Chapter 24 Theme Variations XV Dumbfounded

I awoke slowly the next morning, lounging in bed, sober from my Dionysian welcome dinner.I'm lying on a big bed in one of the rooms on the first floor, the wall of the room facing the garden is open, as it was when the party moved from the garden to the bed last night.I couldn't hear anyone, although (as I recall) Tamara and Ella were with me.Or, Ella just visited us for a while last night? Whoever it is, everyone came to see the two of us before Athena sang us a lullaby; I seem to remember the most when there were six or seven people in the big bed, including Tamara and me.Oh no, Tamara left once, leaving me at the disposal of those chattering twins—and they barely talked much.They say they want to reassure me that I don't have to marry them to be part of the family - they won't be here a lot of the time - because they're going to be pirates when they grow up - but half the time They're going to be on the ground--going to open a whorehouse over the pool hall--will I go down there and see them?

They explained to me the words pirate and whorehouse, and then sang me a short song that sounded like doggerel and classical English, and had those words in it too.I kissed them and promised that if they opened the studio, I would be their biggest admirer.I don't worry about this assurance of mine; at their age, most girls (including all my daughters) have the ambition to be the hottest whore; but few actually take up the most demanding art , or give up after discovering that you don't have real talent. I think they are more likely to be pirates; Lazarus Dragon's twin sister may find a criminal way to make a fortune in the depths of space.

After the dinner portion of the welcome banquet, there was some customary entertainment before the transition to bed.It's just that the entertainment is performed by family members, not the extravagant (and often boring) professional shows arranged by the posh housewives of New Rome.Lazarus and his two sisters and daughters performed what was probably the real Highland dance first (who knows now): Lazarus' dance moves were wild and violent (after eating so much food, After drinking so much), the two little Lazarus imitated his movements exactly.The bagpipe accompaniment was provided by Athena... If I wasn't an amateur classical music lover and professional historian, I would never have heard that it wasn't a real bagpipe.After the dance, the two little girls performed another sword dance at everyone's request, and Lazarus pretended to be exhausted and fell to the ground.

To my surprise, Ella is a skilled magician.I can't help thinking of a question: Did he get a knack for magic from running that planet? Grahead sang a song, showing very professional skills, with a wide range and well-controlled breath.I couldn't help being very surprised, because I seem to remember that he used to sing out of key.But then he was asked to do it again, this time with a kerchief in his mouth, and I realized I had been fooled; it was Athena who sang.He later played the three beautiful widows Minerva, Hamadiyad and the dead husband of Ishtar.I won't describe the dialogue between them, it seems that the three women are very happy to lose him.

Tamara ended up singing "My Arms Are Close to You".Some say it was written by a blind singer, but anyway, it's an old song.For a long time, I thought it was Tamara's song.I shed tears.I was not the only one who was moved, everyone was in tears.The two twins wept... and when she sang the last line, "—Wherever the wild geese lead you, dear, my arms will hold you tight," I was amazed to find that the old man was weather-beaten Tears also flowed down his face. I got out of bed and walked around the gazebo in the yard, trying to clear myself up before meeting the others.Then I went into the garden, and saw Grahead there.I kissed him, and took from his hand a glass of the frosty morning drink.It was a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice, for the morning drinker, "improved" with various chemical methods.

"I'm making breakfast this morning," he said, "so you better tell me if you want fried or boiled eggs." Then he answered a question I, the guest, didn't ask, "Everyone else go Yes. If you get up early, you will have more choices; Lazarus said I can't even boil water." "all gone?" "Yes. Ella went to his office—to work, to sleep, I'm afraid. Tamara went back to her patient, and she left you a message that she hoped to be back tonight, but she let Hamadiyad waits on you when you go to bed, massages your shoulders, puts you to sleep early, so I think she may not feel like coming back tonight. If she thinks her patients need her, she won't Came back. Lazarus went somewhere unknown, no one asked him. Minerva was with the twins, probably teaching them on the 'Dora'; they often did. Ishtar then I made a call to say that someone on a farm up north had a broken arm. In order not to disturb you, Hamadiyad took our children on a picnic. You lazy pervert, do you want fried or boiled eggs?"

He was already frying eggs, so I replied, "Cooking eggs." "Okay, I'll eat these myself. Yours won't be ready until lunchtime." "I mean 'omelette'." "Then I'll make three more. You'll stay here, won't you? Answer yes, or I'll have the twins on you." "Grarhead, I think—" "Ok, deal." "But that might be problematic." I changed the subject. "You said 'Hamadiyad took our kids on a picnic—' Didn't I see the whole family?" "My dear, we don't take the youngest out to meet people when visitors first come to our house, lest he be burdened with a forced feigned glee. They are being looked after; Lazarus has a good way of bringing up children. Firm thoughts. Athena monitors them all the time, the problem is that she can't hold them. Lazarus said that children should be picked up and held in their arms immediately when they are scared, not later Do. He also believes that children should be punished immediately when they make mistakes. This way, our children are neither spoiled nor too shy. Lazarus especially insisted that children should not wake up alone-so You will see why I left early last night. That way Ishtar can be with you, and I have to sleep with our youngest three."

"Did you really sleep with them?" "Well. Elf jumping up and down on my stomach would make me uneasy, but peeing on me wouldn't wake me up - usually not. Babysitting isn't such a scary thing. We rotate, every nine days. If you join, every ten days. But it can change overnight. If we have a customer who receives a rejuvenation treatment— One or more customers would keep Ishtar, Tamara, Hamadiyad and I off duty for a long time. There is one more factor to consider: If Lazarus thinks that Raju and Laurie have When he grows up, he's probably going to leave soon—so these lovely ladies are all rushing to have babies."

Grahead grinned at me, "How long does it take four women who want to have children to have four children? Maybe six, and the twins threaten everyone at least twice a week that they're having children too. Dear Justin, we'd like you to stay, but things aren't always as carefree as they were last night. If the responsibilities of home life are too much for you, you'd better go back to New Rome, where you can hire someone Do things you don't want to do yourself." "Gralhead," I said earnestly, "come on, my dear. You won't frighten me with a child's piss. I used to rise at night to soothe a crying baby a hundred years before you were born. I would Immigrant, willing to marry again, and I am willing to raise children. I plan to go back to Secundus to deal with some unfinished business, and then come back with the second group of immigrants. Maybe I will say something like 'fuck Secundus Des', leave everything there and just stay here. Grandpa said something to me yesterday. At least I think so, that's what he said if he had the courage to give up everything and go away Words. Now Secundus is a smoking volcano; that old woman may start a massacre, and I may be slaughtered because I am one of the top government officials."

I took a deep breath and asked abruptly: "What I don't understand is why you invited me to join the ancestor's family. Why?" Grahead replied, "Not because you have a pretty face." "I know that. Oh, it's not ugly enough to scare a dog away, and I rarely use it for that. It's just an ordinary face." "Not too ugly. Plastic surgery can do wonders. I'm the second-best plastic surgery specialist on the planet—there's only two of them here. Practice does me good. Also, you're right, You have nothing to lose anyway." "Damn it, honey, stop it. Answer my question."

"Those twins like you." "Really? I think they're delightful, too. But the opinion of a young boy won't carry much weight." "Justin' don't let their ridiculous antics fool you; they're adults in every way except their height—and they're identical twins to our ancestors. They have his kind of ability to see through a human being." He also has the talent to spot bad guys. The reason why Lazarus gave them full freedom is because he believed in them, believed that they could shoot and kill, and believed that they would not shoot easily when they did not need to kill." I took a deep breath in my heart, "You mean the two small guns they carry are not toy guns?" My old friend Aubertien looked as if I had said something obscene, "What is it, Justin! Lazarus will not allow a woman to leave this house without a weapon." "Why? The colony seems safe. Is there anything else I don't know?" "Not really. Lazarus's advance team has confirmed that there are basically no large carnivores in this subcontinent. But we brought animals with two legs. Although they have been carefully selected, Lazarus cannot assume that they are all angels. He didn't pick by Angel's standards either; Angels aren't good pioneers. Well, Minerva wore a short skirt yesterday. Did that surprise you? Considering how hot it was yesterday?" "No." "Because her gun was strapped to her thigh. Even then, Lazarus would not allow her to go out alone; normally, the twins acted as her bodyguards. As a real person, she was only three years old; She's not as good at the marksman as the twins, and she's more gullible than them. How's yours?" "So-so. When I made up my mind to immigrate; I started taking classes in marksmanship. But I didn't have much time to practice." "Better find time to practice. It's not that Lazarus will tell you; he feels he has a duty of protection with women, not with men. But if you ask him for help—I've asked, and Ella has— He'll never tire of teaching you everything from hand-to-hand combat to making improvised weapons... and all the nasty tricks of the past two thousand years. It's all up to you, old friend; but I want to tell you about me. You know , when I was in school, I was absorbed in studying, a scholar who was devoted to statistics, and never wore a weapon. Later, I received rejuvenation treatment and became a rejuvenation doctor myself, so I didn’t even know how to carry a weapon. But 14 Over the past few years, I have been regularly taught by the all-around fighting champion to learn how to survive. The result? I hold my chest up, very proud. I haven’t killed anyone so far,” Grahead suddenly laughed, “But the days are still there. It's long." I replied solemnly: "Grahide, this is one of the reasons why I agreed to Ms. Ayabella's business trip here: I want to know these things. I value your suggestions. But you still haven't answer my question." "Well... I've known you for a long time, and Ella too. And Minerva, though you've had a hard time believing it. Hamayad has seen you too, but I didn't really know you until last night. Ishi Ta, who only knows your genetic profile, has been one of your strongest supporters. But, the real deciding factor: Tamara wants you to join our family." "Tamara!" "You seem surprised." "I was surprised." "I don't know why. Last night she arranged for someone else to come here. She loves you, Justin; don't you know?" "Well—" My head was spinning a little. "Yeah, I know. But Tamara loves everyone." "No, she only loves those who need her love, and she always knows who they are. She has an amazing ability to read people, which makes her an amazing rejuvenator. In this family, Ta Marla can have anything she wants...and she happens to want you - to be with us, to live together, to be part of the family." "I'm going to die." (Tamara?) "You can't die. Even if I believe in curses, I don't believe that the person chosen by Tamara Sperling will be cursed to death." Grahead smiled.This cheerful look has more to do with his charisma than his good looks.I try to remember if he was as beautiful as he was a hundred years ago.I'm not indifferent to male handsomeness, but I'm not very average about my sexuality.If an average looking woman and a handsome man were in front of me at the same time, I would pay attention to that woman.So I can never be an esthetician; I lack the judgment to distinguish beauty from ugliness.I apologize in advance if women find my primitive views presumptuous. But if it was a self-centered pretty woman, I would choose to sleep with Grahead; he was warm, gentle, and a good companion, with a playfulness different from those of the twins.A thought popped into my head that I wanted to meet his sister—or mother, daughter.That is, the female version of him, with the same qualities and personality, as well as appearance. Tamara!Those above were unimportant things that immediately came to my mind.Because I couldn't immediately face the hidden meaning in Grahead's words. He went on: "Keep your mouth shut, dear; I'm as surprised as you are. But even if we hadn't been good friends for many years, I'd vote for Tamara if she made such a request -- so I can study you. Tamara never makes a mistake. But are you really so blue that she wants you so badly? Or are you so superhuman that she wants you so badly? Maybe it's neither. No it's just that I haven't figured it out yet. There's nothing wrong with you, I think, except for a little unrealistic notion. You might be a superhuman, but none of us found that out last night. If you're really a sexual man , then you have been suppressing yourself. Hamadiyad said at breakfast that a woman feels good in your arms. But she did not imply that you are the most outstanding lover in the galaxy. "It is to your advantage that you were one of Minerva's parents. None of these people were seriously flawed; Ishtar made sure of that. Ishtar knew yourself better than you; she read A genetic map is like anyone else reads. And, Minerva herself proves nothing wrong. I mean, look at Minerva: as fresh as morning air, as beautiful as Hamadiyadh, She also has a unique charm and an IQ so high that you can't believe it. But she is very humble, even a little too humble. "But in the end it was Tamara who was the deciding factor. Your fate was sealed before you came to this house. It's a slow way to get here, isn't it?" "Hmm...you can't feel the speed in the anti-gravity boat. But honestly, I was a little surprised to see it in such a young colony. I expected to see mule carts." "There were plenty of mule carts, too. Lazarus said he took 'seven elephants' on this trip—we took a lot of equipment. The skiff was very powerful, modified to Lazarus' request, Could have brought you here in one-fifth of the time it took yesterday. But Ella told Lazarus he needed time to make a few calls. So Lazarus probably told the twins who piloted the airship One of them, tell her to slow down the ship. Or some kind of signal; he literally had a telepathic connection with the two of them. And I bet Razu and Laurie didn't exchange glances at all." "Not really." "I'm sure of that. They're not kids. You should see them piloting the starship. Anyway, Ayla talked to Ishtar, then to Tamara; then we had a family meeting and decided you Lazarus finally agreed while you were playing with the children—and those two children had a chance to vote later. They agreed right away. They liked you, and 'in their opinion, Aunt Tammy's A wish is a decree." I'm still a little confused. "Obviously, a lot of things happened that I didn't expect." "You wouldn't think of that. A good cook is supposed to serve you breakfast, but the cook needs to tell you something on behalf of other people. You're my best friend—and answer your questions. So , come get your breakfast yourself." "I'm still a bit confused about the meeting you're talking about. Didn't Tamara come home just before dinner?" "She came back then. Oh—Athena, are you listening to us, dear?" "Hugs uncle, you know I don't listen to private conversations." "You're not going to stop listening. It's okay, Justin, Tina has a tight mouth. Tell him how to contact people, Tina." "Tell me who you want to talk to, Justin; I can wirelessly connect to every farm. Or anywhere else. I can reach Ella and Lazarus anytime." "Thank you, Tina. Pretend you're not listening if you must. The meeting is here, Justin; Tina is plugged into Tamara and Ella. That's fine too. Tap into the signal over there on the anti-gravity airship - but the meeting is about you., by the way, this family doesn't farm the farm, the reason is Tina; we provide you with a service that other colonies don't usually provide anytime soon .Oh, you can farm if you want; we have a lot of land. There are other ways to make a living. Well, I've done my best. Any more questions?" "Gralhead, I think I understand all this. But why does Tamara want me to join your family so much?" "You have to ask her about it. As I said just now, I have looked around your head carefully and found no halo." "I don't wear a halo when it's hot. Don't be so evasive, Eubertian; it's very important to me. Why do you keep saying it's Tamara's will?" "You know her." "I know how much her will means to me. But I've been in love with her for years." I told him what I've long buried in my heart, "That's it. A great whore will never Marriage proposed. If a man is bold enough to propose himself, she usually doesn't even listen. But I—well, I made myself annoying and obsessive. Tamara eventually convinced me that she would only Married to have children, and she doesn't want to have children. I'm sure money isn't a factor—" "Not really. Oh, I'm not saying Tamara is stupid enough to think that money is unimportant; I've heard her say that money is the universal measure of value, so she'll proudly accept money that's offered to her. But Tamara Wouldn't marry for money; she wouldn't feel—maybe she would; I guess I'd have to ask her. Hmm... sure interesting. Our Tamara is a complicated person. Sorry dear; I interrupted you." "I said that money is not the decisive factor, because I am not very rich, and some of her suitors have dozens to hundreds of times the wealth of mine, but she did not marry any of them. So I keep my mouth shut and content to have a piece of Tamara - when allowed. Sleepovers with Tamara, nice parties with her. As for the money, I pay as much as I can - I am Say, I'll pay as much as she can accept; she's often refusing a portion of gifts to set the rate—she's done that to me; I don't know how she does it to rich guests. "It was like that for a number of years, and then she announced that she was retiring. I was shocked. I had rejuvenation treatments during that time, and I didn't think she had aged at all. But she was determined, and she left New Rome. "Gralhead, it made me impotent. Oh, not that I'm impotent, but because what used to give me great pleasure now at most allows me to move my body, and it's not worth the effort." Yes. Have you ever encountered such a thing?" "No. Maybe I should say 'not yet' because I've only lived a little over a hundred years. "Then you don't understand what I'm saying." "Can only imagine. But can I quote something Lazarus said? It was something he said to Ira, but not privately; you see it in the original records about him. "He said, 'Ella, for a number of years I barely touched a woman—not only wasn't married, I was abstinent. You know, how much body rubbing can change, that's all, I'm tired of it .' "'But then I realized that there are an infinite number of ways women are human...Sex is the most direct way to get to know women. They love it, we love it, and it's the only one that removes barriers and deepens relationships way.' "'Recognizing this, I'm re-interested in the friendly game itself, as happy as a lad touching smooth breasts for the first time. Happier even—because I don't want to be just an in-and-out The pistons of their cylinders. Every woman is a unique individual, worth discovering and getting to know. And, if we spend enough time, we will find that we love each other. At least we can caress each other, Make each other happy. We're not masturbating, just using each other as a sex toy.' "That's what Lazarus said, roughly right, Justin. Have you read it?" "Yes, a bit of an impression. For a long time, I wasn't interested in sex. But I finally got over it... because of a woman, a woman as good as Tamara, with her own personality. I Didn't fall in love with her, and she didn't fall in love with me, but she taught me something I'd forgotten: that sex can be good and worth trying even without the intensity of love I have for Tamara. I A friend of mine, who is the wife of another friend of mine, both of whom are good friends of mine - introduced me to another prostitute and arranged for me to spend a holiday with her as a special gift .It was my friends who paid; they could afford it because she was rich. That whore was a beauty, Magdalene—” Grahead suddenly became excited, "Maggie!" "How do you know? Yes, she used that name in bed. 'Magdalene' was her stage name. She told me her real name when she knew I was in charge of historical materials. "Rebecca Sperling Jones." "It seems that you really know her." "I've known her since I was born, Justin, dear; I was raised by those beautiful breasts. She's my mother, dear. What a wonderful coincidence!" I'm happy too, but I'm more interested in the other thing, "No wonder you inherited this good looks." "Yes, but also thanks to my biological father. Becca—Maggie—tells me I look more like him." "Really? I'll look up your blood relatives when I get back to Secundus, with your permission." Archivists shouldn't be looking at historical documents out of personal curiosity; I'm doing it because of our friendship. so suggested. "Honey, you're not going back to Secundus. But you can ask Athena to check my genealogy for you, right up to Ella Howard's death. Let's talk about my mom anyway. She was a joy people, isn't it? And beautiful too." "Yes. She did a lot for me. Your mother thought we should have a good time that holiday, both of us. And then it did! I totally forgot about my frigidity. I'm not talking about sex skills ;I think any high-class courtesan in New Rome is as proficient in her sexual skills as the most famous courtesan in history. I mean her attitude. As long as Maggie is around, you will be happy, whether in bed or out .Her wrinkles come from laughing, not from frowning." Graheade nodded and said, frying eggs, "Yeah, that's what Mommy was. She gave me the happiest teenage years, Justin, so when I was about to turn eighteen, I was reluctant to leave." She even got really cranky because of it. But she was so nice to me. After my coming-of-age party, she told me she was moving out too, and she was going back to her old job. She and Dad, which is me My adoptive father's marriage contract was timed and ended when I legally came of age... so if I ever want to see Maggie again - and I do want to see her again! - I'll have to pay cash, not because it's Discounts for family members. I'm a poor honest research assistant (but get paid way more than I'm worth, two or three times, and I'm not worth that much), and I don't even pay for thirty seconds with her Couldn't even afford it, let alone for one night; Mom's charges were always sky-high." Graheade mused happily. "My God, how long ago was that? Over a hundred and fifty years, Justin. I didn't realize how smart and kind Becca-Maggie-Mum-Magdalene was at the time .I just grew up legally, physically. If she hadn't cut us off, I would have stayed with her as a grown baby. I would have disrupted her life, meddled with her But I did grow up anyway. After we got married, my first wife named our first daughter 'Magdalen' and asked Maggie to be her godmother... At the time, I could hardly believe it was This beautiful woman gave birth to me. But I didn't want to be because of her extraordinary beauty; I love my wife too much. Yes, Maggie is a good girl-even though she spoiled me when I was a child. Did you only spend that holiday with her?" "No. But not often. As you said, she charges a lot. She gave me a 50 percent discount—" "Oh! Looks like you did impress her." "—that's because she knew I wasn't rich. Despite the offer, I didn't have enough money to be with her on a regular basis. But she helped me through a negative phase of the relationship, and I'm very grateful to her. She A good woman, Grahead; you have reason to be proud of her." "I thought so too. But, dear Justin, the discount you just mentioned makes me sure she'll remember you—" "Oh, I don't think so. It was a long time ago, Grahead." "Don't let modesty blind you, dear; Maggie doesn't miss every penny a guest can pay. But' Exciting coincidence 'Not just because you were my mother's guest - although she charges a lot, New Rome has a lot of attractive, rich men that Maggie can accept.' Exciting ’ What’s more, she’s just forty kilometers south of this house at the moment.” "No way!" "Yes, yes, yes! Let Athena call her. You can speak to her in thirty seconds." "Well... I still don't believe she remembers me." "I believe. But take it easy. If you're surprised, think how surprised I am. I wasn't involved in the immigration selection process; I've been busy preparing what Ishtar ordered to set up the clinic. Jace Ting, I didn't know that Maggie was married again. Those of us from the command came here a few weeks early, when everything was improvised, and we had to eat and sleep on the 'Dora'. Then the first batch The immigrant ship arrived, so we got busy housing the new arrivals. Lazarus set the order of deliveries, and Ayla directed the operation. "Once, I was tasked with building the makeshift hut I lived in—with my own hands; Athena had no outreach facilities then—" "Poor Uncle Hugging!" "Who said just now that she wouldn't eavesdrop on private conversations?" "But I have to correct you, dear. It was Minerva who didn't have outreach facilities then; I wasn't born then." "Well—you have her memory, Tina; it's just a nuance." "Not for me sweetie. That mean little bitch took some memories she didn't want to share with her dearest and most beloved twin sister. And she left one memory bank completely locked Up, I can't see what's inside without her or Grandpa's code. Only you can unlock it, Justin... if my sister and Lazarus are dead." I hasten to reply that if that is the case, Athena, I hope it will be a long, long time before I need to untie it. " "Well, I would have thought so, needless to say. But I still can't help but wonder what terrible secrets and sinister sins are held in the '-97-B-Right-First' memory bank? Do you even tremble when you look at the stars? However, Hugging Uncle did work very hard for a few days, Justin, probably the only job he has done honestly." "I don't bother to comment on your words, Tina. Justin, my task is to do physical examinations for others. I have obtained an almost brand-new qualification certificate, so I am fully qualified for this job. Yi Shita and Hamadiyad brought down the migrants, injected them with antidote, and I checked them to make sure they were in good health after their long journey. I hadn't found another of the newcomers at that time. A helper, so busy going round and round. "I glanced up from the machine hastily, only to notice that the next person to be checked was a woman, and yelled at her, 'Please take off your clothes.' Then I adjusted the settings on the machine. Then I took another look. Said, 'Hello, Mom, how did you get here?' "That made her look at me again. Then, grinning happily, she said, 'I've come flying on a broom, Eubertian. Come and kiss me, and tell me to take my clothes off. Where to put it, Physician.' "Justin, I gave Maggie a thorough check-up and got the other people waiting in line for the check-up. It's doing fine, she's pregnant and I'm sure the unborn baby is all right. We also talked during this time. I found out about her. She married again and now has four children. She is a farm wife with a tanned nose and is very happy. "The way she got married was very romantic. Mom was told there was going to be a new virgin planet ad, so she went to Ella's recruiting office at the Harriman Foundation to inquire about the situation - that was the most surprising thing for me; Mom The last person I can think of who yearns to go to the frontier." "Well... I agree, Grahead. But I don't think anyone thinks I want to be a pioneer." "Probably. Others might think the same about me. But Maggie applied right away and then met one of her wealthy regulars who also applied. They went to a place for some food and discussed这件事……然后他们离开饭店，登记了一份没有终止期限的婚约。接着他们回到征募办公室，撤回了他们单独提交的申请，又提交了一份作为已婚夫妇的联合申请。我不会说正是因为这个他们才被接受，但几乎没有哪个单身者能够成为第一批移民。” “他们知道这个吗？” “哦，当然了！征募职员在接受他们的单独申请费用之前提醒过他们。这就是他们离开后讨论的事情。他们早就知道他们在床上很般配，但玛吉想弄清楚他是不是愿意耕种农场——不管你信不信，她想经营农场——而他想知道她是否愿意做饭和生儿育女。结果是：'很好，我们都同意；那就这么办吧！'玛吉重新恢复了她的生育能力，他们在收到移民申请结果之前就有了第一个孩子。” 我说：“可能正是这一点，才使他们最终通过了审查。” “你这么想？为什么？” “我猜他们更改了申请书，以显示麦格达琳已经怀孕了。如果是拉撒路来处理移民申请的话，格拉海德，我们的老祖喜欢人们能下些大本钱。” “嗯，是的。贾斯廷，那么你呢？为什么还犹犹豫豫地拿不定主意？” “我没有犹豫。我需要确信这是个认真的邀请。我还不知道你们为什么邀请我。但我不是傻瓜，我会留下来的。” “好极了！”格拉海德跳了起来，绕过桌子亲了我，把我的头发弄得一团糟，然后拥抱了我，“我和所有人都感到高兴，亲爱的，我们会让你幸福的。”他笑道。我突然从他身上看到了他母亲的身影。很难想象光彩照叉的麦格达琳生了孩子，手上长满老茧，变成了一个拓荒者的妻子——但我还记得古老谚语是如何描述好妻子的。格拉海德继续说道，“那两个双胞胎觉得不该把这么难的一项任务交给我去做；她们担心我会把事情弄糟的。” “格拉海德，我不会拒绝；我只是想确认我真的受欢迎。我现在还不知道这是为什么。” “哦。我们本来在谈塔玛拉，然后就偏题了。贾斯廷，人们不知道这次给我们的老祖做的回春治疗是多么困难，尽管你编辑的那些记录可能会透露一点点。” “不仅仅是透露一点。” “但也不是全部。那会儿他几乎要死了，在他抗拒回春治疗的时候，我们能做的仅仅是让他活着。我们做到了；你不会找到另一个和伊师塔的技术一样好的医士了。但当我们帮他恢复了身体状况、他的生物年龄几乎和现在一样年轻以后，他的情况又变糟了。如果一个顾客转开脸，不愿意说话，不想吃东西——而他的身体状况并没有什么问题，你能怎么办？当时情况很糟糕。他整夜不眠，不愿意冒险进入梦乡。情况非常糟。 “当他——还是不说这个了；伊师塔知道应该怎么做。她上山带回了塔玛拉。她那时还没有接受回春治疗——” "It doesn't matter." “这很重要，贾斯廷。年轻会妨碍塔玛拉和拉撒路打交道。哦，但塔玛拉能克服这个障碍；我对她有信心。那时，以哈迪标准来看，她的生物年龄和外表看起来大约在八十岁左右；这使得事情变得容易了些，因为拉撒路虽然有了回春的身体，但他还是充分感受到了岁月的沉重。而塔玛拉看起来也很老……她的每根白发都是财富。她的脸上布满了.皱纹，肚子略微有些大，乳房下垂，青筋暴起——她的形象正好与他自己的心理感受相吻合……所以他不介意在他的心理处于危机的时刻有她待在身边，他——嗯，我觉得他甚至不能忍受让我们这些看起来年轻的人出现在他的视线里。事情就是这样；她使他的精神恢复了健康——” “是的，她是一个心理治疗者。”（我对这个是多么清楚啊！） “是一个伟大的心理治疗者。这也是她现在正在从事的工作，给一对刚刚失去了第一个孩子的夫妇进行心理治疗——照料那个经历了身体痛苦的母亲，和他们两个一起睡觉。，我们都和她一起睡觉；她总是知道我们什么时候需要她。拉撒路那时需要她，她感觉到了，然后她就一直和他待在一起，直到他康复。嗯，经过了昨晚之后，这可能会有些难以置信，不过那时他们两个都没有性生活了。已经很多很多年了——拉撒路超过五十年，而塔玛拉在退休以后就没再和其他人上过床。” 格拉海德微笑着，“这里同时还有一个病人治疗医生的例子；塔玛拉让拉撒路的情绪不断好转，直到有一天他邀请她一起上床，这时，塔玛拉自己也重新被激发起对于生活的兴趣。她和拉撒路一直住在一起，直到他的精神痊愈，然后她宣布要离开了。去申请进行回春治疗。” 我说：“拉撒路向她求婚了。” “我不这么想，贾斯廷。而且无论是塔玛拉还是拉撒路，谁都没有暗示过这件事。塔玛拉采取了一种完全不同的方式。一天上午，我们都在首长官邸的阁楼上吃已经晚了的早餐时，塔玛拉问艾拉她能否加入他的移民队伍——那个时候，这还只是艾拉的移民行动；拉撒路不停地说他不会移民。我想他在心里已经决定要进行时间旅行了。艾拉让塔玛拉放心，说这件事就算定了。他说，公开宣布移民计划时会同时公布一些限制条件，但她不用理会那些条件。贾斯廷，如果她不移民，艾拉会很高兴地把首长官邸送给她；是她救了拉撒路，我们都知道。 “但你了解塔玛拉。她感谢了艾拉，但说她想成为完全合格的申请者，先从回春治疗开始，然后她会看看能学些什么能使她在侨居地成为一个有用之人的技能，就像哈玛德娅德计划的一样。她转头问，哈玛德娅德，你今天晚上会和拉撒路一起睡觉吗？——贾斯廷，你真该看看这句话引发的骚乱！” “为什么会有骚乱？”我问道，“你才说过，拉撒路已经对那种快乐的嬉戏活动产生了兴趣。是不是哈玛德娅德出于什么原因不愿意替代塔玛拉？” “哈玛德娅德很愿意，但塔玛拉像这样把这件事推到她身上，她有些意见——” “听上去不像塔玛拉做的事。如果哈玛德娅德不愿意这么做的话，塔玛拉不用问就应该知道的。” “贾斯廷，只要事情涉及人们的感情，塔玛拉总是知道她在做什么。但她针对的是拉撒路，不是哈玛德娅德。很奇怪，我们的老祖竟会害羞，至少那时会害羞。那时他已经和塔玛拉一起睡了一个月了，却假装什么也没做，就像一只猫徒劳地想在磁砖地上扒沙子掩盖自己的粪便一样。塔玛拉径直让哈玛德娅德接替她服侍拉撒路，这就把这件事公诸于众了，继而引发了两个人面对面的冲突，拉撒路和塔玛拉。贾斯廷，你对他们两个都很了解：谁赢了？” 这个问题很棘手——我知道塔玛拉是不会动摇的。“我不猜，格拉海德。” “当时两个人都没有赢。拉撒路气急败坏，说他和哈玛德娅德都觉得尴尬；塔玛拉只是温柔地撤回了她的建议，然后就不再吭声了。不再提这件事，不再提回春的事，不再提移民的事，她把下一步的行动权留给了拉撒路，然后通过不争论而赢得了这场争论。贾斯廷，要把塔玛拉赶下床是一个很难做出的决定——” “我觉得这是不可能的。” “我认为拉撒路也这么想。我不知道半夜里他们讨论了些什么……但最后拉撒路明白了，在他做出保证，即塔玛拉不在的时候他不会一个人入睡之前，塔玛拉是不会离开他去做回春治疗的。作为交换，她保证在完成回春治疗以后立刻回到他的床上。 “就这样，一天早晨，拉撒拉宣布他们的关系缓和了——他的脸很红，还几乎有些结巴。贾斯廷，在性这个方面，我们的老祖保持着一些极其古老的看法，比其他任何方面都更能真切地反映出他的真实年龄。” “我昨天晚上没有注意到这一点，格拉海德。在如此深入地研究了他的记忆以后，我本应该能注意到的。” “是的，但你昨天晚上看到的他是我们组建了这个家庭十四年以后的他——这个家庭就是成立于那天早晨。尽管它是在那对双胞胎出生以后才正式成立的，而那天早晨，双胞胎的妈妈们的肚子最多只是略微鼓出来了一些。相信我，拉撒路觉得认输很难堪，简直想找个地缝钻进去。他气哼哼地宣布，他已经答应塔玛拉，在她接受回春治疗的时候不会一个入睡觉，然后大致说了下面这段话：'艾拉，你以前告诉我说这个城市里可以找到这种职业妇女。我怎样才能找到一个女人，愿意接受一份期限为这么长时间的合同？'我不得不引用他用英语说的原话，因为他在话里使用了他通常不屑于用的婉转说法。 “他不知道伊师塔已经给我们做好了安排，就像安排演员进入角色一样。也许你已经注意到他对女人的眼泪很敏感？” “不是每个女人吧？我注意到了。” “艾拉假装没听懂他说的职业是什么……这给了哈玛德娅德足够的时间酝酿感情、失声痛哭，然后她跑了出去……伊师塔站了起来，说，'祖父……你怎么能？然后她也哭了……转身去追哈玛德娅德。接着是塔玛拉流下了眼泪，去追前面两个人。这样就剩下我们三个男人在一起了。 “艾拉用非常正式的口气说，'请您原谅，先生，我要去找我的女儿，我要安慰她。'他站起来鞠了个躬，转身离开了。这样就只剩下我一个人了。贾斯廷，我不知道该怎么做。我知道伊师塔预先估计到会遇上一些困难，塔玛拉提醒过她。但我没有想到会只剩下我一个人来面对这个难题。 “拉撒路说，'该死的！孩子，我做了什么？'嗯，这个问题我能回答。我说，'祖父，你伤害了哈玛德娅德的感情。' “下面的事我做得很小心，有意不给他提供任何帮助。我拒绝猜测她的感情为什么会受到伤害，也猜不到她会去哪里——除非她回家了，我知道她的家在郊区什么地方。我拒绝替他调解，完全按照伊师塔的指令装成白痴一个，什么用都派不上，把事情交给女人们处理。 “于是，拉撒路只好自己去找哈玛德娅德。他在雅典娜——我是说'密涅娃'——的帮助下找到了她。” 雅典娜说：“这些事我一点儿也不知道，拥抱叔叔。” “这样的话，亲爱的，忘了它们吧。” “我才不呢！”计算机回答道，“我要把它存起来，大约一百年以后再用。贾斯廷，如果我也哭了——在我变成一个真正的人以后你会去找我，然后安慰我吗？” “可能。几乎可以肯定。” “我会记住的，我的情郎。你真可爱。” 我假装没有听到，但是格拉海德说：“'情郎'？” “说说而已，亲爱的。真对不起，拥抱叔叔，但你已经是个过时人物了。昨晚上你睡得太早，所以不知道这里面的缘故。” 我没说话，但心里暗暗记下了一百年以后要做的一件事——和变成真正的人、陷入无助境地的派拉思·雅典娜有关。 他们这番小小的谈话没进行多久；雅典娜告诉我们拉撒路要到了。格拉海德挥手喊道：“嘿！祖父！这边来！” “来了。”拉撒路经过我身边的时候亲了我，然后溜到格拉海德身边，抓起格拉海德没吃完的一个果酱卷塞进嘴里，含混不清地说：“怎么样？他有没有挣扎着不愿意上钩？” “不像你对付哈玛德娅德时那么困难，祖父。我正在对贾斯廷说那件事——哈玛德娅德宝贝怎么给你设下圈套，从而建立了我们这个家庭。” “天大的谎言！”拉撒路喝着格拉海德的热饮，“贾斯廷，格拉海德是个可爱的小伙子，只是有些过于浪漫。我完全知道我的目的是什么，所以我从强奸哈玛德娅德着手，打垮了她的防线。现在，她可以和任何入睡觉了，甚至包括格拉海德。其他一切就都是顺理成章的事了。”他又接着说，“你还是计划回塞昆德斯去吗？” 我回答道：“也许我误会了格拉海德的话。我还以为我已经作出了承诺，要加入——”我停了下来，“拉撒路，我不知道我承诺了什么，也不知道我要加入的是什么。” 拉撒路点了点头，“看来不能对年轻人抱太大的希望，贾斯廷；格拉海德说的不是很清楚。” “谢谢你，祖父，真是太谢谢你了。我本来已经说服了他，可你又让他拿不定主意了。” “安静，孩子。我来解释吧，贾斯廷。你要加入的是一个家庭。你承诺的是给孩子们带来幸福。是所有的孩子，不仅仅是你自己的孩子。”他看着我，等待着我的回答。 我说：“拉撒路，我抚养过很多孩子——” "I know that." “我想我从没有让一个孩子失望过。嗯，这里有三个孩子我还没有看到，加上你的两个孩子——你的妹妹或者养女——再加上以后还会出生的孩子。我算得对吗？” “对。但这不是什么终生承诺；对于霍华德人来说，这是不现实的。这个家庭可能会比我们任何一个人都存在得更长久——我希望如此。但成年人随时都可以退出，因此承诺只针对已有的孩子，包括还没有长大的与还在子宫里的孩子。最多十八年吧。但我想，这个家里也许有人会为了留住某人而允许他不再承担这种职责。不过我无法想象一个人宣布他要退出以后，幸福的家庭关系还能维持很多年。你能想象吗？” “嗯……不能。但我不担心会发生这种事。” “当然不会发生那样的事。但假设伊师塔和格拉海德决定要分家出去单过——” “等一等，祖父！你别想这么轻易就甩掉我！伊师塔不会带我走的。我知道，很多年以前我就试图让她嫁给我了。” “——而且还要带走我们三个最小的孩子。我们不会阻止他们，也不会劝说愿意和他们一块儿走的孩子留下来。那三个孩子都是格拉海德的——” “又来了！祖父，把尤戴因放到伊师肚子里的是你，在泡澡池里；所以我们才叫她。爱尔芙不是你的就是艾拉的；是哈玛德娅德告诉我的。至于安德鲁·杰克逊，没人对他的出身有怀疑。贾斯廷，我有不育症。” “——这是根据精子的数目，以及他如此热衷性事的事实，运用统计学的概率分析得出的结论。伊师塔分析了基因图谱，但只有她知道结果；我们希望她这么做。但是哈玛德娅德根本不可能说那样的话，她也根本不可能有艾拉的孩子，或者要生出艾拉的孩子。伊师塔要确保不出现遗传危险。事实上，迄今为止，我们这个殖民地还没有出现一例有缺陷的孩子，这使我对伊师塔分辨基因图谱的能力很有信心。她筛查了第一批的移民，好几个月里眼睛累得不行。再说艾拉对这种事也很注意，在哈玛德娅德的非安全期，他甚至不愿靠近她。我理解他这种非理性的态度，因为我也有这种想法。我还清楚地记得，过去，所有霍华德人都不得不在一定程度上共享祖先，经常会生下有缺陷的孩子。当然，到现在，如果一个女人的基因图谱没有问题，那么和自己的兄弟结婚要比和一个来自其他行星的陌生人更好——但古老的看法不会那么容易改变的。 “这样就有了三个父亲，贾斯廷——加上你是四个——和三个母亲。如果密涅娃要求取消她的青春期保护措施，就是四个母亲；那些需要我们去教育、去惩罚、去爱的孩子的数字会不断变化，当父母的人的数量也可能增加或减少。总之，这就是我的家，用的是我的名字。我想让它变成现在这样，因为我的目的是组建一个家庭，而不是让像格拉海德这样的色鬼享受快乐人生——” “但我的确在享受！谢谢你，亲爱的祖父。” “——最终目的是为了孩子们的幸福。我见过和这个地方一样安全的行星遭遇大灾大难。贾斯廷，一场灾难可以毁掉一切，但只要这个家还有一对父母，我们的孩子就能像正常人一样幸福地长大。从长远来讲，这就是家庭存在的唯一目的。我们认为这样的安排要比一对夫妇组建的家庭更能确保实现这个目的。如果你加入这个家庭，你就要作出承诺，为实现这样的目标而努力——仅此而已。” 我深深地吸了一口气，“我在哪儿签字？” “在合同上签字没用；反正没法强制执行的……如果加入的人愿意按照我说的去做，也不需要什么书面文件。如果你真的想加入我们，只要点点头就足够了。” "I do!" “——如果你想举行什么仪式的话，拉祖和劳瑞会很高兴为你设计一个——我们所有人都会在一起痛痛快快地放声大哭——” “——在贾斯廷的新婚之夜，他应该和小孩子们一起睡，照料他们，这样他就知道这个婚姻是多么严肃了。” “别说了，格拉海德。如果你想加上这个节目，你应该安排在昨天晚上；如果他觉得无法承受，他会有一个公平的机会，决定是否退出。” “拉撒路，我申请今晚值班照料孩子们；对这样的事，我早就习惯了。” “我怀疑女人们不会让你值班。” “而且你不会活过明天早晨，”格拉海德补充道，“她们的感情太丰富了。昨天晚上的情况还算好的。你最好当心点。” “格拉海德可能是对的；我应该先检查一下你心脏的承受能力。我刚才说过——你别吱声，格拉海德——贾斯廷，这个家不是'监狱。这样的安排不仅对孩子更有保障，对于成年人也更灵活。我问过你是不是想回塞昆德斯，我真是那么想的。一个成人可以因为任何原因离开一年、十年或者随便多长时间——他知道有人照顾孩子们，也知道大家欢迎他回来。那对双胞胎和我已经离开这个行星好几次了，而且还会再次离开。还有……你知道我想尝试时间旅行实验。这个实验虽然不会用很长时间，但它的确有一点儿危险性。” “'一点儿！'这说明祖父的傻脑袋有点错乱了。他离开的时候，一定要和他吻别，贾斯廷；他不会回来了。” 我有些惊慌地发现格拉海德不是在开玩笑。拉撒路平静地说：“格拉海德，你对我这么说没有问题。但别在女人面前说这些。还有孩子们。”他继续对我说，“这当然有风险；做任何事都有风险。但有风险的不是时间旅行本身，像格拉海德想的那样。（格拉海德打了个冷颤。）这个风险和去任何一个行星的风险一样：那边的人可能不喜欢你、但穿越时间的过程本身会发生在最安全的环境里：太空中的飞船上。真正的危险是在到达目的地之后。” Lazarus smiled. “这就是为什么我会生那个老太婆阿娅贝拉的气——她让我去观察战争！贾斯廷，现代社会最好的一点就是我们都住得这么分散，所以战争不再有现实中的可能性了。但是——我有没有告诉你我在实验的时候会采取什么方法？” “没有。我在代理族长女士那里得到的印象是你已经掌握了一种完美的技术。” “也许是我使她这么想的。阿娅贝拉不懂利比驱动；她不知道该问什么问题。” “我认为我也不知道，拉撒路。数学领域中的这个分支，我实在不擅长。” “如果你感兴趣的话，多拉会教你的——” “还有我，我的情郎。” “——或者蒂娜。蒂娜，你为什么叫贾斯廷'情郎'？你想勾引他吗？” “不，他承诺要勾引我……从现在算起一百年以后。” 拉撒路看着我，若有所思；我假装没有听到他们的对话。“嗯……也许你最好跟着多拉学，贾斯廷。你还没有见过多拉，但是可以把她想成八十岁的人；她不会想勾引你。但她是太空中最聪明的导航计算机，在利比场转化方面可以教给你很多知识，比你想知道的还要多。我是说，我们对这个理论很有把握，但我想听听其他人的看法。所以我想问玛丽·斯伯林——” 我说：“等一等！拉撒路，根据现有的档案资料，我能肯定只有一个玛丽·斯伯林。我是她的后代，塔玛拉也是她的后代——” “很多霍华德人都是他的后代，孩子；玛丽生了三十多个孩子——在那个时代是一个纪录了。” “那么你说的就是老玛丽·斯伯林，出生于公元1953年，死于一” “她没有死，贾斯廷；这是问题的关键。所以我回到了那里，和她谈了话。” 我觉得脑袋有点晕。“拉撒路，我有些糊涂了。你是不是说你已经进行了一次时间旅行？回到了将近两千年以前·不，我应该说'两千多年'——” “贾斯廷，如果你别插嘴的话，我会告诉你我说的是什么。” "sorry sir." “再叫我'先生，，我就让那两个双胞胎来胳肢你。我是指我去了，在现在的时间，PK3722恒星系的小人国行星。那个名字已经过时了，而新的编码系统没有收录那个行星，因为利比和我决定开个玩笑；我们觉得人类应该离那个地方远远的。 “安迪·利比正是根据从小人国得到的理念，进而发展出了每个人都可以应用的'场'论。所有的太空飞行员，无论是计算机还是人，都在用这个理论。但我从来没再回去过，因为——嗯，玛丽和我的关系非常近。她'去了'的消息对我的打击很大。在某些方面，比死亡对我的影响还要大。 “但岁月会使记忆变得美好，而且我真的需要咨询一下。所以那两个双胞胎和我坐着'多拉'去寻找那个行星。我们依据的是安迪很久以前标定的一套坐标数据和路线。那条路线出现了偏差，但一颗恒星在两千年的时间里不会移动得很远；我们找到了它。 “我们没遇到什么麻烦；我已经很严肃地警告了劳瑞和拉祖那里可能会有的危险。她们听了我的话，不打算用自己的性命来换取一个虚无缥渺的不朽名声，所以跟我一样，没有受到那个地方的威胁。实际上，她们过得非常愉快；那个地方很美，在其他方面也很安全。没有很大的变化，是个大花园。 “我先是沿着绕着那个行星的轨道飞行。这是他们的行星，他们拥有不为我们所知的力量。和上次一样；小人国里的一个精灵出现在'多拉'上，邀请我们下去访问……只不过它这次叫出了我的名字——声音直接出现在我的脑子里；他们不使用口头的语言。它还承认它是玛丽·斯伯林。这让我很震惊，但这是一个好消息。看起来她——我是说'它'——见到我有些高兴，但不是特别兴奋；我感觉不像是见到了一个深爱着的老友，更像是遇到了一个陌生人，而这个陌生人刚好记得我的老朋友记得的一些事。 “我理解，”计算机说道，“就像密涅娃和我，对吗？” “是的，亲爱的……但你在头一天就显示出了比那个顶着我老朋友名字的生物积极得多的个性……而且在过去三年里，你的个性变得越来越积极了。” “老兄，我打赌你对所有女孩子都说了同样的话。” “可能吧。请保持安静，亲爱的。也没什么其他要说的了，贾斯廷，我们着陆后在那里待了几天。多拉和我向小人国的人咨询了太空时间场的理论，双胞胎列席了我们的讨论，还到处游览参观。但是，贾斯廷，你应该记得，当家族乘坐'新疆域'离开那里、返回地球的时候，我们留下了大约一万人。” “一万一千一百八十三人。”我回答道，“根据'新疆域'上的记录。” “记录上是这个数吗？应该更多，因为这个数字是根据没有上船的人推算出来的，因此几乎可以肯定的是，被选中留下的人当中有尚未登记的孩子；我们在那里留下了很多人。不过，确切数字已经不重要了。贾斯廷，就说一个整数十万吧。考虑到那里的环境很适宜；经过两千年以后，你觉得那里应该有多少人？” 我用随机扩张函数作了估算。“大约是十的二十二次方——这个数很荒谬。我认为人口数要么会达到一个稳定的峰值——例如十的十次方——要么每七、八百年时间出现一次马尔萨斯大灾难。” “贾斯廷，一个也没有。没有任何迹象显示那里曾经居住过人。” “他们出了什么事？” “尼安德特人出了什么事？曾经的冠军被打败时，他们出了什么事？贾斯廷，当别人已经极大地优于自己，事实上不存在竞争的情况下，抗争又有什么意义呢？小人国是一个完美的乌托邦——没有冲突、没有竞争、没有人口问题、没有贫穷，与他们美丽的行星完美地和谐相处。简直是天堂，贾斯廷！小人国就是历史上的哲学家和宗教领袖认为人类应该处于的状态。 “也许他们是完美的，贾斯廷。也许他们就是人类能够达到的终极状态——经过一百万年，或者一千万年。 “但我却要说，他们的乌托邦把我吓坏了。我认为那会把人类引向死亡，而且在我看来，他们自己就已经死了。我这么说并不是在诋毁他们。噢，不是！他们在数学和科学方面比我们先进得多，否则我不会到那里去向他们学习。我也无法想象与他们发生战争，因为那不会是一场战争；无论是什么形式的战争，我们甚至还没开始的时候，他们就已经赢了。如果我们让他们厌恶，我甚至不敢想象会发生什么事——也不想搞明白。只要我们别理他们，我们就没有危险，我们也没有任何他们想要的东西。这就是我的观点。但话又说回来，一个老尼安德特人能有什么想法？我对于他们的了解就像小猫对于航天学了的解一样少。 “我不知道留在那里的霍华德人发生了什么事。有些人可能死了，被同化了，就像玛丽·斯伯林一样。我没有问，也不想知道。有些人可能沉溺于享乐，变得对什么事都没有兴趣，然后死去了。我怀疑他们也没留下多少后代——尽管那里可能存在着被当作宠物饲养的'次人类'。如果真是这样，我就更不想知道了。我得到了我想要的：确认一个场物理数学难题的答案——然后就带着我的姑娘们离开了。 “离开那个行星之前，我们做了一件事：我们对行星作了全息摄影测绘，回来以后让雅典娜研究了照片。蒂娜？” “当然，老兄。贾斯廷，如果在那个行星表面有任何人工建筑的话，它的直径都要小于半米。” “所以我想他们都死了，”拉撒路冷冷地说，“我也不会再回去了。去PK3722的那次航行并不是为了测试时间旅行，那只是一次普通的行星际跃迁。测试时间旅行也会同样简单，非常安全，因为测试旅行不会在行星着陆。想和我们一起去吗？要不我们带上格拉海德？” “祖父，”格拉海德急切地说道，“我年轻、英俊、健康、幸福，也想一直这样下去；你不会提议让我去做这样愚蠢的旅行吧。我不会再参与任何形式的行星着陆活动了；我是恋家男人。我和超级飞行员劳瑞蕾一起在发射场的备用地区降落过。那已经足够了；我已经服了。” “孩子，你得讲讲道理。”拉撒路和蔼地说，“等我们进行这个实验的时候，我的那两个姑娘已经长大了，需要得到男人主动的关注——这个我不能提供；我会因此失去对她们的控制。我认为这应该是你的责任。” “只要你开口谈'责任'，我就浑身起鸡皮疙瘩。真正的问题是，祖父，你是个胆小鬼，害怕那两个小姑娘。” “可能吧。她们还是小姑娘的日子不多了。贾斯廷，你呢