"A. E. Merritt - Through the Dragon Glass" - читать интересную книгу автора (Merritt A. E)

"You remember Wu-Sing, my boat steward? You know the English Wu-Sing talks. Atrocious! I had the
Dragon Glass in my stateroom. I'd forgotten to lock the door. I heard a whistle of sharply indrawn
breath. I turned, and there was Wu-Sing. Now, you know that Wu-Sing isn't what you'd call
intelligent-looking. Yet as he stood there something seemed to pass over his face, and very subtly change
it. The stupidity was wiped out as though a sponge had been passed over it. He did not raise his eyes,
but he said, in perfect English, mind you; 'Has the master augustly counted the cost of his possession?'

"I simply gaped at him.

"'Perhaps,' he continued, 'the master has never heard of the illustrious Hao-Tzan? Well, he shall hear.'"

"Ward, I couldn't move or speak. But I know now it wasn't sheer astonishment that held me. I listened
while Wu-Sing went on to tell in polished phrase the same story that I had heard in Tibet, only there they
called him Rak instead of Hao-Tzan. But it was the same story."

"'And,' he finished, 'before he journeyed afar, the illustrious Hao-Tzan caused a great marvel to be
wrought. He called it the Gateway.' Wu-Sing waved his hand to the Dragon Glass. 'The master has it.
But what shall he who has a Gateway do but pass through it? Is it not better to leave the Gateway
behind--unless he dare go through it?'"
"He was silent. I was silent, too. All I could do was wonder where the fellow had so suddenly got his
command of English. And then Wu-Sing straightened. For a moment his eyes looked into mine. They
were as yellow as buttercups, Ward, and wise, wise! My mind rushed back to the little room behind the
panel. Ward--. the eyes of Wu-Sing were the eyes of the face that brooded over the peak of the
moons!"

"And all in a moment, the face of Wu-Sing dropped back into its old familiar stupid lines. The eyes he
turned to me were black and clouded. I jumped from my chair."

"'What do you mean, you yellow fraud!' I shouted. 'What do you mean by pretending all this time that
you couldn't talk English?'"

"He looked at me stupidly, as usual. He whined in his pidgin that he didn't understand; that he hadn't
spoken a word to me until then. I couldn't get anything else out of him, although I nearly frightened his
wits out. I had to believe him. Besides, I had seen his eyes. Well, I was fair curious by this time, and I
was more anxious to get the glass home safely than ever."

"I got it home. I set it up here, and I fixed those lights as you saw them. I had a sort of feeling that the
glass was waiting--for something. I couldn't tell just what. But that it was going to be rather important, I
knew--"

He suddenly thrust his head into his hands, and rocked to and fro.

"How long, how long," he moaned, "how long, Santhu?"

"Jim!" I cried. "Jim! What's the matter with you?"

He straightened. "In a moment you'll understand," he said.

And then, as quietly as before: "I felt that the glass was waiting. The night I disappeared I couldn't sleep. I
turned out the lights in the room; turned them on around the glass and sat before it. I don't know how