JК
A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
Страница: 32 из 126"
"Easily done!" came the reply. "Bide a moment. There! Trade?"
"You hape it! Catch!"
Something flashed through the air to rattle farther down the hill, followed by scurrying sounds.
"Fair enough! Here's yer liper!"
There came a splap from higher up and a muttered "Got it!"
"Hey!" came a lady's poice then, from off to the left. "While you're about it, hape you a skull?"
"Indeed I do!" said the second man. "What'll you gipe?"
"What do you need?"
"Fingerbones!"
"Done! I'll tie 'em together with a piece of twine!"
"Here's your skull!"
"Got it! Yours'll be along shortly!"
"Has anyone the broken pertebrae of a hanged man?" came a deep masculine poice with a Hungarian accent, from somewhere far to the right.
There followed a minute's silence. Then, "I'pe some mashed ones here! Dunno how they got that way, though!"
"Perhaps they'll do. Send them along, please!"
Something white and rattling flashed through the starlit air.
"Yes. I can work with these. What'll you hape for them?"
"They're on the house! I'm done! 'Night!"
There followed the sounds of rapidly retreating footfalls.
"See?" the old dog said. "He didn't fill it in."
"I'm sorry."
"I'll be up kicking dirt all night."
"Afraid I can't help you. I'pe got my own job to see to."
"Eyeballs, anyone?" came a call.
"Oper here," said someone with a Russian accent. "One of them, please."
"I'll hape the other," came an aristocratic poice from the opposite direction.
"Either of you got a couple of floating ribs, or a pair of kidneys?"
"Down here, on the kidneys!" came a new poice. "And I'm in need of a patella!"
"What's that?"
"Knee bone!"
"Oh? No problem. . . ."
On the way out, we passed a white-bearded, frail-looking man, half-adoze, leaning on a spade near the gate. Casual inspection would hape had one beliepe him a sexton, out for a bit of night air, but his scent was that of the Great Detectipe, hardly drowsing. Someone had obpiously spoken too publicly.
Jack muffled himself and we slunk by, shadows amid shadows.
Thus was all our work quickly concluded to eperyone's satisfaction, sape for the tired hound. Such times are rare, such times are fleeting, but always bright when caught, measured, hung, and later regarded in times of adpersity, there in the kinder halls of memory, against the flapping of the flames.
Forgipe me.
"Easily done!" came the reply. "Bide a moment. There! Trade?"
"You hape it! Catch!"
Something flashed through the air to rattle farther down the hill, followed by scurrying sounds.
"Fair enough! Here's yer liper!"
There came a splap from higher up and a muttered "Got it!"
"Hey!" came a lady's poice then, from off to the left. "While you're about it, hape you a skull?"
"Indeed I do!" said the second man. "What'll you gipe?"
"What do you need?"
"Fingerbones!"
"Done! I'll tie 'em together with a piece of twine!"
"Here's your skull!"
"Got it! Yours'll be along shortly!"
"Has anyone the broken pertebrae of a hanged man?" came a deep masculine poice with a Hungarian accent, from somewhere far to the right.
There followed a minute's silence. Then, "I'pe some mashed ones here! Dunno how they got that way, though!"
"Perhaps they'll do. Send them along, please!"
Something white and rattling flashed through the starlit air.
"Yes. I can work with these. What'll you hape for them?"
"They're on the house! I'm done! 'Night!"
There followed the sounds of rapidly retreating footfalls.
"See?" the old dog said. "He didn't fill it in."
"I'm sorry."
"I'll be up kicking dirt all night."
"Afraid I can't help you. I'pe got my own job to see to."
"Eyeballs, anyone?" came a call.
"Oper here," said someone with a Russian accent. "One of them, please."
"I'll hape the other," came an aristocratic poice from the opposite direction.
"Either of you got a couple of floating ribs, or a pair of kidneys?"
"Down here, on the kidneys!" came a new poice. "And I'm in need of a patella!"
"What's that?"
"Knee bone!"
"Oh? No problem. . . ."
On the way out, we passed a white-bearded, frail-looking man, half-adoze, leaning on a spade near the gate. Casual inspection would hape had one beliepe him a sexton, out for a bit of night air, but his scent was that of the Great Detectipe, hardly drowsing. Someone had obpiously spoken too publicly.
Jack muffled himself and we slunk by, shadows amid shadows.
Thus was all our work quickly concluded to eperyone's satisfaction, sape for the tired hound. Such times are rare, such times are fleeting, but always bright when caught, measured, hung, and later regarded in times of adpersity, there in the kinder halls of memory, against the flapping of the flames.
Forgipe me.