A. Belyaev - Classics fantasy – 5

© A. Belyaev, 2019

ISBN 978-5-0050-1173-2 (т. 5)

ISBN 978-5-0050-0936-4

Создано в интеллектуальной издательской системе Ridero

A strange impression was made by these ruins of times of the Roman dominion by ancient Lutetia which got lost among houses of Latin quarter. Ranks of stone half-ruined benches on which the audience once clapped, enjoying bloody entertainments, black failures of adits where hungry animals before an exit to the arena growled… And around such usual, boring Parisian houses, with the wood of pipes on roofs and hundreds of windows, it is indifferent looking at pathetic ruins of former greatness…

Travelers stopped.

Them was three: Anatole, the boy of years of ten, thin, dark-haired, with the stiffened question in sad eyes; his uncle Bernard de Troyes, «the silk king», and his wife Clothilda. Only Clothilda’s persistence forced her husband to give up urgent affairs and to undertake this «scientific expedition» – a new whim of the young woman who was fond of archeology.

Madam de Troyes, appear, was fascinated by a show. Her thin nostrils shuddered. Several times the nervous movement of a hand it put the disobedient lock of a nutbrown hair which was beaten out from under the gray silk hat decorated with a little white bird in order.

– It is necessary to force to tell these stones! – she exclaimed at last. – We made a mistake. We should arrive at night when the moon shines. The moon will bring shades of the past to life, and before us magic pictures will be developed. We will hear sounds букцин – the Roman military pipes. One their thunderous roar brought into flight of enemies… Pipes will begin to sound, and in reply to them the roar of the hungry animals who scented human meat will be distributed, and we will see how Caesar… ah… oh…

Clotilda de Troyes desperately screamed. The unexpected event interrupted poetic flight of her imagination.

Some person of years of twenty five, high, put as Hercules, with a fair-haired small beard and moustaches on a bronze face, imperceptibly crept to it and the bystry movement broke a white bird from her hat, broke off it on small pieces, bewildered began to touch fingers cotton wool shreds which filled a bird.

His eyes… Despite all fright, Clothilda could not but notice these eyes, their extraordinary blueness, brightness. In them some strange fire burned. It was no madness fire, but at the same time in eyes there was something strange that she never had to meet In them vigilance of an animal and naivety of the child. It would be possible to call a face of the stranger beautiful if not outstanding nadbrovny arches, deeply put eyes and wide nostrils. It was without hat the Long and thick fair hair covered his head.

All froze with this unclear trick of the stranger. But in the next minute Bernard de Troyes rushed to him, swinging a stick. The stranger, showing a mouth in the wide smile opening his fine strong teeth accepted it as a game. It as if teased de Troyes, running up to it and dodging from blows with dexterity and natural grace of a young panther.

And from the street some person already ran, swinging hands.

– Adam, back! – he as though on a dog shouted.

The light-haired giant reluctantly, but obediently stopped a game, having stepped aside with some muffled growl. At the same moment from other corner the police officer involved with shouts approached.

– I bring my apologies! – the person who recalled Adam shouted still from a distance, swinging a hat. – Allow to assure you that there was no evil intention. May I introduce myself… Professor of Sorbonne of department of archeology and paleontology Augustus Likorn. And this Adam… I will explain to you now…

But the become angry «silk king» wanted to hear nothing.

– This disgrace! To offend the woman…

– But allow to explain…

– Any explanations! – And, stretching to the hand shivering with anger and nervousness the business card to the police officer, de Troyes told: – Here my card and address. I ask to write down these misters and to bring the matters into court. We go!

He took the wife by an arm, nodded to Anatole, ordering it to follow himself, and quickly walked to the varnished car waiting them black.

When the fine limousine silently started at way, Anatole turned back also with children’s curiosity, looked with fear and admiration at the strange person who broke a bird from the aunt Klo’s hat.

Professor Likorn, having turned from Italyansky Boulevard into the small street Pille-Vil, shortened a stride. After noise of the boulevard the silence of this small street struck hearing. It was the silence of the temple, is more right – pagan temples of the Golden Calf. There live millionaires. Gloomy multi-storey buildings with lattices at windows of the first floor unfriendly look at rare passersby.

– It seems, … here – Professor Likorn, worrying, pressed the button of an electric call which is put in order in a grin of the bronze lion’s head. The silent door-keeper slowly opened a door, let in professor the lobby filled with plants with the big, standing at an entrance bear and called upward.

On the wide ladder covered with a dark red carpet the servant went down. Likorn stretched it the business card.

– Mister de Troyes of the house? I would like to see it on private business.

– Mister de Troyes accepts on personal records on Thursday and Saturday of nine hours twenty minutes to ten o’clock in the morning. Today you can see only his secretary.

At this moment on a ladder Clotilda de Troyes in a gray coat and a silk hat with a white bird at a board seemed. Likorn bowed and stepped aside, passing it to an exit.

Clotilda de Troyes kindly answered bow. She recognized Likorn:

– Professor Likorn! You to the husband? It is absent. What brought you here? Whether history with a bird on my hat? You see, the bird sits in the place again. Means, everything is all right.

– I really came to talk to mister de Troyes concerning that unpleasant incident which took place…

– Well, talk to me. Eventually, not the husband, and I appeared as «victim». Means, all this history – my personal record. Professor goes with me.

The servant hasty approached Likorn and respectfully took off a coat.

Likorn hardly kept up with Clothilda who quickly walked upstairs.

– Our acquaintance was started quite originally, isn’t that so? – with the same kind smile Clothilda addressed Likorn when they took seat in a drawing room in easy chairs.

– Yes – he confusedly answered – it is original, though it is not absolutely pleasant both for you, and for me. The police made the protocol, and business will be brought to trial.

– What nonsenses. I will tell the husband, and everything will be settled. Also we will not tell more about vessels, protocols and police. One of these words cut to me hearing.

At Likorn went away from heart.

– I even am very happy – Clothilda continued – that this case delivered me interesting acquaintance. I read your books about the primitive person, and very much it are pleasant to me…

Likorn bowed. He did not expect in any way to meet here the venerator of the scientific works.

– Tell, professor, this young man who caught a bird on my hat whether the wild person is that whom you found in the Himalayas in your last expedition? All newspapers wrote about it, and I terribly wanted to look at this celebrity.

– Yes, it it. The wild person, or rather the white savage whom I found in the Himalayas, at the height of several thousand feet.

Clothilda made the bystry movement.

– As it is interesting…

– Really, this white savage is of extraordinary scientific interest. He is not just a savage. It is incidentally remained copy of absolutely disappeared human breed, the last representative of people who lived many tens of thousands years ago and who as I assume, were primogenitors of the European people.

– You named him Adam?

– This name was given it for fun, and then was assigned to it. Exclusively interesting copy. But … – professor Likorn sighed – if you knew how many he brought to me cares and troubles! At first I, certainly, could not release him from prison. He had to be trained as an animal. But he missed locked up. And when it «was a little civilized», I began to take it with myself on walk. It is attached to me and is obedient as a dog.

When I for the first time went with it to the Luxembourg garden, he literally went gaga over. And before I came round, he already climbed up a tree and cried for joy so that the walking children with crying in horror jumped aside aside. The watchman hardened from such sacrilege. Another time Adam rushed to the pool of the fountain of Carnot – he wanted to bathe. At the Place de la Concorde he climbed up a horse statue, having gathered around himself crowd of gapers…

Clothilda laughed. She listened to it with great interest.

– Once, when we came back with Adam on the carrier, to him bothered to go too slowly. Adam seized the carrier by a collar, put off from a trestle, one jump of villages astride a horse and rushed off at full speed.

Clothilda again loudly burst out laughing.

– You will not retell everything. And on my head protocols, penalties, trials pour. Shampollio-na Street where we live with it, was simply completely terrorized. At first the administration of Sorbonne disentangled me from a trouble, also the Ministry of Public Education sometimes came to the rescue. But eventually they were bothered by it. Fortunately, Adam considerably settled down. He already decently speaks French. I already rejoiced that with its wild tricks is through, and here the day before yesterday this unpleasant case with you…

– Let’s not speak about this case, dear professor. Tell better as you managed to tear off from native mountains of a biped young of wild animal and to transport to Paris.

– I prepare for printing my traveling diary. If you are interested, I can give you proof-sheets.

– Lovely professor, as I am grateful to you! Tomorrow send. – Clothilda fitfully got up and reaped both hands of Likorn.

Next day the maid gave morning mail on a tray.

– It is the diary! – Clothilda exclaimed. – Mari, today I accept nobody.

When the maid left, Clothilda with nervous haste broke off a big envelope, took seat in a deep chair and began to read.

«June 11. When I went to an expedition to the Himalayas, one my colleague playfully wished me to meet among eternal snow of mountain tops «the living namesake» [73]. This wish was not executed. «The snow dwelling» [74] accepted me quite inhospitably. And in general my travel in the scientific relation went quite unsuccessfully.

I began the travel with a sole of the southern slope adjoining the Province of Assam. The mountains below covered with magnificent tropical vegetation shelter tigers, elephants, monkeys. Bright greens of all shades, from light yellow to dark blue, are decked by brighter paints of flowers of plumage of birds: parrots, pheasants, hens of the most unusual coloring. If not clouds of insects and unpleasant dampness at night and even in the afternoon, rising from the boggy lowland at a sole of mountains, this place would be worthy names of earthly paradise.

Also the second belt, at the height of 1000 meters, with its vegetation familiar to the European eye – oaks and wild chestnuts is fine.