LITMIR.BIZ

      ISBN 978-5-0050-1124-4 (т. 8)

      ISBN 978-5-0050-0936-4

      Created with Ridero smart publishing system

      HEAD OF PROFESSOR DOUEL

      I devote to the wife my Margarita Konstantinovna Belyaeva

      FIRST MEETING

      – I ask to sit down.

      Mari Laurent fell to a deep leather chair.

      While professor Kern opened an envelope and read the letter, she fluently examined an office.

      What gloomy room! But it is good to be engaged here: nothing distracts attention. The lamp with the deaf lamp shade lights only the desk which is filled up with books, manuscripts, proof-sheets. An eye hardly distinguishes solid furniture of a black oak. Dark wall-paper, dark drapr. In the twilight only gold of imprinted covers in heavy cases gleams. The long pendulum of the old wall clock moves measuredly and smoothly.

      Having translated a look on the Core, Laurent involuntarily smiled: professor entirely corresponded to style of an office. As if the cut-down from an oak, heavy, severe figure of the Core seemed a part of furniture. Big points in a tortoise frame reminded two dials of hours. As pendulums, moved his eyes of gray-ashy color, passing from a line to a line of the letter. The rectangular nose, a direct section of eyes, a mouth and the square, given forward chin gave to the face a type of the stylized decorative mask molded by the sculptor-cubist.

      «To decorate a fireplace with such mask» – Laurent thought.

      – The colleague Sabatye spoke already about you. Yes, I need the assistant. You medichka? Perfectly. Forty francs a day. Calculation is weekly. Breakfast, lunch. But I lay down one condition…

      Having drummed a dry finger on a table, professor Kern asked an unexpected question:

      – You are able to be silent? All women are talkative. You the woman – it is bad. You are beautiful – it is even worse.

      – But what relation…

      – The closest. The beautiful woman – the woman doubly. Means, doubly possesses also female shortcomings. You can have a husband, the friend, the groom. And then all secrets to hell.

      – But…

      – No but’s! You have to be dumb as a fish. You have to be silent about everything that you will see and you will hear here. You accept this condition? Has to warn: non-execution will cause consequences, extremely unpleasant for you. Extremely unpleasant.

      Laurent was confused and interested…

      – I agree if I in all this am not present…

      – Crimes, you want to tell? You can be absolutely quiet. And you are threatened by no responsibility… Your nerves as it should be?

      – I am healthy…

      Professor Kern nodded.

      – Alcoholics, neurasthenics, epileptics, mentally ill people were not in a sort?

      – No.

      The core once again nodded.

      His dry, sharp finger stuck into the button of an electric call.

      The door silently opened.

      In the twilight of the room as on the shown photographic plate, Laurent uvidat only whites of the eyes, then patches of light of the shining face of the Black were gradually shown. Black hair and a suit merged with dark door drapr.

      – John! Show mademoiselle Loran laboratory.

      The Black nodded, suggesting to follow himself, and opened the second door.

      Laurent entered absolutely dark room.

      The switch clicked, and bright light of four opaque hemispheres filled in the room. Laurent involuntarily covered eyes. After the twilight of a gloomy office the whiteness of walls blinded… Glasses of cases with brilliant surgical instruments sparkled. With cold light steel and aluminum unfamiliar Laurent of devices burned. Warm, yellow patches of light light on the copper polished parts laid down. Pipes, coils, flasks, glass cylinders… Glass, rubber, metal…

      In the middle of the room – a big prozektorsky table. Near a table – a glass box; in it human heart pulsed. From heart there were tubes to cylinders.

      Laurent turned the head aside and suddenly uvidat something, forced it to shudder, as from electric blow.

      The human head – one head without trunk looked at it.

      It was attached to a square glass board. The board was supported by four high brilliant metal legs. From the cut arteries and veins, through openings in glass, went, having connected already in pairs, tubes to cylinders. Thicker tube left a throat and was reported with the big cylinder. The cylinder and cylinders were supplied with cranes, manometers, thermometers and unknown Laurent devices.

      The head attentively and mournfully looked at Laurent, blinking for centuries. There could not be a doubt: the head lived, separated from a body, independent and adult life.

      Despite tremendous impression, Laurent could not but notice that this head is surprisingly similar to the head of recently died famous scientist-surgeon, professor Douel who became famous for the experiences of revival of the bodies which are cut out from a fresh corpse. Laurent was at his brilliant public lectures more than once, and she well remembered this high forehead, a characteristic profile, the wavy, silvered by a gray hair thick fair hair, blue eyes… Yes, it was the head of professor Douel. Only lips and a nose of its steel are thinner, temples and cheeks was pulled in, eyes sank down in orbits more deeply and white skin got a yellow and dark shade of a mummy. But in eyes there was life, there was a thought.

      Laurent as captivated could not have a look on these blue eyes glued.

      The head silently moved lips.

      …It was too for nerves Laurent. It was close to a faint. The Black supported her and brought out of laboratory.

      – It is awful, it is awful … – Laurent repeated, having fallen to a chair.

      Professor Kern silently drummed fingers on a table.

      – Tell, really it is the head?.

      – Professor Douel? Yes, it is his head. Douel’s head, my died dear colleague restored by me to life. Unfortunately, I could revive one head. Not everything is given at once. Poor Douel had an illness incurable so far. Dying, he bequeathed the body for scientific experiences which we conducted with it together. «All my life was devoted to science. Let the science will be served also by my death. I prefer that in my corpse the friend scientist dug, but not the sepulchral worm» – here what will made professor Douel. And I received his body. I managed not only to recover his heart, but also to revive consciousness, to revive «soul», speaking to crowd language. What here awful? People considered still awful death. Unless resurrection from the dead was not a thousand-year dream of mankind?

      – I would prefer death to such revival.

      Professor Kern made uncertain gesture a hand.

      – Yes, it has the inconveniences for revived. It would be inconvenient to poor Douel to seem to public in it… an incomplete look. That is why we arrange with a secret this experience. I speak «we» because such is Douel’s desire. Besides experience is not finished yet.

      – And how professor Douel, that is his head, expressed this desire? The head can speak?

      Professor Kern for a moment was confused.

      – … the head of professor Douel does not say no. But she hears, understands and can answer with a facial expression…

      And to give the conversation another turn, professor Kern asked:

      – So, you accept my offer? Perfectly. I wait for you tomorrow by nine in the morning. But you remember:

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