Дюна
Book One: Dune
Sheremovedherhandfromthecrysknifehilt,liftedherflagontoKynes,whorespondedinkind.
OnlyPaulandthebanker—(Soo-Soo!Whatanidioticnickname!Jessicathought.)—remainedempty-handed.Thebanker’sattentionstayedfixedonKynes.Paulstaredathisplate.
Iwashandlingitcorrectly,Paulthought.Whydotheyinterfere?Heglancedcovertlyatthemaleguestsnearesthim.Prepareforviolence?Fromwhom?
Certainlynotfromthatbankerfellow.
Halleckstirred,spokeasthoughtonooneinparticular,directinghiswordsovertheheadsoftheguestsacrossfromhim:“Inoursociety,peopleshouldn’tbequicktotakeoffense.It’sfrequentlysuicidal.”Helookedatthestillsuitmanufacturer’sdaughterbesidehim.“Don’tyouthinkso,miss?”
“Oh,yes.Yes.IndeedIdo,”shesaid.“There’stoomuchviolence.Itmakesmesick.Andlotsoftimesnooffenseismeant,butpeopledieanyway.Itdoesn’tmakesense.”
“Indeeditdoesn’t,”Hallecksaid.
Jessicasawthenearperfectionofthegirl’sact,realized:Thatempty-headedlittlefemaleisnotanempty-headedlittlefemale.ShesawthenthepatternofthethreatandunderstoodthatHalleck,too,haddetectedit.TheyhadplannedtolurePaulwithsex.Jessicarelaxed.Hersonhadprobablybeenthefirsttoseeit—histraininghadn’toverlookedthatobviousgambit.
Kynesspoketothebanker:“Isn’tanotherapologyinorder?”
ThebankerturnedasicklygrintowardJessica,said:“MyLady,IfearI’veoverindulgedinyourwines.Youservepotentdrinkattable,andI’mnotaccustomedtoit.
