"Mack Reynolds - Ability Quotient" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

Jim groaned and said, "All my instincts tell me not to introduce you,
Killer, but I suppose I can't get around it. Jill Masterson, Albert Alshuler.
Jill, Bert. Watch out for him, Sweetie Pie, when it comes to women, he's a
fink."

Jill held out a hand, man fashion. "Any enemy of Jim's is a friend of
mine," she said. "He has the most fascinating enemies."

Bert shook her hand and grinned. "Unfortunately, he happens to be my
closest friend." He held a chair for her. "Beer?"

"Fine."

He pushed his glass of beer over to her and ordered another for himself.

The girl looked at Jim. "We're not going to be seeing as much of each
other as we thought. I'm going to have to change my schedule. I'm
dropping both the Chaucer and the French."
 Jim said in protest, "Aw, the devil."

Bert looked at him. "Chaucer? You?"

Jim was indignant. "What's wrong with me and Chaucer? Maybe I love
all those old Greeks, too."

Jill looked at him suspiciously. "Jim Hawkins, did you sign up for that
course because I was in the class?"

The lanky one cleared his throat and looked at his watch. He jerked his
head in a gesture of resignation. "I'm going to have to go." He looked at
Bert suspiciously. "I don't trust you with my girl, old buddy."

Bert Alshuler put his hand over his heart. "You're my own old buddy."

Jim said, "Ha." He came to his feet, and said, "Don't you two do
anything I would do."

Jill said, "Ha."

When Jim was gone, Jill looked after him reflectively. "He's a nice guy,"
she said, but there was friendly camaraderie in her voice, rather than an
emotion indicating a relationship between man and woman.

He said, "Yeah. He saved my life eleven times."

She looked at him, startled. "Eleven times? Where in the name of
heavens were you?"

"Saving his life."