"Encounter, The by Kate Wilhelm" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nebula Award Stories 7)

leaned against the wall. "Are you all right?" he asked after a few
moments.
She was holding her left shoulder. "Yes. It caught me by sur-
prise. No harm done. Did you get enough snow?"
He held up the funnel for her to see and then pushed himself
away from the wall. Again he had the impression that there was
no right side up in the small station. He held the back of one of
the benches and moved along it. "The wind took my breath away," he
said.

"Or the intense cold. I think I read that breathing in the cold causes as
many heart attacks as overexertion."

"Well, it's cold enough out there. About zero by now, I guess." He
scooped out some of the snow and held it against the thermostat. "The
furnace must be behind this wall, or under this area. Feel how warm it
is."

She put her hand on the wall and nodded. "Maybe we can fasten the
cup of snow up next to the termostat." She looked around and then
went to the bulletin board. She removed several of the notices and
schedules there and brought him the thumbtacks. Crane spilled a little
snow getting the tacks into the paper towel and then into the wall. In
a few minutes there was a rumble as the furnace came on and almost
immediately the station began to feel slightly warmer. Presently the
woman took off her coat.

"Success," she said, smiling.

"I was beginning to think it had been a mistake after all, not going to
the diner." .

..So was I."

"I think they are trying to get the snowplows going. I saw a red light a
couple of minutes ago. It went out again, but at least someone's
trying."

She didn't reply, and after a moment he said, "I'm glad you don't
smoke. I gave it up a few months ago, and it would drive me mad to
have to smell it through a night like this. Probably I'd go back to
them."

"I have some," she said. "I even smoke once in a while. If you decide
that you do want them . . . "

"No. No. I wasn't hinting."

"I just wish the lights were better in here. I could get in a whole night's
work. I often work at night."