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each of them in turn.
    Hal Ozog smiled at him in a fatherly manner. “You’ve been acting like a kid who can hardly wait to try out his new bike.”
    Sheldon smiled, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “To tell the truth, Hal, that’s exactly how I feel, but I want all of you to know that I’ll understand if you feel this project isn’t feasible or if you feel that your lives are too busy to participate. I can get someone else to help me, but as you well know, I have much more confidence in you four.”
    Don Newman held a palm outward and grimaced. “Hey, Shel, as I said before, don’t count me in on this. I’m just a friendly bystander, but one who’ll be cheering you on—whatever all of you decide.”
    “ Okay, Don. I’ll at least appreciate your support.” His expression turning apprehensive, he looked at the other three. “So—how about the rest of you?”
    Robert Bittle smiled. “Well, Shel, we three have conferred with each other by phone this week and the consensus is—we’ll take it on.”
    “ Wonderful!” Sheldon exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear.
    “ But,” Robert continued, “if any complication arises that concerns any one of us, we’ve agreed to abandon the project.”
    “ Oh.” Sheldon’s dark brows furrowed. “That presents a problem. How will I broach this possibility to the participants?”
    “ Be frank with them right from the beginning, Shel,” Nettie Newman suggested. “You might inform them that this is only an experiment and that you may have to abandon the project if complications arise and present a problem that would reflect badly upon the university.”
    Sheldon considered this, his long fingers tapping together methodically.
    He nodded. “I think that’s a wise decision. I suppose complications certainly can come about, considering that we’ll be working with women. They tend to become emotional at times.”
    Nettie smiled. “Well, yes, Sheldon, but also, physical complications could arise with any one of them.”
    Sheldon, silent a moment, responded. “I’ll have to confer with my benefactor and see if he’ll be willing to remunerate these young women even if we have to abandon the project.”
    “ Good,” Robert said. “Now with that out of the way, I would like to read to you what I’ve come up with in the way of a questionnaire for the class in order to choose which four would be good candidates.”
    Sheldon Ackerman was more than pleased, he was happy. “Read on, Robert.”
    When he was through, Nettie exclaimed, “That’s excellent, Robert. I would add only one question, one that will inform us of their major. I’m sure that some in the class will be there just to better acquainted themselves with the principles of business, but don’t intend to make it their major. What if one or more of the four we select doesn’t want a business career? Will the Dean and your benefactor go along with that?”
    Sheldon’s brows rose. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I feel that at least two of the four should be in the field of business. However, I’m sure that the Dean and the benefactor would be amenable to the other two young women succeeding in whatever they choose to go into.”
    Hal had two additions and the three of them vetoed Sheldon’s one, suggesting that he didn’t know women very well, which—he conceded was true.
    “ My friends,” Sheldon said, “you’ve come through for me with flying colors, as the cliche goes. Thank you.”
    After naming the upcoming experiment, “Project Success,” they parted company, each having an assignment. Sheldon was to confer with the Dean and his benefactor. Nettie was to prepare a contract for each participant and later, after visiting with them individually, a uniquely designed nutrition program for each. Hal offered to prepare a medical form that the participants could take to their doctor to fill out after the mandatory physical examination.
    Robert was to revise the questionnaire,