"hardboiled" - читать интересную книгу автора (Depolo Harold)

HARDBOILED
by HAROLD de POLO

Pete the Muscle had protective inslincts-but they were misdirected.

Pete the Muscle, leaning forward on his somewhat ornate desk, was gazing in
fond and almost ethereal fascination at the robin sitting on the nest between
the shutter and window coping. His lips, bulbously predatory in repose, had
the curve of a faint smile on them that actually made their expression tender.

Gosh, but nature was wonderful!

A discreet knock that was somehow tempered with homage, sounding on the door,
caused Pete the Muscle's heavy face to cloud. Whatever softness that had been
on his lips departed, and he spoke from the corner of his mouth in a rasping
whisper:

"Come on in quiet, you sap--quiet, I says."

"Your morning brandy and soda, Mr. Sorrenti, sir," explained the butler, coming
into the room like a beautifully geared piece of noiseless machinery. "It is
the usual hour of eleven, sir."

Mr. Sorrenti turned on the British servant whose raiment was not that worn by
those of his station in A1bion. A bit florid, too much on the side of brass
buttons and braid. In an admonitory voice he said:

"Aw right, Ernie; aw right. Ya gotta be careful, though. Gee, man, they's four
little blue eggs in that nest there. Four baby birdies is gonna be born. Cripes,
I wouldn't have no guy frighten that mother robin away for nothin'!"

"Quite so, Mr. Sorrenti, sir," said Ernest, setting the tray with brandy and
soda and ice cubes deftly down on the desk.

Pete the Muscle straightened up, trying to look dignified. His butler always
made him feel like that, when he looked the limey in the eye. Uncomfortable,
like he should act important. Sort of the way the G-men had made a guy get
nervows when they'd bust in on the rackets. He spoke pompously, in the tone
his wife said sounded "like swell society" when he wanted to use it:

"Yes, Ernest, nature is wonderful, all right--wonderful! Think of them four
little blue eggs under that bird that will be four young robins flying out
into life pretty soon! It ... it makes a man think, Ernest!"

"Quite so, Mr. Sorrenti, sir," bowed Ernest,: backing away and preparing to
depart.

"We got to be careful of them young lives, Ernest. We ... you got to come in
and leave awful quiet," he finished, with what he calculated to be a semistern
yet slightly playful smile.