time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)-第54部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


d　seen　it　in　other　animals　and　had　bred　pets　and　kept　records。　The　older　two；　Pattycake　and　George；　had　seen　the　birth　of　our　youngest　of　the　time　because　Laura　had　invited　them　to　watch。　This　I　strongly　approve　of；　Minerva；　but　I　have　never　urged　one　of　my　wives　to　permit　it　because　I　figure　that　a　woman　in　labor　should　be　indulged　in　every　possible　way。　However；　Laura　had　a　streak　of　exhibitionism　in　her　makeup。
　　
　　〃Anyhow；　our　kids　could　discuss　chromosome　reduction　and　the　merits　and　demerits　of　linebreeding　as　knowledgeably　as　my　own　contemporaries　when　I　was　a　kid　could　discuss　the　World　Series…〃
　　
　　〃Excuse　me；　Lazarus…that　last　term's　referent？〃
　　
　　〃Oh。　Nothing　important。　One　of　the　mercially　induced　surrogate　interests　of　my　childhood。　Forget　it　dear；　it　is　not　worth　cluttering　your　memories。　I　was　about　to　say　I　asked　Joe　and　Uita　what　J。A。　and　Libby　knew　about　sexual　matters
　　
　　…since　Landfall　had　so　diversified　a　background　that　it　could　be　anything　and　I　wanted　to　know　where　to　start…especially　as　my　oldest；　Pattycake；　had　turned　twelve　and　reached　menarche　at　the　same　time　and　was　smug　about　it；　likely　to　boast。
　　
　　〃Turned　out　that　Libby　and　J。A。　were　sophisticated　in　an　ignorant；　unscientific　fashion　about　matching　their　parents。　They　were　one　up　on　my　kids　in　one　respect：　copulation　they　had　seen　from　birth；　at　least　to　the　time　Estelle's　Kitchen　had　moved　uptown…which　I　should　have　figured　out　from　recalling　the　still　more　cramped　living　quarters　of　the　original　Estelle's　Kitchen。〃
　　
　　第28节
　　
　　（7；200　words　omitted）
　　
　　〃Laura　was　sharp　with　me　and　insisted　that　I　not　see　them　until　I　calmed　down。　She　pointed　out　that　Pattycake　was　almost　as　old　as　J。A。；　that　it　was　nothing　but　play　as　Pattycake　had　had　her　four…year　sterilization　after　menarche；　and　that；　in　any　event；　Pattycake　had　been　on　top。
　　
　　〃Minerva；　I　would　not　have　spanked　the　kids　no　matter　who　had　been　on　top。　Intellectually　I　knew　that　Laura　was　right；　and　I　had　to　agree　that　fathers　tend　to　be　possessive　about　daughters。　I　was　pleased　that　Laura　had　gained　the　confidence　of　both　kids　so　fully　that　they　had　neither　tried　very　hard　to　keep　from　being　caught；　nor　had　they　been　scared　when　she　happened…　to　catch　'em　at　it。　Perhaps　J。A。　was　scared　but　Pattycake　just　said；　'Mama；　you　didn't　knock。'〃
　　
　　（Omitted）
　　
　　〃…so　we　traded　sons。　J。A。　liked　farm　life　and　never　did　leave　us；　whereas　George　turned　out　to　have　this　perverse　taste　for　cities；　so　Joe　took　him　on　and　made　a　chef　out　of　him。　George　was　sleeping　with　Elizabeth…Libby；　that　is…I　forget　how　long　before　they　decided　to　hatch　one　and　were　married。　A　double　wedding；　the　four　youngsters　remained　close。
　　
　　〃But　J。A。's　decision　solved　a　problem　for　me：　what　to　do　with　Skyhaven　later。　By　the　time　Laura　decided　to　leave　me；　all　of　my　sons　by　her　had　heard　the　wild　goose　one　way　or　another；　George　was　the　only　one　still　on　pla；　and　our　daughters　were　married　and　not　one　of　them　to　a　farmer。　Whereas　J。A。　had　bee　my　overseer　and　was　de　facto　boss　of　Skyhaven　the　last　ten　years　I　was　there。
　　
　　〃I　might　have　worked　some　promise　with　Roger　Sperling　if　he　hadn't　tried　to　grab　the　place。　As　it　was；　I　deeded　a　half　interest　to　Pattycake；　sold　the　other　half　to　my　son…in…law　J。A。　on　a　mortgage；then　discounted　the　paper　to　a　bank　and　bought　a　better　ship　than　I　would　have　had　I　given　that　half　interest　to　Roger　and　Laura。　I　made　a　similar　deal；　part　gift　and　part　sale；　with　Libby　and　George；　of　my　share　in　Maison　Long…　and　Libby　changed　her　name　to　Estelle　Elizabeth　SheffieldLong；　there　was　continuity　there　as　well…which　pleased　both　me　and　her　parents。　It　worked　out　well。　Laura　even　came　down　and　kissed　me　good…bye　when　I　left。〃
　　
　　〃Lazarus；　I　do　not　understand　one　factor。　You　have　said　that　you　do　not　favor　marriage　between　Howards　and　ephemerals。　Yet　you　let　two　of　your　children　marry　outside　the　Families。〃
　　
　　〃Uh；　correction；　Minerva。　One　does　not　let　children　get　married；　they　do　get　married；　when　and　as　and　to　whom　they　choose。〃
　　
　　〃Correction　noted；　Lazarus。〃
　　
　　〃But　let's　go　back　to　the　night　I　intervened　for　Libby　and　J。A。　That　night　I　gave　Llita　and　Joe　everything　that　slave　factor　had　turned　over　to　me　as　proof　of　their　old　heritage…even　the　bill　of　sale…with　a　suggestion　that　they　destroy　the
　　
　　stuff　or　lock　it　up。　Among　those　items　was　a　series　of　photographs　showing　them　growing　up；　year　by　year。　The　last　one　seemed　to　have　been　taken　just　before　I　bought　them；　and　they　confirmed　it…two　fully　grown　youngsters；　one　in　a　chastity　girdle。
　　
　　〃Joe　looked　at　that　picture　and　said；　〃What　a　couple　of　clowns！　We've　e　a　long　way；　Sis~…thanks　to　the　Skipper。'
　　
　　〃'So　we　have；'　she　agreed；　and　studied　the　picture。　'Brother；　do　you　see　what　I　do？'
　　
　　〃'What？'　he　said；　looking　again。
　　
　　〃'Aaron　will　see　it。　Brother；　take　off　your　clout；'　she　said；　while　starting　to　unwrap　her　sarong；　'and　pose　with　me　against　the　wall。　Not　the　selling　pose；　but　the　way　we　used　to　stand　against　a　grid　for　these　record　pictures。'　She　handed　me　that　last　picture　in　the　series；　and　they　stood　and　faced　me。
　　
　　〃Minerva；　in　fourteen　years　they　had　not　changed。　Llita　had　had　three　kids　and　was　just　pregnant　with　her　fourth　and　both　of　them　had　worked　themselves　silly　。　。　but；　stripped　naked；　no　makeup　on　her　and　her　hair　down；　they　looked　as　they　had　the　first　time　I　saw　them。　They　looked　like　that　last　record　shot…end　of　adolescence；　somewhere　between　eighteen　and　twenty　in　Earth　terms。
　　
　　〃Yet　they　had　to　be　past　thirty。　Thirty…five　Earth　years　old　if　those　Blessed　records　were　to　be　trusted。
　　
　　〃Minerva；　I　have　just　one　thing　to　add。　When　I　last　saw　them；　they　were　past　sixty　in　Earth　years；　about　sixty…three　if　you　accept　the　records　from　Blessed。　Neither　one　had　a　gray　hair；　both　had　all　their　teeth…and　Llita　was　pregnant　again。〃
　　
　　〃Mutant　Howards；　Lazarus？〃
　　
　　The　old　man　shrugged。　〃Isn't　that　a　question…begging　term；　dear？　If　you　use　a　long　enough　time　scale；　every　one　of　the　thousands　of　genes　a　flesh…and…blood　carries　is　a　mutation。　But　by　the　Trustees'　rules；　a　person　not　derived　from　the　Families'　genealogies　can　be　registered　as　a　newly　discovered　Howard　if　he　can　show　proof　of　four　grandparents　surviving　a？　least　to　one　hundred。　And　that　rule　would　have　excluded　me；　had　I　not　been　born　into　the　Families。　But　on　top　of　that；　the　age　I　had　reached　when　I　got　my　first　rejuvenation　is　too　great　to　be　accounted　for　by　the　Howard　breeding　experiment。　They　claim　today　that　they　have　located　in　the　twelfth　chromosome　pair　a　gene　plex　that　determines　longevity　like　winding　a　clock。　If　so；　who　wound　my　clock？　Gilgamesh？　'Mutation'　is　never　an　explanation；　it　is　simply　a　name　for　an　observed　fact。
　　
　　〃Perhaps　some　natural　long…lifer；　not　necessarily　a　Howard；　had　visited　Blessed…the　naturals　are　forever　moving　around；　changing　their　names；　dyeing　their　hair；　they　have　all　gone　through　history…and　earlier。　But；　Minerva；　you　recall　from　my　life　as　a　slave　on　Blessed　one　odd　and　unsavory　incident…〃
　　
　　（Omitted）
　　
　　〃…so　my　best　guess　is　that　Llita　and　Joe　were　my　own　greatgreat…grandchildren。〃
　　
　　VARIATIONS　ON　A　ThEME
　　
　　x
　　
　　Possibilities
　　
　　〃Lazarus~。　was　that　why　you　refused　to　share　'Eros'　with　her？〃
　　
　　〃Eh？　But；　Minerva；　dear；　I　didn't　reach　that　conclusion…or　suspicion…that　night。　Oh；　I　admit　to　prejudice　about　sex　with　my　descendants…you　can　take　the　boy　out　of　the　Bible　Belt；　but　it　is　hard　to　take　the　Bible　Belt　out　of　the　boy。　Still；　I　had　had　a　thousand　years　in　which　to　learn　better。〃
　　
　　〃So？〃　said　the　puter。　〃Was　it　simply　that　you　still　classed　her　as　an　ephemeral？　That　troubles　me；　Lazarus。　In　my　own…deprived…state；　I　find　that；　like　her　husband　Joe；　I　see　her　side　of　it。　Your　reasons　seem　excuses；　not　sufficient
　　
　　grounds　to　refuse　her　need。〃
　　
　　〃Minerva；　I　did　not　say　I　refused　her。〃
　　
　　〃Oh！　Then　I　infer　that　you　granted　her　this　boon。　I　feel　a　lessening　of　tension。〃
　　
　　〃I　didn't　say　that；　either。〃
　　
　　〃I　find　an　implied　contradiction；　Lazarus。〃
　　
　　〃Simply　because　there　are　things　I　have　not　said；　dear。　Everything　I　tell　you　winds　up　in　my　memoirs；　that　was　the　deal　I　made　with　Ira。　Or　I　can　tell　you　to　erase　something；　in　which　case　I　might　as　well　not　have　told　you　at　all。　Perhaps　my　twenty…three　centuries　do　hold　something　worth　recording。　But　I　see　no　possible　excuse　for　placing　on　record　each　time　some　darling　lady　shared　with　me　simply　for　pleasure；　not　for　progeny。〃
　　
　　The　puter　answered　thoughtfully；　〃I　imply　from　this　addendum　that；　while　I　am　precluded　from　inferring　anything　about　the　boon　Llita　requested；　your　rule　with　respect　to　ephemerals　extended　only　to　marriage　and　to　progeny。〃
　　
　　〃Nor　did　I　say　that！〃
　　
　　〃Then　I　have　not　understood　you；　Lazarus。　Conflict。〃
　　
　　The　old　man　brooded；　then　answered　slowly　and　sadly；　〃I　think　I　said　that　marriage　between　a　long…lived　and　a　shortlived　was　a　bad　idea　。　。　and　so　it　is　。　。　and　I　learned　it　the　hard　way。　But　that　was　long　ago　and　far　away　and　when　she　died；　part　of　me　died。　I　stopped　wanting　to　live　forever。〃　He　stopped。
　　
　　The　puter　said　brokenly；　〃Lazarus…Lazarus；　my　beloved　friend！　I　am　sorry！〃
　　
　　Lazarus　Long　sat　up　straight　and　said　briskly；　〃No；　dear。　Don't　be　sorry　for　me。　No　regrets…never　any　regrets。　Nor　would　I　change　it　if　I　could。　Even　if　I　had　a　time　machine　and　could　go　back　and　change　one　cusp…I　would　not　do　so。　No；　not　one　instant；　much　less　that　cusp。　Now　let's　speak　of　something　else。〃
　　
　　〃Whatever　you　wish；　dear　friend。〃
　　
　　〃All　right。　You　keep　ing　back　to　me　and　Llita；　Minerva；　and　seem　bothered　that　I　denied　her　this　'boon。'　But　you　don't　know　that　I　denied　her　anything　and　you　certainly　don't　know　that　it　was　a　'boon。'　Can　be；　surely…but　not　always；　and　often　sex　is　not。　Trouble　is　that　you　don't　understand　'Eros；'　dear；　because　you　can't；　you　aren't　built　to　understand　it。　I'm　not　running　down　sex；　sex　is　swell；　sex　is　wonderful。　But　if　you　put　a　holy　aura　ar