一无所有-第9部分

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Their　group　met　in　the　afternoon　at　the　lumber　recycling　workshop；　and　the　foreman　asked　where　Kadagv　was。　Sbevek　exchanged　a　glance　with　Tirin。　He　felt　clever。　He　felt　a　sense　of　power；　in　not　replying。　Yet　when　Tirin　replied　coolly　that　he　must　have　joined　another　group　for　the　day；　Shevek　was　shocked　by　the　lie。　His　sense　of　secret　power　suddenly　made　him　unfortable：　his　legs　itched；　his　ears　felt　hot。　When　the　foreman　spoke　to　him　he　jumped　with　alarm；　or　fear；　or　some　such　feeling；　a　feeling　he　had　never　had　before；　something　like　embarrassment　but　worse　than　that：　inward；　and　vile。　He　kept　thinking　about　Kadagv；　as　he　plugged　and　sanded　nailholes　in　threeply　hohim　boards　and　sanded　the　boards　back　to　silky　smoothness　Every　time　he　looked　into　his　mind　there　was　Kadagv　in　it。　It　was　disgusting。　

Gibesh；　who　had　been　standing　guard　duty；　came　to　Tirin　and　Shevek　after　dinner；　looking　uneasy。　〃I　thought　1　heard　Kad　saying　something　in　there。　In　a　sort　of　funny　voice。〃

There　was　a　pause。　'Well　let　him　out；〃　Shevek　said。

Tirin　turned　on　him。　〃e　on；　Shev；　don't　go　mushy　on　us。　Don't　get　altruistic！　Let　him　finish　it　out　and　respect　himself　at　the　end　of　it〃

〃Altruistic；　hell。　I　want　to　respect　myself；〃　Shevek　said；　and　set　off　for　the　learning　center。　Tirin　knew　him；　he　wasted　no　more　time　arguing　with　him；　but　followed。　The　elevenyearolds　trailed　along　behind。　They　crawled　under　the　building　to　the　cell。　Shevek　knocked　one　wedge　free；　Tirin　the　other。　The　door　of　the　prison　fell　outward　with　a　flat　thump。

Kadagv　was　lying　on　the　ground；　curled　up　on　his　side。　He　sat　up；　then　got　up　very　slowly　and　came　out。　He　stooped　more　than　necessary　under　the　low　roof；　and　blinked　a　lot　in　the　light　of　the　lantern；　but　looked　no　different　from　usual。　The　smell　that　came　out　with　him　was　unbelievable。　He　had　suffered；　from　whatever　cause；　from　diarrhea。　There　was　a　mess　in　the　cell；　and　smears　of　yellow　fecal　stuff　on　his　shirt　When　he　saw　this　in　the　lantern　light　he　made　an　effort　to　hide　it　with　his　hand。　Nobody　said　anything　much。

When　they　had　crawled　out　from　under　the　building　and　were　heading　around　to　the　dormitory；　Kadagv　asked；　〃How　long　was　it？〃

〃About　thirty　hours；　counting　the　first　four。〃

〃Pretty　long；〃　Kadagv　said　without　conviction。

After　getting　him　to　the　baths　to　clean　up；　Shevek　went　off　at　a　run　to　the　latrine。　There　he　leaned　over　a　bowl　and　vomited。　The　spasms　did　not　leave　him　for　a　quarter　of　an　hour。　He　was　shaky　and　exhausted　when　they　passed。　He　went　to　the　dormitory　mon　room；　read　some　physics；　and　went　to　bed　early。　None　of　the　five　boys　ever　went　back　to　the　prison　under　the　learning　center。　None　of　them　ever　mentioned　the　episode；　except　Gibesh。　who　boasted　about　it　once　to　some　older　boys　and　girls；　but　they　did　not　understand；　and　he　dropped　the　subject




The　Moon　stood　high　over　the　Northsetting　Regional　Institute　of　the　Noble　and　Material　Sciences。　Four　boys　of　fifteen　or　sixteen　sat　on　a　hilltop　between　patches　of　scratchy　groundholum　and　looked　down　at　the　Regional　Institute　and　up　at　the　Moon。

〃Peculiar；〃　said　Tirin。　〃I　never　thought　before。。。〃

ments　from　the　other　three　on　the　selfevidence　of　this　remark。

〃I　never　thought　before；〃　said　Tirin　unruffled；　〃of　the　fact　that　there　are　people　sitting　on　a　hill；　up　there；　on　Urras；　looking　at　Anarres；　at　us；　and　saying；　'Look；　there's　the　Moon。'　Our　earth　is　their　Moon；　our　Moon　is　their　earth。〃

〃Where；　then；　is　Truth？〃　declaimed　Bedap；　and　yawned。

〃In　the　hill　one　happens　to　be　sitting　on；〃　said　Tirin。

They　all　went　on　staring　up　at　the　brilliant；　blurry　turquoise；　which　was　not　quite　round；　a　day　past　its　full。　The　northern　ice　cap　was　dazzling。　〃It's　clear　in　the　north；〃　Shevek　said。　〃Sunny。　That's　AIo；　that　brownish　bulge　there。〃

〃They're　all　lying　around　naked　in　the　sun；〃　said　Kvetur；　〃with　Jewels　in　their　navels；　and　no　hair。〃

There　was　a　silence。

They　had　e　up　to　the　hilltop　for　masculine　pany。　The　presence　of　females　was　oppressive　to　them　all。　It　seemed　to　them　that　lately　the　world　was　full　of　girls。　Everywhere　they　looked；　waking　or　asleep；　they　saw　giris。　They　had　all　tried　copulating　with　girls；　some　of　them　in　despair　had　also　tried　not　copulating　with　girls。　It　made　no　difference。　The　girls　were　there。

Three　days　ago　in　a　class　on　the　History　of　the　Odonian　Movement　they　had　all　seen　the　same　visual　lesson；　and　the　image　of　iridescent　jewels　in　the　smooth　hollow　of　women's　oiled；　brown　bellies　had　since　recurred　to　all　of　them；　privately。

They　had　also　seen　the　corpses　of　children；　hairy　like　themselves；　stacked　up　like　scrap　metal；　stiff　and　rusty；　on　a　beach；　and　men　pouring　oil　over　the　children　and　lighting　it。　〃A　famine　in　Bachifofl　Province　in　the　Nation　of　Thu；〃　the　menter's　voice　had　said。　〃Bodies　of　children　dead　of　starvation　and　disease　are　burned　on　the　beaches。　On　the　beaches　of　Tins；　seven　hundred　kilometers　away　in　the　Nation　of　AIo　（and　here　came　the　jeweled　navels）；　women　kept　for　the　sexual　use　of　male　members　of　the　propertied　class　（the　lotic　words　were　used；　as　there　was　no　equivalent　for　either　word　in　Pravic）　lie　on　the　sand　all　day　until　dinner　is　served　to　them　by　people　of　the　unpropertied　class。〃　A　closeup　of　dinnertiroe：　soft　mouths　champing　and　smiling；　smooth　hands　reaching　out　for　delicacies　wetly　mounded　in　silver　bowls。　Then　a　switch　back　to　the　blind；　blunt　face　of　a　dead　child；　mouth　open；　empty；　black；　dry。　〃Side　by　side；〃　the　quiet　voice　had　said；

But　the　image　that　had　risen　like　an　oily　iridescent　bubble　in　the　boys'　minds　was　all　the　same。

〃How　old　are　those　films？〃　said　Tirin；　〃Are　they　from　before　the　Settlement；　or　are　they　contemporary？　They　never　say。〃

〃What　does　it　matter？〃　Kvetur　said。　〃They　were　living　like　that　on　Urras　before　the　Odonian　Revolution。　The　Odonians　all　got　out　and　came　here　to　Anarres。　So　probably　nothing's　changed—they're　still　at　it；　there。〃　He　pointed　to　the　great　bluegreen　Moon。

〃How　do　we　know　they　are？〃

〃What　do　you　mean；　Tir？〃　asked　Shevek。

〃If　those　pictures　are　a　hundred　and　fifty　years　old；　things　could　be　entirely　different　now　on　Urras。　I　don't　say　they　are；　but　if　they　were；　how　would　we　know　it？　We　don't　go　there；　we　dont　talk；　there's　no　munication。　We　really　have　no　idea　what　life's　like　on　Urraa　now。〃

〃People　in　PDC　do。　They　talk　to　the　Urrasti　that　man　the　freighters　that　e　in　at　Port　of　Anarres。　They　keep　informed。　They　have　to；　so　we　can　keep　up　trade　with　Urras；　and　know　how　much　of　a　threat　they　pose　to　us；　too。〃　Bedap　spoke　reasonably；　but　Tirin's　reply　was　sharp：

〃Then　PDC　may　be　informed；　but　we're　not。〃

〃Informed！〃　Kvetur　said。　〃I've　heard　about　Urras　ever　since　nursery！　I　don't　care　if　I　never　see　another　picture　of　foul　Urrasti　cities　and　greasy　Urrasti　bodies！〃

〃That's　just　it；〃　said　Tirin　with　the　glee　of　one　following　logic。　〃All　the　material　on　Urras　available　to　students　is　the　same。　Disgusting；　unmoral；　excremental。　But　look。　If　it　was　that　bad　when　the　Settlers　left；　how　has　it　kept　on　going　for　a　hundred　and　fifty　years？　If　they　were　so　sick；　why　aren't　they　dead？　Why　haven't　their　propertarian　societies　collapsed？　What　are　we　so　afraid　of？〃

〃Infection；〃　said　Bedap。

〃Are　we　so　feeble　we　can't　withstand　a　little　exposure？　Anyhow；　they　can't　all　be　sick。　No　matter　what　their　society's　like；　some　of　them　must　be　decent　People　vary　here；　dont　they？　Are　we　all　perfect　Odonians？　Look　at　that　snotball　Pesiu！〃

〃But　in　a　sick　anism；　even　a　healthy　cell　is　doomed；〃　said　Bedap。

〃Oh；　you　can　prove　anything　using　the　Analogy；　and　you　know　it。　Anyhow；　how　do　we　actually　know　their　society　is　sick？〃

Bedap　gnawed　on　his　thumbnail　〃You're　saying　that　PDC　and　the　educational　supplies　syndicate　are　lying　to　us　about　Urras。〃

〃No；　I　said　we　only　know　what　we're　told。　And　do　you　know　what　we're　told？〃　Tirin's　dark；　snubnosed　face；　clear　in　the　bright　bluish　moonlight；　turned　to　them。　〃Kvet　said　it；　a　minute　ago。　He's　got　the　message。　You　heard　it：　detest　Urras；　hate　Urraa；　fear　Urras。〃

〃Why　not？〃　Kvetur　demanded。　〃Look　how　they　treated　us　Odonians！〃

〃They　gave　us　their　Moon；　didn't　they？〃

〃Yes；　to　keep　us　from　wrecking　their　profiteering　states　a