time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)-第11章

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！


　How　about　it；　Lazarus？　If　she　has　used　up　her　reproduction　quoti；　I　would　be　happy　to　grant　her　an　exception　so　that　she　would　not　have　to
　　
　　migrate。〃'　…
　　
　　〃The　hell　she　ain't　trying　to　rush　me。　And　so　are　you。　But　she　put　it　politely；　so　let's　give　it　a　polite　answer。　Tell　her　that　I'm　honored　and　her　name　goes　into　the　hat…but　don't　tell　her　I'm　shipping　out　on　Thursday。　'Don't　call　us；　we'll　call　you'　in　other　words…but　make　her　happy　about　it；　she's　a　nice　kid。〃
　　
　　I　revised　the　message　diplomatically；　Ishtar　beamed；　curtsied；　and　backed　away。　Lazarus　said；　〃Drag　up　a　rock；　Son；　and　sit　a　while。〃　He　lowered　his　voice　…　and　added；　〃Between　ourselves；　Ira；　I'm　pretty　sure　Ariel　slipped　otie　in　on　me。　But　with　another　of　my　descendants；　so　this　kid　is　descended　from　me　anyhow；　though　maybe　not　as　directly。　Not　that　it　matters。What　are　you　doing　up　so　early？　I　said　you　could；have　two　hours　after　breakfast　to　yourself。〃
　　
　　〃I'm　an　early　riser；　Lazarus。　Is　it　true　that　you　have　decided　on　the　full　course？　She　seems　to　think　so。〃
　　
　　Lazarus　looked　pained。　〃It's　probably　the　simplest　answer
　　
　　…but　how　do　I　know　Fil　get　my　own　balls　back？〃
　　
　　〃Gonads　from　your　clone　are　your　own；　Lazarus；　that's　basic　to　the　theory。〃
　　
　　〃Well　。　。　we'll　see。　Early　rising　is　a　vice；　Ira；　it'll　stunt　your　growth　and　shorten　your　days。　Speaking　of　such…〃　Lazarus　glanced　up　at　the　walL　〃Thanks；　for　having　that　switch　reinstalled。　I　don't　feel　tempted　by　it　this　fine　morning；　but　a　man　does　like　to　have　a　choice。　Galahad；　coffee　for　the　Chairman　and　fetch　me　that　plastic　envelope。〃　Grandfather　Lazarus　supplemented　his　order　with　gestures；　but　I　think　the　tech　understood　his　words。　Or　was　somewhat　telepathic；　rejuvenators　are　quite　empathic…need　to　be。　The　man　moved　at　once　to　…　ply。
　　
　　He　handed　Lazarus　an　impervolope　and　poured　coffee　for　me…which　I　did　not　want　but　will　drink　anything　protocol　requires。　Lazarus　…Went　on；　〃Here's　my　new　will；　Ira。　Read　it　and　file　it　somewhere　and　tell　your　puter。　I've　already　approved　the　way　she　worded　it　and　read　it　back　into　her　'and　told　her　to　place　it　in　her　permanents　with　a　'bind'　on　it…it
　　
　　'ud　take　a　Philadelphia　lawyer　to　diddle　you　out　of　your　in~　heritance　now…though　no　doubt　one　could。〃
　　
　　He　waved　the　male　tech　aside。　〃No　more　coffee；　lad…　thanks。　Go　sit　down。　You　go　sit；　too；　dear。　Ishtar。　Ira；　whal　are　these　young　people？　Nurses？　Orderlies？　Servants？　Oi　what？　They　hover　over　me　like　a　hen　with　one　chick。　I'vt　never　cared　for　more　service　than　I　need。　Just　sociability　Human　pany。〃　…
　　
　　I　could　not　answer　without　inquiring。　Not　only　is　it　Un　necessary　for　me　to　know　how　the　Rejuvenation　Clinic　a　organized；　but　also　it　is　private　enterprise；　not　under　thi　Trustees…and　my　intervention　in　the　case　of　the　Senior　wa　much　resented　by　its　Director。　So　I　interfered　as　little　as　pos　sible…as　long　as　my　orders　were　carried　out。
　　
　　I　spoke　to　the　female　tech；　in　Galacta：　〃What　is　your　profes　sional　designation；　ma'am？　The　Senior　wants　to　know。　He　say~　that　you　have　been　behaving　like　a　servant。〃
　　
　　She　answered　quietly；　〃It　is　our　pleasure　to　serve　him　in　an~　way　we　can；　sir〃…then　hesitated　and　went　on：　〃I　am　Admin　istrator　Master　Chief'　Rejuvenation　Technician　Ishtar　Hardy　Deputy　Director　for　Rejuvenation　Procedures；　and　my　assistanl　watch　officer　is　AssociateTechnician　Galahad　Jones。〃
　　
　　Having　been　rejuvenated　twice　and　used　to　the　idea　all　m~　life；　it　does　not　surprise　me　when　cosmetic　age　does　not　matci　calendar　age。　But　I　admit　to　surprise　at　learning　that　this　youn~　woman　was　not　just　a　technician　but　boss　of　her　department…　probably　number　three　in　tjie　entire　Clinic。　Or　possibly　num　ber　？wo　while　the　Director　was　away　sulking　in　her　tent…　damn　her　duty…struck　stiff　neck。　Or　even　Director　Pro　Ten　with　her　deputy；　or　some　department　head；　bucked　into　〃mind　ing　the　store。〃　〃So？〃　I　answered。　〃May　I　ask　your　calenda　age；　Madam　Administrator？〃
　　
　　〃Mr。　Chairman　Pro　Tern　may　ask　anything。　I　am　only　ont　hundred　forty…seven　years　old…but　I　am　qualified；　this　ha~　been　my　only　career　since　first　maturity。〃
　　
　　〃I　did　not　imply　doubt　of　your　qualifications；　madam；　bul　I　am　astonished　to　see　you　standing　a　watch　rather　than　sittin~　at　a　desk。　Although　I　confess　I　don't　know　how　the　Clinic　i5　organized。〃
　　
　　She　smiled　slightly。　〃Sir；　I　could　express　a　similar　feeling　at　your　own　personal　interest　in　this　case　。　。　were　it　not　that　I　think　I　understand　it。　I　am　here　because　I　choose　not　to　delega~e　the　responsibility；　he　is　the　Senior。　I　have　screened　all　watch　officers　assigned　to　him…the　best　we　have　to　offer。〃
　　
　　I　shoi~ld　have　known　it。　〃We　understand　each　other。〃　I　added；　〃I　am　pleased。　But　may　I　make　a　suggestion？　Our　Senior　is　independent　by　temperament　and　highly　individualistic。　He　wants　a　minimum　of　personal　service…only　that　which　he　must　have。〃
　　
　　〃Have　we　beeii　annoying　him；　sir？　Too　solicitous？　I　can　watch　and　listen　from　outside　the　door　and　still　be　here　instantly　if　he　wants　something。〃　…
　　
　　…　〃Possibly　too　solicitous。　But　stay　in　sight。　He　does　want　human　panionship。〃
　　
　　〃What's　all　this　yack…yack？〃　demanded　Lazarus。
　　
　　〃I　had　to　ask　questions；　Grandfather；　as　I　don't　know　the　organization　of　the　Clinic。　Jshtar　is　not　a　servant；　she　is　a　rejuvenator　and　a　highly　skilled　one…and　so　is　her　assistant。　But　they　are　happy　to　supply　any　service　you　want。〃
　　
　　〃I　don't　need　flunkies；　I'm　feeling　pretty　good　today。　If　I　want　anything；　I'll　shout；　they　don't　need　to　hang　over　me；　hand　and　foot。〃　Then　he　grinned。　〃But　she's　a　cute　little　trick；　in　the　large；　economy　size；　it's　a　pleasure　to　have　her　around。　Moves　like　a　cat…no　bones；　Just　flows。　She　does　indeed　remind　me　of　Arid…did　I　tell　you　why　Arid　tried　to　kill　me？〃
　　
　　〃No。　I　would　like　to　hear　if　you　want　to　tell　me。〃
　　
　　〃Mmm…　Ask　me　when　Ishtar　isn't　around…I　think　she　knows　more　English　than　she　lets　on。　But　I…did　promise　to　talk　if　you　showed　up　to　listen。　What　would　you　like　to　hear？〃
　　
　　〃Anything；　Lazarus。　Scheherazade　picked　her　own　subjects。〃
　　
　　〃So　she　did。　But　I　don't　have　one　on　tap。〃
　　
　　〃Well　。　。　you　said　as　I　came　in　that　'eariy　rising　ja　a　vice。'　Did　you　mean　that　seriously？〃　…
　　
　　〃Maybe。　Gramp　Johnson　claimed　it　was。　He　used　to　…tell　a　story　about　a　man　who　was　condemned　to　be　shot　at　sunrisebut　overslept　and　missed　it。　His　sentence　was　muted　that　day；　and　he　lived　another　forty；　fifty　years。　Said　it　proved　his　point。〃
　　
　　〃Do　you　think　that's　a　true　story？〃
　　
　　〃As　true　as　any　of　Scheherazade's。　I　took　it　to　mean　'Sleep　whenever　you　can；　you　may　have　to　stay　awake　a　long　time。'　Early　rising　may　not　be　a　vice；　Ira；　but　it　is　certainly　no　virtue。　The　old　saw　about　the　early　bird　just　goes　to　show　that　the　worm　should　have　stayed　in　bed。　I　can't　stand　people　who　are　smug　about　how　early　they　get　up。〃
　　
　　〃I　didn't　mean　to　sound　smug；　Grandfather。　I　get　u％~early
　　
　　from　long　habit…the　habit…　of　work。　But　I　don't　say　it's　a　virtue。〃
　　
　　〃Which？　Work？　Or　early　rising？　Neither　is　…a　virtue。　But　getting　up　early　do？not　get　more　work　done　。　。　any　more　than　you　can　make　a　piece　of　string　longer　by　cutting　off　one　end　and　tying　it　onto　the　other。　You　get　less　work　done　if　you　persist　in　getting　up　yawning　and　still　tired。　You　…aren't　sharp　and　make　mistakes　and　have　to　do　it　over。　That　sort　of　busybusy　is　wastefuL　As　well　as　unpleasant。　And　annoying　to　those　who　would　sleep　late　if　their　neighbors　weren't　so　noisily　active　at　some　ungodly　cow…milking　hour。　Ira；　progress　doesn't　e　from　early　risers…progress　is　made　…　by　lazy　men　looking　for　easier　ways　to　do　things。〃
　　
　　〃You　make　me　feel　that　…I've　wasted　four　centuries。〃
　　
　　〃Perhaps　you　have；　Son；　if　you've　spent　it　…getting　up　early　and）　working…hard。　But　it's　not　too　late　…to　change　your　ways。　Don't　fret　about　it；　I've　was？ed　most　of　my　long　life…though　perhaps　more　pleasantly。　Would　you　like　to　hear　a　story　about　a　man　who　made　laziness　a　…fine　art？　His　life　exemplified　the　Principle　of　Least　Effort。　A　true　story。〃
　　
　　〃Certainly。　But　I　don't　insist　on　its　being　true。〃
　　
　　〃Oh；　I　won't　let　truth　hamper　me；　Ira；　I'm　a　solipsist　at　heart。　Hear　then；　0　Mighty　King；　…
　　
　　VARIATIONS　ON　A　THEME
　　
　　II
　　
　　The　Tale　of　the　Man　Who　Was
　　
　　…Too　Lazy　to　Fail
　　
　　…　He　was　a　schoolmate　of　mine　in　a　school　for　training　naval　officers。　Not　space　navy；　this　was　before　the　human　race　had　even　reached　Earth's　one　satellite。　This　was　wet　navy；　ships　that　floated　in　water　and　attempted　to　sink　each　other；　often　with　regrettable　success。　I　got　mixed　up　in　this　through　being　too　young　to　realize　emotionally　that；　if　my　ship　sank；　I　probably　would　…　sink；　too…but　this　is　not　my　story；　but　David　Lamb's。　*　…　…
　　
　　To　explain　David　I　must　go　back　to　his　childhood。　He　was　a　hillbilly；　which　means　he　came　from　an　area　uncivilized　even　by　the　loose　standards　of　those　days…and　Dave　came　from　so　far　back　in　the　hills　that　the　hoot　owls　trod　the　chickens。
　　
　　His　education　was　in　a　one…room　country　school　and　ended　at　thirteen。　He　enjoyed　it；　for　every　hour　in　school　was　a　hour　sitting　down　doing　nothing　harder　than　reading。　Before　and　after　'school　he　had　to　do　chores　on　his　family's　farm；　which　he　hated；　as　they　were　what　was　known　as　〃honest　work〃…meaning　hard；　dirty；　inefficient；　and　ill…paid…and　also　involved　getting　up　early；　which　be　hated　even　worse。
　　
　　Graduation　was　a　grim　day　for　him；　it　meant　that　he　now　did　〃honest　work〃　all　day　long　instead　of　spending　a　restful　six　or　seven　hours　in　school。　One　hot　day　he　spent　fifteen
　　
　　*　There　is　no　record　that　the　Senior　ever　attended　a　school　for　militaro…naval　officers；　or　any　military　school。　On　the　other　hand；　there　is　no　proOf　that　he　did　not。　This　story　may　be　autobiographical　to　whatever　extent　it　is　true；　〃David　Lamb〃　may　be　one　more　of　the　many　names　used　by　Woodrow　Wilson　Smith。
　　
　　The　details　are　consistent　with　Old　Home's　history　so　far　as　we　know　it。　The　Senior's　first　century　coincides　with　that　century　of　continuous　war　which　preceded　the　Great　Collapse…　a　century　of　much　scientific　progress　paralleled　by　retrogres
　　
　　…　sion　in　social　matters。　Waterborne　and　airborne　ships　were　used　for　fighting　throughout　this　century。　See　appendix　for　idioms　and　technicalities。　…
　　
　　…J。F。　45th
　　
　　CA
　　
　　hours　plowing　behind　a　mule。　and　the　longer　he　stared　a　the　south　end　of　that　mule；　breathing　dust　it　kicked　up　ani　wiping　the　sweat　of　honest　toil　out　of　his　eyes；　the　more　hi　hated　it。
　　
　　That　night　he　left　home　informally；　walked　fifteen　miles　t~　town；　slept　across　the　door　of　the　post　office　until　the　post　mistress　opened　up　next　morning；　and　enlisted　in　the　Navy　He　aged　two　years　during　the　night；　from　fifteen　to　seventeen　which　made　him　old　enough　to　enlist。
　　
　　A　boy　often　ages　rapidly　when　be　leaves　home。　…The　fac　was　not　noticeable；　birth　registrations　were　unheard　of　a　that　time　and　place；　and　David　was　six　feet　tall；　broad…shoul　dered；　well…muscled；　handsome；　and　mature　in　appearance　save　for　a　wild　look　around　the　eyes。　…
　　
　　The　Navy　suited　David。　They　gave　him　shoes　and　nev　clothes；　and　let　him　ride　around　on　the　water；　seeing　strang　and　interesting　places…untroubled　by　mules　and　the　dust　o　cornfields。　They　did　expect　him　to　work；　though　not　as　much　or　as　hard；　as　working　a　hi…Il　farm…and　once　he　figured　ou　the　political　setup　aboard　ship　he　became　adept　at　not　doinl　much　work　while　still　being　satisfactory　to　the　local　gods　namely；　chief　petty　officers。
　　
　　But　it　was　not　totally　satisfactory　as　he　still　had　to　get　UI　early　and　often　had　to　stand　night　watches　and　sometime~　scrub　decks　and　perform　other　tasks　unsuited　to　his　sensitivc　temperament。
　　
　　Then　he　heard　about　this　school　for　officer　candidates…　〃midshipmen〃　as　they　were　known。　Not　that　David　cared　what　they　were　called；　the　point　was　that　the　Navy　would　pay　bin　to　sit　down　and　read　books…his　notion　of　heaven…untroubled　by　decks　to　scrub　and　by　petty　officers。　0　K？ng；　am　I　boring　you？　No？
　　
　　Very　well…　David　was　ill　prepared　for　this　school；　…never　having　had　four　to　five　years'　additional　schooling　considered　necessary　to　enter　it…mathematics；　…　what　passed　for　science；　history；　languages；　literature；　and　So　forth。
　　
　　Pretending　to　four　years　or　so　of　schooling　he　did　not　have　was　more　difficult　than　tacking　two　years　on　the　age　of　an　overgrown　boy。　But　the　Navy　wished　to　encourage　enlisted　men　to　bee　officers；　so　it　had　established　a　tutoring　school　to　aid　candidates　slightly　deficient　in　academic　preparation；；
　　
　　第9节
　　
　　David　construed　〃slightly　deficient〃　to　mean　his　own　state；　he　told　his　chief　petty　officer　that　he　had　〃just　missed〃　graduating　from　high　school…which　was　true　in　a　way；　he　had　〃just
　　
　　missed〃　by　half　a　county；　that　being　the　distance　from　his　home　to　the　nearest　high　school。
　　
　　I　don't　know　how　David　induced　his　See…Pee…Oh　to　remend　him；　David　never　discussed　this。　Suffice　to　say　that；　when　David's　ship　steamed　for　the　Me