"Henry Kuttner - Gallegher Plus UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kuttner Henry)

He pressed the directory button on the televisor, spun the dial till he located Hopper Enterprises, and called that number.

"I want to see Mr. Hopper."

"Your name?"

"Gallegher,"

"Call our lawyer, Mr. Trench."

"I did," Gallegher said. "ListenЧ"

"Mr. Hopper is busy."

"Tell him," Gallegher said wildly, "that I've got what he wanted."

That did it. Hopper focused in, a buffalo of a man with a mane of gray hair, intolerant jet-black eyes, and a beak of a nose. He thrust his jutting jaw toward the screen and bellowed, "Gallegher? For two pins I'dЧ" He changed his tune abruptly. "You called Trench, eh? I thought that'd do the trick. You know I can send you to prison, don't you?"

"Well, maybeЧ"

"Maybe nothing! Do you think I come personally to see every crackpot inventor who does some work for me? If I hadn't been told dver and over that you were the best man in your field, I'd have slapped an injunction on you days ago!"

Inventor?

"The fact is," Gallegher began mildly, "I've been illЧ"

"In a pig's eye," Hopper said coarsely. "You were drunk as a lord. I don't pay men for drinking. Did you forget those thousand credits were only part paymentЧ with nine thousand more to come?"

"Why . . . why, n-no. Uh . . . nine thousand?"

"Plus a bonus for quick work. You still get the bonus, luckily. It's only been a couple of weeks. But it's lucky for you you got the thing finished. I've got options on a couple of factories already. And scouts looking out for good locations, all over the country. Is it practical for small sets, Gallegher? We'll make our steady money from them, not from the big audiences."

"Tchwuk," Gallegher said. "UhЧ"

"Got it there? I'm coming right down to see it."

"Wait! Maybe you'd better let me add a few touchesЧ"

"All I want is the idea," Hopper said. "If that's satisfactory, the rest is easy. I'll call Trench and have him quash that summons. See you soon."

He blanked out.

Gallegher screamed for beer. "And a razor," he added, as Narcissus padded out of the room. "I want to cut my throat."

"Why?" the robot asked.

"Just to amuse you, ..why else? Get that beer."

Narcissus brought a plastibulb. "I don't understand why you're so upset," he remarked. "Why don't you lose yourself in rapturous contemplation of my beauty?"