Meanwhile, the head of the museum's board of directors, Fenton Q. Hartcourt, was exiting the meeting hall. A few other men followed him, clearly relishing that Milo's proposal was rejected. "I swear, that young Thatch and his sister get crazier every year!" one the men grumbled as they left the hall.
"If I ever hear that word 'Atlantis' again, I'll step in front of a bus!" another man growled.
Another man laughed, "I'll push you!"
"As for that Julia girl," a third man snarled, "She's so boring with her languages and information on diabetes, that I might get that disease if I listen to her again!"
"Um, I think you can only get it if you eat too much sugar," a fourth man corrected.
"Mr. Hartcourt!" a familiar male voice called.
The members of the board turned around and saw Milo and Julia running after them. "Good lord! There they are!" the men cried as they scrambled to get away.
"Members of the board!" Milo cried, "Wait!"
"Come back here!" Julia added.
In no time at all, each of the men – except a short and stout fellow – found doors to different rooms to hide in. The short and fat man, Mr. Hartcourt, had no other choice but to hide behind a plant.
As Milo and Julia looked around, Julia pointed to plant with a familiar figure hiding behind it and cried, "Milo, look!"
The siblings approached Hartcourt, and Milo said, "Uh, sir?"
Hartcourt smiled nervously as the plant shriveled; he then opened his umbrella up to restrain Milo and Julia from him, then he ran off into the main part of the museum.
The Thatch siblings chased after him, and Milo called out, "Wait, sir!"
"Mr. Hartcourt, bring your fat little tush right back here!" Julia added.
Hartcourt went out the main door, and then the siblings followed down some steps right as he got into his motorcar. "Please, Mr. Hartcourt, STOP!" Milo cried as he and Julia caught up with him. Milo shoved some maps into the car window as he held out a map and tried explaining his Atlantis theory.
Mr. Hartcourt frowned at the siblings, "This museum funds scientific expeditions based on facts! Not legends and folklore!" He threw the maps out the car window and Julia and her brother caught them in their arms. The fat man gently took Milo by the cheek as he grinned, "Besides, we need you and Julia here. We depend on the both of you!"
"Oh, really?" Julia asked with a raised brow.
"You do?" asked Milo.
"Yes," Hartcourt answered, "What with winter coming, that boiler's going to need a lot of attention."
"Boiler?" Milo asked, dumbfounded.
"As for you, Miss Julia," Hartcourt grinned at the brunette, "People need entertainment come Thanksgiving and Christmas. When those shelves go empty, you will have to reorganize them."
"Shelves?" Julia questioned, "Entertainment? Holidays?"
"Onward, Heinz!" Hartcourt commanded his driver. The car soon sped away.
Milo didn't let a speeding car stop him as he ran after it. "Milo, wait for me!" Julia called after him.
"But the…" Milo started before a map got into his face; he took the map off as he kept insisting to Hartcourt, "There's a journal! It's in Iceland! I'm sure of it this time!"
Mr. Hartcourt just closed the windows of his car window. Just then, he noticed Milo jumping onto the roof of his car!
"Milo, be careful!" Julia called to her brother with concern.
"Not to worry, Julia!" Milo called to his sister. He looked through the front window of the car as he begged, "Sir, I really hoped it wouldn't come to this, but this is…" He thrust a piece of paper with writing on it and continued, "A letter of resignation! If you reject my proposal, Julia and I will…" He was thrown off the car and onto the street. "I'LL QUIT!" Milo yelled at the car as Julia ran over to check on him.
"Oh, Milo, are you hurt?" Julia asked as she felt around Milo's ankles.
"I'm fine!" her brother breathed, "Honest!"
The car, meanwhile, came to a halt, and then slowly backed towards the Thatch siblings.
Julia helped Milo up to his feet, just as the car stopped by them. The window's curtains were pulled back, and Mr. Hartcourt looked at the siblings with a glare. Milo took his letter up and warned, "I mean it, sir! If you refuse to fund my proposal, I'll…"
"You'll what?" Hartcourt demanded to know, "Flush your career down the toilet just like your grandfather?" He gave Milo a cuckoo face at the last few words.
"Don't talk about our grandfather that way!" Julia glared at the fat man.
"Silence, Miss Julia!" Hartcourt ordered; Julia kept her glare as Hartcourt continued to Milo, "You have a lot of potential, Milo. Don't throw it all away chasing fairytales!"
"Fairytales?!" Julia muttered under her breath.
"But Julia and I can prove Atlantis exists!" Milo insisted.
"We have evidence!" Julia added.
"You want to go on an expedition?" Hartcourt asked; he tossed a quarter to the siblings and scoffed, "Here! Take a trolley to the Potomac and jump in! Maybe the cold water will clear your head!"
"How dare you speak to us this way?" Julia growled.
"As for you, Miss Julia," Hartcourt frowned at her, "You're only a woman. Feeble-minded and delicate. You should be in a library, dusting shelves and polishing your precious language books!" He then ordered his driver as he pulled the curtains again, "Heinz!"
As the car drove off, a tire hit a puddle of water, and the water splashed right onto the Thatch siblings. Milo looked at his soaking letting with disappointment, and Julia crossed her arms and huffed. Thunder could be heard off in the distance as the two of them stood up and prepared to go home.