undfullofiandcuriosityabouttheirsurroundings．Marasatbeforeadesk,enviouslytougthepersonalputers，wordprocessors，faxmaesandotherequipment,forwhileroamireetsasapavementmusi,herdreaminlifehadbeentobeeanofficeclerk．Yokowaslookinginfasatihthegsspaoaroomfullofautomaticallyrotatingequipment,unawarethatthesemovementswereiivebecausenothingmueededtobeautomaticallytransmitted．Lettiatewasbetterthaiandidle,astheywerebutsvesofmodernman．

    Suddenly，theirformsdisappearedfromthes,forDimitrihadledthemintotheelevator,whichtookthemtothetopofthebuilding，intoMr．Kaffee’sprivateoffice，theonlyroomnotundersurveilnce．Dimitribecameawarethatthemoodofhisfriendshadged,beingmoreandmoreteookabottleofexpeagewinefromMr．Kaffee’sprivatebarintheelevatorandsaid．

    "eon!Haveadrinkandlightenup!Whatistheretobesotenseabout?Inamomeakethiselevatordowntothevaultwhereallthemoneyis.”Afterafewdrinks，RichardsatinMr．Kaffee’sswivelchairbehindthergedesk．Gssinhand,helookedaroundhimandsaidadmiringly，

    "Suchislife!IfonedayIcouldsitinthisseat,introlofsomuchwealthandpower，thatwouldberealliving!"Hehelduphisgssandtosseddownhisdrink．Dimitriwhowassittingonthesofasaidically，

    "That’snotimpossible．Ifyoureallywantitsobadly,itbearranged．Ihelpyouattainyourdream.”

    "That’simpossible!"Richardughed.Toactuallybehereinthisroomisadream．”Don’tfetwhatweareherefor.”

    Everyoneughed．Theroomwasfullofthefragranceofexpeagewine.Whattheydidnotknowwasthattheirchatterandughterinterruptedthesweetdreamsofamysteriouscharacter．Mr.Finger，whohadclimbedthroughaholeintheliningofthesofaandinginside,nowclimbedoutofhistemporaryabode．Hestretchedandrubbedhissleepyeyes,wwhodaredtotalkandughsoloudlyinthisprivateoffice．Droppingontothethickcarpet,helookedupandwasdelightedtoseethtaofhim,longlegsencasedinexpensiveshoes．

    "Ah!WhatlucktohaveerotidromanticadventuresassoonasI!"Beingalecherousfellow,hewaoclimbupaleinintimatewarmthuheskirt．Butthefragranceofvintagewiicedhimmore,forinhisheartofhearts,winewasmoreimportantthanwomen．Sniffingandlookingaround,hecrossedoverthelegs，cametoDimitri’sfeetauggiicallyatthecuffsofhistrousers．Dimitrilookeddownandwasdelightedtoseehisoldfriendagaidownandsaid，

    "Howareyoudoing,Mr.Finger?leasuretoseeyouagain.”

    "I’mok．Whataboutsharingsomeofthewihme?"

    12

    "Noproblem,”chuckledDimitri,whoknewhislittlefriendwasanalcoholic．Heputhimintothepalmofhishandahimoopofthetableothegss．"Butyou’resosmall!Howareyougoingtodrink?"

    "Justputmeinsideyss．How’sthat?"Dimitriobliginglydroppedhimintohisgsswherethewinecameuptohiswaist．Mr.Fingercuppedhishandsandbegandrinkinggreedilyuntilhewasfullysatisfied．Thenheyfloatingonthewineasifhewereinabathtub．

    "Soyou’renotdeadyet,mygoodfriend!"

    "Ofcoursenot．HowelsecouldIbetalkingtoyou?"

    "Well"saidMr．Fingerlighisfingers，"sinceyou’restillive，you’dbetterdrinkasmuchofthisossible,becauseyouwon’tbeabletodosoafteryoudie.”Dimitriwastakenabackbythisdismalprophesy．

    "Whatdoyoumean?"

    "Abouthalfanho,themasterofthisoffice,Mr．Kaffee,wassecretlypnningwit

undfullofiandcuriosityabouttheirsurroundings．Marasatbeforeadesk,enviouslytougthepersonalputers，wordprocessors，faxmaesandotherequipment,forwhileroamireetsasapavementmusi,herdreaminlifehadbeentobeeanofficeclerk．Yokowaslookinginfasatihthegsspaoaroomfullofautomaticallyrotatingequipment,unawarethatthesemovementswereiivebecausenothingmueededtobeautomaticallytransmitted．Lettiatewasbetterthaiandidle,astheywerebutsvesofmodernman．

    Suddenly，theirformsdisappearedfromthes,forDimitrihadledthemintotheelevator,whichtookthemtothetopofthebuilding，intoMr．Kaffee’sprivateoffice，theonlyroomnotundersurveilnce．Dimitribecameawarethatthemoodofhisfriendshadged,beingmoreandmoreteookabottleofexpeagewinefromMr．Kaffee’sprivatebarintheelevatorandsaid．

    "eon!Haveadrinkandlightenup!Whatistheretobesotenseabout?Inamomeakethiselevatordowntothevaultwhereallthemoneyis.”Afterafewdrinks，RichardsatinMr．Kaffee’sswivelchairbehindthergedesk．Gssinhand,helookedaroundhimandsaidadmiringly，

    "Suchislife!IfonedayIcouldsitinthisseat,introlofsomuchwealthandpower，thatwouldberealliving!"Hehelduphisgssandtosseddownhisdrink．Dimitriwhowassittingonthesofasaidically，

    "That’snotimpossible．Ifyoureallywantitsobadly,itbearranged．Ihelpyouattainyourdream.”

    "That’simpossible!"Richardughed.Toactuallybehereinthisroomisadream．”Don’tfetwhatweareherefor.”

    Everyoneughed．Theroomwasfullofthefragranceofexpeagewine.Whattheydidnotknowwasthattheirchatterandughterinterruptedthesweetdreamsofamysteriouscharacter．Mr.Finger，whohadclimbedthroughaholeintheliningofthesofaandinginside,nowclimbedoutofhistemporaryabode．Hestretchedandrubbedhissleepyeyes,wwhodaredtotalkandughsoloudlyinthisprivateoffice．Droppingontothethickcarpet,helookedupandwasdelightedtoseethtaofhim,longlegsencasedinexpensiveshoes．

    "Ah!WhatlucktohaveerotidromanticadventuresassoonasI!"Beingalecherousfellow,hewaoclimbupaleinintimatewarmthuheskirt．Butthefragranceofvintagewiicedhimmore,forinhisheartofhearts,winewasmoreimportantthanwomen．Sniffingandlookingaround,hecrossedoverthelegs，cametoDimitri’sfeetauggiicallyatthecuffsofhistrousers．Dimitrilookeddownandwasdelightedtoseehisoldfriendagaidownandsaid，

    "Howareyoudoing,Mr.Finger?leasuretoseeyouagain.”

    "I’mok．Whataboutsharingsomeofthewihme?"

    12

    "Noproblem,”chuckledDimitri,whoknewhislittlefriendwasanalcoholic．Heputhimintothepalmofhishandahimoopofthetableothegss．"Butyou’resosmall!Howareyougoingtodrink?"

    "Justputmeinsideyss．How’sthat?"Dimitriobliginglydroppedhimintohisgsswherethewinecameuptohiswaist．Mr.Fingercuppedhishandsandbegandrinkinggreedilyuntilhewasfullysatisfied．Thenheyfloatingonthewineasifhewereinabathtub．

    "Soyou’renotdeadyet,mygoodfriend!"

    "Ofcoursenot．HowelsecouldIbetalkingtoyou?"

    "Well"saidMr．Fingerlighisfingers，"sinceyou’restillive，you’dbetterdrinkasmuchofthisossible,becauseyouwon’tbeabletodosoafteryoudie.”Dimitriwastakenabackbythisdismalprophesy．

    "Whatdoyoumean?"

    "Abouthalfanho,themasterofthisoffice,Mr．Kaffee,wassecretlypnningwit