"Samuel R. Delany - Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones" - читать интересную книгу автора (Delaney Samuel R)

He nodded to me, smilingтАФabout all he could doтАФand we strolled towards the gathering.

Edna Silem was sitting on a transparent inflated hassock. She leaned forward, holding her drink in both
hands, arguing politics with the people sitting on the grass before her. She was the first person I
recognized (hair of tarnished silver; voice of scrap brass). Jutting from the cuffs of her mannish suit, her
wrinkled hands about her goblet, shaking with the intensity of her pronouncements, were heavy with
stones and silver. As I ran my eyes back to Hawk, I saw half a dozen whose names/faces sold
magazines, music, sent people to the theater (the drama critic for Delta, wouldnтАЩt you know), and even
the mathematician from Princeton IтАЩd read about a few months ago whoтАЩd come up with the
тАЬquasar/quarkтАЭ explanation.

There was one woman my eyes kept returning to. On glance three I recognized her as the New
FascistasтАЩ most promising candidate for president, Senator Abolafia. Her arms were folded and she was
listening intently to the discussion that had narrowed to Edna and an overly gregarious younger man
whose eyes were puffy from what could have been the recent acquisition of contact lenses.

тАЬBut donтАЩt you feel, Mrs. Silem, that-тАЭ

тАЬYou must remember when you make predictions like thatтАФтАЭ

тАЬMrs. Silem, IтАЩve seen statistics thatтАФтАЭ

тАЬYou must rememberтАЭтАФher voice tensed, lowered, till the silence between the words was as rich as the
voice was sparse and metallicтАФтАЬthat if everything, everything were known, statistical estimates would
be unnecessary. The science of probability gives mathematical expression to our ignorance, not to our
wisdom,тАЭ which I was thinking was an interesting second installment to MaudтАЩs lecture, when Edna
looked up and exclaimed, тАШWhy, Hawk!тАЬ

Everyone turned.

тАЬI am glad to see you. Lewis, Ann,тАЭ she called: there were two other Singers there already (he dark, she
pale, both tree-slender; their faces made you think of pools without drain or tribute come upon in the
forest, dear and very still; husband and wife, they had been made Singers together the day before their
marriage seven years ago), тАЬhe hasnтАЩt deserted us after all!тАЭ Edna stood, extended her arm over the
heads of the people sitting, and barked across her knuckles as though her voice were a pool cue.
тАЬHawk, there are people here arguing with me who donтАЩt know nearly as much as you about the subject.
YouтАЩd be on my side, now, wouldnтАЩt youтАФтАЭ

тАЬMrs. Silem, I didnтАЩt mean toтАФтАЭ from the floor.

Then her arms swung six degrees, her fingers, eyes and mouth opened. тАЬYou!тАЭ Me. тАЬMy dear, if thereтАЩs
anyone I never expected to see here! Why itтАЩs been almost two years, hasnтАЩt it?тАЭ Bless Edna; the place
where she and Hawk and I had spent a long, beery evening together had more resembled that bar than
Tower Top. тАШWhere have you been keeping yourself?тАЬ

тАЬMars, mostly,тАЭ I admitted. тАЬActually I just came back today.тАЭ ItтАЩs so much fun to be able to say things
like that in a place like this.

тАЬHawkтАФboth of youтАФтАЭ (which meant either she had forgotten my name, or she remembered me well
enough not to abuse it) тАЬcome over here and help me drink up AlexisтАЩ good liquor.тАЭ I tried not to grin as