"My uncle says," Bors told him, "that you kept Phillip of Norden from being assassinated by a fission-bomb at a cornerstone laying. He also says you wouldn't accept a reward, only a medal."
"I collect them," said Morgan modestly. "You'd be surprised how many orders and decorations a man can acquire by industry and organization--and Talents, Incorporated."
Gwenlyn said, "Four days, three hours and some odd minutes--"
"True," said Morgan. "Let's get at it. Captain Bors, have you ever heard of a lightning calculator--a person who can do complicated sums in his head as fast as he can hear or read the numbers involved?"
"Yes," said Bors. "It's quite phenomenal, I believe."
"It's a form of genius," said Morgan. "Only I call it a talent because it tends to make itself useless. Have you ever heard of a dowser?"
"If you mean a man who finds places for wells, and locates mines by means of a hazel twig--"
"The hazel twig is immaterial," Morgan told him. "The point is that you've heard of them, and you know that they can actually do such things. Right?"
Bors frowned. "It's not proven," he said. "At least I think it isn't considered proven because it isn't understood. But I believe it's conceded that such things are done. I believe, in fact, that dowsing has been done on photographs and maps, in an office, and not on the spot at all. I admit that that seems impossible. But I'm told it happens."
Morgan nodded rapidly, very well pleased.
"One more. Have you heard of precognition?"
"I have a Talent," said Morgan. "I have a man in my employ with a talent for precognizing when ships are going to arrive. His gift is strictly limited. He used to work in a spaceport office. He always knew when a ship was coming in. He didn't know how he knew. He doesn't know now. But he always knows when a ship will arrive at the planet where he is."
"Interesting," said Bors, only half listening.
"He was discharged," Morgan went on, "because he allowed a maintenance crew to disassemble, for repair, a vital relay in a landing-grid on the very day when three space-ships were scheduled for arrival. There was pandemonium, of course, because nothing could have landed there. So when my Talent let the relay be dismantled, with three ships expected.... But one ship was one day late, another two days, and the third, four. He knew it. He didn't know how, but he knew! He was discharged anyway."