"Tom Purdom-A Proper Place To Live" - читать интересную книгу автора (Purdom Tom)

had already decided the mechanic was very like most of the other inexperienced inventors he had dealt
with. Mr. Tyler was essentially an enthusiast who would probably be content to spend the rest of his life
in his shop bending and connecting and turning out whatever marvels his brain seized upon. He was also
the victim, however, of the customary delusions about the wealth and social position you could amass by
inventing things. He was already talking -- with some enthusiasm -- of the dowry he would provide his
daughter, the house he and she would soon live in, and all the other glories that are supposed to come to
every man who bestows the blessings of his creative vision on mankind.
They were all desires Sir Harold could fulfill with some dispatch. Mr. Tyler was a good bargainer, but
Sir Harold easily detected the mechanic's little swallow when he heard the sum his visitor was offering for
the exclusive rights to the use of his invention. He could even pick up some of the tension in Mr. Tyler's
facial muscles when he explained that the machine would be used in Westminster Abbey on certain state
occasions and that it would be the center of a festival of grand and heroic music which would become
one of the great annual events of the city.
It was a vision that had been given some thought on Sir Harold's part. The great machine would
dominate much of the program but there would be trumpets, too. And drums. And hundreds of
musicians. And then, when the people had all been exhausted by Volume, the sound of a single pipe
would be heard in the land.
There was nothing wrong with Volume in itself, in Sir Harold's opinion. He himself enjoyed a fine
surging climax or the swell of a great chorus, with voices, organ chords, and musical instruments
resonating in the cavity of a great church. The problem was uncontrolled Volume. Volume that was
created by portable and relatively inexpensive devices must eventually, Sir Harold knew, escape from its
natural realm. Sooner or later, if it were not watched with care, it would penetrate domains that should be
ruled by gentler noises, or even by silence. Mr. Tyler had already mentioned that he was thinking about
other devices which could draw their power from the water system, and he had noted, in passing, that he
could design a smaller version of his machine which could be wheeled around on carts and attached to
outlets in parks and other places where people might want something "a bit livelier than a pair of flutes."
The sticking point -- as Sir Harold had feared -- was the stipulation that he should have exclusive
rights to the use of the new machine. Mr. Tyler had also realized that if Sir Harold were willing to spend
so much money, his invention must be more valuable than he had thought it was.
Sir Harold smiled. ''I was afraid you would see that. I seem to be dealing with a very shrewd man,
Millicent."
"It's occurred to me, in fact," Mr. Tyler said, "that this might be something on which I could take bids.
You are the first person who's approached me, Sir Harold."
Lady Millicent straightened -- an act which always impressed Sir Harold since she was, at any given
moment, standing as erectly as a lady should. She looked at Mr. Tyler in the same way she had looked at
the man who had made a remark to her in front of the house and he, too, turned away from her.
"I'm afraid I don't normally engage in auctions," Sir Harold said. "It really isn't our type of thing."
"My husband has made you a very good offer, Mr. Tyler." Lady Millicent said. "I can assure you no
one has ever regretted any agreement they have negotiated with a member of my family."
Mr. Tyler's face reddened. Sir Harold rested his right hand in the mechanic's grimy sleeve and used his
other hand to make a nonchalant, mildly apologetic gesture with his stick.
"I can already see the expression of delight that will cross the King's face when he hears the first notes
of your device next month." Sir Harold said. "It will be a pleasure to introduce His Majesty to the
originator of such an invention -- and his charming daughter. I would be very surprised if you did not find
yourself and your daughter invited to be permanent guests at every Royal Festival in which your invention
plays a role."
Mr. Tyler swallowed. He glanced at Lady Millicent out of the corner of his eye and she gave him a
smile that bathed him in sunshine and approval.
"It does sound like a generous arrangement, Sir Harold. I suppose I might do better if I shopped
around, but on the other hand, I could do a lot worse, too, couldn't I? And waste a lot of time I could be