Voland's hospitality
"Although it was a hot spring day, there was a log fire in the vast ancient fireplace,
yet it gave no heat and instead the visitor felt a wave of damp and cold as though he
had walked into a tomb. In front of the fireplace sat a great black tomcat on a tiger
skin rug blinking pleasurably at the fire. There was a table, the sight of which made
the God-fearing bartender shudder: it was covered with an altar cloth, and on top of it
was an army of bottles - bulbous, covered with mold and dust. Among the bottles glittered
a plate, obviously of solid gold. By the fireplace a little man, red-haired and with a
knife in his belt was roasting a piece of meat on the end of a long steel sword. The fat
dripped into the flames and the smoke curled up the chimney [..]
"Glass of wine? White or red? What sort of wine do you like at this time of the day?"
"Thanks but... I don't drink."
"You poor fellow! What about a game of dice then? Or do you prefer some other game?
Dominoes? Cards?"
"I don't gamble," replied the bartender, feeling weak and thoroughly muddled.
"How dreadful for you," said his host. "I always think, present company excluded of
course, that there's something unpleasant lurking in people who avoid drinking, gambling,
table talk and pretty women. People like that are either sick or secretly hate their
fellow men. Of course there may be exceptions. I have had some outright scoundrels sitting
at my table before now!"
[top]
[bottom]
|
