By Irving Wallace

When their Cadillac limousine drove through the open gate in the black iron fence along Pennsylvania Avenue and entered the curving White House driveway, Collins could see that a great number of news people were on the lawn across from the north facade, with their lighting equipment turned on and waiting.

Mike Hogan, the FBI agent who was responsible for his life, twisted around in the front seat and asked, "Do you want to talk to them, Mr Collins?"

Collins squeezed Karen's hand a bit and said, "Not if I can help it. I have nothing to say. Let's go right inside."

Once they had left the car at the North Portico, Col­lins was affably noncommittal with the press. Taking Ka­ren's arm, he hurried after Hogan toward the White House entrance. He answered only one question before they went inside.

A television newscaster called out to him, "We hear you're going to be watching television tonight. How do you think it'll come out?"

Collins called back, "We'll be watching a rerun of Gone with the Wind. I think the North will win."

Inside, two surprises awaited him. He had expected the gathering to take place in the Red Room, or in one of the smaller entertaining rooms located upstairs, but instead he and Karen were escorted to the Cabinet Room in the West Wing. He had expected thirty or forty people to be on hand, but there proved to be only a dozen or so besides Karen and himself.

Along the wall that faced the green draperies covering the French doors that led to the White House Rose Garden, near the shelves of books, a large color television con­sole had been installed. Several persons were standing watching the picture on the screen, although the audio had been turned down low.Half the black leather-cov­ered chairs around the long, shining dark Cabinet table had been turned to face the television set. On the opposite side of the table, beneath the great Seal set in the east wall and between the United States flag and the Presi­dential flag, President Andrew Wadsworth was engaged in an eager conversation with the Senate and House majority leaders and their wives.

Although Collins had been in the Cabinet Room a half dozen times before — five times as Deputy Attorney Gen­eral substituting for ailing Attorney General Baxter, and earlier this week as Attorney General himself — the room seemed suddenly different to him. This was because it had been rearranged, with many of the chairs moved away from the Cabinet table to be nearer the television set. At the far end of the table, before the Gilbert Stuart historic portrait of Washington hanging over the mantel­piece, hors d'oeuvres were being kept warm in gleaming copper chafing dishes set on a green cloth and supervised by a chef in a white hat. The state room had been trans­formed, by informal disarray, into oversized, comfortable play quarters.

As Collins, with Karen clutching his arm, briefly sur­veyed the scene, the President's chief aide charged for­ward to welcome them. Quickly, they were taken on the rounds of the Cabinet Room, to meet either again or for the first time the Vice-President and his wife; the Presi­dent's personal secretary; then the Congressional leaders and their wives, and then President Wadsworth himself.

The President, a slight, dapper man, urbane, almost courtly, with dark hair, growing grey at the temples, a pointed nose, a receding chin, took Karen's hand, shook Collins', and was at once apologetic. "Incidentally Mar­tha" — he was referring to the First Lady — "won't be here tonight to get to know you better. She's in bed with a touch of the flu. Oh, she'll be all right. There'll be a next time. ... Well, Chris, it looks like a happy evening."

"I do hope so, Mr President," said Collins. "What are the developments?"

"As you know, the state Senates in New York and Ohio ratified the 35th early yesterday. Now we're entirely in the hands of the New York Assembly and the Ohio House. Ohio looks like a cinch. New York is a little iffier." Collins nodded in the direction of the television set across the table. "When does it start, Mr President?" "Ten or fifteen minutes. They're just warming up with some background."

THE MAGIC BOX OF WILLIE GREEN