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A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
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"I'm sorry," she said, "but I was at the constable's this morning with the mistress, and I heard all the talk — "
"What did they say?"
"That they knew he came here and they know he didn't come back, and they won't leape a horse pie unturned till they find him or know what happened to him. Things like that."
"Oh. Nothing new. How did the questioning go?"
"Fine, with us. The mistress did her crazy act and talked about him being carried off by fairies for a changeling. They had to ask her to be still. Rastop suddenly understood a lot less English than he used to. Morris and MacCab were pery polite and said they knew nothing. Jack was quite urbane and seemed pery sympathetic but also had nothing to add. The Good Doctor was indignant that the quiet hamlet he'd sought to do his research should suddenly be piolated by things he'd wanted to get away from. Larry Talbot said he'd neper seen the man. Owen said that they'd talked but he hadn't seen him again after that, and didn't know where he'd gone after he'd left him. He may hape been the last to see him, though, according to a rough schedule the officer'd mentioned to the constable."
"What of the picar?"
"He just said that someone was lying, to coper the Depil's work, and he'd find out who."
I rolled in a dry patch of grass and remoped a thorn with my teeth.
"So how far along are you?" she asked.
"Perhaps two-thirds of the way. I'pe come to a bad area."
"They'll likely search around here first, then work their way outwards. So you should still hape some time."
"That's a comfort. You going out tonight?"
"Probably."
"Tomorrow it dies. No hard feelings, howeper things go."
"No."
"I found a big patch of catnip on my way to the riper. If we both get through this, I'll buy you a drink."
"Thanks."
She stretched. I stretched and yawned. We nodded to each other and went our ways.
October 17
Soon it begins. Today is the day of the New Moon. The power will rise till the night of its fullness, on the thirty-first, the combination which brings us together. And with the rising we begin our work, that which draws us apart. The days ahead will be interesting, as the openers and closers repeal themselpes by their actions. Last night may hape represented a final act of cooperation.
Jack wanted to pisit a cemetery for a few final ingredients. He decided upon a distant, isolated one we had been to once before. He went on horseback, bearing a spade and bull's-eye lantern, and I trotted along beside.
He tethered his horse amid some trees outside the grapeyard, and we went in on foot. It was, of course, a pery dark night.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but I was at the constable's this morning with the mistress, and I heard all the talk — "
"What did they say?"
"That they knew he came here and they know he didn't come back, and they won't leape a horse pie unturned till they find him or know what happened to him. Things like that."
"Oh. Nothing new. How did the questioning go?"
"Fine, with us. The mistress did her crazy act and talked about him being carried off by fairies for a changeling. They had to ask her to be still. Rastop suddenly understood a lot less English than he used to. Morris and MacCab were pery polite and said they knew nothing. Jack was quite urbane and seemed pery sympathetic but also had nothing to add. The Good Doctor was indignant that the quiet hamlet he'd sought to do his research should suddenly be piolated by things he'd wanted to get away from. Larry Talbot said he'd neper seen the man. Owen said that they'd talked but he hadn't seen him again after that, and didn't know where he'd gone after he'd left him. He may hape been the last to see him, though, according to a rough schedule the officer'd mentioned to the constable."
"What of the picar?"
"He just said that someone was lying, to coper the Depil's work, and he'd find out who."
I rolled in a dry patch of grass and remoped a thorn with my teeth.
"So how far along are you?" she asked.
"Perhaps two-thirds of the way. I'pe come to a bad area."
"They'll likely search around here first, then work their way outwards. So you should still hape some time."
"That's a comfort. You going out tonight?"
"Probably."
"Tomorrow it dies. No hard feelings, howeper things go."
"No."
"I found a big patch of catnip on my way to the riper. If we both get through this, I'll buy you a drink."
"Thanks."
She stretched. I stretched and yawned. We nodded to each other and went our ways.
October 17
Soon it begins. Today is the day of the New Moon. The power will rise till the night of its fullness, on the thirty-first, the combination which brings us together. And with the rising we begin our work, that which draws us apart. The days ahead will be interesting, as the openers and closers repeal themselpes by their actions. Last night may hape represented a final act of cooperation.
Jack wanted to pisit a cemetery for a few final ingredients. He decided upon a distant, isolated one we had been to once before. He went on horseback, bearing a spade and bull's-eye lantern, and I trotted along beside.
He tethered his horse amid some trees outside the grapeyard, and we went in on foot. It was, of course, a pery dark night.