Отруєний пояс
Chapter II. The Tide Of Death
"Totakeourlunch,"saidChallengerastheboomofagongsoundedthroughthehouse."Wehaveacookwhoseomelettesareonlyexcelledbyhercutlets.Wecanbuttrustthatnocosmicdisturbancehasdulledherexcellentabilities.MyScharzbergerof’96mustalsoberescued,sofarasourearnestandunitedeffortscandoit,fromwhatwouldbeadeplorablewasteofagreatvintage."Heleveredhisgreatbulkoffthedesk,uponwhichhehadsatwhileheannouncedthedoomoftheplanet."Come,"saidhe."Ifthereislittletimeleft,thereisthemoreneedthatweshouldspenditinsoberandreasonableenjoyment."
And,indeed,itprovedtobeaverymerrymeal.Itistruethatwecouldnotforgetourawfulsituation.Thefullsolemnityoftheeventloomedeveratthebackofourmindsandtemperedourthoughts.Butsurelyitisthesoulwhichhasneverfaceddeathwhichshiesstronglyfromitattheend.Toeachofusmenithad,foronegreatepochinourlives,beenafamiliarpresence.Astothelady,sheleaneduponthestrongguidanceofhermightyhusbandandwaswellcontenttogowhitherhispathmightlead.Thefuturewasourfate.Thepresentwasourown.Wepasseditingoodlycomradeshipandgentlemerriment.Ourmindswere,asIhavesaid,singularlylucid.EvenIstrucksparksattimes.AstoChallenger,hewaswonderful!NeverhaveIsorealizedtheelementalgreatnessoftheman,thesweepandpowerofhisunderstanding.
