Человек-невидимка
Mr. Thomas Marvel
"Areyerburied?"saidMr.ThomasMarvel,afteraninterval.
Therewasnoanswer.Mr.ThomasMarvelstoodbootlessandamazed,hisjacketnearlythrownoff.
"Peewit,"saidapeewit,veryremote.
"Peewit,indeed!"saidMr.ThomasMarvel. "Thisain'tnotimeforfoolery." Thedownwasdesolate,eastandwest,northandsouth;theroadwithitsshallowditchesandwhiteborderingstakes,ransmoothandemptynorthandsouth,and,saveforthatpeewit,theblueskywasemptytoo. "Sohelpme,"saidMr.ThomasMarvel,shufflinghiscoatontohisshouldersagain."It'sthedrink!Imightha'known."
"It'snotthedrink,"saidtheVoice."Youkeepyournervessteady."
"Ow!"saidMr.Marvel,andhisfacegrewwhiteamidstitspatches. "It'sthedrink!"hislipsrepeatednoiselessly. Heremainedstaringabouthim,rotatingslowlybackwards. "IcouldhavesworeIheardavoice,"hewhispered.
"Ofcourseyoudid."
"It'sthereagain,"saidMr.Marvel,closinghiseyesandclaspinghishandonhisbrowwithatragicgesture. Hewassuddenlytakenbythecollarandshakenviolently,andleftmoredazedthanever. "Don'tbeafool,"saidtheVoice.
"I'm—off—my—blooming—chump,"saidMr.Marvel."It'snogood.It'sfrettingaboutthemblarstedboots.I'moffmyblessedbloomingchump.Orit'sspirits."
"Neitheronethingnortheother,"saidtheVoice."Listen!"
