the operator.

All the best,
Jim Duckworth

* * * * *

Turnbull slid the letter back into its tube and picked up the second
letter, dated 22 August 2187, one day later.

* * * * *

Dear Dave,

I called last night, and the operator said your phone has been
temporarily disconnected. I presume these letters will be forwarded, so
please let me know where you are. I'm usually at home between 1800 and
2300, so call me collect within the next three or four days.

All the best,
Jim

* * * * *

The third letter was dated 10 November 2187. Turnbull wondered why it
had been sent. Obviously, the manager of the Excelsior had sent
Duckworth a notice that Dr. Turnbull was off-planet and could not be
reached. He must have received the notice on the afternoon of 22 August.
That would account for his having sent a second letter before he got the
notice. Then why the third letter?

* * * * *

Dear Dave,

I know you won't be reading this letter for six months or so, but at
least it will tell you where I am. I guess I wasn't keeping as close
tabs on your work as I thought: otherwise I would have known about the
expedition to Lobon. You ought to be able to make enough credit on that
trip to bring you to the attention of the Board.

And don't feel too bad about missing my first letters or the call. I was
off on a wild goose chase that just didn't pan out, so you really didn't
miss a devil of a lot.

As a matter of fact, it was rather disappointing to me, so I've decided
to take a long-needed sabbatical leave and combine it with a little
research on the half-intelligent natives of Mendez. I'll see you in a
year or so.

As ever,
Jim Duckworth

* * * * *

Well, that was that, Turnbull thought. It galled him a little to think
that he'd been offered a chance to do research with Scholar Duckworth
and hadn't been able to take it. But if the research hadn't panned
out.... He frowned and turned back to the first letter.

A theory that would "literally kick the supports right out from under
every theory that's been evolved for the existence of that city," he'd
said. Odd. It was unlike Duckworth to be so positive about anything
until he could support his own theory without much fear of having it
pulled to pieces.

Turnbull po