"Damon Knight - The Handler" - читать интересную книгу автора (Knight Damon)

gleaming white as his shirt cuffs. "We had a show!" he told them.

A shriek of agreement went up, a babble of did we have a show my God Pete listen a show-

He held up his hand. "It was a good show!"

Another shriek and babble.

"The sponsor kinda liked it-he just signed for another one in the fall!"

A shriek, a roar, people clapping, jumping up and down. The big man tried to say something else, but
gave up, grinning, while men and woman crowded up to him. They were all trying to shake his hand, talk
in his ear, put their arms around him.

"I love ya all!" he shouted. "Now what do you say, let's live a little!"

The murmuring started again as people sorted themselves out. There was a clinking from the bar. "Jesus,
Pete," a skinny pop-eyed little guy was saying, crouching in adoration, "when you dropped that fishbowl
I thought I'd pee myself, honest to God-"

The big man let out a bark of happy laughter. "Yeah, I can still see the look on your face. And the fish,
flopping all over the stage. So what can I do, I get down there on my knees-" The big man did so,
bending over and staring at imaginary fish on the floor. "And I say, 'Well, fellows, back to the drawing
board!' "

Screams of laughter as the big man stood up. The party was arranging itself around him in arcs of
concentric circles, with people in the back standing on sofas and the piano bench so they could see.
Somebody yelled, "Sing the goldfish song, Pete!"

Shouts of approval, please-do-Pete, the goldfish song.

"Okay, okay." Grinning, the big man sat on the arm of a chair and raised his glass. "And a vun, and a doo
- vere's de moosic?" A scuffle at the piano bench. Somebody banged out a few chords. The big man
made a comic face and sang, "Ohhh . . . how I wish ... I was a little fish . . . and when I want some quail
... I'd flap my little tail."

Laughter, the girls laughing louder than anybody and their red mouths farther open. One flushed blonde
had her hand on the big man's knee, and another was sitting close behind him.



file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Damon%20Knight%20-%20The%20Handler.htm (2 of 5) [10/31/2004 11:07:13 PM]
 THE HANDLER

"But seriously-" the big man shouted. More laughter.

"No, seriously," he said, in a vibrant voice as the room quieted, "I want to tell you in all seriousness I
couldn't have done it alone. And incidentally I see we have some foreigners, litvaks and other members
of the press here tonight, so I want to introduce all the important people. First of all, George here, the
three-fingered band leader-and there isn't a guy in the world could have done what he did this afternoon-