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

how - or if - it could be controlled. That meant time, apparatus, and above all, money.
Money meant Crane; and Mart would be interested, anyway.

Seaton made out a leave-slip for the rest of the day, and was soon piloting his
motorcycle out Connecticut Avenue and into Crane's private drive. Swinging under the
imposing portecochere he jammed on his brakes and stopped in a shower of gravel, a
perilous two inches from granite. He dashed up the steps and held his finger firmly
against the bell button. The door was opened hastily by Crane's Japanese servant,
whose face lit up on seeing the visitor.

`Hello, Shiro. Is the honorable son of Heaven up yet?'

`Yes, sir, but he is at present in his bath.'

`Tell him to snap it up, please. Tell him I've got a thing on -the fire that'll break him right
off at the ankles.'

Bowing the guest to a chair in the library, Shiro hurried away. Returning shortly, he
placed before Seaton the Post, the Herald, and a jar of Seaton's favorite brand of
tobacco, and said, with his unfailing bow, `Mr. Crane will appear in less than one
moment, sir.'


-11-
Seaton filled and lit his briar and paced up and down the room, smoking furiously. In a
short time Crane came in.

`Good morning, Dick.' The men shook hands cordially. `Your message was slightly
garbled in transmission. Something about a fire and ankles is all that came through. What
fire? And whose ankles were - or are about to be - broken?'

Seaton repeated.

`Ah, yes, I thought it must have been something like that. While I have breakfast, will you
have lunch?'

`Thanks, Mart, guess I will. I was too excited to eat much of anything this morning.' A
table appeared and the two men sat down at it. `I'll just spring it on you cold, I guess.
Just what would you think of working with me on a widget to liberate and control the
entire constituent energy of metallic copper? Not in little dribbles and drabbles, like
fission or fusion, but one hundred point zero zero zero zero per cent conversion? No
radiation, no residue, no by-products -which means no shielding or protection would be
necessary - just pure and total conversion of matter to controllable energy?'

Crane, who had a cup of coffee half-way to his mouth, stopped it in mid-air, and stared
at Seaton eye to eye. This, in Crane the Imperturbable, betrayed more excitement than
Seaton had ever seen him show. He finished lifting the cup, sipped, and replaced the cup
studiously, meticulously, in the exact center of its saucer.

`That would undoubtedly constitute the greatest technological advance the world has