The admissions clerks were in no great hurry and waved Shadrach's stretcher to a far corner.

"The admissions clerk needs to get some patient info," the security guard said.

He stepped into the other side of the isolation booth, the room the admissions clerk had used, and waved it around, watching the screen.

Smiling broadly, Hasbrough excused her and asked the admissions clerk of the hospital to take the stand.

In seconds he had pounced on the admissions clerk.

He cited a "random sample" of test scores and grade-point averages, which he said he obtained while working as an admissions clerk.

By the time he'd bullied his way through startled admissions clerks, France had finished with lab tests and X-rays.

By now we weren't even surprised when the admissions clerk offered us a one-day pass to 17 museums at a huge savings.

"I must have your address," snaps an irritable admissions clerk.

No stares from the admissions clerks, nor the sick people trying to get in.