Чужак в чужой стране

Chapter 21

           "Once,whenIwasakidinhighschool,IwonadebateonshippingsubsidiesbyquotinganoverwhelmingargumentfromthefilesoftheBritishColonialShippingBoard.Theoppositionwastotallyunabletorefutemebecausethereneverwasa‘BritishColonialShippingBoard.’Ihadmadeitup,wholecloth.

           "Iwasequallyshamelessthismorning.TheadministrationwantedMike’s‘Larkinrights’andwasscaredsillythatwemightmakeadealwithKungorsomebody.SoIusedtheirgreedandworrytowringoutofthemthatultimatelogicalabsurdityoftheirfantasticlegaltheory,apublicacknowledgmentinunmistakablediplomaticprotocolthatMikewasasovereignequaloftheFederationitselfandmustbetreatedaccordingly!"Juballookedsmug.

           "Thereby,"Bensaiddryly,"puttingyourselfupthewell-knowncreekwithoutapaddle."

           "Ben,Ben,"Jubalsaidchidingly."Wrongmetaphor.Notacanoe,butatiger.Orathrone.BytheirownlogictheyhadpubliclycrownedMike.NeedIpointoutthat,despitetheoldsawaboutuneasyheadsandcrowns,itisneverthelesssafertobepubliclyakingthanitistobeapretenderinhiding?Akingcanusuallyabdicatetosavehisneck;apretendermayrenouncehispretensionsbutitmakeshisnecknosaferlessso,infact;itleaveshimnakedtohisenemies.No,Ben,KungsawthatMike’spositionhadbeenenormouslystrengthenedbyafewbarsofmusicandanoldsheet,evenifyoudidnotandKungdidnotlikeitabit.

Настройки
Фон страницы
Размер шрифта
Межстрочный интервал
Фразовые глаголы
Показать / Скрыть меню
Шрифт
Roboto Lora
Уведомления
Страница 402 из 801