Prestonby thought furiously, trying to find a safe path through the
tangle of Claire Pelton's conflicting loyalties, trying to find a path
between his own loyalties and his love for her, wondering how much it
would be safe to tell her.

"And Cardon's gone completely cloak-and-dagger-happy," she continued.
"He's talking about plots against my father's life, and against me,
and--"

"A lot of things are going on under cloaks, around here," he told her.
"And under Literate smocks, and under other kinds of costume. And a
lot of daggers are out, too. You didn't know Frank Cardon was a
Literate, did you?"

Her eyes widened. "I thought I was Literate enough to spot Literacy in
anybody else," she said. "No, I never even suspected--"

Somebody rapped on the door. "Miss Pelton," the sergeant's voice
called. "Visiphone call from Literates' Hall."

Prestonby smiled. "I'll take it, if you don't mind," he said. "I'm
acting-chief-Literate here, now, I suppose."

She followed him as he went out into Pelton's office. When he snapped
on the screen, a young man in a white smock, with the Fraternities
Executive Section badge, looked out of it. He gave a slight start when
he saw Prestonby.

"Literate First Class Ralph N. Prestonby, acting voluntarily for
Pelton's Purchasers' Paradise during emergency," he said.