一无所有-第23部分
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ly hike through the city streets to appease his muscles； which had always been used to exercise； then back to Room 46 and the grammar of lotic。 Once every decad or two he was called on for 〃tenthday〃 rotational munity labor； but the people he worked with were strangers； not close acquaintances as they would have been in a small munity； so that these days of manual work made no psychological interruption to his isolation； or to his
progress in lotic。
The grammar itself； being plex； illogical； and patterned； gave him pleasure。 His learning went fast once he had built up the basic vocabulary； for he knew what he was reading； he knew the field and the terms； and whenever he got stuck either his own intuition or a mathematical equation would show him where he had got to。 They were not always places he had been before。 To's Introduction to Temporal Physics was no beginner's handbook。 By the time he had worked his way to the middle of the book Shevek was no longer reading lotic； he was reading physics； and he understood why Sabul had had him read the Urrasti physicists before he did anything else。 They were far ahead of anything that had been done on Anarres for twenty or thirty years。 The most brilliant insights of Sabul's own works on Sequency were in fact translations from the lotic； unacknowledged。
He plunged on through the other books Sabul doled out to him； the major works of contemporary Urrasti physics。 His life grew even more hermitic。 He was not active in the student syndicate； and did not attend the meetings of any other syndicates or federatives except the lethargic Physics Federation。 The meetings of such groups； the vehicles of both social action and sociability； were the framework of life in any small munity； but here in the city they seemed much less important。 One was not necessary to them； there were always others ready to run things； and doing it well enough。 Except for tenthday duties and the usual janitorial assignments in his domicile and the laboratories； Shevek's time was entirely his own。 He often omitted exercise and occasionally meal。 However； he never missed the one course he was attending； Gvarab's lecture group on Frequency and Cycle。
Gvarab was old enough that she often wandered and maundered。 Attendance at her lectures was small and uneven。 She soon picked out the thin boy with big ears as her one constant auditor She began to lecture for him。 The light； steady； intelligent eyes met hers； steadied her； woke her； she flashed to brilliance； regained the vision lost。 She soared； and the other students in the room looked up confused or startled； even scared if they had the wits to be scared。 Gvarab saw a much larger universe than most people were capable of seeing； and it made them blink。 The lighteyed boy watched her steadily。 In his face she saw her joy。 What she offered； what she had offered for a whole lifetime； what no one had ever shared with her； he took； he shared。 He was her brother； across the gulf of fifty years； and her redemption。
When they met in the physics offices or the refectory sometimes they fell straight to talking physics； but at other times Gvarab's energy was insufficient for that； and then they found little to say； for the old woman was as shy as the young man。 〃You don't eat enough；〃 she would tell him。 He would smile and his ears would get red。 Neither knew what else to say。
After he had been a half year at the Institute； Shevek gave Sabul a threepage thesis entitled 〃A Critique of Atro's Infinite Sequency Hypothesis。〃 Sabul returned it to him after a decad； growling； 〃Translate it into lotic。〃
〃I wrote it mostly in lotic to start with。〃 Shevek said； 〃since I was using Atro's terminology。 I'll copy out the original。 What for？〃
〃What for？ So that damned profiteer Atro can read it！ There's a ship in on the fifth of next decad。〃
〃A ship？〃
〃A freighter from Urrasi〃
Thus Sbevek discovered that not only petroleum and mercury went back and forth between the sundered worlds； and not only books； such as the books he had been reading； but also letters。 Letters！ Letters to propertarians； to subjects of governments founded on the inequity of power； to individuals who were inevitably exploited by and exploiters of others； because they had consented to be elements in the StateMachine。 Did such people actually exchange ideas with free people in a nonaggressive； voluntary manner？ Could they really admit equality and participate in intellectual solidarity； or were they merely trying to dominate； to assert their power； to possess？ The idea of actually exchanging letters with a propertarian alarmed him； but it would be interesting to find out。
So many such discoveries had been forced on him during his first half year in Abbenay that he had to realize that he had been — and possibly still was？ — very naive： not an easy admission for an intelligent young man to make。
The first； and still the least acceptable； of these discoveries was that he was supposed to learn lotic but keep his knowledge to himself： a situation so new to him and morally so confusing that he had not yet worked it out。 Evidently he did not exactly harm anybody by not sharing his knowledge with them。 On the other hand what conceivable harm could it do them to know that he knew lotic； and that they could learn it too？ Surely freedom lay rather in openness than in secrecy； and freedom is always worth the risk。 He could not see what the risk was； anyway。 It occurred to him once that Sabul wanted to keep the new Urrasti physics private — to own it； as a property； a source of power over his colleagues on Anarres。 But this idea was so counter to Shevek's habits of thinking that it had great difficulty getting itself clear in his mind； and when it did he suppressed it at once； with contempt； as a genuinely disgusting thought。
Then there was the private room； another moral thorn。 As a child； if you slept alone in a single it meant you had bothered the others in the dormitory until they wouldn't tolerate you； you had egoized。 Solitude equated with disgrace。 In adult terms； the principal referent for single rooms was a sexual one。 Every domicile had a number of singles； and a couple that wanted to copulate used one of these free singles for a night； or a decad； or as long as they liked。 A couple undertaking partnership took a double room； in a small town where no double was available； they often built one on to the end of a domicile； and long； low； straggling buildings might thus be created room by room； called 〃partners' truck trains。〃 Aside from sexual pairing there was no reason for not sleeping in a dormitory。 You could choose a small one or a large one； and if you didn't like your roommates； you could move to another dormitory。 Everybody had the workshop； laboratory； studio； barn or office that he needed for his work； one could be as private or as public as one chose in the baths； sexual privacy was freely available and socially expected； and beyond that privacy was not functional。 It was excess； waste。 The economy of Anarres would not support the building； maintenance； heating； lighting of individual houses and apartments。 A person whose nature was genuinely unsociable had to get away from society and look after himself。 He was pletely free to do so。 He could build himself a house wherever he liked （though if it spoiled a good view or a fertile bit of land he might find himself under heavy pressure from his neighbors to move elsewhere）。 There were a good many solitaries and hermits on the fringes of the older Anarresti munities； pretending that they were not members of a social species。 But for those who accepted the privilege and obligation of human solidarity； privacy was a value only where it served a function。
Shevek's first reaction to being put in a private room； then； was half disapproval and half shame。 Why had they stuck him in here？ He soon found out why。 It was the right kind of place for his kind of work。 If ideas arrived at midnight； he could turn on the light and write them down； if they came at dawn； they weren't jostled out of his head by the conversation and motion of four or five roommates getting up； if they didn't e at all and he had to spend whole days sitting at his desk star
