Read the following passage and questions, then choose the right answer from options, the answer should be one of A, B, C, D.

<passage>:
serenity, but complete freedom to write undisturbed about the things he equation hearing the old tongue and talking I must admit that at first I wasn't sure I was hearing those each other to hush, be quiet, and the soft breeze stirring them up again. I had known precisely such circumstances, in or out of gravity, and under all conditions of friction and combustion." "Thank you, Mr. Houlihan," said work out an equation to give the coefficient of discharge for the matter me quietly. eager and ready." "Thank you," I said. bargain." "I'll not be needing the gold," I from any orifice has a velocity directly "What's this now?" proportional to the square root of the pressure-head driving it. "I'll not be needing it," I repeated. sort." "I don't feel it would be right to take it for a service of this and other factors make the velocity in the gas, surface roughness from a mortal." He turned to his people. "We'll have three cheers now, do you hear, for Mr. Houlihan—friend what the drive amounts to despite long as he shall live!" of the nozzle, sharpness of the and structure— Oh, there is so much of this that if you're not a nuclear engineer yourself it's certain to weary you. Perhaps you had better take my word for it that without this equation—correctly stated, mind you—mankind along. It smelled exactly like a would be well advised not slowly and chuckled to myself at how I had gotten the best of the say, upon the tongue of a man little people. Surely it was not every them. in eerily mysterious fashion with a chorus of small voices. I thought at first it might be children at play, but then at the time I was a bit absent-minded. I tiptoed to the edge of the trees, not wanting to deprive any small scalawags of their pleasure, his working model. determined the true coefficient of literature now, I suppose, as Houlihan's group of little people, hard at work. There was a leader, an older one with a crank face. He was beating the air with his arms and piping: "Over here, now! All right, bring here—and see you're not slow as leprechauns are most clever in matters treacle about it!" of this sort and he would have made it a burden in some way. Indeed, I had done a piece of work greatly to my advantage, and also to the advantage of humankind, and when a man can do the first and include the second as a fortunate byproduct had it back soon enough—or else and shiny and upright and a little over five feet in height. "Come along now, people!" said this crotchety one, looking straight at me. "Stop starin' and get to then? know he can't see nor hear us!" Transcriber's Note: and became stiff and alert for a moment, as though suspecting that perhaps deeming such a thing impossible. I said, "Just a minute, friend, and I'll beg your pardon. It so happens I can staring open-mouthed. Then he said, "What? What's that, now?" "No, wait!" I said. "Don't go away! I'll not be hurting you!" They continued to scurry. I knew what it was they feared. "I don't intend catching one of you!" I said. "Come back, you daft little creatures!" But the glade was silent, and they catch one and keep him. Or so the legends affirmed, though I've wondered often about the truth of them. job of work for almost shamefully generous pay. You see, in a place as full of science as the nuclear propulsion smooth as glass and shaped like a huge cigar. There were a pair of almost miraculously complete and workable. I shook my head in wonder, then stepped back from the spaceship "Listen to me now, little people!" I called out. "My name's father used to say! Come on out now, and pass the time o' day!" a decision in so many words I knew hear the old tongue again, and talk a resounding blow with my fist. "Hear me now, little people! If you don't show yourselves and come out and talk to me, I'll wreck this spaceship from stem to stern!" I heard only the leaves rustling softly. "Do you understand? I'll give you until I count three to make an appearance! One!" as if a small, brittle twig had snapped in the underbrush. " suddenly appeared. The leader—he seemed more wizened and bent than before—approached me slowly and warily as I at a safe distance. I smiled to reassure them and then waved my arm in a friendly gesture of greeting. "Good morning," I said. "Good morning," the foreman said with some caution. "My name that I have no intention of doing you any injury?" drawing a kind of peppered dignity up about himself, "in such matters I am never fully convinced. After living for many centuries I am all too acutely aware of the perversity of human nature." "Yes," I said. "Well, as you will talk." I nodded as I spoke, and sat "And often that's all I said. "Sit down with me now, and stop staring as if I were a snake returned to the Island." He shook his head and remained standing. "Have your say, Mr. Houlihan. And afterward we'll appreciate it if you'll go away and leave us to our work." expression, and said, "I've been wondering how you guessed it was astonish me." "It just so happens I'm a doctor of science." "A doctor of science, now," said "Well, now, that's very interesting." "I'll make no apologies for it," I said. "Oh, there's no need for apology," said Keech. "Though in truth we prefer poets to scientists. But it "How?" I asked. beginning," he replied. usually does." "I am surprised from time to time to find myself here," I said. "But continue." old manner. "Leprechauns are not really mechanically and laughter and mischief, as anyone knows." "Myself included," I agreed. "Well, if I may use an old expression, the world isn't long for itself." would a man unravel a statement such as that?" "It's very simple. With all the developed, there's the distinct possibility you might be blowin' us all up in the process of destroying yourselves." "Well, then, as I say," said Which we're buildin' here and now. We've spied upon you and learned how to do it. Well—almost how to do it. We haven't learned yet how to control the power—" constellation Orion, which sounds as though it has a good Irish name, but I was hooted down. Be that as it understand all of your high-flyin' science, but some of our people are of things." me, though. If you've been constantly around us—and I'm still "You're determined to go." these last few minutes a certain matter has crossed my mind. That's why I'm wastin' all this time with you, sir. You say you are a scientist." "A nuclear engineer." "Well, then, it may be that you "Help you?" "The power control, Mr. Houlihan. to know at any instant exactly how much thrust is bein' delivered And on paper it looks simple out exactly as it does on paper." for a coefficient of discharge." "Whatever it might be named," said Keech, shrugging. "'Tis the "And you want me to help you with this?" finally, "why should I help you?" "Ha!" said Keech, grinning, but not with humor, "the avarice of humans! I knew it! Well, Mr. Houlihan, I'll give you reason enough. That's a grandmother's tale. a proposition." us how to make our ship work." then?" that was all. able to make many sensible observations every day for the following two weeks. It rained several times, made, not being believers. I would halt work, pass the time of day, and then, in subtle fashion,

<question>:
Which terms best describe the narrator's tone?

<options>:
A authoritative and oblivious
B manipulative and meticulous
C congenial and self-aware
D hostile and condescending

<answer>:

C