"Harlan Ellison - Paladin of the Lost Hour" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ellison Harlan)

They shook hands, Billy shrugged into his still-wet trenchcoat, and he went to thedoor. He paused to look
back at Gaspar sitting in the lengthening shadows as evening cameon. "It was nice getting to know you,
Gaspar."

"You can make that a mutual pleasure, Billy. You're a nice young fella."

And Billy went to work, alone as always.

####

When he came home at two, prepared to open a can of Hormel chili, he found the tableset for dinner,
with the scent of an elegant beef stew enriching the apartment. There werenew potatoes and stirfried
carrots and zucchini that had been lightly battered to delicatecrispness. And cupcakes. White cake with
chocolate frosting. From a bakery.

And in that way, as gently as that, Gaspar insinuated himself into Billy Kinetta'sapartment and his life.



file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Har...on%20-%20Paladin%20of%20the%20Lost%20Hour.htm (8 of 22) [10/18/2004 4:56:25 PM]
 Harlan Ellison - Paladin of the Lost Hour

As they sat with tea and cupcakes, Billy said, "You don't have anyplace to go, doyou?"

The old man smiled and made one of those deprecating movements of the head. "Well,I'm not the sort of
fella who can bear to be homeless, but at the moment I'm whatvaudevillians used to call 'at liberty.'"

"If you want to stay on a time, that would be okay," Billy said. "It'snot very roomy here, but we seem to
get on all right."

"That's strongly kind of you, Billy. Yes, I'd like to be your roommate for awhile. Won't be too long,
though. My doctor tells me I'm not long for this world." Hepaused, looked into the teacup, and said
softly, "I have to confess . . . I'm alittle frightened. To go. Having someone to talk to would be a great
comfort."

And Billy said, without preparation, "I was visiting the grave of a man who was inmy rifle company in
Vietnam. I go there sometimes." But there was such pain in hiswords that Gaspar did not press him for
details.

So the hours passed, as they will with or without permission, and when Gaspar askedBilly if they could
watch television, to catch an early newscast, and Billy tuned in theold set just in time to pick up dire
reports of another aborted disarmament talk, andBilly shook his head and observed that it wasn't only
Gaspar who was frightened ofsomething like death, Gaspar chuckled, patted Billy on the knee and said,
withunassailable assurance, "Take my word for it, Billy . . . it isn't going to happen.No nuclear holocaust.
Trust me, when I tell you this: it'll never happen. Never, never,not ever."

Billy smiled wanly. "And why not? What makes you so sure . . . got somespecial inside information?"

And Gaspar pulled out the magnificent timepiece, which Billy was seeing for the firsttime, and he said,