"Robert Heinlein - Year of the Jackpot" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

silence, then put it down, squared her shoulders and said,
"Potiphar?"
"Yes, Meade?"
"Lookif you brought me here to make a pass, I wish
you'd go ahead and make it. It won't do you a bit of good,
but it makes me nervous to wait for it."
He said nothing and did not change his expression. She
went on uneasily, "Not that I'd blame you for tryingunder
the circumstances. And I am grateful. But . . . wellit's just
that I don't-"
He came over and took both her hands. "My dear, I
haven't the slightest thought of making a pass at you. Nor
need you feel grateful. I butted in because I was interested
in your case."
"My case? Are you a doctor? A psychiatrist?"
He shook his head. "I'm a mathematician. A statistician,
to be precise."
"Hub? I don't get it."
"Don't worry about it. But I would like to ask some ques-
tions. May I?"
"Uh, sure, sure! I owe you that muchand then some."
"You owe me nothing. Want your drink sweetened?"
She gulped it and handed him her glass, then followed
him out into the kitchen. He did an exact job of measuring
and gave it back. "Now tell me why you took your clothes
off?"
She frowned. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.
I guess I just went crazy." She added round-eyed, "But I
don't feel crazy. Could I go off my rocker and not know it?"
"You're not crazy . . . not moi-e so than the rest of us," he
amended. "Tell mewhere did you see someone else do
this?"
"Hub? But I never have."
"Where did you read about it?"
"But I haven't. Wait a minutethose people up in Canada.
Dooka-somethings."
"Doukhobors. That's all? No bareskin swimming parties?
No strip poker?"
She shook her head. "No. You may not believe it but I
was the kind oi a little girl who undressed under her
nightie." She colored and added, "I still dounless I re-
member to tell myself it's silly."
"I believe it. No news stories?"
"No. Yes, there was tool About two weeks ago, I think it
was. Some girl in a theater, in the audience, I mean. But I
thought it was just publicity. You know the stunts they pull
here."
He shook his head. "It wasn't. February 3rd, the Grand
Theater, Mrs. Alvin Copley. Charges dismissed."
"Hub? How did you know?"