"James White - Custom Fitting" - читать интересную книгу автора (White James)

Scrennagle held up one double-thumbed hand as he said politely, "Pardon the interruption. That is only
an approximation of my rank and title. 'Sir' is sufficiently respectful and conversationally much less
cumbersome." "Yes, Your Excellency," said Fox.

Hewlitt produced a swatch of patterns and a style book from which Scrennagle chose a soft lambswool
in pale cream which would not, the tailor assured them, react in any fashion with his skin. The style plates
fascinated him, and when Hewlitt began to sketch similar designs modified to fit his centaur-like body, the
alien was practically breathing down the tailor's neck.
Polite questioning had elicited the facts that Scrennagle insisted on dressing himself and that the area of
skin covering the spine between waist and tail was the part of his body most susceptible to cold.

"If you wouldn't mind, sir," said Hewlitt at that point, "I would like you to advise me regarding the
positioning of fastenings, openings for the elimination of body wastes, and so on....

Scrennagle could twist the upper part of his body so that his hands could reach either flank as far back as
the tail, although he could only see the lower end of his back. The undergarment which Hewlitt had to
devise would have to be stepped into and pulled up on to the fore and hind legs in turn. It would be
double-backed and buttoned through, with one wide flap of cloth going over the back to the opposite
flank and fastening there, while the other flap passed over the back in the opposite direction to button on
the other flankтАФrather like a double-breasted suit worn back-to-front. Scrennagle said that the double
thickness of cloth at the back would be very comfortable, the local temperature being what it was; and he
found no fault in the more complicated flap and fastening arrangements for the fly and rear.

He was politely insistent, however, that his tail should not be even partially concealed. There were strong
psychological reasons for this, apparently.

"I quite understand, sir," said Hewlitt. "And now if you will stand quite still I shall measure you. The
dimensions and contour descriptions required will be much more complex than those needed for the
blankets. Once I have drafted a properly fitting pattern for the garment, however, making additional ones
will present no problems. Initially a set of four undergarments should be sufficient toтАФ"

"HewlittтАФ!" Fox began.

"No gentleman," Hewlitt said very quietly, "no matter how high or low his station, would undertake a
major journey with just one set of underwear."

There was, of course, no reply to that; and Hewlitt resumed measuring his client. While he worked he
told Scrennagle exactly what he was doing and why. He even went so far as to discuss the weather in his
attempts to make his client relax bodily so that he would not shape the garment to a figure that was being
held in an unnatural pose through tension.

"I intend making the leg sections reach less than halfway between the hip joints and knees, sir," he said at
one point. "This will give the maximum comfort and warmth commensurate with the length of the
over-garment. However, it would assist me greatly if I knew something more about the purpose of this
blanketтАФwhat movements you would be making in it, whether or not you are expecting to be
photographed, the geographical or architectural surroundingsтАФso that the garment will not look out of
place."

"You're fishing for information," said Fox sharply. "Please desist."