color very much goes to me. And fashionable magazines brought? Perfectly! What a pity that else it is impossible to do fittings. I do not know what I will have a body. It is good that it got higher than growth, with narrow hips… Develop the magazine.
And it went deep into the mysteries of beauty of dresses. Laurent did not forget about the head of professor Douel. She still looked after the head and in the mornings was engaged in reading, but on a talk there was no time left, and Laurent about much wanted to talk over with Douel. She more and more overtired and was nervous. Brike’s head haunted it minutes. Sometimes Laurent interrupted reading and was forced to run on Brike’s shout only to correct the gone-down ringlet or to answer whether there was Laurent in linen shop.
– But you do not know the sizes of your body – constraining irritation, Laurent said, hastily corrected a ringlet on Brike’s head and hurried to Douel’s head.
The thought of production of courageous operation took the Core.
Kern strenuously worked, being prepared for this difficult operation. He was for a long time locked from-headed professor Douel and talked to her. At all desire could not do without Douel Kern’s council. Douel pointed to him to a number of difficulties of which Kern did not think and which could affect the result of experience, advised to do several preliminary animal experiments and directed these experiences. And – such is there was force of intelligence of Douel – he extremely became interested in the forthcoming experience. Douel’s head as though even freshened up. His thought worked with extraordinary clarity.
The core was happy and dissatisfied with so broad help of Douel. The further work moved, the Core was convinced more that without Douel it would not cope with it.
And it needed to amuse the vanity only with the fact that implementation of this new experience will be made by it.
– You the worthy successor of the late professor Douel – Douel’s head with hardly noticeable ironical smile somehow told him. – Ah, if I could take more active part in this work!
It was not either a request, or a hint. Douel’s head too well knew that the Core will not want, will not decide to give it a new body.
The core frowned, but pretended that it did not hear this exclamation.
So, experiences with animals were crowned with success – he told. – I operated two dogs. Having beheaded them, sewed the head of one to a trunk another. Both are well, seams on a neck grow together.
– Food? – the head asked.
– Still artificial. Through a mouth I give only disinfecting solution with iodine. But I will pass to normal food soon.
In several days the Core announced:
– Dogs eat normally. Bandagings are removed, and, I think, in a day or two they will be able to run.
– Wait for about a week – the head advised. – Young dogs do the sharp movements by the head, and seams can disperse. Do not force. – «You will manage to reap monasteries» – the head wanted to add, but kept. – And one more: you keep dogs in different rooms. Together they will lift fuss and can damage to themselves.
At last day when professor Kern with a solemn air entered into the room of the head of Douel a dog with the black head and a white trunk came. The dog, probably, felt well. Her eyes were live, she cheerfully wagged a tail. Having seen the head of professor Douel, the dog suddenly tousled wool, grumbled and began a bark by a wild voice. The extraordinary show, probably, struck and frightened her.
– Spend a dog about the room – the head told.
The core walked about the room, leading a dog. Nothing escaped the swept together, sharp-sighted eye of Douel.
– And it that? – Douel asked. – The dog drops to a hind left leg a little. And voice not as it should be.
The core was confused.
– The dog limped also before operation – he told – the leg is overcome.
– Approximately it is not visible to deformation, and I can probe, alas. You could not find couple of healthy dogs? – with doubt in a voice the head asked. – I think, with me it is possible to be quite frank, dear colleague. Likely, long pottered with revival operation and too detained «a mortal pause» of a stop of warm activity and breath, and it as you have to know from my experiences, quite often leads to disorder of functions of nervous system. But calm down, such phenomena can disappear. Try only that your Brike did not limp on both legs.
The core was enraged, but tried not to give a sign. He learned in the head of former professor Douel – direct, exacting and self-confident.
«Shockingly! – the Core thought. – This hissing as the punctured tire, the head continues to teach me and to scoff at my mistakes, and I am forced, precisely the school student, to listen to its lectures… The turn of the crane, and spirit will take off from this rotten pumpkin…» However instead the Core, nothing without giving the mood, with attention listened to some more councils.
– I thank for your instructions – told the Core and, having nodded, left the room. Behind doors it became cheerful again. «No – the Core consoled itself – work is carried out perfectly. It is not so easy to please Douel. The dropping leg and a wild voice of a dog – trifles as compared it is made».
Passing through the room where Brike’s head was located, he stopped and, showing on a dog, told:
– Mademoiselle Brike, your desire will be granted soon. You see this doggie? It as well as you, was the head without body, and, look, she lives and runs indifferently.
– I am not a doggie – Brike’s head with insult answered.
– But same necessary experience. If the doggie in a new body recovered, then also you will recover.
– I do not understand at what here the doggie – stubborn went on Brike. – I do not care about a doggie. You tell better when I am recovered. Instead of it is recovering rather me, you potter with some dogs.
The core hopelessly waved a hand and, continuing to smile cheerfully, told:
– Now soon. It is only necessary to find a suitable corpse… that is a body, and you will be in a full form, as they say.
Having taken away a dog, the Core returned with centimeter in hands and carefully measured a circle of a neck of the head of Brike.
– Thirty six centimeters – he told.
– My God, really I so lost weight? – Brike’s head exclaimed. – At me was thirty eight. And I carry the size of shoes…
But the Core, without listening to it, quickly left to itself. He did not manage to take seat at the table in an office as at a door were knocked.
– Enter.
The door opened. Entered Laurent. She tried to keep quietly, but her face was with emotion.
DEFECT AND VIRTUE
– What
