Then he watched Bennie's set between his chubby legs. Presently the hydrogen nuclei, swirling in their orbits, ran together—and there was a flash of green light and an explosion. The four nuclei disappeared.

Tommie felt bad. Bennie was indignant. "What's the big idea—making them explode?" he demanded.

Tommie didn't understand.

"You must have some kind of electricity in you," said Bennie, "that makes 'em explode."

Tommie thought about that. Yes, there must be something about him. Maybe the same strange force that enabled him to suggest words to his mother and that had made it possible this afternoon for him to split—maybe that did something to the delicately balanced nuclei.

"Look," said Tommie. "I owe you four hydrogens, but I can't pay now, because then I won't have any left. I'll pay you tomorrow. Is that okay?"

Bennie was dubious at first, but he thought about it and decided that would be all right. Tommie went back home with plenty to think about—so much, in fact, that through dinner he was quite silent as his father and mother worried about Mr. Franklin and his new television tube.

Mr. Franklin came promptly at eight, and they all went into the front room as soon as mother threw the dishes down the chute. Then they had coffee, and Tommie began to worry. Nobody said anything about business for a long time.

Tommie went and got his sun-energy set and settled himself under the arm of his dad's chair. Then he looked up expectantly for a pat on the head, but instead of that his father was staring at him. Tommie remembered how the hydrogen nuclei had misbehaved, so he got to his feet again and went for his chlorophyl kit. He set that up and turned on the little artificial sun and then just watched. It was fun to see the sunlight soak into the green liquid in the test tubes, and come out at the bottom as bubbles of carbon dioxide. It was quiet, too.

"So you think," his father was saying, "that we should have fifty thousand to start with."

"We should have about twenty-five cash, and twenty-five in reserve," Mr. Franklin said. He was a very handsome man.

"How long will it take us to get into production?"

"That all depends on you," said Mr. 

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