"P. J. Plauger - Child of All Ages" - читать интересную книгу автора (Plauger P J)

тАЬIt would seem to me,тАЭ interposed George, Jr., тАЬthat your best bet would be to move to one of the less
developed countries. In Africa, or South America. ThereтАЩd be a lot less hassle.тАЭ

Melissa made a face.

тАЬтАШNo, thank you. I learned a long time ago to stick with the people who have the highest standard of
living around. ItтАЩs worth the troubleтАж Nur wer in Wohlstand lebt, lebt angenehm. You know Brecht?
Good.тАЭ

The girl gave up all pretense of conversation long enough to demolish a wedge of cake.

тАЬThat was an excellent dinner. Thank you.тАЭ She dabbed her lips daintily with her napkin. тАЬI havenтАЩt
answered your question completely.

Tm telling you all about myself because if s time to move on again. IтАЩve overstayed my welcome with the
Stuart's. My records are useless to me nowтАФin fact theyтАЩre an embarrassment. To keep on the way IтАЩve
been, m have to manufacture a whole new set and insinuate them into someoneтАЩs files, somewhere. I
thought it might be easier this time to take the honest approach.тАЬ

She looked at them expectantly. тАЬYou mean, you want us to help you get into a new foster home?тАЭ
George, Jr. strained to keep the incredulity out of his voice. Melissa looked down at her empty dessert
plate. тАЬGeorge, you are an insensitive lout,тАЭ May said with surprising fervor. тАЬDonтАЩt you understand?
SheтАЩs asking us to take her in.тАЭ George was thunderstruck.

тАЬUs? Well, ah. But we donтАЩt have any children for her to play with. I meanтАФтАЭ He shut his mouth before
he started to gibber. Melissa would not look up. George looked at his wife, his father. It was clear that
they had completely outpaced him and had already made up their minds.

тАЬI suppose itтАЩs possible,тАЭ he muttered lamely. The girl looked up at last, tears lurking in the corners of her
eyes.
тАЬOh, please. Fm good at housework and I donтАЩt make any noise. And IтАЩve been thinkingтАФmaybe I
donтАЩt know much history, but I do know a lot about how people lived in a lot of different times and
places. And I can read all sorts of languages. Maybe I could help you with your medieval studies.тАЭ The
words tumbled over each other.

тАЬAnd I remember some of the things my father tried,тАЭ she said to George, Sr. тАЬMaybe your training in
biochemistry will let you see where he went wrong. I know he had some success.тАЭ The girl was very
close to begging, George knew. He couldnтАЩt bear that.

тАЬDad?тАЭ he asked, mustering what aplomb he could.

тАЬI think it would work out,тАЭ George, Sr. said slowly. тАЬYes. I think it would work out quite wellтАЭ

тАЬMay?тАЭ

тАЬYou know my answer, George.тАЭ

тАЬWell, then.тАЭ Still half bewildered. I guess itтАЩs settled. When can you move in, Melissa?тАЬ

The answer, if there was one, was lost, amidst scraping of chairs and happy bawling noises from May