"Henry Kuttner - Mimsy Were The Borogoves" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kuttner Henry)

тАЬYeah. Flaming youth aspiring towards manhood. I hope they die. In considerable agony. InshтАЩ Allah!тАЭ
тАЬI want the olive,тАЭ Jane requested.
тАЬI know,тАЭ Paradine said despondently. тАЬItтАЩs been years since IтАЩve tasted one myself. In a Martini, I mean. Even if I
put six of тАШem in your glass, youтАЩre still not satisfied.тАЭ
тАЬI want yours. Blood brotherhood. Symbolism. ThatтАЩs why.тАЭ
Paradine regarded his wife balefully and crossed his long legs. тАЬYou sound like one of my students.тАЭ
тАЬLike that hussy Betty Dawson, perhaps?тАЭ Jane unsheathed her nails. тАЬDoes she still leer at you in that offensive
way?тАЭ
тАЬShe does. The child is a neat psychological problem. Luckily she isnтАЩt mine. If she wereтАФтАЭ Paradine nodded
significantly. тАЬSex conscious-ness and too many movies. I suppose she still thinks she can get a pass-ing grade by
showing me her knees. Which are, by the way, rather bony.тАЭ
Jane adjusted her skirt with an air of complacent pride. Paradine un-
coiled himself and poured fresh Martinis. тАЬCandidly, I donтАЩt see the point of teaching those apes philosophy. TheyтАЩre
all at the wrong age. Their habit patterns, their methods of thinking, are already laid down. TheyтАЩre horribly
conservative, not that theyтАЩd admit it. The only people who can understand philosophy are mature adults or kids like
Emma and Scotty.тАЭ
тАЬWell, donтАЩt enroll Scotty in your course,тАЭ Jane requested. тАЬHe isnтАЩt ready to be a Philosophiae Doctor. I hold no
brief for a child genius, especially when itтАЩs my son.тАЭ
тАЬScotty would probably be better at it than Betty Dawson,тАЭ Paradine grunted.
тАЬHe died an enfeebled old dotard at five,тАЭ Jane quoted dreamily. тАЬI want your olive.тАЭ
тАЬHere. By the way, I like the shoes.тАЭ
тАЬThank you. HereтАЩs Rosalie. Dinner?тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs all ready, Miz PaтАЩdine,тАЭ said Rosalie, hovering. тАЬIтАЩll call Miss Emma тАШnтАЩ MistaтАЩ Scotty.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩll get тАШem.тАЭ Paradine put his head into the next room and roared, тАЬKids! Come and get it!тАЭ
Small feet scuttered down the stairs. Scott dashed into view, scrubbed and shining, a rebellious cowlick aimed at the
zenith. Emma pursued, levering herself carefully down the steps. Halfway, she gave up the at-tempt to descend upright
and reversed, finishing the task monkey-fashion, her small behind giving an impression of marvellous diligence upon
the work in hand. Paradine watched, fascinated by the spectacle, till he was hurled back by the impact of his sonтАЩs
body.
тАЬHi, Dad!тАЭ Scott shrieked.
Paradine recovered himself and regarded Scott with dignity. тАЬHi, yourself. Help me in to dinner. YouтАЩve dislocated at
least one of my hip joints.тАЭ
But Scott was already tearing into the next room, where he stepped on JaneтАЩs new shoes in an ecstasy of affection,
burbied an apology and rushed off to find his place at the dinner table. Paradine cocked up an eyebrow as he followed,
EmmaтАЩs pudgy hand desperately gripping his forefinger.
тАШWonder what the young devilтАЩs been up to.тАЭ
тАЬNo good, probably,тАЭ Jane sighed. тАЬHello, darling. LetтАЩs see your ears.тАЭ
тАЬTheyтАЩre clean. Mickey licked тАШem.тАЭ
тАШWell, that AiredaleтАЩs tongue is far cleaner than your ears,тАЭ Jane pon-dered, making a brief examination. тАЬStill, as
long as you can hear, the dirtтАЩs only superficial.тАЭ
 тАЬFisshul?тАЭ
тАЬJust a little, that means.тАЭ Jane dragged her daughter to the table and inserted her legs into a high chair. Only lately
had Emma gradu-ated to the dignity of dining with the rest of the family, and she was, as Paradine remarked, all eaten
up with pride by the prospect. Only babies spilled food, Emma had been told. As a result, she took such painstaking
care in conveying her spoon to her mouth that Paradine got the jitters whenever he watched.
тАЬA conveyor belt would be the thing for Emma,тАЭ he suggested, pull-ing out a chair for Jane. тАЬSmall buckets of
spinach arriving at her face at stated intervals.тАЭ
Dinner proceeded uneventfully until Paradine happened to glance at ScottтАЩs plate. тАЬHello, there. Sick? Been stuffing
yourself at lunch?тАЭ
Scott thoughtfully examined the food still left before him. тАЬIтАЩve had all I need, Dad,тАЭ he explained.