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weeks on end and hardly seen a soul, except for the postman. You know, Master, I wrote
quite a sizeable chunk of my book there.'
'On plainsong, wasn't it? More wine?' the Master asked.
'Thank you. Yes, on plainsong.'
As the Master recharged the glasses all round, Howard Baker produced a pair of
lightweight binoculars which he handed to Isaac Newton.
'You might be glad of these. There are a lot of interesting birds coming in to the Norfolk
coast at this time of the year - turnstones, purple sandpipers, goosanders and mergansers,
amongst others. You'll find a book on birds in the cottage.'
Howard Baker finished the second glass of wine with a quaff and jumped to his feet, saying
briskly, 'Well, Master, I'll be on my way. Hope you'll enjoy the place, Newton. Thanks for the
wine.'
When Howard Baker had gone, the Master pointed to the map he had brought.
"That's young Baker! Always in-and-out. He never stays still for long. Hard to see why he
should have a remote cottage like that.'
Isaac Newton was on his feet.
'I should be on my way.'
'I won't try to stop you. I'm expecting Witherspoon to drop in any minute now. He wants to dig
up the College garden.'
'Whatever for?' Isaac Newton asked in amazement.
'He's looking for Roman remains.'
'But he can't dig up every place looking for Roman remains.'
The Master nodded emphatically.
'He can't, but he'd like to. That's Witherspoon all over.'
As the Master moved to accompany him, Isaac Newton shook his head.
'Don't bother coming down, Master. I'll let myself out.'
Isaac Newton made his way downstairs and was just on the point of letting himself out of the
Lodge into Great Square when the bread- eating Professor of History came in.
'Morning, Newton,' said Witherspoon, his big white walrus-like moustache spreading into a
broad grin, as if some memory of the recent past caused him great amusement.
'Morning, Witherspoon,' Isaac Newton replied, thinking that without a walrus-like moustache
he couldn't really compete.
He walked out of Great Square by the exit in the north-west corner.
A moment later, after turning to the right, he reached Trinity Bridge where Frances
Haroldsen was waiting with the car. He slipped into the front passenger seat.
'Won't you drive?' Frances Margaret asked.
'No. I've been drinking iced white wine.'
'Disgusting! At this time of day.'
Frances Margaret drove across Trinity Bridge, along the avenue and out into Queen's
Road.
'Where are we going?'
'Ultimately, the north Norfolk coast.'
'Then we need the Ely road.'
'I'd sooner go via Norwich. I'll explain why later.'
It was one of Frances Margaret's good points, Isaac Newton thought, that she didn't demand
an explanation there and then. Instead she simply said:
'Scrooge put the box in the boot, with Mike Howarth's data files.'
'Better check we have everything we need. Computer?'
'Check.'
'Printer?'
'Check.'
'The data tape from CERN?'
'It's in your briefcase.'
'And my briefcase?'
'It's in the back. I made sure.'
'We need the orbital elements of Comet Boswell.'
'I have the International Astronomical Union circular. It gives the latest update on the
elements.'
'Food?'
'Stocks adequate, boss.'
'Drink?'
'After all that white wine? Disgusting.'
Frances Haroldsen drove along the fast A45 in an easterly direction to the fork of the All,
four miles beyond Newmarket, then along the All across the Breckland to Thetford and
Wymondham. Eight miles more and she turned left onto the Norwich bypass.
'Once you get past the University, pull up on the grass verge,' Isaac Newton told her.
Eventually, Frances Margaret pulled the car onto a fairly extended verge and cut the engine.
'Perhaps you'll explain what the mystery is all about, Professor.'
For answer, Isaac Newton got out of the car and after sorting through equipment in the back
took out a portable radio receiver
which he handed to Frances Margaret.
'It's on the ultra-short band,' he said. 'Walk twenty yards away and then switch on.'
As Frances Haroldsen moved away, Isaac Newton slipped into the driver's seat of the car.
When he saw the girl switch on the radio he started the engine and then joined her, leaving
the engine running. Blips could be heard on the receiver at about three-second intervals.
'They started when you started the engine,' the girl said. 'What goes on?'
'It's a beacon. Fitted to the car,' Isaac Newton answered, glancing up into the sky.
'Somebody is following us, probably from the air. I kept a close watch on the road but there
didn't seem to be any car on our tail.'
Frances Margaret went back to the Mercedes and, squatting down, peered underneath.
'Where is it?'
Isaac Newton joined her, also squatting down, and pointed.
'On the chassis. It works on the battery.'
'Through the aerial?'
'Yes,' Isaac Newton replied as they both stood again.
'Why didn't you rip it off before we started?'
'Because the All is a straight road. We could easily have been intercepted and followed.'
'And now?'
Isaac Newton pointed along the bypass.
'This has all sorts of roads branching off it, like spokes on a wheel, and between here and
the coast it's a rabbit warren of smaller roads.'
Tis the work of only a few moments to snip the wires leading to the car aerial, much quicker
than actually finding the beacon would have been. Isaac Newton then took Howard Baker's
map and sheet of instructions from a pocket, handing them to Frances Margaret and
saying,
Til drive from here. We're heading for a spot near Blakeney. You'll need to navigate fairly
carefully.'
Driving to instructions from Frances Margaret, Isaac Newton worked his way through a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
weeks on end and hardly seen a soul, except for the postman. You know, Master, I wrote
quite a sizeable chunk of my book there.'
'On plainsong, wasn't it? More wine?' the Master asked.
'Thank you. Yes, on plainsong.'
As the Master recharged the glasses all round, Howard Baker produced a pair of
lightweight binoculars which he handed to Isaac Newton.
'You might be glad of these. There are a lot of interesting birds coming in to the Norfolk
coast at this time of the year - turnstones, purple sandpipers, goosanders and mergansers,
amongst others. You'll find a book on birds in the cottage.'
Howard Baker finished the second glass of wine with a quaff and jumped to his feet, saying
briskly, 'Well, Master, I'll be on my way. Hope you'll enjoy the place, Newton. Thanks for the
wine.'
When Howard Baker had gone, the Master pointed to the map he had brought.
"That's young Baker! Always in-and-out. He never stays still for long. Hard to see why he
should have a remote cottage like that.'
Isaac Newton was on his feet.
'I should be on my way.'
'I won't try to stop you. I'm expecting Witherspoon to drop in any minute now. He wants to dig
up the College garden.'
'Whatever for?' Isaac Newton asked in amazement.
'He's looking for Roman remains.'
'But he can't dig up every place looking for Roman remains.'
The Master nodded emphatically.
'He can't, but he'd like to. That's Witherspoon all over.'
As the Master moved to accompany him, Isaac Newton shook his head.
'Don't bother coming down, Master. I'll let myself out.'
Isaac Newton made his way downstairs and was just on the point of letting himself out of the
Lodge into Great Square when the bread- eating Professor of History came in.
'Morning, Newton,' said Witherspoon, his big white walrus-like moustache spreading into a
broad grin, as if some memory of the recent past caused him great amusement.
'Morning, Witherspoon,' Isaac Newton replied, thinking that without a walrus-like moustache
he couldn't really compete.
He walked out of Great Square by the exit in the north-west corner.
A moment later, after turning to the right, he reached Trinity Bridge where Frances
Haroldsen was waiting with the car. He slipped into the front passenger seat.
'Won't you drive?' Frances Margaret asked.
'No. I've been drinking iced white wine.'
'Disgusting! At this time of day.'
Frances Margaret drove across Trinity Bridge, along the avenue and out into Queen's
Road.
'Where are we going?'
'Ultimately, the north Norfolk coast.'
'Then we need the Ely road.'
'I'd sooner go via Norwich. I'll explain why later.'
It was one of Frances Margaret's good points, Isaac Newton thought, that she didn't demand
an explanation there and then. Instead she simply said:
'Scrooge put the box in the boot, with Mike Howarth's data files.'
'Better check we have everything we need. Computer?'
'Check.'
'Printer?'
'Check.'
'The data tape from CERN?'
'It's in your briefcase.'
'And my briefcase?'
'It's in the back. I made sure.'
'We need the orbital elements of Comet Boswell.'
'I have the International Astronomical Union circular. It gives the latest update on the
elements.'
'Food?'
'Stocks adequate, boss.'
'Drink?'
'After all that white wine? Disgusting.'
Frances Haroldsen drove along the fast A45 in an easterly direction to the fork of the All,
four miles beyond Newmarket, then along the All across the Breckland to Thetford and
Wymondham. Eight miles more and she turned left onto the Norwich bypass.
'Once you get past the University, pull up on the grass verge,' Isaac Newton told her.
Eventually, Frances Margaret pulled the car onto a fairly extended verge and cut the engine.
'Perhaps you'll explain what the mystery is all about, Professor.'
For answer, Isaac Newton got out of the car and after sorting through equipment in the back
took out a portable radio receiver
which he handed to Frances Margaret.
'It's on the ultra-short band,' he said. 'Walk twenty yards away and then switch on.'
As Frances Haroldsen moved away, Isaac Newton slipped into the driver's seat of the car.
When he saw the girl switch on the radio he started the engine and then joined her, leaving
the engine running. Blips could be heard on the receiver at about three-second intervals.
'They started when you started the engine,' the girl said. 'What goes on?'
'It's a beacon. Fitted to the car,' Isaac Newton answered, glancing up into the sky.
'Somebody is following us, probably from the air. I kept a close watch on the road but there
didn't seem to be any car on our tail.'
Frances Margaret went back to the Mercedes and, squatting down, peered underneath.
'Where is it?'
Isaac Newton joined her, also squatting down, and pointed.
'On the chassis. It works on the battery.'
'Through the aerial?'
'Yes,' Isaac Newton replied as they both stood again.
'Why didn't you rip it off before we started?'
'Because the All is a straight road. We could easily have been intercepted and followed.'
'And now?'
Isaac Newton pointed along the bypass.
'This has all sorts of roads branching off it, like spokes on a wheel, and between here and
the coast it's a rabbit warren of smaller roads.'
Tis the work of only a few moments to snip the wires leading to the car aerial, much quicker
than actually finding the beacon would have been. Isaac Newton then took Howard Baker's
map and sheet of instructions from a pocket, handing them to Frances Margaret and
saying,
Til drive from here. We're heading for a spot near Blakeney. You'll need to navigate fairly
carefully.'
Driving to instructions from Frances Margaret, Isaac Newton worked his way through a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]