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Robert A. Heinlein - The Cat Who Walked Through Walls
Atec Февраль 29 2008 20:18:18
Книга только для ознакомления
... and one-way tourist fare to Maui on
PanAm or Qantas is-"
"Seventy-two hundred," Gwen answered, "except weekends and holidays."
"So." I punched it in. "Hmm, well over a billion crowns! One two nine six
followed by six zeroes. How interesting! How enlightening. Sethos old boy, you
may be skimming off over a hundred million a year, tax free, simply by placing
all this money you are holding for us suckers in Luna City money funds. But I
don't think you use it that way-or not all of it. I think you run your whole
enterprise using other people's money... without their knowledge or consent.
Right?"
The flunky (Ignatius?) who had fetched our accounts was listening with
intent interest.
Sethos growled. "Sign those receipts and get out."
"Oh, I shall!"
"But pay us our interest," Gwen added.
I shook my head. "No, Gwen. Anywhere but here we could sue him. Here he is
both the law and the judge. But I don't mind, Mr. Manager, as you have given me
a wonderful, salable idea for an article-Reader's Digest, probably, or Fortune.
Uh, I'll title it 'Pie in the Sky, or How to Get Rich on Other People's Money:
The Economics of Privately-Owned Space Habitats.' A hundred million a year
swindled out of the public in Golden Rule habitat alone. Something along that
line."
"You publish that and I'll sue you for everything you own!"
VII
"You can't cheat an honest man
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