"Alexander Green - Crimson Sails" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Alexander)

that peculiar expression of bold cunning in his near-sighted eyes that is a
distinctive feature of tradesmen in general, was wiping plates behind the
counter. The window frame was imprinted in the sunshine on the dirty
floor.
No sooner had Gray stepped into the strip of smoky light than Menners,
bowing respectfully, came out from behind his enclosure. He had
immediately sensed a real captain in Gray--a type of client rarely to be
seen there. Gray ordered rum. Covering the table with a cloth become
yellowed in the bustle of daily life, Menners brought over a bottle, but first
licked the corner of the label that had come unstuck. Then he went back
behind the counter to look intently now at Gray, now at the plate from
which he was picking off a dry particle of food.
While Letika, having raised his glass between his hands, was whispering
to it softly and glancing out the window, Gray summoned Hin Menners.
Hin perched on the edge of a chair with a self-satisfied air, flattered at
having been addressed, and especially flattered because this had been
done by a simple crook of Gray's finger.
"I assume you know all the local inhabitants," Gray said in an even
voice. "I would like to know the name of a girl in a kerchief, in a dress with
pink flowers, auburn-haired, of medium height, between seventeen and
twenty years of age. I came upon her not far from here. What is her
name?"
He spoke with a firm simplicity of strength that made it impossible to
evade his tone. Hin Menners squirmed inwardly and even smirked slightly,
but outwardly he obeyed the nature of the address. However, he hesitated
before replying--but only from a futile desire to guess what was up
"Hm!" he said, raising his eyes to the ceiling. "It must be Sailing-ship
Assol. She's a halfwit."
"Indeed?" Gray said indifferently, taking a big sip. "Why is she like
that?"
"If you really want to know, I'll tell you."
And Hin told Gray of the time, seven years before, when, on the
seashore, the girl had spoken to a man who collected folk songs. Naturally,
this story, in the years since the beggar had first affirmed its existence in
the tavern, had taken the shape of a crude and ugly rumour, but the
essence remained unchanged.
"And that's what she's been called ever since," Menners said. "She's
called Sailing-ship Assol."
Gray glanced automatically at Letika, who was still behaving quietly
and modestly, then his eyes turned to the dusty road outside the tavern,
and he felt as if he had been struck--a double blow to his heart and head.
Coming down the road towards him was the very same Sailing-ship Assol
whom Menners had just described from a clinical point of view. Her
striking features, which resembled the mystery of unforgettable, stirring,
yet simple words, appeared to him now in the light of her gaze. The sailor
and Menners both had their backs to the window and, in order that they
not turn accidentally, Gray found the courage to shift his gaze to Hin's
ginger eyes. After he had seen Assol's eyes, all the prejudice of Menners'
story was dispelled. Meanwhile, Hin continued unsuspectingly:
"I can also add that her father is a real bastard. He drowned my pater