Книга только для ознакомления
. Thorby learned that he owned, or at least had, two more work suits, two pairs of soft ship's shoes, and minor items, some of which were strange, bookshelf and spool racks (empty, except for the Laws of Sisu), a drinking fountain, a bed reading light, an intercom, a clock, a mirror, a room thermostat, and gadgets which were useless to him as his background included no need. "What's that?" he asked at last.
"That? Probably the microphone to the Chief Officer's cabin. Or it may be a dummy with the real one hidden. But don't worry; almost no one in this ship speaks System English and she isn't one of the few. They talk their 'secret language' -- only it isn't secret; it's just Finnish. Each Trader ship has its own language -- one of the Terran tongues. And the culture has an over-all 'secret' language which is merely degenerate Church Latin -- and at that they don't use it; 'Free Ships' talk to each other in Interlingua."
Thorby was only half listening. He had been excessively cheered by her company and now, in contrast, he was brooding over his treatment from others. "Margaret . . . why won't they speak to people?"
"Eh?"
"You're the first person who's spoken to me!"
"Oh." She looked distressed. "I should have realized it. You've been ignored."
"Well . . . they feed me."
"But they don't talk with you. Oh, you poor dear! Thorby, they don't speak to you because you are not 'people
|
