"E. E. Doc Smith - Skylark 1 - Skylark of Space " - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

`Five cents.' He heard Crane's calm voice.

`Five cents bid. Any more? Going - going -

Seaton gulped to steady his voice. `Ten cents'

`Ten cents. Any more? Going - going - gone,' and Item QX47R769BC became the

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officially recorded personal property of Richard B. Seaton.

Just as the transfer was completed Scott caught sight of Seaton. `Hello, Nobody Holme!'
he called gaily. `Was that the famous solution of zero? Wish we'd known it - we'd've had
fun bidding you up.'

`Not too much, Ferdy.' Seaton was calm enough, now that the precious solution was
definitely his own. `This is a cash sale, you know, so it wouldn't have cost us much,
anyway.'

`That's true, too,' Scott admitted, nonchalantly enough. `This poor government clerk is
broke, as usual. But who's the "we"?'

`Mr. Scott, meet my friend M. Reynolds Crane,' and, as Scott's eyes opened in
astonishment, he added, `He doesn't think I'm ready for St. Elizabeth's yet'

`It's the bunk, Mr. Crane,' Scott said, twirling his right forefinger near his right ear. `Dick
used to be a good old wagon, but he done broke down.'

`That's what you think!' Seaton took a half step forward, but checked himself even before
Crane touched his elbow. `Wait a few weeks, Scotty, and see.'

The two took a cab back to Crane's house -the bottle being far too valuable to risk on
any motorcycle - where Crane poured out a little of the solution into a small vial, which he
placed in his safe. He then put the large bottle, carefully packed, into his massive
underground vault, remarking, `We'll take no chances at all with that.'

`Right,' Seaton agreed. `Well, let's get busy. The first thing to do is to hunt up a small
laboratory that's for rent.'

`Wrong. The organization of our company comes first - suppose I should die before we
solve the problem? I suggest something like this. Neither of us want to handle the
company as such, so it will be a stock company, capitalized at one million dollars, with
ten thousand shares of stock. McQueen, who is handling my affairs at the bank, can be
president; Winters, his attorney, and Robinson, his C.P.A., secretary, and treasurer; you
and I will be superintendent and general manager. To make up seven directors, we could
elect Mr. Vaneman and Shiro. As for the capital, I will put in half a million; you will put in
your idea and your solution, at a preliminary, tentative valuation of half a million -'

`But, Mart -'