"Альфред Бестер. The Flowered Thundermug (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

Colonial rug, oval, 9x12, fern green
Hemp outdoor "Welcome" mat, 18x30
Sofa-bed and chair, sage green
Round foam-rubber hassock
Serofoam recliner chair w. 3-way mechanism
Drop-leaf extension table, seats 8
4 captain's chairs w. scoop seats
Colonial oak bachelor's chest, 3 drawers
Colonial oak double dresser, 6 drawers
French Provincial canopy bed, 54 in. wide



After studying the list for ten minutes, Professor Muni put
the paper down and heaved a deep sigh. "It reads like the most
fabulous buried treasure in history," he said.

"Oh, it is not buried, Professor."

Muni sat bolt upright. "You mean these objects actually
exist?" he exclaimed.

"Most certainly they do. More of that later. First, have
you absorbed the items?"

"Yes."

"You have them in your mind's eye?"

"I do."

"Then can you answer this question: Are these treasures all
of a kind, of a style, of a taste?"

"You are obscure, Vittorio," Miss Garbo growled.

"What we want to know," Edward Everett Horton burst out,
"is whether one man could-"

"Gently, my dear Horton. Each question in its proper
sequence. Professor, perhaps I have been obscure. What I am
asking is this: Do these treasures represent one man's taste?
That is to say, could the man who-let us say-collected the
twelve-speed electric mixer also be the man who collected the
hemp outdoor `Welcome' mat?"

"If he could afford both," Muni chuckled.

"We will, for the sake of argument, say that he can afford
all the items on that list."