Booby Prize by George O. Smith

They came in a body at nine-thirty the next morning. Peter showed them to chairs in the laboratory, but Walter Higgins remained standing. "These are some of my Board of Directors," he said to Peter. "Meet Mr. Harrison, Vice-President in charge of Engineering and Research of Higgins Development Company. And this is Mr. Forsyth, Executive Vice-President of Higgins Enterprises, Incorporated. Mr. Lewis, Vice-President of the Higgins Industrial Trust. Mr. Thomason, of Higgins and Thomason Investment Company. Gentlemen, this is the young man of whom I spoke. I would have had you here before this, but there was nothing much to see. And young Mr. Mansfield had nothing to say but a lot of high-sounding explanation that none of us could understand. However, he assures me that he is ready to demonstrate. This is true?"

Peter nodded. The collection of vice-presidents made him nervous. He would have preferred that the first demonstration took place before this rather public announcement. But he had been told rather firmly by Walter Higgins that these were the men who were helping him pour money into the matter transmitter, and so they had every right to see the first demonstration.