Part 17 (1/2)
They were strolling after dinner, down the Mall The air was sharp and warned that autumn had definitely arrived; the ht as theout in the dusk
”Conn, this thing about Merlin,” she began ”Do you really believe in it? Ever since Dad and I ca about it, but it's just a story, isn't it?”
He was tempted to tell her the truth, and sternly put the temptation behind hi to do wonderful things e find it”
He looked down the starlit Mall ahead of hian Gatworth and Lorenzo Menardes, had gotten things finished and cleaned up The pavement was smooth and unbroken; the litter had vanished
”It's done wonderful things already, just because people started looking for it,” he said ”So to realize that they had Merlin all along and didn't know it”
There was a faint hu what it was Then they ca
”Why, look! They got therinned at hiet you, chum,” she said ”Of course there's a Merlin”
Maybe he didn't have to tell her the truth
When they returned to the house, histo get you ever since you went out
Call hiht away; Ritz-Gartner Hotel, in Storisende It's soet his father on-screen He was excited and happy
”Hi, Conn; we have one,” he said
”What kind of a shi+p?”
”You know her The _Harriet Barne_”
That he hadn't expected So off Mothball Row that would have to be flown to Barathrum and torn down and completely rebuilt, but not the one that was there already, partly finished
”How the dickens did you wangle that?”
”Oh, it was Yves' idea, to start with He knew about her; the T & O's been losing money on her for years He said if they had to pay prize-inal condition or finish the job and build a spaceshi+p they didn't want, it would alh as fifty thousand sols for prize-hed at theanizing a new coage in interplanetary shi+pping; both con their equity in the _Harriet Barne_ to the new co her to be done at our spaceport and the labor cost to be shared This would give us our spaceshi+p, and get T & O off the hook all around Everybody was for it except the president of T & O Know anything about him?”
Conn shook his head His father continued:
”Nae in _Christmas Carol_ without any ot out of college, and that hile the War was still going on
'Preposterous; utterly visionary and impractical,'” his fatherstockholders didn't agree; they finally bullied hi the new company Alpha-Interplanetary, we have an application for charter in, and that'll go through al to be the president of this new company?”
”You know hi to be vice-president in charge of operations; he's flying to Barathru of technicians we're recruiting
T & O are giving us Clyde Nichols and Mack Vibart, and a lot ofhere in Storisende; we're opening an office here By this ti to e'd been born quintuplets”