"Gordon R. Dickson - Childe Cycle 04 - Tactics of Mistake" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

"Of course," he said, looking at Cletus, "I don't know how you do it, but I do know that if I lift that
cup there'll be a sugar cube under it." His hand moved to the cup at the opposite end of the line. "And if I
choose this one, it'll probably be there?"
Cletus said nothing. He only smiled back.
DeCastries nodded. The customary easiness of his manner had returned to him. "In fact," he said, "the
only cup I can be sure doesn't have a sugar cube under it is the one that we all know must have a
cubeтАФthe one in the middle. Am I right?"
Cletus still only smiled.
"I am right," said deCastries. He extended his hand out over the central cup for a second, watching
Cletus' eyes, then withdrew the hand. "And that was what you were after, in this demonstration with the
cups and sugar cubes, wasn't it, Colonel? Your aim was to make me figure out the situation just the way I
haveтАФbut also to make me so unsure of myself after being wrong three times in a row, that I'd still have
to turn the center cup over to prove to myself it really was empty. Your real purpose was to strike at my
confidence in my own judgment according to these Tactics of Mistake of yours, wasn't it?"
He reached out and snapped the central cup with his fingernail so that it rang with a sound like that of
a small, flat-toned bell.
 "But I'm not going to turn it over," he went on, looking at Cletus. "You see, having reasoned it out,
I've gone one step further and worked out your purpose in trying to make me do it. You wanted to
impress me. Well, I am impressedтАФbut only a little. And in token of just how little, suppose we leave the
cup sitting there, unturned? What do you say?"
"I say your reasoning's excellent, Mr. Secretary." Cletus reached out and gathered in the other two
cups upside down, covering the mouth of each briefly with his hand before turning them right-side-up to
expose their empty, open mouths to the lounge ceiling. "What else can I say?"
"Thank you, Colonel," said deCastries, softly. He had leaned back in his chair and his eyes had
narrowed down to slits. He reached out now with his right hand to take the stem of his wineglass and
rotate it once more between thumb and forefinger with precise quarter turns, as if screwing it delicately
down into the white tablecloth. "Now, you said something earlier about taking this flight to Kultis only
because you knew I'd be on it. Don't tell me you went to all that trouble just to show me your tactical
shell game?"
"Only partly," said Cletus. The tension in the atmosphere around the table had suddenly increased,
although the voices of both Cletus and deCastries remained pleasant and relaxed. "I wanted to meet you,
Mr. Secretary, because I'm going to need you to arrange things so I can finish my work on tactics."
"Oh?" said deCastries, "And just how did you expect me to help?"
"Opportunities ought to present themselves to both of us, Mr. Secretary"тАФCletus pushed back his
chair and stood upтАФ"now that you've met me and know what I'm after. With that much done it's
probably time for me to apologize for intruding on your dinner party and leaveтАФ"
"Just a moment, Colonel тАж " purred deCastries.
A small sound of breaking glass interrupted them. Melissa's wineglass lay spilled and shattered against
a saucer before her, and she was pushing herself unsteadily to her feet, one hand holding her forehead.


3
"No, noтАФit's all right!" she said to her father. "I'm just a little dizzy, suddenly, that's all. I'll go lie
down тАж No, Dad, you stay here! Colonel Grahame, you can help me to my cabin, can't youтАФas long
as you are leaving anyway."
"Of course," said Cletus.
He came quickly around the table and she took hold of his arm. She was tall, and she leaned the not
inconsiderable weight of her healthy young body heavily against him. Almost irritably, she waved her
father and deCastries back into their seats.
"Really!" she said. Her voice sharpened. "I'm all right. I just want to lie down for a bit. Will you please