Part 28 (2/2)
my _aide-de-camp_ on Poictesmenow he thinks he's my keeper”
He wasn't in evidence, and he should be Then Conn knehere and when he had seen the man who claimed to be a preacher naentle
”There never was any such computer I only wish there had been; it would have shortened the War by years We did, of course, use computers of all sorts, but they were all the conventional types used by business organizations”
The rest was lost in a new outburst of shouting: General Travis, in the screen, continued in duuish was Leibert's--Shanlee's--voice, screa: ”Can it be a lie? Is there no Great Co on the top of the desk and bellowing, ”Shut up! Listen!”
”Frankly, I' Maxwell talked to o; I told hi of the sort existed If he's back on Poictes advantage of their credulity
There never was anything called Project Merlin”
”Hah, who's a liar now?” Klem Zareff shouted ”Dolf, what did your people find in the Library?”
”Why, that's right!” Professor Kellton exclaimed ”My students did find a dozen references to Project Merlin He couldn't be ignorant of anything like that”
”This youth has been lying to us all along!” the old er at Conn ”He has created false hopes; he has given us faith in a delusion Why, he is the wickedest monster in human history!”
”Well, thank you, General Travis,” another voice, fro The only calm voice in the room ”That was a most excellent statement, sir It should”
”Conn, you didn't tell us you'd talked to General Travis,” Morgan Gatworth was saying ”Why didn't you?”
”Because I never believed anything he told me You were in Kurt Fawzi's office the day I came home; you kno shocked everybody hen I told you I hadn't been able to learn anything positive Why should I repeat his lies and discourage everybody thaton top of it,” Conn declared ”He wants the credit for winning the War, not for letting Merlin win it for him”
”I don't blame Conn,” Kleht have believed it”
”And look e found,” Kurt Fawzi added, pointing at the ceiling
”Is that Merlin up there, or isn't it?”
”That little thing!” Shanlee cried scornfully ”How could that be Merlin? I aiveness for this wretch”
He turned and started for the door
”Stop hiwyn put hiht arm Shanlee tried, briefly, to resist
”Seems to me you lost faith in Merlin awfully quick,” the former town marshal of Litchfield said ”You knew there was a Merlin all along, and you never wanted us to find it”
Franz Veltrin, who had been ”Leibert's” most enthusiastic adherent, had also lost faith suddenly; he was shouting vituperation at the Prophet of Merlin
”Knock it off, Franz; he was only doing his duty,” Conn said ”Weren't you, General Shanlee?”
It took al for an explanation and allowed hiht Klem Zareff's coeneral to handle it”
”I talked to Travis, yes He gave me the same story he just repeated on that interview,” Conn said, picking his way carefully between fact and fiction ”After I went back to Montevideo, he and this aide of his must have been afraid I didn't believe it, which I didn't When I was ready to graduate, I got this offer of an instructorshi+p; that was a bribe to keep me on Terra and off Poictesme When I turned it down and took the _Mizar_ horown that beard and that pageboy bob on the way out I suppose he contacted Murchison as soon as he landed Wait a minute”