"C. L. Moore - Miracle in Three Dimensions" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moore C. L)

A gibber of wild inhuman laughter, the long leap of Puck over his shoulder, broke the queer thought
half-formed, just as a bell began to shrill through the forest. He knew a moment of unreality. He
remembered that in the previous performance the bell had not rung until Titania lay down to sleep on the
bank where the wild thyme grew. But with shocking completeness the forest vanished. Silvers stared
blankly around the studioтАЩs reaches that had so suddenly replaced the glades of faeryland, blinking at the
circle of dazed men in amazement.
тАЬTelephone for you, Abe,тАЭ OтАЩByrneтАЩs voice called through the fading mists of the dream that had so
strongly gripped him. He grinned sheepishly and stepped down from the platform.
тАЬListen, chief,тАЭ babbled a distressed voice over the wire, shrill above the rising babble of delight
behind Silvers, тАЬActonтАЩs out like a light at the Grove!тАЭ
тАЬIs she plastered?тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt think soтАФbut try to tell the papers that! SheтАФwaitтАФoh, sheтАЩs just coming out of it. WhatтАЩll
we do?тАЭ
тАЬSend her home,тАЭ sighed Silvers. тАЬIтАЩll get onto the papers right away. What a life!тАЭ
 HE turned back to OтАЩByrne with a shrug. тАЬActonтАЩs passed out again,тАЭ he murmured unhappily. тАЬI
wonder if sheтАФwell, if she folds now in the middle of тАШNever TomorrowтАЩ weтАЩll lose our shirts on it. IтАЩm
going to get a doctor toтАФтАЭ
тАЬAbe,тАЭ said OтАЩByrne in a voice so quiet that the other man turned to him in surprise, тАЬAbe, do you
realize that every time we run this picture Anne Acton faints? I wonder if the other actors feel the same
reaction?тАЭ
тАЬWhyтАФwhat do you mean? Why should they? Blair, are you going crazy?тАЭ
SilversтАЩ voice was stoutly confident, but despite himself an uneasy little flicker woke in his mind. Philip
Graves, who played Oberon, had been dazed and out of his head too that other time. AndтАФyes, hadnтАЩt
he noticed an item in a gossip column saying that Phoebe Templeton had collapsed at a tea in New
York? Was it the same day? Rather terrifyingly, he thought it was. But of course all this was the most
flagrant nonsense. His job now was to keep Acton out of the papers. She had not endeared herself to
reporters, and he knew they would make the story sound as bad as possible. TheyтАФthe phone rang
again.
тАЬA wire from Philip GravesтАЩ man has just come in, Abe,тАЭ his wifeтАЩs voice told him worriedly.
тАЬPhilipтАЩs, been taken terribly sick on shipboard. His man says it will be in all the papers tomorrow, and
he wants your advice.тАЭ
Silvers ran a hand distractedly through his hair. тАЬThanks,тАЭ he said a little blankly. тАЬIтАЩll take care of it.
Be home later.тАЭ
He turned to the men still grouped around the bar-platforms in their babble of amazed delight. They
had not heard his low-voiced conversations at the desk.
тАЬWeтАЩve got this fellow under contract, havenтАЩt we?тАЭ said someone anxiously at his elbow. тАЬOught to
get going on production right away. This is the most tremendous thing that ever happened.тАЭ
тАЬYesтАФheтАЩll let us have it,тАЭ Silvers told him abstractedly. тАЬBlair, howтАЩs the production on the first
hundred bar-platforms coming? WeтАЩve got to give a larger showing right away.тАЭ
тАЬA hundred and fifty will be ready in about a week,тАЭ OтАЩByrne admitted reluctantly. тАЬBut AbeтАФAbe,
do you think we ought to do it?тАЭ
Silvers pulled him aside. тАЬLook, Blair,тАЭ he said gently, тАЬyou mustnтАЩt let your imagination run away with
you. What possible connection can there be between the showing of this picture and the fact that a few
overworked, nervous people have fainting spells? IтАЩll admit itтАЩs a coincidence, but weтАЩve got to be
sensible. We canтАЩt let the biggest thing that ever happened in pictures slip through our fingers just because
some dizzy actress passes out once or twice.тАЭ
OтАЩByrne shrugged a little. тАЬI wonder,тАЭ he murmured, as if thinking aloud, тАЬhow long people have been
trying to create life? SomethingтАЩs always prevented itтАФno oneтАЩs been allowed to succeed. This thing of
mine isnтАЩt life, but itтАЩs too near it to leave me at peace with myself. I think thereтАЩs a penalty for usurping
the powers of godheadтАФfor coming too close to success. IтАЩm afraid, Abe.тАЭ