– Me?
– Well, you!
– Me? – once again Carlson asked and tousled the shchetinisty hair. – I am ready! Yes, yes! I am ready! But what will become with all business? It will fall asleep together with me! No, lulling others, somebody should be awake! I am a schemer! Without such as I, the whole world would plunge into anabiosis hibernation!
Their altercations were stopped by knock of an entrance door. The office included extraordinary lean person with the scarf which is reeled up around a long neck. By the light of a strong lamp big round points of the visitor sparkled as automobile headlights. He cleared the throat and stretched issue of the newspaper.
– I according to the announcement. Hello! May I introduce myself. Eduard Lesley, astronomer.
Carlson was driven by a sphere to the visitor.
– Are very glad to get acquainted with you! I ask to sit down! You wish to subject yourself to experience? Our conditions are known to you? We will pay you the considerable sum and we will provide a family with lifelong pension in a case… um… But of course, this case will not occur!.
– It is not necessary! Khe-khe… Remuneration is not necessary. My name, apparently, says enough that I do not need money. – Lesley frowned. – At me another… to a khe-kha, damned cough…
– From the scientific purposes, so to speak?
– Yes, scientific, but only not of what you, probably, think. I am an astronomer as told you. I wrote big work about group Leonid which fell in November from the Leo constellation…
Lesley has again a fit of coughing, having grasped with a hand a breast. Having cleared the throat, he quickened and suddenly with great feeling started talking:
– This group was observed by Humboldt in South America in one thousand seven hundred ninety ninth. It perfectly described this wonderful heavenly phenomenon. Then Leonida approached Earth in the one thousand eight hundred thirty third or one thousand eight hundred sixty sixth. Waited for them through the usual period of time in thirty three – thirty four years, in one thousand eight hundred ninety ninth. But here to them there was misfortune… Da-with, misfortune! They too close approached the planet Jupiter which attraction rejected them from a usual orbit, and now they pass the way at distance of two million kilometers from Earth so they are almost invisible to us…
Lesley made a pause again to clear the throat.
Carlson for a long time expressing impatience tried to use this pause.
– Allow, dear professor, but what relation the falling Leonida’s stars, the Leo constellation and Jupiter have to our enterprise?
Lesley pulled a long neck and with some irritation tutorially noticed:
– Have patience to listen to the end, the young man! – And it, having defiantly turned on a chair, addressed Gilbert: – I am busy with difficult calculations about which I will not speak in detail. These calculations are connected with destiny of group Leonid. Accuracy of my calculations is challenged by my respectable colleague Zauyer…
Gilbert exchanged glances with Carlson. Whether they deal with the maniac?
This eye was caught by Lesley, and, with irritation having pulled a neck, it ended the speech, having sent the round points to a ceiling as if calibrating the thoughts to the sky:
– I am sick… the last stage of tuberculosis.
– But you at the wrong door addressed, dear professor! – Carlson told.
