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The Stars My Destination ( Tiger! Tiger! ) :: Bester Alfred
Страница: 67 из 164He floated in after Jisbella and wedged himself into the alcove before the washbasin mirror. Jisbella braced herself on the basin, opened an ether capsule and began soaking and stripping the bandage off with hard, hating .hands. The strips of gauze peeled slowly. Foyle was in agony of suspense.
«D'you think Baker did the job?» he asked. No answer.
«Could he have missed anywhere?» The stripping continued.
«It stopped hurting two days ago.» No answer.
«For God's sake, Jiz! Is it still war between us?»
Jisbella's hands stopped. She looked at Foyle's bandaged face with hatred. «What do you think?»
«I asked you.»
«The answer is yes.» «Why?»
«You'll never understand.»
«Make me understand.» «Shut up.»
«If it's war, why'd you come with me?»
«To get what's coming to Sam and me.» «Money?»
«Shut up.»
«You didn't have to. You could have trusted me.»
«Trusted you? You?» Jisbella laughed without mirth and recommenced the peeling. Foyle struck her hands away.
«I'll do it myself.»
She lashed him across his bandaged face. «You'll do what I tell you. Be still, Ghoul!»
She continued unwinding the bandage. A strip came away revealing Foyle's eyes. They stared at Jisbella, dark and brooding. The eyelids were clean; the bridge of the nose was clean. A strip came away from Foyle's chin. It was blue-black. Foyle, watching intently in the mirror, gasped.
«He missed the chin!» he exclaimed. «Baker goofed…”
«Shut up,» Jiz answered shortly. «That's beard.»
The innermost strips came away quickly, revealing cheeks, mouth, and brow. The brow was clean. The cheeks under the eyes were clean. The rest was covered with a blue-black seven day beard.
«Shave,» Jiz commanded.
Foyle ran water, soaked his face, rubbed in shave ointment, and washed the beard off. Then he leaned close to the mirror and inspected himself, Unaware that Jisbella's head was close to his as she too stared into the mirror. Not a mark of tattooing remained. Both sighed.
«It's clean,» Foyle said. «Clean. He did the job.» Suddenly he leaned further forward and inspected himself more closely. His face looked new to him, as new as it looked to Jisbella. «I'm changed. I don't remember looking like this. Did he do surgery on me too?»
«No,» Jisbella said. «What's inside you changed it. That's the ghoul you're seeing, along with the liar and the cheat.»
«For God's sake! Lay off. Let me alone!»
«Ghoul,» Jisbella repeated, staring at Foyle's face with glowing eyes.
«D'you think Baker did the job?» he asked. No answer.
«Could he have missed anywhere?» The stripping continued.
«It stopped hurting two days ago.» No answer.
«For God's sake, Jiz! Is it still war between us?»
Jisbella's hands stopped. She looked at Foyle's bandaged face with hatred. «What do you think?»
«I asked you.»
«The answer is yes.» «Why?»
«You'll never understand.»
«Make me understand.» «Shut up.»
«If it's war, why'd you come with me?»
«To get what's coming to Sam and me.» «Money?»
«Shut up.»
«You didn't have to. You could have trusted me.»
«Trusted you? You?» Jisbella laughed without mirth and recommenced the peeling. Foyle struck her hands away.
«I'll do it myself.»
She lashed him across his bandaged face. «You'll do what I tell you. Be still, Ghoul!»
She continued unwinding the bandage. A strip came away revealing Foyle's eyes. They stared at Jisbella, dark and brooding. The eyelids were clean; the bridge of the nose was clean. A strip came away from Foyle's chin. It was blue-black. Foyle, watching intently in the mirror, gasped.
«He missed the chin!» he exclaimed. «Baker goofed…”
«Shut up,» Jiz answered shortly. «That's beard.»
The innermost strips came away quickly, revealing cheeks, mouth, and brow. The brow was clean. The cheeks under the eyes were clean. The rest was covered with a blue-black seven day beard.
«Shave,» Jiz commanded.
Foyle ran water, soaked his face, rubbed in shave ointment, and washed the beard off. Then he leaned close to the mirror and inspected himself, Unaware that Jisbella's head was close to his as she too stared into the mirror. Not a mark of tattooing remained. Both sighed.
«It's clean,» Foyle said. «Clean. He did the job.» Suddenly he leaned further forward and inspected himself more closely. His face looked new to him, as new as it looked to Jisbella. «I'm changed. I don't remember looking like this. Did he do surgery on me too?»
«No,» Jisbella said. «What's inside you changed it. That's the ghoul you're seeing, along with the liar and the cheat.»
«For God's sake! Lay off. Let me alone!»
«Ghoul,» Jisbella repeated, staring at Foyle's face with glowing eyes.