Книга только для ознакомления
. Since all present knew that the waiters were spies for the secret police, the conversation among the guests tended--like the food--to be elaborate and innocuous.
Talk picked up considerably with the arrival of the Ambassador from Adonia. Raoul was in full regalia; he might have gone onstage as the Sun God or even a sun itself. He was dressed all in gold, from a rayed golden headdress, to golden doublet and knee breeches and hose, to golden slippers--low-heeled, since he might possibly be going into action. Every centimeter was crusted with golden bangles and/or sequins. His eyelids were painted with gold and he wore metallic gold lipstick, of which he was evidently worded about smudging, for he kept his lips always slightly apart, was careful never to bite them or pass his tongue over them.
The Little One, trundling along at Raoul's side, wore the same raincoat and hat--a small and shabby satellite orbiting a gorgeous sun.
The majordomo pounded his staff on the polished marble floor, made his sonorous announcement. "His Excellency, the Ambassador of Adonia."
Raoul extended a shapely, gartered leg, bowed low, sweeping a large feathered fan across his body. Rising to what he assumed were admiring nmrmurs from the audience, he glanced about vaguely, accosted a passing footman, who indicated the reception line, where the President and his wife and other dignitaries waited to greet their arriving guests
|
