"Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - The Spider Glass" - читать интересную книгу автора (Yarbro Chelsea Quinn)

тАЬSame thing,тАЭ Dominick scoffed.

тАЬHe was, as you perceive from the title, a foreigner,тАЭ Charles persisted. тАЬHe had arrived in Antwerp from
Ghent some time before and had purchased one of the buildings not far from where Sabrina lived in
terrible squalor.тАЭ
тАЬAnd he gave her the mirror for primping,тАЭ Everard finished. тАЬThereтАЩs nothing very mysterious about
that.тАЭ

тАЬNow, thatтАЩs the odd part of it,тАЭ Whittenfield said, leaning forward as he spoke. тАЬHe gave her the glass,
but not the frame; that she bought for herself.тАЭ He did not wait for his listeners to exclaim at this, but went
on at once. тАЬBut that comes later in the story. Let me tell it as it must be told.тАЭ He puffed his cigar once
and set it aside again. тАЬShe became acquainted with this foreigner through an act of theft.тАЭ

тАЬWhat could anyone steal from her?тАЭ Twilford asked of the air.

тАЬYou donтАЩt understandтАФit was Sabrina who was the thief.тАЭ

The reaction ranged from guffaws to shock; the sixth guest gave a small, wry smile and said nothing.

тАЬYes, she had decided to steal money so that she and her children could eat that night. You must
understand that she had not stolen before and she knew that the penalties for it were quite harsh, but she
had come to believe that she had no other choice. It was late in the afternoon when she saw this foreigner
come to his house, and she determined to wait for him and accost him as he came out. She thought that
since the man was not a native of the place, he might be reluctant to complain to the authorities, and of
course, since he was foreign, he was regarded with a degree of dislike throughout the neighborhood.тАЭ

Everard shook his head. тАЬSounds like a rackety thing to do.тАЭ

тАЬIt was better than starving,тАЭ said the sixth guest.

The other man with the pipe coughed and made a gruff protest. тАЬBut what is the point of all this,
Whittenfield? Get on with it, man.тАЭ

тАЬLord Graveston, you are trying to rush me,тАЭ Whittenfield said with the slightest hint of a slur in his
pronunciation. тАЬThat wonтАЩt do. YouтАЩll have to listen, the same as the rest.тАЭ

тАЬThen stop this infernal dallying about,тАЭ Lord Graveston said with considerable asperity. тАЬAt this rate, it
will be time for breakfast before youтАЩre half done with your story, and weтАЩll never know what the point of
it is.тАЭ

Whittenfield shrugged. тАЬI donтАЩt see the virtue in haste when one is recounting the travail of a family
member, but if you insist, then I will do my humble bestтАжтАЭ

тАЬFor all the saints in hell, Charles!тАЭ Dominick expostulated.

тАЬVery well,тАЭ Whittenfield sighed lavishly. тАЬSince you insist. As I told you, Sabrina conspired to set upon
this foreigner and rob him so that she would have money for food and lodging for herself and her
children. She went down the street at night, filled with terror but determined now on her course. There
were beggars sleeping in doorways, and a few poxy whores plied their trade in this quarter, but most of