Уловка 22

Peckem

           Itwasnottruethathewrotememorandumspraisinghimselfandrecommendingthathisauthoritybeenhancedtoincludeallcombatoperations;hewrotememoranda.Andtheproseinthememorandaofotherofficerswasalwaysturgid,stilted,orambiguous.Theerrorsofotherswereinevitablydeplorable.Regulationswerestringent,andhisdataneverwasobtainedfromareliablesource,butalwayswereobtained.GeneralPeckemwasfrequentlyconstrained.Thingswereoftenincumbentuponhim,andhefrequentlyactedwithgreatestreluctance.Itneverescapedhismemorythatneitherblacknorwhitewasacolor,andheneverusedverbalwhenhemeantoral.HecouldquotegliblyfromPlato,Nietzsche,Montaigne,TheodoreRoosevelt,theMarquisdeSadeandWarrenG.Harding.AvirginaudiencelikeColonelScheisskopfwasgristforGeneralPeckem’smill,astimulatingopportunitytothrowopenhiswholedazzlingeruditetreasurehouseofpuns,wisecracks,slanders,homilies,anecdotes,proverbs,epigrams,apophthegms,bonmotsandotherpungentsayings.HebeamedurbanelyashebeganorientingColonelScheisskopftohisnewsurroundings.

           "Myonlyfault,"heobservedwithpracticedgoodhumor,watchingfortheeffectofhiswords,"isthatIhavenofaults."ColonelScheisskopfdidn’tlaugh,andGeneralPeckemwasstunned.Aheavydoubtcrushedhisenthusiasm.

Настройки
Фон страницы
Размер шрифта
Межстрочный интервал
Фразовые глаголы
Показать / Скрыть меню
Шрифт
Roboto Lora
Уведомления
Страница 505 из 719