| "Wait a minute," he said to the elevator operator. "I'll go ask Wagner where he wants these." | - Подожди минутку, - сказал один из них лифтеру,- нужно спросить у Вагнера, куда это? |
| He walked down the aisle to the foreman's empty desk. He turned and saw the men watching from their tables. | Дэвид подошел к столу начальника и обернулся к коллегам: |
| "Where's Wagner?" | - А где Вагнер? |
| They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment. Finally, the Sheriff answered him. "He's in the can, sneaking a smoke." | - Курит в туалете, - ответил Марголис. |
| David thanked him and walked down the back aisle to the washroom. | Дэвид направился в туалет, где Вагнер с сигаретой в руке болтал с кем-то из работников склада. |
| The foreman was talking to another man, a cigarette in his hand. David came up behind him. "Mr. Wagner?" | - Мистер Вагнер? |
| Wagner jumped. He turned around, a strange expression on his face. | Вагнер вздрогнул и удивленно обернулся. |
| "What's the matter, David?" he asked angrily. "Can't you get those heralds up?" David stared at him. The foreman was in on it, all right. They were all in on it. | - Ну, в чем дело, Дэвид? - сердито спросил он. -Ты не можешь поднять груз? - Конечно же, начальник был со всеми заодно. |
| He laughed bitterly to himself. | Дэвид усмехнулся про себя. |
| And Uncle Bernie had said it was going to be a secret. "Well," the foreman said irritably, "if you can't do it, let me know." "They're up here now. | А дядя Норман говорил, что их родство останется тайной. - Ну? - раздраженно повторил Вагнер. -Если не можешь, так и скажи. |
| I just want to know where to put them." | - Г руз уже наверху, я просто хотел спросить, куда его положить. |
| "You got them up here already?" Wagner said. | - Уже наверху? - изумился Вагнер. |
| His voice lost the faint note of sureness it had contained a moment before. | В его голосе уже не было той самоуверенности, которая звучала минуту назад. |
| "Yes, sir." | - Да, сэр. |
| Wagner threw his cigarette in the urinal. "Good," he said, a faintly puzzled look on his face. "They go over on Aisle Five. I'll show you which bins." | - Отлично, - сказал он и бросил сигарету в писсуар. - Его надо отправить на пятый склад, я тебе покажу, где это. |
| It was almost ten thirty by the time David had the racks empty and the bins filled. | Дэвид закончил разгружать поддоны примерно в половине одиннадцатого. |
| He pushed the last package of heralds into place and straightened up. | Сняв последнюю пачку, он выпрямился. |
| He felt the sweat streaming through his shirt and looked down at himself. | По телу струился пот. |
| The clean white shirt that his mother had made him wear was grimy with dust. | Выстиранная мамой рубашка была пыльная и грязная. |
| He wiped his forehead on his sleeve and walked down to the foreman's desk. | Дэвид вытер лоб рукавом и подошел к столу начальника. |
| "What do you want me to do next?" | - Что я должен делать дальше? |
| "Were there five hundred bundles?" the foreman asked. | - Там точно пятьсот стопок? |
| David nodded. | Дэвид кивнул. |
| The foreman pushed a sheet of paper toward him. | Начальник протянул ему бумагу. |
| "Initial the receipt slip, then." | - Тогда подпиши накладную. |
| David looked over the paper as he picked up a pencil. | Дэвид взял накладную: |
| It was the bill for the heralds: "500 M Heralds @ $1.00 per M-$500.00." Expensive paper, he thought, as he scribbled his initials across the bottom. | "Пятьсот пачек по десять долларов", - прочитал он и подумал: "Дорогая бумага". |
| The telephone on the desk rang and the foreman picked it up. | В это время зазвонил телефон. Начальник взял трубку. |
| "Warehouse." David could hear a voice crackling at the other end, though he could not distinguish the words. Wagner was nodding his head. | - Склад! |
| "Yes, Mr. Bond. They just came in." | Да, мистер Бонд, только что привезли. |
| Wagner looked over at David. "Get me a sample of one of those heralds," he said, shielding the phone with his hand. | Принеси экземпляр, - сказал Вагнер Дэвиду, прикрывая рукой трубку. |
| David nodded and ran down the aisle. | Дэвид кивнул и побежал на склад. |
| He pulled a herald from one of the bundles and brought it back to the foreman. | Вытащив несколько листков из пачки, он вернулся. |
| Wagner snatched it from his hand and looked at it. | Вагнер взял листок и произнес в трубку: |
| "No, Mr. Bond. It's only one color." | - Нет, мистер Бонд, они одноцветные. |
| The voice on the other end of the telephone rose to a shriek. Wagner began to look uncomfortable, and shortly afterward, put the receiver down slowly. | На другом конце раздался вопль, и на лице Вагнера появилось выражение испуга. |
| "That was Mr. Bond in purchasing." David nodded. He didn't speak. Wagner cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Those heralds we just got. It was supposed to be a two-color job." | - Нет, это те, которые мы получили, - Вагнер прочистил горло. - Но ведь предполагалось, что они будут двухцветные. |
| David looked down at the black-and-white handbill. | Дэвид посмотрел на листки. |
| He couldn't see what they were so excited about. After all, they were only throw-aways. What difference did it make whether it was one color or two? | Какая разница, одноцветные они или двухцветные? |
| "Mr. Bond says to junk 'em." | - Мистер Бонд приказал выкинуть их, - сказал Вагнер, медленно опуская трубку. |
| David looked at him in surprise. "Junk 'em?" | - Выкинуть? - удивленно переспросил Дэвид. |
| Wagner nodded and got to his feet. | Вагнер кивнул и поднялся. |
| "Get them out of the bins and downstairs again," he said. "We'll need the space. | - Тащи их вниз, нам понадобится место на складе. |
| The new ones will be here this afternoon." | После обеда привезут новые. |
| David shrugged. | Дэвид пожал плечами. |
| This was a screwy business, when something could be junked even before it was paid for. | Он не понимал, как можно выкинуть бумагу, если за нее еще даже не заплатили? |
| But it was none of his concern. | Однако его это не касалось. |
| "I'll get right on it." | - Хорошо, - сказал он. |
| It was twelve thirty when he came out on the loading platform, pushing the first rack of heralds. | В половине первого Дэвид спустился вниз с первым поддоном. |
| The platform boss yelled. | Его окликнул бригадир: |
| "Hey, where yuh goin' with that?" | - Эй! Куда это ты с ними? |
| "It's junk." | Для них нет места. |
| The platform boss walked over and looked into the elevator. "Junk, eh?" he asked. "All of it?" David nodded. "Where shall I put it?" "You ain't puttin' it no place," the boss said. "Beat it right back upstairs an' tell Wagner to shell out five bucks if he expects me to get rid of his junk." | Иди к Вагнеру и скажи, пусть гонит пять долларов, если хочет, чтобы я пристроил его барахло. |
| Again David could feel his anger rising slowly. | Дэвид снова почувствовал, как в нем закипает злоба. |