"John Morressy -- Walter and the Wonderful Watch" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morressy John)

"Is it working?" he asked.
"It's accurate twice a day, without fail. That's more than you can say for most watches.
Take good care of it, my boy."

Walter started to say his good-byes, but his parents took him by the elbows and guided
him to the door. With a shout of gratitude to Cousin George, he set out for the royal city.

The day was sunny and warm, and after he had walked for several hours Walter
stopped to rest. The sun was directly overhead, so he judged that it was twelve o'clock. He
decided to set the watch and wind it, and see if it would keep correct time. When he was
done, the watch began to tick away confidently.
"You sound like a good watch," Walter said. "I hope you're dependable."

"Of course I am. Just keep me wound," said the watch.
"I beg your pardon. Did you speak to me?"
"I responded to your conversational overture. It was the polite thing to do."

"I never knew watches could talk," said Walter.

"Have you never heard the saying, тАШTime will tell'?"
"I didn't know that's what it meant."

"Well, now you do," said the watch. "You've learned a valuable lesson today, and it's
barely past noon."
"Is there anything else you can tell me?" Walter asked.

"Oh, all sorts of things. To begin with, I can tell you that you've set me eleven minutes
slow."
"I'll fix that right away," said Walter. And he did.
"That's much better. It makes one feel so good to be accurate," said the watch.

"Why is it that you're talking to me?" Walter asked. "I know, тАШTime will tell,тАЩ but I never
heard you talk when we were at the house. Other watches don't say anything. I've never
heard of a watch talking to someone."

"It pains me to admit it, my boy, but the truth is that timepieces in general are rather dull.
One would think they'd make timely remarks on every conceivable subject, but they do not. A
sundial or an hourglass can bore you to tears, and most watches and clocks are content to
chime, or ring bells, or have little figures parade in and out on the hour. The same thing, day
after day after day. Limited resources and no imagination at all. Pitiful. But a few of us have
cultivated the art of conversation and developed our social skills."
As they walked along, the watch diverted Walter with anecdote, song, and story. It was a
wise and witty watch and a pleasant companion. Walter felt that he was getting an
education. He began to entertain ideas of a future in which he became immensely
successful while the watch saw to all the work.

They came at last to the royal city, where they found all the statues and public buildings
draped in black and all the people looking downcast. Walter's spirits sank.
"It looks as though we arrived at a bad time," he said.