"Edmond Hamilton - Captain Future 23 - The Harpers of Titan" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Edmond)

but the entire populace of Moneb too,
in the long run."
Tears began to run slowly from
Harker's eyes. He did not seem to
notice them. He said, to no one, to the
universe, "Why couldn't I have seen
him in time? Why couldn't I have
killed him - in time?"
For a long, long moment, Simon
looked at Harker. Then he glanced
again into the screen, and then aside at
Curt, who nodded and slowly
switched it off. Curt began to remove
the tubes of the Fraser unit from
Keogh's wrists.
Simon said, "Wait, Curtis. Leave
them as they are."
Curt straightened, a certain startled
wonder in his eyes. Simon glided to
where Harker stood, whiter and more
stricken than the dead man on the
table.
Simon spoke his name three times,
before he roused himself to answer.
"Yes?"
"How much courage have you,
Harker? As much as Keogh? Am
much as I?"
Harker shook his head.
"There are times when courage
doesn't help a bit."
"Listen to me, Harker! Have you
courage to walk be-beside Keogh into
Moneb, knowing that he is dead?"
The eyes of the stocky man
widened. And Curt Newton came to
Simon and said in a strange voice,
"What are you thinking of?"
"I am thinking of a brave man who
died in the act of seeking help from
us. I am thinking, of many innocent
men and women who will die,
unless... Harker, it is true, is it not,
that the success of your fight
depended on Keogh?"
ARKER'S gaze dwelt upon the
body stretched on the table - a
body that breathed and pulsed with the
semblance of life borrowed from the
sighing pumps.