"I was going to say, do you think the A.E.C. might conceivably be interested?" Phil said. "After all, it is sort of vaguely connected with atomic stuff."
"I can't imagine why they would be," Farley said, and glanced at Katherine. She had gotten up and was standing at the window.
"The sun's going in," she said, "and it looks as though it may rain. I've got to get back to the house." She turned around with a smile. "How about having dinner with us tonight, Phil? We've got some people coming who'd like to meet you. Don't you think that would be nice, Russ?"
Dr. Farley didn't look as though he thought it would be nice at all, but he said nothing, and neither did Phil Kaufman.
"If you're coming, you'd better straighten your tie," Katherine said. "It's under your ear, as usual."
Phil reached up absently and pulled at it with one hand. "Sorry."
"You put me in an embarrassing position," Farley said. "I think I had better say what I have to say now. Better to have it out, before things go any further."
"Before what things go any further?" Phil asked, with a trace of belligerence. "Of course, if you don't want me for dinner—"
"Wait!" Katherine said in distress. "This isn't.... But it should be...." She looked from one to the other and smiled a tentative, hopeful little smile. "We don't have to go on with this, do we ... now?"
"What do you mean, 'now'?" Farley said, his face becoming red. "I think it's high time I got this off my chest. Katherine, I don't believe in letting things drift. I want this out in the open!"