"Arkady & Boris Strugatsky - The Ugly Swans" - читать интересную книгу автора (Strugatski Arkady)

"Rosheper!" said the police chief. "Aren't we buddies any-more? I nursed you along, you son of a bitch. I
elected you, you son of a bitch. And now those germs are all over the place, and I can't do anything.
There's no law, understand?"
"There will be," said Rosheper. "Take my word for it. In view of the poisoning of the atmosphereтАФ"
"Moral atmosphere," put in the middle-school director. "Moral and ethical."
"What are you talking about? I'm telling you, in view of the poisoning of the atmosphere and taking into
account the poor spawning of fish in the neighboring reservoirs, the germs are to be liquidated and
reestablished in a remote province. How's that?"
"How about a kiss from me?" said the police chief.
"Good boy," said the burgomaster. "What a mind. From me too."
"Peanuts," said Rosheper. "Nothing to it. Want to sing? On the contrary, I don't. Let's have another drink
and go home."
"That's right. Another drink, and back home."
Once again there was a sound of snapping branches, and Rosheper said from somewhere in the
distance, "Hey, middle school, you forgot to zip it up." Then there was silence. Victor dozed off again, slept
through an insignificant dream, and then the telephone rang.
"Hello," said Diana hoarsely. "Yes, it's me... ." She cleared
her throat. "Never mind, I'm listening. . . . Everything's fine, I
think he liked it _ What?"
Her body was stretched across Victor's, and he suddenly felt her tense up.
"Strange," she said. "All right, I'll give a look. . . . Yes. . . . All right, I'll tell him."
She hung up, climbed over Victor, and lit the lamp.
"What happened?" asked Victor sleepily.
"Nothing. Sleep, I'll be right back."
Through his screwed-up eyes he could see her picking up her
38 The Ugly Swans

underwear from the floor, and her face was so serious that he got worried. She dressed quickly and left the
room, straight-ening her clothes on the run. "Rosheper got sick," he thought, listening intently. "Drank too
much, the old geezer." The huge building was silent, and he distinctly heard Diana walk-ing down the
corridor, but instead of going to the right, to Rosheper, she made a left. A door creaked, and the footsteps
broke off.
Victor turned on his side and tried to go back to sleep, but it was impossible. He realized that he was
waiting for Diana and that he wouldn't be able to sleep until she got back. He sat up and lit a cigarette. The
lump on the back of his head started to throb, and he made a face. Diana didn't return. For some reason he
remembered the sallow-faced dancer with the eagle's profile. "What's he doing here?" thought Victor. "An
actor playing another actor who's playing a third actor. The thing is, that was the room he came out of, the
one on the left, where Diana went. Went to the landing, looked in the mirror, and turned into a fop. First he
played the man about town, then a worn-out gigolo." Victor listened again. "God, is it quiet, everybody's
sleeping ... someone's snoring."
Then a door creaked again, and he could hear footsteps coming closer. Diana walked in. Her face was
serious as before. Nothing concluded; await further developments. Diana walked up to the telephone and
dialed a number.
"He isn't there," she said. "No, he went out. ... So did I. ... No, don't worry about it, of course.... Good
night."
She hung up. For a few seconds she stood looking into the darkness beyond the window, then she sat
down on the bed next to Victor. She was holding a flashlight. Victor lit up a cigarette and gave it to her.
She smoked in silence, turning something over in her mind.
"When did you fall asleep?" she asked.