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- Фрэнк Норрис
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- Спрут: Калифорнийская история
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“
I
can
be
no
party
to
a
scheme
of
avowed
bribery
and
corruption
,
Mr
.
Osterman
,
”
declared
Magnus
,
a
ring
of
severity
in
his
voice
.
“
I
am
surprised
,
sir
,
that
you
should
even
broach
the
subject
in
my
hearing
.
”
“
And
,
”
cried
Annixter
,
“
it
can
’
t
be
done
.
”
“
I
don
’
t
know
,
”
muttered
Harran
,
“
maybe
it
just
wants
a
little
spark
like
this
to
fire
the
whole
train
.
”
Magnus
glanced
at
his
son
in
considerable
surprise
.
He
had
not
expected
this
of
Harran
.
But
so
great
was
his
affection
for
his
son
,
so
accustomed
had
he
become
to
listening
to
his
advice
,
to
respecting
his
opinions
,
that
,
for
the
moment
,
after
the
first
shock
of
surprise
and
disappointment
,
he
was
influenced
to
give
a
certain
degree
of
attention
to
this
new
proposition
.
He
in
no
way
countenanced
it
.
At
any
moment
he
was
prepared
to
rise
in
his
place
and
denounce
it
and
Osterman
both
.
It
was
trickery
of
the
most
contemptible
order
,
a
thing
he
believed
to
be
unknown
to
the
old
school
of
politics
and
statesmanship
to
which
he
was
proud
to
belong
;
but
since
Harran
,
even
for
one
moment
,
considered
it
,
he
,
Magnus
,
who
trusted
Harran
implicitly
,
would
do
likewise
—
if
it
was
only
to
oppose
and
defeat
it
in
its
very
beginnings
.
And
abruptly
the
discussion
began
.
Gradually
Osterman
,
by
dint
of
his
clamour
,
his
strident
reiteration
,
the
plausibility
of
his
glib
,
ready
assertions
,
the
ease
with
which
he
extricated
himself
when
apparently
driven
to
a
corner
,
completely
won
over
old
Broderson
to
his
way
of
thinking
.
Osterman
bewildered
him
with
his
volubility
,
the
lightning
rapidity
with
which
he
leaped
from
one
subject
to
another
,
garrulous
,
witty
,
flamboyant
,
terrifying
the
old
man
with
pictures
of
the
swift
approach
of
ruin
,
the
imminence
of
danger
.
Annixter
,
who
led
the
argument
against
him
—
loving
argument
though
he
did
—
appeared
to
poor
advantage
,
unable
to
present
his
side
effectively
.
He
called
Osterman
a
fool
,
a
goat
,
a
senseless
,
crazy
-
headed
jackass
,
but
was
unable
to
refute
his
assertions
.
His
debate
was
the
clumsy
heaving
of
brickbats
,
brutal
,
direct
.
He
contradicted
everything
Osterman
said
as
a
matter
of
principle
,
made
conflicting
assertions
,
declarations
that
were
absolutely
inconsistent
,
and
when
Osterman
or
Harran
used
these
against
him
,
could
only
exclaim
:
“
Well
,
in
a
way
it
’
s
so
,
and
then
again
in
a
way
it
isn
’
t
.
”
But
suddenly
Osterman
discovered
a
new
argument
.
“
If
we
swing
this
deal
,
”
he
cried
,
“
we
’
ve
got
old
jelly
-
belly
Behrman
right
where
we
want
him
.
”
