一无所有-第49部分

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〃You　are　certainly　wele　to　him。〃

〃He　won't　be　any　trouble。　Passed　out　in　the　hall。　May　I　use　your　phone　before　I　go？〃

〃Give　my　love　to　the　Chief；〃　Vea　said　archly。

Oiie　had　e　to　his　sister's　fiat　with　Pae；　and　left　with　him。　They　sat　in　the　middle　seat　of　the　big　Government　limousine　that　Pae　always　had　on　call；　the　same　one　that　had　brought　Shevek　from　the　space　port　last　summer。　He　now　lay　as　they　had　dumped　him　on　the　back　seat。

〃Was　he　with　your　sister　all　day；　Demaere？〃

〃Since　noon；　apparently。〃

Thank　God！〃

〃Why　are　you　so　worried　about　his　getting　into　the　slums？　Any　Odonian's　already　convinced　we're　a　lot　of　oppressed　wage　slaves；　what's　the　difference　if　he　sees　a　bit　of　corroboration？〃

〃I　don't　care　what　he　sees。　We　dont　want　him　seen。　Have　you　been　reading　the　birdseed　papers？　Or　the　broadsheets　that　were　circulating　last　week　in　Old　Town；　about　the　'Forerunner'？　The　myth　—　the　one　who　es　before　the　millennium　—　a　stranger；　an　outcast；　an　exile；　bearing　in　empty　hands　the　time　to　e。'　They　quoted　that。　The　rabble　are　in　one　of　their　damned　apocalyptic　moods。　Looking　for　a　figurehead。　A　catalyst。　Talking　about　a　general　strike。　They'll　never　learn。　They　need　a　lesson　all　the　same。　Damned　rebellious　cattle；　send　them　to　fight　Thu。　It's　the　only　good　we'll　ever　get　from　them。〃

Neither　man　spoke　again　during　the　ride。

The　night　watchman　of　the　Senior　Faculty　House　helped　them　get　Shevek　up　to　his　room。　They　loaded　him　onto　the　bed。　He　began　to　snore　at　once。

Oiie　stayed　to　take　off　Shevek's　shoes　and　put　a　blanket　over　him。　The　drunken　man's　breath　was　foul；　Oiie　stepped　away　from　the　bed；　the　fear　and　the　love　he　felt　for　Shevek　rising　up　in　him；　each　strangling　the　other。　He　scowled；　and　muttered；　〃Dirty　fool。〃　He　snapped　the　light　off　and　returned　to　the　other　room。　Pae　was　standing　at　the　desk　going　through　Shevek's　papers。

〃Leave　off；〃　Oiie　said；　his　expression　of　disgust　deepening。　〃e　on。　It's　two　in　the　morning。　I'm　tired。〃

〃What　has　the　bastard　been　doing；　Demaere？　Still　nothing　here；　absolutely　nothing。　Is　he　a　plete　fraud？　Have　we　been　taken　in　by　a　damned　mere　peasant　from　Utopia？　Where's　his　theory？　Where's　our　instantaneous　spaceflight？　Where's　our　advantage　over　the　Hainish？　Nine；　ten　months　we've　been　feeding　the　bastard；　for　nothing！〃　Nevertheless　he　pocketed　one　of　the　papers　before　he　followed　Oiie　to　the　door。













Chapter　8




They　were　out　on　the　athletic　fields　of　Abbenay's　North　Park；　six　of　them；　in　the　long　gold　and　heat　and　dust　of　the　evening。　They　were　all　pleasantly　replete；　for　dinner　had　gone　on　most　of　the　afternoon；　a　street　festival　and　feast　with　cooking　over　open　fires。　It　was　the　midsummer　holiday。　Insurrection　Day；　memorating　the　first　great　uprising　in　Nio　Bsseia　in　the　Urrasti　year　740；　nearly　two　hundred　years　ago。　Cooks　and　refectory　workers　were　honored　as　the　guests　of　the　rest　of　the　munity　on　that　day；　because　a　syndicate　of　cooks　and　waiters　had　begun　the　strike　that　led　to　the　insurrection。　There　were　many　such　traditions　and　festivals　on　Anarres；　some　instituted　by　the　Settlers　and　others；　like　the　harvest　homes　and　the　Feast　of　the　Solstice；　that　had　risen　spontaneously　out　of　the　rhythms　of　life　on　the　pla　and　the　need　of　those　who　work；　together　to　celebrate　together。

They　were　talking；　all　rather　desultorily　except　for　Takver。　She　had　danced　for　hours；　eaten　quantities　of　fried　bread　and　pickles；　and　was　feeling　very　lively。　〃Why　did　Kvigot　get　posted　to　the　Keran　Sea　fisheries；　where　he'll　have　to　start　all　over　again；　while　Turib　takes　on　his　research　program　here？〃　she　was　saying。　Her　research　syndicate　had　been　assimilated　into　a　project　managed　directly　by　PDC；　and　she　had　bee　a　strong　partisan　of　some　of　Bedap's　ideas。　〃Because　Kvigot　is　a　good　biologist　who　doesnt　agree　with　Simas's　fuddyduddy　theories；　and　Turib　is　a　nothing　who　scrubs　Simas's　back　in　the　baths。　See　who　takes　over　directing　the　program　when　Simas　retires。　She　will；　Turib　will；　I'll　bet　you！〃

〃What　does　that　expression　mean？〃　asked　somebody　who　felt　indisposed　for　social　criticism。

Bedap；　who　had　been　putting　on　weight　at　the　waist　and　was　serious　about　exercise；　was　trotting　earnestly　around　the　playing　field。　The　others　were　sitting　on　a　dusty　bank　under　trees；　getting　their　exercise　verbally。

〃It's　an　lotic　verb；〃　Shevek　said。　〃A　game　the　Urrasti　play　with　probabilities。　The　one　who　guesses　right　gets　the　other　one's　property。〃　He　had　long　ago　ceased　to　observe　Sabul's　ban　on　mentioning　his　lotic　studies。

〃How　did　one　of　their　words　get　into　Pravic？〃

〃The　Settlers；〃　said　another。　〃They　had　to　leam　Pravic　as　adults；　they　must　have　thought　in　the　old　languages　for　a　long　time。　I　read　somewhere　that　the　word　damn　isn't　in　the　Pravic　Dictionary　—　it's　lotic　too。　Farigv　didnt　provide　any　swearwords　when　he　invented　the　language；　or　if　he　did　his　puters　didnt　understand　the　necessity。〃

〃What's　hell；　then？〃　Takver　asked。　〃I　used　to　think　it　meant　the　shit　depot　in　the　town　where　I　grew　up。　'Go　to　hell！'　The　worst　place　to　go。〃

Desar；　the　mathematician；　who　had　now　taken　a　permanent　posting　to　the　Institute　staff；　and　who　still　hung　around　Shevek；　though　he　seldom　spoke　to　Takver；　said　in　his　cryptographic　style；　〃Means　Urras。〃

〃On　Unas；　it　means　the　place　you　go　to　when　you're　damned。〃

'That's　a　posting　to　Southwest　in　summer；〃　said　Terms；　an　ecologist；　an　old　friend　of　Takver's。

〃It's　in　the　religious　mode；　in　lotic。〃

〃I　know　you　have　to　read　lotic；　Shev；　but　do　you　have　to　read　religion？〃

〃Some　of　the　old　Urrasti　physics　is　all　in　the　religious　mode。　Concepts　like　that　e　up。　'Hell'　means　the　place　of　absolute　evil。〃

〃The　manure　depot　in　Round　Valley；〃　Takver　said。　〃I　thought　so。〃

Bedap　came　pumping　up；　dustwhitened；　sweatstreaked。　He　sat　down　heavily　beside　Shevek　and　panted。

〃Say　something　in　lotic；〃　asked　Richat；　a　student　of　Shevek's。　〃What　does　it　sound　like？〃

〃You　know：　Hell！　Damn！〃

〃But　stop　swearing　at　me；〃　said　the　girl；　giggling；　and　say　a　whole　sentence。〃

Shevek　goodnaturedly　said　a　sentence　in　lotic。　〃I　don't　really　know　how　it's　pronounced；〃　he　added；　〃I　just　guess。〃

〃What　did　it　mean？〃

〃If　the　passage　of　time　is　a　feature　of　human　consciousness；　past　and　future　are　functions　of　the　mind。　From　a　preSequentist；　Keremcho。〃

〃How　weird　to　think　of　people　speaking　and　you　couldn't　understand　them！〃

〃They　can't　even　understand　each　other。　They　speak　hundreds　of　different　languages；　all　the　crazy　archists　on　the　Moon。。。。〃

〃Water；　water；〃　said　Bedap；　still　panting。

〃There　is　no　water；〃　said　Terrus。　〃It　hasnt　rained　for　eighteen　decads。　A　hundred　and　eightythree　days　to　be　precise。　Longest　drought　in　Abbenay　for　forty　years。〃

〃If　it　goes　on；　well　have　to　recycle　urine；　the　way　they　did　in　the　Year　20。　Glass　of　piss；　Shev？〃

〃Don't　joke；〃　said　Terrus。　〃That's　the　thread　we　walk　on。　Will　it　rain　enough？　The　leaf　crops　in　Southrising　are　a　dead　loss　already。　No　rain　there　for　thirty　decads。〃

They　all　looked　up　into　the　hazy；　golden　sky。　The　serrated　leaves　of　the　trees　under　which　they　sat；　tall　exotica　from　the　Old　World；　drooped　on　their　branches；　dusty；　curled　by　the　dryness。

〃Never　be　another　Great　Drought；〃　Desar　said；　〃Modern　desalinization　plants。　Prevent。〃

〃They　might　help　alleviate　it；〃　Terrus　said。

Winter　that　year　came　early；　cold；　and　dry　in　the　Northern　Hemisphere。　Frozen　dust　on　the　wind　in　the　low；　wide　streets　of　Abbenay。　Water　to　the　baths　strictly　rationed：　thirst　and　hunger　outranked　cleanliness。　Food　and　clothing　for　the　twenty　million　people　of　Anarres　came　from　the　holum　plants；　leaf；　seed；　fiber；　root。　There　was　some　stockpile　of　textiles　in　the　warehouses　and　depots；　but　there　had　never　been　much　reserve　of　food。　Water　went　to　the　land；　to　keep　the　plants　alive。　The　sky　over　the　city　was　cloudless　and　would　have　been　clear；　but　it　was　yellowed　with　dust　windbome　from　drier　lands　to　the　south　and　west。　Sometimes　when　the　wind　blew　down　from　the　north；　from　the　Ne　Theras；　the　yellow　haze　cleared　and　left　a　brilliant；　empty　sky；　dark　blue　hardening　to　purple　at　the　zenith。

Takver　was　pregnant。　Mostly　she　was　sleepy　and　be