time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)- 第92部分

　　
　　〃So　I'll　cook　and　help　you　farm…and　bake　babies。　When　I　have　three　I'll　open　'Mrs。　Smith's　Primary　School。'　Or　should　we　call　it　'Rangy　Lil's　Primary　School'？〃
　　
　　〃The　latter；　I　think。　For　young　bellions。　My　kids　are　always　hell…raisers；　Dora。　You'll　teach　school　with　a　club　in　your　hand。〃
　　
　　〃If　necessary；　Woodrow。　I've　got　some　like　that　now；　and　two　of　them　outweigh　me。　I　clobber　them　as　necessary。〃
　　
　　〃Dora；　we　don't　have　to　tackle　Hopeless　Pass。　We　could　leave　in　the　'Andy　J。'　and　go　to　Secundus。　Briggs　tells　me　that　there　are　ov？r　twenty　million　people　there　now。　You　could　have　a　nice　house。　Inside　plumbing。　A　flower　garden　instead　of　breaking　your　back　helping　me　to　make　a　farm。　A　good　hospital　with　real　doctors　when　you　'have　babies。　Safety　and　fort。〃
　　
　　〃'Secundus。'　That's　where　all　the…Howards　moved。　Isn't　it？〃
　　
　　〃Ab；out　two…thirds　of　them。　A　few　are　right　here；　as　I　told　you。　But　we　don't　admit　it　because　when　you　are　outnumbered；　it　is　neither　safe　nor　fortable　to　be　a　Howard。　Dora；　you　don't　have　to　make　up　your　mind　in　only　three　or　four　days~　That　ship　will　stay　in　orbit　here~　as　long　as　I　want　it　to。　Weeks。　Months。　As　long　as　I　order　it　to　stay。〃
　　
　　？〃Goodness！　You　can　afford　to　have　Captain　Briggs　hold　a　starship　in　orbit？　Just　to　let　me　make　up　my　mind？〃
　　
　　〃I　shouldn't　have　rushed　you。　But　it's　not　exactly　a　case　of　affording　it；　Dora…although　it　doesn't　cost　much　to　stay　in　orbit。　Uh　。　。　I've　kept　my　own　counsel　so　long　that　Fm　out　of　the　habit　of　being　a　married　man；　with　a　wife　I　can　trust　with　secrets；　I　must　stop　it。　I　own　sixty　percent　of　the　'Andy　J。'　Dora；　Zack　Bnggs　is　my　junior　partner。　And　my　son。　Your　stepson；　you　could　say。〃
　　
　　She　did　not　answer　at　once。　Presently　he　said；　〃What's　the　trouble；　Dora？。　Did　I　shock　you？'
　　
　　〃No；　Woodrow。　I'm　just　having　to　get　used　to　new　ideas。　Of　course　you've　been　married　before；　you're　a　Howard。　I'd　never　thought　about　it；　that's　all。　A　son…sons。　And　daughters；　too；　no　doubt。〃
　　
　　〃Yes；　surely。　But　what　I　was　getting　at　is　that　I've　done　some　bad　planning…through　my　own　selfishness。　I　was　rushing　you　when　there　is　no　need　for　it。　If　we　stay　on　New　Beginnings；　I　want　'Ernest　Gibbons'　to　disappear…leave　in　the　'Andy　J。；'　that　is；　as　he　is　getting　too　old：！　can't　keep　it　up　much　longer。
　　
　　So　young　'Bill　Smith；'　who　is　much　nearer　your　age；　takes　his　place　。　。　which　looks　better　and　no　one　here　will　ever　suspect　that　I'm　a　Howard。
　　
　　〃I've　worked　this　shenanigan　many　times；　I　know　how　to　make　it　stand　up。　But　I　was　trying　to　get　rid　of　'Ernest　Gibbons'　as　fast　as　possible　because　he's　your　old　foster　uncle　who　is　about　three　times　your　age~　and　wouldn't　dream　of　patting　your　pretty　bottom；　nor　would　you　encourage　him'　to。　As　everybody　knows。　But　I　want　to　pat　your　pretty　bottom；　Dorable。〃
　　
　　〃And　I　w~nt　you　to　pat　it。〃　She　reined　up；　they　were　getting　close　to　where　houses　were　near　together。　〃And　more。　Woodrow；　you're　saying　that　we　can't　live　together　right　away　because　of　what　the　neighbors　might　think。　But　who　taught　me　never　to　care　what　the　neighbors　think？　You　did。〃
　　
　　〃True。　Although　sometimes　it's　expedient　to　make　the　neighbors　think　what　you　want　them　to　think　in　order　to　influence　what　they　do　and　say…and　this　might　be　such　a　time。　But　I　also　tried　to　teach　you　to　be　patient；　dear　one。〃
　　
　　〃Woodrow；　I　will　do　exactly　what　you　tell　me　to。　But　I'm　not　really　patient　about　this。　I　want　my　husband　in　my　bed！〃
　　
　　〃And　I　want　to　be　there。〃
　　
　　〃Then　what　does　it　'matter　if　people　assume　that　I　choose　to　tell　my　Uncle　Gibbie　good…bye　in　bed？　Or　that　I　then　go　away　with　a　new　settl~r　almost　at　once？　Woodrow；　you　didn't　say　a　word　about　it　at　the　time…but　you　knew　that　I　was　not　virgin；　I'm　certain。　Don't　you　think　there　must　be　others　who　know　it；　too？　Probably　the　whole　town。　I've　never　worried　about　it。　Why　should　I　worry　what　they　think　ww？〃
　　
　　〃Dora。〃
　　
　　〃Yes；　W~odrow？〃
　　
　　〃I'll　be　in　your　bed　every　night；　that's　settled。〃
　　
　　〃Thank　you；　Woodrow。〃
　　
　　〃The　pleasure　is　mine；　madam。　Or　half　of　it；　at　least；　you　seem　to　enjoy　it；　too…〃
　　
　　〃Oh；　I　do！　And　you　know　it。　Or　should。〃
　　
　　〃So　stipulated；　let's　pass'　to　other　matters…except　to　say　that　had　I　found　you　virgin…big　as　you　are；　old　as　you　are…　it　would　have　worried　me　a　little；　and　I　might　have　felt　that　Helen　had　not　been　quite　the　wholesome　influence　that　I　thought　she　was。　That　she　was　indeed；　bless　her　heart！　The　matter　of　pretending　to　be　dear　old　'Uncle　Gibbie'　who　would　never　touch　little　Dora　was　purely　for　your　face；　since　it　does　not　worry　you；　let's　drop　it。　What　I　started　to　say　is　that　you
　　
　　can　take　as　long　as　you　like　in　deciding　？hether　to　pioneer　here　or　go　to　Secundus。　Dora；　Secundus　has　more'　than　inside　plumbing；　it　has　a　Rejuvenation　Clinic。〃
　　
　　〃Oh！　You　need　to　be　near　one；　Woodrow？〃
　　
　　〃No；　no！　For　you；　dear。〃
　　
　　She　was　very　slow　in　answering。　〃That　would　not　make　me
　　
　　a　Howard。〃'…
　　
　　〃Well；　no。　But　it　helps。　Rejuvenation　therapies　don't　make　Howards　last　forever；　either。　Some　people　are　helped　quite　a　lot　by　them；　some　are　not。　Maybe　someday　we'll　know　more…　but　now；　on　the　average；　rejuvenation　techniques　seem　to　about　double　whatever　a　person　could　expect　normally；　whether　~he's　a　Howard　。　。　or　not　a　Howard。　Uh；　do　you　know　anything　about　how　long　your　grandparents　lived？〃
　　
　　〃Hop　could　I；　Woodrow？　I　just　barely　remember　that　I　once　had　parents。　I　don't　even　know　the　names　of　my　grandparents。〃
　　
　　〃We　can　find　out。　The　ship　carries　records　of　every　migrant　who　takes　passage　in　her。　I'll　tell　Zack…Captain　Briggs…to　look　up　your　parents'　records。　Then…in　time；　for　it　will　take　'time…I　can　have　your　family　traced　on　Earth。　Then…〃
　　
　　〃No；　Woodrow。〃
　　
　　〃Why　not；　dear？〃
　　
　　〃I　don't　need　to　know；　1　don't　want　to　know。　Long　ago；　three　or　four　years　at　least；　shortly　after　I　figured　out　that　you　were　a　Howard；　I　also　figured　out　that　Howards　don't　really　live　any　longer　than　we　ordinaries　do。〃
　　
　　〃So？〃
　　
　　〃Yes。　We　all　have　the　past　and　the　present　and　the　future。　The　past　is　just　memory；　and　I　can't　remember　when　I　began；　I　can't　remember　when　I　wasn't。　Can　you？〃
　　
　　〃No。〃
　　
　　〃So　we're　even　on　that。　I　suppose　your　memories　are　richer；　you　are　older　than　I　am。　But　it's　past。　The　future？　It　hasn't　happened　yet；　and　nobody　knows。　'You　may　outlive　me　。　。　or　I　may　outlive　you。　Or　we　might　happen　to　be　killed　at　the　same　time。　We　can't　know　and　I　don't　want　to　know。　What　we　both　have　is　now　。　。　and　we　have　that　together　and　it　makes　me　utterly　happy。　Let's　get　these　mules　put　away　for　the　night　and　enjoy　some　now。〃
　　
　　〃Suits。〃　He　grinned　at　her。　'~E。F。；　or　F。F。？〃
　　
　　〃Both！〃
　　
　　〃That's　my　Dora！　Anything　worth　doing　is　worth　overdoing。〃
　　
　　〃And　doing　again。　But　just　a　moment；　dear。　You　told　…　me　that　Captain　Briggs　is　your　son；　and　consequently　my　stepson。　I　suppose　he　~s；　but　I　really　can't　think　of　him　as　such。　But…　and　you　needn't　answer　this；　we　agr