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Show keeping it secret from each other." He sat back in the chair with his head slightly cocked, looking at Dr'Anya and continuing to drum the fingers of one hand on his upper knee. '"Tis quite a dilemma, truly, " he said. "The entire Doctor Class of BauerWorlde could be plucked out of circulation by the good Bauercrats, and no mistake, pardee." He swiveled around in his chair. "Such tyranny!" he said, and lifted up an index finger. "But the good Grant-Sheblem tells me that his revolution will knock the BauerNetwork on i t s . . ." The blinking open line began to signal its usual five-minute warning-a high-pitched whistle-and the android and Dr'Anya looked around at the switchboard, startled. "Issac's devils take me!" The android sprang to his feet and started toward the controls. "How came it that I left the BAA line wide open...?" He turned back to Dr'Anya. "Thou see'st, I was even now speaking with Midoc..." The android stopped in midsentence, jerked his head up and became rigid, his mouth still open for the aspirated consonant. Behind him, a faint voice was shouting. "Beshrew thee, Bledson, for an unmitigated ass!" Dr'Anya, half risen from the chair with elbows up and hands on the chairarms, looked blankly at the stalled android blocking her line of vision to the control panel. A tall and vigorous apparition took shape on the viewing platform between control panel and android. It-was dressed in yeofolk leather and wore a full wavy beard and two magnificent mustaches of silver gray. Wavering about an inch off the floor, it moved through the android and stood in front of Dr'Anya. 41 |