Her eyes widened. "Yes, sir." She held out a wrinkled hand.
He did not need to glance toward the door again to know that an initial and important impression had been established.
After she had gone, Parr leaned back in the chair and said to the other applicants, "You may come in now."
They shuffled inside.
Parr watched them settle into chairs. As he did so, he was aware of her, Lauri, holding the pressure steady on his mind, and memories of last night came back. Concentrating away from them he tried to analyze his feelings toward the natives. He found a mixture of contempt and indifference.
"I'm going to say this only once," he announced crisply. "I will expect you to inform any late comers. When I have finished I will interview each of you."
He balanced his hands before him on the rim of the desk, holding them steady. He looked around at the waiting faces. He let his mind relax, and the speech—it had been graven on his brain in the Ship—came bubbling to the surface. He searched forward along it, and he found it to be complete, untouched by his contact with the Oholo. He wrinkled his forehead and began, seeking to give the impression that each word was being carefully considered.
"I intend to hire some of you to help me sort and load packages of promotional literature. Those hired will be paid five dollars an hour."
They shuffled unbelievingly. "Yeah, but when, Mister?"