"Charles L. Harness - The Rose" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harness Charles L)

overshadowed her for months. So you, too, she thought wonderingly, seek The Rose. Your
artist-husband is wretched for want of it, and now you. But do you seek the same rose? Is the rose of the
scientist the true rose, and Ruy Jacques' the false? What is the rose? Will I ever know?

Grade broke in. "Your brilliant reputation is deceptive, Dr. van Tuyl. From Dr. Bell's description, we had
pictured you as an older woman."

"Yes," said Martha Jacques, studying her curiously. "We really had in mind an older woman, one less
likely to...toтАФ"

"To involve your husband emotionally?"

"Exactly," said Grade. "Mrs. Jacques must have her mind completely free from distractions.
However"тАФhe turned to the woman scientistтАФ"it is my studied opinion that we need not anticipate
difficulty from Dr. van Tuyl on that account."

Anna felt her throat and cheeks going hot as Mrs. Jacques nodded in damning agreement: "I think you're
right, Colonel."

"Of course," said Grade, "Mr. Jacques may not accept her."

"That remains to be seen," said Martha Jacques. "He might tolerate a fellow artist." To Anna: "Dr. Bell
tells us that you compose music, or something like that?"

"Something like that," nodded Anna. She wasn't worried. It was a question of waiting. This woman's
murderous jealousy, though it might some day destroy her, at the moment concerned her not a whit.

Colonel Grade said: "Mrs. Jacques has probably warned you that her husband is somewhat eccentric; he
may be somewhat difficult to deal with at times. On this account, the Security Bureau is prepared to triple
your fee, if we find you acceptable."

Anna nodded gravely. Ruy Jacques and money, too!

"For most of your consultations you'll have to track him down," said Martha Jacques. "He'll never come
to you. But considering what we're prepared to pay, this inconvenience should be immaterial."

Anna thought briefly of that fantastic creature who had singled her out of a thousand faces. "That will be
satisfactory. And now, Mrs. Jacques, for my preliminary orientation, suppose you describe some of the
more striking behaviorisms that you've noted in your husband."
"Certainly. Dr. Bell, I presume, has already told you that Ruy has lost the ability to read and write.
Ordinarily that's indicative of advanced dementia praecox, isn't it? However, I think Mr. Jacques' case
presents a more complicated picture, and my own guess is schizophrenia rather than dementia. The
dominant and most frequently observed psyche is a megalomanic phase, during which he tends to
harangue his listeners on various odd subjects. We've picked up some of these speeches on a hidden
recorder and made a Zipf analysis of the word-frequencies."

Anna's brows creased dubiously. "A Zipf count is pretty mechanical."

"But scientific, undeniably scientific. I have made a careful study of the method, and can speak
authoritatively. Back in the forties, Zipf of Harvard proved that in a representative sample of English, the