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

those of Cloudhaven alone. "Hello, Waldo," said Alice. "I'll call Father."
"No, no, wait! It's you I want."
"Oh? For what?"
Waldo licked his lips and peered into the screen. "I was right."
"How so?"
"You're the most exciting, entrancing, exhilarating person in, on, above
or below the city Hant."
"How ridiculous," said Alice. "I'm just me."
"You're fresh as a flower, an orange marigold dancing in the wind."
"Please be serious, Waldo. I assume you called about that book Cities of
the Past."
"No. I'm calling about cities of the present, namely Hant. Since you'll be
here so short a time, why don't we look the old place over?"
"That's just what we're doing," said Alice. "We can see all the way south
to Elmhurst, north to Birdville, east to the Old City, west to the sunset."
Waldo peered into the screen. Flippancy? Ponderous humor? Sheer
stupidity? Utter naivete? Waldo could not decide. He said politely, "I
meant that we should look in on one of the current presentations,
something that you might not see out on Rampold. For instance, a
concert? an exhibition? a percept? . . . What's that you're doing?"
"I'm noting down an idea before I forget it."
Waldo raised his expressive eyebrows. "Then afterwards we could take a
bite of supper somewhere and get acquainted. I know an especially
picturesque place, the Old Lair, which I think you might enjoy."
"Waldo, I really don't want to leave the aerie; it's so peaceful up here,
and we're having such a nice talk."
"You and your parents?" Waldo was amazed.
"There's no one else here."
"But you'll be in Hant such a very short time!"
"I know . . . Well, perhaps I should make the most of my time. I can
enjoy myself later."
Waldo's voice became thick. "But I want you to enjoy yourself tonight!"
"Oh, very well. But let's not stay out late. I'm visiting the Academy
tomorrow morning."
"We'll let circumstances decide. I'll be across in about an hour. Will that
give you time to do your primping?"
"Come sooner, if you like. I'll be ready in ten minutes."



2
Waldo arrived half an hour later to find Alice waiting for him. She wore
a simple gown of dull dark-green stuff; a fillet of flat jade pebbles bound
with gold wire confined her hair. She inspected Waldo with curiosity, and
for a fact Waldo's habiliments were remarkable both for elegance and
intricacy. His trousers, of a light material patterned in black, brown and
maroon, bagged artfully at the hips, gripped the calves, and hung
carelessly awry over the slippers of black- and red-enameled metal.
Waldo's blouse was a confection of orange, gray and black; above this he
wore a tight-waisted black jacket, pinched at the elbow, flaring at the