time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)- 第58部分

　　
　　〃The　city's　mittee　for　public　safety　voted　Joe　the　usual　reward；　and　the　Street　mittee　passed　the　hat　and　added　to　it；　a　cleaver　against　a　gun　rated　special　notice。　Good　advertising　for　Estelle's　Kitchen　but　not　important　otherwise；　save　that　the　kids　could　use　that　money　helped　pay　the　mortgage；　no　doubt；　and　wound　up　in　my　pocket。　But　I　wouldn't　have　heard　of　this　minor　dustup　had　I　not　been　in　New　Canaveral　and　happened　to　stop　by　Estelle's　Kitchen　when　the　real　head　was　removed…flies；　you　know…and　the　plastic　trophy　head　custom　required　…　Joe　to　display　was　substituted　for　it　by　the　Street　mittee。　But　I　was　speaking　of　privacy。
　　
　　〃When　I　picked　the　property　for　Maison　Long；　I　made　sure　that　it　included　space　for　a　growing　family；　that's　all；　since　they　had　three　bucking　and　one　in　the　chute　the　night　we　planned　it。　Rearranging　hours　gave　them　privacy　from　each　other；　too。　Happy　as　it　is　to　snuggle　and　make　love；　nevertheless；　when　you　are　really　tired；　it　is　often　good　to　have　the　bed　to　yourself…and　the　new　routine　not　only　allowed　this　but　necessitated　it；　part　of　each　day；　through　staggering　their　working　hours。
　　
　　〃But　I　also　planned　room　to　give　them　privacy　from　their　children…and　to　cope　with　another　problem　Llita　did　not　have　straight　and　Joe　may　not　have　thought　about。　Minerva；　can　you　define　'incest'？〃
　　
　　The　puter　replied；　〃　'Incest'　is　a　legal　term；　not　a　biological　one。　It　designates　sexual　union　between　persons　forbidden　by　law　to　marry。　The　act　itself　is　forbidden；　whether　such　union　results　in　progeny　is　irrelevant。　The　prohibitions　vary　widely　among　cultures　and　are　usually；　but　not　always；　based　on　degrees　of　consanguinity。〃
　　
　　〃Y're　durn　tootin'　it's　'not　always。'　There　are　cultures　which　permit　first　cousins　to　marry…geically　risky…but　forbid　a　man　to　marry　his　brother's　widow；　which　involves　no　more　risk　than　it　did　for　the　first　union。　When　I　was　a　youngster；　you　could　find　one　rule　in　one　state；　then　cross　an　invisible　line　and　find　exactly　opposite　laws　fifty　feet　away。　Or　some　times　and　places　both　unions　might　be　mandatory。　Or　forbidden。　Endless　rules；　endless　definitions　for　incest；　and　rarely　any　logic　to　them。　Minerva；　so　far　as　I　recall；　the　Howard　Families　are　the　first　group　in　history　to　reject　the　legalistic　approach　and　to　define　'incest'　solely　in　terms　of　geic　hazard。〃
　　
　　〃That　accords　with　the　records　in　me；〃　Minerva　agreed。　〃A　Howard　geicist　might　advise　against　a　union　between　two　persons　with　no　known　mon　ancestry　but　place　no　objection　to　marriage　of　siblings。　In　each　case　analysis　of　geic　charts　would　control。〃
　　
　　〃Yeah；　sure。　Now　let's　drop　geics　and　talk　about　taboo。　The　incest　taboo；　although　it　can　be　anything；　most　monly　means　sisters　and　brothers；　parents　and　offspring。　Llita　and　Joe　were　a　unique　case；　brother　and　sister　by　cultural　rules；　totally　unrelated　by　geic　？ules…or　at　least　no　more　so　than　two　strangers。
　　
　　〃Now　es　a　second…generation　problem。　Since　Landfall　had　this　taboo　against　union　between　siblings；　I　had　impressed　on　Llita　and　Joe　that　they　must　never　let　anyone　know　that　they　thought　of　each　other　as　'brother'　and　'sister。'
　　
　　〃Fine　so　far　as　it　went。　They　did　as　I　told　them；　and　there　was　never　a　lifted　eyebrow。　Now　es　the　night　we　planned　Maison　Long…and　my　godson　is　thirteen　and　interested；　and　his　sister　is　eleven　and　beginning　to　be　interesting。　Full　siblings　both　geically　hazardous　and　contrary　to　taboo。　Anyone　who　has　raised　puppies…or　a　number　of　children…knows　that　a　boy　can　get　as　horny　over　his　sister　as　over　the　girl　down　the　street；　and　his　sister　is　often　more　accessible。
　　
　　〃And　little　Libby　was　a　redheaded　pixie　so　endearingly　sexy　at　eleven　that　even　I　could　feel　it。　Soon　she　was　going　to　have　every　buck　in　the　pasture　pawing　the　ground　and　snorting。
　　
　　〃If　a　man　pushes　a　rock；　can　he　ignore　an　avalanche　that　follows？　Fourteen　years　earlier　I　had　manumitted　two　slaves　because　a　chastity　girdle　on　one　of　them　offended　my　concept　of　human　dignity。　Must　I　find　some　way　to　put　a　chastity　girdle　on　that　slave's　daughter？　Around　we　go　in　circles！　What　was　my　responsibility；　Minerva？　1　pushed　the　first　rock。〃
　　
　　〃Lazarus；　I　am　a　machine。〃
　　
　　〃Humph！　Meaning　that　human　concepts　of　moral　responsibility　are　not　machine　concepts。　Dear；　I　wish　you　were　a　human　girl　with　a　spankable　bottom　long　enough　for　me　to　spank　it…I　would！　In　your　memories　is　far　more　experience　on　which　to　judge　than　any　flesh…and…blood　can　have。　Quit　dodging。〃
　　
　　'~Lazarus；　no　human　can　accept　unlimited　responsibility　lest　he　go　mad　from　unbearable　load　of　unlimited　guilt。　You　could　have　advised　Libby's　parents。　But　your　responsibility　did　not　extend　even　to　that。〃
　　
　　〃Um。　You're　right；　dear…it's　dismal　how　regularly　you　are　right。　But　I　am　an　incurable　buttinsky。　Fourteen　years　earlier　I　had　turned　my　back　on　two　puppies；　so　to　speak…and　that　the　oute　was　not　tragic　was　good　luck；　not　good　planning。　Now　here　we　go　again；　and　the　oute　could　be　tragic。　I　felt　no　'morals'　about　it；　dear…just　thumb　rules　for　not　hurting　people　unintentionally。　I　didn't　give　a　hoot　if　these　children　'played　doctor'　or　'make　a　baby'　or　whatever　the　kids　there　called　their　experimenting；　I　simply　did　not　want　my　godson　giving　little　Libby　a　defective　child。
　　
　　〃So　I　did　butt　in　and　took　it　up　with　their　parents。　Let　me　add　that　Llita　and　Joe　knew　as　much　about　geics　as　a　pig　knows　about　politics。　Aboard　the　'Libby'　I　had　kept　my　worries　to　myself；　and　never　discussed　the　matter　with　them　later。　Despite　their　remarkable　success　in　peting　as　free　human　beings；　in　most　subjects　Llita　and　Joe　were　ignorant。　How　could　it　be　otherwise？　I　had　taught　them　their　Three　R's　and　a　few　practical　matters。　Since　arrival　on　Landfall　they　had　been　running　under　the　whip；　they　hadn't　had　time　to　fill　in　gaps　in　their　education
　　
　　〃Perhaps　worse　yet；　being　immigrants；　they　had　not　grown　up　exposed　to　the　local　incest　taboo。　They　were　aware　of　it　because　I　had　warned　them…but　it　wasn't　canalized　from　childhood。　Blessed　had　somewhat　differenct　incest　taboos…but　the　taboos　there　did　not　apply　to　domestic　animals。　Slaves。　Slaves　bred　as　they　were　told　to；　or　as　they　could　get　away　with…and　my　two　kids　had　been　told　by　highest　authority…　their　mother　and　their　priest…that　they　were　a　'breeding　pair'　。　。　so　it　could　not　be　wrong；　or　taboo；　or　sinful。
　　
　　〃It　was　simply　something　to　keep　quiet　about　on　Landfall　because　Landfellows　were　tetched　in　the　head　on　this　subject。
　　
　　〃So　I　should　have　thought　of　it　earlier。　Yeah；　sure；　sure！　Minerva；　I　plead　other　obligations。　I　could　not　spend　those　years　playing　guardian　angel　to　Llita　and　Joe。　I　had　a　wife　and　kids　of　my　own；　employees；　a　couple　of　thousand　hectares　of　farmland　and　twice　that　much　in　virgin　pinkwood…　and　I　lived　a　long　way　off；　even　by　high…orbit　jumpbuggy。　Ishtar　and　Hamadryad；　and；　to　some　extent；　Galahad；　all　seem　to　think　I　am　some　sort　of　superman　simply　beca？se　I've　lived　a　long　time。　I'm　not；　I　have　the　limitations　of　any　flesh…and…blood；　and　for　years　I　was　as　busy　with　my　problems　as　Llita　and　Joe　were　with　theirs。　Skyhaven　didn't　e　to　me　gift…wrapped。
　　
　　〃It　wasn't　until　we　put　aside　restaurant　business　and　I　got　out　presents　Laura　had　sent　to　their　kids；　and　had　admired　the　latest　pictures　of　their　kids　and　shown　them　pictures　of　Laura　and　my　kids　and　all　that　ancient　ritual；　that　I　thought　about　it　at　all。　The　pix；　of　course。　This　tall　lad；　J。A。；　all　hands　and　feet；　wasn't　the　little　boy　I　recalled　from　my　last　visit。　Libby　was　about　a　year　younger　than　Laura's　oldest；　and　J。A。's　age　I　knew　to　the　second…which　is　to　say　that　he　was　about　the　age　I　was　when　I　was　almost　caught　with　a　girl　in　the　belfry　of　our　church　about　a　thousand　years　earlier。
　　
　　〃My　godson　was　no　longer　a　child；　he　was　an　adolescent　whose　balls　were　not　just　ornaments。　If　he　had　not　tried　them　as　yet；　he　was　certainly　jerking　off　and　thinking　about　it。
　　
　　〃The　possibilities　raced　through　my　mind　the　way　a　man's　past　life　is　supposed　to；　when　he　is　dying…which　isn't　true；　by　the　way。　So　I　tackled　it　and　was　subtle　about　it。　Diplomatic。
　　
　　〃I　said；　'Joe；　which　one　do　you　lock　up　at　night？　Libby？　Or　this　young　wolf？'〃
　　
　　The　puter　chuckled。　〃'Diplomatic；'〃　she　repeated。
　　
　　〃How　would　you　have　put　it；　dear？　They　looked　puzzled。　When　I　made　it　clear；　Llita　was　indignant。　Deprive　her　kids　of　each　other？　When　they　had　slept　together　since　they　were　babies？　Besides；　there　wasn't　room　any　other　way。　Or　was　I　suggesting　that　she　sleep　with　Libby　while　J。A。　slept　with　Joe？　If　so；　I　could　forget　it！
　　
　　〃Minerva；　most　people　never　learn　anything　about　any　science；　and　geics　stands　at　the　bottom　of　the　list。　Gregor　Mendel　had　been　dead　twelve　centuries　at　that　time；　yet　all　theold　wives'　tale　were　what　most　people　believed…and　still　do；　I　might　add。
　　
　　〃So　I　tried　to　explain；　knowing。that　Llita　and　Joe　weren't　stupid；　just　ignorant。　She　cut　in　on　me。　'Yes；　yes；　Aaron；　certainly。　I've　thought　about　the　possibility　that　Libby；　may　want　to　marry　Jay　Aaron…will　want　to；I　think…and　I　know　it's　frowned