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

тАЬYou usually eat all you can hold, and a great deal more,тАЭ Paradine said. тАЬI know growing boys need several tons of
foodstuff a day, but youтАЩre below par tonight. Feel O.K.?тАЭ
тАЬUh-huh. Honest, IтАЩve had all I need.тАЭ
тАЬAll you want?тАЭ
тАЬSure. I eat different.тАЭ
тАЬSomething they taught you at school?тАЭ Jane inquired. Scott shook his head solemnly.
тАЬNobody taught me. I found it out myself. I use spit.тАЭ
тАЬTry again,тАЭ Paradine suggested. тАЬItтАЩs the wrong word.тАЭ
тАЬUhтАФs-saliva. Hm-m-m?тАЭ
тАЬUh-huh. More pepsin? Is there pepsin in the salivary juices, Jane? I forget.тАЭ
тАЬThereтАЩs poison in mine,тАЭ Jane remarked. тАЬRosalieтАЩs left lumps in the mashed potatoes again.тАЭ
But Paradine was interested. тАЬYou mean youтАЩre getting everything possible out of your foodтАФno wastageтАФand
eating less?тАЭ
Scott thought that over. тАЬI guess so. ItтАЩs not just the spтАФsaliva. I sort of measure how much to put in my mouth at
once, and what stuff to mix up. I dunno. I just do it.тАЭ
тАЬHm-m-m,тАЭ said Paradine, making a note to check up later. тАЬRather
a revolutionary idea.тАЭ Kids often get screwy notions, but this one might
not be so far off the beam. He pursed his lips. тАЬEventually I suppose
people will eat quite differentlyтАФI mean the way they eat, as well as
what. What they eat, I mean. Jane, our son shows signs of becoming
a genius.тАЭ
тАЬOh?тАЭ
 тАЬItтАЩs a rather good point in dietetics he just made. Did you figure it out yourself, Scott?тАЭ
тАЬSure,тАЭ the boy said, and really believed it.
тАЬWhereтАЩd you get the idea?тАЭ
тАЬOh, IтАФтАЭ Scott wriggled. тАЬI dunno. It doesnтАЩt mean much, I guess.тАЭ
Paradine was unreasonably disappointed. тАЬBut surelyтАФтАЭ
тАЬS-s-s-spit!тАЭ Emma shrieked, overcome by a sudden fit of badness. тАЬSpit!тАЭ She attempted to demonstrate, but
succeeded only in dribbling into her bib.
With a resigned air Jane rescued and reproved her daughter, while Paradine eyed Scott with rather puzzled interest.
But it was not till after dinner, in the living room, that anything further happened.

тАЬAny homework?тАЭ
тАЬN-no,тАЭ Scott said, flushing guiltily. To cover his embarrassment he took from his pocket a gadget he had found in
the box, and began to unfold it. The result resembled a tesseract, strung with beads. Paradine didnтАЩt see it at first, but
Emma did. She wanted to play with it.
тАЬNo. Lay off, Slug,тАЭ Scott ordered. тАЬYou can watch me.тАЭ He fumbled with the beads, making soft, interested noises.
Emma extended a fat forefinger and yelped.
тАЬScotty,тАЭ Paradine said warningly.
тАЬI didnтАЩt hurt her.тАЭ
тАЬBit me. It did,тАЭ Emma mourned.
Paradine looked up. He frowned, staring. What inтАФ тАЬIs that an abacus?тАЭ he asked. тАЬLetтАЩs see it, please.тАЭ
Somewhat unwillingly, Scott brought the gadget across to his fatherтАЩs chair. Paradine blinked. The тАЬabacus,тАЭ
unfolded, was more than a foot square, composed of thin, rigid wires that interlocked here and there. On the wires the
colored beads were strung. They could be slid back and forth, and from one support to another, even at the points of
join-ture. ButтАФa pierced bead couldnтАЩt cross interlocking wires.
So, apparently, they werenтАЩt pierced. Paradline looked closer. Each small sphere had a deep groove running around
it, so that it could be revolved and slid along the wire at the same time. Paradine tried to pull one free. It clung as
though magnetically. Iron? It looked more like plastic.
The framework itselfтАФParadine wasnтАЩt a mathematician. But the angles formed by the wires were vaguely shocking,