Astounding Science Fiction (British edition) — page 55: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SHARE OUR WORLD 53 the forelegs, is Felicia, from the north- ern hemisphere. And say,” he added portentously, ‘‘we have astonishing news about the nibblies.”’ Chang did not seem to be listening. She said, “They don’t pay any atten- tion to each other?” “Well, no. I suppose they speak different languages.” “I wonder.” Balch, a little embarrassed, re- eated his announcement as_ they wheeled the air-box off the lift. “We have electrifying news about the nibblies.” This got a response. “Electrifying!” Chang laughed, a little off-key. Mel- kote and Moreira grinned. Balch was baffled. Ignoring the others, he started down the corridor with Chang, wheeling the nibblies before him. He looked down at Chang —the round, sweet face, the round, precisely perfect body—exactly his idea of Woman, but built on a reduced scale. He was acutely happy to see her, and acutely aware of her aloof- ness. “What’s the matter, Chang?” he half-whispered. ““You seem sort of dazed.” “IT am. [ve had a very strange experience.” “What happened?” No answer. “‘What was it? Have you talked to the nibbly?”’ “I don’t know.” He looked at her, waiting for her to go on. All she did was to take hold of the air-box, slowing it down, and point to the lab on the right. “In here,”’ she said. “But this isn’t your lab.” “No. I’m _ parking them with Moreira for now. I don’t have too much room, and I’m not sure I want to let them near the other one just now.” “Why not?” ‘Because I’m not very confident of what he’d tell them about me.” “What would Brian have against ou?” “Brian? All right. I don’t know. I just don’t know what his opinion of me is. Before I put them together I want to talk it over with you.” “Why don’t you talk it over with Hilda?” replied Balch in spite of himself. Chang ignored the irony. “Hilda, too, of course. She’s been workin with me a good deal. She’ll probably be at my lab when we get there.” She was. When they came in she stood up and greeted Balch loudly. ‘“How are you doing?” he answered. ““How’s Brian?” He indicated the nibbly behind the transparent wall, who squatted in the familiar pose of indifference, staring blankly at them. “Brian? He’s fine—better than ever.” ; Balch, encouraged by her tone, turned abruptly to Chang. “Well, let’s have it. Say hello to Brian for me in nibblian.” “T’m afraid the limit of my vocabu- lary is “goo goo’.”’ She smiled faintly. ‘Are you sure you're really com- municating? How do you do it?” She pointed to the fairly simple cir- cuit she and Hilda had developed. It was spread all over the low table that stood against the transparent wall. Balch noticed a signal generator at the left end and an oscilloscope with two screens on the right. ‘““What’s all that for?” he asked. “That’s the communicator.” She went on, in a voice that sounded as if she was talking to herself, to explain her guess about the nibblies’ “‘lan- guage’; how the nibbly had co-op- erated patiently while they took measurements and matched their cir- cuit to his ; how they had experimented with modulating their signals, and the nibbly had replied by modulating his; how they had decided to abandon connicloooks.c© inn