Read Online Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine by Jay Williams, Abrashkin Abrashkin - Free Book Online Page B

we’d better just tell the Professor,”
    Danny drew a deep breath. “Gosh!” he said. “I don’t know how to.”
    â€œJust tell him.”
    â€œSure. It’s not so easy. You know how grownups are when you try to explain anything.”
    â€œEven the Professor?”
    â€œNo… but he trusted me, and this is such an important thing, and—” Danny looked helplessly at the console. “I’ve tried everything I can think of. If only I could get some kind of hint. How could it have happened? What went wrong?”
    â€œWell, you’ll have to make up your mind right now whether to tell him or not,” Irene said. “Because I hear them coming.”
    Almost as she spoke, the three men entered the laboratory.
    â€œAh,” said the Professor. “Here you are, Dan. I knew you wouldn’t miss this. All warmed up?”
    â€œYes, Professor,” Danny said, wretchedly. Then he straightened up, and said, “I want to—”
    But the Professor was not listening. He and his two companions grouped themselves purposefully at the console, and spread out their papers.
    Dr. Grimes said, “Now for this first test, we have already worked out the course of a rocket traveling at 9273 miles per hour. It only remains to check the procedures and steps on your computer.”
    â€œAnd we’ll want a time check, also,” said Dr. Quibberly.
    â€œListen, I want to—” Danny began again.
    Dr. Quibberly turned and frowned at him. “Shh!” he said.
    The Professor had already cleared the machine’s memory and had tapped the key marked INSTRUCTIONS. He was reading a set of figures into the microphone, while Dr. Grimes made notations.
    Danny cleared his throat. Once again, Dr. Quibberly gazed at him, his enormous eyebrows waggling angrily. Danny shrugged helplessly and was silent.
    The computer hummed and clucked, and the tiny lights twinkled, marking the location in its memory o£ each step of its instructions. Then the typewriter began to chatter.
    â€œAha!” cried the Professor. “How was that? Only ninety-three seconds.”
    â€œNot bad,” Dr. Quibberly said. “Let’s look at the results.”
    The Professor, with a broad smile, pulled the paper from the typewriter.
    â€œHere we are,” he said. “Ah…oh-oh-oh-ikk! Mgrf sizippl b-b-b-brr! ”
    â€œWhat?” cried Dr. Grimes.
    The smile faded from the Professor’s face. Hastily, he took off his glasses and wiped them. Then he picked up the paper again. “Oogl blerp,” he read.
    â€œI beg your pardon?” said Dr. Quibberly. “Blerp?”
    â€œDear me,” said the Professor. “I don’t understand. Something must have happened to…” His voice died away, and slowly he turned. His usually jovial face took on a serious look.
    â€œDanny!” he said.
    Danny sighed. “I tried to tell you, Professor,” he said. “Honest, I wanted to. But you were in such a hurry, and I was sort of scared, and anyway I’m sure it wasn’t anything I did, and anyway…”
    â€œHa!” Dr. Quibberly exclaimed. “Very interesting. Very interesting indeed. You allow this little boy to play with your computer as if it were a—a game of marbles. You needn’t be surprised if it can only produce noises like blerp.”
    Dr. Grimes was looking very sour. “On the other hand,” he said, “it is possible that the computer wasn’t very good to begin with. I must say, Bullfinch, there have been times when your theories have run away with you, and perhaps this is one of them.”
    â€œOne moment,” said the Professor. He never lost his air of calm. He took out his pipe and began to fill it slowly, and in a mild voice said, “All right, Dan. Suppose you tell me just what did happen.”
    â€œWell,” Danny said, “to begin with, we used it to help us do our