They stopped before the G.M.L. bubble-house, beaming approvingly—except for Dr. Proctor. Tourists were ambling through it. It was a minute or so before they could get close enough to read the plaque.
#342371
The First G.M.L. Home Ever Erected Donated by Mr. Hamilton Moffatt, “Father of the Bubble-House.”
This G.M.L. Home, moved to the Institution from its original site in Coshocton, Ohio, was fabricated in the plastics factory of Donald Lavin. Electrical circuitry and mechanisms are designed and installed by Bernard Gor-man. It has stood for more than five decades without a scar or a malfunction. Chemists and Engineers estimate that, without any sort of maintenance, it will last at least 1,000 more years, standing virtually forever as a tribute to the immortal genius of—
mr. hamilton moffatt
“Do tell,” murmured the attorney. The crowds of tourists began to thin out and the director glumly started to lead them through the bubble-house.
“Hell with it,” said Mundin. “Let’s go back to your place.”
In Dr. Proctor’s private office Mundin looked at the small, dusty, and dubious bottle the director exhumed from an umbrella rack, and shuddered. He said decisively, “No, nothing to drink. Dr. Proctor, I think I can definitely state that my client would be interested in donating one hundred thousand dollars as a fund to be divided at your discretion between the Hall of Basics and the Coelenterata.”
“Dear me!” Dr. Proctor leaned back in bis chair, fondling the bottle, his face wreathed hi smiles. “Dear mel Are you sure you wouldn’t care to—just a very small—no? Perhaps, do you know, perhaps I will, just to celebrate. A very wise decision, sirl It is, believe me, most unusual to find a layman who, like yourself, can at once perceive the ecological significance and thrilling morphology of the humble coelenterate!” He tipped the bottle into a dusty water tumbler and raised ft in toast. “The Coelenterata!” he cried.
Mundin was fumbling hi his briefcase. He produced a check, already made out, a typed document in duplicate and a flat can that gurgled. “Now,” he said matter-of-factly, “pay close attention, doctor. You, personally, are to dilute the contents of this can with one quart of ordinary tap water. Fill an ordinary garden sprayer with the solution and spray the G.M.L. Home in the Hall of Basics with it, covering all plastic parts from the outside. It shouldn’t take ten minutes, if you have a good sprayer. Naturally, you will make sure nobody sees you doing it. That should be easy enough, hi your position; but make sure of it. And that will be that.”
Dr. Proctor, eyes bulging, coughed and spluttered four ounces of tinted grain neutral spirits over his desk. Choking «