"Alexei Panshin - New Celebrations" - читать интересную книгу автора (Panshin Alexei)

achieved the drape he had been aiming for, and might have had sooner if he hadn’t been enjoying himself
so much.

His toilet completed, he considered himself in the mirror. He nodded at last and then went forth from his
quarters in search of breakfast.

He chose to be served in the Grand Hall. Villiers followed the old dictum,Live as you dress . He dressed
well. A plump, homely, good-natured girl served him an excellent breakfast. She had left the preserve
behind and went to fetch it. It was a living green jelly that grew on rotting vegetation on New
Frenchman’s Bend, and after an initial unfavorable reaction to it on first encounter, Villiers had decided
that he liked the gloppy stuff and ordered it whenever he could.

He complimented the girl on the meal when she returned.

“Why, bless you, sir,” she said. “Thank you.”

“Tell me,” he said, “do you live here in Star Well permanently?”

“Oh, no, sir.”

“You don’t mean you travel here from somewhere else every day?”

She laughed happily. “It’s a five year contract between m’lord, the Marquis, and Mr. Shirabi. I’ll be
going home to Herrendam next year with the others. I’ll be getting married.”

“Congratulations. I hope you will be very happy. Are Mr. Godwin and Levi also from Herrendam?”

“Levi Gonigle is, but Mr. Godwin was here before I came. Even before Mr. Shirabi, some say. Levi’s
ready to bust the way they’ve taken to him here. Nobody wanted to give him work before and the
Contract Master picked him out in particular. He wants to stay on after the contract. He doesn’t want to
go home.”

She excused herself as a new couple entered the room. They sat at a nearby table and the girl hurried to
serve them. Villiers turned his attention back to his meal, placing some of the jelly on his meat. It spread
itself thin and put feelers down. He gave it time to settle, time to feel comfortable before he began to eat
it.

While he waited, he amused himself by falling in love with the beautiful girl who had just sat down.
Gorgeous, indeed. He craned his head a little to see her better. Yes. A delightful girl.

The girl was expensively dressed. She was a blonde whom pink flattered. Her hair was short and worn in
tight little curls that played tweaky-fingers with each other over her forehead and around her delicate
ears. Her nose was unpresuming. Altogether a sweet and lovely thing.

Her companion, a man somewhat older than Villiers, was also well-dressed—but more by good sense
than by good taste. His figure was mediocre and he had contented himself with a cut of cloth that
concealed. In short, he looked well enough if anyone ever bothered to look his way.

As Villiers finished his meal, and as the two were themselves served, the man spoke animatedly and with
good humor. The girl, however, sat solemn throughout. For the most part, she kept her eyes on her food.