“Studying the atom. Stealing the ideas of—” and he named a dozen men.
“Those names mean that you have been studying radiochemistry.”
“Wonderful you should know them.”
“What did you say?”
He leaned forward till their lips almost met.
“I say it’s wonderful that you should know such names, but quite unnecessary.”
She gave an angry pull that jerked him back into his worshipful posture. Then she smiled, reflecting that it would not do to get angry—that anger was unscientific—that anger was proof of ignorance. He thought it unnecessary for a creature of instinct to know even the names of physical chemists, and he was quite right about it.
He leaned forward again.
“It’s a glorious advantage for you to know some physics and chemistry, since you are going to marry the poor devil who has the responsibility of organizing the Horatio Rich Laboratory.”
The oars hung in mid-air with surprise. The watchful west wind swung the boat to leeward and filled it with a foot of water.