The Colorful Character

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GREGORY LAWRENCE put away his notes about food-chains among the freshwater organisms of the Pichidé River on the planet Krishna. He yawned, stretched, lit a cigarette, and said: "I hear we're supposed to be swept off our feet, beginning to-night."

Reginald Schmidt, at the next desk, raised his eyebrows, though the pale eyes remained as non-committal as ever behind their glasses. "Uh—what's that?"

"The celebrity arrives to take the Institute by storm."

"What celebrity?"

"Hadn't you heard? Jeepers, you must lead a sheltered life, boss. I refer to the great explorer of the far planets, Sir Erik Koskelainen."

"Erik Kos—here on Earth?" Schmidt, caught in the act of lighting his pipe, stared open-mouthed at his assistant until the match burned his fingers. He dropped it, swore mildly, and lit another.

Lawrence, watching the big, light-haired man, tried to make out the expression on the flat face. It was certainly more animated than he had ever seen Reggie look before, but he couldn't be sure of the meaning of the expression. It might betoken a mixture of astonishment, curiosity, indignation, and amusement, all struggling for supremacy.

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