"Mike Resnick - Encounters" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

bulk of the morning and afternoon attending maybe half a dozen graveside services, and I
was so moved by the sad story of a lovely young milkmaid who died of bloat after drinking her
employer's entire wine cellar that I even stepped up and said a few words on her behalf
myself.
Then, at about twilight, they lugged in another casket, and I moseyed over to find out the
identity of the deceased.
тАЬI don't think anyone knew his real name,тАЭ said one of the gravediggers. тАЬHis headstone says
he's Gustave Book.тАЭ
тАЬWhere are all the mourners?тАЭ I asked.
тАЬHe didn't seem to have any friends or family, so we're burying him right now,тАЭ was the
answer.
тАЬThat's kind of tragic, a man devoted to books like poor old Gustave,тАЭ I said.
тАЬWell, it's not a profession designed to make you a lot of lasting friends,тАЭ said the
gravedigger. тАЬA lot of people went broke at old Gustave's place of business.тАЭ
I never knew anyone to go broke buying books before, but I figured Gustave must have been
a dealer in rare antiquarian stuff and maybe some illuminated manuscripts and the like, and I
figured he must have had a very unhappy missus, because with all the money he left her she
could at least have bought him a bigger headstone and put his right name on it, but that
wasn't none of my business. I just thanked the gravediggers for their information, sat down on
a bench and watched тАЩem plant old Gustave, and then took a little constitutional around the
cemetery while waiting for Ivor to show up.
He was there right at midnight, just like he'd promised, with his old swaybacked horse and his
wooden cart.
тАЬDid they bury him today, Doctor Jones?тАЭ he asked eagerly.
тАЬYou're in luck, Brother Ivor,тАЭ I said. тАЬHe's been resting peaceably for the better part of six
hours now.тАЭ
тАЬExcellent!тАЭ said Ivor. тАЬWhere is he?тАЭ
I led him over to the grave. тАЬHe showed up kind of late, and they barely had time to bury him
before dark,тАЭ I explained. тАЬEvidently they aim to plant the headstone tomorrow.тАЭ
тАЬLet's get busy,тАЭ said Ivor, tossing me a shovel.
тАЬWhat'sthis for?тАЭ I asked.
тАЬYou're going to help me dig, aren't you?тАЭ
тАЬWell, actually, I had in mind something more in the line of offering you encouragement and
giving the Baron the benefit of my sage advice and worldly experience,тАЭ I said.
тАЬTen extra American dollars,тАЭ said Ivor.
тАЬFifty,тАЭ I said.
тАЬFifteen,тАЭ he countered.
тАЬTell you what,тАЭ I said. тАЬWe'll split the difference. Make it an even forty and it's a deal.тАЭ
Well, we haggled for another five minutes, and I finally agreed to apprentice at the
graverobbing trade for $34.29. It took us the better part of two hours to dig down to old
Gustave, and then we found that we weren't strong enough to pull his casket out of the hole,
so we unlatched it and I kind of climbed in with him and handed him up to Ivor, who dragged
him by the feet over to the cart and loaded him up. Then we spent another hour putting all the
dirt back and patting it down nice and neat, and finally we climbed into the cart and the old
horse started trotting along the empty streets.
тАЬHe sure looks calm and peaceful, lying there staring up at the moon like he is,тАЭ I said, turning
in my seat to get my first real good look at Gustave.
тАЬI wonder what he died of,тАЭ said Ivor. тАЬI hope it wasn't anything catching.тАЭ
I opened Gustave's formal jacket and took a quick peek. тАЬLooks like he was shot to death,тАЭ I
said.