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

I found a telephone booth, and rang information for Peck
Xenai's number and address. I was asked to wait. As usual, the
booth smelled of cats. The plastic shelf was covered with
telephone numbers and obscene images. Someone had carved quite
deeply, as with a knife, the strange word "SLUG." I opened the
door, to lighten the string atmosphere, and watched the
opposite shady side of the street, where a barman stood in
front of his establishment in a white jacket with rolled-up
sleeves, smoking a cigarette. Then I was told that according to
the data at the beginning of the year, Peck resided at No. 31
Liberty Street, number 11-331. I thanked the operator and
dialed the number at once. A strange voice told me that I had a
wrong number. Yes, the number was correct, and so was the
address, but no Peck lived there, and if he had, they didn't
know when he left or where he had gone. I hung up, left the
booth, and crossed the street to the shady side.
Catching my eye, the barman came to life and said from
afar, "Come in, why don't you?"
"Don't know that I'd like to," I said.
"So you won't be friendly, eh?" he said. "Come in anyway.
We'll have a talk. I feel bored."
I stopped.
"Tomorrow morning," I said, "at ten o'clock, at the
university, there will be a philosophy lecture on Neo-optimism.
It will be given by the renowned Doctor Opir from the capital.
The barman listened with avid interest - he even stopped
inhaling.
"How do you like that!" he said. "So they have come to
that! The day before yesterday, they chased all the girls out
of a night club, and now they'll be having lectures. We'll show
them lectures!"
"It's about time," I said.
"I don't let them in," he continued, getting more
animated. "I have a sharp eye for them. A guy could be just
approaching the door, when I can spot him for an Intel
'Fellows,' I say, 'an Intel is coming.' And the boys are all
well picked; Dodd himself is here every night after training.
So, he gets up and meets this Intel at the door, and I don't
even know what goes on between them, but be passes him on
elsewhere. Although it's true that sometimes they travel in
bunches. In that case, so there wouldn't be a to-do, we lock
the door - let them knock. That's the right way, isn't it?"
'That's okay by me," I said. I had had enough of him.
There are people who pall unusually quickly. "Let them."
"What do you mean - let them?"
"Let them knock. In other words, knock on any door."
The barman looked at me with growing alertness.
"What say you move on," he said.
"How about a quick one," I offered.
"Move along, move along," he said. "You won't get served