"C M Kornbluth - The Goodly Creatures" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kornbluth C M)

"I came as quickly as I could, Mr. Greenhough," said Farwell. "I couldn't get in touch withтАФ"



The senior partner coughed thunderously, twitched his face at Farwell in a baffling manner, and then
stalked into a bedroom. The blond girl's frozen mask suddenly split into a vindictive grin. "You're going to
get it!" she jeered at Farwell. "I'm supposed to think his name's Wilkins. Well, go on after him, pappy."
-t



Farwell went into the bedroom. Greenhough was sitting on the bed dabbing at the bruise and muttering.
"I told you I wanted our lawyer!" he shouted at the branch manager. "I was attacked by a drunkard in
that damned Mars Room of yours and by God booked by the police like a common criminal! I'm going
to get satisfaction if I have to turn the city up-sidedown! Get on that phone and get me Clancy or
whatever his name is!"



"But I can't!" said Farwell desperately. "He won't answer his phone and in the second place he isn't that
kind of lawyer. I can't ask Clarahan to fight a disorderly-conduct chargeтАФ he's a big man here. He only
does contract law and that kind of thing. You posted bond, didn't you, Mr. Greenhough?"



"Twenty dollars," said the senior partner bitterly, "and they only wanted ten from that drunken ape."



"Then why not just forget about it? Forfeit the bond and probably you'll never hear of it again, especially
since you're an out-of-towner. I'll do what I can to smooth it over if they don't let it slide."



"Get out of here," said Greenhough, dabbing at the bruise again.



The blond was reading a TV magazine in the parlor; she ignored Farwell as he let himself out.



The branch manager drove to an all-night barber shop near



one of the terminals and napped through "the works." A slow breakfast killed another hour and by then it
wasn't too ridiculously early to appear at the office.
 He dawdled over copy until 9 and phoned the Greybar. They told him Mr. Greenhough had checked
out leaving no forwarding address. The morning papers came and he found nothing about a scuffle at the