"Murray Leinster - Time Tunnel" - читать интересную книгу автора (Leinster Murray)

characteristic ot the whole affair ot the time-tunnels. It ap-
pears that inevitability was a part of the pattern, too.
When Harrison woke next morning, before he
opened his eyes he was aware ol' violently conflicting emo-
tional states. On the one hand, be wished bitterly that he
had never essayed to write a doctoral thesis that called for
research in the Bibliotheque Nationale. On the other, he
felt a pleasant glow in recalling that through that research
he'd sat down to brood where Pepe would find him, and
because of the research Pepe had carried him to the shop of
CarroU, Dubois et Cie, where he'd seen Valerie, and that she
remembered him with pleasure approaching affection.
Neither of the feelings could be justified. The only possible
explanation of his discoveries required either the acceptance
of an idea that was plainly insane, or that he abandon his
belief that the cosmos made sense. In the matter of Valerie
. . . But there is never a rational reason for a man to rejoice
that a certain pretty girl exists and that he has found her.
The experience, however, is universal.
When he was clothed, it was still hard to be sure that
he was in his right mind. Still, when he had his morning
coffee he felt a definite exhilaration because Valerie had
remembered him. They had lived in the same building
when they were children. They both knew people lone
gone to a better world. Valerie remembered the smaU
black dog he'd owned more than a dozen years before,
and he remembered a kitten she'd forgotten, they recalled
19
fStes, they recalled a Twelfth Night celebration of which
Valerie became queen at the age of eleven by virtue of hav-
ing the slice of cake with the bean in it, and they re-
membered the eccentricities of the concierge whom they had
occasionally outwitted. In general, they'd reminisced with a
fine enthusiasm. But it was not likely they'd have felt such
really great pleasure if, say, Harrison had married somebody
else in the years between or if Valerie had been less satis-
factory to look at.
Now, today, Harrison finished his morning coffee and
was pleased to remember that they would meet presently,
secretly, because Valerie's aunt, Madame Carroll, did not ap-
prove of her knowing young men. The prospect made Harrison
feel fully capable of facing a new day.
Then Pope arrived, fuming.
"The French," he said bitterly, "they are a noble race! I've
been asking about this Carroll, Dubois et Cie, and it's a
monstrous thing! You saw me buy a snuffbox yesterday. I
intended to send it to my grandmother. It would be just the
thing for her handbag, to hold her hay-fever pills. But I
examined it. And it is an outrage!"
Harrison biinked at him.