but something stopped me from this rash thing, and stood on the very edge of the abyss into which attracted sweet dreams. I struggled but suppressed ambitions my impure souls, ready to sell themselves for only has flashed brilliant and empty tinsel benefit. The latter was good, because промолвись though I am a single word, and from me and would not behind, not отвязались, not let go of me, until we learned all. One word now threw me into the abyss of misery, and I realized it, stopped at the last moment, ready to fall down. I suddenly like saw before its mind's eye all the mountain of lies, erected me around my life, and the pit heavy and bitter reality, which ziyala near the terrible plague I was horrified the abyss lying between views about me and so actual, that, actually, I meant, that great and Tolstoy layer consecutive anyone not disclosed, not known adventures that would me now we had to lay out one after another. Hunting confess I immediately disappeared. If I wanted to confess, then, surely, disturbed me mountain lies crushed to me to death.
-Well, — concluded the commander of a battalion after the newly formed a pause, in which he is still a apparently, expecting something from me. Now, probably, it will definitely put the point in our conversation and decided on something that distracted him completely from me.
He went to my place, sat in a chair, motioned to himself standing on a desktop telephone with потрескавшимся body made of green plastic and slowly, with long pauses scored one by one the rotation of the disk a few figures on наборнике apparatus. Learn about ear to telephone the tube, he waited a few seconds in an uncomfortable, tense posture. Hand carrying a tube, hung in the air. He wasn't breathing even all this time. For these a few moments before my eyes, it's all pitched over and old. Cheek on his lean face suddenly went out, like a bulldog. Eyes подернула sad haze, through which barely differed now their alarming, quivering brilliance.
I could not understand who and where is he now calls, but on its appalling change in the person, in his waiting, tense posture felt that the conversation does not promise him any good.
"Comrade Lieutenant-General! The commander of the third division! he said, as if waking from sleep and showing me a sharp, impatient gesture of the hand, I got out of the Cabinet.
I have as much heart jumped in surprise. The mention of the head of the College put me in a mad panic, not because I was afraid, but only from the fact that once again reminded me, as if in his head was that it was not funny, not fiddling turnover. Still, whatever it was, and I was not ready to the fact that all this comes on the level of the authorities. Somewhere in the back of my mind is still not felt, and my head is still as it should be, could not meet that Охромовым indeed there was a misfortune. It was all like a game.
I went out the door, obeying persistent gestures his boss, and was in предбанничке, which was out in the corridor and the door in the next office, which housed our morale officer, who, apparently, was not, otherwise he would not have failed to visit during our conversation and be curious as it passes. Here now was dark and quiet, and, despite the fact that the wooden door to the office was closed to me I could hear a loud peal bass our the commander of a battalion.
-Comrade major General, we in the division, there was an extraordinary event! — heard from behind the door. The commander not fond of saying, "I have in the division, and said only, "we..." . — Missing cadet Охромов. Already the day, as he is not available... How am I to know... how did I ever knew before... I most reported at two in the morning... the Commander of the battery... Punish them, punish them... Well, I... We... got it... got it, comrade major General... trying to look internally... Too. Yeah... Yeah... Blame... my Fault, comrade General-major... Noah thought... thought that he'll take care, find cadet, why disturb you... There... Understand, is to blame. Not any longer... No... No... Nothing... it is Clear, now I'm coming... Yes, saw, I got his friend... A close friend... There are suspicions that the that night, when the disappeared cadet Охромов, they were together in an unauthorised absence... No... No... Asked — do not know... Silent... Yes... Well...
Here suddenly the door to the corridor opened pushing me in the back, and in the hall, entered the zampolit. He took off his cloak, all wet from the rain, getting on street, groped in the dark hanger, hung up, shaking, and then addressed me:
"Who's standing here in the dark?
"It is I, "I said, not wanting to call out his name and stupid hoping I won't know.
"Who am I? — morale officer pulled out his keys, picked up right, stuck in the door-lock clicked, and turned it opened, pushing, the door to his office.
Sunlight threw open and covered me.
-And are you! "drawled the zampolit, learn me. — Well, come in, come in, I've heard all about your adventures.
I did not understand what he meant. As he stepped over the threshold, stopped and motioned for me to him, after waiting till I come in, closed the door behind me.
"What you heard, comrade Colonel? — замполиту also recently awarded this title — " I asked, trying to understand, what is known about me that sly Fox. Our zampolit had the unique ability, knowing nothing, with a bluff on the facts reveal all and to it on the hook, thus he already not one person, therefore with him me now required special care. You keep your ear in sharply. Any, even the most insignificant trifle he was the clue he continued to dance with your questions. For this trifle he, as a Fox's tail, and pulled the much that was недомолвлено.
"How about what? Yesterday, or day before yesterday, Yes? The night before last, vanished cadet Охромов, your closest friend. He never returned from unauthorized absences. And you were in that unauthorized absence together with him.
"How do you know? I asked, but then broke off, for so thoughtless question of my mouth and gave him to the hands of the extra trump card. According to the intonation of my question, любопытствующе-relying, you can easily understand and determine that he is on the right track. I might now be more convincing in non-involvement in the incident indignant "so dirty Frank поклепом" at me, and I started asking questions. It was already half a step to failure and expose.
-As from know?.. Well, where I know is my business! — answered the zampolit. He didn't look me in the eyes, though I always tried to meet his gaze to find that there were false. He rubbed his hand in hand. Is, in General, is not important. It is important that I know. In the end, I think you're now сознаешься that was in three Russian soldiers together with Охромовым. It is so? he quickly секанул on me a glance, and, without giving awake and something answer, confirmed to myself. — So! What you are отпираешься, it will hurt you, ultimately, Yes, besides more and puzzling, confuses everything. Your friend now, it is possible in some suffering, once he can't come to school. And you instead of helping us find him, отпираешься and save his own skin. You're doing worse and yourself, and your friend. If he is absent for a valid reason, he also in this case, nothing good will not Shine. He is missing is more than a day. Will be held for three days, and then your friend railway fall under the article of the criminal legislation. He to be sued, only and only. In the best case, if he even still alive. Straight, if we find him, this case could be quickly hush up. And you don't want to tell us where it is what happened to him. You have a lot of fail. You all fail for its silence: and himself, in the first place, and the commander of a battalion, and me, and their comrades. Even the head of the College fail, because now this thing will go higher and higher. Therefore, your silence is a harm absolute harm for all people surrounding you.
He paused, watching what reaction will make me his word. I also never said anything, Although again not the shame, not something else so and wanted me to tell him the whole truth.
-May, Grisha now require our assistance. Maybe he is in need of protection, and you leave him alone, will you tell us where at least about his search. Of course, if you don't сознаешься now, обезопасишь itself is unknown, however, for how long. But then how you'll look in the faces of his friends, when they learn that you threw a friend in trouble?
-Comrade Colonel, wanted was argue I, say something in his defense, because his words hit me up for a living, beating around, and around, almost to the point, cut me to the soul on the belts. I guessed that замполиту is not known, but, somehow, he managed to catch me, that is called, for a living. Maybe he felt my guilt, subconsciously felt that he was right and therefore spoke with such confidence. And maybe it really was only bluff his sly game. I felt whatever it was that can't endure long such torture, I could not so long resistance, " comrade Colonel...
-Do not interrupt me! That's when I I say, then I will listen to, and thou shalt speak. Did you for four years, and in General still, not taught that senior interrupt is not only not good, but not culture?! So listen in silence, with respect to me, as the senior rank, and age, and senior much. Hey... How to look at you myself, Grisha? After all, if he learns how you acted at the time of his disappearance I think, that he praise you for such a "friendly" help. Perhaps he is now in serious trouble, big trouble, and you don't move even, and not what he is trying to somehow find it, help him, but we won't let them do this! Yes what you Охромову friend then?! Tell me, what are you his friend?!
Yes, you now well: nobody can prove that you were with him that night together. All are ignorant, not know where to search for the cadet, but you got to do with it. But bear in mind, that all secret becomes obvious, sooner or later — not important, because if Охромовым really something happens, you have to answer to you sooner or later for passive complicity in the crime, the victim of which he became. Thou shalt answer, because not renounced for the sake of its tranquillity and well-being is not one word to save it. Yes, you good right now: nobody can prove that you were that night together with Охромовым, " but what will you when everything POPs out? Think about it!
Your friends don't want to give you. None of them said you that night was out. But because each of them knows where you were then. They don't betray you, because we have forsaken you own the right to decide this question, 've left you alone with its the conscience. If Охромовым something happens, the main culprit of this will be you! Know that! You'll be the main culprit!
And now you can still help your friend, can help it out of trouble. One only your word can change his fate. We don't even know where to look for it, and you must help us in this...
I listened to the zampolit and a thousand conflicting emotions tore my soul apart. The suffering and torment of conscience tormented my heart: Lieutenant Colonel in your own words hit exactly in the top ten. However, fear to confess and fly into the pipe in pipe with his lies wrapped around my brain cold mist. Immediately and sadness everything that's happened, that it is impossible to improve persistently knocked at the whiskey his little hammers. Under the influence heat burning white fire coals fair words, my heart was softened, as lead over the flame, and from minute to minute had melted to drip with burning tears, заструиться tears of repentance. Oh My God! I felt like dying. Another minute, and nothing would have saved me from the disastrous repentance. I knew that I was hooked. However, do anything it was already impossible. I was now like a fish bait заглотившая together with hook and ждавшая only now, when it подсекут thoroughly." Any my трепыхания forced to pierce iron deeper into the body, and it has already helped me. I was ready to move around, the story float, Rybak to notice me, to scream замполиту: "It's pretty enough! Enough, enough! I tell you!!!" — and already scored more the air in the lungs, to make this desperate act suddenly the Cabinet became commander of division, interrupting zampolit:
-A! Here you are! Well, found something?! — he turned to замполиту.
"Wait a minute, now he will tell us everything. Another five minutes, " replied the zampolit, talking like me here and not there, and I hadn't heard.
"Well, come on, come on! — happy responded Vladimir Vladimirovich. — I'll wait. Come on then with him.
His eyes lit up joy, almost a celebration, and he groped for the handle of the door, intending to leave.
However, his appearance and this conversation had at me sobering. Fish spat the bait.
-I know nothing! "I said with a final certainty that they would never get to hear from me a word. -I have already said that that night was in the barracks and go not away.
The conversation was finished. This is evidently understood, and they. Squadron leader immediately changed his countenance: joy went with him.
-Go to the head of school! "he snapped at me turning to the door. — We are already waiting for!
The head of the College in the office, I said nothing new. Now I had already known that nobody sorry about my night absence. That was quite strange, because I know our guys, many of whom were not averse to изподтишка make another crap, but it does feel that the case is serious hurt or do not want them to thrust when the graduation from the College in different offices, but, in General, nobody wanted to interfere. Therefore determined to stand his ground I have only increased.
Of course, not come in at that moment in the Cabinet of his co commander of the division, and who knows, maybe замполиту then managed to split me. God knows how much I still managed to survive then it would be under the destructive fire verbal attack политработника. But now the conversation that played into the hands of me, not him. Zampolit go for broke, and if it were not prevented started to finish, I had no doubt that he would have won. But interrupted him, and it was his defeat and my victory. Now nobody could shake my determination to stick to the end. Even if he Охромов appeared now and has argued that that night I was with him I would, and then, probably, found strength in its present my condition, looking him straight in the face, and say that was nothing like this, and he himself does not remember anything, whether specifically trying to enter the all confusing, and tell me unnatural and unnecessary lies, — so strong and I rooted now in their lies, in its decision not to retreat, following the Covenant lie to the end, fearlessly and recklessly. I wanted to stay right in a lie, if possible.
