They all gasped and even Smith shook his head reverently. "To be that close to the real thing! It's all you'd ever need."
"Becoming more possible all the time." Tinker grinned suggestively at Mrs. Stahl. She looked back, mildly interested. "We'll get there eventually."
Happily oblivious to everything but his collections, Stahl led them into the library. One wall, covered with rows of book spines, swung around to reveal a well-stocked bar. There was also a large bar across the room which quickly became a library of real books and recording systems.
"I'm not much for eating and drinking," Smith protested feebly.
"Who is?" Mrs. Stahl laughed. "But this must be a special occasion for you."
Eyes bulging nervously, Smith ran his fingers through his luxuriant hair and sighed, "Special it is. All right."
Stahl casually mixed drinks for them all and sipped an Old Fashioned. "I've concentrated somewhat more on the twentieth century of the Old Times than any other," he said. "A particularly intriguing century, I find, although not crucial like the twenty-first, of course."
"The crucial one," Tinker protested.
"As a fellow antiquarian, I must beg to differ, sir."
"What about rocket travel, Mr. Stahl? When did that begin?"