machine and state that secrecy isnecessary lest headstrong factions take the plunge into something thatcould be very detrimental to the human race instead of beneficial.Frankly, Mr. Brennan," said Manison with a wry smile, "I should like toborrow that device for about a week myself. It might help me locate someof the little legal points that would help me." He sighed. "Yes," he saidsadly, "I know the law, but no one man knows all of the finer points.Lord knows," he went on, "if the law were a simple matter of behaving asit states, we'd not have this tremendous burden. But the law is subjectto interpretation and change and argument and precedent--Precedent? Um,here we may have an interesting angle, Brennan. I must look into it."
"Precedent?"
"Yes, indeed. Any ruling that we were to make covering the right of aseven, eight, or nine year old to run his own life as he sees fit will bea ruling that establishes precedent."
"And--?"
"Well, up to now there's no ruling about such a case; no child of ten hasever left home to live as he prefers. But this James Holden is apparentlycapable of doing just that--and any impartial judge deliberating such acase would find it difficult to justify a decision that placed thecompetent infant under the guardianship and protection of an adult who isless competent than the infant."
Brennan's face turned dark. "You're saying that this Holden kid issmarter than I am?"
"Sit down and stop sputtering," snapped Manison. "What were you doing atsix years old, Brennan? Did you have the brains to leave home and protectyourself by cooking up the plausible front of a very interestingcharacter such as the mythical Hermit of Martin's Hill? Were you writingboys' stories for a nationwide magazine of high circulation andaccredited quality? Could you have planned your own dinner and preparedit, or would you have dined on chocolate bars washed down with strawberrypop? Stop acting indignant. Start thinking. If for no other reason thanthat we don't want to end up selling pencils on Halstead Street becausewe're not quite bright, we've got to lay our hands on that machine. We'vegot to lead, not follow. Yet at the present time I'll wager that yourJames Holden is going to give everybody concerned a very rough time. Now,let me figure out the angles and pull the wires. One thing that nobodycan learn from any electronic machine is how to manipulate the componentpeople that comprise a political machine. I'll be in touch with you,Brennan."
* * * * *
The ring at the door was Chief of Police Joseph Colling and anothergentleman. Janet Fisher answered the door, "Good evening, Mr. Colling.Come in?"
"Thank you," said Colling politely. "This is Mr. Frank Manison, from theoffice of the State Department of Justice."
"Oh? Is something wrong?"
"Not that we know of," replied Manison. "We're simply after someinformation. I apologize for calling at eight o'clock in the evening, butI wanted to catch you all under one roof. Is Mr. Fisher home? And thechildren?"
"Why, yes. We're all here." Janet stepped aside to let them enter theliving room, and then called upstairs. Mr. Manison was introduced aroundand Tim Fisher said, cautiously, "What's the trouble here?"
"No trouble that we know of," said Manison affably. "We're just aftersome information about the education of James Holden, a legal minor, whoseems never to have been enrolled in any school."
"If you don't mind," replied Tim Fisher, "I'll not answer anythingwithout the advice of my attorney."
Janet Fisher gasped.
Tim turned with a smile. "Don't you like lawyers, honey?"
"It isn't that. But isn't crying for a lawyer an admission of some sort?"
"Sure is," replied Tim Fisher. "It's an admission that I don't know allof my legal rights. If lawyers come to me because they don't know allthere is to know about the guts of an automobile, I have every right tothe same sort of consultation in reverse. Agree, James?"
James Holden nodded. "The man who represents himself in court has a foolfor a client," he said. "I think that's Daniel Webster, but I'm notcertain. No matter; it's right. Call Mr. Waterman, and until he arriveswe'll discuss the weather, the latest dope in high-altitude research, ornuclear physics."
Frank Manison eyed the lad. "You're James Holden?"
"I am."
Tim interrupted. "We're not answering _anything_," he warned.
"Oh, I don't mind admitting my identity," said James. "I've committed nocrime, I've broken no law. No one can point to a single act of mine thatshows a shred of evidence to the effect that my intentions are nothonorable. Sooner or later this whole affair had to come to a showdown,and I'm prepared to face it squarely."
"Thank you," said Manison. "Now, without inviting comment, let me explainone important fact. The state reserves the right to record marriages,births, and deaths as a simple matter of vital statistics. We feel thatwe have every right to the compiling of the census, and we can justifyour feeling. I am here because of some apparent irregularities, recordsof which we do not have. If these apparent irregularities can beexplained to our satisfaction for the record, this meeting will be ended.Now, let's relax until your attorney arrives."
"May I get you some coffee or a highball?" asked Janet Fisher.
"Coffee, please," agreed Frank Manison. Chief Colling nodded quietly.They relaxed over coffee and small talk for a half hour. The arrival ofWaterman, Tim Fisher's attorney, signalled the opening of the discussion.
"First," said Manison, his pencil poised over a notebook, "Who lives herein permanent residence, and for how long?" He wrote rapidly as they toldhim. "The house is your property?" he asked Tim, and wrote again. "Andyou are paying a rental on certain rooms of this house?" he asked James,who nodded.
"Where did you attend school?" he asked James.
"I did not."
"Where did you get your education?"
"By a special course in home study."
"You understand that under the state laws that provide for the educationof minor children, the curriculum must be approved by the state?"
"I do."
"And has it?"
Waterman interrupted. "Just a moment, Mr. Manison. In what way must thecurriculum be approved? Does the State study all textbooks and the mannerin which each and every school presents them? Or does the State merelyinsist that the school child be taught certain subjects?"
"The State merely insists that certain standards of education beobserved."
"In fact," added James, "the State does not even insist that the child_learn_ the subjects, realizing that some children lack the intellect tobe taught certain subjects completely and fully. Let's rather say thatthe State demands that school children be exposed to certain subjects inthe hope that they 'take.' Am I not correct?"
"I presume you are."
"Then I shall answer your question. In my home study, I have indeedfollowed the approved curriculum by making use of the approved textbooksin their proper order. I am aware of the fact that this is not the sameState, but if you will consult the record of my earlier years inattendance at a school selected by my legal guardian, you'll find that Ipassed from preschool grade to Fourth Grade in a matter of less than halfa year, at the age of five-approaching-six. If this matter is subject toquestion, I'll submit to any course of extensive examination youreducators care to prepare. The law regarding compulsory education in thisstate says that the minor child must attend school until either the ageof eighteen, or until he has completed the standard eight years ofgrammar school and four years of high school. I shall then stipulate thatthe suggested examination be limited to the schooling of a high schoolgraduate."
"For the moment we'll pass this over. We may ask that you do prove yourcontention," said Manison.
"You don't doubt that I can, do you?" asked James.
Manison shook his head. "No, at this moment I have no doubt."
"Then why do you bother asking?"
"I am here for a rather odd reason," said Manison. "I've told you thereservations that the State holds, which justify my presence. Now, it ispatently obvious that you are a very competent young
man, James Holden.The matter of making your own way is difficult, as many adults cantestify. To have contrived a means of covering up your youth, in additionto living a full and competent life, demonstrates an ability above andbeyond the average. Now, the State is naturally interested in anythingthat smacks of acceleration of the educational period. Can you understandthat?"
"Naturally. None but a dolt would avoid education."
"Then you agree with our interest?"
"I--"
"Just a moment, James," said Waterman. "Let's put it that you understandtheir interest, but that you do not necessarily agree."
"I understand," said James.
"Then you must also understand that this 'course of study' by which youclaim the equal of a high-school education at the age of ten or eleven(perhaps earlier) must be of high importance."
"I understand that it might," agreed James.
"Then will you explain why you have kept this a secret?"
"Because--"
"Just a moment," said Waterman again. "James, would you say that yourmethod of educating yourself is completely perfected?"
"Not completely."
"Not perfected?" asked Manison. "Yet you claim to have the education of ahigh-school graduate?"
"I so claim," said James. "But I must also point out that I have acquireda lot of mish-mash in the course of this education. For instance, it isone thing to study English, its composition, spelling, vocabulary,construction, rules and regulations. One must learn these things if he isto be considered literate. In the course of such study, one also becomesacquainted with English literature. With literature it is enough tomerely be acquainted with the subject. One need not know the works ofChaucer or Spenser intimately--unless one is preparing to specialize inthe English literature of the writers of that era. Frankly, sir, I shouldhate to have my speech colored by the flowery phrases of that time, andthe spelling of that day would flunk me out of First Grade if I made useof it. In simple words, I am still perfecting the method."
"Now, James," went on Waterman, "have you ever entertained the idea ofnot releasing the details of your method?"
"Occasionally," admitted James.
"Why?"
"Until we know everything about it, we can not be certain that itsultimate effect will be wholly beneficial."
"So, you see," said Waterman to Manison, "the intention is reasonable.Furthermore, we must point out that this system is indeed the inventioncreated by the labor and study of the parents of James Holden, and assuch it is a valuable property retained by James Holden as his own by theright of inheritance. The patent laws of the United States are clear, itis the many conflicting rulings that have weakened the system. The lawitself is contained in the Constitution of the United States, whichprovides for the establishment of a Patent Office as a means to encourageinventors by granting them the exclusive right to the benefits of theirlabor for a reasonable period of time--namely seventeen years withprovision for a second period under renewal."
"Then why doesn't he make use of it?" demanded Manison.
"Because the process, like so many another process, can be copied andused by individuals without payment, and because there hasn't been apatent suit upheld for about forty years, with the possible exceptionof Major Armstrong's suit against the Radio Corporation of America,settled in Armstrong's favor after about twenty-five years of expensivelitigation. A secret is no longer a secret these days, once it has beenwritten on a piece of paper and called to the attention of a few millionpeople across the country."
"You realize that anything that will give an extensive education at anearly age is vital to the security of the country."
"We recognize that responsibility, sir," said Waterman quietly. "We alsorecognize that in the hands of unscrupulous men, the system could bemisused. We also realize its dangers, and we are trying to avoid thembefore we make the announcement. We are very much aware of the important,although unfortunate, fact that James Holden, as a minor, can have hisrights abridged. Normally honest men, interested in the protection ofyouth, could easily prevent him from using his own methods, thusdepriving him of the benefits that are legally his. This could bedone under the guise of protection, and the result would be thesuper-education of the protectors--whose improving intellectualcompetence would only teach them more and better reasons for deprivingthe young man of his rights. James Holden has a secret, and he has aright to keep that secret, and his only protection is for him to continueto keep that secret inviolate. It was his parents' determination not torelease this process upon the world until they were certain of theresults. James is a living example of their effort; they conceived himfor the express purpose of providing a virgin mind to educate by theirmethods, so that no outside interference would becloud their results. Ifthis can be construed as the illegal experimentation on animals under theanti-vivisection laws, or cruelty to children, it was their act, not his.Is that clear?"
"It is clear," replied Manison. "We may be back for more discussion onthis point. I'm really after information, not conducting a case, youknow."
"Well, you have your information."
"Not entirely. We've another point to consider, Mr. Waterman. It isadmittedly a delicate point. It is the matter of legal precedent.Granting everything you say is true--and I'll grant that hypotheticallyfor the purpose of this argument--let's assume that James Holdenultimately finds his process suitable for public use. Now, happily tothis date James had not broken any laws. He is an honorable individual.Let's now suppose that in the near future, someone becomes educated byhis process and at the age of twelve or so decided to make use of hisadvanced intelligence in nefarious work?"
"All right. Let's suppose."
"Then you tell me who is responsible for the person of James Holden?"
"He is responsible unto himself."
"Not under the existing laws," said Manison. "Let's consider James justas we know him now. Who says, 'go ahead,' if he has an attack of acuteappendicitis?"
"In the absence of someone to take the personal responsibility," saidJames quietly, "the attending doctor would toss his coin to see whetherhis Oath of Hippocrates was stronger than his fear of legal reprisals.It's been done before. But let's get to the point, Mr. Manison. What doyou have in mind?"
"You've rather pointedly demonstrated your preference to live here ratherthan with your legally-appointed guardian."
"Yes."
"Well, young man, I suggest that we get this matter settled legally. Youare not living under the supervision of your guardian, but you are indeedliving under the auspices of people who are not recognized by law asholding the responsibility for you."
"So far there's been no cause for complaint."
"Let's keep it that way," smiled Manison. "I'll ask you to accept a writof habeas corpus, directing you to show just cause why you should not bereturned to the custody of your guardian."
"And what good will that do?"
"If you can show just cause," said Manison, "the Court will followestablished precedent and appoint Mr. and Mrs. Fisher as your responsiblelegal guardians--if that is your desire."
"Can this be done?" asked Mrs. Fisher.
"It's been done before, time and again. The State is concerned primarilywith the welfare of the child; children have been legally removed fromnatural but unsuitable parents, you know." He looked distressed for amoment and then went on, "The will of the deceased is respected, but thelaw recognizes that it is the living with which it must be primarilyconcerned, that mistakes can be made, and that such errors in judgmentmust be rectified in the name of the public weal."
"I've been--" started James but Attorney Waterman interrupted him:
"We'll accept the service of your writ, Mr. Manison." And to James afterthe man had departed: "Never give the opposition an inkling of what youhave in mind--and always treat anybody who is not in your retainer asopposition."