'And who is so madly jealous of this wonderful hotel of ours that he wants to blow it up?'
'Miss Tibbs,' said the President.
'Wrong,' said the Chief Spy. 'Try again.'
'Well,' said the President, thinking deeply. 'In that case, could it not perhaps be some other hotel owner who is envious of our lovely hotel?'
'Brilliant!' cried the Chief Spy. 'Go on, sir! You're getting warm!'
'It's Mr Savoy!' said the President.
'Warmer and warmer, Mr President!'
'Mr Ritz!'
'You're hot, sir! You're boiling hot! Go on!'
'I've got it!' cried the President. 'It's Mr Hilton!'
'Well done, sir!' said the Chief Spy.
'Are you sure it's him?'
'Not sure, but it's certainly a warm possibility, Mr President. After all, Mr Hilton's got hotels in just about every country in the world but he hasn't got one in space. And we have. He must be madder than a maggot!'
'By gum, we'll soon fix this!' snapped the President, grabbing one of the eleven telephones on his desk. 'Hello!' he said into the phone. 'Hello hello hello! Where's the operator?' He jiggled furiously on the little thing you jiggle when you want the operator. 'Operator, where are you?'
'They won't answer you now,' said Miss Tibbs. 'They're all watching television.'
'Well, this one'll answer!' said the President, snatching up a bright red telephone. This was the hot line direct to the Premier of Soviet Russia in Moscow. It was always open and only used in terrible emergencies. 'It's just as likely to be the Russians as Mr Hilton,' the President went on. 'Don't you agree, Nanny?'
'It's bound to be the Russians,' said Miss Tibbs.
'Premier Yugetoff speaking,' said the voice from Moscow. 'What's on your mind, Mr President?'
'Knock-Knock,' said the President.
'Who's there?' said the Soviet Premier.
'Warren.'
'Warren who?'
'Warren Peace by Leo Tolstoy,' said the President. 'Now see here, Yugetoff! You get those astronauts of yours off that Space Hotel of ours this instant! Otherwise, I'm afraid we're going to have to show you just where you get off, Yugetoff!'
'Those astronauts are not Russians, Mr President.'
'He's lying,' said Miss Tibbs.
'You're lying,' said the President.
'Not lying, sir,' said Premier Yugetoff. 'Have you looked closely at those astronauts in the glass box? I myself cannot see them too clearly on my TV screen, but one of them, the little one with the pointed beard and the top hat, has a distinctly Chinese look about him. In fact, he reminds me very much of my friend the Prime Minister of China...'
'Great garbage!' cried the President, slamming down the red phone and picking up a porcelain one. The porcelain phone went direct to the Head of the Chinese Republic in Peking.
'Hello hello hello!' said the President.
'Wing's Fish and Vegetable Store in Shanghai,' said a small distant voice. 'Mr Wing speaking.'