"Mike Resnick - Lucifer Jones 3 - Encounters" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

here at nights, and by then the day's corpses have already been buried.тАЭ
At which point my Silent Partner, who had returned from sabbatical, smote me right betwixt the eyes
with another of His great big heavenly revelations.

тАЬThat ain't no problem at all, Brother Ivor,тАЭ I said.

тАЬIt isn't?тАЭ he asked.

тАЬFor a small retainer, I'd be happy to hang around here til they brung this guy in, and mark the spot
where they bury him.тАЭ

тАЬOh, the Baron will be so happy!тАЭ said Ivor, clapping his little hands together.

тАЬAnd for a further consideration, I'll give you a hand digging him up and delivering him to your boss.тАЭ

тАЬYou have no moral compunctions about digging in hallowed ground?тАЭ he asked.

тАЬWho better to dig in it than a man of the cloth?тАЭ I said.

тАЬIt's a deal, Doctor Jones!тАЭ he said excitedly. тАЬI will return every night at midnight until they have brought
him here and buried him.тАЭ

тАЬSounds good to me, Brother Ivor,тАЭ I said as he took his leave of me, and a couple of minutes later I
was sound asleep again.

When I woke up in the morning I took a little stroll around the cemetery and found an apple orchard at
the far end of it, which took care of my meals for the rest of the day. I spent the 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