"Robert A. Heinlein - To Sail Beyond the Sunset" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

Pixel was helpful. (Sometimes he is not - a cat of firm opinions.) He sniffed
the proffered finger, then licked it.
The doctor smiled indulgently, then withdrew his finger when Pixel decided
that the ritual kiss had gone on long enough. тАЪHeтАЩs a fine boy, that one.
Where did you find him?тАЩ
тАЪOn Tertius.тАЩ
тАЪWhereтАЩs Ontershus? Canada? Hmm, you say you have a money problem.
WhatтАЩll you take for Pixel, cash in hand? My little girl would love him:
(I didnтАЩt swindle him. I could have but I didnтАЩt. Pixel canтАЩt be sold - he canтАЩt
stay sold - because he canтАЩt be locked up. For him, stone walls do not a
prison make.)
тАЪOh, IтАЩm sorry! I canтАЩt sell him; heтАЩs not mine. HeтАЩs a member of the family of
my grandson - one of my grandsons - and his wife. But Colin and Hazel
would never sell him. They canтАЩt sell him; they donтАЩt own him. No one owns
him; Pixel is a free citizen:
тАЪSo? Then perhaps I can bribe him. How about ir, Pixel? Lots of horse liver,
fresh fish, cat nibbles, all you want. Plenty of friendly girl cats around and
weтАЩll leave your spark plugs right where they are. Well?тАЩ
Pixel gave the restless wiggle that means тАЪLet me down,тАЩ so I did. He sniffed
the doctorтАЩs legs, then brushed against him. тАЪNnnow?тАЩ he enquired.
Dr Ridpath said to me, тАЪYou should have accepted my offer. I seem to have
acquired a cat.тАЩ
тАЪI wouldnтАЩt bet on it, Doctor. Pixel likes to travel but he always comes back to
my grandson Colin. Colonel Colin Campbell. And his wife Hazel.тАЩ
For the first time Dr Ridpath really looked at me. тАЪтАЬGrandson.тАЬ тАЮColonel.тАЬ Miss,
youтАЩre hallucinating.тАЩ
(I suddenly realized how it looked to him. Before I left Tertius, Ishtar had
given me a booster treatment-it had been fifty-two years - and Galahad had
given me a cosmetic refresher and had overdone it. Galahad likes тАЪem
young, especially redheads - he keeps my twin daughters permanent
teenagers, and now we three look like triplets. Galahad cheats. Except for
Theodore, Galahad is my favorite husband, but I shanтАЩt let anyone find out.)
тАЪYes, I must be hallucinating,тАЩ I agreed. тАЪI donтАЩt know where I am, I donтАЩt know
what day this is, I donтАЩt know what became of my clothes or my money or my
purse, and I donтАЩt know how I got here... save that I was in an irrelevancy bus
for New Liverpool and there was an accident of some sort. If Pixel were not
still with me, I would wonder if I were me.тАЩ
Dr Ridpath reached down; Pixel allowed himself to be picked up. тАЪWhat was
that bus you mentioned?тАЩ
тАЪA Burroughs shifter. I was on Tellus Tertius at Boondock on time line two at
Galactic year 2149, or Gregorian 4368 if you like that better. I was scheduled
for New Liverpool in time line two, where I was to base for a field trip. But
something went wrong.тАЩ
тАЪAh, so. Hmm. And you have a grandson who is a colonel?тАЩ
тАЪYes, sir.тАЩ
тАЪAnd how old are you?тАЩ
тАЪThat depends on how you count it, Doctor. I was born on Earth in time line
two of the Fourth of July, 1882. I lived there until 1982, one century minus
two weeks, whereupon I moved to Tertius and was rejuvenated. That was
fifty-two years ago by my personal calendar. IтАЩve had a booster just recently,