"You see, Mitkey?"
"But it vould not habben. If men vill honor our rights, ve vill honor—"
The Herr Professor sighed.
"I—I vill act as your intermediary, Mitkey, und offer your broposition, und—Vell, it iss true that getting rid of rats vould be a greadt boon to der human race. Budt—"
"Thank you, Brofessor."
"By der vay, Mitkey. I haff Minnie. Your vife, I guess it iss, unless there vas other mices around. She iss in der other room; I put her there chust before you arriffed, so she vould be in der dark und could sleep. You vant to see her?"
"Vife?" said Mitkey. It had been so long that he had really forgotten the family he had perforce abandoned. The memory returned slowly.
"Veil," he said "—ummm, yess. Ve vill get her und I shall construct quvick a small X-19 prochector und—Yess, it vill help you in your negotiations mitt der governments if there are sefferal of us already so they can see I am not chust a freak like they might otherwise suspegt."
VIII