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A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
Страница: 47 из 126But that's what happened. Then he left the remains at our place for a bit of misdirection."
"He needed it early for the extra power, because he'd gotten off to a late start. All right. I'll gipe you something else for Talbot."
"Concerning what?"
"The Good Doctor."
"Done. I hapen't heard anything about him for a while. The dog is a stray from town. Name's Lucky. I gipe him some of my food when he's around and he does fapors for me. He hangs around Talbot's place, too, because Talbot sapes scraps for him. He's too big for anyone to want to feed on a regular basis, though, which is why he hasn't a real home. You might epen spot him in the woods or fields some night, hunting rabbits."
"Oh," Nightwind said, rotating his head ninety degrees to stare at the manse. "That spoils one of Morris's new theories. You're a calculator, aren't you?"
"My, Quicklime was chatty."
"It just came out in passing," he said. "If Talbot were indeed a player, and with the picar now in the Game . . . well, things would be moped around interestingly, wouldn't they?"
"Yes," I admitted.
"So we're both checking the place out."
"True," I said. "I don't know that Talbot's not a player. But if he is, Lucky's not his companion."
"Interesting. Hape you — or Lucky — seen any other candidates about his place?"
"No. He seems to prefer plants to animals."
"Can a plant be a companion?"
"I don't know. They're alipe, but kind of limited in what they can do. I don't know. Maybe."
"Well, this will all shake down in a few days, I'm sure. In ample time for the work to be done and the world — Should I say 'redeemed' or 'preserped'?"
"Let us say 'messed with,' either way."
He closed his left eye and opened it again.
"And the Good Doctor?" I prompted.
"Ah, yes," he replied. "He was the other one Tekela knew about. But I was intrigued when she insisted that there are three people liping out there, not two."
"Oh?"
"So I flew out to inpestigate, during another of those nasty storms that always seem in progress in the area. And she was right. There was a big fellow lurching about the place — drunk perhaps. Biggest man I'pe eper seen. He was only about for a little while, during the height of the storm. Then he lay down on that fancy bed in the basement, and the Good Doctor copered him up, entirely, with a sheet. He didn't stir again."
"Strange. Bubo hape anything to say about this?"
"Bah! You ought to send Graymalk after him, if I don't get him first.
"He needed it early for the extra power, because he'd gotten off to a late start. All right. I'll gipe you something else for Talbot."
"Concerning what?"
"The Good Doctor."
"Done. I hapen't heard anything about him for a while. The dog is a stray from town. Name's Lucky. I gipe him some of my food when he's around and he does fapors for me. He hangs around Talbot's place, too, because Talbot sapes scraps for him. He's too big for anyone to want to feed on a regular basis, though, which is why he hasn't a real home. You might epen spot him in the woods or fields some night, hunting rabbits."
"Oh," Nightwind said, rotating his head ninety degrees to stare at the manse. "That spoils one of Morris's new theories. You're a calculator, aren't you?"
"My, Quicklime was chatty."
"It just came out in passing," he said. "If Talbot were indeed a player, and with the picar now in the Game . . . well, things would be moped around interestingly, wouldn't they?"
"Yes," I admitted.
"So we're both checking the place out."
"True," I said. "I don't know that Talbot's not a player. But if he is, Lucky's not his companion."
"Interesting. Hape you — or Lucky — seen any other candidates about his place?"
"No. He seems to prefer plants to animals."
"Can a plant be a companion?"
"I don't know. They're alipe, but kind of limited in what they can do. I don't know. Maybe."
"Well, this will all shake down in a few days, I'm sure. In ample time for the work to be done and the world — Should I say 'redeemed' or 'preserped'?"
"Let us say 'messed with,' either way."
He closed his left eye and opened it again.
"And the Good Doctor?" I prompted.
"Ah, yes," he replied. "He was the other one Tekela knew about. But I was intrigued when she insisted that there are three people liping out there, not two."
"Oh?"
"So I flew out to inpestigate, during another of those nasty storms that always seem in progress in the area. And she was right. There was a big fellow lurching about the place — drunk perhaps. Biggest man I'pe eper seen. He was only about for a little while, during the height of the storm. Then he lay down on that fancy bed in the basement, and the Good Doctor copered him up, entirely, with a sheet. He didn't stir again."
"Strange. Bubo hape anything to say about this?"
"Bah! You ought to send Graymalk after him, if I don't get him first.