foam, since edges of a crack in the center of a carpet. I followed its example. We threw the broken-off pieces aside and down, but they steadily emerged upward and vanished somewhere in blue of the sky.
– Alloy expensive, is a pity to lose these pieces, but my familiar pilots will catch them in network. All these pieces will fly at one height, it is not higher than ten kilometers. You see, we already decrease. Some more pieces… Wait to throw, under us, apparently, the lake. Indeed. It is necessary to drop the ballast. Take off boots!
We safely landed in thickets of a hazel grove and bound braces and belts the spoiled flying carpet that it did not depart. Came back home barefoot, hungry and excited…
Devil’s mill
– Directly from the station it is passed through all settlement the big street – Soviet. On it you also go. Dachas will terminate, the field road will begin, go on it by the sports ground down, to the small river. The small river will also have a village of Stryabtsy. Go down the street on the left all the way villages. The second house at the left – pay attention to huge oak gate – it is and there will be my giving. The hostess, Anna Tarasovna Tulikova, lives on a mill in the summer. And to a mill no distance. Just in case you descend to the hostess on bow – she is a woman strict. Tell that you came to visit me, you will spend the night and that I will arrive later.
With such parting words Ivan Stepanovich Wagner supplied me, inviting to himself to the dacha situated near Moscow. This year professor Wagner lived in Moscow as the trust of exact mechanics by its order finished a construction of some difficult device and Wagner’s presence it was necessary. Wagner spent nearly all free time in trust workshops, seldom coming out to the dacha. But this day – Saturday – works in workshops terminated early, and Wagner promised me to arrive and spend with me Sunday.
I without effort found Wagner’s dacha and went to get acquainted with Tarasovna. Despite evening, was very hot. The summer and fall that year were exclusively hot. The small rivulet Ilevka on which there was Tarasovna’s mill absolutely dried up. Without reaching a mill yet, I heard a female voice of force and height extraordinary. The voice is this, belonging to the widow Tulikova, it was remembered to me well – it directly contused eardrums. Besides Tarasovna had ability to issue so many words in a minute that even the awarded stenographer would not be able to write down and half. This time Tarasovna brought down all the machine-gun eloquence on the head of the peasant who brought rye for a grinding. The peasant scratched a shaggy beard, and Tarasovna, упершись fists in wide hips, shouted:
– You do not see, perhaps? Chicken fords the small river, and it – to grind! Here frogs took rest from the land, and you – to grind! A samovar to put waters you will not gather, and it – to grind! Yesterday the Bug drank up the last water, and you – to grind!.
«And it – to grind», «and you – to grind» – sounded as a refrain. The peasant listened long and attentively, then grunted and began to gather in a way back.
Tarasovna paid attention to me. Having learned that I am a guest of her summer resident, she lowered a voice on several tones why its shrillness did not decrease, and with forced affability invited me «to be as at home».
– Really really will not even be enough for a samovar? – I asked, cautiously glancing at the small river and feeling what in a throat at me dried up.
– Will be enough, will be enough, do not worry. We have a well. Vaska! Deliver a samovar to the guest.
I turned back and saw the guy of years of eighteen lying on a grass; it was Tarasovna’s son and her assistant – adding on a mill. Vaska it is lazy rose, stegnut a rod a grass and started wandering to the house, and Tarasovna tormented to me ears with a shrill voice for a long time, complaining of a drought, of the dried-up Ilevka, of god, of the whole world. Its mill stood, and the mill feeds it with children, feeds all year.
– And that for the people irresponsible! See: to a mosquito to get drunk will not be enough, and they – to grind. As though I refuse bread!.
– The samovar began to boil! – Vasily from the yard shouted.
– Welcome.
I did not manage to drink tea in a garden among mean apple-trees yet as I heard a familiar voice of Wagner:
The village where Evgeny missed,
There was a charming corner…
– You miss? – Wagner took seat for a little table near me. He told me that he becomes in the city, I to it – about the impressions.
– Yes, Tarasovna should help. Go after tea to it to a mill – professor offered.
And we went. Wagner was in the most cheerful mood.
– It is possible to look at the device of your mill? – he asked.
Tarasovna graciously resolved, and we with professor entered the twilight of a mill. Wagner examined its simple mechanics.
– For one and a half thousand years mills were under construction B.C., it is not enough what differing from this – Wagner told. – How many it at you in day of a namalyval?
– How many will bring, it is so much and namalyvat – Tarasovna answered. – Fifty centners, and even it is more when there is a lot of water.
– So, so. – Wagner thoughtfully nodded. – I do not promise fifty centners, but ten can be ground. For a start. And then we will look.
– Hundred! If at least hundred! – Tarasovna sighed. Wagner stood some more minutes over millstones, tried a shaft, thought and told:
– Here that, Anna Tarasovna. I will deliver you the small engine. It will only be necessary to rearrange millstones – these will be great for my engine. I will fit your old, it will be possible to make small of them. Vasily will help me. But only a promise is a promise. My engine will be in a box. Do not open this box and you do not watch what is in it, otherwise you will damage the engine, and then I will help nothing to you. Goes?
– Really! Yes of course! Yes unless I?. Be mercy!
Wagner turned to work. Vasily and I helped him.
I decided that, most likely, Wagner wants to put the small kerosene or oil engine. But why such mystery?
We worked almost till midnight. When we with Vasily fell down for fatigue and strong fell asleep, Wagner continued to work: it did not need rest.
Having woken up in the morning, I went to a mill. Wagner was there. He established quite voluminous box over millstones and now was busy with the fact that removed an iron pipe through a ceiling.
– Help me – he told.
– Chimney? – I asked.
Wagner lowed in reply something uncertain, but eyes so derisively and cheerfully glanced at me that I solved: Wagner starts something curious. It is not similar to the gazolinovy engine.
– What is in this box? – I asked.
– Engine.
