"Bon-Bon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Poe Edgar Allan)

Mousseux. Having quickly completed these operations, he drew his chair
vis-a-vis to his companion's, and waited until the latter should open
the conversation. But plans even the most skilfully matured are often
thwarted in the outset of their application- and the restaurateur
found himself nonplussed by the very first words of his visiter's
speech.
"I see you know me, Bon-Bon," said he; "ha! ha! ha!- he! he! he!-
hi! hi! hi!- ho! ho! ho!- hu! hu! hu!"- and the devil, dropping at
once the sanctity of his demeanor, opened to its fullest extent a
mouth from ear to ear, so as to display a set of jagged and
fang-like teeth, and, throwing back his head, laughed long, loudly,
wickedly, and uproariously, while the black dog, crouching down upon
his haunches, joined lustily in the chorus, and the tabby cat,
flying off at a tangent, stood up on end, and shrieked in the farthest
corner of the apartment.
Not so the philosopher; he was too much a man of the world either to
laugh like the dog, or by shrieks to betray the indecorous trepidation
of the cat. It must be confessed, he felt a little astonishment to see
the white letters which formed the words "Rituel Catholique" on the
book in his guest's pocket, momently changing both their color and
their import, and in a few seconds, in place of the original title the
words Regitre des Condamnes blazed forth in characters of red. This
startling circumstance, when Bon-Bon replied to his visiter's
remark, imparted to his manner an air of embarrassment which
probably might, not otherwise have been observed.
"Why sir," said the philosopher, "why sir, to speak sincerely- I
I imagine- I have some faint- some very faint idea- of the remarkable
honor-"
"Oh!- ah!- yes!- very well!" interrupted his Majesty; "say no more-
I see how it is." And hereupon, taking off his green spectacles, he
wiped the glasses carefully with the sleeve of his coat, and deposited
them in his pocket.
If Bon-Bon had been astonished at the incident of the book, his
amazement was now much increased by the spectacle which here presented
itself to view. In raising his eyes, with a strong feeling of
curiosity to ascertain the color of his guest's, he found them by no
means black, as he had anticipated- nor gray, as might have been
imagined- nor yet hazel nor blue- nor indeed yellow nor red- nor
purple- nor white- nor green- nor any other color in the heavens
above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. In
short, Pierre Bon-Bon not only saw plainly that his Majesty had no
eyes whatsoever, but could discover no indications of their having
existed at any previous period- for the space where eyes should
naturally have been was, I am constrained to say, simply a dead level
of flesh.
It was not in the nature of the metaphysician to forbear making some
inquiry into the sources of so strange a phenomenon, and the reply
of his Majesty was at once prompt, dignified, and satisfactory.
"Eyes! my dear Bon-Bon- eyes! did you say?- oh!- ah!- I perceive!
The ridiculous prints, eh, which are in, circulation, have given you