"Jones, Diana Wynne - Chrestomanci 2 - 1980 - The Magicians of Caprona" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jones Diana Wynne)

Benvenuto and Aunt Gina always pointedly ignored one another.
"Tonino is unhappy," said Old Niccolo.
Benvenuto seemed to feel this worthy of his attention. He withdrew his
projecting leg, dropped to the library floor and arrived on top of the
bookstand, all in one movement, without seeming to flex a muscle. There he
stood, politely waving the one beautiful thing about himЧhis bushy black tail.
The rest of his coat had worn to a ragged brown. Apart from the tail, the only
thing which showed Benvenuto had once been a magnificent black Persian was the
fluffy fur on his hind legs. And, as every other cat in Caprona knew to its
cost, those fluffy breeches concealed muscles like a bulldog's.
Paolo stared at his grandfather talking face to face with Benvenuto. He had
always treated Benvenuto with respect himself, of course. It was well known that
Benvenuto would not sit on your knee, and scratched you if you tried to pick him
up. He knew all cats helped spells on wonderfully. But he had not realized
before that cats understood so much. And he was sure Benvenuto was answering Old
Niccolo, from the listening sort of pauses his grandfather made. Paolo looked at
his father to see if this was true. Antonio was very ill at ease. And Paolo
understood from his father's worried face that it was very important to be able
to understand what cats said, and that Antonio never could. I shall have to
start learning to understand Benvenuto, Paolo thought, very troubled.
"Which of you would you suggest?" asked Old Niccolo. Benvenuto raised his right
front paw and gave it a casual lick. Old Niccolo's face curved into his beaming
baby's smile. "Look at that!" he said. "He'll do it himself!" Benvenuto flicked
the tip of his tail sideways. Then he was gone, leaping back to the window so
fluidly and quickly that he might have been a paintbrush painting a dark line in
the air. He left Aunt Francesca and Old Niccolo beaming, and Antonio still
looking unhappy. "Tonino is taken care of," Old Niccolo announced. "We shall not
worry again unless he worries us."



2
TONINO WAS ALREADY FEELING soothed by the bustle in the golden streets of
Caprona. In the narrower streets, he walked down the crack of sunlight in the
middle, with washing flapping overhead, playing that it was sudden death to
tread on the shadows. In fact, he died a number of times before he got as far as
the Corso. A crowd of tourists pushed him off the sun once. So did two carts and
a carriage. And once, a long, gleaming car came slowly growling along, hooting
hard to clear the way.
When he was near the Corso, Tonino heard a tourist say in English, "Oh look!
Punch and Judy!" Very smug at being able to understand, Tonino dived and pushed
and tunneled until he was at the front of the crowd and able to watch Punch beat
Judy to death at the top of his little painted sentry-box. He clapped and
cheered, and when someone puffed and panted into the crowd too, and pushed him
aside, Tonino was as indignant as the rest. He had quite forgotten he was
miserable. "Don't shove!" he shouted.
"Have a heart!" protested the man. "I must see Mr. Punch cheat the Hangman."
"Then be quiet!" roared everyone, Tonino included.
"I only saidЧ" began the man. He was a large damp-faced person, with an odd
excitable manner.