"William Morrison - The Sack" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morrison William)

replaceable, by means of elections."
Beneath his helmet the senator turned green with a fear that concealed the scarlet
of his anger. "I think it is an outrage to find the Government so unsolicitous of the
safety and welfare of its employees!"
"So do I, sir. I live here the year round." He added smoothly, "Would you
gentlemen care to see the Sack now?"
They stared at the huge visor screen and saw the Sack resting on its seat before
them, looking like a burlap bag of potatoes which had been tossed onto a throne and
forgotten there. It looked so definitely inanimate that it struck them as strange that the
thing should remain upright instead of toppling over. All the same, for a moment the
senators could not help showing the awe that overwhelmed them. Even Senator
Horrigan was silent.
But the moment passed. He said, "Sir, we are an of-ficial Investigating Committee
of the Interplanetary Senate, and we have come to ask you a few questions." The
Sack showed no desire to reply, and Senator Horrigan cleared his throat and went
on. "Is it true, sir, that you require two hours of complete rest in every twenty, and
one hour for recreation, or, as I may put it, perhaps more precisely, relaxation?"
"It is true. "
Senator Horrigan gave the creature its chance, but the Sack, unlike a senator, did
not elaborate. Another of the committee asked, "Where would you find an in-dividual
capable of conversing intelligently with so wise a creature as you?"
"Here," replied the Sack.
"It is necessary to ask questions that are directly to the point, Senator," suggested
Siebling. "The Sack does not usually volunteer information that has not been
specifically called for."
Senator Horrigan said quickly, "I assume, sir, that when you speak of finding an
intelligence on a par with your own, you refer to a member of our committee, and I
am sure that of all my colleagues there is not one who is unworthy of being so
denominated. But we cannot all of us spare the time needed for our manifold other
duties, so I wish to ask you, sir, which of us, in your opinion, has the peculiar
qualifications of that sort of wisdom which is required for this great task?"
 "None," said the Sack.
Senator Horrigan looked blank. One of the other senators flushed, and asked,
"Who has?"
"Siebling."
Senator Horrigan forgot his awe of the Sack, and shouted, "This is a put-up job!"
The other senator who had just spoken now said sud-denly, "How is it that there
are no other questioners present? Hasn't the Sack's time been sold far in ad-vance?"
Siebling nodded. "I was ordered to cancel all pre-vious appointments with the
Sack, sir."
"By what idiot's orders?"
"Senator Horrigan's, sir."
At this point the investigation might have been said to come to an end. There was
just time, before they turned away, for Senator Horrigan to demand desperately of
the Sack, "Sir, will I be re-elected?" But the roar of anger that went up from his
colleagues prevented him from hearing the Sack's answer, and only the question was
picked up and broadcast clearly over the in-terplanetary network.
It had such an effect that it in itself provided Senator Horrigan's answer. He was
not re-elected. But before the election he had time to cast his vote against Siebling's
designation to talk with the Sack for one hour out of every twenty. The final