Berich rushed on an office, placing furniture and fitting the device.
Minetti with a grimace of mistrust monitored all this vanity. He already regretted the invention to have a good time an idiophone.
– Take seat on this chair – Berichi addressed the arrested – we will put on to you the head this beautiful hat now and we will start up the smallest electric current.
The prisoner shuddered. His face turned pale.
– From what it a time – he answered – in Italy without court execute people electricity?.
Berich loudly burst out laughing.
– Anything similar! – And he put on to himself the head a metal cap. – Here you look. This piece is so safe for life as your own head of hear. It is the new device by means of which it is possible to listen to your thoughts. And if you are innocent, then have to agree to experience willingly: we will immediately be convinced that your conscience is true as sterilized milk.
Sell interrogatively looked at the investigator.
– I warrant you, the Sell that your life out of danger – Minetti unsteadily spoke. To tell the truth, this minute he doubted safety of experience, but to recede was late.
Sell thought and, having waved a hand, took seat in a chair.
Berich were quickly put on the prisoner’s head by a metal cap and something was turned in one of boxes. Hum of the induction coil was heard. Easy current spread as a touch of ant legs, on the prisoner’s head. A sell shuddered and frowned.
– It is not sick? Even it is pleasant, isn’t that so? Also protects the head from flies. Here so. And I will take seat here, for you, I will listen in phone and to write down your innocent thoughts. You sit absolutely quietly and think about what you want.
And the inventor of an idiophone took seat in a chair with telephone earphones on the head and with a pencil and a notebook in hands.
III
There came terrible silence. The silence was broken only by hum of the induction coil. Minetg and carabineers with alarm monitored experience.
In a few minutes the Sell got used to the current passing on the head and almost did not feel it any more. But he began to test something more painful soon: fear to ruin itself a careless thought. He was exhausted from internal fight. By extraordinary effort of will he tried to distract the thoughts from dangerous memoirs. But the rebellious thought came back to these forbidden places of memory as a moth to a candle flame which will burn its wings sooner or later…
«In vain I agreed – thought the Sell – as if I was not tricked. Ah, devil take it!. If they hear my thoughts, so they already heard that I am afraid to get on their rod. What if they consider it for recognition of fault?. Nonsenses! What here recognition?. And there is no fault. However it is necessary to think of something another… Clouds… Here behind a window, in the sky, clouds float… I will think of them. Clouds… clouds… But I can think that I shot, it is simple to think: „I shot“. It is only a thought! It is everyone can think. Really these words I already accused myself?.»
From nervous tension, from a metal cap on the head, hot from a heat, and tiresome tickling of electric current at the Sell the head was turned and on all body the perspiration acted. He did not get used to operate the thoughts, usually they floated at him a train as a chain of clouds. And here it was necessary to watch himself all the time, to think of to thinking of a shot in Siena… It was over its forces.
«Nonsense, nonsense! I will consider. Time, two, three… The prime minister went in the black car with the fat secretary… four, five… Disguised detectives represented the people welcoming the „favourite“ leader… six, seven… again I think of it! Well, and that from this?. I incidentally was in the scene!. And then, it is only a thought… Anjelica … – suddenly unexpectedly thought the Sell of the wife. – As she worries!. And Mikuel is probably happy. It remained to me has to. Just about, I will think of the».
But in a few minutes his thoughts soared over the fatal area in Siena again.
Suddenly the Sell it seemed that he invented very witty way of fight against the enemy overhearing his thoughts.
«Hey, you, signor! Listen!. I shot, I did not shoot. Write down if you want, but write down everything! What, was taken?.»
Sell smiled. It became cheerful.
«If you want, the signor, I will mentally sing to you a song:
If the grief gnaws heart,
Drain a glass of wine!
The old friend – it will help,
The leu is fuller, bottoms up!.»
He mentally sang, and under words of a cheerful song is imperceptible for him as the black snake among flowers, crawled a dangerous thought…
«The bullet passed on only one finger over the prime minister’s head… She got to a show-window of shop and made a round hole in glass. Any crack… The prime minister leaned back on a back of the car and, having turned pale, looked at the fat secretary… Someone’s hands seized me by shoulders…»
Sell suddenly grew cold with horror when noticed this black snake of forbidden memoirs. He wanted to lull a song attention of the enemy, but lulled own into a false sense of security. For the first time for all life he noticed that in a brain several whole trains of ideas can proceed at the same time. One of them as the ships lit with the sun floating on a smooth surface of the sea proceed in the light of our consciousness. And others, like deep-water fishes, slide imperceptibly in depth and a gloom of subconscious life. Instead of one enemy, there was several their one whole train of ideas – thousands of chains of thoughts which it is impossible to follow … «That if everything them can be overheard this devilish device?.»
Sell grew cold. He gritted the teeth and could not constrain groan. Its nervous tension was ready to pass into a fit of hysteria. He already wanted to shout: «It is enough! I am guilty!» – it is to stop this torture rather.
And, as soon as he thought of it, hum of the induction coil suddenly stopped.
– Well, well, it is enough! – he heard the voice of Berichi which became suddenly dry and official.
– Unfortunately, you were not so innocent… During this time, as I listened to your thoughts, you more than once, not two and not three gave yourself, though tried to distract the thoughts from dangerous reminiscence… Desire to sign the application that you plead guilty to attempt!
Sell, wandering eyes, made the signature the shivering hand and, being unsteady, left an office.
IV
Minetg rushed to Berichi and embraced it.
– Ingeniously! Amazingly! You rendered me and justice extraordinary service. I am infinitely grateful to you though, of course, my gratitude is insignificant in comparison with the fact that it expects you… I admit, I very much doubted, but now…
Did not allow it to finish speaking Berich. All its humour and cheerfulness returned to the inventor of «idiophone». With dexterity of a monkey he slipped out embraces of Minetgi and, having squinted cunning left eye, asked:
– And now you trust in my invention?
And again, without having allowed to finish speaking to the investigator, he began to chatter:
– And it is vain! Absolutely in vain! My secret is invented not by me. It is invented very long time ago by that which the first shouted: «On the villain the cap burns!» Unless this proverb, in different options, does not exist at all