"E.Voiskunsky, I.Lukodyanov. The Crew Of The Mekong (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

painting. "So that a person could stretch out on the water, the way she's
doing."
"But what for?"
Nikolai lifted his shoulders. "I don't know. It simply occurred to me."
"An interesting point," Privalov said after a pause, during which he
glanced about again. "But first you would have to examine the question of
just what a surface is in general." He looked first at Nikolai, then at
Yura, then began to talk. He loved to discuss scientific problems, and when
some point caught his fancy he could talk about it for hours.
A cluster of people formed around them as first one passer-by stopped
to listen, then a second, then a third.
"Boris! Where've you disappeared to?" a woman's voice called.
Privalov stopped short. "I'm here. Olga," he said to a round-faced,
thick-set woman who was pushing her way towards him through the crowd. "I
ran into a couple of my men-"
"So I see." The woman glanced with distaste at the painting. "How could
you stand here looking at that abomination?"
"Good morning," said Yura, an earnest smile on his face. "You see, it's
really our fault-"
"How do you do," the woman replied. "Come, Boris. I've found a
hand-chased copper jug for your collection-if someone hasn't snatched it up
already."
Privalov nodded to the two young men and followed his wife. But after a
few steps he halted and squatted to examine a pile of metal junk.
"Here's the block you're looking for, boys," he called.
Nikolai came over to him, picked up the block and examined it. "It'll
do," he said.
"Boris!" Privalov's wife called.
"Just a moment." Still squatting on his haunches, Privalov pushed his
glasses up onto his forehead and studied a small bar of rusty iron that he
had picked up. He tapped it with a forefinger.
Nikolai paid for the block. With a wave of his hand the owner of the
pile of junk threw in the bar of rusty iron for the same price. Privalov
wrapped it in a page from a newspaper and put it in his pocket.
"What do you want the piece of iron for?" Yura asked.
"Oh, it just caught my eye. Well, so long, Siamese twins."
"We're thinking of going out in the boat to take a look at the site,"
said Nikolai, lowering his voice.
Privalov's face brightened. "That's a good idea, a wonderful idea, in
fact. I was just- Wait a moment-"
Ho stepped over to his wife and whispered something to her.
"Of course not!" she exclaimed. "What talk can there be about the
pipeline? Today's Sunday and everybody's off."
"Sunday is a working day on the project because the power supply is
better than on weekdays."
"But you wanted to look for some old copper wares, Boris."
"I'll get along meanwhile," Privalov said firmly. "Now don't fret,
Olga. I'm sorry but I must go. I'll be back for dinner."
With a sigh, Olga gazed reproachfully at her husband's back.
Privalov and his young companions left the bazaar, took a trolleybus