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Show -311- xar, he recalled; then taken over by a chain and remodeled. The huge building looked the same from the outside,* but when he entered nothing seemed familiar. The lower floor was given over to shops, and the room he xas assigned xas half the size of the one he had occupied with his father almost forty years before. When the bellhop had l e f t him, he opened his suitcase and took out a b o t t l e of bourbon, poured himself a drink. Then he called his daughter's number. His son-in-law ansxrered. When the Professor told him xrhere he xas, the son-in-laxr said, "We'll be right doxm." The Professor had meant to t e l l them that if i t xas inconvenient tonight, he xrould be back in txro days, but his daughter, itiien she came on the line, seemed so pleased to hear from him, and he became so anxious to see her again, that he said nothing. "I can't believe you're so close," his daughter said. "We'll be there in fifteen minutes." Neither the Professor nor his daughter xas overly demons t r a t i v e . When she entered, he embraced her and kissed her on the cheek, shook hands xrith his son-in-law, then they sat talking as if i t had only been days since they had last seen each other? He offered to take them out to dinner, but they had of soup already eaten, so he ordered a boxrl/from room service. He poured them each a drink from his b o t t l e . Bis daughter sat in the only chair in the room. He and his son-in-law sat on the bed. |