time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)-第52部分

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　　I　shook　my　head。　〃But　I'm　not　you；　that's　the　point。　Joe；　I　learned　long　before　you　were　born　that　free　tail　is　invariably　the　most　expensive　sort。　Worse　than　that；　we　three　are　business　partners　now…and　I　can　see　six　possible　outes　if　I　accept　your　notion　of　a　solution…and　any　of　the　six　could　cause　Maison　Long；　Ltd。；　never　to　lift　off。
　　
　　（Omitted）
　　
　　…just　as　I　knew　it　would；　Minerva；　I've　never　had　a　nonspeculative　investment　pay　off　so　well。　They　tried　to　imitate　us…but　they　couldn't　imitate　Joe's　cooking　or　Llita's　management。　I　made　a　bundle！
　　
　　VARIATIONS　ON　A　THEME
　　
　　Ix
　　
　　Conversation　Before　Dawn
　　
　　The　puter　said；　〃Lazarus；　aren't　you　sleepy？〃
　　
　　〃Don't　nag　me；　dear。　I've　had　thousands　of　white　nights；　and　I'm　still　here。　A　man　never　cuts　his　throat　from　a　sleepless　night　if　he　has　pany　to　see　him　through　it。　You're　good　pany；　Minerva。〃
　　
　　〃Thank　you；　Lazarus。〃
　　
　　〃The　simple　truth；　girl。　If　I　fall　asleep…***firie***。　If　I　don't；　then　no　need　to　tell　Ishtar。　No。　that　won't　work；　she'll　have　graphs　and　charts　on　me；　won't　she？〃
　　
　　〃I'm　afraid　so；　Lazarus。〃
　　
　　〃You　durn　well　know　so。　A　good　reason　for　me　to　be　a　little　angel　and　wash　behind　my　ears　and　get　this　rejuvenation　over　is　to　get　my　privacy　back。　Privacy　is　as　necessary　as　pany；　you　can　drive　a　man　crazy　by　depriving　him　of　either。　That　was　another　thing　I　acplished　by　setting　up　Maison　Long；　I　got　my　kids　privacy　they　didn't　know　they　needed。〃
　　
　　〃I　missed　that；　Lazarus。　I　noted　that　they　had　more　time　for　'Eros'…and　I　saw　that　that　was　good。　Should　I　have　inferred　something　else　from　the　data？〃
　　
　　〃No；　because　I　didn't　give　you　all　the　data。　Not　a　tenth。　Just　the　outline　of　some　forty　years　I　knew　them；　and　some…not　all…of　the　critical　points。　For　ins？ance；　did　I　mention　the　time　Joe　decapitated　a　man？〃
　　
　　〃Not　much　to　it　and　it　wasn't　important　to　the　story。　This　young　blood　tried　to　share　the　wealth　one　night　by　sticking　them　up。　Llita'　had　J。A。　in　her　right　arm；　nursing　him　or　about　to；　and　couldn't　reach　the　gun　she　kept　at　the　cashbox；　she　couldn't　fight　and　was　bright　enough　not　to　try　against　those　odds。　I　suppose　this　dude　didn't　know　that　Joe　had　simply　stepped　out　of　sight。
　　
　　〃Just　as　this　free…lance　socialist　was　gathering　up　their　day's　receipts；　Joe　lets　him　have　it；　with　a　cleaver。　Curtain。　The　only　notable　thing　about　it　was　that　Joe　acted　so　quickly　and　correctly　in　the　crunch；　for　I　feel　sure　that　the　only　fighting　that　he　bad　ever　tried　was　that　which　I　forced　on　him　in　the　'Libby。'　Joe　did　everything　else　properly；　too…finished　taking　the　head　off；　threw　the　body　into　the　street　for　his　friends　to　take　away　if　he　had　any；　for　the　scavengers　to　remove　if　not…　then　displayed　the　head　in　front　of　the　shop　on　a　spike　meant　for　such　purpose。　Then　he　closed　his　shutters　and　cleaned　up　the　mess…then　may　have　taken　time　to　throw　up；　Joe　was　a　gentle　soul。　But　it's　seven　to　two　that　Llita　did　not　throw　up。
　　
　　〃The　city's　mittee　for　public　safety　voted　Joe　the　usual　reward；　and　the　Street　mittee　passed　the　hat　and　added　to　it；　a　cleaver　against　a　gun　rated　special　notice。　Good　advertising　for　Estelle's　Kitchen　but　not　important　otherwise；　save　that　the　kids　could　use　that　money　helped　pay　the　mortgage；　no　doubt；　and　wound　up　in　my　pocket。　But　I　wouldn't　have　heard　of　this　minor　dustup　had　I　not　been　in　New　Canaveral　and　happened　to　stop　by　Estelle's　Kitchen　when　the　real　head　was　removed…flies；　you　know…and　the　plastic　trophy　head　custom　required　…　Joe　to　display　was　substituted　for　it　by　the　Street　mittee。　But　I　was　speaking　of　privacy。
　　
　　〃When　I　picked　the　property　for　Maison　Long；　I　made　sure　that　it　included　space　for　a　growing　family；　that's　all；　since　they　had　three　bucking　and　one　in　the　chute　the　night　we　planned　it。　Rearranging　hours　gave　them　privacy　from　each　other；　too。　Happy　as　it　is　to　snuggle　and　make　love；　nevertheless；　when　you　are　really　tired；　it　is　often　good　to　have　the　bed　to　yourself…and　the　new　routine　not　only　allowed　this　but　necessitated　it；　part　of　each　day；　through　staggering　their　working　hours。
　　
　　〃But　I　also　planned　room　to　give　them　privacy　from　their　children…and　to　cope　with　another　problem　Llita　did　not　have　straight　and　Joe　may　not　have　thought　about。　Minerva；　can　you　define　'incest'？〃
　　
　　The　puter　replied；　〃　'Incest'　is　a　legal　term；　not　a　biological　one。　It　designates　sexual　union　between　persons　forbidden　by　law　to　marry。　The　act　itself　is　forbidden；　whether　such　union　results　in　progeny　is　irrelevant。　The　prohibitions　vary　widely　among　cultures　and　are　usually；　but　not　always；　based　on　degrees　of　consanguinity。〃
　　
　　〃Y're　durn　tootin'　it's　'not　always。'　There　are　cultures　which　permit　first　cousins　to　marry…geically　risky…but　forbid　a　man　to　marry　his　brother's　widow；　which　involves　no　more　risk　than　it　did　for　the　first　union。　When　I　was　a　youngster；　you　could　find　one　rule　in　one　state；　then　cross　an　invisible　line　and　find　exactly　opposite　laws　fifty　feet　away。　Or　some　times　and　places　both　unions　might　be　mandatory。　Or　forbidden。　Endless　rules；　endless　definitions　for　incest；　and　rarely　any　logic　to　them。　Minerva；　so　far　as　I　recall；　the　Howard　Families　are　the　first　group　in　history　to　reject　the　legalistic　approach　and　to　define　'incest'　solely　in　terms　of　geic　hazard。〃
　　
　　〃That　accords　with　the　records　in　me；〃　Minerva　agreed。　〃A　Howard　geicist　might　advise　against　a　union　between　two　persons　with　no　known　mon　ancestry　but　place　no　objection　to　marriage　of　siblings。　In　each　case　analysis　of　geic　charts　would　control。〃
　　
　　〃Yeah；　sure。　Now　let's　drop　geics　and　talk　about　taboo。　The　incest　taboo；　although　it　can　be　anything；　most　monly　means　sisters　and　brothers；　parents　and　offspring。　Llita　and　Joe　were　a　unique　case；　brother　and　sister　by　cultural　rules；　totally　unrelated　by　geic　？ules…or　at　least　no　more　so　than　two　strangers。
　　
　　〃Now　es　a　second…generation　problem。　Since　Landfall　had　this　taboo　against　union　between　siblings；　I　had　impressed　on　Llita　and　Joe　that　they　must　never　let　anyone　know　that　they　thought　of　each　other　as　'brother'　and　'sister。'
　　
　　〃Fine　so　far　as　it　went。　They　did　as　I　told　them；　and　there　was　never　a　lifted　eyebrow。　Now　es　the　night　we　planned　Maison　Long…and　my　godson　is　thirteen　and　interested；　and　his　sister　is　eleven　and　beginning　to　be　interesting。　Full　siblings　both　geically　hazardous　and　contrary　to　taboo。　Anyone　who　has　raised　puppies…or　a　number　of　children…knows　that　a　boy　can　get　as　horny　over　his　sister　as　over　the　girl　down　the　street；　and　his　sister　is　often　more　accessible。
　　
　　〃And　little　Libby　was　a　redheaded　pixie　so　endearingly　sexy　at　eleven　that　even　I　could　feel　it。　Soon　she　was　going　to　have　every　buck　in　the　pasture　pawing　the　ground　and　snorting。
　　
　　〃If　a　man　pushes　a　rock；　can　he　ignore　an　avalanche　that　follows？　Fourteen　years　earlier　I　had　manumitted　two　slaves　because　a　chastity　girdle　on　one　of　them　offended　my　concept　of　human　dignity。　Must　I　find　some　way　to　put　a　chastity　girdle　on　that　slave's　daughter？　Around　we　go　in　circles！　What　was　my　responsibility；　Minerva？　1　pushed　the　first　rock。〃
　　
　　〃Lazarus；　I　am　a　machine。〃
　　
　　〃Humph！　Meaning　that　human　concepts　of　moral　responsibility　are　not　machine　concepts。　Dear；　I　wish　you　were　a　human　girl　with　a　spankable　bottom　long　enough　for　me　to　spank　it…I　would！　In　your　memories　is　far　more　experience　on　which　to　judge　than　any　flesh…and…blood　can　have。　Quit　dodging。〃
　　
　　'~Lazarus；　no　human　can　accept　unlimited　responsibility　lest　he　go　mad　from　unbearable　load　of　unlimited　guilt。　You　could　have　advised　Libby's　parents。　But　your　responsibility　did　not　extend　even　to　that。〃
　　
　　〃Um。　You're　right；　dear…it's　dismal　how　regularly　you　are　right。　But　I　am　an　incurable　buttinsky。　Fourteen　years　earlier　I　had　turned　my　back　on　two　puppies；　so　to　speak…and　that　the　oute　was　not　tragic　was　good　luck；　not　good　planning。　Now　here　we　go　again；　and　the　oute　could　be　tragic。　I　felt　no　'morals'　about　it；　dear…just　thumb　rules　for　not　hurting　people　unintentionally。　I　didn't　give　a　hoot　if　these　children　'played　doctor'　or　'make　a　baby'　or　whatever　the　kids　there　called　their　experimenting；　I　simply　did　not　want　my　godson　giving　little　Libby　a　defective　child。
　　
　　〃So　I　did　butt　in　and　took　it　up　with　their　parents。　Let　me　add　that　Llita　and　Joe　knew　as　much　about　geics　as　a　pig　knows　about　politics。　Aboard　the　'Libby'　I　had　kept　my　worries　to　myself；　and　never　discussed　the　matter　with　them　later。　Despite　their　remarkable　success　in　peting　as　free　human　beings；　in　most　subjects　Llita　and　Joe　were　ignorant。　How　could　it　be　otherwise？　I　had　taught　them　their　Three　R's　and　a　few　practical　matters。　Since　arrival　on　Landfall　they　had　been　running　under　the　whip；　they　hadn't　had　time　to　fill　in　gaps　in　their　education
　　
　　〃Perhaps　worse　yet；　being　immigrants；　they　had　not　grown　up　exposed　to　the　local　incest　taboo。　They　were　aware　of　it　because　I　had　warned　them…but　it　wasn't　canalized　from　childhood。　Blessed　had　somewhat　differenct　incest　taboos…but　the　taboos　there　did　not　apply　to　domestic　animals。　Slaves。　Slaves　bred　as　they　were　told　to；　or　as　they　could　get　away　with…and　my　two　kids　had　been　told　by　highest　authority…　their　mother　and　their　priest…that　they　were　a　'breeding　pair'　。　。　so　it　could　not　be　wrong；　or　taboo；　or　sinful。
　　
　　〃It　was　simply　something　to　keep　quiet　about　on　Landfall　because　Landfellows　were　tetched　in　the　head　on　this　subject。
　　
　　〃So　I　should　have　thought　of　it　earlier。　Yeah；　sure；　sure！　Minerva；　I　plead　other　obligations。　I　could　not　spend　those　years　playing　guardian　angel　to　Llita　and　Joe。　I　had　a　wife　and　kids　of　my　own；　employees；　a　couple　of　thousand　hectares　of　farmland　and　twice　that　much　in　virgin　pinkwood…　and　I　lived　a　long　way　off；　even　by　high…orbit　jumpbuggy。　Ishtar　and　Hamadryad；　and；　to　some　extent；　Galahad；　all　seem　to　think　I　am　some　sort　of　superman　simply　beca？se　I've　lived　a　long　time。　I'm　not；　I　have　the　limitations　of　any　flesh…and…blood；　and　for　years　I　was　as　busy　with　my　problems　as　Llita　and　Joe　were　with　the