'That's not quite true. Lorenzo, we've managed to keep this secret awfully tight. There's me, there's you.» He ticked it off on his fingers. «There's Doc and Rog and Bill. And Penny, of course. There's a man by the name of Langston back Earthside whom you've never met. I think Jimmie Washington suspects but he wouldn't tell his own mother the right time of day. We don't know how many took part in the kidnapping, but not many, you can be sure. In any case,they don't dare talk — and the joke of it is they no longer could prove that he had ever been missing even if they wanted to. But my point is this: here in the Tommie we've got all the crew and all the idlers not in on it. Old son, how about staying with it and letting yourself be seen each day by crewmen and by Jimmie Washington's girl and such — while he gets well? Huh?»

«Mmm ... I don't see why not. How long will it be?»

«Just the trip back. We'll take it slow, at an easy boost. You'll enjoy it.»

«Okay. Dak, don't figure this into my fee. I'm doing this piece of it just because I hate brainwashing.»

Dak bounced up and clapped me on the shoulder. «You're my kind of people, Lorenzo. Don't worry about your fee; you'll be taken care of.» His manner changed. «Very well, Chief. See you in the morning, sir.»

But one thing leads to another. The boost we had started on Dak's return was a mere shift of orbits, to one farther out where there would be little chance of a news service sending up a shuttle for a follow-up story. I woke up in free fall, took a pill, and managed to eat breakfast. Penny showed up shortly thereafter. «Good morning, Mr. Bonforte.»

«Good morning, Penny.» I inclined my head in the direction of the guest room. «Any news?»

«No, sir. About the same. Captain's compliments and would it be too much trouble for you to come to his cabin?»

«Not at all.» Penny followed me in. Dak was there, with his heels hooked to his chair to stay in place; Rog and Bill were strapped to the couch.

Dak looked around and said, «Thanks for coming in, Chief. We need some help.»

«Good morning. What is it?»

Clifton answered my greeting with his usual dignified deference and called me Chief; Corpsman nodded. Dak went on, «To clean this up in style you should make one more appearance.»

«Eh? I thought — »

«Just a second. The networks were led to expect a major speech from you today, commenting on yesterday's event. I thought Rog intended to cancel it, but Bill has the speech worked up. Question is, will you deliver it?»

The trouble with adopting a cat is that they always have kittens. «Where? Goddard City?»

«Oh no. Right in your cabin. We beam it to Phobos; they can it for Mars and also put it on the high circuit for New Batavia, where the Earth nets will pick it up and where it will be relayed for Venus, Ganymede, et cetera. Inside of four hours it will be all over the system but you'll never have to stir out of your cabin.»

There is something very tempting about a grand network. I had never been on one but once and that time my act got clipped down to the point where my face showed for only twenty-seven seconds. But to have one all to myself —

Dak thought I was reluctant and added, «It won't be a strain, as we are equipped to can it right here in the Tommie. Then we can project it first and clip out anything if necessary.»

«Well — all right. You have the script, Bill?»

«Yes.»

«Let me check it.»

«What do you mean? You'll have it in plenty of time.»

«Isn't that it in your hand?»

«Well, yes.»

«Then let me read it.»

Corpsman looked annoyed. «You'll have it an hour before we record. These things go better if they sound spontaneous.»

«Sounding spontaneous is a matter of careful preparation, Bill. It's my trade. I know.»

«You did all right at the skyfield yesterday without rehearsal. This is just more of the same old hoke: I want you to do it the same way.»

Bonforte's personality was coming through stronger the longer Corpsman stalled; I think Clifton could see that I was about to cloud up and storm, for he said, «Oh, for Pete's sake, Bill! Hand him the speech.»

Corpsman snorted and threw the sheets at me. In free fall they sailed but the air spread them wide. Penny gathered them together, sorted them, and gave them to me. I thanked her, said nothing more, and started to read.

I skimmed through it in a fraction of the time it would take to deliver it. Finally I finished and looked up.

«Well?» said Rog.

«About five minutes of this concerns the adoption. The rest is an argument for the policies of the Expansionist Party. Pretty much the same as I've heard in the speeches you've had me study.»

«Yes,» agreed Clifton. «The adoption is the hook we hang the rest on. As you know, we expect to force a vote of confidence before long.»

«I understand. You can't miss this chance to beat the drum. Well, it's all right, but — »

«But what? What's worrying you?»

«Well — characterization. In several places the wording should be changed. It's not the way he would express it.»

Corpsman exploded with a word unnecessary in the presence of a lady; I gave him a cold glance. «Now see here, Smythe,» he went on, «who knows how Bonforte would say it? You? Or the man who has been writing his speeches the past four years?»

I tried to keep my temper; he had a point. «It is nevertheless the case,» I answered, «that a line which looks okay in print may not deliver well. Mr. Bonforte is a great orator, I have already learned. He belongs with Webster, Churchill, and Demosthenes — a rolling grandeur expressed in simple words. Now take this word “intransigent,” which you have used twice. I might say that, but I have a weakness for polysyllables; I like to exhibit my literary erudition. But Mr. Bonforte would say “stubborn” or “mulish” or “pigheaded.” The reason he would is, naturally, that they convey emotion much more effectively.»

«You see that you make the delivery effective! I'll worry about the words.»

«You don't understand, Bill. I don't care whether the speech is politically effective or not; my job is to carry out a characterization. I can't do that if I put into the mouth of the character words that he would never use; it would sound as forced and phony as a goat spouting Greek. But if I read the speech in words he would use, it will automatically be effective. He's a great orator.»

«Listen, Smythe, you're not hired to write speeches. You're hired to — »

«Hold it, Bill!» Dak cut in. «And a little less of that “Smythe” stuff, too. Well, Rog? How about it?»

Clifton said, «As I understand it, Chief, your only objection is to some of the phrasing?»

«Well, yes. I'd suggest cutting out that personal attack on Mr. Quiroga, too, and the insinuation about his financial backers. It doesn't sound like real Bonforte to me.»

He looked sheepish. «That's a bit I put in myself. But you may be right. He always gives a man the benefit of the doubt.» He remained silent for a moment. «You make the changes you think you have to. We'll can it and look at the playback. We can always clip it — or even cancel completely “due to technical difficulties.”» He smiled grimly. «That's what we'll do, Bill.»

«Damn it, this is a ridiculous example of — »

«That's how it is going to be, Bill.»

Corpsman left the room very suddenly. Clifton sighed. «Bill always has hated the notion that anybody but Mr. B. could give him instructions. But he's an able man. Uh, Chief, how soon can you be ready to record? We patch in at sixteen hundred.»

«I don't know. I'll be ready in time.»

Penny followed me back into my office. When she closed the door I said, «I won't need you for the next hour or so, Penny child. But you might ask Doc for more of those pills. I may need them.»