"Henry Kuttner (as Lewis Padgett) - The Twonky UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kuttner Henry)

УWait a minute,Ф Kerry said. УI need that.Ф He tried to pull the volume out of the tentacleТs grasp, without success. The console paid no attention. It calmly replaced the book on its shelf.
Kчrry stood biting his lip. This was a bit too much~. The damned robot was a monitor. He sidled toward the book, snatched it, and was out in the hall before the radio could move.
The thing was coming after him. He could hear the soft padding of its . . . its feet. Kerry scurried into the bedroom and locked the door. He waited, heart thumping, as the knob was tried gently.
A wire-thin cilia crept through the crack of the door and fumbled with the key. Kerry suddenly jumped forward and shoved the auxiliary bolt into position. But that didnТt help, either. The robotТs precision toolsЧthe specialized antennaЧslid it back; and then the console opened the door, walked into the room, and came toward Kerry.
He felt a touch of panic. With a little gasp he threw the book at the thiRg, and it caught it deftly. Apparently that was all that was wanted, for the radio turned and went out, rocking awkwardly on its rubbery legs, carrying the forbidden volume. Kerry cursed quietly.

The phone rang. It was Fitzgerald.
УWell? HowТd you make out?Ф
УHave you got a copy of CassenТs СSocial Literature of the AgesТ?Ф
УI donТt think soЧno. Why?Ф
УIТll get it in the University library tomorrow, then.Ф Kerry explained what had happened. Fitzgerald whistled softly.
УInterfering, is it? Hm-m-m. I wonderЧФ
УIТm afraid of the thing.Ф
УI donТt think it means you any harm. You say it sobered you up?Ф
УYeah. With a light ray. That isnТt very logical.Ф
УIt might be. The vibrationary equivalent of thiamin chloride.Ф
УLight?Ф
УThereТs vitamin content in sunlight, you know. That isnТt the important point. ItТs censoring your readingЧand apparently it reads the books, with superfast reactions. That gadget, whatever it is, isnТt merely a robot.Ф
УYouТre telling me,Ф Kerry said grimly. УItТs a Hitler.Ф
Fitzgerald didnТt laugh. Rather soberly, he suggested, УSuppose you spend the night at my place?Ф
УNo,Ф Kerry said, his voice stubborn. УNo so-and-so radioТs going to chase me out of my house. IТll take an ax to the thing first.Ф
УWe-ellЧyou know what youТre doing, I suppose. Phone me if if anything happens.Ф
У0. K.,Ф Kerry said, and hung up. He went into the living room and eyed the radio coldly. What the devil was itЧand what was it trying to do? Certainly it wasnТt merely a robot. Equally certainly, it wasnТt alive, in the sense that a colloid brain is alive.
Lips thinned, he went over and fiddled with the dials and switches. A swing bandТs throbbing erratic tempo came from the console. He tried the short-wave bandЧnothing unusual there. So?
So nothing. There was no answer.
After a while he went to bed.
At luncheon the next day he brought CassenТs УSocial LiteratureФ to show Fitzgerald.
УWhat about it?Ф
УLook here,Ф Kerry flipped the pages and indicated a passage. УDoes this mean anything to you?Ф
Fitzgerald read it. УYeah. The point seems to be that individualism is necessary for the production of literature. Right?Ф
Kerry looked at him. УI donТt know.Ф

УMy mind goes funny.Ф
Fitzgerald rumpled his gray hair, narrowing his eyes and watching the other man intently. УCome again. I donТt quiteЧФ
With angry patience, Kerry said, УThis morning I went into the library and looked at this reference. I read it all right. But it didnТt mean anything to me. Just words. Know how it is when youТre fagged out and have been reading a lot? YouТll run into a sentence with a lot of subjunctive clauses, and it doesnТt percolate. Well, it was like that.Ф
УRead it now,Ф Fitzgerald said quietly, thrusting the book across the table.
Kerry obeyed, looking up with a wry smile. УNo good.Ф
УRead it aloud. IТll go over it with you, step by step.Ф
But that didnТt help. Kerry seemed utterly unable to assimilate the sense of the passage.
УSemantic block, maybe,Ф Fitzgerald said, scratching his ear. УIs this the first time itТs happened?Ф
УYes . . . no. I donТt know.Ф
УGot any classes this afternoon? Good. LetТs run over to your place.Ф
Kerry thrust away his plate. УAll right. IТm not hungry. Whenever youТre readyЧФ

Half an hour later they were looking at the radio. It seemed quite harmless. Fitzgerald wasted some time trying to pry ? panel off, but finally gave it up as a bad job. He found pencil and paper, seated himself opposite Kerry, and began to ask questions.
At one point he paused. УYou didnТt mention that before.Ф
УForgot it, I guess.Ф
Fitzgerald tapped his teeth with the pencil. УHm-m-m. The first time the radio acted upЧФ
УIt hit me in the eye with a blue lightЧФ
УNot that. I meanЧwhat it said.Ф