It was beautiful, the way he did it. He had told me plainly that he
wanted to get down to business and cut the small talk, but he'd done
it in such a way that the transition was frictionlessly smooth.

"Not much scenery up there," I said. "I hope you'll find what we're
trying to do here has a few more points of interest."

"I'm quite sure it will, from what I've heard of your pilot project
here. That's why I want to, well, sort of be a hanger-on for a few
days, if that's all right with you."

* * * * *

Before I could answer, the phone blinked. I excused myself to the Duke
and cut in. The image that came on the screen was almost myself,
except that he had his mother's mouth and was twenty-odd years
younger.

"Hi, Dad," he said, with that apologetic smile of his. "Sorry to
bother you during office hours, but could I borrow fifty? Pay you
back next week."

I threw a phony scowl at him. "Running short, eh? Have you been
betting on the stickball teams again?"

He cast his eyes skyward, and raised the three fingers of his right
hand. "Scout's Honor, Dad, I spent it on a new turbine for my
ElectroFord." Then he lowered his hand and looked down from the upper
regions. "I really did. I forgot that I was supposed to take Mary
Ellen out this evening. Car-happy, I guess. Can you advance the
fifty?"

I threw away my phony scowl and gave him a smile. "Sure, Stevie. How's
Mary Ellen?"

"Swell. She's all excited about going to the Art Ball tonight--that's
why I didn't want to disappoint her."

"Slow up, son," I told him, "you've already made your pitch and been
accepted. You'll get your fifty, so don't push it. Want to come down
here and pick it up?"

"Can do. And have I told you that you'll be invited to the wedding?"

"Thanks, pal. Can I give the groom away?" It was a family joke that
we'd kicked back and forth ever since he had met Mary Ellen, two years
before.

"Sure thing. See you in a couple of hours. Bye, Dad." He cut off, and
I looked at the Duke.

"Sorry. Now, you were saying?"

"Perfectly all right." He smiled. "I have two of my own at home.

"At any rate, I was saying that the Criminal Investigation Department
of New Scotland Yard has become interested in this experiment of
yours, so I was sent over to get all the first-hand information I can.
Frankly, I volunteered for the job; I was eager to come. There are
plenty of skeptics at the Yard, I'll admit, but I'm not one