"I trust you handled the telescope with care? It is exceedingly fragile and could be easily injured."
"After the king spoke as he did, death by zet would be meted out to the one who injured the instrument."
There were several things I wanted to ask Olox, and the principal one had to do with Gilhooly, and the way he had been taken from the car and made to serve the traction interests of the kingdom. However, the professor was keeping Olox so busy with his word-box that my own questions were crowded out.
"The family of the executioner-general are anxious to have him returned," remarked Olox, while the professor was looking for the proper key on which to formulate his next question. "Could that be accomplished?"
"It might," replied the professor guardedly.
"What has become of him?"
"He disappeared as he was about to commit a deed of base injustice," said the professor grimly.
"We are aware of that," and Olox looked uneasily around as he punched the words, "but we are ignorant of the cause of his disappearance. He is a distant relative of mine, and I promised his next of kin to put these questions to you. Is he alive?"
"Undoubtedly."
Olox pressed closer and muffled his word-box so that the sounds could not carry to dangerous limits.