"Robert A Heinlein - The Number of the Beast v1.0" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

"Change in plans, dear. It's going to be a double wedding. Jake. Me."
Deety looked alert but not displeased. "Pop?"
"Hilda has at last consented to marry me, dear."
"Rats," said Sharpie. "Jake has never asked me in the past and didn't this time; I simply told him. Hit him with it while he was upset over losing his comic books and unable to defend himself. It's necessary, Deety-I promised Jane I would take care of Jake and I have-through you, up to now. But from here on you'll be taking care of Zebbie, keeping him out of trouble, wiping his nose. . . so I've got to hogtie Jake into marriage to keep my promise to Jane. Instead of sneaking into his bed from time to time as in the past."
"Why, Hilda dear, you have never been in my bed!"
"Don't shame me in front of the children, Jake. I gave you a test run before I let Jane marry you and you don't dare deny it."
Jake shrugged helplessly. "As you wish, dear Hilda."
"Aunt Hilda.. . do you love Pop?" -
"Would I marry him if I didn't? I could carry out my promise to Jane more simply by having him committed to a shrink factory. Deety, I've loved Jake longer than you have. Much! But he loved Jane. . . which shows that he is basically rational despite his weird ways. I shan't try to change him, Deety; I'm simply going to see to it that he wears his overshoes and takes his vitamins-as you've been doing. I'll still be 'Aunt Hilda,' not 'Mother.' Jane was and is your mother."
"Thank you, Aunt Hilda. I thought I was happy as a woman can be, getting Zebadiah. But you've made me still happier. No worries."
(I had worries. Blokes with Black Hats and no faces. But I didn't say so, as Deety was snuggling closer and assuring me that it was all right because Aunt Hilda wouldn't fib about loving Pop. . . but I should ignore that guff about her sneaking into Pop's bed-on which I had no opinion and less interest.) "Deety, where and what is 'Snug Harbor'?"
"It's. . . a nowhere place. A hideout. Land Pop leased from the government when he decided to build his time twister instead of just writing equations. But we may have to wait for daylight. Unless- Can Gay Deceiver home on a given latitude and longitude?"
"She certainly can! Precisely."
"Then it's all right. I can give it to you in degrees, minutes, and fractions of a second."
"Grounding," Gay warned us.
The Elko County Clerk did not object to getting out of bed and seemed pleased with the century note I slipped him. The County Judge was just as accommodating and pocketed her honorarium without glancing at it. I stammered but managed to say, "I, Zebadiah John, take thee, Dejah Thoris-" Deety went through it as solemnly and perfectly as if she had rehearsed it. . . while Hilda sniffled throughout.
A good thing that Gay can home on a pin point; I was in no shape to drive even in daylight. I had her plan her route, too, a dogleg for minimum radar and no coverage at all for the last hundred-odd kilometers to this place in the Arizona Strip north of the Grand Canyon. But I had her hover before grounding-I being scared silly until I was certain there was not a third fire there.
A cabin, fireproof, with underground parking for Gay-I relaxed.
We split a bottle of chablis. Pop seemed about to head for the basement. Sharpie tromped on it and Deety ignored it.
I carried Deety over the threshold into her bedroom, put her gently down, faced her. "Dejah Thoris-"
"Yes, John Carter?"
"I did not have time to buy you a wedding present-"
"I need no present from my captain."
"Hear me out, my princess. My Uncle Zamir did not have as fine a collection as your father had. . . but may I gift you with a complete set of Clayton Astoundings-"
She suddenly smiled.
"-and first editions of the first six Oz books, quite worn but with the original color plates? And a first in almost mint condition of 'A Princess of Mars'?"
The smile became a grin and she looked nine years old. 'Yes!"
"Would your father accept a complete set of Weird Tales?"
"Would he! Northwest Smithand Jirel of Joiry? I'm going to borrow them- or he can't look at my Oz books. I'm stubborn, I am. And selfish. And mean!"
"'Stubborn' stipulated. The others denied."
Deety stuck out her tongue. "You'll find out." Suddenly her face was solemn. "But I sorrow, my prince, that I have no present for my husband."
"But you haveI"
"I do?"
"Yes. Beautifully wrapped and making me dizzy with heavenly fragrance."
"Oh." She looked solemn but serenely happy. "Will my husband unwrap me? Please?"
I did.
That is all anyone is ever going to know about our wedding night.


IV

Because two things equal to the same thing
are never equal to each other.


Deety:
I woke early as I always do at Snug Harbor, wondered why I was ecstatically happy-then remembered, and turned my head. My husband-'~husband!"- what a heart-filling word-my husband was sprawled face down beside me, snoring softly and drooling onto his pillow. I held still, thinking how beautiful he was, how gently strong and gallantly tender.
I was tempted to wake him but I knew that my darling needed rest. So I eased out of bed and snuck noiselessly into my bath-our bath~-and quietly took care of this and that. I did not risk drawing a tub_although I needed one. I have a strong body odor that calls for at least one sudsy bath a day, two if I am going out that evening_and this morning I was certainly whiff as a polecat.
I made do with a stand-up bath by letting water run in a noiseless trickle into the basin-I would grab that proper bath after my Captain was awake; meanwhile I would stay downwind.
I pulled on briefs, started to tie on a halter_stopped and looked in the mirror. I have a face.shaped face and a muscular body that I keep in top condition. I would never reach semifinals in a beauty contest but my teats are shapely, exceptionally firm, stand out without sagging and look larger than they are because my waist is small for my height, shoulders and hips. I've known this since I was twelve, from mirror and from comments by others.