Patricia said, "Now, I don't know. Don is showing considerably more
sense than you two evidently give him credit for. I think in many ways
what he's done is quite admirable. He's seen his chance--and has grasped
it. Why, I wouldn't be surprised that Don will be the most powerful man
in the country within months."
The two men were staring at her. Ross sputtered, "Have you gone
completely around the bend? Are you defending this ... this...."
* * *
A voice chuckled, "Mind your language, Buster. Just take it easy or
you'll wind up with some missing teeth."
Ross jumped to his feet as though couched with an electric prod. Dr.
Braun stiffened in his chair and his eyes darted about the room.
Patricia alone seemed collected. "Don Crowley!" she exclaimed. "You
should be ashamed of yourself, listening in on private conversations."
"Yeah," the voice said. "However, it's handy to know what the other side
is dreaming up in the way of a bad time for you. Sit down, Buster. I've
got a few things to say."
Muttering, Ross resumed his place. The doctor sighed deeply and sank
back onto the sofa he had been occupying. The three could see an
indentation magically appear in the upholstery of an easy-chair across
from them.
Crowley's voice said confidently, "You know, from the first, I've kept
telling you eggheads that I'm not stupid, but none of you've bothered to
listen. You think just because you spent six or eight years of your life
in some college that you're automatically smarter than other people. But
I got a theory, like, that it doesn't make any difference if you spent
your whole life going to college, you still wouldn't wind up smart if
you didn't start that way."
Ross began to mutter something, but Crowley snapped, "Shut up for a
minute, I'm talking." He resumed his condescending tone. "Just for
example, take a couple of guys who got to the top. Edison in science and
Khrushchev in politics. For all practical purposes, neither of them went
to school at all. Khrushchev didn't even learn to read until he was
twenty-eight years old.
"Then take Dr. Braun here. He's spent half his life in school, and
where's it got him? He'd make more dough if he owned the local garage
and dealer franchise for one of the automobile companies in some
jerkwater town. And look at Ross. He'd probably make more money playing
pro football than he does messing around with all those test tubes and
Bunsen burners and everything. What good has all the school done
either?"