"Kim Stanley Robinson - Forty Signs of Rain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robinson Kim Stanley)

тАЬYes,тАЭ over their squeals of laughter, тАЬbecauseyou should never round off in the middle of an operation,
because then the things you do later will exaggerate the inaccuracy! ItтАЩs animportant principle !тАЭ

тАЬMrs. Quibler is a quibbler, Mrs. Quibler is a quibbler!тАЭ

Anna gave in and gave them The Eye, a squinting, one-eyed glare that she had worked up long ago
when playing Lady Bracknell in high school. It never failed to crack them up. She growled, тАЬThatтАЩs
Quiblerwith one b, тАЭ melting them with laughter, as always, until Mrs. Wilkins came over to join the party
and quiet it down.



After school Anna and Nick walked home together. It took about half an hour, and was one of the
treasured rituals of their weekтАФthe only time they got to spend together just the two of them. Past the
big public pool where they would go swimming in the summers, past the grocery store, then down their
quiet street. It was hot, of course, but bearable in the shade. They talked about whatever came into their
heads.

Then they entered the coolness of their house, and returned to the wilder world of Joe and Charlie.
Charlie was bellowing as he cooked in the kitchen, an off-key, wordless aria. Joe was killing dinosaurs in
the living room. As they entered he froze, considering how he was going to signify his displeasure at
AnnaтАЩs treasonous absence for the day. When younger this had been a genuine emotion, and sometimes
when he saw her come in the door he had simply burst into tears. Now it was calculated, and she was
immune.

He smacked himself in the forehead with a compsognathus, then collapsed to the rug face first.

тАЬOh come on,тАЭ Anna said. тАЬGive me a break Joe.тАЭ She started to unbutton her blouse. тАЬYou better be
nice if you want to nurse.тАЭ

Joe popped right up and ran over to give her a hug.

тАЬRight,тАЭ Anna said. тАЬBlackmail will get you everywhere. Hi hon!тАЭ she yelled in at Charlie.

тАЬHi babe.тАЭ Charlie came out to give her a kiss. For a second all her boys hung on her. Then Joe was
latched on, and Charlie and Nick went into the kitchen. From there Charlie shouted out from time to
time, but Anna couldnтАЩt yell back without making Joe mad enough to bite her, so she waited until he was
done and then walked around the corner into the kitchen.

тАЬHow was your day?тАЭ Charlie said.

тАЬI fixed a data error all day long.тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs good dear.тАЭ

She gave him a look. тАЬI swore I wasnтАЩt going to do it,тАЭ she said darkly, тАЬbut I just couldnтАЩt bring myself
to ignore it.тАЭ

тАЬNo, IтАЩm sure you couldnтАЩt.тАЭ