The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Eyes Have It, by Gordon Randall Garrett

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Title: The Eyes Have It

Author: Gordon Randall Garrett

Illustrator: John Schoenherr

Release Date: January 2, 2010 [EBook #30833]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction January 1964.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright
on this publication was renewed.

THE EYES HAVE IT

In a sense, this is a story of here-and-now. This Earth,
this year ... but on a history-line slipped slightly
sidewise. A history in which a great man acted differently,
and Magic, rather than physical science, was developed....

RANDALL GARRETT

Illustrated by John Schoenherr

[Illustration]

* * * * *

Sir Pierre Morlaix, Chevalier of the Angevin Empire, Knight of the
Golden Leopard, and secretary-in-private to my lord, the Count
D'Evreux, pushed back the lace at his cuff for a glance at his wrist
watch--three minutes of seven. The Angelus had rung at six, as always,
and my lord D'Evreux had been awakened by it, as always. At least, Sir
Pierre could not remember any time in the past seventeen years when my
lord had not awakened at the Angelus. Once, he recalled, the sacristan
had failed to ring the bell, and the Count had been furious for a
week. Only the intercession of Father Bright, backed by the Bishop
himself, had saved the sacristan from doing a turn in the dungeons of
Castle D'Evreux.

Sir Pierre stepped out into the corridor, walked along the carpeted
flagstones, and cast a practiced eye around him as he walked. These
old castles were difficult to keep clean, and my lord the Count was
fussy about nitre collecting in the seams between the stones of the
walls. All appeared quite in orde