dr. mcallen thoughtfully cleared his throat.

"ever do any fishing, mr. chard?" he asked. after getting over his first shock at barney's revelations, he'd begun speaking again in the brisk, abrupt manner barney remembered from the last times he'd heard mcallen's voice.

"no," barney admitted smiling. "never quite got around to it."

"always been too busy, eh?"

"with this and that," barney agreed.

mcallen cleared his throat again. he was a roly-poly little man; over seventy now but still healthy-looking, with an apple-cheeked, sunburned face. over a pair of steel-rimmed glasses his faded blue eyes peered musingly at barney. "around thirty-five, aren't you?"

"thirty-seven."

"married?"

"divorced."

"any particular hobbies?"

barney laughed. "i play a little golf. not very seriously."

mcallen clicked his tongue. "well, what do you do for fun?"

"oh ... i'd say i enjoy almost anything i get involved in." barney, still smiling, felt a touch of wariness. he'd been expecting questions from mcallen, but not quite this kind.

"mainly making money, eh? well," mcallen conceded, "that's not a bad hobby. practical, too. i ... whup! just a moment."

the tip of the slender rod in his left hand dipped slightly, and sixty feet out beyond the end of the old dock a green and white bobber began twitching about. then the bobber suddenly disappeared. mcallen lifted the rod tip a foot or two with a smooth, swift motion, and paused.

"hooked!" he announced, looking almost childishly pleased.

the fish on the far end of the line didn't seem to put up much of a struggle, but the old man reeled it in slowly and carefully, giving out line from time to time, then taking it back. he seemed completely absorbed. not until the fish had been worked close to the dock was there a brief minor commotion near the surface. then mcallen was down on one knee, holding the rod high with one hand, reaching out for his catch with the other. barney had a glimpse of an unimpressive green and silver disk, reddish froggy eyes. "very nice crappie!" mcallen informed him with a broad smile. "now—" he placed the rod on the dock, reached down with his other hand. the fish's tail slapped the water; it turned sideways, was gone.

"lost it!" barney commented, surprised.

"huh?" mcallen looked around. "well, no, young man—i turned him loose. he wasn't hooked bad. crappies have delicate lips, but i use a barbless hook. gives them better than a fighting chance." he stood up with the rod, dusting the knees of his baggy slacks. "get all the eating fish i want anyway," he added.

"you really enjoy that sport, don't you?" barney said curiously.