"Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. The Final Circle of Paradise (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

twelfth, and thirteenth highest in Europe respectively. The
city had seven men's clubs and five women's clubs, as well as
sport clubs named the Bulls and Rhinos. By a majority of
forty-six votes, someone by the name of Flim Gao had been
elected mayor. Peck was not among the municipal officials.
I put the guidebook aside, took off my jacket, and made a
thorough examination of my domain. I approved of the living
room. It was done in blue, and I like that color. The bar was
full of bottled and refrigerated victuals so that I could at a
moment's notice entertain a dozen starving guests.
I went into the study. There was a large table in front of
the window and a comfortable chair. The walls were lined with
shelves tightly filled with collected works. The clean bright
bindings were arranged with great skill so that they formed a
colorful and appealing layout. The top shelf was occupied by
the fifty-volume encyclopedia of UNESCO. Lower shelves were
kaleidoscopic with the shiny wrappers of detective novels.
As soon as I saw the telephone on the table, I dialed
Rimeyer's number, perching on the chair arm. The receiver
sounded with prolonged honkings and I waited, twirling a small
dictaphone which someone had left on the table. Rimeyer did not
answer. I hung up and inspected the dictaphone. The tape was
half-used-up, and after rewinding, I punched the playback
button.
"Greetings and more greetings," said a merry male voice.
"I clasp your hand heartily or kiss you on the cheek, depending
on your sex and age. I have lived here two months and bear
witness that it was most enjoyable. Allow me a few points of
advice. The best institution in town is the Hoity Toity in the
Park of Dreams. The best girl in town is Basi in the House of
Models. The best guy in town is me, but I have already left. On
television just watch Program Nine; everything else is chaff.
Don't get involved with Intels, and give the Rhinos a wide
berth. Don't buy anything on credit - there'll be no end to
the runaround. The widow is a good woman but loves to talk and
in general... As for Vousi, I didn't get to meet her, as she
had left the country to visit her grandmother. In my opinion
she is sweet, and there was a photograph of her in the widow's
album, but I took it. There's more: I expect to come back next
March, so be a pal, if you decide to return, pick another time.
Have a -"
Music followed abruptly. I listened awhile and turned off
the machine.
There wasn't a single tome I could extract from the
shelves, so well were they stuck in, or maybe even glued on,
and as there was nothing else of interest in the study, I went
into the bedroom.
Here it was especially cool and cozy. I have always wanted
just such a bedroom, but somehow never had the time to get
around to setting one up. The bed was big and low. On the night