He led Dr. Sattyn-Whiley back into the building, through a corridor running parallel to the auditorium, and then held a door open for him.

'Good luck, Doc,' the usher said. 'You'll need it.'

He found himself in a small room containing an octagonal table covered with what appeared to be an army blanket. There was only one person in the room - a tall, red-headed, ruddy-faced chap attired in white tie and tails.

'Do you know who I am, Cornie?' the man asked.

‘Yes, sir,' Dr. Sattyn-Whiley replied. 'But only by reputation.'

'At the risk of challenging all that you hold near and dear, Cornie,' the man said, 'there are times when a boy should not listen to his momma.'

'Oh, I don't mean that, sir,' Dr. Sattyn-Whiley replied. 'I mean the Bergerhorn-Grogarty Upper-Bowel Bypass*.'

'You're familiar with that?'

'Oh, yes, sir,' Dr. Sattyn-Whiley said. 'I've been privileged to learn the technique.'

'That was one of Ferdie's better ideas,' the man said. 'But I wasn't talking of medicine, Cornie. I meant to ask if you know who I am, and what our relationship is.'

'Well, you, sir, are Aloysius J. Grogarty, M.D., F.A.C.S., and chief of staff of the Grogarty Clinic'

'More important than that,' Dr. Grogarty replied, 'I am your godfather. Before your birth, your father and I were the best of friends. There was an unfortunate understanding with your mother ...'

'Don't you mean "misunderstanding," sir?'

'No, I do not,' Dr. Grogarty said. 'Your mother and I understand each other perfectly. But despite that, the fact remains that I am your godfather and have certain responsibilities

 

* Dr. Sattyn-Whiley here referred to a surgical technique devised by Doctors Aloysius J. Grogarty and J. Ferdinand Bergerhorn for treatment of the chronically obese. Briefly, it consists of hooking the bowel to the upper quarter of the stomach, thus cutting off the lower three-quarters of the stomach from the ingestion-digestion process. The fatties can thus eat all they want, but all they want, following the procedure, is about twenty-five percent of what they wanted, pre-procedure.

 

 

to you, especially now that you're about to enter the doctor business.'*

 

'I had hoped, when the time was right, to ask my father to introduce me to you, sir,' Dr. Sattyn-Whiley said.

'You would have waited a long time, I fear,' Dr. Grogarty said, his voice level. 'Your father is an obedient husband.'

'Well, in any event,' Dr. Sattyn-Whiley said, 'whatever medical emergency has arisen tonight, it has at least given me the privilege of meeting you. And speaking of the medical emergency, how can I be of assistance to you, Doctor?'

'There is no medical emergency,' Dr. Grogarty said.