"Alfred Bester - Demolished Man, The" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bester Alfred)

Tenser, said the Tensor...
A secretary appeared at Maria's elbow, "Madame," he lisped, "a slight
contretemps."
"What is it?"
"The Chervil boy. Galen Chervil."
Tate's face constricted.
"What about him?" Maria peeped through the crowd.
"Left of the fountain. An impostor, Madame. I have peeped him. He has
no invitation. He's a college student. He bet he could crash the party. He
intends to steal a picture of you as proof."
"Of me!" Maria said, staring through the windows in young Chervil's
clothes. "What does he think of me?"
"Well, Madame, he's extremely difficult to probe. I think he'd like to
steal more from you than your picture."
"Oh, would he?" Maria cackled delightedly.
"He would, Madame. Shall he be removed?"
"No." Maria glanced once more at the muscular young man, then turned
away. "He'll get his proof."
"And it won't be stolen," Reich said.
"Jealous! Jealous!" she squawked. "Let's dine."
In response to Tate's urgent sign, Reich stepped aside momentarily.
"Reich, you've got to give it up."
"What the hell... ?"
"The Chervil boy."
"What about him?"
"He's a 2nd."
"God damn!"
"He's precocious, brilliant... I met him at Powell's last Sunday.
Maria Beaumont never invites peepers to her house. I'm only in on your
pass. I was depending on that."
"And this peeper kid has to be the one to crash. God damn!"
"Give it up, Reich."
"Maybe I can stay away from him."
"Reich, I can block the social secretaries. They're only 3rds. But I
can't guarantee to handle them and a 2nd too... even if he is only a kid.
He's young. He may be too nervous to do any clever peeping. But I can't
promise."
"I'm not quitting," Reich growled. "I can't. I'll never get a chance
like this again. Even if I knew I could, I wouldn't quit. I couldn't. I've
got the stink of D'Courtney in my nostrils. I---"
"Reich, you'll never---"
"Don't argue. I'm going through with it." Reich turned his scowl full
on Tate's nervous face. "I know you're looking for a chance to squirm out
of this; but you won't. We're trapped in this together, right down the
line, from here to Demolition."
He shaped his distorted face into a frozen smile and rejoined his
hostess on a couch alongside one of the tables. It was still the custom for
couples to feed one another at these affairs, but the gesture that had
originated in oriental courtesy and generosity had degenerated into erotic
play. The morsels of food were accompanied by tongue touched to fingers and