_Out there in the green star system; far beyond
the confining grip of the Federation, moved the
feared Bitter Star, for a thousand frigid years the
dark and sinister manipulator of war-weary planets._
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories Summer 1955.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Artie said monotonously, "There is someone at the door sir shall I
answer? There is someone at the door sir shall I--"
Durham grunted. What he wanted to say was go away and let me alone.
But he could only grunt, and Artie kept repeating the stupid question.
Artie was a cheap off-brand make, and bought used, and he lacked some
cogs. Any first class servall would have seen that the master had
passed out in his chair and was in no condition to receive guests. But
Artie did not, and presently Durham got one eye open and then he began
to hear the persistent knocking, the annunciator being naturally out of
order. And he said quite clearly.
"If it's a creditor, I'm not in."
"--shall I answer?"
Durham made a series of noises. Artie took them for an affirmative and
trundled off. Durham put his face in his hands and struggled with the
pangs of returning consciousness. He could hear a mutter of voices in
the hall. He thought suddenly that he recognized them, and he sprang,
or rather stumbled up in alarm, hastily combing his hair with his
fingers and trying to pull the wrinkles out of his tunic. Through a
thick haze he saw the bottle on the table and he picked it up and hid
it under a chair, ashamed not of its emptiness but of its label. A
gentleman should not be drunk on stuff like that.
Paulsen and Burke came in.
Durham stood stiffly beside the table, hanging on. He looked at the
two men. "Well," he said. "It's been quite a long time." He turned to
Artie. "The gentlemen are leaving."
Burke stepped quickly behind the servall and pushed the main toggle
to OFF. Artie stopped, with a sound ridiculously like a tired sigh.
Paulsen went past him and locked the door. Then both of them turned
again to face Durham.