"Haggard, H Rider- She" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haggard H. Rider)

much afraid of a woman as most people are of a mad dog, which
accounted for his precipitate retreat. I cannot say, however, that
young Vincey showed much aversion to feminine society on this
occasion. Indeed I remember laughing, and remarking to my friend at
the time that he was not the sort of man whom it would be desirable to
introduce to the lady one was going to marry, since it was exceedingly
probable that the acquaintance would end in a transfer of her
affections. He was altogether too good-looking, and, what is more, he
had none of that consciousness and conceit about him which usually
afflicts handsome men, and makes them deservedly disliked by their
fellows.

That same evening my visit came to an end, and this was the last I saw
or heard of "Charon" and "the Greek god" for many a long day. Indeed,
I have never seen either of them from that hour to this, and do not
think it probable that I shall. But a month ago I received a letter
and two packets, one of manuscript, and on opening the first found
that it was signed by "Horace Holly," a name that at the moment was
not familiar to me. It ran as follows:--

"---- College, Cambridge, May 1, 18--

"My dear Sir,--You will be surprised, considering the very slight
nature of our acquaintance, to get a letter from me. Indeed, I
think I had better begin by reminding you that we once met, now
some five years ago, when I and my ward Leo Vincey were introduced
to you in the street at Cambridge. To be brief and come to my
business. I have recently read with much interest a book of yours
describing a Central African adventure. I take it that this book
is partly true, and partly an effort of the imagination. However
this may be, it has given me an idea. It happens, how you will see
in the accompanying manuscript (which together with the Scarab,
the 'Royal Son of the Sun,' and the original sherd, I am sending
to you by hand), that my ward, or rather my adopted son Leo Vincey
and myself have recently passed through a real African adventure,
of a nature so much more marvellous than the one which you
describe, that to tell the truth I am almost ashamed to submit it
to you lest you should disbelieve my tale. You will see it stated
in this manuscript that I, or rather we, had made up our minds not
to make this history public during our joint lives. Nor should we
alter our determination were it not for a circumstance which has
recently arisen. We are for reasons that, after perusing this
manuscript, you may be able to guess, going away again this time
to Central Asia where, if anywhere upon this earth, wisdom is to
be found, and we anticipate that our sojourn there will be a long
one. Possibly we shall not return. Under these altered conditions
it has become a question whether we are justified in withholding
from the world an account of a phenomenon which we believe to be
of unparalleled interest, merely because our private life is
involved, or because we are afraid of ridicule and doubt being