"Philip Jose Farmer - The Green Odyssey" - читать интересную книгу автора (Farmer Phillip Jose)

some of that wonderful Chalousma wine that came in the other day out of the cellarтИТтИТтИТтИТ"

"What was a ship doing in your cellar?" he said, and he whooped with laughter, "By all the gods, Amra, I
know it's been two days since I've seen you, but don't try to crowd fortyтИТeight hours' conversation into ten
minutes, especially your kind of conversation. And quit scolding me in front of the children. You know it's
bad for them. They might pick up your attitude of contempt for the head of the house."

"I? Contempt? Why, I worship the ground you walk on! I tell them continually what a fine man you are,
though it's rather hard to convince them when you do show up and they see the truth. Still..."

There was only one way to handle her; that was to outtalk, outshout, outact her. It was hard going, especially
when he felt so tired, and when she would not cooperate with him but would fight for precedence. The
trouble was, she didn't feel any respect for the man she could shut up, so it was absolutely necessary to
dominate her.

This he accomplished by giving her a big squeeze, causing the baby to cry because she was pushed in too
tightly between the two of them. Then while Amra was trying to soothe the baby he began telling her what
had happened at the palace.

She was silent, except for a sharply pointed question interjected now and then, and she insisted upon hearing
the details of everything that had taken placeтИТтИТ everything. He told her things that he would not have
mentioned before childrenтИТтИТ two years ago. But the extremely frank and uninhibited society of the slaves
had freed him of any such restraints.

They went inside Amra's house, through her offices, where six of her clerks and secretaries worked, through
the living rooms proper, and on into the kitchen.

She rang a bell and told Inzax, a pretty little blonde, to go into the cellar and bring up a quart of Chalousma.
One of the clerks popped his head in the kitchen door and told her that a Mr. Sheshyarvrenti, purser of an
Andoonanarga vessel, wanted to see her about the disposition of some rare birds that she had ordered seven
months before. He would deal with no one but her.

"Let him cool his heels for a while," she said. The clerk gulped and his head disappeared.

3 9
 The Green Odyssey


Green took Paxi, his daughter, and played with her while Amra poured their wine.

"This can go on only so long," she said. "I love you, and I'm not getting the attention I'm accustomed to. You
should find some pretense to break off with the Duchess. I'm a vigorous woman who needs a lot of love. I
want you here."

Green had nothing to lose by agreeing with her, since he planned to be leaving in a very short time. "You're
right," he said. "I'll tell her as soon as I think up a good excuse." He fingered his neck at the place where a
headsman's ax would come down. "It had better be a good one, though."

Amra seemed to glow all over with happiness. She held her glass up and said, "Here's to the Duchess. May
demons carry her off."