"Mack Reynolds - Ability Quotient" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

"I suppose so."

"What courses are you taking? Maybe I can give you some words of
wisdom, old buddy."

"I'm not sure yet."

"I thought you said you were all signed up." Jim took a long draught,
half emptying the glass. He was a tall, thin specimen, prone to sprawl his
lanky body all over anything sprawlable upon, and his face was as easy
going as his form.

Bert Alshuler caught himself. Katz had emphasized that he was to
discuss the mysterious project with absolutely no one.

He said, "Look. You were here last year. Who is Professor Leonard
Katz?"

Jim Hawkins finished the rest of his beer and looked clown into the
glass longingly. "Katz? You won't be having anything to do with him. He's
a big mucky-muck. Always working on some government research
program or other. He doesn't teach." He wiped the back of his right hand
over his mouth to clean off the last of the beer head and added, "Katz
doesn't even know you exist."

Bert said, "Another brew?"
 Jim looked at him. "I keep warning you, old buddy. You can't afford to
waste your dough on booze."

Bert ordered two more beers and said, "I just got a windfall, beyond my
dreams of avarice."

Jim grunted skepticism and said, "Then you'd better make it three
beers. Here comes Jill." He came to his feet, his expression subtly
changed.

A pint-sized girl was approaching the table. Though quite petite, she
had the graceful stride of an athlete or possibly a professional dancer. Her
features, delicate save for a slightly wide mouth, bore no make-up
whatsoever. A natural type, somewhat out of tune these days, Bert
thought.

Even as he also stood, Bert wondered why it was that six and a half
footers, such as Jim Hawkins, so often went for girls in the five foot
category. Who was left for those poor girls who exceeded six feet in
altitude?

She said, "Hi, Jim," and looked at Bert.