Скачать книгу

have four dull years to forget. It’s all perfectly natural, I suppose, but rather foolish. Half the world is destroyed, so we caper among the ruins. You don’t seem as shocked as I expected.”

      “I’m not in the least shocked,” was the answer. “I’m only wondering how long it will last. We must pull up our socks pretty soon, or the rest of the world will go.”

      Late that night the two sat in Stannix’s rooms.

      “Well, you’ve had your look-round,” the host said. “I take it that to-night was the last lap. I hope I took you to the right places. What do you make of it all?”

      “Nothing very clear.” Adam had acquired a trick of speaking very slowly and softly, as if words were precious and had to be respectfully treated—a common thing with men who for a long season have had to forgo their own language. “There must be a time of confusion—another year at least, I should say. Everybody is self-conscious and egotistical. Creevey to-night was not trying to solve an economic problem, but to show how clever he was. The lads at the Pegasus have had too much in the way of duty and want to make pets of themselves. The dancing people were not natural—they were all trying to make-believe and play a part. That is going on for a little while till the ground begins to quake under them. I’m not wanted yet, I think.

      “And I’m not ready myself,” he went on. “I’ve been coming to realise that for some time, and now I’m sure. First of all, I’m not fit enough… Oh yes, I’m fitter than you, far fitter than most people, but I’m not in the hard training I should be in. Today I couldn’t make my body do what it ought to do. I want some good, tough, physical toil.”

      “Anything else?” Stannix asked. He smiled as he looked at Adam’s lean face, his frame without an ounce of needless flesh, and the alert poise of his head.

      “Yes, I want a spell of quiet. You see, I have been living for four years in a circus. It hasn’t damaged my nerves in the ordinary sense— they’re under pretty good control—but it has made my mind airless and stuffy. I want to get some sort of poise again, and that means being alone. What I need is space and silence—frozen silence.”

      “How are you going to find it?”

      “I’m on the road to it. I’ve been busy for weeks making arrangements with the Danish Government and with his American relatives. The day after tomorrow I sail for Iceland. I’m going to find Falconet.”

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4RZIRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgADAEAAAMAAAABII0AAAEBAAMAAAABNBUAAAECAAMAAAADAAAA ngEGAAMAAAABAAIAAAESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEVAAMAAAABAAMAAAEaAAUAAAABAAAApAEbAAUAAAAB AAAArAEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAkAAAAtAEyAAIAAAAUAAAA2IdpAAQAAAABAAAA7AAAASQA CAAIAAgALcbAAAAnEAAtxsAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENDIDIwMTkgKE1hY2ludG9zaCkA MjAxODoxMToxOCAxOTowNTo1MQAABJAAAAcAAAAEMDIyMaABAAMAAAAB//8AAKACAAQAAAABAAAD hKADAAQAAAABAAAFoAAAAAAAAAAGAQMAAwAAAAEABgAAARoABQAAAAEAAAFyARsABQAAAAEAAAF6 ASgAAwAAAAEAAgAAAgEABAAAAAEAAAGCAgIABAAAAAEAABS+AAAAAAAAAEgAAAABAAAASAAAAAH/ 2P/tAAxBZG9iZV9DTQAB/+4ADkFkb2JlAGSAAAAAAf/bAIQADAgICAkIDAkJDBELCgsRFQ8MDA8V GBMTFRMTGBEMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAENCwsNDg0QDg4QFA4O DhQUDg4ODhQRDAwMDAwREQwMDAwMDBEMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM/8AAEQgA oABkAwEiAAIRAQMRAf/dAAQAB//EAT8AAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAMAAQIEBQYHCAkKCwEAAQUB AQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAQACAwQFBgcICQoLEAABBAEDAgQCBQcGCAUDDDMBAAIRAwQhEjEFQVFhEyJx gTIGFJGhsUIjJBVSwWIzNHKC0UMHJZJT8OHxY3M1FqKygyZEk1RkRcKjdDYX0lXiZfKzhMPTdePz RieUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaGlqa2xtbm9jdHV2d3h5ent8fX5/cRAAICAQIEBAMEBQYHBwYF NQEAAhEDITESBEFRYXEiEwUygZEUobFCI8FS0fAzJGLhcoKSQ1MVY3M08SUGFqKygwcmNcLSRJNU oxdkRVU2dGXi8rOEw9N14/NGlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vYnN0dXZ3eHl6e3x//a AAwDAQACEQMRAD8A83aEUMJXY9W/xbdYxKTfSytwby1thcf+oWPi/V7qFtoq21tdxDnx/wB9Thrs g6OWyolFdUW1udE7QT9y6Sz6m9UpaHE0H4Wf+YKeN9VeqOcHNbSSCCA54IkGfcxzHNe3+Q9GlWqz 6hOba+mrMNtzHWAM9INDg37d6G177/p2/sm71vU/R1etTs9X9Ih5n1KOK/BAy/UZn5rMAO9LaWF1 ltL7S31XbtjK6bvT/P8AtH/Brdd0j63XNc2zIre15sc/c6vU3eqbdx9D6H61k+nX/N0evb6HpqVv RvrZaa3W31ONN7cqqXt9t7Z2X6U/S939RDVTh/8AMabTWM0wHd6mztjBsd9DIsodY1nUXt/RXWYz 7Mf+f9K39FVr+pzb6cXKqzZw8y5tdd7qdsM39Q9a99L7PVb9nxul/aHse3Y/7R6ddv6FdM7pf1uA 0yKgN7bA0GsAFja62VsY2jazH2Y9H6q39Wf6XvqQn9N+t5e6z7U1tjpmxr2teJOS79HYylr6tv7Q zPT9L+a9f9F/N1emdVPI9T+q9/TukV9TtuDi/JdiOoDYLXsfm1WS/d+709ljfZ/2o/4H9JhOYV3P U+jfWXMY6vLtrtrdZ6zm7mAeoDe/1P0dTPduzcr/ALe/4OvZg3/V3qFZ9za/8/8A8xRooLhFpCQC 1H9GzBy1n+d/sTDombE7W/53+xA2kObCS0P2RmTwz/O/2JIJf//Q32fXBofsuqOw8qrlZHTsu5tu Iza8fSMQrdH1Tx7ibH2nX80CEar6v14rnBo3DsT4KaIgNt2ORkd6pBTiWZY04b+Ks4uI+p0OHCv4 dVeO6CCJ7chasUWNnSU2Uq0pdEXrbm01SdQjOx/JFMMfoIVhrq3DVMJX0532cnsoWY8aQtX2DgKJ FZOo1S4lU4F+M3uNVk5nTH2/QYXeQC666qp592ilUKKm9k8SobWtIvq+cZXTLqXD1anMaeCRyg2M qYyCPkvT7m4eQzbY1rh5hZubgdOsaAam+3jRIzB0IQIka2+bbRO

Скачать книгу