Flying finish / Бурный финиш. Книга для чтения на английском языке

�But surely Julian… I mean, he hasn’t had a bad fall or anything, has he?’

He shook his head. The worry stayed in place. �Not a fall. He’s got jaundice. Got it pretty badly, poor chap. He won’t be fit again for weeks. But we’ve a grand lot of horses this year and he won’t hear of them not running just because he can’t ride them. He told me to ask you, it’s his idea.’

�It’s very good of him,’ I said sincerely. �And thank you, I’d like to ride for you very much, whenever I can.

’

�Good, then.’ He hesitated, and added, �Er… Julian told me to tell you, to ask you, if ten per cent of the prize money would be in order?’

�Thank you,’ I said. �That will be fine.’

He smiled suddenly, his heavy face lightening into wrinkles which made him look ten years younger. �I wasn’t sure about asking you, I’ll tell you that, only Julian insisted on it. There’s no nonsense about Henry, he said, and I can see he’s right.

He said Henry don’t drink much, don’t talk much, gets on with the job and expects to be paid for it. A pro at heart[127 - A pro at heart – (разг.) В душé профессионал], he says you are. Do you want expenses?’

I shook my head. �Ten per cent for winning. Nothing else.’

�Fair enough.’ He thrust out his hand and I shook it.

�I’m sorry about Julian’s jaundice,’ I said.

Mr Thackery’s lips twitched. �He said if you said that, that he hoped for the sake of our horses you were being hypocritical.

’

�Oh, subtle stuff[128 - subtle stuff – (ирон.) тонкое замечание]’. I pondered. �Tell him to get up too soon and have a relapse.’

The next afternoon I went on a flight to New York.

With Billy.

The ice between us was as cold as the rarefied air outside the pressurized stratocruiser which took us. Yardman, I reflected, wasn’t showing much sense in pushing us off together so soon, and on a two-day journey at that[129 - at that – (разг.

) к тому же].

The wide cold stare was somewhat marred by the blackish streaks and yellow smudges left by my fist, and Billy was distinctly warier than he had been on the French journeys. There were no elementary taunts this time; but at the end of everything he said to me he tacked on the words �Lord Grey,’ and made them sound like an insult.