Конец вечности
Interlude
TheChangewasnearlyuponthemnow,afacthehadnottoldNoysoutofthedecentrespecthewouldhavehadforanyone’sfeelings,letalonethoseofhislove.
Yetitwasn’tadifficultdecisiontomake,thisoneadditionaltrip.Partlyitwasbravado,toshinebeforeNoys,bringherthebook-filmsfromoutthelion’smouth;partlyitwasahotdesire(whatwasthePrimitivephrase?)"tosingethebeardoftheKingofSpain,"ifhemightrefertothesmooth-checkedFingeso.
Then,too,hewouldhavethechanceonceagainofsavoringtheweirdlyattractiveatmosphereaboutadoomedhouse.
Hehadfeltitbefore,whenenteringitcarefullyduringtheperiodofgraceallowedbythespatio-temporalcharts.Hehadfeltitashewanderedthroughitsrooms,collectingclothing,small_objetsd’art_,strangecontainers,andinstrumentsfromNoys’svanitytable.
TherewasthesombersilenceofadoomedRealitythatwaspastmerelythephysicalabsenceofnoise.TherewasnowayforHarlantopredictitsanalogueinanewReality.Itmightbeasmallsuburbancottageoratenementinacitystreet.Itmightbezerowithuntamedscrublandreplacingtheparkliketerrainonwhichitnowstood.Itmight,conceivably,bealmostunchanged.And(Harlantouchedonthisthoughtgingerly)itmightbeinhabitedbytheanalogueofNoysor,ofcourse,itmightnot.
ToHarlanthehousewasalreadyaghost,aprematurespecterthathadbegunitshauntingsbeforeithadactuallydied.
