Chapter 19 Theme Variation XI The Story of the Adopted Daughter

Stand with me on this ancient planet of humanity, and gaze north.It's getting dark; look down the handle of the Big Dipper and halfway to the left turn left - do you see that?Do you feel it?There was nothing there but cold and dark.Try again with both eyes covered, try again with your inner imagination, and now listen silently to the cry of the wild goose as it travels through the boundless universe and breaks its stillness— There it is, shining!Lock on that point and drive your ship through the vastness of space.Move lightly, lightly again, don't lose that goal.It was a Virgo planet, a new beginning—

Woodrow Smith, many names, many places, leads the group in their search for a new beginning, a clean, hopeful planet.Here we are, he told his fellow shipmates.Endless untrodden prairies, vast uncut forests, meandering rivers, towering mountains, unseen riches and unseen dangers.This is the place to live, and perhaps the place to die; but the only sin is not to try.Take your pick and shovel; dig a latrine, build your hut--better next year, stronger next year, longer furrows next year. Learn to grow it, learn to eat it.You can't buy it; learn to make your own!How will you know if you don't try?Try again, keep trying—

Ernest Gibson, born Woodrow Smith, sometimes Lazarus Long, etc., was the president of New Beginnings Merchant Bank.He walked out of the Waldorf restaurant and stood on the balcony, picking his teeth while looking at the bustling street scene.Below him were hitched mules with saddles on their backs and a muzzled rop.On the street to his right, a mule convoy from afar was unloading at the wharves of Topdora Trading Station (property of Ernest Gibson.)A dog lay in the middle of a dusty street; animals such as mules and horses walked around it.Across the street to his right, a dozen children were noisily playing games on the Mayberry Elementary School playground.

Without changing places, just standing there, he counted thirty-seven people.How much has changed in the past eighteen years! , Topdora is no longer the only settlement, not even the largest.New Pittsburgh is dognier (and dirtier), and Cypress and Chankers could both be called towns.These all stem from the two boats of people who came here one after another.During their first winter, they almost starved to death. He didn't want to think about that winter.That family! (But there is no evidence that they cannibalize.) Fortunately, the whole family died. Forget about it.The weak die, the bad die or are killed; it is always the stronger, shrewder, more decent who survive.New Beginnings is a planet to be proud of, and it will only get better and better for a long time to come.

Still, twenty years in one place is long enough; it's time to sail again.In many ways he was more fun with Andy, may God rest his sweet, innocent soul.They wandered around the star systems together, enclosing land, and leaving as soon as they figured out the potential of a place, never staying longer.He was curious to see if his son Zako would return on time with a third group of hopefuls to succeed here. He lifted the short skirt he was wearing and scratched his right leg above the knee—to check for the energy gun there; Is his second throwing knife still there.He is ready to go out in public.He wondered whether to go to his bank's office or to the trading post and see what was being unloaded.None of them interest him.

A mule nodded at him.Gibson nodded to it too and said, "Hello, Buck. How are you, boy? Where's your boss?" Buck kept his mouth tightly shut, and then suddenly said loudly, "I (bank) bank!" This illustrates a problem: if Clyde Limo tied it here instead of the front door of the bank, it meant that Clyde wanted to go through the side door and want to take another loan.Let's see what he can do to find me. No more trading posts.Clyde will be there to find me next, and besides, Rick hasn't had time to steal as usual, and it's not fair to him that I'll make him nervous; a good warehouse clerk is Hard to find.Rick was always honest - only stole five percent, nothing more and nothing less.

Gibson felt in his shirt pocket, found a piece of candy, put it in his hand and fed it to Buck.The mule ate the candy carefully and nodded his thanks.According to Gibson, these mutated, reproductive, and breeding mules were the second-greatest aid to immigration after the Libby drive.They can easily go into cryosleep.If you ship live pigs on a spaceship, half of the breeding pigs will turn into pork when they arrive at their destination.Also, in many ways a mule can fend for itself; a mule can trample a wild rop. He said, "Goodbye, Buck: I'm going to walk. Walk. Tell your boss."

"Huh (good)!" The mule said it knew, "Pai (bye)!" Gibson turned left, heading out of town.His mind was thinking about how much money he could lend to Clyde Limodo with Buck as collateral.A docile and intelligent stud mule was a fortune, and it was the only property Clyde had that was not mortgaged.Gibson was quite sure that once the loan secured by Buck came due, Clyde would be walking on his feet.There is no doubt about it.Gibson has no regrets.A person who does not live up to the high standards of the planet New Beginnings is worthless, and there is no point in funding him.

No, you can't lend Clyde a penny!It should be bought directly, and the bid is one-tenth of the normal price.A conscientious, hard-working animal should not belong to a lazy man.Gibson didn't need a mule to deliver goods, but an hour a day of riding would do his body good.Sitting in the bank all day will relax his muscles. Get married again and give buck to the bride as a wedding gift - not a bad idea.But the Howards on this planet were all married, and none of the couples had children of marriageable age.All the Howard family members here have to hide their identities until there are enough people for the family to set up a clinic here.This is safer.Once bitten, twice shy.On the surface, he avoided dealing with the Howard family, and the same between them.But it would be nice to be married again.There were two or three girls at the McGee's house—the Bastos, actually—who were coming of age, and maybe he should give them a call sometime.

He felt energetic, restless, and full of evil thoughts.He wants to know which woman thinks like him, dares to cheat, and share their happiness together.Ernie knew a few people with the same passion as him, the problem was that he couldn't find them right now--no one who was willing to just play around, and he just wanted to play around.It's not fair to have any serious relationship with someone who is short-lived, no matter how cute she is - especially if she's very cute. Banker Gibson had reached the outskirts of the city, and was about to turn back, when he noticed a puff of smoke rising from a house in the distance.It's Hubble's.It used to be Hubble's family, he corrected in his mind, they had already moved their family to the interior.And now it's, well, Bud Brighton and his wife Margaret—a very nice couple, coming on the second boat.They have a child?Well, that's right.

Burning a fireplace in this weather?Maybe burning trash— Hey, the smoke doesn't come from the chimney! Gibson ran. When he got to Hubble's house, the entire roof was burning.Lazarus stopped and began to assess the situation.Like most of the old houses, the ground floor of Hubble’s house has no windows, but only a door, which is tightly embedded in the wall and opens outwards. designed for the situation. Opening that door is like opening the damper on the stove. He didn't waste time thinking about it too much; the door couldn't be opened anyway.He ran around the house, found the window on the upper floor, and tried to find a way to get there—a ladder or something.Is there anyone in the house?Didn't Brighton and the others have any ropes to join them with and escape from the fire?Probably not; good rope was brought over from Earth and sold here for ninety dollars a meter--the Hubbles wouldn't keep that kind of thing. One of the shutters was opened and smoke came out— He yelled, "Hi! Is anyone there!" A figure appeared at the window and threw something at him. He saw what it was while it was still in the air, mechanically hugged the flying object tightly, and fell to the ground along with it to reduce the impact.is a child— He looked up and saw an arm on the window frame.The roof had caved in and the arm was gone. With the little boy in one arm—no, a little girl, he corrected himself—Gibson rushed forward, but quickly backed away from the fire.He didn't think about whether anyone else would survive such a raging fire; he just hoped that they would die quickly, without being tortured by fear.He held the child in his arms. "Are you all right, baby?" "I'm fine," she answered, and whispered again, "but mother is very ill." "Your mother is all right now, dear," he said softly, "and so is your father." "Are you sure?" The child writhed in his arms, trying to turn around and look at the burning house. He used his back to block the blazing fire. "I'm sure." He hugged her tightly and left the place. Halfway back to the city, they met Clyde Limo riding on Buck's back.Clydra pulled the reins to slow the mule. "Oh, here you are! Banker, I want to talk to you." "Stop it, Clyde." "What...you don't understand, I've got to get some money. I've had nothing but bad luck for a while. Looks like anything I do—" "Clyde—stop talking nonsense!" "What?" Limo seemed to have noticed what the banker was holding, "Hi! Isn't this the child of the Brighton family?" "yes." "I recognized it immediately. About the loan—" "I told you to shut up. The bank will never lend you a dollar again." "But you've got to listen to me. I think it's our collective duty to help a farmer who's having bad luck. If there's no farmer— "Listen to me. If you worked as much as you talked, you wouldn't have to talk about 'bad luck'. Even your stables are filthy. Hmm... how much do you want to sell that animal for?" ?” "Buck don't think about it, I wouldn't sell Buck. But banker, here's what I thought: You're a good man, though you talk rough, and I know you won't starve my boys. Hmm , Buck's a very valuable property, and I'd like to mortgage it—well, about—" "Clyde, the best thing you can do for your children is to slit your throat and put them up for adoption. I won't lend you money, Clyde, not a dime, a Not a penny. But I'm going to buy Buck, right now. Make your offer." Limo swallowed, hesitated, and said, "Twenty-five thousand yuan." Gibson started walking towards the city.Limo hurriedly said: "Twenty thousand!" Gibson didn't answer. Limo pulled the rein to make the mule turn around, walked up to Gibson, stopped and said, "Banker, don't take advantage of others. Eighteen thousand yuan, you are stealing from me." "Limo, I won't steal your things. You can auction him off. I may or may not bid. How much do you think he can get?" "Well... fifteen thousand yuan." "You think so...but I don't. I don't need to look at its teeth to know how old it is, and I know how much you paid for it after getting off the spaceship. I also know how much people here can afford , how much will you pay. Come on, it's still yours. But remember, the pricing is up to you, but the auctioneer will charge 10%, even if it doesn't sell. But it's your business, Clay De. Get out of my way; I want to take the child to town and lay her down and rest; she's had a terrible time." "Well...how much can you pay?" "Twelve thousand." "What, this is a robbery!" "You don't have to take it. Let's say the auction goes for fifteen thousand--as you hoped. Your net income is thirty-five thousand. But suppose the auction only goes for ten thousand. I think it's quite probable, and your net income is only nine thousand. Good-bye, Clyde; I'm in a hurry." "Well, how about thirteen thousand?" "Clyde, I've said my max. You've dealt with me enough times to know that when I say my max, that's the max. But if you add that saddle and bridle , answer one more question, I will add another five hundred yuan." "what is the problem?" "How did you immigrate?" Limo looked taken aback, then smiled awkwardly, "If you want to know the real reason—because I'm crazy." "All humans are crazy. That's not an answer, Clyde." "Well... my father was a banker--as tyrannical as you! I've done quite well, and have a legitimate, respectable profession, teaching, at the university. But the pay isn't very great. When I'm in a pinch, My dad, was always rough with me. He was nosy and always belittled me. Finally, I got tired of the situation and I asked him if he could pay for Yvonne and me for the 'Andy J number' .We want to immigrate.So he can get rid of us. "To my amazement he agreed. But I have no regrets; I know that a well-educated man like myself can achieve anywhere... Besides, we were not thrown into a wild place; we It was the second batch that came, you might remember. "The thing is, it's a wild place here, and I've had to find things that gentlemen wouldn't touch. But you'll just have to wait, banker; the kids here are growing up, Soon there needs to be an institution that provides higher education, not the useless stuff that Ms. Mayberry teaches in her so-called school. That's my specialty - you'll call me 'Professor' Yes, and with great respect. Just wait and see." "Good luck. Do you accept my offer? Twelve thousand and five hundred dollars, with bridle and saddle." "Well... I said I accept it, didn't I?" "You didn't say it. You haven't accepted it." "I accept." The little girl listened carefully, with a serious expression on her face.Gibson said to her, "Can you stand a moment, sweetie?" "Can." He put her down; she trembled a little, and grabbed at his skirt.Gibson fished something out of his fur bag, then, using Buck's broad ass as a desk, wrote a check and receipt.He handed them to Limo. "Give this check to Hilda at the bank. You sign the receipt and give it to me." Limo sighed silently, looked at the check, and put it away.He handed back the receipt and said, "Thank you, banker, you miser. Where do you want me to hand it to you?" "You've delivered. Come down." "What? How do I get to the bank? How do I get home?" "Let's go." "What? Well, let's all play dirty tricks! Pay and deliver, at the bank." "Limo; the reason I paid a high price for this mule is because I need it now. But I found that the two of us did not agree. Well, return my check and I will return your receipt." Limo was taken aback. "Oh no, you can't do that! We've already made a deal." "Then get off my mule at once," said Gibson, putting his hand on the hilt of the utility knife that every man carries with him, "and run back to town so you can be there before Hilda gets off work. Hurry up." He stared straight into Limo's eyes, very cold and expressionless. "Can't I play a joke on you?" Limo muttered, dismounting from his mule, and hurried to the city. "Yes, Clyde!" Limo stopped. "What else do you want to say?" "If you see the Volunteer Fire Department coming this way, it's too late to tell them; the Hubble House doesn't exist anymore. But it doesn't hurt to tell McCarthy to send some guys over to check it out, and just say I said it." "Okay! Okay!" "And, Clyde—what did you teach?" "'Teach what?' I teach 'Creative Thinking.' I told you, I'm well educated." "That's right. You'd better hurry. Hilda gets off work at one o'clock, and she's going to pick up the kids from Ms. Mayberry's school." Gibson ignored Limo's answer. He took the little girl up in his arms and said, "Stand still, Buck. Stand still, you old fellow." He lifted the little girl up high and let her gently Astride the mule's nape, "grab it by the mane." He stepped on the left stirrup, jumped onto the mule's back from behind her, and sat on the saddle.He picked her up a little, resting part of her on his lap and most of her on the saddle. "Grab this horn, honey. Hold it with both hands. Is it comfortable?" "interesting!" "That's fun, girl. Buck! Hear me, boy?" Mule nodded. "Come on, walk back to town. Go slow and steady. Don't stumble. Do you understand? I don't need a rein." "Okay... let's go! "Okay, Buck." Gibson pulled the rein loosely around Buck's neck, then clamped the mule with his legs and let it go.Buck walked slowly towards the city. After a few minutes, the little girl said in a low voice, "How are my mother and father?" "They're all fine. They know I'll take care of you. What's your name, sweetie?" "Dora." "Nice name, Dora. Lovely name. Want to know my name?" "The man called you 'the banker.'" "That's not my name, Dora; it's just my job some of the time. My name is... 'Uncle Gibby.' Do you know that?" "'Uncle Gibby,' what a fun name." "That's right, Dora. The mule we're riding on is called Buck. He's my friend, and he'll be your friend now, so ask him how he is." "Hello, Buck." "Ha Rou (Luo)... Do (Duo) La!" "Hey, he talks better than any other mule! Does he?" "Buck's the best mule in New Beginning, Dora. And the smartest. We'll take the bridle off later, and Buck won't need a thing like that in his mouth, and he'll be more fluent then... …You can teach it to say more words. Would you like to do that?" "Oh, yes!" added Dora, "if Mama will let me." "Your mother will agree. Do you like to sing, Dora?" "Oh, of course! I can sing the clap song. But we can't clap now, can we?" "I think we'd better hang on to the saddle." Gibson quickly ran through the cheerier songs he remembered, excluding Some songs are not suitable for little girls to sing, "How about this one?" there's a pawn shop there on the corner That's where I usually keep my coats "Can you sing this, Dora?" "Oh, it's such an easy tune!" sang the little girl, her voice so high that it reminded Gibson of a canary, "Is that all, Uncle Gibby? What's a 'Tangpo'? " "A place to keep your coat for when you don't need it. There's plenty more, Dora, and thousands of words." "'Thousands of—' Well, almost as much as a hundred, isn't it?" "About, Dora. Here's a few more." there is a stall there next to the pawn shop that's where my sister sells candy "Do you like sugar, Dora?" . "Oh yes! But Mom said sugar was expensive." "It won't be very expensive next year, Dora; we'll have a lot of beets for sugar. But... 'Keep your mouth open and your eyes closed, and I've got a surprise for you!'" he said in his shirt pocket. Touching it, he said, "Oh, I'm sorry, Dora; the surprise can only be given to you at the trading post; Buck ate the last candy. Buck also likes candy." "It likes it too?" "Yes, I will teach you how to feed it sugar, don't make any mistakes, and let him bite off your fingers. But sugar is not very good for it, so it can only be given as a surprise to reward its good performance. Right , Buck?" "Huh (yes)! ... Reuben (boss)" Gibson had Buck park in front of Mayberry Elementary, just as the kids were out of school.He took Dora down and she looked tired so he picked her up again. "Wait a minute, Buck." A few students walking behind stared at them and made way for him to go in. "Good afternoon, Ms. Mayberry." Gibson came here almost instinctively.The headmistress, a gray-haired widow in her fifties, had lost two husbands and was making a cautious but remote effort to find a third.She wanted to support herself, not live with her daughter, step-daughter or daughter-in-law.She had shared a passionate pleasure with Ernest Gibson, and, like him, had been discreet and quiet about it.He felt that she was very sensible in all aspects, and she should have been considered as a marriage partner, but it was a pity that the two of them had different life spans.Unfortunate. He didn't let her know his identity.Both of them were the first to come here, and no one knew he was from the Howard family at that time.When he reappeared on Earth, he had just completed his rejuvenation treatment in Secundus.He was thought to be about thirty-five years old when the emigration operation was organized.Since then, he has been careful, adding a year to himself every year.Helen Mayberry considered him her own age, and she accepted his friendship, and the passions of life they shared at times, but it never occurred to her to have him.He respects this woman very much. "Good afternoon, Mr. Gibson. Why, isn't this Dora! We miss you so much, sweetie; what's wrong! Is it a scrape?" Dirty up and down like a mud monkey. She straightened up. "Looks just smudged. I'm glad to see her; I was a bit wondering if she didn't come up with the Parkinson's kids in the morning. Mary Brydon is very ill, as you probably already know ?” "Not sure. Where can I lay Dora for a few minutes? I want to talk to you. Privately." Ms. Mayberry's eyes widened, but she answered immediately, "Sofa—no, put her on my bed." She led the way, and the child soiled her sheets without saying a word.After he assured Dora that they were only gone for a short while, the two returned to the classroom. Gibson spoke about what happened. "Dora didn't know her parents were dead, Helen, and I don't think I should tell her now." Ms. Mayberry thought about it. "Ernest, are you sure they're all dead? If Bud was working on his own fields, he'd be able to see the house on fire, but he works for Mr. Parkinson sometimes." "Helen, it's not a woman's arm that I see. Unless Mary Brydon has black, heavy hair on the back of her hand." "No. No, it's supposed to be Bud's hand." She sighed. "Then she'd be orphaned. Poor little Dora! She's a good kid, and smart too. "Helen, can you take care of her for a few days? Would you like to?" "Ernest, you're almost humiliating me by saying that. I'll take care of her as long as I need her." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you angry. I don't think it will be very long; there will be families willing to adopt her. During this time, you record the expenses, and after that, we will calculate'her room How much will it cost for meals and meals?" "Nearly nothing, Ernest. The only cost is the food, like feeding a bird. She's Mary Blydon's youngest daughter, and I'd love to keep her." "Don't want to talk about money? Well, I can find any family to foster her. Limo's family. Or someone else's family." "Ernest!" "Don't be angry, Helen. The girl's father handed over his baby to me as a last act before he died. Don't be silly; I know how thrifty you are. I also know that you often receive Tuition, not cash. It's a cash deal. The Limores will be snapping it up--and a few more. I don't necessarily want to put Dora here--I don't Not here, unless you're wiser." Ms. Mayberry scowled, then burst out laughing, looking years younger. "Ernest, you're a scoundrel, a bastard. There are other adjectives, but I only use them in bed. All right—room and board." "There are also tuition fees. Plus some other special expenses, such as medical expenses and so on." "Not just thugs, but triple thugs. You've got to pay for whatever you've got, haven't you? I should have thought of that." She glanced at the shuttered window, "into the hallway A kiss is the deal, you bastard." They went out, she stood so that no one else could see, and kissed him.This kiss will leave the neighbors dumbfounded. "Helen—" She pressed her lips to his. "My answer is no, Mr. Gibson. I've got to be busy with that little girl to-night." "I want to say, I know you're going to bathe her, but don't bathe her until I get Dr. Clausmeyer to examine her. She seems fine, but everything from broken ribs to a concussion It's all possible. Oh, take her clothes off, and wipe off the dirt; that's all right, and it'll be easier for the doctor to examine her." "Okay honey. Get your lewd hands off my ass, I'm going back to work. You go to the doctor." "Go at once, Ms. Mayberry." "See you later, Mr. Gibson. Goodbye." Gibson told Buck to wait, and walked over to Ouddorf's.He guessed right, Dr. Clausmeyer was in the bar.The doctor looked up at him. "Ernest! I heard something happened to Hubble's house. What's going on?" "Oh, what did you hear? Put the wine down and grab your bag. There's an emergency." "Now, right now? I've never seen an emergency room that's too anxious to let me finish my drink." Clyde Leigh Moore was here just now, and bought us a drink--the one you'd begging me not to finish. He told us the Hubble's burned down, and the Brighton family dead. And he said he wanted It's too late to save them." Gibson really wanted to beat Clyde Limore and this Dr. Clausmeyer to death.A scene flashed through his mind: one dark night, Clyde Limo and Dr. Clausmeyer had a fatal accident—but, damn it, although Clyde's death would be nothing. Loss, but if the doctor died, Gibson would have to show his license to practice -- and it wouldn't be named "Ernest Gibson."Plus, the man was a good doctor when he was sober.In the end, anyway, it's your own problem, old guy; you interviewed him twenty years ago and agreed to give him a grant.You see a bright young intern who doesn't realize he's going to turn into an alcoholic. "Since you mention this, Doctor, I'll tell you. I did see Clyde hurrying to the Harper's. If he says he was too late to get them out, I can give He testified. But the Brightons were not all dead; their youngest daughter, Dora, was saved." "Oh, yes, that's what Clyde said. He said there was nothing he could do to save her parents." "That's right. It's the little girl I want you to see. She's got a lot of scrapes and bruises, probably broken bones, maybe internal injuries, very likely poisonous fumes. That's for sure. What's more, she's mentally agitated...very badly at her age. She's across the street from Ms. Mayberry." He added softly, "I think you should hurry, doctor. I do think so. Don't you think so?" Dr. Clausmeyer looked displeased.He looked at his drink before standing up, "Shopkeeper, please put this behind the bar for me, I'll be back." He picked up his bag. Dr. Clausmeier saw nothing wrong with the little girl, and he sedated her.Gibson waited until Dora fell asleep, and then tried to find a feeding place for his mule.He came to Jones Bros. ("Fine Breed Mules—Buy, Barter, and Auction—Provide Listed Mules"), which had a mortgage on his bank. Minerva, it wasn't my plan; I just couldn't help it.I expect Dora to be adopted within days or weeks.Pioneers didn't think of kids like city folk.If they don't like children, they won't have the character to pioneer.As soon as the children of the pioneers grew up, their investment began to pay off.On the homeland of the pioneers, children were an asset. I certainly had no intention of raising a short-lived child, nor was I worried that it would grow to the point where it would be necessary—it wasn't necessary.I've started to get my affairs in order and feel like I'm leaving soon because my son Zako could be back any minute. Zack was my partner at the time, and we had a loose partnership based on mutual trust.He was a young man, only about a hundred and fifty, but solid and shrewd.He is a product of my most recent marriage, by Phyllis Bridges-Sperling.Phyllis is a nice woman and a first-rate mathematician.Together we had seven children, each smarter than me.She was married several times and I was hers.I also remember her being the first woman to contribute a hundred registered descendants to the family, earning the Ella Howard Memorial Century Medal—it took her less than two hundred years.Besides children, another hobby of Phyllis is studying geometry with pencil and paper. I digress.All you need to start an immigration business profitably is a suitable ship and two partners.Both have to be able to be captains and be able to organize and lead a colonization, otherwise you're just throwing a boatload of city people onto a desolate planet—this kind of thing was very common in the early days of the diaspora. Zacco and I did it best.Both of us could be the captain of a spaceship, or the leader of a completely alien planet.We alternate between the two tasks.After one of them left in the spaceship, the one who stayed behind started the real pioneering business; he couldn't be lazy, he couldn't just wave the baton.He may not be the political leader of the immigrant community - I'd rather not be; it's a waste of time talking.All he has to do is try to survive, force the planet to feed him, and then tell others what to do by his own example, and give them advice when necessary. The first settlers made them break even; the captain unloaded the people and went back to deliver more settlers; this was the early days of the settlers, and the planet didn't yet offer anything to ship back and sell.The income for this transport of the immigrants was simply the fee charged to the immigrants for the spaceship; if there was any profit at all, it could only come from the partners who remained on that planet.He would sell the rest of the ship's cargo to the newcomers: mules, hardware, pigs, fertilized eggs—on credit at first.This means that the partners who stay on the planet have to be very savvy and vigilant at all times - it's not that difficult to convince the immigrants who are having a hard time that this kid is making a lot of money and should be put to death thing. Minerva, this is the sixth time I've done something like this - staying on a strange planet with the first settlers.I've never plowed without a gun in my hand, and I'm far more wary of my own kind than any other dangerous animal on this planet. 在新起点，我们已经挺过了大部分困难时期。第一批移民成功了，尽管只是勉强度过了第一个可怕的冬天——海伦·梅柏丽不是唯一一个和鳏夫结婚的寡妇，这都是因为利比和我没有预料到的气候周期。那里的恒星——通常被称为“太阳”，密涅娃，你可以在你的记忆库里査一下它的类别定义——新起点的太阳是一颗变星，其变动程度和老家地球那边的太阳差不多，可以造成“异常”气候。我们到那里的时候，正好抽到了坏天气的大奖。 但是，那些挺过那个冬天的人都足够坚强，能够经受任何事；第二批来的人日子就好过多了。 我把我的农场处理给了第二批移民，把自己的注意力集中在商业和贸易上。我要准备货物，让安迪号飞船卸下第三批移民后载回去。我自己也要回去。准确地说不是“回去”，反正是要去某个地方。等我见到扎科以后再决定去哪里，以及怎么去。 我在行星上的业务已经打点好了，随时可以结束掉。这段时间我过得很无聊，但我发现这个没有父母的女孩很有趣，正好可以转移我的注意力。 我应该这么说，她让人很愉快。多拉是个早熟的孩子。她和其他小孩子一样天真无邪，但她很聪明，乐意学习任何新鲜事物。她身上没有任何恶劣的品质，密涅娃，我觉得她天真的话语比绝大多数成人的更加令人愉快。成人的话题通常部是琐事，而且缺乏新意。 海伦·梅柏丽对她有着同样的兴趣。事先毫无计划，但我们两人发现自己成了她的养父母。 我们讨论了一下，决定不让这孩子参加葬礼。只有烧焦的骨头，包括几块还没有出生的胎儿的小骨头。我们也没有让她参加纪念仪式。几个星期后，多拉的状态看起来不错，我也有时间刻了一个墓碑，把它竖起来。然后我带她去墓地看了看。她识字，念了墓碑上的字——她父母的姓名和生卒时间，那个小婴儿只有去世的时间。 她严肃地看着，然后说：“这是不是说妈妈和爸爸永远不会再回来了。是吗？” “是的，多拉。” “学校里的孩子们也是这么说的。但我不能肯定。” “我知道，亲爱的。海伦阿姨告诉我了。所以我想你最好能来看一看。” 她又看了一遍墓碑，然后郑重地说：“我明白了，我想我明白了。谢谢你，吉比叔叔。” 她没有哭，所以我找不到理由把她抱起来，安慰她。我能想到的话就是：“你现在想走吗，小宝贝？” "yes." 我们是骑着巴克来的，但我把它留在山脚下。这里有一条不成文的规矩，不能让骡子和驯养的罗普踩在墓地上。我问她是不是想让我抱着，或者骑在我的背上。她决定自己走。 走到一半的时候，她停了下来。“吉比叔叔？” “嗯，多拉？” “我们不要把这个告诉巴克。” “好吧，多拉。” “它可能会哭的。” “我们不告诉它，多拉。” 我们回到梅柏丽学校之前，她没再说一句话。接下来的两个星期，她变得非常安静，而且再也没有向我提起这件事，也没有——我想是这样的——向其他人说起。她从来没有要求再去那里看看，尽管我们几乎每个下午都骑着骡子出去，而且随时能看到那座墓地山。 大约过了两个地球年以后，安迪·J回来了。船长扎科，就是我和菲丽斯生的孩子，坐着双轮骡车到我这里来，讨论如何安置第三批移民的事。我们一起喝了酒，我告诉他我要在这里等下一批移民，以及我为什么要这么做。他盯着我，“拉撒路，你疯了。” 我平静地说：“别叫我'拉撒路'。这个名字太引人注目了。” 他说：“好的。但这里除了女主人没别人——你说她名叫梅柏丽女士？——而且她去厨房了。听着，嗯，吉布森，我打算运几船人去塞昆德斯。挣些钱，然后在塞昆德斯投资。比在地球投资安全，地球的情形仍旧没有好转。” 我同意他的看法。 “好。”他说，“但问题是，如果我这样做了，我可能在十个标准年里都不会回到这里来。或者更长时间。哦，如果你坚持的话，我会回来的；你是大股东嘛。但你会浪费你的钱，还有我的。你看，拉……欧内斯特，我不认为照顾那个小女孩是你的责任，但如果你必须这么做，你可以带上她和我一起走。你可以把她放在地球的学校里。只要你担保她长大后一定会离开，地球的移民政策就不会找你的麻烦。或者也可以让她住在塞昆德斯，但我不知道那里目前的移民政策是什么样；我离开那儿已经很长时间了。” 我摇了摇头，“十年又如何·我憋一口气的时间都比这个长。扎科，我想看着这个孩子长大成人，自食其力。我希望她能结婚，但那是她的事。我不会让她无家可归的；她已经经受了一次打击，她还是个孩子，不能再承受另一次打击。” “好吧。你想让我过十年再回来？时间足够长了吗？” “长些短些都可以，用不着着急。等时间足够长、能让你盈利时再说吧。如果时间长一些，下次你能带走更好的货物，比食物和纺织品更好。” 扎科说：“往地球运的货物，没有比食物更好的了。用不了多久，我们就不能和地球打交道了，只能在殖民星球中间做贸易了。”“情况有那么糟？” “很糟。他们不会学习。你的银行遇到过问题没有？要不要趁安迪'J还在这里的时候显示一下你的武力？” 我摇了摇头，“谢谢你，船长。但那不是解决问题的方式。那样一来，我就只好和你一起离开了。只有当没有其他解决办法、而问题又很严重的时候，我才会考虑是否要用武力。不'不用武力，正相反，我要对他们实施怀柔政策。” 欧内斯特·吉布森并不担心他的银行。不涉及生死的次要问题，他从来不担心。他只是用头脑去思考自己遇到的所有大大小小的问题，然后享受生活。 他尤其享受抚养多拉的生活。在他收养她、并买下骡子巴克后——或者说她和巴克收留了他——他就把利摩用过的那个野蛮的马勒扔了，他让琼斯兄弟店做马具的人把笼头变成了一个辔头。他还定做了另一个鞍子，照他想要的样子画了一张草图，如果能提前交付的话，他还可以再加钱。那个皮革手艺人看着草图直摇头，但最后还是交了活。 从那以后，吉布森和小女孩骑巴克时坐的是一个供两人乘坐的鞍子：成人坐的鞍子仍在原来的位置'但普通鞍子前鞍鞒的部位加了一个小鞍子，还带有一个小马镫，大小两个鞍子连成一个整体。上面还架了一个小小的拱形木栏杆，栏杆上包了一层皮套，这是小孩可以抓的安全栏。吉布森在这个加长的鞍子上装了两条肚带，让骡子更舒服一些，骑骡子的人上下陡坡时也更安全一些。 好几个季节里，他们一直这样骑骡子，放学后通常要骑上一个小时或更长的时间。他们三个还谈话，有时唱三重唱。巴克的声音很大，还总跑调，但它的步伐总是能踩上点儿，可以充当节拍器。吉布森领唱，多拉学习怎么配和声。他们经常唱的歌是那首“堂坡（当铺）”歌，多拉把它看成自己的歌，还逐渐加上了一些歌词，包括描述学校校舍旁巴克住的小马厩的歌词。 但是很快，随着多拉渐渐长大、个子变高，那个小小的前鞍已经不够她坐了。吉布森先买了两头母骡子，但其中一个被巴克拒绝了，因为它很“愚蠢”（巴克是这样说的），另一个不习惯辔头，总想跑。最后，吉布森又买了一头母骡。 这头骡子是吉布森让巴克自己挑的。巴克咨询了多拉的意见，但却没有问他。这样一来，巴克的小马厩里多了一个伴儿，于是吉布森扩建了马厩。巴克仍然配种挣钱，但看起来很高兴家里有个比乌拉。比乌拉没有学会唱歌，话也讲得很少。吉布森怀疑巴克在场的时候它不敢张口。当吉布森单独骑着比乌拉外出的时候，它很愿意讲话，至少会回答问题。让吉布森惊讶的是，事情发展的结果是中乌拉成了他的坐骑；多拉骑那头身材高大的公骡子，他不得不把原来骡鞍的镫子弄短。样子虽然可笑，但很适合小孩子的短腿。 但是渐渐地，多拉慢慢由女孩变成一个年轻女人，马镫又只好加长。比乌拉生了一头小骡子，吉布森留下了它，多拉给它取名为“贝蒂”，从小就训练它。起初让它驮着空鞍子跟在大家后面，然后让它在马厩里开始习惯驮人。后来，每天骑着骡子散步时，这一群伙伴的数量有足足六个。他们经常野餐。梅柏丽女士骑巴克，因为它是最稳的；多拉分量最轻，骑贝蒂；吉布森还像往常一样骑比乌拉。在吉布森的记忆里，那个夏天是最快乐的：海伦和他自己腿挨着腿骑在年老一些的骡子上，而多拉和那头活泼的小骡子跑在前面，她们时时会跑回来，她褐色的长发在小风中飘扬。 有一次看到这样的情形时，他问道：“海伦，男孩子们有没有开始对她感兴趣？” “你这个老流氓，你就不能想点其他事吗？” “得了吧，亲爱的；我只是想了解情况。” “男孩子当然在注意她，欧内斯特，她也在注意他们。我会尽量当心一倒也不费事，她很挑剔，稍微差点的人，她才看不上眼呢。” 接下来的那个夏天，欢乐的家庭野餐继续不下去岁月不饶人，梅柏丽女士只有在别人帮助的情况下才能骑上骡子、从骡子上下来。 人们抱怨吉布森垄断了银行业务，这种声音终于传到了某个大人物耳中。但在此之前，吉布森有足够的时间，早已做好了准备。新起点商业银行是一家货币发行银行；每到一个新的行星拓荒，他（或者扎科）总会开一家这样的银行。对于一个正在建立的社会来说，钱是必不可少的；物物交换太麻烦了。人们甚至在需要政府之前就需要交易媒介。 他接到邀请，请他去见城里的行政委员，讨论这件事。他并不感到惊讶；这种事注定要发生。那天晚上，他修理了下巴上的短胡须，把胡须和头发染得灰一些，为应付对方的质疑做着准备。他在心里回想了一下过去听到的种种能让河水倒流、太阳静止、把一个鸡蛋说成两个的说法。今天晚上会听到什么新奇的混帐说法吗？他想听到，却不抱什么希望。 他从“逐渐后退”的发际线上拔下了一些头发——该死的，每年都必须装得老一些，这件事变得越来越困难了！然后他穿上他的军用花格子短裙……这样不仅能给人留下更深刻的印象，还可以藏武器——而且能很快拔出武器。他很有把握：自己还没有令人讨厌到要使用暴力的程度。但从前有一次，他想得太乐观了；自那以后'悲观主义就成了他的一项决不改变的原则。 他藏起一些东西，把另一些东西锁起来，设置了几小机关——这是扎科上次带来的，没有在托普多拉贸易站出售。然后他打开门，从外面锁上。他穿过酒吧出去，告诉酒吧老板他会离开“几分钟”。 三个小时以后，吉布森得出了结论：没人能想出什么新鲜的、他在五百年前不曾听过的说法来贬低货币——可能还是一千年前。每种说法都老掉牙了。会议刚开始，他就请求主出入让小镇的书记员记下每一个问题，这样他可以一次回答完所有的问题。他很固执，大家只好按他说的办。 最后，主出入、行政委员“公爵”吉姆·沃里克说：“好像就这么多了。欧内，我们想让新起点商业银行国有化——我想是这个词。你不是行政委员，但我们都认为你是有着特殊利益的一方；我们想听听你的看法。你想反对这个提议吗？” “一点也不，吉姆。接着说吧。” “嗯·我想我没明白你的意思。” “我不反对把这个银行国有化。如果就是这件事，咱们这就休会，回家睡觉去吧。” 听众里有一个人喊道：“喂，回答我那个问题，新匹兹堡的钱！” “还有我那个利息问题！收利息是错的，《圣经》上是这么说的！” “怎么样，欧内？你先前说过你会回答问题。” “我是说过。但如果你要把这个银行国有化，这些问题应该问你们的财政部长，就是银行的新头儿，不管你们愿意叫什么。顺便问一句，你们有人选了吗？让他到台上来坐不是更好吗？” 沃里克敲了几下手中的槌子，说：“我们还没有考虑那么多，欧内。至于现在，暂时由行政委员会兼任财政委员会——如果我们要接手的话。” “哦，你们一定得接手。我要关掉银行了。” "What do you mean?" “意思很简单：我退出了。谁都不愿惹邻居讨厌。很显然，托普多拉这里的人不喜欢我在做的事情，否则今天的会议永远不会召开。所以我退出了。银行要关门；它明天不会开了。只要我还是总裁，它就永远不会营业了。所以我才会问谁是财政部长。我和其他人一样感兴趣，想知道从现在起我们用什么货币，还有这种货币的价值。” 会场一片死寂；接着全场大乱，主出入不得不猛敲槌子，警卫们也变得异常忙碌。所有的人都在嚷嚷，“我的种子贷款怎么办？” “你还我的钱！”“我卖给汉克·布罗夫斯基一头骡子，收了他一张个人凭条——我怎么把钱拿回来？”“你不能这样对待我们。”吉布森平静地坐着，全神戒备，但外表上一点儿也没显现出来。沃里克终于让大家渐渐安静下来，他擦了擦额头的汗：“欧内，我想你得解释一下。” “当然，主出入先生。清算过程可以按照你们的想法有序地进行。有存款的人会拿到……钞票，因为他们存的就是钞票。至于欠银行钱的人——这个，我不知道；这取决于委员会制定的政策。我想我应该算是破产了。你们得告诉我，我的银行被'国有化'到底是什么意思。在那之前，我不可能知道应该怎么做。 “但我不得不采取以下措施：托普多拉贸易站不会再用钞票收购货物了，因为我的钞票可能变得一文不值。每笔交易必须是物物交换。但我们还会继续出售货物，收回钞票。今晚来这里之前，我把每样货物的标价都取下来了。存在这种可能：我必须收回我发行的钞票，但我也许只能用我手里的这些存货来兑回钞票。这或许会迫使我提髙价格。一切都取决于'国有化'是否仅仅是'没收充公'的另一种说法。” 吉布森花了几天的时间向沃里克解释银行业和货币的基本原理，很耐心，一点儿也不烦躁。之所以向沃里克解释，是因为没有其他人选。别的行政委员都声称自己忙于农场或生意，没有时间当这个差。只有一个名叫利摩的农民想当央行行长或财政部长（职位的称呼暂时还没有达成一致）候选人。尽管他声称自己家族几代人都从事银行业，本人还持有相关行业的硕士毕业证书，他的自荐还是没有得到大家的支持。 沃里克从吉布森手里接过银行保险箱（这也许是新起点的唯一一个保险箱，肯定是唯一一个地球出产的），开始检査它里面的库存。他大吃一惊，“欧内，钱在哪里？” “什么钱，公爵？” “'什么钱？'为什么这么问，账簿上显示你收进来了成千上万的钱。你自己的贸易站显示有近一百万的结余。我还知道你一直在收几十个农场的抵押还款。而且，近一年或是更长的时间里，你很少贷款给别人。大家抱怨的主要就是这个，欧内，所以行政委员会才不得不采取行动。那些钱都进了银行，却没有钱出来。现在到处都缺钱。所以告诉我，钱在哪里？” “我把它们烧了。”吉布森轻松地说。 "what?" “当然了。钞票堆起来很占地方。虽说我们这里没有很多小偷，但我还是不敢把它们放在保险箱外面——如果被人偷走的话，我就完了。过去的三年中，一有大笔的钱进到银行里，我就会把它们烧掉。为了更安全。” "My God!" “有什么问题吗？公爵。那只是些废纸。” “'废纸'？那是钱。” “'钱'是什么，公爵？你身上有吗？一张十元的就行。”沃里克震惊得直发愣，但他还是找出二张纸币，“读一下上面的字，公爵。”吉布森催促道，“漂亮图案和高质量的钞票用纸这里还做不出来，先别管那些——读一读上面写了什么。” “写着十元。” “是这样。但更重要的是，上面写着银行将按照面值接受这张钞票，持票人以此偿还他欠银行的债务。”吉布森从他的毛皮袋里拿出一张一千元的钞票，点燃了它。沃里克满面惊恐，看得发呆。吉布森拍了拍沾在手指上的纸灰，“只要在我手里，它就是没用的废纸，公爵。但如果我让它进入流通，它就成了一张我必须兑现的欠条。等一等，让我把那张钞票的系列号记下来；我把烧了的钞票号都记下来了，这样我就知道还有多少钱在流通。有很多，但我能告诉你精确到个位的数额。如果银行归你们了，你们会偿付此前我的债务吗？还有，那些欠银行的债务怎么办？偿还给谁？你们，还是我？” 沃里克看上去很为难。“欧内，我不知道。该死的，做生意我一窍不通。但他们在会上说的话你也听到了。” “是的，我听到了。人们总是期望一个政府能够实现奇迹，即使是那些在其他方面非常精明的人也这么想。把这个没用的保险箱锁上吧，我们到渥多夫去喝上一杯啤酒，讨论一下这个问题。” “——或者，它应该只是一个为公众服务的记账和信贷系统。在这个体系里，交换媒介是稳定的。如果再做其他的事情，你就是在操纵别人的财产，把彼得的抢过来给鲍尔。 “公爵，我尽了最大的努力，通过保持主要物品价格的稳定来保证货币的稳定——特别是小麦种子的价格。在二十多年的时间里，托普多拉贸易站为一等小麦种子支付的价格保持不变，然后加价卖出，增加额也始终保持不变——即使这样会让我损失一些钱也罢。有时候我确实会遭到损失。把小麦种子作为货币本位其实不是很合适；因为它会腐烂。但这里还没有黄金或铀，而我们必须要有东西作为标准货币。 “现在，公爵，当国库——或者是政府的中央银行，无论你管它叫什么——当它再次开门营业的时候，你肯定会面临很大的压力，要你做各种各样的事情：降低银行利率，增加货币供应量，向农民保证用高价收购他卖的东西、用低价卖给他他要买的东西。兄弟，无论你做了什么，他们都会用比咒骂我更恶毒的词来咒骂你。” “欧内——只有一个解决办法。你知道怎么做……所以这个财政部长你来干。” 吉布森哈哈大笑起来，“不，先生，小兄弟，我已经为这样的事情头疼二十多年了；现在该你了。你抓了这个烫手的山芋；就继续抓着吧。如果我由着你把我再放回到那个银行家的位置上，他们会把我们两个都处死的。” 变化——海伦·梅柏丽和鳏夫帕金森结了婚，他们一起住在农场上一幢小小的新房子里，农场由帕金森的两个儿子经营；多拉·布莱顿成了“梅柏丽女士小学”的女校长。欧内斯特·吉布森不再是银行家了，他成了里克百货店的幕后股东，他自己的仓库里则堆满了怕安迪突然到来而准备的货物。他希望它能很快到来，因为新的库存税正在一点点地消耗他为贸易活动而准备的现金，而通货膨胀又在降低这些现金的购买力。最好快一点，扎科，在那些人一点一点地吞噬我们之前！ 终于，飞船出现在新起点的空中。船长扎科·布里奇斯和第四批移民中的第一梯队一起走了出来——几乎所有人的年纪都很大。吉布森忍住了没有发表评论，直到两个合伙人单独待在一起的时候： “扎科，你在哪里找到的这些快死掉的人？” “把这叫做慈善行动吧，欧内斯特，这么说好听点。” "what happened?" “谢菲尔德船长，如果你想让我们的飞船再回地球的话，欢迎你自己带它回去。我不去了。不去地球了。如今在那地方，只要一个人到了七十五岁，他就正式被宣布死亡了。他的继承人可以继承他的财产，他不能拥有财产，配给证也被取消了——任何人都可以杀了他，不需要任何理由。我不是从地球上搜罗的这些人；他们是在月亮城上的难民。我装上了尽可能多的人——无舱室乘客；，么进入冰冻睡眠，要么别上船。我坚持他们用硬通货或是药品支付船费；冰冻睡眠让我能够把每个人的费用降下来；我想我们能实现盈亏平衡。如果不能的话，我们在塞昆德斯还有投资；我没有让我们两个赔钱。我想是这样。” “扎科，你担心得太多了。挣钱还是赔钱——谁在乎？关键是要享受这个过程。告诉我下一步我们去哪里，这样我就能开始挑选货物了——我已经储存了重量是飞船装载量两倍的货物。你装船的时候，我可以把我们不带的东西卖掉，把卖的钱进行再投资。我是指留给一个霍华德家族的人。”吉布森沉吟着，“这个新情况是否意味着，短时间内，这个地方不会开设霍华德诊所了？” “我想这是肯定的，欧内斯特。即将需要回春治疗的霍华德人最好和我们一起走。不管我们去哪里，或早或晚，我们肯定会去塞昆德斯。这么说'你肯定会和我一起走了？你的问题都处理完了？那个小姑娘怎么样了？就是那个短寿人。” 吉布森笑了起来，“我不会让你看到她的，儿子；我太了解你了。” 船长布里奇斯的到来使吉布森有三天时间没和多拉·布莱顿一起做每天骑骡散步的功课。第四天放学的时候，他出现在学校。布里奇斯要离开两天采办些备用品。“今天有时间散步吗？” 她冲他笑了一下，“你知道我有时间。等一等，我换一下衣服。” 他们骑着骡子向城外走去，吉布森还像往常那样骑着比乌拉，多拉骑的是贝蒂。巴克驮着鞍子（是为了它的自尊心），但鞍子上是空的；现在只有在举行庆典的时候才会骑它。按照骡子的寿命看，巴克已经很老了。 他们在一个离城很远、洒满阳光的小山顶上停了下来。吉布森说：“为什么这么安静，小多拉？巴克的话都比你的多。” 她在鞍上转身看着他，“我们还能一起散几次步？这是不是最后一次？” “为什么，多拉！我们当然还会在一起散很多次步。” “我想知道。拉撒路，我——” "What did you call me?" “我在叫你的名字，拉撒路。” 他盯着她看，沉思着。“多拉，你不应该知道那个名字。我是你的'吉比叔叔。” “'吉比叔叔'走了，'小多拉'也走了。我现在长得几乎和你一样高，我知道你是谁已经两年了，而且在那以前我就猜过——猜你是个。但我没对任何人提过，而且永远不会提。”“别做这样的承诺，多拉；没有必要。我只是不想因为这件事让你有负担。我是怎么暴露身份的？我想我一直非常小心。” “你是非常小心。但自从我记事以来，我差不多每天都能看到你。一些小事情。不仔细观察你的人是不会注意到的——我是说非常仔细地观察你，每天。” “哦，这倒是。但我本来没打算会隐瞒这么久。海伦知道吗？”“我想她知道。我们从来没有谈论过。但我想她和我猜得一样……而且她可能已经知道你是那种玛士撒拉人——” “别用那个词称呼我们，亲爱的。这就像管犹太人叫'犹太佬'一样。我是霍华德家族的一个成员。一个霍华德人。” “对不起。我不知道叫这个会有问题。” “嗯……也没什么，真的。只是这个词会让我想起早已逝去的一段时光，遭受迫害的一段时光。对不起，多拉；告诉我，你是怎么知道我的名字叫'拉撒路'的。那只是我众多名字中的一个，'欧内斯特·吉布森'也能看作是我的真名。” “是的……吉比叔叔。是一本书里的一张照片。在镇图书馆里有一本需要用阅读器才能看的那种微缩书。我看到了那张照片，翻过了一页——然后我又点了回去，仔细看了一下。那张图片里的你没有留胡须，头发很长……但我盯着它看的时间越久，我就越觉得他像抚养我长大的叔叔。但我不能肯定——也不能问。” “为什么不问，多拉？我会把事实真相告诉你的。” “你想让我知道，你才会告诉我。你做每件事、说每句话都是有原因的。在我年龄还很小、我们一起骑骡子的时候，我就明白这一点了。所以我什么也没有说。直到——直到今天。我知道你要离开了。” “我说过我要离开了吗？” “请别这样说！在我还很小的时候，有一次你告诉我，当你还是个小男孩的时候，你听到野鹅在空中鸣叫。长大后，你想搞明白它们去了哪里。那时我不知道野鹅是什么；你还不得不向我解释了一下。我知道你会追随野鹅而去的。当你听到它们的鸣叫时，你就要走了。已经有三四年了，你在脑海里一直能听到野鹅的鸣叫声。我知道……因为当你听到这些时，我也能听到。现在飞船来了，野鹅的鸣叫声越来越大了。所以我知道。” “多拉，多拉！” “请别这样。我没有想要阻止你，真的没有。但是在你走以前，我非常想要一样东西。” “你想要什么，多拉·嗯，我本来不想告诉你的，但我会在约翰·麦吉那里给你留些财产，应该足够——” “不，不，请不要这样！我现在已经长大了，能够养活自己。我要的东西不需要任何花费。”她直直地盯着他看，“我想要一个你的孩子，拉撒路。” 拉撒路·龙深吸了一口气，极力让他的心跳平稳下来。“多拉，多拉，我的小宝贝，你自己还是个孩子；你现在谈要孩子太早了。你不是想要和我结婚——” “我没有说要你娶我。” “我想说的是，在一两年里，或者三四年里，你会想结婚的。到那时，你就会很高兴你没有生我的孩子。”