" Where am I?"Jim asked, "Where do you think you are?" A moment ago, I thought I was dead." And now?" Now I'm not so sure about it." I will tell you t...at you are not dead," said Jim."Then how did I get here?"Jim grinned and said, "Does the phrase 'Beam me up, Scotty' mean anything to you?" You can do that?" Carl asked in shock.Jim broadened his smile, then said, "Yes."Carl resigned himself, "Ok. I'll bite. Why?"Jim said, "Because I have a favor to ask of you."Carl's face went white.Jim said,. All right, I felt bad, like I'd cheated myself out of a once in a lifetime opportunity. At the same time, I felt virtuous, like I'd faced down a strong temptation, and that's why, everything considered, I didn't feel that bad.I spent two hours with my putter on the practice green. By the time Bea came to get me, I hadn't learned anything good, and may have actually learned every way there was to putt bad. My heart and head weren't in my putting. I was just going through the motions, with most. " Grandpa, no thanks are necessary, but thank you for coming." If ve are finished here, I ask for your release, mine Empress."I nodded once and Grandpa faded. My attention now turned to Ma."Ma, now will you listen to Mina?" You really are this Empress, ain't ya, Alex?" Yes, apparently I am, Ma. I'm the Empress, Ma, not the devil! Now are yaready ta hear us out?" I'll hear y'all out, but I'm reservin' my decision for later." That's all Mina, Emily, and the rest of us wanted, Ma. We want you. Grace gave Hugh and Peter each a copy of the tenders and the civil engineering lecturer’s comments. Both read them through quickly while Grace sat in slightly nervous silence.“Well!” said Hugh at last. “I think we need only consider Davies and Midlands.”The other two nodded.“Grace?”“I go for Davies,” she said, “not necessarily because he is the cheaper of the two but because he has tendered for what we asked for and no extras like air conditioning. I didn’t consider such things necessary when I.