Reading three fat men. Olesha Yuri Karlovich - (School Library). Three fat men. Night of the Strange Doll

Yuri Olesha

Three Fat Men

Dedicated to Valentina Leontievna Gryunzaid

Part one. Rope walker Tibul

Chapter I. The Restless Day of Dr. Gaspard Arnery

The time of wizards is over. In all likelihood, they never actually existed. All this is fiction and fairy tales for very young children. It's just that some magicians knew how to deceive all sorts of onlookers so cleverly that these magicians were mistaken for sorcerers and wizards.

There was such a doctor. His name was Gaspar Arneri. A naive person, a fairground reveler or a half-educated student could also take him for a magician. In fact, this doctor did such amazing things that they really looked like miracles. Of course, he had nothing to do with wizards and charlatans who fooled too gullible people.

Dr. Gaspard Arneri was a scientist. Perhaps he studied about a hundred spiders. In any case, there was no one in the country wiser and more learned than Gaspard Arnery.

Everyone knew about his scholarship: the miller, the soldiers, the ladies, and the ministers. And the schoolchildren sang a whole song about him with such a refrain;

How to fly from earth to the stars
How to catch a fox by the tail.
How to make steam out of stone
Our doctor Gaspar knows.

Once, when it stood out very good weather, in the summer, in June, Dr. Gaspard Arneri decided to go on a long walk to collect some species of grasses and beetles.

Dr. Gaspard was a middle-aged man and therefore was afraid of rain and wind. When he left the house, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck, put on goggles against dust, took a cane so as not to stumble, and generally went for a walk with great precautions.

This time the day was wonderful; the sun did nothing but shine; the grass was so green that there was even a sensation of sweetness in the mouth; dandelions flew, birds whistled, a light breeze fluttered like an airy ball gown.

That's good, - said the doctor, - but you still need to take a raincoat, because summer weather deceptive. It can start raining.

The doctor took care of the household chores, blew on his spectacles, grabbed his box, a sort of green leather suitcase, and left.

Most interesting places were outside the city, where the Palace of the Three Fat Men was located. The doctor visited these places most often. The Palace of the Three Fat Men stood in the middle of a huge park. The park was surrounded by deep channels. Black iron bridges hung over the canals. The bridges were guarded by palace guards: guardsmen in black oilcloth hats with yellow feathers. Meadows covered with flowers, groves and ponds swirled around the park to the very heavenly line. This was a great place to walk. Here grew up the most interesting breeds grasses, the most beautiful beetles rang here, and the most skillful birds sang.

“But walking is a long way. I will go to the city rampart and hire a cab. He will take me to the palace park, thought the doctor.

There were more people near the city rampart than usual.

“Is today Sunday? the doctor doubted. - Don't think. Today is Tuesday".

The doctor stepped closer.

The whole area was crowded with people. The doctor saw craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs; sailors with faces the color of clay; wealthy townspeople in colored waistcoats, with their wives whose skirts looked like rose bushes; merchants with decanters, trays, ice cream makers and braziers; skinny street actors, green, yellow and motley, as if sewn from a blanket; very small guys pulling red funny dogs by the tails.

Everyone crowded in front of the city gates. Huge, house-high, iron gates were tightly closed.

"Why are the gates closed?" the doctor wondered.

The crowd was noisy, everyone was talking loudly, shouting, cursing, but it was really impossible to make out anything.

The doctor approached a young woman holding a fat gray cat on her arm and asked:

Kindly explain what is going on here. Why are there so many people, what is the reason for their excitement, and why are the city gates closed?

Guardsmen do not let people out of the city ...

Why aren't they released?

So that they do not help those who have already left the city and went to the Palace of the Three Fat Men ...

I don't understand anything, citizen, and I beg your pardon...

Oh, don't you know that today the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibul have led the people to storm the Palace of the Three Fat Men?

Gunsmith Prospero?

Yes, citizen... The rampart is high, and on the other side guards riflemen sat down. No one will leave the city, and those who went with the gunsmith Prospero will be killed by the palace guards.

Indeed, several very distant shots rang out.

The woman dropped the fat cat. The cat plopped down like raw dough. The crowd roared.

“So I missed such a significant event,” thought the doctor. - True, I left the room for a whole month. I worked in lockdown. I didn't know anything..."

At this time, even farther, the cannon hit several times. Thunder bounced like a ball and rolled in the wind. Not only the doctor was frightened and hurriedly retreated a few steps, but the whole crowd shied away and collapsed. The children began to cry, the pigeons flew away with a crackling of their wings, the dogs sat down and began to howl.

A strong cannon fire began. The noise rose unimaginable. The crowd pressed on the gate and shouted:

Prospero! Prospero!

Down with the Three Fat Men!

Dr. Gaspar was completely taken aback. He was recognized in the crowd because many knew his face. Some rushed to him, as if seeking protection from him.

But the doctor almost cried himself.

What's going on there? How would you know what is going on behind the gates? Maybe the people are winning, or maybe to be already everyone was shot.

Then about ten people ran in the direction where three narrow streets began from the square. On the corner was a house with a tall old tower. Together with the others, the doctor decided to climb the tower. Downstairs was a laundry room, similar to a bathhouse. It was as dark as a basement there. A spiral staircase led up. Light penetrated through the narrow windows, but there was very little of it, and everyone climbed slowly, with great difficulty, especially since the staircase was torn and with broken railings. It is not difficult to imagine how much work and excitement it cost Dr. Gaspard to climb to the top floor. In any case, even on the twentieth step, in the darkness, his cry was heard:

Oh, my heart is breaking and I've lost my heel!

The doctor lost his cloak even on the square, after the tenth shot from the cannon.

At the top of the tower was a platform surrounded by stone railings. From here, there was a view of at least fifty kilometers around. There was no time to admire the view, although the view deserved it. Everyone looked in the direction where the battle was taking place.

I have binoculars. I always carry 8-glass binoculars with me. Here it is, - said the doctor and unfastened the strap.

Binoculars passed from hand to hand.

Dr. Gaspar saw a lot of people in the green space. They ran towards the city. They ran away. From a distance, people looked like colorful flags. Guardsmen on horseback chased the people.

Dr. Gaspar thought it all looked like a picture of a magic lantern. The sun shone brightly, the greenery shone. The bombs exploded like pieces of cotton wool, the flames appeared for one second, as if someone was letting sunbeams into the crowd. The horses prancing, rearing up and spinning like a top.

The park and the Palace of the Three Fat Men were shrouded in white transparent smoke.

They run!

They run... The people are defeated!

The fleeing people were approaching the city. Whole heaps of people fell down the road. It seemed that multi-colored shreds were pouring onto the greenery.

The bomb whistled over the square.

Someone, frightened, dropped the binoculars. The bomb exploded, and everyone who was at the top of the tower rushed back, down, inside the tower.

The locksmith caught on a hook with a leather apron. He looked around, saw something terrible and yelled at the whole square:

Run! They've got the gunsmith Prospero! They're about to enter the city...

A commotion began on the square. The crowd backed away from the gate and ran from the square to the streets. Everyone went deaf from the gunfire.

Dr. Gaspard and two others stopped on the third floor of the tower. They looked out of a narrow window punched into the thick wall.

Only one could look right. The rest watched with one eye. The doctor also looked with one eye. But even for one eye, the sight was scary enough.

The huge iron gates swung open to their full width. About three hundred people flew into these gates at once. They were craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs. They fell, covered in blood. Guards jumped over their heads. They cut with sabers and fired with guns. Yellow feathers fluttered, black oilcloth hats sparkled, horses opened their red mouths, twisted their eyes and scattered foam.

three fat men

PART ONE

ROPE WALKER TIBUL

DR. GASPAR ARNERY'S TROUBLE DAY

The time for wizards is over. In all likelihood, they never actually existed. All these are fiction and fairy tales for very young children. It's just that some magicians knew how to deceive all sorts of onlookers so cleverly that these magicians were mistaken for sorcerers and wizards.

There was such a doctor. His name was Gaspar Arneri. A naive person, a fair reveller, a half-educated student could also take him for a magician. In fact, this doctor did such amazing things that they really looked like miracles. Of course, he had nothing to do with wizards and charlatans who fooled too gullible people.

Dr. Gaspard Arneri was a scientist. Perhaps he studied about a hundred sciences. In any case, there was no one in the country wiser and more learned than Gaspard Arnery.

Everyone knew about his learning: the miller, the soldiers, the ladies, and the ministers. And the schoolchildren sang a song about him with the following refrain:

How to fly from earth to the stars

How to catch a fox by the tail

How to make steam out of stone

Our doctor Gaspar knows.

One summer, in June, when the weather was very fine, Dr. Gaspard Arneri decided to go on a long walk to collect some species of tavas and beetles.

Dr. Gaspard was a middle-aged man and therefore was afraid of rain and wind. When he left the house, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck, put on goggles against dust, took a cane so as not to stumble, and generally went for a walk with great precautions.

This time the day was wonderful; the sun did nothing but shine; the grass was so green that there was even a sensation of sweetness in the mouth; dandelions flew, birds whistled, a light breeze fluttered like an airy ball gown.

“That’s good,” said the doctor, “but you still need to take a raincoat, because the summer weather is deceptive. It can start raining.

The doctor ordered about the housework, blew on his glasses, grabbed his box, like a suitcase, made of green leather and went.

The most interesting places were outside the city - where the Palace of the Three Fat Men was located. The doctor visited these places most often. The Palace of the Three Fat Men stood in the middle of a huge park. The park was surrounded by deep canals. Black iron bridges hung over the canals. The bridges were guarded by the palace guards - guardsmen in black oilcloth hats with yellow feathers. Around the park, up to the very heavenly line, there were meadows covered with flowers, groves and ponds. This was a great place to walk. Here grew the most interesting species of grass, here the most beautiful beetles rang and the most skillful birds sang.

“But walking is a long way. I will go to the city rampart and find a cab. He will take me to the palace park, thought the doctor.

There were more people near the city rampart than ever.

“Is today Sunday? the doctor doubted. - Don't think. Today is Tuesday".

The doctor stepped closer.

The whole area was crowded with people. The doctor saw craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs; sailors with faces the color of clay; wealthy townspeople in colored waistcoats, with their wives whose skirts looked like rose bushes; merchants with decanters, trays, ice cream makers and braziers; skinny street actors, green, yellow and motley, as if sewn from a patchwork quilt; very small guys pulling red funny dogs by the tails.

Everyone crowded in front of the city gates. Huge, as high as a house, iron gates were tightly closed.

"Why are the gates closed?" the doctor wondered.

The crowd was noisy, everyone was talking loudly, shouting, cursing, but it was really impossible to make out anything. The doctor approached a young woman holding a fat gray cat in her arms and asked:

– Could you please explain what is going on here? Why are there so many people, what is the reason for their excitement and why are the city gates closed?

“Guards don’t let people out of the city…

Why aren't they released?

- So that they do not help those who have already left the city and went to the Palace of the Three Fat Men.

“I don’t understand anything, citizen, and I ask you to forgive me…”

“Ah, don’t you know that today the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibul led the people to storm the Palace of the Three Fat Men?”

“Prospero the gunsmith?”

- Yes, citizen ... The rampart is high, and on the other side guards riflemen sat down. No one will leave the city, and those who went with the gunsmith Prospero will be killed by the palace guards.

Indeed, several very distant shots rang out.

The woman dropped the fat cat. The cat plopped down like raw dough. The crowd roared.

“So I missed such a significant event,” thought the doctor. “It’s true, I didn’t leave the room for a whole month. I worked in lockdown. I didn't know anything..."

At this time, even further, the cannon hit several times. Thunder bounced like a ball and rolled in the wind. Not only the doctor was frightened and hurriedly retreated a few steps - the whole crowd shied away and collapsed. The children cried; the doves flew away with a flurry of wings; the dogs sat down and howled.

Heavy cannon fire began. The noise rose unimaginable. The crowd pressed on the gate and shouted:

- Prospero! Prospero!

- Down with the Three Fat Men!

Dr. Gaspar was completely taken aback. He was recognized in the crowd because many knew him by sight. Some rushed to him, as if seeking protection from him. But the doctor almost cried himself.

“What is going on there? How would you know what is going on there, behind the gate? Maybe the people are winning, or maybe everyone has already been shot!”

Then about ten people ran in the direction where three narrow streets began from the square. On the corner was a house with a tall old tower. Together with the rest, the doctor decided to climb the tower. Downstairs was a laundry room, similar to a bathhouse. It was as dark as a basement there. A spiral staircase led up. Light penetrated through the narrow windows, but there was very little of it, and everyone climbed slowly, with great difficulty, especially since the staircase was dilapidated and with broken railings. It is easy to imagine how much work and excitement it cost Dr. Gaspard to climb to the top floor. In any case, even on the twentieth step, in the darkness, his cry was heard:

“Ah, my heart is bursting, and I have lost my heel!”

The doctor lost his cloak even on the square, after the tenth shot from the cannon.

At the top of the tower was a platform surrounded by stone railings. From here, there was a view of at least fifty kilometers around. There was no time to admire the view, although the view deserved it. Everyone looked in the direction where the battle was taking place.

- I have binoculars. I always carry 8-glass binoculars with me. Here it is, - said the doctor and unfastened the strap.

Binoculars passed from hand to hand.

Dr. Gaspar saw a lot of people in the green space. They ran towards the city. They ran away. From a distance, people looked like colorful flags. Guardsmen on horseback chased the people.

Dr. Gaspar thought it all looked like a picture of a magic lantern. The sun shone brightly, the greenery shone. The bombs exploded like pieces of cotton; the flame appeared for one second, as if someone was letting sunbeams into the crowd. The horses prancing, rearing up and spinning like a top. The park and the Palace of the Three Fat Men were shrouded in white transparent smoke.

- They run!

- They are running ... The people are defeated!

The fleeing people were approaching the city. Whole heaps of people fell down the road. It seemed that multi-colored shreds were pouring onto the greenery.

Chapter 1
DR. GASPAR ARNERY'S TROUBLE DAY

The time for wizards is over. In all likelihood, they never actually existed. All these are fiction and fairy tales for very young children. It's just that some magicians knew how to deceive all sorts of onlookers so cleverly that these magicians were mistaken for sorcerers and wizards.

There was such a doctor. His name was Gaspar Arneri. A naive person, a fair reveller, a half-educated student could also take him for a magician. In fact, this doctor did such amazing things that they really looked like miracles. Of course, he had nothing to do with wizards and charlatans who fooled too gullible people.

Dr. Gaspard Arneri was a scientist. Perhaps he studied about a hundred sciences. In any case, there was no one in the country wiser and more learned than Gaspard Arnery.

Everyone knew about his learning: the miller, the soldiers, the ladies, and the ministers. And the schoolchildren sang a song about him with the following refrain:

How to fly from earth to the stars
How to catch a fox by the tail
How to make steam out of stone
Our doctor Gaspar knows.

One summer, in June, when the weather was very fine, Dr. Gaspard Arneri decided to go on a long walk to collect some species of tavas and beetles.

Dr. Gaspard was a middle-aged man and therefore was afraid of rain and wind. When he left the house, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck, put on goggles against dust, took a cane so as not to stumble, and generally went for a walk with great precautions.

This time the day was wonderful; the sun did nothing but shine; the grass was so green that there was even a sensation of sweetness in the mouth; dandelions flew, birds whistled, a light breeze fluttered like an airy ball gown.

“That’s good,” said the doctor, “but you still need to take a raincoat, because the summer weather is deceptive. It can start raining.

The doctor ordered about the housework, blew on his glasses, grabbed his box, like a suitcase, made of green leather and went.

The most interesting places were outside the city - where the Palace of the Three Fat Men was located. The doctor visited these places most often. The Palace of the Three Fat Men stood in the middle of a huge park. The park was surrounded by deep canals. Black iron bridges hung over the canals. The bridges were guarded by the palace guards - guardsmen in black oilcloth hats with yellow feathers. Around the park, up to the very heavenly line, there were meadows covered with flowers, groves and ponds. This was a great place to walk. Here grew the most interesting species of grass, here the most beautiful beetles rang and the most skillful birds sang.

“But walking is a long way. I will go to the city rampart and find a cab. He will take me to the palace park, thought the doctor.

There were more people near the city rampart than ever.

“Is today Sunday? the doctor doubted. - Don't think.

Today is Tuesday".

The doctor stepped closer.

The whole area was crowded with people. The doctor saw craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs; sailors with faces the color of clay; wealthy townspeople in colored waistcoats, with their wives whose skirts looked like rose bushes; merchants with decanters, trays, ice cream makers and braziers; skinny street actors, green, yellow and motley, as if sewn from a patchwork quilt; very small guys pulling red funny dogs by the tails.

Everyone crowded in front of the city gates. Huge, as high as a house, iron gates were tightly closed.

"Why are the gates closed?" the doctor wondered.

The crowd was noisy, everyone was talking loudly, shouting, cursing, but it was really impossible to make out anything. The doctor approached a young woman holding a fat gray cat in her arms and asked:

– Could you please explain what is going on here? Why are there so many people, what is the reason for their excitement and why are the city gates closed?

“Guards don’t let people out of the city…

Why aren't they released?

- So that they do not help those who have already left the city and went to the Palace of the Three Fat Men.

“I don’t understand anything, citizen, and I ask you to forgive me…”

“Ah, don’t you know that today the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibul led the people to storm the Palace of the Three Fat Men?”

“Prospero the gunsmith?”

- Yes, citizen ... The rampart is high, and on the other side guards riflemen sat down. No one will leave the city, and those who went with the gunsmith Prospero will be killed by the palace guards.

Indeed, several very distant shots rang out.

The woman dropped the fat cat. The cat plopped down like raw dough. The crowd roared.

“So I missed such a significant event,” thought the doctor. “It’s true, I didn’t leave the room for a whole month. I worked in lockdown. I didn't know anything..."

At this time, even further, the cannon hit several times. Thunder bounced like a ball and rolled in the wind. Not only the doctor was frightened and hurriedly retreated a few steps - the whole crowd shied away and collapsed. The children cried; the doves flew away with a flurry of wings; the dogs sat down and howled.

Heavy cannon fire began. The noise rose unimaginable. The crowd pressed on the gate and shouted:

- Prospero! Prospero!

- Down with the Three Fat Men!

Dr. Gaspar was completely taken aback. He was recognized in the crowd because many knew him by sight. Some rushed to him, as if seeking protection from him. But the doctor almost cried himself.

“What is going on there? How would you know what is going on there, behind the gate? Maybe the people are winning, or maybe everyone has already been shot!”

Then about ten people ran in the direction where three narrow streets began from the square. On the corner was a house with a tall old tower. Together with the rest, the doctor decided to climb the tower. Downstairs was a laundry room, similar to a bathhouse. It was as dark as a basement there. A spiral staircase led up. Light penetrated through the narrow windows, but there was very little of it, and everyone climbed slowly, with great difficulty, especially since the staircase was dilapidated and with broken railings. It is easy to imagine how much work and excitement it cost Dr. Gaspard to climb to the top floor. In any case, even on the twentieth step, in the darkness, his cry was heard:

“Ah, my heart is bursting, and I have lost my heel!”

The doctor lost his cloak even on the square, after the tenth shot from the cannon.

At the top of the tower was a platform surrounded by stone railings. From here, there was a view of at least fifty kilometers around. There was no time to admire the view, although the view deserved it. Everyone looked in the direction where the battle was taking place.

- I have binoculars. I always carry 8-glass binoculars with me. Here it is, - said the doctor and unfastened the strap.

Binoculars passed from hand to hand.

Dr. Gaspar saw a lot of people in the green space. They ran towards the city. They ran away. From a distance, people looked like colorful flags. Guardsmen on horseback chased the people.

Dr. Gaspar thought it all looked like a picture of a magic lantern. The sun shone brightly, the greenery shone. The bombs exploded like pieces of cotton; the flame appeared for one second, as if someone was letting sunbeams into the crowd. The horses prancing, rearing up and spinning like a top. The park and the Palace of the Three Fat Men were shrouded in white transparent smoke.

- They run!

- They are running ... The people are defeated!

The fleeing people were approaching the city. Whole heaps of people fell down the road. It seemed that multi-colored shreds were pouring onto the greenery.

The bomb whistled over the square.

Someone, frightened, dropped the binoculars.

The bomb exploded, and everyone who was at the top of the tower rushed back, down, inside the tower.

The locksmith caught on a hook with a leather apron. He looked around, saw something terrible and yelled at the whole square:

- Run! They've got the gunsmith Prospero! They're about to enter the city!

A commotion began on the square.

The crowd backed away from the gate and ran from the square to the streets. Everyone went deaf from the gunfire.

Dr. Gaspard and two others stopped on the third floor of the tower. They looked out of a narrow window punched into the thick wall.

Only one could look right. The rest watched with one eye.

The doctor also looked with one eye. But even for one eye, the sight was scary enough.

The huge iron gates swung open to their full width. About three hundred people flew into this gate at once. They were craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs. They fell, covered in blood.

Guardsmen jumped over their heads. The guards cut with sabers and fired from guns. Yellow feathers fluttered, black oilcloth hats sparkled, horses opened their red mouths, twisted their eyes and scattered foam.

– Look! Look! Prospero! the doctor shouted.

The gunsmith Prospero was dragged in a noose. He walked, fell and got up again. He had matted red hair, a bloody face, and a thick noose around his neck.

- Prospero! He's been captured! the doctor shouted.

At this time, the bomb flew into the laundry room. The tower tilted, swayed, lingered in an oblique position for one second and collapsed.

The doctor went head over heels, losing his second heel, cane, suitcase and glasses.

Chapter 2
TEN PLACH

The doctor fell happily: he did not break his head and his legs remained intact. However, that doesn't mean anything. Even a happy fall along with a shot tower is not entirely pleasant, especially for a person who is not young, but rather old, such as Dr. Gaspard Arnery was. In any case, from one fright, the doctor lost consciousness.

When he came to, it was already evening. The Doctor looked around.

- What a shame! The glasses are broken, of course. When I look without glasses, I probably see as a non-short-sighted person sees if he wears glasses. This is very unpleasant.

Then he grumbled about the broken heels:

- I'm already small in stature, and now I'll be an inch shorter. Or maybe two inches, because two heels broke off? No, of course, only one vershok ...

He lay on a pile of rubble. Almost the entire tower collapsed. A long and narrow piece of wall stuck out like a bone. The music played far away. The cheerful waltz flew away with the wind - disappeared and did not return. The doctor raised his head. Black broken rafters hung from different sides above. Stars shone in the greenish evening sky.

- Where is it played? the doctor was surprised.

It was cold without a coat. Not a single voice was heard in the square. The Doctor, groaning, got up among the stones that had fallen on top of each other. On the way, he caught on someone's big boot. The locksmith lay stretched out across the beam and looked up at the sky. The doctor moved him. The locksmith didn't want to get up. He died.

The Doctor raised his hand to take off his hat.

I also lost my hat. Where am I to go?

He left the square. There were people on the road; the doctor bent low over each and saw the stars reflected in their wide eyes. He touched their foreheads with his hand. They were very cold and wet with blood, which seemed black at night.

- Here! Here! whispered the doctor. - So, the people are defeated ... What will happen now?

Half an hour later he reached crowded places. He is very tired. He wanted to eat and drink. Here the city had its usual appearance.

The doctor stood at the crossroads, resting from a long walk, and thought: “How strange! Multi-colored lights are burning, carriages are rushing, glass doors are ringing. Semi-circular windows shine with a golden glow. There, along the columns, couples flicker. There's a fun ball. Chinese colored lanterns circle above black water. People live the way they lived yesterday. Don't they know about what happened this morning? Didn't they hear gunshots and groans? Do they not know that the leader of the people, the armorer Prospero, has been taken prisoner? Maybe nothing happened? Maybe I had a terrible dream?

At the corner where the three-armed lantern burned, carriages stood along the pavement. The flower girls were selling roses. The coachmen were talking to the flower girls.

“He was dragged in a noose through the city. Poor thing!

“Now they put him in an iron cage. The cage is in the Palace of the Three Fat Men,” said a fat coachman in a blue top hat with a bow.

Then a lady with a girl came up to the flower girls to buy roses.

- Who was put in a cage? she asked.

- Armourer Prospero. The guards took him prisoner.

- Well, thank God! said the lady.

The girl whimpered.

“Why are you crying, stupid? the lady was surprised. “Do you feel sorry for the gunsmith Prospero?” You don't have to feel sorry for him. He wanted to harm us... Look at the beautiful roses...

Large roses, like swans, floated slowly in bowls full of bitter water and leaves.

Here are three roses for you. And there is no need to cry. They are rebels. If they are not put in iron cages, they will take our houses, dresses and our roses, and cut us.

At that moment, a boy ran past. He pulled first the lady by her cloak, embroidered with stars, and then the girl by her pigtail.

“Nothing, Countess! the boy shouted. - The gunsmith Prospero is in a cage, and the gymnast Tibul is free!

- Ah, slut!

The lady stamped her foot and dropped her purse. The flower girls began to laugh out loud. The fat coachman took advantage of the commotion and invited the lady to get into the carriage and go.

The lady and the girl drove off.

- Wait, jumper! the flower girl called to the boy. - Come here! Tell me what you know...

Two coachmen got off the goat and, tangled in their bonnets with five capes, went up to the flower girls.

“Here is the whip, so the whip! Whip!" thought the boy, looking at the long whip that the coachman was waving. The boy really wanted to have such a whip, but it was impossible for many reasons.

- So what are you saying? the coachman asked in a bass voice. - Gymnast Tibul is free?

- So they say. I was in port...

"Didn't the guards kill him?" asked the other coachman, also in a bass voice.

- No, dad ... Beauty, give me one rose!

- Wait, fool! You better tell...

- Yes. So, that's it... At first everyone thought that he had been killed. Then they searched for him among the dead and did not find him.

“Perhaps they threw him into a canal?” asked the coachman.

A beggar intervened in the conversation.

- Whom in the channel? - he asked. – Gymnast Tibul is not a kitten. You won't drown him! Gymnast Tibul is alive. He managed to escape!

- You're lying, camel! said the coachman.

– Gymnast Tibul is alive! cried the flower girls in delight.

The boy pulled off the rose and started to run. Drops from the wet flower fell on the doctor. The doctor wiped the drops from his face, bitter as tears, and stepped closer to listen to what the beggar had to say.

There was something that got in the way of the conversation. An extraordinary procession appeared on the street. In front rode two riders with torches. Torches fluttered like fiery beards. Then a black carriage with a coat of arms moved slowly.

The carpenters followed behind. There were a hundred of them.

They walked with their sleeves rolled up, ready to go, with aprons, saws, planers, and boxes under their arms. Guardsmen rode on both sides of the procession. They held back the horses that wanted to gallop.

- What is this? What is this? Passers-by got excited.

An official was sitting in a black carriage with a coat of arms Council of Three Tolstyakov. The flower girls were scared. Raising their palms to their cheeks, they looked at his head. She was visible through the glass door. The street was brightly lit. The black head in the wig swayed as if dead. It seemed that a bird was sitting in the carriage.

- Stay away! shouted the guards.

Where are the carpenters going? the little flower girl asked the head guard.

And the guardsman shouted in her face so savagely that her hair swelled, as if in a draft:

- The carpenters are going to build chopping blocks! Understood? The carpenters will build ten blocks!

The flower girl dropped her bowl. Roses poured out like compote.

“They are going to build chopping blocks!” repeated Dr. Gaspard in horror.

- Cry! shouted the guardsman, turning around and baring his teeth under a mustache that looked like boots. “Blow all the rebels!” Everyone's heads will be cut off! Anyone who dares to rebel against the power of the Three Fat Men!

The doctor's head was spinning. He thought he was going to faint.

“I've been through too much this day,” he said to himself, “and besides, I'm very hungry and very tired. We need to hurry home."

Indeed, it was time for the doctor to rest. He was so excited by everything that had happened, seen and heard, that he did not even attach importance to his own flight along with the tower, the absence of a hat, cloak, cane and heels. Worst of all was, of course, without glasses. He hired a carriage and went home.

Chapter 3
STAR AREA

The doctor was returning home. He rode along the widest asphalt streets, which were lit brighter than the halls, and a chain of lanterns ran high above him in the sky. The lanterns looked like balls filled with dazzling boiling milk. Around the lanterns, midges fell, sang and died. He rode along the embankments, along the stone fences. There, bronze lions held shields in their paws and stuck out long tongues. Below, the water flowed slowly and thickly, black and shining like pitch. The city capsized into the water, sank, floated away and could not swim away, only dissolved in delicate golden spots. He rode over arched bridges. From below, or from the other side, they looked like cats arching their iron backs before jumping. Here, at the entrance, there were guards on every bridge. Soldiers sat on drums, smoking pipes, playing cards and yawning at the stars. The doctor rode, looked and listened.

From the street, from the houses, from the open windows of the taverns, from behind the fences of the pleasure gardens, individual words of the song rushed:

Hit Prospero in a well-aimed
Restraint Collar -
Sitting in an iron cage
A zealous gunsmith.

The tipsy dandy picked up this verse. The dandy's aunt died, who had a lot of money, even more freckles and did not have a single relative. Frant inherited all of his aunt's money. Therefore, he was, of course, dissatisfied with the fact that the people were rising up against the power of the rich.

There was a big show going on in the menagerie. On the wooden stage, three fat shaggy monkeys portrayed the Three Fat Men. The fox terrier played the mandolin. A clown in a crimson suit, with a golden sun on his back and a golden star on his belly, recited verses to the beat of the music:

Like three sacks of wheat
Three fell apart Fat Man!
They have no more worries
How to grow a belly!
Hey, watch out, Fatties:
The last days have arrived!

The last days have arrived! shouted the bearded parrots from all sides.

The noise was incredible. Animals in different cages began to bark, growl, click, whistle.

Monkeys darted across the stage. It was impossible to understand where their hands were, where their legs were. They jumped into the audience and rushed to flee. There was also a scandal in the public. Those who were thicker were especially noisy. Fat men with flushed cheeks, shaking with anger, threw hats and binoculars at the clown. The fat lady waved her umbrella and, catching a fat neighbor, tore off her hat.

- Ah, ah, ah! the neighbor cackled and raised her hands, because the wig fell off along with the hat.

The monkey, running away, slapped the lady's bald head with her palm. The neighbor fainted.

– Ha-ha-ha!

– Ha-ha-ha! – the other part of the audience, thinner in appearance and worse dressed, was flooded. – Bravo! Bravo! Fuck them! Down with the Three Fat Men! Long live Prospero! Long live Tibul! Long live the people!

At that moment, a very loud cry was heard:

- Fire! The city is on fire...

People, crushing each other and overturning benches, ran to the exits. The watchmen caught the runaway monkeys.

The driver who was carrying the doctor turned and said, pointing in front of him with a whip:

“Guards are burning the workers' quarters. They want to find the gymnast Tibul...

Above the city, above the black heap of houses, a pink glow trembled.

When the doctor's carriage arrived at the main city square, which was called the Square of the Star, it turned out to be impossible to pass. At the entrance crowded a mass of carriages, carriages, riders, pedestrians.

- What's happened? the doctor asked.

No one answered anything, because everyone was busy with what was happening in the square. The driver got up to his full height on the goats and began to look there too.

This area was called the Square of the Star for the following reason. It was surrounded by huge houses of the same height and shape and covered with a glass dome, which made it look like a colossal circus. In the middle of the dome, at a terrible height, the world's largest lantern burned. It was an amazingly large ball. Covered across by an iron ring, hanging on powerful cables, it resembled the planet Saturn. His light was so beautiful and so unlike any other earth light that people gave this lantern a wonderful name - the Star. So they began to call the whole area.

No more light was needed in the square, or in the houses, or in the streets nearby. The star illuminated all the nooks and crannies, all the corners and closets in all the houses that surrounded the square with a stone ring. Here people did without lamps and candles.

The charioteer looked over the carriages, carriages, and coachman's top hats, which looked like the heads of apothecary's vials.

Yuri Karlovich Olesha (1899-1960) - a writer who is considered one of the best stylists in Russian literature of the 20th century.

It is difficult to appreciate his virtuoso language by reading the incomplete text of the work, but only his summary. The Three Fat Men is a fairy tale novel published in 1928. This is the embodiment of the spirit of romantic revolutionary struggle against injustice and oppression, it is full of exciting events and amazing characters.

Part one. Rope walker Tibul. The hectic day of Dr. Gaspard Arnery. Ten blocks

Summary: "Three Fat Men", chapters 1-2. Everyone in the city knew about the scholarship of Gaspard Arneri, doctor of all sciences - from street boys to noble persons. Once he was going for a long walk outside the city, to the palace of the evil and greedy rulers - the Three Fat Men. But no one was allowed out of the city. It turned out that on this day the gunsmith Prospero and the circus gymnast Tibul led the assault on the government palace.

By evening, it turned out that the rebellious people were defeated, the gunsmith Prospero was captured by the guards and, by order of the Three Fat Men, was put in a cage in the menagerie of Tutti's heir, and the gymnast Tibul remained free to find him, the guards burned the quarters of the workers.

Star area

Summary: “Three Fat Men”, chapter 3. The rich rejoiced at the capture of Prospero, and the working people rejoiced that Tibul was free and laughed at the performance in the menagerie, where the rulers were portrayed by three fat monkeys. Returning home, Dr. Gaspar got to the Square of the Star. It was called so because above it hung on cables the largest lantern in the world, similar to the planet Saturn. Tibul appeared above the crowd that filled the square. He walked along a cable that held a huge lantern. The guards also divided into those who supported the people, and those who shouted: "Long live the three fat men!" Having reached the lantern along the wire, Tibul turned off the light and disappeared in the ensuing darkness.

Having reached home, where the housekeeper, Aunt Ganymede, was worried about him, the doctor, as a true historian, was going to write down the events of the day. Then there was a noise behind him, the doctor looked around and saw that Tibul had climbed out of the fireplace.

Part two. Doll of Tutti's heir. The Amazing Adventure of the Balloon Seller

Summary of “Three Fat Men”, Chapter 4. The execution of the captured rebels was being prepared on the Court Square. Strong wind lifted a huge bundle into the air balloons along with a stupid and greedy salesman. He flew towards the Palace of the Three Fat Men and through the open window royal cuisine caught in the middle of a huge birthday cake. To avoid the wrath of the gluttonous rulers, the confectioners covered the seller with cream and candied fruit and served him to the table.

Celebrating the victory over the rebellious people, the fat men order Prospero to be brought. The gunsmith scornfully says that the end of the power of the rich will soon come, which frightens the guests of the fat rulers. "We will execute you along with Tibul when we capture him!" Prospero is taken away, everyone is about to start the cake, but they are interrupted by loud cries of the heir Tutti.

A twelve-year-old boy, the future heir to the Three Fat Men, a spoiled prince, was angry: some of the guardsmen, who had gone over to the side of the people, cut down the heir's favorite doll with sabers. As tall as him, this doll was Tutti's only friend, and he demanded to fix it.

The festive breakfast was urgently stopped and the execution was postponed, the State Council sent the captain of the palace guard Bonaventure with a broken doll to Dr. Arnery, with the order to fix the doll by morning.

The balloon seller really wanted to disappear from the palace. The cooks showed him a secret passage that began in one of the giant pots, and for this they asked for a ball. The seller disappeared into the pot, and the balloons flew into the sky.

Negro and cabbage head

Yu.K. Olesha, “Three Fat Men”, summary, chapter 5. In the morning, going to the doctor, Aunt Ganymede was very surprised when she saw a Negro in his office.

The government bribed the artists and on one of the squares there was a circus performance glorifying the Tolstyakov. The doctor and the Negro also went there. Spectators drive away the clown who called for the execution of the rebels, and the black man is mistaken for the same sold out circus performer. It turned out that it was Tibul. Fleeing from those who wanted to catch him and hand him over to the authorities by throwing cabbage heads at them, the gymnast stumbles upon a seller of balls and discovers a secret passage to the palace kitchen.

Contingency

Yu. K. Olesha, "Three Fat Men", summary, chapter 6. Dr. Gaspard turned Tibul into a black man with the help of special liquids and was terribly upset when he inadvertently opened up at the performance, and then disappeared.

The captain of the guards came to the scientist with a broken doll and an order to fix it by morning. The doctor is surprised at the skill with which the doll is made and realizes that he has seen her face somewhere. Having dismantled the mechanism, he realizes that he will not have time to fix the doll by morning and goes to the palace to explain this to the fat men.

Night of the Strange Doll

“Three Fat Men”, summary, chapter 7. On the way, the doctor falls asleep in a wheelchair, and when he wakes up, he finds that the doll is gone, it even seemed to him that she came to life and left him. He searched for a doll for a long time, until he got into the booth of Uncle Brizak's troupe of itinerant artists. Here he remembered where he had seen the face of the heir's doll - it looked like a little artist from Uncle Brizak's troupe - a dancer named Suok.

Part three. Suok. Difficult role of a little actress

“Three Fat Men”, summary, chapter 8. When the doctor saw Suok, he could not believe for a long time that she was not a doll. Only Tibul, who appeared in the booth, managed to convince him of this. When the doctor spoke about the extraordinary resemblance of the girl and the doll and about his loss, the gymnast laid out his plan: Suok would play the role of the heir's doll, open the cage of the gunsmith Prospero, and they would leave the palace through a secret passage that Tibul had discovered.

On the way to the palace, they saw the dance teacher Razdvatris, carrying in his hands the found broken doll of the heir.

Doll with a good appetite

Y. Olesha, “Three Fat Men”, summary, chapter 9. Suok played her role well. The doctor announced that he not only changed the toy into a new dress, but also taught her to sing, compose songs and dance. Tutti's heir was delighted. The fat rulers were also pleased, but they were terribly angry when the doctor, as a reward, demanded that the execution of the rebellious workers be canceled. Then the doctor said that the doll would break again if his demand was not fulfilled and the heir would be very unhappy. The pardon was announced, the doctor went home, Suok remained in the palace.

She really liked the cakes and the doll had an appetite, which Tutti was very happy about - it was so boring for him to have breakfast alone. Suok also heard the iron heart of Tutti's heir beating.

Menagerie

Summary of the story “Three Fat Men”, chapter 10. The fat men wanted to raise Tutti cruel, so they deprived him of the society of living children, gave him a menagerie so that he would see only evil wild animals. Suok told him that in the world there is wealth and poverty, cruelty and injustice, that the working people will definitely overthrow the power of the fat and the rich. She told him a lot about the circus, that she could whistle music. Tutti liked the way she whistled a song on the key that hung on his chest so much that he did not notice that Suok had left the key.

At night, the girl made her way into the menagerie and began to look for the cage with Prospero. Suddenly she was called by name scary creature resembling a gorilla. scary beast died, having managed to hand Suok a small tablet: "Everything is written there."

Part four. Gunsmith Prospero. The death of the confectionery. Dance teacher Razdvatris

Yuri Olesha, "Three Fat Men", summary, chapters 11-12. The fat men received terrible news that the rebels were coming to the palace. All supporters of the authorities rushed out of the palace, but they stopped in fear at the menagerie: Prospero was moving towards them, holding a huge panther by the collar in one hand, and Suok in the other.

He released the panther, and he, together with Suok, began to make his way to the confectionery - to look for the pan, where the secret passage from the palace began. Guardsmen loyal to the fat men seized the young dancer when she was about to jump into underground passage after Prospero. The gunsmith was released, Suok was to be executed.

Dance teacher Razdvatris was supposed to be delivered to the Palace on the orders of the Three Fat Men, but he was stopped by the guards, who went over to the side of the people. They also got a broken doll of Tutti's heir.

Victory

Yuri Olesha, "Three Fat Men", summary, chapter 13. At the time when Prospero was running through the underground passage, three people entered Tutti's bedroom on the orders of the chancellor. They poured sleeping pills into Tutti's ear, putting him to sleep for three days, so that with his tears he would not interfere with the massacre of Suok.

She sat in the guardroom, guarded by guardsmen still loyal to the fat ones. At that moment, when the terrible chancellor came for her to take her to the court of the Three Fat Men, three guards went into the guard room, who went over to the side of the rebels. The chancellor received a terrible blow and fell unconscious, and instead of Suok, a broken doll was brought to court.

The judges could not get a word from the doll. The parrot, who was called as a witness, repeated Suok's conversation with Prospero and the creature that died in the cage, whose name was Tub.

Suok was sentenced to death by wild beasts. But when she was placed in front of the tigers, they did not react in any way to the tattered, dirty doll. A scandal broke out, but then the storming of the palace began by the insurgent people.

The victory of the rebels was complete, and the three fat men were put in the cage where Prospero was sitting.

Epilogue

The story of the great scientist Tub was written on the tablet. By order of the Tolstoys, brother and sister - Tutti and Suok - were separated. Tutti became the heir, and Suok was given to itinerant artists. Tub, on the orders of the Three Fat Men, made a doll that was supposed to remain with the heir. When he was ordered to replace living heart Tutti iron, he refused, for which he was thrown into a cage. Tutti means “separated” in the language of the disadvantaged, and Suok means “all life”.

© V. V. Shklovskaya-Kordi, 2018

© Vladimirsky L.V., ill., nasl., 2018

© ACT Publishing LLC, 2018

Part one
Rope walker Tibul

Chapter I
The Restless Day of Dr. Gaspard Arnery

The time for wizards is over. In all likelihood, they never actually existed. All these are fiction and fairy tales for very young children. It's just that some magicians knew how to deceive all sorts of onlookers so cleverly that these magicians were mistaken for sorcerers and wizards.

There was such a doctor. His name was Gaspar Arneri. A naive person, a fair reveller, a half-educated student could also take him for a magician. In fact, this doctor did such amazing things that they really looked like miracles. Of course, he had nothing to do with wizards and charlatans who fooled too gullible people.

Dr. Gaspard Arneri was a scientist. Perhaps he studied about a hundred sciences. In any case, there was no one in the country wiser and more learned than Gaspard Arnery.

Everyone knew about his learning: the miller, the soldiers, the ladies, and the ministers. And the schoolchildren sang a song about him with the following refrain:

How to fly from earth to the stars
How to catch a fox by the tail
How to make steam out of stone
Our doctor Gaspar knows.

One summer, in June, when the weather was very fine, Dr. Gaspard Arnery decided to go on a long walk to collect some kinds of herbs and beetles.

Dr. Gaspard was a middle-aged man and therefore was afraid of rain and wind. When he left the house, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck, put on goggles against dust, took a cane so as not to stumble, and generally went for a walk with great precautions.

This time the day was wonderful; the sun did nothing but shine; the grass was so green that there was even a sensation of sweetness in the mouth; dandelions flew, birds whistled, a light breeze fluttered like an airy ball gown.

“That’s good,” said the doctor, “but you still need to take a raincoat, because the summer weather is deceptive. It can start raining.

The doctor ordered about the housework, blew on his glasses, grabbed his box, like a suitcase, made of green leather and went.

The most interesting places were outside the city - where the Palace of the Three Fat Men was located. The doctor visited these places most often. The Palace of the Three Fat Men stood in the middle of a huge park. The park was surrounded by deep canals. Black iron bridges hung over the canals. The bridges were guarded by the palace guards - guardsmen in black oilcloth hats with yellow feathers. Around the park, up to the very heavenly line, there were meadows covered with flowers, groves and ponds. This was a great place to walk. Here grew the most interesting species of grass, here the most beautiful beetles rang and the most skillful birds sang.

“But walking is a long way. I will go to the city rampart and find a cab. He will take me to the palace park, thought the doctor.

There were more people near the city rampart than usual.

“Is today Sunday? the doctor doubted. - Don't think. Today is Tuesday".

The doctor stepped closer.

The whole area was crowded with people. The doctor saw craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs; sailors with faces the color of clay; wealthy townspeople in colored waistcoats with their wives, whose skirts looked like rose bushes; merchants with decanters, trays, ice cream makers and braziers; skinny street actors, green, yellow and motley, as if sewn from a patchwork quilt; very small guys pulling red funny dogs by the tails.

Everyone crowded in front of the city gates. Huge, as high as a house, iron gates were tightly closed.

"Why are the gates closed?" the doctor wondered.

The crowd was noisy, everyone was talking loudly, shouting, cursing, but it was really impossible to make out anything. The doctor approached a young woman holding a fat gray cat in her arms and asked:

– Could you please explain what is going on here? Why are there so many people, what is the reason for their excitement and why are the city gates closed?

“Guards don’t let people out of the city…

Why aren't they released?

- So that they do not help those who have already left the city and went to the Palace of the Three Fat Men.

“I don’t understand anything, citizen, and I ask you to forgive me…”

“Ah, don’t you know that today the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibul led the people to storm the Palace of the Three Fat Men?”

“Prospero the gunsmith?”

- Yes, citizen ... The rampart is high, and on the other side guards riflemen sat down. No one will leave the city, and those who went with the gunsmith Prospero will be killed by the palace guards.

Indeed, several very distant shots rang out.

The woman dropped the fat cat. The cat plopped down like raw dough. The crowd roared.

“So I missed such a significant event,” thought the doctor. “It’s true, I didn’t leave the room for a whole month. I worked in lockdown. I didn't know anything..."

At this time, even further, the cannon hit several times. Thunder bounced like a ball and rolled in the wind. Not only the doctor was frightened and hurriedly retreated a few steps - the whole crowd shied away and collapsed. The children cried; the doves flew away with a flurry of wings; the dogs sat down and howled.

Heavy cannon fire began. The noise rose unimaginable. The crowd pressed on the gate and shouted:

- Prospero! Prospero!

- Down with the Three Fat Men!

Dr. Gaspar was completely taken aback. He was recognized in the crowd because many knew him by sight. Some rushed to him, as if seeking protection from him. But the doctor almost cried himself.

“What is going on there? How would you know what is going on there, behind the gate? Maybe the people are winning, or maybe everyone has already been shot!”

Then about ten people ran in the direction where three narrow streets began from the square. On the corner was a house with a tall old tower. Together with the rest, the doctor decided to climb the tower. Downstairs was a laundry room, similar to a bathhouse. It was as dark as a basement there. A spiral staircase led up. Light penetrated through the narrow windows, but there was very little of it, and everyone climbed slowly, with great difficulty, especially since the staircase was dilapidated and with broken railings. It is easy to imagine how much work and excitement it cost Dr. Gaspard to climb to the top floor. In any case, even on the twentieth step, in the darkness, his cry was heard:

“Ah, my heart is bursting, and I have lost my heel!”

The doctor lost his cloak even on the square, after the tenth shot from the cannon.

At the top of the tower was a platform surrounded by stone railings. From here, there was a view of at least fifty kilometers around. There was no time to admire the view, although the view deserved it. Everyone looked in the direction where the battle was taking place.

- I have binoculars. I always carry 8-glass binoculars with me. Here it is, - said the doctor and unfastened the strap.

Binoculars passed from hand to hand.

Dr. Gaspar saw a lot of people in the green space. They ran towards the city. They ran away. From a distance, people looked like colorful flags. Guardsmen on horseback chased the people.

Dr. Gaspar thought it all looked like a picture of a magic lantern. The sun shone brightly, the greenery shone. The bombs exploded like pieces of cotton; the flame appeared for one second, as if someone was letting sunbeams into the crowd. The horses prancing, rearing up and spinning like a top. The park and the Palace of the Three Fat Men were shrouded in white transparent smoke.

- They run!

- They are running ... The people are defeated!

The fleeing people were approaching the city. Whole heaps of people fell down the road. It seemed that multi-colored shreds were pouring onto the greenery.

The bomb whistled over the square.

Someone, frightened, dropped the binoculars.

The bomb exploded, and everyone who was at the top of the tower rushed back, down, inside the tower.

The locksmith caught on a hook with a leather apron. He looked around, saw something terrible and yelled at the whole square:

- Run! They've got the gunsmith Prospero! They're about to enter the city!

A commotion began on the square.

The crowd backed away from the gate and ran from the square to the streets. Everyone went deaf from the gunfire.

Dr. Gaspard and two others stopped on the third floor of the tower. They looked out of a narrow window punched into the thick wall.

Only one could look right. The rest watched with one eye.

The doctor also looked with one eye. But even for one eye, the sight was scary enough.

The huge iron gates swung open to their full width. About three hundred people flew into this gate at once. They were craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs. They fell, covered in blood.

Guardsmen jumped over their heads. The guards cut with sabers and fired from guns. Yellow feathers fluttered, black oilcloth hats sparkled, horses opened their red mouths, twisted their eyes and scattered foam.

– Look! Look! Prospero! the doctor shouted.

The gunsmith Prospero was dragged in a noose. He walked, fell and got up again. He had matted red hair, a bloody face, and a thick noose around his neck.

- Prospero! He's been captured! the doctor shouted.

At this time, the bomb flew into the laundry room. The tower tilted, swayed, lingered in an oblique position for one second and collapsed.

The doctor went head over heels, losing his second heel, cane, suitcase and glasses.