"Jack Vance - Assault on a City" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vance Jack)

vulgar."
"Jillyville might be interesting," said Alice. "At least it's alive. Let's go
there."
What an odd girl! thought Waldo. Beautiful to melt a man's mind, a
daughter of Commander Merwyn Tynnott, O.T.E., a member of the
galactic nobility with a status far superior to his own; yet how provincial,
how incredibly self-assured for her age, which could hardly be more than
seventeen or eighteen! She seemed at times almost patronizing, as if he
were the culturally impoverished star-lander and she the clever
sophisticate! Well, then, thought Waldo, let's divert matters into a more
amusing channel. He leaned close, put his hand to her cheek and sought to
kiss her, which would reestablish his initiative. Alice ducked back and
Waldo was thwarted. She asked in astonishment, "Why did you do that?"
"The usual reasons," said Waldo in a muffled voice. "They're quite well
known. Haven't you ever been kissed before?"
"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, Waldo. But let's just be casual friends."
Waldo said largely, "Why should we limit ourselves in any way? There's
scope for whatever relationship we want! Let's start over. Pretend now
that we've just met, but already we've become interested in one another!"
"The last person I want to deceive is myself," said Alice. She hesitated.
"I hardly know how to advise you."
Waldo looked at Alice with a slack jaw. "As to what?"
"Subjectivity."
"I'm afraid I don't understand you."
 Alice nodded. "It's like talking to a fish about being wet. . . Let's speak of
something else. The lights of the city are really magnificent. Old Earth is
certainly picturesque! Is that the Epidrome down there?"
Looking askance at the charming features, Waldo responded in a
somewhat metallic voice. "That's Meridian Circle, at the end of the
Parade, where the cults and debating societies meet. See that bar of white
luciflux? That marks the Parade. The luminous green circle is the
Epidrome. See those colored lights across the Parade? That's the Alien
Quarter. The jeeks like blue lights, the tinkos insist on yellow, the
wampoons won't have any lights at all, which accounts for that rather
strange effect."
The cab landed; Waldo gallantly assisted Alice from the craft. "We're at
the head of the Parade; that's all Jillyville ahead of us . . . What's that
you're carrying?"
"My camera. I want to record some of those beautiful costumes, and
yours too."
"Costume?" Waldo looked down at his garments. "Barbarians wear
costumes. These are just clothes."
"Well, they're very interesting in any event. . . What a remarkable
assortment of people!"
"Yes," said Waldo glumly. "You'll see everybody and everything along
the Parade. Don't walk too closely behind the jeeks. They have a rather
noxious defensive mechanism right above their tail horn. If you see a man
with a red hat, he's a bonze of the External Magma. Don't look at him or
he'll want an 'enlightenment fee' for divining his thoughts. Those three
men yonder are spacemenтАФdrunk, of course. Down at the end of the