A. Belyaev - Classics fantasy – 5

– Where it left? It still will come?

Clothilda smiled:

– Will come. Only you sit quietly.

– What is her name?

– Desdemona.

And Adam began to repeat quietly:

– Dezhdemon… Dezhdemon… Dezhdemon…

The performance suddenly gained extraordinary interest. Adam lived Desdemona’s appearance, suffered from impatience when she left a scene. He still understood hardly more than one tenth of what was told on the stage, but some intuition, new to it, he quite truly estimated people depending on their attitude towards Desdemona. Othello, up to awakening in it of jealousy, excited Adam’s sympathies as well as Cassio. Rodrigo was not pleasant, he began to hate Iago.

When Othello for the first time roughly shouted on Desdemona: «Away from my eyes!» – Adam deafly grumbled. From this point he hated already and Othello.

The tragic outcome came nearer. Desdemona at herself in a bedroom sings a sad song:

The poor thing sat under the shade sikomor, sighing.

Oh, sing a green willow…

When Othello entered to Desdemona, ready to suffocate her, Adam suddenly all pricked up the ears, as at the most dangerous moments of hunting. His eyes with dry gloss monitored each movement of Othello, muscles strained, the head went to shoulders. Fingers stuck into a velvet upholstery of a barrier of a box.

Desdemona’s entreaties, Othello’s anger – all this was clear to it without words. At last while Othello began to smother Desdemona, the inhuman roar was distributed in theater – a roar which was expected by neither Shakespeare, nor the director, nor public.

The figure of the huge person grew from the dark depth of a box. One jump it flew through orchestra on the stage, ran to the actor playing Othello tore off it from Desdemona, pushed to the floor and began to smother, smother in the most real way.

From the scenes to the aid of Othello firefighters, workers, actors rushed. Among this dump Adam did not release from Desdemona’s type. Suddenly he noticed that Desdemona rose and leaves.

Adam instantly left almost lifeless Othello, scattered the firefighters who pressed him, Iago, the worker and Cassio, ran for Desdemona, picked up her as a plumelet, to hands and in the same way, through orchestra, came back to a box.

Here he seated Desdemona and began to iron her on the head as child, and it is tender, the interrupted voice spoke:

– Sidi with me, Dezhdemon. Nobody will offend you. Sidi, we will watch together there, what will be farther.

And Adam in full confidence that he watches continuation of a performance, monitored the turmoil which rose on the stage and in the auditorium.

Clothilda, pale, rose and in exhaustion fell to a chair again.

– Adam – she exclaimed – release Desdemona now, and we go home!

But Adam looked at it so that to it it became terrible.

– No – he firmly answered. – No. She will be killed. I will give nobody it…

Desdemona trembled with fear in strong hands of Adam… Clothilda lost the head. Really new scandal will burst? But it was and this time.

– Do not worry, I ask you – she addressed the actress, speaking so quickly that Adam did not understand – we go to me, and there I will manage to exempt you from the unexpected savior. We go, Adam.

Adam obediently followed Clothilda, carrying Desdemona on hands. They passed through a scene, in a side exit, called the car and soon were at home.

Adam for a minute did not leave the burden. Having come to the room, he carefully lowered Desdemona on a floor and told:

– Here nobody will touch. I will guard.

Having left the room, it closed a door and settled as a dog, on a floor, having blocked a door the body.

Adam did not get used to go so to bed late. The healthy sleep held down a mighty body at once. When he fell asleep, Clothilda, quietly going soft shoes, entered the room of the neighboring room concluded through a door, brought the actress, threw it with the coat and a shawl and, having apologized to it, sent on the car home.

Just dawned when Adam rose from the firm bed and slightly opened a door to the room.

– Dezhdemon! – quietly he called. The answer was not.

– Dezhdemon! – already with concern Adam repeated and entered the room.

The room was empty.

Deaf shout escaped from Adam’s breast. But he did not trust yet: quickly bypassing all corners and back streets of the room, he looked for Desdemona.

It was not.

The roar of a wounded animal raskatitsya on all mansion of de Troyes. Adam suddenly felt extraordinary inflow of anger. He was smothered by this anger, anger against the city where all artificial. Artificial birds, artificial animals, artificial words… And even Desdemona artificial. It disappeared, having left only a light aroma of spirits.

Adam went mad. It began to break furniture, to break vases – everything that came to it hand. These are calmed him a little.

Then he suddenly nestled to a chair on which Desdemona sat, and began to inhale the smell of perfume left by her. From a chair it went further, on this trace, having widely opened nostrils, catching a familiar smell.

In the house turmoil already rose. Everywhere servants ran. It is unknown, than it would come to an end if Adam also unexpectedly did not escape down, smelling air and having extended the head forward as a police dog.

Clothilda blocked in the room breathed a sigh of relief and began to put on hasty.

Brought morning mail. Clothilda looked at newspapers. Many of them already responded to the event which happened in theater last night.

«The saved Desdemona», «The savage in Paris», «Again Adam», «Is time to stop a disgrace» – names of notes dazzled. Almost the name of Clotilda de Troyes also was mentioned in each note along with a name of Adam.

Bernard de Troyes with the same newspaper in hands entered.

– You already read? – he asked Clothilda, having seen the newspaper lying on a floor. – So cannot proceed. It is impossible to live in one house with a leopard.

Clothilda did not object. The issue of the return moving of Adam to professor Likorn was resolved, and reported about it to professor.

Meanwhile Adam, having run out on the street, ran around the house, trying to catch Desdemona’s smell. Attracting attention passersby, he ran further and further in hope to find, at last, a trace. Without knowing the city, it found some intuition theater. But the theater was closed. Having run all over several times the building, Adam went to ransack on streets again…

Only late at night it returned to de Troyes mansion, tired, hungry and embittered.

From this day Adam became the real misfortune of the house. Almost all nights he howled as in the first days of arrival to Paris, without looking on any admonitions of Likorn, and in the afternoon it vanished on streets in search of Desdemona. He did not know that the frightened actress the next day left Paris incidentally not to catch sight to it. When he came back home, all house faded in horror. Inhabitants of a mansion sat in disturbing expectation in the locked rooms and only occasionally silently as shadows, crept along the corridor.

Adam was irritable and wanted to see nobody. Even he met Likorn gloomy and did not answer questions, than very much upset professor. So many interesting secrets should be pulled out at the primitive person for science!

Only for two beings Adam did some exception: for Dzhipsi and Anatole’s dog.

Something like a smile appeared on the lost weight and turned pale Adam’s face when he saw Anatole. And the boy appreciated this attachment. Children’s intuition he understood the tragedy

Adam who is torn off from native mountains and thrown into the boiling copper of the big city.

– Let’s leave with you – Adam spoke more than once – there, it is far … – And in it so much deep melancholy was «far» that Anatole tried to console in children’s caress big, strong and at the same time helpless as the child, the friend.

«Far» – it the word was also expensive and inaccessible to Adam, as well as Desdemona. In his soul the deaf protest boiled, and this protest at last broke outside.

There was a guest-night. One of those for which de Troyes house was famous. Among invited at the strict choice there were «necessary people» from ministerial and bank tops with the wives. Huge rooms were buried in tropical verdure. Fresh flowers decorated tables, dozens of servants finished the last preparations. All society waiting for a lunch was placed in extensive salon.

De Troyes was happy. Only one cloud saddened Bernarda this brilliant holiday. Adam… If only he did not take in head to come. But it came. Came before the most concert office, gloomy and silent. Anybody without having greeted, he took seat in a corner.

The invited famous singer sat down at a grand piano: she accompanied herself. Incidentally or deliberately, but the actress started singing Desdemona’s song:

The poor thing sat under the shade sikomor, sighing.

Oh, sing a green willow…

Adam hardened. He did not imagine that others can sing Desdemona’s song yes sir as though it is sung by her. Then it suddenly began to tremble from head to foot. His face was distorted by a suffering spasm. He seized himself by the head, then suddenly cried so that crystal on chandeliers rang out:

– It is not necessary!. – and, having run up to a grand piano, struck a cover which with a crash and a ring of strings broke.

Adam with groan ran out from salon in a corridor. In a corridor, the door to the room, had Anatole. Adam on the fly picked up the boy:

– We run… to mountains… rather…

Side exit, on the street, had several cars. Adam chose the strongest car and, having dumped the driver, took seat on his place, having put near himself Anatole and Dzhip-si. The car rushed and rushed off at reckless speed on streets of Paris at once…

Scandal in de Troyes house was picked up and inflated by the newspapers living on sensations. High visitors of an invited dinner de Troyes revolted with Adam’s behavior in return pressed the buttons to lift a newspaper campaign against the white savage. Adam became the hero of the day.

And, as it often happens, under the influence of a newspaper sensation the public opinion which was still indulgently watching eccentricities and Adam’s tricks suddenly armed against it. Newspapers demanded immediate arrest of Adam and contents it in the most strict isolation.

Adam knew nothing it. With mad speed flew on streets of Paris and sighed at last all breast when before it the country fields crossed by a tape of the highway were developed.

– Where mountains? – he asked Anatole.

The dozed-off Anatole could not think at once where he and about what mountains Adam asks. Having remembered flight, the boy suddenly felt the joyful, concerning and terrible feeling. More than once he dreamed of flight to far-away countries in search of adventures. And now the dream is fulfilled.

– Mountains – he answered Adam – is: Pyrenees, Alps… I saw the Alps… Their tops are always covered with snow…

– We go to the Alps! – in nervousness Adam said.

– But it is far… And then… We can be detained on the way.

– No, we is far … – Adam carelessly answered.

– And phone? The police by phone will let know to all cities, and we can be detained.

Adam of it did not expect. He knew how to take cover from dangers among the wild rocks covered with snow and coniferous forests, but how to escape from phones?