"064 (B063) - The Submarine Mystery (1938-06) - Lester Dent" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

"I know it's a funny name," China Janes said. "But usually it doesn't floor 'em."
Prince Albert tried to talk, but the best he could do was make two or three strange noises. He covered his vocal confusion by coughing behind a hairy hand.
"Somethin' in my throat," he explained. "I beg your pardon, Miss Janes. I am Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodgett Mayfair, called Monk by my friends. I hope you will call me Monk."
"I seem to have read somewhere," China Janes remarked, "that you were a fast worker."
Prince Albert looked as pleased as he could. He indicated the belligerent pig.
"This," he said, "is Habeas Corpus, my pet pig."
The girl examined the pig. "You two don't seem to be getting along together."
"Oh, we're havin' one of our tiffs."
Wearing a manufactured grin, Prince Albert led China Janes to a chair, seated her with a flourish, then planted himself opposite her.
"What," he asked, "may we do for you?"
"Nothing for me, I hope," the girl said. "But I've got a friend who thinks you can do plenty for her. From the way she talks, you'll be doing the rest of humanity quite a man-sized good turn at the same time."
"And who," Prince Albert asked, "is your friend in need?"
"Her Highness, the Duchess Portia Montanye-Norwich," China Janes replied.
Prince Albert tried not to look as relieved as he felt.
"Ah," he said, "royalty."
"Um-m. It depends on how you look at it." The girl leaned forward. "But look here. Portia sent me to get Doc Savage. The poor kid needs help bad. Is Doc here?"
Prince Albert, shaking his head regretfully, said, "Doc Savage is away on an important mission, and will not be available for a number of days."
"That," China Janes said, "is tough. From what I've read of Doc Savage, a screwy business like this is right up his alley."
"However," Prince Albert murmured, "I am a Doc Savage associate, and glad to be at your service."
The girl examined Prince Albert and frowned. She seemed apprehensive.
"If I hadn't heard so much about Doc Savage's outfit," she said, "I'd be doubtful. But I guess it's all right."
"Of course it is all right."
CHINA JANES leaned back.
"I'll go back to the beginning," she said. "When I first met the Duchess Portia Montanye-Norwich, she was plain Portia Bowen, and we both kicked a wicked heel in the same chorus. Portia and I got to be friends. We had something in common. We both liked to get out and do things. That was six years ago. That is, it was six years ago when Portia grabbed off her duke.
"Boy, was she lucky! The duke was rolling in shekels. He didn't know how much money he had. Portia took him back to England, and they lived in the family castle for two years; and then the duke was killed in a plane crack-up.
"Portia went haywire after that. She loved the guy, I guess. Anyway, she started flying to Cape Town and across oceans. Remember when she flew the Atlantic?"
Prince Albert admitted, "Seems I do recall such an event."
"She was a wow. And all through those years, I never saw her." China sighed. "Oh, we swapped a letter now and then. But two years ago, her letters stopped coming. She had disappeared. I never saw anything in the newspapers about it. But my letters all came back. That happened for two years. Then this afternoon, she walked in on me."
"The duchess appeared this afternoon?"
"Maybe you'd call it materialized. Ghosts materialize, don't they?"
"Eh?"
"After you take a look at her, you'll understand. Plenty had happened to her. You could see that."
"Just what had occurred?"
"She didn't tell me."
"Heh!" Prince Albert looked relieved in spite of himself. "She didn't, eh?"
"Not a thing." China Janes leaned forward excitedly. "But you remember the submarine that blew up near Boston?"
"Hm-m. Yes, indeed."
"Remember that a yacht rescued a girl and brought her ashore, and she got away?"
"WellЧ"
"And the girl wore pieces of medieval armor?"
"Yes, I recallЧ"
"And she talked the kind of English they spoke four or five hundred years ago?"
"I read somethin' of the sort," Prince Albert admitted. "It sounded fantastic."
"You bet it did. And it's a lot more fantastic now that I know the girl was my old kicking mate, Portia."
"Goodness!" said Prince Albert.
"And she won't tell me a thing. Oh, she talks. But such talk!" China made a face. "She sounds like one of them Shakespeare plays. 'Forsooth' and 'thou' and 'thee' and that kind of stuff. Spills it with a straight face, too."
China Janes pounded both fists on the arms of the chair in which she sat. "I tell you, something has happened to that girl! Something that's done things to her mind! She keeps raving about a lot of people who need help."
PRINCE ALBERT stood up. He did his best to look like a deeply sympathetic man who intended to do something about this.
"What about these people who need help?"
"She won't go into details," China said.