With a superior smile, he seated himself at the table and shuffled
calmly through the sheets of equations before him.

Arcot and Wade were laughing, but not Robert Morey. With a sorrowful
expression, he walked to the window and looked out at the hundreds of
slim, graceful aircars that floated above the city.

"My friends," said Morey, almost tearfully, "I give you the great Dr.
Arcot. These countless machines we see have come from one idea of his.
Just an idea, mind you! And who worked it into mathematical form and
made it calculable, and therefore useful? I did!

"And who worked out the math for the interplanetary ships? I did!
Without me they would never have been built!" He turned dramatically, as
though he were playing King Lear. "And what do I get for it?" He pointed
an accusing finger at Arcot. "What do I get? _He_ is called 'Earth's
most brilliant physicist', and I, who did all the hard work, am referred
to as 'his mathematical assistant'." He shook his head solemnly. "It's a
hard world."

At the table, Wade frowned, then looked at the ceiling. "If you'd make
your quotations more accurate, they'd be more trustworthy. The news said
that Arcot was the '_System's_ most brilliant physicist', and that you
were the 'brilliant mathematical assistant who showed great genius in
developing the mathematics of Dr. Arcot's new theory'." Having delivered
his speech, Wade began stoking his pipe.

Fuller tapped his fingers on the table. "Come on, you clowns, knock it
off and tell me why you called a hard-working man away from his drafting
table to come up to this play room of yours. What have you got up your
sleeve this time?"

"Oh, that's too bad," said Arcot, leaning back comfortably in his chair.
"We're sorry you're so busy. We were thinking of going out to see what
Antares, Betelguese, or Polaris looked like at close range. And, if we
don't get too bored, we might run over to the giant model nebula in
Andromeda, or one of the others. Tough about your being busy; you might
have helped us by designing the ship and earned your board and passage.
Tough." Arcot looked at Fuller sadly.

Fuller's eyes narrowed. He knew Arcot was kidding, but he also knew how
far Arcot would go when he was kidding--and this sounded like he meant
it. Fuller said: "Look, teacher, a man named Einstein said that the
velocity of light was tops over two hundred years ago, and nobody's come
up with any counter evidence yet. Has the Lord instituted a