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their lab animals even seemed to enjoy the warmed-air caress
of a penetra-dermal feeding unit.
But. Coiin supposed, a practice taken more or less for
granted in one field was too startling a break with the tradi-
tions of another to be even talked about, much less adopted.
Besides, from what he'd seen of horse fanciers in recent
months, he was beginning to think they rather liked the smell
of horses. He knew that for himself, he was beginning to find it
not altogether unpleasant.
They rubbed their animal thoroughly behind his ears, ac-
cepted the condolences of the attendants for their hard tuck at
his not being able to compete, showed their pass-out badges
at the Manager's window.
He was a balding man behind the grilled opening. He ran a
THE TRIUMPH OF PEGASUS
257
finger down the tally-board at his elbow, ticking off their
badge numbers.
"Mr. Hall? Mr. West?" he said. And when Colin nodded,
went on.
"Message for you to call this number." He passed a small
folded slip through the bars of his grille.
"Thank you," Colin said and unfolded the paper. "It's the
Dean," he said to Ed. "I wonder what he wants?"
"I can guess," Ed said, "and i don't think I'm going to
like it."
Colin dialed the University and flipped the phone switch to
muitispeak so that Ed could hear.
The Dean sounded embarrassed and he talked a great deal
of the fine work Colin and Ed were doing. He made a passing
mention of a board of trustees. He assured Colin and Ed of the
warm personal regard in which he held both of them. But
when he was through talking and the phone was back on its
cradle his message was clear.
The University no longer needed their unique talents in the
making of its tutor-tapes. Not now, nor in the foreseeable
future.
"She moves fast," Ed said. "Fast."
"She said we'd be back. I guess we could have more or
less expected her to do something, but 1 never thought that
this was the kind of pressure she had in mind. It ... it
doesn't seem civilized somehow."
"Breaking a man's rice bowl seldom is," Ed said. "But
cheer up, we still have an office with our name on the door."
He laughed, and it was not a pleasant sound. "That is if
the cleaning people haven't told the landlord we've been
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sleeping in it for the past three months."
The horse show ran from Tuesday of one week through
Tuesday of the next and, surprisingly to Colin, Mrs. Bullitt
did not appear to be put out when the rules committee found
in their favor on the question of Ato's breeding raised by her.
"You know," Ed said, "I don't think she really wanted to
win this one. After all, if she'd managed to get our entry
disqualified this time around, then she couldn't very well
258 F.A. Savor
have expected any animal we might build for her to be
eligible, if she had in mind to enter it in the future."'
"I think she might expect a special class, if not for her
flying horse, then for her."
But Ed could be right. She meant only to keep their entry
out, to give them a charge, to encourage them, she might say,
to see things her way.
He and Ed had won in the committee room, but it turned
out to be an academic victory. When they got down to the
stable level they found the shield-shaped sheriffs notice taped
to an upright of Ato's stall. Some confusion among their
creditors, the bank being chiefest. Until it could be straight-
ened out, their assets, Ato's Pride included, were being
impounded.
Sudden, impotent, frustrated fury poured through Colin. It
wasn't quicksand. It was a solid bnck wall and he was
backed against it. He clenched and unclenched his fists . . .
and felt completely helpless-
Ato's Pride made a little dancing movement with his hoofs.
He tossed his head, his nostrils flaring.
"I'm upsetting our horse," Colin said. "Let's get out of
here."
"Yeah," Ed said. "Yeah." And Colin noticed that his
face was white and he too was shaking.
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