United States or French Guiana ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Do you know, it was so strange, the other night, Miss Murgatroyd held forth in the reception-room about Michael's death. She explained that he was "the first to dash into the breach," and "fell with his face to the foe." She also added that she used to know "poor dear Lady Ingleby," intimately. This was interesting, and seemed worthy of further inquiry.
"Glad to hear it, sir," replied Murgatroyd. "I can do with aught of that sort, I assure you!" He went into the parlour, said a word or two to some person within, and came out again. "Not much business doing at present, Mr. Pratt," he said, as he and his visitor turned into the street. "Gets slacker than ever." "Then you'll do with a slice of good luck," remarked Pratt.
"This morning, a man named Murgatroyd, in Peel Row, who does a bit of shipping agency, wired to Halstead & Byner to say that he booked Parrawhite to New York last November. Of course, they at once communicated with me, and I've just been to see Murgatroyd. He's that man watchmaker we had some proceedings against last year." "Oh, that man!" said Pratt. "Thought the name was familiar.
I am not in the habit of paying compliments, gentlemen; when I do, therefore, I hope I strikes with double force. 'Ah, Mr. Murgatroyd! what's all this about striking with double force? said the object of the above remark, as he entered. 'I never excuse a man's getting into a rage during winter, even when he's seated so close to the fire as you are.
Calhoun put Murgatroyd into the Med Ship and went back to the spaceport office. A small space-boat, designed to inspect the circling grain-ships from time, was already aloft. The landing-grid had thrust it swiftly out most of the way. Now it droned and drove on sturdily toward the enigmatic ship.
He moved as if he could barely put one paw before another, but at the sight of Calhoun he sneezed yet again and said, "Chee!" in a disconsolate voice. Then he sat down and waited for Calhoun to pick him up. When Calhoun did so, Murgatroyd clung to him pathetically and said, "Chee-chee!" and again "Chee-chee!" with the intonation of one telling of incredible horrors and disasters endured.
Then, while she went to get lunch ready, Redgrave took the pieces of rock and the bag of dust into the laboratory which opened out of the main engine-room and analysed them. When he came out about an hour later he saw Murgatroyd going through his beloved engines with an oil-can and a piece of common cotton-waste which had come from a faraway Yorkshire mill.
This Murgatroyd, for instance, was master-foreman of my works at Smeaton, and he was the only man I dared trust with the secrets of the Astronef, and the only one I would trust myself on board her with, and that's why we're a crew of two. You see the command of a vessel like this is a fairly big business, and if it got into the wrong sort of hands " "Yes, I see," said Zaidie with a little nod.
Then with lightning change of voice and gesture: "Mary, I love yer!" "Sir Jasper Murgatroyd, let me avail myself of this opportunity to tell you what I think of you " "No, no; the 'ouses close in 'alf an hour; there is not tee-ime. Fly with me instead!" "Never! Un'and me!" "'Ear me! Ah, what 'ave I done? I 'ave slipped upon a piece of orange peel and broke me 'ead!
The other person in the Med Ship displayed the same symptoms, in prompt and complete repetition, without physical contact. He went to sleep, with Murgatroyd curled up in his cubbyhole, his tail draped carefully over his nose. The Med Ship broke out of overdrive at 1300 hours, ship-time. Calhoun made contact with the grid and was promptly lowered to the ground.
Word Of The Day