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contracts is one of several possible grounds for the Council of Humanity's
terminating the Charter of your culture."
"As a matter of fact," Aimeric said, "I've been rather homesick, and I hate to
leave at midterm."
Bieris's face was unreadable; she did not pause at all before saying, "I want
to stay."
I saw now what Shan's game was. He would gain three people, free
to travel in
Utilitopia, whom the PPP could not touch. In the maneuvering sure to
follow on the heels of this coup, those might be invaluable...
Or not. There was really no telling. Shan might have no real use for us, other
than as an issue to harass Saltini with.
And god, there was a mess at home, in clearing my reputation,
winning back my position and last night I had actually prayed, seriously,
for the first time since I was a child to go home.
Besides, Aimeric and Bieris were staying. They would be enough, and Bieris at
least liked it here better than I did, and Aimeric's knowledge would make him
valuable to
Shan. What did I know? Music, poetry, and dueling and even that,
only with bare hands and neuroducers, not with any real weapons...
Moreover, there was an economic shitstorm coming, and probably Saltini would
find a way to take the Center away from me, and I'd end up as a stablehand.
I became aware that Saltini was watching me intently, as if somehow fascinated
with me. I realized that he had to know everything I had been thinking of,
since no doubt he had been reading my mail, and probably could see more of
Shan's scheme than I could.
To him, it must surely seem that I would have to be totally irrational.
"The Center is where my real work is," I said. "I can't leave
when things are just getting established."
I guess I should have been hurt that everyone except Shan seemed to be
surprised.
Saltini looked from one to the other of us with a burning glare. "I am sure
you must realize that there is about to be some budget cutting. I suspect the
post of Professor of
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Occitan Literature will go by the wayside soon. I think that a farmhand who is
absent from a farm too often might find that she is declared
superfluous. And as for that
Center I suppose you are counting on its being technically an enterprise, not
subject to our budget cuts. All I can say is that your students, and their
families, are at this moment being looked at for serious irrationality, and
that they will have this fact drawn strongly to their attention. And with no
one enrolled "
He left, not bothering to finish the threat. He hadn't had to.
On the way out the door, Shan said quietly to me, "Thank you."
I wished it had made me feel better.
The trakcars were running smoothly again, and I had no trouble getting one
back to the Center. There were still some PPP guards standing around on
corners, but in the bright sun, the dark of the morning storm gone, their
parkas thrown open or draped over their arms, they looked more like
embarrassed ushers than the menacing figures they had been. I turned on the
news, realized it was all lies except, probably, for the statement that
seven city policemen were dead even there, they claimed it was rioters, as if
anyone would have been out looting in that black storm. I suppose it
mattered more to them to get something said than that it be believable, and no
doubt the story could be changed or erased later.
The trakcar glided into the lot behind the Center, extended its wheels, and
drove up to the steps. I grabbed my parka, not bothering to put it on, and
walked up the steps.
Thorwald was waiting for me at the door.
"Something pretty urgent's come up," he said, without preface.
"Yap, I know," I said.
"They've threatened to permanently bar every student at the Center
from any assignment except general physical labor. Because we're all too
irrational to be trusted
with anything else. It came over right after you left this morning."
Naturally. Saltini had been sure I would go, but he had wanted to make
sure. He probably had already ordered the wrecker nanos to take the building
down, too. Well, it would be the shovel for me, then, for sure. Maybe, on the
rare occasions when it got warm enough, I could sing on street corners or
something. There was probably a local ordinance against it.
"Uh, some of the students wanted to see you about it," he said.
"Sure. I suppose I shouldn't com them. Are they coming here?"
"They're here. Up in the Great Hall." His voice sounded funny I
pictured two or three students, maybe Margaret or Paul or dared I hope for
Valerie? sitting in that big, empty place, hearing the echoes of the empty
Center, feeling it all go away. If they had come to say good-bye, some of them
must have felt it was worthwhile. And that was a special kind of courage, to
show that kind of human feeling.
As we came up the steps to the second floor, where the Great Hall was,
Thorwald asked, "Um, if you can keep the Center open do I still have a job?"
"Always," I said, and threw an arm around him. He seemed
startled Caledons hardly ever touch each other but after a moment, he hugged
me back.
It was going to be a cold, lonely decade of shit-shoveling, but maybe Thorwald
and I, and some of the others, could pal around together, and that might be
all right...
We opened the door to the Great Hall. In a sense, I had been right, because [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szamanka888.keep.pl
contracts is one of several possible grounds for the Council of Humanity's
terminating the Charter of your culture."
"As a matter of fact," Aimeric said, "I've been rather homesick, and I hate to
leave at midterm."
Bieris's face was unreadable; she did not pause at all before saying, "I want
to stay."
I saw now what Shan's game was. He would gain three people, free
to travel in
Utilitopia, whom the PPP could not touch. In the maneuvering sure to
follow on the heels of this coup, those might be invaluable...
Or not. There was really no telling. Shan might have no real use for us, other
than as an issue to harass Saltini with.
And god, there was a mess at home, in clearing my reputation,
winning back my position and last night I had actually prayed, seriously,
for the first time since I was a child to go home.
Besides, Aimeric and Bieris were staying. They would be enough, and Bieris at
least liked it here better than I did, and Aimeric's knowledge would make him
valuable to
Shan. What did I know? Music, poetry, and dueling and even that,
only with bare hands and neuroducers, not with any real weapons...
Moreover, there was an economic shitstorm coming, and probably Saltini would
find a way to take the Center away from me, and I'd end up as a stablehand.
I became aware that Saltini was watching me intently, as if somehow fascinated
with me. I realized that he had to know everything I had been thinking of,
since no doubt he had been reading my mail, and probably could see more of
Shan's scheme than I could.
To him, it must surely seem that I would have to be totally irrational.
"The Center is where my real work is," I said. "I can't leave
when things are just getting established."
I guess I should have been hurt that everyone except Shan seemed to be
surprised.
Saltini looked from one to the other of us with a burning glare. "I am sure
you must realize that there is about to be some budget cutting. I suspect the
post of Professor of
Page 96
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Occitan Literature will go by the wayside soon. I think that a farmhand who is
absent from a farm too often might find that she is declared
superfluous. And as for that
Center I suppose you are counting on its being technically an enterprise, not
subject to our budget cuts. All I can say is that your students, and their
families, are at this moment being looked at for serious irrationality, and
that they will have this fact drawn strongly to their attention. And with no
one enrolled "
He left, not bothering to finish the threat. He hadn't had to.
On the way out the door, Shan said quietly to me, "Thank you."
I wished it had made me feel better.
The trakcars were running smoothly again, and I had no trouble getting one
back to the Center. There were still some PPP guards standing around on
corners, but in the bright sun, the dark of the morning storm gone, their
parkas thrown open or draped over their arms, they looked more like
embarrassed ushers than the menacing figures they had been. I turned on the
news, realized it was all lies except, probably, for the statement that
seven city policemen were dead even there, they claimed it was rioters, as if
anyone would have been out looting in that black storm. I suppose it
mattered more to them to get something said than that it be believable, and no
doubt the story could be changed or erased later.
The trakcar glided into the lot behind the Center, extended its wheels, and
drove up to the steps. I grabbed my parka, not bothering to put it on, and
walked up the steps.
Thorwald was waiting for me at the door.
"Something pretty urgent's come up," he said, without preface.
"Yap, I know," I said.
"They've threatened to permanently bar every student at the Center
from any assignment except general physical labor. Because we're all too
irrational to be trusted
with anything else. It came over right after you left this morning."
Naturally. Saltini had been sure I would go, but he had wanted to make
sure. He probably had already ordered the wrecker nanos to take the building
down, too. Well, it would be the shovel for me, then, for sure. Maybe, on the
rare occasions when it got warm enough, I could sing on street corners or
something. There was probably a local ordinance against it.
"Uh, some of the students wanted to see you about it," he said.
"Sure. I suppose I shouldn't com them. Are they coming here?"
"They're here. Up in the Great Hall." His voice sounded funny I
pictured two or three students, maybe Margaret or Paul or dared I hope for
Valerie? sitting in that big, empty place, hearing the echoes of the empty
Center, feeling it all go away. If they had come to say good-bye, some of them
must have felt it was worthwhile. And that was a special kind of courage, to
show that kind of human feeling.
As we came up the steps to the second floor, where the Great Hall was,
Thorwald asked, "Um, if you can keep the Center open do I still have a job?"
"Always," I said, and threw an arm around him. He seemed
startled Caledons hardly ever touch each other but after a moment, he hugged
me back.
It was going to be a cold, lonely decade of shit-shoveling, but maybe Thorwald
and I, and some of the others, could pal around together, and that might be
all right...
We opened the door to the Great Hall. In a sense, I had been right, because [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]