"Philip Jose Farmer - Riverworld 4 - The Magic Labyrinth" - читать интересную книгу автора (Farmer Phillip Jose)

the course of which the Frenchman walked away from his audience. He spent the
night, from what Malory heard, in the hut of a woman who thought that if he
was such a great swordsman he must also be a great lover. From her accounts,
he was, though perhaps too much devoted to that fashion of making love which
many thought reached its perfection, or nadir of degeneracy, in France. Malory
was disgusted. But later that day de Bergerac appeared to apologize for his
ingratitude to the man who'd saved his life.

"I should not have scoffed at you, my host, my savior. I tender you a thousand
apologies, for which I hope to receive one forgiveness."
"You are forgiven," Malory said, sincerely. "Perhaps, though you forsook our
Church on Earth and have blasphemed against God, you would care to attend the
mass being said tonight for the souls of your departed comrades?"

"That is the least I can do," de Bergerac said.

During the mass, he wept copiously, so much so that .after it Malory took
advantage of his high emotions. He asked him if he was ready to return to God.

"I am not aware that I ever left Him, if He exists," the Frenchman said. "I
was weeping with grief for those I loved on the Parseval and for those whom I
did not love but respected. I was weeping with rage against Thorn or whatever
his real name is. And I was also weeping because men and women are still
ignorant and superstitious enough to believe in this flummery."

"You refer to the mass?",Malory said icily.

"Yes, forgive me again!'' de Bergerac cried.

"Not until you truly repent," Malory said, "and if you address your repentance
to that God whom you have offended so grievously."

The Magic Labyrinth I 13

"Quelle merde!" de Bergerac said. But a moment later he embraced Malory and
kissed him on both cheeks. "How I wish that your belief was indeed fact! But
if it were, then how could I forgive God!"

He bade adieu to Malory, saying that he would probably never see him again.
Tomorrow morning, he was setting out up-River. Malory suspected that de
Bergerac would have to steal a boat to do so, and he was right.

Malory often thought of the man who'd leaped from the burning dirigible, the
man who had actually been to the tower which many spoke about but none had
seen except for the Frenchman and his crewmates. Or if the story could be
believed, a group of ancient Egyptians and a huge hairy subhuman.

Less than three years later, the second great paddlewheeled boat came by. This
was even more huge than the Rex and it was more luxurious and faster and
better armored and weap-oned. But it was not called the Mark Twain. Its