— I’ve looked into it yes sir, it all sounds so prepos…
— Dried up old Raggedy Andy what makes you think they didn’t stay in toys lift up his little gown Beaton, let’s see if the toy heart they gave him says I love…
— Zona damn it be quiet I didn’t ask you how it sounded Beaton I asked what you found out down there get this shoe off me will you?
— Yes sir I’m waiting for a call now from one of the Senator’s staff people who’s down at the company’s Texas installation as an observer on this Teletrav…
— Careful damn it! want to take my foot off…
— Yes sir I’m sorry, he tells me the parent company’s head of personnel who went down there to troubleshoot the project is scheduled to take part in a preliminary evaluation of its operational capabilities this morning as soon as they…
— Poor devil where they sending him.
— They have a phone company trunk line leased to an undisclosed receiving point somewhere in Maine sir I presume it’s an Army base, the company’s research director insists on establishing the system’s long-range capacity at the outset although it hardly…
— What I saw in the papers sounds like the same stunt he pulled with this Frigicom project, gets the DOD to draw up an impact statement shut up these damn fish lovers could have settled it with a car horn but he starts off with some complicated damn fool piece of music…
— Yes sir however I’ve pointed out all the Committee has is his word that this music was actually…
— Told you to get onto him down there too didn’t I? find out what the devil here put these in the closet…
— Yes sir I did quite inadvertently in fact, he joined me in a men’s room in the Senate Office Building where he wet my, granted he was hampered by bandages he wet my leg thoroughly during a brief conversation which convinced me the man is certifiably insane frankly sir this idea of transporting people by cable is so utterly preposterous I…
— Sounds like he just wet down your pride a little Beaton damn it you’re not a scientist neither am I, think how preposterous television sounded a few years ago now you can’t get away from the damn thing ever see color television? One bawling idiot after another on the screen, send his bawling picture a thousand miles in color like that probably no reason you can’t just go ahead and send the idiot himself is there?
— Possibly not sir but…
— Used to be the right people traveled all the idiots stayed put now nobody travels, haven’t been anywhere myself since they took out the Berengaria here hang these up. Now the right people stay put all you see’s the idiots and errand boys being flown around like bundles don’t know where they’re going don’t even know where they’ve been line them up like an infantry regiment and telegraph them they wouldn’t know the damn difference, don’t cost us a nickel to sit things out while this reorganization gets underway see where Diamond fits in does it? Sounded like the reason that bunch had their eye on it’s why I want this tender to go right through, see this project come up with something and we run into an antitrust ruling leave us standing there with a wish in one hand and where the devil’s that young woman.
— Getting my Bananx while Beaton sits there with his…
— No I brought you some ma’am wait, it’s right here in…
— Give it to me then don’t just stand there with your thumb in your…
— Damn it Zona he’s not your nursemaid who the devil got you up here this morning, one place I thought I’d have some priva…
— Beaton got me up here this morning get this open Beaton.
— Beaton you tell her after this get her damn free pills someplace else, those two hundred thousand shares of Diamond she was sitting on as Boody’s guardian running around loose now no damn reason I have to listen to any more of her damn…
— Tell him to hold his water Beaton, what does he mean running around loose.
— Meant what I said what does she call Boody, the Bank of England? Damn law falling apart anyplace you look give these eighteen-year-olds the right to sue vote make contracts all the rest of it see Boody marry some black find some shyster lawyer get this sock off me Beaton, why I told you to look into those gossip items see if it was some corporate stunt they cooked up to start a raid on Diamond or just plain damn greed with this what’s his name Bast? he’s a black isn’t he?
— I think not sir, that was a misapprehension you gained initially from a poor quality newspaper picture when their activities first came to our atten…
— No other damn reason anybody black or white want to marry Boody but these two hundred thousand shares is there? Anybody who could get near enough to her to…
— Beaton you tell him anybody who wants a smell of those shares can kiss mine tell him he gets both cheeks, tell him she’s being committed I had the papers drawn up for Ude’s signature to…
— Having his funeral Saturday ask her how the devil she’s getting his signature, up there yesterday his wife and daughter pouring scotch down the drain hand over fist so damn scared of estate taxes…
— Well tell him Beaton!
— Yes ma’am the papers were drawn up last week sir, Judge Ude signed them the morning he fell into the…
— Excuse me sir could you lie back and give me your arm…
— Nurse get me some water.
— Damn it Zona she’s…
— What are you strapping a radio on him for nurse he’s not going anyplace, now get me some water.
— It’s an external heart pacer ma’am just until he…
— Want somebody to wait on you hand and foot damn it Zona where’s your black girl this is a hosp…
— That’s what I want to know where is she Beaton, get me some water.
— Deleserea she’s still in jail ma’am, she…
— What’s she doing there, you proved she wasn’t peddling her ass on that street corner didn’t you? You said you could prove she was just asking directions dragging that city bus sign into court where nobody could understand it what’s she doing in jail.
— She’s been given a complete medical examination and placed in a rehabilitation program involving beauty school where she’s able to spend her time having her hair and nails done taking showers and watching telev…
— What does she mean I have twelve at lunch tomorrow!
— I told her that yes ma’am that’s when she abruptly changed her plea to guilty, she…
— That’s the most the most ungrateful here give me that you’re spilling it, what gets into these people no consideration at all as bad as Vida’s girl last night she could have ruined the evening…
— Tell me how anybody could ruin one of Vida’s evenings worst damn wastes of…
— You were standing right there when she went down with a tray of Vida’s best Waterford and some busybody called the police who said not to move her, she had to be covered with a tablecloth till the coroner could…
— Had the crystal insured didn’t they? Thought I heard something fall must have been when I was talking to Handler he’s doing this job this morning isn’t he nurse? Something to discuss with him when we get up there…
— The implant? Yes sir but you’ll have a shot before you go up I don’t think you’ll be able to discuss anything with…
— You look into it then Beaton, Handler’s damned annoyed said he was looking around for a good tax loss Crawley put him onto backing a play from some bunch called Angels East told him it was so bad it would fold overnight the damn thing opened it’s sold out must be some way to get it closed, fire laws health laws unions contracts must have pulled a fast one somewhere never met anybody in that theater bunch wasn’t a scoundrel a damn fool or both, one of them with no tie going on at me last night at Vida’s thought he was making some sense about what the pound’s been through rallies declines public turning its back turns out he’s talking about some damn dead poet finally had to put him out the door, few free drinks he’s insulting Vida tells her husband they betrayed literature selling out to this same damn bunch we’re talking about, the bank acting as corporate trustee of this Duncan stock nobody tells me a damn thing about it how the devil’d they get hold of it.