“I haven’t had a chance yet.” Alice said. “They gave us all until tomorrow. Elena said that either the gold nugget is in place or we will be having a ‘serious conversation.’ That means that tomorrow they’re going to take us out of the races and maybe even expel me from school when I do ‘fess up.”

“What races?”

“Tomorrow is the big air bladder races. For the school championships. My class’s team is Alesha, me, and Egorov. And there’s no way they’ll let Egorov fly alone.”

“And haven’t you forgotten one further complication?” I said.

“What complication.” Alice asked with a tone in her voice that told me she knew perfectly well which one.

“You have failed to live up to our agreement.”

“Yes I did.” Alice agreed. “But it was done in a good cause.”

“It was? You stole a gold nugget in the weight of a kilogram and a half, cut it into fish lures, lost it in the Ikshinsky Water Reservoir and you don’t even recognize what you did! A good cause indeed! I fear the Pegasus will have to leave you behind.”

“Oh, Daddy! Alice whispered. “What do I do now?”

“Think.” I said, and went back into my office to finish the paper. But writing proved difficult. Such a silly misadventure! How like small children to cut a museum exhibit to pieces with a laser!

After about an hour I looked outside my office. Alice was nowhere to be seen. She had run off some where. I went back inside and punched out the number of Friedman at the Mineralogical Museum; we’d met long before when our expeditions had crossed in the Pamir Mountains.

His round face and black moustache filled the videophone screen.

“Lenny,” I said, “Do you by any chance have any gold nuggets weighing about a kilogram and half in stock?”

“I’d say I have at least five kilos. What do you need it for? For work?”

“No. It’s needed at home.”