"Gene Wolfe - Endangered Species" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wolfe Gene)

He stood up again. "If you're through eating ..."

"You want to go back to the cabin? You can screw me right
here on the beach-there's nobody here but us."

"I didn't mean that."

"Then why go in there and look at the walls? Out here
we've got the fire and the ocean. The moon ought to be up
pretty soon."

"It would be warmer."

"With just that dinky little kerosene stove? I'd rather sit
here by the fire. In a minute I'm going to send you off to
get me some more wood. You can run up to the cabin and
get a shirt too if you want to."

"I'm okay."

"Traditional roles. Big Tim must have told you all about
them. The woman has the babies and keeps the home fires
burning. You're not going to end up looking like him though,
are you, Little Tim?"

"I suppose so. He used to look just like me."

"Really?"

He nodded. "He had his picture taken just after he got
into politics. He was running for ward committeeman, and
he had a poster made. We've still got the picture, and it looks
like me with a high collar and a funny hat."

"She knew, didn't she?" Lissy said. For a moment he did
not understand what she meant. "Now go and get some more
wood. Only don't wear yourself out, because when you come
back we're going to take care of that little thing that's both-
ering you, and we're going to spend the night on the beach."

When he came back she was asleep, but he woke her car-
rying her up to the beach cottage.

Next morning he woke up alone. He got up and showered
and shaved, supposing that she had taken the car into town
to get something for breakfast. He had filled the coffee pot
and put it on before he looked out the shore-side window
and saw the Triumph still waiting near the road.

There was nothing to be alarmed about, of course. She