Gaspode relaxed.
'You don't want paying?'
'No, Mr Dibbler.'
'But you want a job when you get back, I suppose?' said Dibbler sarcastically.
Gaspode tensed. Victor had taken a lot of coaching.
'Well, I hope so, Mr Dibbler. But I was thinking of going to see what Untied Alchemists had to offer.'
There was a sound exactly like the sound of a chairback striking the wall. Gaspode grinned evilly.
Another bag of money was dropped in front of Soll.
'Untied Alchemists!'
'They really look as if they're making progress with soundies, Mr Dibbler,' said Victor meekly.
'But they're amateurs! And crooks!'
Gaspode frowned. He hadn't been able to coach Victor past this stage.
'Well, that's a relief, Mr Dibbler.'
'Why's that?'
'Well, it'd be dreadful if they were crooks and professional.'
Gaspode nodded. Nice one. Nice one.
There was the sound of footsteps hurrying around a desk. When Dibbler spoke next, you could have sunk a well in his voice and sold it at ten dollars a barrel.
'Victor! Vic! Haven't I been like an uncle to you?'
Well, yes, thought Gaspode. He's like an uncle to most people here. That's because they're his nephews.
He stopped listening, partly because Victor was going to get his day off and was very likely going to get paid for it as well, but mainly because another dog had been led into the room.
It was huge and glossy. Its coat shone like honey.
Gaspode recognized it as pure-bred Ramtop hunting dog. When it sat down beside him, it was as if a beautifully sleek racing yacht had slipped into a berth alongside a coal barge.
He heard Soll say, 'So that is Uncle's latest idea, is it? What's it called?'
'Laddie,' said the handler.
'How much was it?'
'Sixty dollars.'
'For a dog? We're in the wrong business.'
'It can do all kinds of tricks, the breeder said. Bright as a button, he said. Just what Mr Dibbler is looking for.'
'Well, tie it up there. And if that other mutt starts a fight, kick it out.'
Gaspode gave Soll a long, thoughtful scrutiny. Then, when the attention was no longer on them, he sidled closer to the newcomer, looked it up and down, and spoke quietly out of the corner of his
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