"Thank you, Professor,—."
"No, President Collins, you're right—I don't have time to bother with imprecise life studies." Lowen tried to keep contempt out of his grin. "A little entertainment, somewhat more theory and lots of practical technical applications—that's my personal prescription for staying fully alive."
"Anyway your work fits the present social bill to a T," President Collins went on, choosing to disregard the unpleasant aspects of his visitor's one-sided nature for the pleasant fruits they had borne. "For close to two centuries now we have known we were trapped in the general area of the solar system and society has learned to live with the limitation. But lately an indefinable restlessness has been growing—nothing in the least serious but it's there and continuous entertainment, study and sports just aren't enough to eliminate it. This renewed outward movement can, though. I'm backing your request for a new Stellar Reaches Expedition to the limit of my strength." He rubbed his chin, smiling sadly. "You know who we ought to get in touch with? Old Huddleston. He deserves to know. Come to think of it, his opinion would still carry plenty of weight with many people."
"We've told him," Lowen announced. "He was enormously impressed with the solution."
"Good, good. Now, there's an ultimate Master, if I ever heard of one, knowledge in every area, the humanities, mathematics, logic, poetry, physics—. What did he think about fatigued metal revival at the wellsprings?"
Lowen squinted. "Sad thing, Mister President, we couldn't get much of an opinion there. He's so worn-out." Lowen disregarded Fitzhugh's conscience-stricken look. "But he did grasp what we told him before he relapsed."
"It is a sad thing, isn't it? Well, the years get us all one way or the other, don't they?"
"I guess so," said Lowen, "but, Mr. Pres—."
Collins perked up. "Tell you what, though—he's liable to get a clear period any time and we really should have his thinking on this. I'll have that niece of his notify my office as soon as it happens and we'll go right over."
"He's in very bad shape," Lowen hastened to say. "It would just wear him down more."