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

 The young man in the dark shirt went on ahead. When she entered the
conduit she discovered him studying the display of human precursors. He
glanced at Alice and politely moved aside so that she might inspect the
diorama as well. "Rough-looking thugs!" he commented in a jocular voice.
"All hairy and dirty."
"Yes, quite so." Alice moved along the diorama.
The young man kept pace with her. "Excuse me, but aren't you a
starlander? From Engsten, or more likely Rampold?"
"Why, yes! I'm from Rampold. How did you know?"
"Just a lucky guess. How do you like Hant?"
"It's interesting, certainly." Alice, rather primly erect, moved on along
the display.
"Ugh," said Bo. "What's that they're eating?"
"Presumably some sort of natural food," said Alice.
"I guess you're right," said Bo. "They weren't too fussy in those days. Are
you a student here?"
"No,"
"Oh, I see. Just sightseeing."
"Not exactly that either. I'm curious as to the local version of history."
"I thought history was history," said Bo.
Alice turned him a quick side-glance. "It's hard for the historian to
maintain objectivity, especially for the urban historian."
"I didn't know there was all that much to it," said Bo. "I thought they
just showed a lot of percepts and charts. Don't they do it the same way on
Rampold?"
"We have nothing quite so elaborate."
"It all amounts to the same thing," said Bo generously. "What's done is
dead and gone, but here they call it history and study it."
Alice gave a polite shrug and moved on. Bo understood that he had
struck the wrong tone, which annoyed him. Oh, why must he pussyfoot?
Why must he appease? He said, "Of course I don't know all that much
about the subject. That's why I'm here; I want to learn!"
The statement was uttered in a mincing over-delicate voice which Alice
found amusing, and hence worth some small exploration. "All very well, if
you learn anything useful. In your case, I doubt if . . ." Alice let her voice
trail off; why discourage the poor fellow? She asked, "I take it you're not a
student either?"
"Well, no. Not exactly."
"What do you do?"
"IтАФwell, I work in the spaceyards."
"That's useful work," Alice said brightly. "And it's work you can be
proud of. I hope you profit from your studies." She gave him a gracious
nod and passed on down the conduit, to a percept detailing the daily
activities of a Mesolithic family.
Bo looked after her with a frown. He had pictured the encounter going
somewhat differently, with Alice standing wide-eyed and coy, enthralled
by the magnetism of his personality. He had worried only that she might
recognize him, for she had seen him on two previous occasions. His fears
were groundless. Evidently she had paid no attention to him. Well, she'd
make up for that. And her attitude now was far too casual; she treated