Любимые рассказы на английском / Best Short Stories

In that world, then, there was once upon a time a Commanding Officer and a Northman.[10 - Northman – норманн – 1) викинг, скандинавский мореход и воин VIII–XI вв. (истор.); 2) датчанин, норвежец или швед.] Put in the capitals, please, because they had no other names. It was a world of seas and continents and islands – ’

�Like the earth,’ she murmured, bitterly.

�Yes. What else could you expect from sending a man made of our common, tormented clay on a voyage of discovery? What else could he find? What else could you understand or care for, or feel the existence of even? There was comedy in it, and slaughter.

’

�Always like the earth,’ she murmured. �Always. And since I could find in the universe only what was deeply rooted in the fibres of my being there was love in it, too. But we won’t talk of that.

�No. We won’t,’ she said, in a neutral tone which concealed perfectly her relief – or her disappointment.

Then after a pause she added: �It’s going to be a comic story.’

�Well – ’ he paused, too. �Yes. In a way. In a very grim way. It will be human, and, as you know, comedy is but a matter of the visual angle. And it won’t be a noisy story. All the long guns in it will be dumb – as dumb as so many telescopes.’

�Ah, there are guns in it, then! And may I ask – where?’

�Afloat. You remember that the world of which we speak had its seas. A war was going on in it.

It was a funny work! and terribly in earnest. Its war was being carried on over the land, over the water, under the water, up in the air, and even under the ground. And many young men in it, mostly in wardrooms and mess-rooms, used to say to each other – pardon the unparliamentary word – they used to say, “It’s a damned bad war, but it’s better than no war at all.” Sounds flippant, doesn’t it.’

He heard a nervous, impatient sigh in the depths of the couch while he went on without a pause.

�And yet there is more in it than meets the eye. I mean more wisdom. Flippancy, like comedy, is but a matter of visual first impression. That world was not very wise. But there was in it a certain amount of common working sagacity. That, however, was mostly worked by the neutrals in diverse ways, public and private, which had to be watched; watched by acute minds and also by actual sharp eyes. They had to be very sharp indeed, too, I assure you.