"E. E. Doc Smith - The Galaxy Primes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

She paused and sobered. 'But remember. If you should change your mind, any time you really want ... to kiss me,
come right in. I won't be as silly and nervous and afraid as I was just now. That's a promise. Goodnight, Clee."
'Goodnight, Brownie.'
TWO
Next morning, Garlock was the last one, by a fraction of a minute, into the Main. 'Good morning, all,' he said, with a
slight smile.
'Huh? How come?' James demanded, as all four started toward the dining nook.
Oarlock's smile widened. 'Lola. She brought me a pot of coffee and wouldn't let me out until I drank it'
'Brought?'
'Yeah. They haven't read their room-tapes yet, so they don't know that room-service is practically unlimited.
'Oh. Why didn't I think of that coffee business a couple of \ years ago?'
'Well, why didn't I think of it myself, ten years ago?'
Belle's eyes had been going from one man to the other. 'Just what are you two talking about? If it's anybody's
business except your own?' |
'He's an early-morning grouch,' James explained, as they sat \
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down at the table. T^ot fit to associate with man or beast when he first gets up. How come you were smart enough to
get the answer so quick, Brownie?'
'Oh, the pattern isn't too rare.' She shrugged daintily, sweeping the compliment aside. 'Especially among men who
work under a lot of pressure.'
"Then how about Jim?' Belle asked.
'Glee's the Big Brain, not me,' James said.
'You're a much Bigger Brain than any of the men Lola's talking about,' Belle insisted.
That's true,' Lola agreed. 'But Jim must be an icebox raider. Eats in the middle of the night. Clee probably doesn't. It's
a good bet that he doesn't nibble between meals at all. Check, Clee?'
'Check. But what has an empty stomach got to do with the case? And how?'
'Everything. Nobody knows how. Lots of theories -enzymes, blood sugar, endocrine balance, what have you -but no
proof. It isn't always true. However, six or seven hours of empty stomach, in a man who takes his job to bed with
him, is very apt to uglify his pre-breakfast disposition.'
Breakfast over and out in the Main:
'But when a man's disposition is ugly all the time, how can you tell the difference?' Belle asked, innocently.
'I'll let that pass,' Garlock said, 'because we've got work to do. Have any of you thought of any improvement on
Lola's monogamous society?'
No one had. In fact тАФ
There may be a loop-hole in it,' Lola said thoughtfully. 'Did any of you happen to notice whether they know anything
about artificial insemination?'
'D'you think I'd stand for that?' Belle blazed, before Gar-lock could begin to search his mind. 'If you'd thought of that
idea as a woman instead of as a near-Ph.D. in anthropology you'd've thrown it into the converter before it even
hatched!'
'Invasion of privacy? That covers it, of course, but I didn't think it would bother you a bit.' Lola paused, studying the
other girl intently. 'You're quite a problem yourself. Callous -utterly savage humor - yet very sensitive in some ways
-fastidious...'
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'I'm not on the table for dissection!' Belle snapped. 'Study me all you please, but keep the notes in your notebook. I'd
suggest you study Clee.'
'Oh, I have been. He baffles me, too. I'm not very good yet, youтАФ'
That's the unders тАФ'
'Cut it!' Garlock ordered sharply. 'I said we had work to do. Jim, you're hunting up the nearest observatory.'
'How about transportation? No teleportation?'
'Out. Rent a car or hire a plane, or both. Fill your wallet -better to have too much money than not enough. If you're