THE COSMIC COMPUTER

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Merlin. You know, she won't say Merlin, she always calls it, 'that thing.'"

"I've noticed that."

"Then she begins talking about all the horrible things that'll happen
when it's found, and that sets Flora off. Flora says Merlin's a big
fake, and you and your father are using it to rob thousands of widows
and orphans of their life savings, and that sets your mother off again.
Self-sustaining cyclic reaction, like the Bethe solar-phoenix. And every
time I try to pour a little oil on the troubled waters, I find I've
gotten it on the fire instead. And then, Flora had this fight with Wade
Lucas, and of course, she blames you for that."[Pg 128]

"Good heavens, why?"

"Well, she couldn't blame it on herself, could she? Oh, you mean why the
fight? Lucas is in business with your father now, and she can't convince