"Jack Vance - Meet Miss Universe" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vance Jack)

of the veruli. A veruli, naturally, is a fiber."
"I see, I see," muttered Clydell. "Well, well. ' Diameter measured from
agrix to therulta: 42.571 centimeters. From clavon to gadelтАФ' I suppose these
terms are also ex-plained?"
"Oh, yes. Definitely." Clydell puffed his cigar. "'38.092 centimeters.
Ganglionic orgotesтАФ'"
"They're the jellyfish things."
"'тАФshould number 43.' What are all these figures!" He pointed.
Tony came around the desk, looked down at the pamphlet. "Oh, those.
They're the indexes of hard-ness, viscosity, temperature and color of the
orgotesтАФwhich, by the way, should give off no perceptible odor."
"Am I expected to smell these orgotesтАФall forty-three of them?"
"I suppose soтАФto do a fair job."
Hardeman Clydell's face became stubborn and sulky. "I don't mind examining
thighs and measuring bosomsтАФbut this fooling with agrices and smelling of
orgotesтАФ I just don't have the time." Thoughtfully he contemplated Tony
LeGrand, who quickly leaned forward, found another pamphlet.
"Now this Miss Veidranu. I've seen her. She's cute as a bug's ear. Golly,
some of the things you've got to measure on her!"
But Hardeman Clydell was not to be diverted. "Tony, I trust your judgment
as 1 do my own."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that!"
"Yes," said Clydell firmly. "We will let my name stand on the list of
judgesтАФbut you'll do the judg-ing-"
"But, HardemanтАФI don't think I'm up to it!"
"Of course you are," said Clydell bluffly. "You're acquainted with these
creatures. You've studied them."
"Yes, butтАФ"
"You make your measurements, come to a fair verdict. I'll look it over and
then at the right time, I'll be the figure-head."
Tony grimaced. "It's mainly that Miss Mel. If only she'd keep her big hands
off me. Frankly, ChiefтАФ" He looked at his cigar, gently tapped the ash in a
pottery dish, looked up; Clydell was gazing at him with a mildly questioning
glance.
"Very well," muttered Tony. "I suppose this is the kind of thing I'm being
paid for."
Hardeman Clydell nodded. "Ex-actly."


IV

Tony paid a visit to Hotel Mira Vista, in Los Angeles, where Miss Zzpii
Koyae, from the fourteenth of Alschain's planetary throng, oc-cupied a suite.
Miss Koyae was lovely by the standards of anybody's world. Hardly five feet
tall, she was light as a puff of smoke, charming and saucy as a kitten in tall
grass. Her skin was pastel green, the tuft of hair over her delicate face was
pale as moonlight. She wore scarlet slippers, a smock of blue gauze, and a
green chrysanthemum-like bangle in her ear.
She looked like a fairy from one of the ancient fables: not quite hu-man.
She greeted Tony with a burst of eager chatter, and when she learned that Tony