"Donald Westlake - SH4 - The World's A Stage" - читать интересную книгу автора (Westlake Donald E)

тАЬWardrobe! Wardrobe!тАЭ
тАЬNow what?тАЭ

тАЬMy wings keep falling off.тАЭ

"All right, IтАЩll get my needle and thread.тАЭ



HeтАЩs an airhead, Ensign Kybee Benson thought, raging murderously within while he struggled to appear
calm and composed without. A clothead, a bonehead, a meathead. Chowderhead, fathead. Muttonhead.
No, heтАЩs worse than all those-heтАЩs a Luthguster.

The Luthguster in question, Councilman Morton Luthguster of the Supreme Galactic Council, seated on
the other side of Ensign BensonтАЩs desk, went obliviously on with his question: тАЬWhy name an entire
planet after an actor? A planet called J. Railsford Farnsworth is ridiculous.тАЭ

тАЬIn the first place,тАЭ Ensign Benson said, swallowing brimstone, тАЬthe planet is named Hestia IV, since it is
the fourth planet form its sun, Hestia. The colonyтАЩs full name is the J. Rainsford Farnsworth Repertory
Company.тАЭ

Councilman Luthguster shook his jowly head. тАЬDamn-fool name for a place,тАЭ he insisted. тАЬDetroit, now
thatтАЩs a name. Khartoum. Reykjavik. But J. Rainsford Farnsworth Repertory Company?тАЭ

A tap at the frame of the open office door was followed by the cheerful, optimistic, shiny young face of
Lieutenant Billy Shelby, HopefulтАЩs second in command, who said, тАЬWeтАЩve landed, sir. WeтАЩre on the
ground.тАЭ

тАЭI know what landed means,тАЭ Ensign Benson snapped. тАЬI felt the bump. And when IтАЩve finished
explaining the situation to the councilman, weтАЩll be along.тАЭ

тАЬOK,тАЭ Billy said happily. тАЬWeтАЩll be waiting at the air lock. At the door.тАЭ

тАЬI know what an air lock is.тАЭ

Billy cantered off, and Ensign Benson returned to his task. As social engineer, an expert in comparative
societies, he had the job of giving Council Luthguster the necessary background on each colony they
visited. тАЬWhen this sector of the universe was colonized,тАЭ he explained, тАЬa special cultural fund was set
up to bring the arts to the far-flung outposts of Man. A theatrical troupe from Earth was offered its own
settlement and a subsidy and was meant to tour the other colonies with a repertory of ancient and
modern drama. Of course, contact was lost almost immediately, so the troupe never got its transportation
and therefore never toured. ThereтАЩs no guessing what itтАЩs become by now.тАЭ

Luthguster pursed fat lips. тАЬSo who is this fellow J. Rainsford Farnsworth?тАЭ

тАЬFounder of the repertory company. The actor-director-manager of the troupe.тАЭ

тАЬDo you mean,тАЭ Luthguster demanded, puffing out like an adder, тАЬthat I shall be expected to discuss
affairs of state with an actor?тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt think so.тАЭ Ensign Benson said. His face was expressionless, but his tense hand had crushed the