“It would seem an adventurous occupation."
“Moncurio is the man for it. He is strong, keen and quick and totally lacks scruples, which makes him difficult to deal with."
"How is it, then, that he sold the amphorae so cheaply?”
Pirie Tamm again showed a dubious expression. “He was at one time a fellow of the Society, and spoke of rejoining."
“Did he actually do so?"
“No. I feel that he lacked true Naturalist dedication. We agreed that the Society needed revitalization, even though, as he pointed out: ‘There is precious little to revive.’ And he added: ‘The Cadwal Charter and the Grant-in-Perpetuity are demonstrably secure, of course?' "
"What did you say to that?"
“I told him that we need not consider Cadwal at the moment, that all our best efforts must be devoted to repairing the Society here on Earth.”
'' ’First,’ said Moncurio, ‘you must alter the public image you now project, of a few tremulous octogenarians in musty clothes, dozing away the afternoons.’ ”
“I tried to remonstrate, but he went on: 'You must place yourselves squarely at the node of the general culture; you must set up a program of entertaining events which would capture the afternoon of the average man. These events might be somewhat peripheral to society goals, but they would generate enthusiasm.’ He spoke of such activities as dances, feasts of exotic dishes, recreations of dramatic adventures, contests and promotions to exploit the touristic potential of Cadwal.”
"I stated, somewhat stiffly, I fear, that his proposals failed to enhance either the short-or the long-term goals of the Society.”
" ‘Nonsense!' Moncurio declared. 'Further, you might organize a grand beauty pageant, with pretty girls recruited from as many worlds as possible. They would be named “Miss Naturalist-Earth" and “Miss Naturalist-Alcyone," “Miss Naturalist-Lirwan" and so forth.' “
I rejected the proposal as tactfully as I could. “Such pageants are no longer considered chic.”
“Moncurio contradicted me again. ‘Not so! A well-turned ankle, a proper buttock, a graceful gesture, these will never be anything less than chic, so long as the Gaean Reach endures.' “
“I said wryly: 'For a man of your age and a tomb robber to boot, you are vehement in this regard.' ”
“Moncurio became indignant. 'Never forget: a beautiful girl is no less a part of Nature than a bottle-nosed blind worn from the caves of Procyon IX.' “
" ‘Your point is well-taken,’ I told him. 'Still, I suspect that the Society will plot out its future course in less tangential directions. Now then, if you wish to join, you may pay me fourteen sols and fill out the questionnaire.' “
" 'I have every intention of joining the Society,' said Moncurio. 'Indeed, this is why I am here. But I am a cautious man, and I wish to look over the accounts before I join. Will you be so good as to show me the ledgers, and also, most importantly, the Cadwal Charter and the Grant?' “
“ ‘That would be inconvenient,' I told him. 'These documents are customarily kept in a bank vault.' “
'' ‘I have heard rumors of depredation and embezzlement. I must insist upon seeing the Charter and the Grant before I join.' “
'' ‘Everything that needs doing is being done,' I told him. 'You must support the Society as a matter of principle, not because of an old paper or two.' “
"Moncurio said that he would take the matter under advisement, and so departed.”
Wayness said: "It sounds to me as if he suspected that the Charter and Grant were gone.”
“I assumed that he had come upon items of the sequestered goods and this is still the most likely explanation."
Pirie Tamm chuckled sadly. “A year ago when Moira and Challis were here with their husbands, I mentioned Moncurio and his notions for enlarging the Society. All four thought that Moncurio’s ideas were eminently sensible. Ah well, no matter.” Pirie Tamm fixed his gaze on Wayness, “What of you? Are you a member?”
Wayness shook her head. “At Stroma we call ourselves ‘Naturalists,' but it is just a name. I suppose we think of ourselves as honorary members.”
"Ha! No such category exists. You are a member when you apply and are accepted by the secretary and when you have paid your dues.”
“That is simple enough, ‘said Wayness. ”I now apply for membership. Am I accepted?"
“Certainly,” said Pirie Tamm. “You must pay the initiation fee and your dues in advance: a total of fourteen sols.”
“I will do so immediately after dinner, “said Wayness.
Pirie Tamm gave a gruff chuckle. “I am obliged to warn you that you that you are buying into an indigent organization. A secretary named Frons Nisfit sold everything he could lay his hands on, then took the money and disappeared. The Society now lacks both property and assets."
“You have never tried to find the Charter?"
“Not seriously. The job seemed hopeless after so many years the trail is cold."
“What of the Secretaries who came after Nisfit: they did nothing?"
Pirie Tamm gave a grunt of disgust. “Nils Myhack succeeded Nisfit, and held the office for forty years. I suspect that he never realized the documents were gone. Kelvin Kilduc was next in office, and I am almost certain that he was unaware of the loss. Kilduc never mentioned any doubt of the Charter's presence in the vault to me. On the other hand, I don’t believe he was a truly dedicated secretary."
“So— if either secretary Myhack or secretary Kilduc tried to recover the Charter, you know nothing about it?”
"Nothing whatever.”
“Somewhere it must still exist. I wonder where.''
“There is no way of knowing. If I were wealthy, I might hire a trustworthy investigator and put him on the case.”
"It is an interesting idea,“ said Wayness. “Perhaps I shall look into the matter myself.”
Pirie Tamm frowned down the table. “You, a slip of a girl?"
"Why not? If I found the Charter and the Grant, you would be delighted!”
“That goes without saying, but the concept is extraordinary. Almost grotesque.”
"I can't see why."
"You are not trained in investigative procedures!”
"It seems mainly a matter of persistence, as well as a modest degree of intelligence.”
“True enough! But such work is frequently coarse and not altogether genteel. Who knows where such a search might take you? This is a job for a tough, resourceful man, not a vulnerable innocent girl, no matter how persistent or intelligent. Danger still exists on old Earth — sometimes in subtle and unusual forms."
"I hope that you exaggerate, since I am something of a coward."
Pirie Tamm frowned down the table. “I believe that you are truly in earnest.”
“Yes, of course.”
"How do you propose to pursue this investigation?”
Wayness considered. “I suppose that I will make a list of likely places to look — museums, collections, dealers in ancient documents — and work down the list.”
Pirie Tamm gave his head a disparaging shake. “My dear young lady, there must be hundreds of such places, on Earth alone.”
Wayness nodded thoughtfully. “It does seem to be a large job. But who knows? I might find clues the way. Also, is there not a central directory where ancient archives are indexed and cross-referenced?”
"Of course! The university has access to such information banks. There is also the Library of Ancient Archives at Shillaway.“ Pirie Tamm rose to his feet. “Let us adjourn to the study for a cordial.”
Pirie Tamm took Wayness along the hall and into his study: a large room, with a fireplace at one end and a pair of long tables at the other. Books and pamphlets crammed the shelves; both tables were littered with papers; between them was a swivel chair. Pirie Tamm indicated the tables. “So goes my life these days. I dwell in a swivel chair. I sit in one direction to work on my monograph; I am jerked to attention by a sudden recollection, swing about in the chair to plunge into Society business, then back again to my monograph.“ Wayness made sounds of commiseration. “No matter,” said Pirie Tamm. "I am only happy that I have no more than two tables and two occupations; with three, or four, I would be whirling like a dervish. Come; let us sit by the fire." Wayness settled herself into a tall old chair of baroque design upholstered in moss-green plush. Pirie Tamm poured dark red cherry cordial into small goblets, one of which he handed to Wayness. “This is the finest Tincture of Morella, and is guaranteed to bring the bloom of health to your cheeks.”