Minetti vaguely lowed.
– Allow to make experience… I already disposed to bring one of five arrested, by name the Sell here.
And, without expecting the answer, Berichi opened a door and shouted:
– Enter!
Carabineers entered the arrested.
Berich rushed on an office, placing furniture and fitting the device.
Minetti with a grimace of mistrust monitored all this vanity. He already regretted the invention to have a good time an idiophone.
– Take seat on this chair – Berichi addressed the arrested – we will put on to you the head this beautiful hat now and we will start up the smallest electric current.
The prisoner shuddered. His face turned pale.
– From what it a time – he answered – in Italy without court execute people electricity?.
Berich loudly burst out laughing.
– Anything similar! – And he put on to himself the head a metal cap. – Here you look. This piece is so safe for life as your own head of hear. It is the new device by means of which it is possible to listen to your thoughts. And if you are innocent, then have to agree to experience willingly: we will immediately be convinced that your conscience is true as sterilized milk.
Sell interrogatively looked at the investigator.
– I warrant you, the Sell that your life out of danger – Minetti unsteadily spoke. To tell the truth, this minute he doubted safety of experience, but to recede was late.
Sell thought and, having waved a hand, took seat in a chair.
Berich were quickly put on the prisoner’s head by a metal cap and something was turned in one of boxes. Hum of the induction coil was heard. Easy current spread as a touch of ant legs, on the prisoner’s head. A sell shuddered and frowned.
– It is not sick? Even it is pleasant, isn’t that so? Also protects the head from flies. Here so. And I will take seat here, for you, I will listen in phone and to write down your innocent thoughts. You sit absolutely quietly and think about what you want.
And the inventor of an idiophone took seat in a chair with telephone earphones on the head and with a pencil and a notebook in hands.
III
There came terrible silence. The silence was broken only by hum of the induction coil. Minetg and carabineers with alarm monitored experience.
In a few minutes the Sell got used to the current passing on the head and almost did not feel it any more. But he began to test something more painful soon: fear to ruin itself a careless thought. He was exhausted from internal fight. By extraordinary effort of will he tried to distract the thoughts from dangerous memoirs. But the rebellious thought came back to these forbidden places of memory as a moth to a candle flame which will burn its wings sooner or later…
«In vain I agreed – thought the Sell – as if I was not tricked. Ah, devil take it!. If they hear my thoughts, so they already heard that I am afraid to get on their rod. What if they consider it for recognition of fault?. Nonsenses! What here recognition?. And there is no fault. However it is necessary to think of something another… Clouds… Here behind a window, in the sky, clouds float… I will think of them. Clouds… clouds… But I can think that I shot, it is simple to think: „I shot“. It is only a thought! It is everyone can think. Really these words I already accused myself?.»
From nervous tension, from a metal cap on the head, hot from a heat, and tiresome tickling of electric current at the Sell the head was turned and on all body the perspiration acted. He did not get used to operate the thoughts, usually they floated at him a train as a chain of clouds. And here it was necessary to watch himself all the time, to think of to thinking of a shot in Siena… It was over its forces.
«Nonsense, nonsense! I will consider. Time, two, three… The prime minister went in the black car with the fat secretary… four, five… Disguised detectives represented the people welcoming the „favourite“ leader… six, seven… again I think of it! Well, and that from this?. I incidentally was in the scene!. And then, it is only a thought… Anjelica … – suddenly unexpectedly thought the Sell of the wife. – As she worries!. And Mikuel is probably happy. It remained to me has to. Just about, I will think of the».
But in a few minutes his thoughts soared over the fatal area in Siena again.
Suddenly the Sell it seemed that he invented very witty way of fight against the enemy overhearing his thoughts.
«Hey, you, signor! Listen!. I shot, I did not shoot. Write down if you want, but write down everything! What, was taken?.»
Sell smiled. It became cheerful.
«If you want, the signor, I will mentally sing to you a song:
If the grief gnaws heart,
Drain a glass of wine!
The old friend – it will help,
The leu is fuller, bottoms up!.»
He mentally sang, and under words of a cheerful song is imperceptible for him as the black snake among flowers, crawled a dangerous thought…
«The bullet passed on only one finger over the prime minister’s head… She got to a show-window of shop and made a round hole in glass. Any crack… The prime minister leaned back on a back of the car and, having turned pale, looked at the fat secretary… Someone’s hands seized me by shoulders…»
Sell suddenly grew cold with horror when noticed this black snake of forbidden memoirs. He wanted to lull a song attention of the enemy, but lulled own into a false sense of security. For the first time for all life he noticed that in a brain several whole trains of ideas can proceed at the same time. One of them as the ships lit with the sun floating on a smooth surface of the sea proceed in the light of our consciousness. And others, like deep-water fishes, slide imperceptibly in depth and a gloom of subconscious life. Instead of one enemy, there was several their one whole train of ideas – thousands of chains of thoughts which it is impossible to follow … «That if everything them can be overheard this devilish device?.»
Sell grew cold. He gritted the teeth and could not constrain groan. Its nervous tension was ready to pass into a fit of hysteria. He already wanted to shout: «It is enough! I am guilty!» – it is to stop this torture rather.
And, as soon as he thought of it, hum of the induction coil suddenly stopped.
– Well, well, it is enough! – he heard the voice of Berichi which became suddenly dry and official.
– Unfortunately, you were not so innocent… During this time, as I listened to your thoughts, you more than once, not two and not three gave yourself, though tried to distract the thoughts from dangerous reminiscence… Desire to sign the application that you plead guilty to attempt!
Sell, wandering eyes, made the signature the shivering hand and, being unsteady, left an office.
IV
Minetg rushed to Berichi and embraced it.
– Ingeniously! Amazingly! You rendered me and justice extraordinary service. I am infinitely grateful to you though, of course, my gratitude is insignificant in comparison with the fact that it expects you… I admit, I very much doubted, but now…
Did not allow it to finish speaking Berich. All its humour and cheerfulness returned to the inventor of «idiophone». With dexterity of a monkey he slipped out embraces of Minetgi and, having squinted cunning left eye, asked:
– And now you trust in my invention?
And again, without having allowed to finish speaking to the investigator, he began to chatter:
– And it is vain! Absolutely in vain! My secret is invented not by me. It is invented very long time ago by that which the first shouted: «On the villain the cap burns!» Unless this proverb, in different options, does not exist at all people hundreds of years?. And so, I, on fashion of the twentieth century, embellished a cap which on the villain burns only electric finishing!
Minetti was struck and disappointed.
– Means, there is no invention?
– Well, not absolutely so. We nevertheless managed to achieve consciousness by means of this «invention». But it is only a game on psychology! Try to become in a corner not to think of a leopard. You will not manage it. Well, and for the Sell such «leopard» is his crime. He could not but think of him. Sure that all his thoughts are recognized, the criminal considered themselves caught what he undersigned for. Simply?.
V
Despite all severity of the prison mode, a message about the recognition of the Sell got by means of some device it became known to all for the prisoner soon.
And when brought four arrested on the case of attempt at the prime minister into an office of the investigator to declare it that they are free one of them approached the investigator and firmly told:
– I do not belong to those simpletons who confess, at least of their wine and was not still proved. But I not from those which because of the skin allow to suffer for myself innocent. A sell he is absolutely innocent. He confessed only because you drove it crazy your foolish device. I shot at the prime minister and I will shoot once again if the case is presented. And only I one have to bear the answer.
Berich which was present at the same time involuntarily reddened.
But Minetgi only with a good-natured sneer looked at him. Yes, «invention» of Berichi is not absolutely ideal. The cap was capable to burn on the head not only the villain and nearly ruined the innocent. But unless the court can exist without miscarriages of justice?. The main thing was made: responsible is found, and Minetgi waited for increase.
And what way it was reached – whether everything is equal?. If only this way brought it into Rome!.
NEITHER LIFE, NOR DEATH
I. MR. CARLSON OFFERS THE PLAN
– What you on it will tell? – Mr. Carlson asked, having ended a statement of the project.
The large coalman Gilbert answered nothing. It was in the nastiest mood. Before the arrival of Carlson the executive director told him that the situation on coal mines is worse than ever. Export falls. The Soviet oil more and more forces out competitors on Asian and even on European the markets. Banks refuse the credit. The government finds impossible further subsidizing of the large-scale coal industry. Workers worry, defiantly impose impracticable requirements, threaten to flood mines. It is necessary to find – which exit.
And at this moment as though derisively, the destiny sends some Carlson with his mad project.
Gilbert frowned the red eyebrows and rumpled long yellowish teeth an aromatic sigarette. On his shaved worried look expression of boredom stiffened. He was silent.
But Carlson not from those who are discouraged by silence. An uncertain profession and an unknown origin, the little, fussy man with the Irish accent, a short nose, black hair standing as at a hedgehog, Carlson stuck the sharp eyes into the tired, faded Gilbert’s eyes and drilled them the persistent uneasy thought.
– What you on it will tell? – he repeated the question.
– It is the devil’s work, some frozen human flesh – at last Gilbert apathetically answered and with a fastidious mine put a sigarette.
– Allow! Allow! – jumped, as on a spring, Carlson. – You, obviously, acquired to yourself my idea insufficiently?.
– I admit, I have no special desire and to acquire. It is nonsense or madness.
– Not madness, not nonsense, but the greatest invention which in skillful hands will bring to the person millions! And if you doubt, then allow you to remind history of this invention.
And Carlson began to chatter as though he answered the learned lesson:
– Anabiosis is incidentally opened by the Russian scientist Bakhmetyev. Studying temperature of insects, this scientist noticed that at gradual cooling the body temperature of an insect falls, then, reaching temperature minus nine and three tenth degrees Celsius, rise almost to zero at once, and then again falls already to ambient temperature, approximately by twenty two degrees below zero. And then the insect falls into a strange state – neither a dream, nor death: all vital processes stop, and the insect can lie, the okochenely and frozen, vaguely long time. But rather carefully and gradually to warm up an insect, and it comes to life and continues to live indifferently. From insects Bakhmetyev passed to fishes. It froze, for example, a crucian who lay in an okocheneniye, or anabiosis as Bakhmetyev called this state, several months. Warmed up, it returned to life and floated, as always.
The death of the scientist interrupted these interesting experiments, and forgot about them soon. And, as it often happens, Russians invent, and others use fruits of their inventions.
Remember Yablochkov, remember the inventor of radio telegraph Popov, remember, at last, Tsiolkovsky… So was and this time. German Shteyngauz for practical purposes used Bakhmetyev’s invention: transportations and storages of live fish. As you know, he acquired millions!
Gilbert became interested and listened to Carlson already with some attention.
– I thank you for a lecture – he told. – I receive to a table the fresh fish hooked in the remote seas. But, to admit, I was not interested in way of its freezing. This or that whether everything is equal? If only fish was absolutely fresh. And, you speak, Shteyngauz earned millions from this business?
– Tens, hundreds of millions! It now one of the richest people of Germany!
Gilbert thought.
– But it is only fishes – he told after a pause – and you offer absolutely improbable thing: to freeze people! Whether it is possible?
– Perhaps! Now it is possible! Bakhmetyev froze the animals who are exposed to hibernation, so-called cold blooded: groundhog, hedgehog, bat. As for warm-blooded animals, it did not manage to subject them to anabiosis. However the Russian scientist, professor Wagner famous for the victory over a dream invented a way to change composition of blood of warm-blooded animals, bringing closer them to blood of cold blooded animals. And it managed «to freeze» and recover a monkey already safely.
– But not the person?
– What difference?
Gilbert discontentedly shook the head, and Carlson smiled.
– I speak only from the point of view of biology and physiology. At monkeys composition of blood, absolutely identical with the person. Absolutely identical. And here to you extraordinary, but quite feasible prospects: mass freezing of people, in this case э… э … unemployed. Who does not know what whether the emergency is endured by the coal industry and one coal? Periodic crises and the unemployment accompanying them, unfortunately, constant disaster of our social order. On it any trouble-makers like communists predicting death of capitalism from the internal contradictions which are tearing apart it play. Let them do not hurry to bury capitalism! Capitalism will find a way out, and one of exits is the way offered by me!
Crisis will burst – and we will freeze the unemployed and we will fold them in special glaciers. And passes crisis, demand for working hands will appear, we will warm up them, and welcome to the mine.
Carlson was inspired and spoke, how on a tribune.
– Ha-ha-ha! – Gilbert did not keep. – Yes you joker, Mr.?.
– Carlson. And I speak absolutely seriously – Carlson took offense. This person began to occupy Gilbert.
– Yes – continuing to laugh, the coalman told – there are such nasty times when, apparently, and willingly would freeze itself about the best days! But will cost how many your mad project? It is necessary to build special buildings, to maintain special temperature in them!