By Hannah Tyler ■李楠 选注

　　Patrick Reilly was the manager of a company that made washing powders, among other things.<注1> The company employed several scientists, whose job was to try to find new and better kinds of products, including washing powders.

　　Patrick did not know very much about science himself, but he used to meet his scientists regularly.<注2> He always enjoyed it and took a great interest in what they were doing.

　　One day one of them was in Patrick's office, talking about plans for the future, when he said to Patrick, "I suppose you know Sir James White. He was my professor at the university where I studied, and now he's one of the world's greatest and most honoured biologists."

　　"Oh, yes, I know," Patrick answered, "but I've never actually met him. What about him?"

　　"Well," said the scientist, "he's discovered some new type of system that might be very useful to us for improving our manufacture of soap powders.<注3> I read an article about it yesterday in one of the scientific journals I take<注4> every month. You ought to meet him."

　　"I'd like to," Patrick answered. "What do you think of inviting him to dinner one evening and suggesting that we might be able to offer him a job as an adviser?"<注5>

　　"I agree," the scientist replied. "That would be an excellent decision."

　　"Is he single or married?" Patrick asked.

　　"Oh, he's married," the scientist answered. "His wife's a very important biologist too. I knew her before they married."<注6>

　　"All right," Patrick said, "I'll give him a call and try to arrange it. A nice, quiet family dinner would be best, I think, and I hope you'll come and bring your wife too."

　　"We'd love to," the scientist answered. "My wife knew Lilian White too, at the time when she was beginning to become known,<注7> and I'm sure she'd enjoy seeing her again. She looked up to<注8> her a lot when they worked together."

　　Patrick got his secretary to ring Professor White's office at the university to give him the invitation, and they managed to find a date on which they would both be free for dinner.

　　"It'll be a small family affair," Patrick said. "I propose to invite two of my scientific staff with their wives. One of them was a student of yours. And I hope Lady White will be able to come too."

　　"Thank you," the professor answered, "I'm sure she'll be delighted to."

　　Patrick had a son of sixteen, who had finished his O-level examinations and was studying for his A-levels.<注9> While everybody wasshavingsa drink before dinner, the boy chatted to the professor. "What do you do?" the boy asked.

　　"I study biology," the professor answered.

　　"Oh?" the boy answered proudly. "Well, I finished biology last July."<注10>