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 tomcat who thinks he owns the place。 But you probably won't see him； he hates most people。〃
〃I won't bother him if he wants to be left alone； cats make good neighbors。 You still haven't answered me。〃
〃The catch is this； Lazarus。 I've been describing the pent…
house I had built for my own use on the roof of the Palace； some niy years back when I … decided to keep this … job awhile。 It can be reached only。 by vertical transport from my usual quarters a couple of stories below it。 I've never had time to use it much； you are wele to it。〃 I stood up。 〃But if 'you won't take it； then y~u can consider that I've lost the Scheherazade bet； and you are free to use that termination switch whenever you please。 For I'm damned if I'll be a sitting duck for assassination just to cater to your whims。〃
〃Sit back down！'
〃No； thank you。 I've made a reasonable offer。 If you won't take it； you can go to hell in your own way。 I won't let you ride my shoulders like the Old Man of the Sea。 I can be pushed just so far。〃
〃So I see。 How much of your ancestry am I？〃
〃About thirteen percent Considerable convergence。〃
〃Only that much？ I would have guessed more。 Some ways you sound like my Gramp。 Does my suicide switch go along'？〃
〃If you want it；〃 I answered as indifferently as I could manage to sound。 〃Or you can jump off the edge。 …It's a long drop。〃 …
〃I prefer the switch； Ira； I'd hate to change… my mind …on the way down。 Will you fix me up with another transport so that I won't have to …go through your apartment？'。； …
〃Eh？ Is it all that difficult？？Let's ask Minerva。〃 …
〃It~s not that I can't…I Won't。 It's an unreasonable request。 It won't hurt you to change transports in my foyer。 Didn't I make it clear that I am not catering to any more unreasonable whims？〃
〃Get your feathers down； Son。 I n閏ept。 Tomorrow； say。 Never mind moving that clutter of books； I like old…fashioned bound books； they have more flavor than speedireads； or projectos； or such。 And I'm pleased to find that you're a rat and not a mouse。 Please sit down。〃
I did so； pretending reluctance。 I felt that I was begin… fling to gain some grasp of Lazarus。 Despite the way he
sneered at them the old …scoundrel was an equalitarian at heart 。 。 and expressed it by atteinpting to dominate anyone with whom he came into contact…but was contempuous of anyone who knuckled under to his bullying。 So the only answer was to hit back at him； try to maintain a balance of power…and hope that in time it would reach the stability of mutual respect。
I never had cause to change my mind。 He was capable of kindness and even affection toward one who accepted a subordinate role…if that person was a child or a female。 But he preferred spunk even from them。 A grown male who bent the knee he neither liked nor trusted。
I think this quirk …in his character made him very lonely。
…… Presently the Senior said musingly； 〃Be nice to live； in a hou％e for a while。 With a garden。 Maybe with a spot where I can stretch a hammock。〃
〃Several such spots。〃… 〃But I'm doing you out of your hideaway。〃 〃Lazarus； there is enough room on that roof that I could
have another cottage assembled out of your sight。 If I
…wanted it。 I don't。 I haven't even been up there for a swim in weeks。 It has been at least a year since I slept up there。〃
~〃WelI… I hope you'll feel free to e up and swim。 Any
tint~'~t whatever。〃…
〃I expect to be up there every day and all day； for the
…~ next tho~isand days。 Have you forgotten our bet？〃
〃Oh； that。 Ira； you were bitching that my whimsical ways we~e wasting your valuable time。 Do you want to be let off
…the hook？ Not on the other； just on that。〃
I laughed at him。 〃Straighten your kilt； Lazarus； your selfinterest is showing。 Meaning you want to be let off the hook。 No deal。 I intend to get one thousand and one days of your memoirs on record。 After that you can jump off the edge； or drown yourself in the pool； or whatever。 But I won't let you welch by pretending to do me a favor。 I'm beginning to understand you。〃
〃You ~？ That's more than I〃~。'e ever managed。 When you get me figured out； tell me about me； I'll be mterested。 That search for something new； Ira… You said you had started it。〃
第14节
〃I didn't say that； Lazarus。〃
〃Well； perhaps you just implied it。〃
〃Nor even that。 Want to bet？ We can ask Minerva for a full printout； then I'll accept your verdict。〃
〃Let's not tempt a lady into fudging the record； Ira； she's loyal to you； not to me。 Despite any super…duper…ovemdes。〃
〃Chicken。〃
〃At every opportunity； Ira； how do you think I've lived so long？ I bet only wl~en I'm certain to win or when losing serves my actual purpose。 All right； when are you starting that research？〃
〃I've already started it。〃 …
〃But you said… No； you didn't。 Damn your impudence； boy； All right； what direction are you pushing it？'
〃All directions。〃
〃Impossible。 You don't have that many people at your disposal； even assuming that all of them are capable…whereas the person capable of creative thought is less than one in a thousand。〃
〃No argument。 But what about the sort of person that you said was just like us…but magnified？ Minerva is director of research on this； Lazarus。 I talked it over with her； she's setting it up。 All directions。 A Zwicky investigation。〃
〃Hmm。 Well 。 。 yes。 She could…i think she； could； Whereas even Andy Libby might have found it difficult。 How is she designing her morphological box？〃
'~I don't know。 Shall we ask her？〃
〃Only if she's ready to be asked； Ira。 People get annoyed when interr9pted for … progress reports。 Even Andy Libby used to get irritable if anyone joggled his…elbow。〃
〃Even the great Libby probably didn't have the time…share capacity Minerva has。； Most brains are merely linear； and I've never heard of any human genius who had more than three tracks。〃
〃Five。〃 …
〃So？ Well； you've met more geniuses than I have。 But I don't know how many simultaneous tracks Minerva can set up； I simply have never seen her overloaded。 Let's ask her。 Minerva； have you set up the morpho box for that search for 'something new' for the Senior？〃；
〃Yes； Ira。〃…
〃Tell us about it。〃… …
〃The preliminary matrix uses five dimensions； but with a certainty that auxiliary dimensions will be needed for some pigeonholes。 That being noted； there are now nine by five 'by'~ thirteen by eight by seventy…three……or three hundred forty…one thousand six hundred forty discrete category pockets before auxiliary expansions。 For check； the original trinary readout is unit pair pair ma …unit nil nil ma unit pair pair ma unit nil nil point nil。 Shall I print out decimal an4 trinary expressions？〃
〃I think not； Little Nag； the day you make a mistake in arithmetic； I'll have…to resign。 Lazarus？〃 …
〃I'm not interested in pigeonholes； just what is in them。 Hit any pay dirt； Minerva？〃
〃As stated； Lazarus； your question does not permit specific answer。 Shall I print out the categories for your examination？〃
〃Uh… No！ Over three hundred thousand categories and maybe a dozen words to define each one？ We'd be hip…deep in paper。〃 Lazarus …looked thoughtful。 〃ha； you might ask Minerva to print it somewhere else before she wipes it。 As a
… book。 A big book； ten or fifteen volumes。 You could call it 'Varieties of Human Experience；' by； uh； 'Minerva Weatheral。' It would be the sort of thing professors argue over for ~a thousand； years。 I'm not joking； Ira； it should be… preserved； I think it's new。 It's a job too big for flesh…and…blood； and I sort o' doubt that a puter of Minerva's caliber has ever before been asked to do this sort of Zwicky。〃
〃Minerva； would you like that？ Preserve your researchnotes and edit them into a book？ Say a few hundred fullsize bound copies in