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

тАЬHe gave it to me for Emma,тАЭ Scott put in hastily, adding another stone to his foundation of deceit. тАЬLast Sunday.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩll break it, dear.тАЭ
Emma brought the doll to her mother. тАЬShe comes apart. See?тАЭ
тАЬOh? ItтАФugh!тАЭ Jane sucked in her breath. Paradine looked up quickly.
тАШWhatтАЩs up?тАЭ
She brought the doll over to him, hesitated and then went into the dining room, giving Paradine a significant glance.
He followed, closing the door. Jane had already placed the doll on the cleared table.
тАЬThis isnтАЩt very nice is it, Denny?тАЭ
 тАЬHm-m-m.тАЭ It was rather unpleasant, at first glance. One might have expected an anatomical dummy in a medical
school, but a childтАЩs doll.
The thing came apart in sectionsтАФskin, muscles, organsтАФminiature but quite perfect, as far as Paradine could see.
He was interested. тАЬDunno. Such things havenтАЩt the same connotations to a kid.тАЭ
тАЬLook at that liver. Is it a liver?тАЭ
тАЬSure. Say, IтАФthis is funny.тАЭ
тАЬWhat?тАЭ
тАЬIt isnтАЩt anatomically perfect, after all.тАЭ Paradine pulled up a chair. тАЬThe digestive tractтАЩs too short. No large
intestine. No appendix, either.тАЭ
тАЬShould Emma have a thing like this?тАЭ
тАЬI wouldnтАЩt mind having it myself,тАЭ Paradine said. тАШWhere on earth did Harry pick it up? No, I donтАЩt see any harm in
it. Adults are condi-tioned to react unpleasantly to innards. Kids donтАЩt. They figure theyтАЩre solid inside, like a potato.
Emma can get a sound working knowledge of physiology from this doll.тАЭ
тАЬBut what are those? Nerves?тАЭ
тАЬNo, these are the nerves. Arteries here; veins here. Funny sort of aorta.тАЭ Paracline looked baffled. тАЬThatтАФwhatтАЩs
Latin for network, any-way, huh? Rita? Rata?тАЭ
тАЬBales,тАЭ Jane suggested at random.
тАЬThatтАЩs a sort of breathing,тАЭ Paradine said crushingly. тАЬI canтАЩt figure out what this luminous network of stuff is. It
goes all through the body, like nerves.тАЭ
тАЬBlood.тАЭ
тАЬNope. Not circulatory, not neural. Funny! It seems to be hooked up with the lungs.тАЭ
They тАШbecame engrossed, puzzling over the strange doll. It was made with remarkable perfection of detail, and that
in itself was strange, in view of the physiological variation from the norm. тАЬWaitтАЩll I get that Gould,тАЭ Paradine said, and
presently was comparing the doll with anatomical charts. He learned little, except to increase his bafflement.
But it was more fun than a jigsaw puzzle.
Meanwhile, in the adjoining room, Emma was sliding the beads to and fro in the abacus. The motions didnтАЩt seem so
strange now. Even when the beads vanished. She could almost follow that new directionтАФ almost ..

Scott panted, staring into the crystal cube and mentally directing, with many false starts, the building of a structure
somewhat more com-plicated than the one which had been destroyed by fire. He, too, was learningтАФbeing
conditioned. .
 ParadineтАЩs mistake, from a completely anthropomorphic standpoint, was that he didnтАЩt get rid of the toys instantly.
He did not realize their significance, and, by the time he did, the progression of circumstances had got well under way.
Uncle Harry remained out of town, so Para-dine couldnтАЩt check with him. Too, the midterm exams were on, which meant
arduous mental effort and complete exhaustion at night; and Jane was slightly ill for a week or so. Emma and Scott had
free rein with the toys.
тАШWhat,тАЭ Scott asked his father one evening, тАЬis a wabe, Dad?тАЭ
тАЬWave?тАЭ
He hesitated. тАЬIтАФdonтАЩt think so. IsnтАЩt тАШwabeтАЩ right?тАЭ
тАЬтАШWabeтАЩ is Scot for тАШweb.тАЩ That it?тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt see how,тАЭ Scott muttered, and wandered off, scowling, to amuse himself with the abacus. He was able to
handle it quite deftly now. But, with the instinct of children for avoiding interruption, he and Emma usually played with