JUBAL HAD CONSIDERED HAVING Mike remain seated while Douglascame in, but had rejected the idea; he was not trying to place Mike a notchhigher than Douglas but merely to establish that the meeting was betweenequals. So, when he stood up, he signaled Mike to do so likewise. The greatdouble doors at the back of the conference hall had opened at the first strainsof .Hail to Sovereign Peace“ and Douglas came in. He went straight to hischair and started to sit down.
Instantly Jubal signaled Mike to sit down, the result being that Mike and theSecretary General sat down simultaneously-with a long, respectful pause ofsome seconds before anyone else resumed his seat. Jubal held his breath.
Had LaRue done it? Or not? He hadn’t quite promised- Then the firstfortissimo tocsin of the .Mars“ movement filled the room-the .War God“theme that startles even an audience expecting it. With his eyes on Douglasand with Douglas looking back at him, Jubal was at once up out of his chairagain, like a scared recruit snapping to attention. Douglas stood up, too, notas quickly but promptly1.
But Mike did not get up; Jubal had not signalled him to do so. He sat quietly,impassively, quite unembarrassed by the fact that everyone else without anyexception got quickly back on his feet when the Secretary General stood up.
Mike did not understand any of it and was quite content to do what his waterbrother told him to do. Jubal had puzzled over this bit, after he haddemanded the .Martian Anthem2.“ If the demand was met, what should Mikedo while it was played? It was a nice point, and the answer depended on justwhat role Mike was playing in this comedy- The music stopped. On Jubal’ssignals Mike then stood up, bowed quickly, and sat down, seating himselfabout as the Secretary General and the rest were seated. They were all backin their seats much more quickly this time, as no one could have missed theglaring point that Mike had remained seated through the .anthem.“ Jubalsighed with relief. He had gotten away with it. A great many years earlier hehad seen one of that vanishing tribe of royalty3 (a reigning4 queen) receive aparade-and he had noticed that the royal lady had bowed after her anthemwas played, i.e., she had acknowledged a salute5 offered to her ownsovereign self.
But the political head of a democracy stands and uncovers for his nation’santhem like any other citizen-for he is not a sovereign.
But, as Jubal had pointed6 out to LaRue, one couldn’t have it two ways. EitherMike was merely a private citizen (in which case this silly gymkhana shouldnever have been held; Douglas should have had the guts7 to tell all theseoverdressed parasites8 to stay home!)-or, by the preposterous9 legal theoryinherent in the Larkin Decision, the kid was a sovereign all by his littlelonesome.
Jubal felt tempted10 to offer LaRue a pinch of snuff. Well, the point had notbeen missed by at least one-the Papal Nuncio was keeping his face straightbut his eyes were twinkling.
Douglas started to speak: .Mr. Smith, we are honored and happy to have youhere as our guest today. We hope that you will consider the planet Earth yourhome quite as much as the planet of your birth, our neighbor-our goodneighbor-Mars-. He went on at some length, in careful, rounded, pleasantperiods, which did not quite say anything. Mike was welcome-but whether hewas welcome as a sovereign, as a tourist from abroad, or as a citizenreturning home, was quite impossible to determine (Jubal decided) fromDouglas’ words.
Jubal watched Douglas, hoping to catch his eye, looking for some nod orexpression that would show how Douglas had taken the letter Jubal had sentto him by hand immediately on arrival. But Douglas never looked at him.
Presently Douglas concluded, still having said nothing and said it very well.
Jubal said quietly, .Now, Mike.“Smith addressed the Secretary General-in Martian.
But he cut it off before consternation12 could build up and said gravely: .Mr.
Secretary General of the Federation13 of Free Nations of the Planet Earth-.
then went on again in Martian.
Then in English: .-we thank you for our welcome here today. We bringgreetings to the peoples of Earth from the Ancient Ones of Mars-. and shiftedagain into Martian.
Jubal felt that .Ancient Ones“ was a good touch; it carried more bulge14 than.Old Ones“ and Mike had not objected to the change in terminology15. In fact,while Mike had insisted on .speaking rightly,“ Jubal’s draft had not requiredmuch editing. It had been Jill’s idea to alternate, sentence by sentence, aMartian version and an English version-and Jubal admitted with warmpleasure that her gimmick16 puffed17 up a formal little speech as devoid18 of realcontent as a campaign promise into something as rollingly impressive asWagnerian opera. (And about as hard to figure out, Jubal added.)It didn’t matter to Mike. He could insert the Martian translation as easily as hecould memorize and recite the edited English version, i.e., without effort foreither. If it would please his water brothers to say these sayings, it madeMike happy.
Someone touched Jubal on the shoulder, shoved an envelope in his hand,and whispered, .From the Secretary General.“ Jubal looked up, saw that itwas Bradley, hurrying silently away. Jubal opened the envelope in his lap,glanced at the single sheet inside.
The note was one word: .Yes,“ and had been signed with initials .J.E.D.“-allin the famous green ink.
Jubal looked up, found that Douglas’ eyes were now on him; Jubal noddedever so slightly and Douglas looked away. The conference was now over; allthat remained was to let the world know it.
Mike concluded the sonorous19 nullities he had been given; Jubal heard hisown words: .-growing closer, with mutual20 benefit to both worlds-. and .-eachrace according to its own nature-. but did not listen. Douglas then thankedthe Man from Mars, briefly21 but warmly. There was a pause.
Jubal stood up. .Mr. Secretary General-.
.Yes, Dr. Harshaw?“.As you know, Mr. Smith is here today in a dual22 role. Like some visiting princein the past history of our own great race, traveling by caravan23 and sailingacross uncharted vastnesses to a distant realm, he brings to Earth the goodwishes of the Ancient Powers of Mars. But he is also a human being, acitizen of the Federation and of the United States of America. As such, hehas rights and properties and obligations.“ Jubal shook his head. .Peskyones, I’m sorry to say. As attorney for him in his capacity as a citizen and ahuman being, I have been puzzling over his business affairs and I have noteven managed a complete list of what he owns-much less decide what to telltax collectors-.
Jubal stopped to wheeze24. .I’m an old man, I might not live to complete thetask. Now you know that my client has had no business experience in thehuman sense-Martians do these things differently. But he is a young man ofgreat intelligence-the whole world knows that his parents were geniuses-andblood will tell. There’s no doubt that in a few years, he could, if he wished, dovery nicely on his own without the aid of one old, broken-down lawyer. Buthis affairs need attention today; business won’t wait.
.But, in fact, he is more eager to learn the history and the arts and the waysof the people of this, his second home, than he is to bury himself indebentures and stock issues and royalties-and I think in this he is wise.
Although without business experience, Mr. Smith possesses a direct andsimple wisdom that continues to astonish me . . . and to astonish all whomeet him. When I explained to him the trouble I was having, he simply lookedat me with a clear, calm gaze and said, .Why, that’s no problem, Jubal-we’llask Mr. Douglas.’“ Jubal paused and said anxiously, .The rest of this is justpersonal business, Mr. Secretary. Should I see you about it privately25? And letthe rest of these ladies and gentlemen go home?“.Go right ahead, Dr. Harshaw.“ Douglas added, .Protocol26 is dispensed27 withas of now. Anyone who wishes to leave please feel free to do so.“No one left. .All right,“ Jubal went on. .I can wrap it up in one sentence. Mr.
Smith wants to appoint you his attorney-in-fact, with full power to handle allhis business affairs. Just that.“Douglas looked convincingly astonished. .That’s a tall order, Doctor.“.I know it is, sir. I pointed out to him that it was an imposition, that you are thebusiest man on this planet and didn’t have time for his affairs.“ Jubal shookhis head and smiled. .I’m afraid it didn’t impress him-seems on Mars thebusier a person is the more is expected of him. Mr. Smith simply said, .Wecan ask him.’ So I’m asking you. Of course we don’t expect an answer offhand-that’s another Martian trait: Martians are never in a hurry. Nor are theyinclined to make things complicated. No bond, no auditing28, none of thatclaptrap-a written power of attorney if you want it. But it does not matter tohim; he would do it just as readily, orally and right now-Chinese style. That’sanother Martian trait; if a Martian trusts you, he trusts you all the way. Hedoesn’t come prying29 around to see if you’re keeping your word. Oh, I shouldadd: Mr. Smith is not making this request of the Secretary General; he’sasking a favor of Joseph Edgerton Douglas, you personally. If you shouldretire from public life, it would not affect this in the slightest. Your successorin office, whoever he might be, doesn’t figure in it. It’s you he trusts ... not justwhoever happens to occupy the Octagon Office in this Palace.“Douglas nodded. .Regardless of my answer, I feel honored .. and humble30.“.Because if you decline to serve, or can’t serve, or do take on this chore andwant to drop it later, or anything, Mr. Smith has his own second choice for thejob-Ben Caxton, it is. Stand up for a second, Ben; let people see you. And ifboth you and Caxton can’t or won’t, his next choice is-well, I’ll guess we’llreserve that name for the moment; just let it rest that there are successivechoices. Uh, let me see now-. Jubal looked fuddled- .I’m out of the habit oftalking on my feet. Miriam, where is that piece of paper we listed things on?“Jubal accepted a sheet from her, and added, .Better give me the othercopies, too-. She passed over to him a thick stack of sheets. .This is a littlememo we prepared for you, sir-or for Caxton, if it turns out that way. Mmm,lemme see-oh yes, steward31 to pay himself what he thinks the job is worth butnot less than-well, a considerable sum, nobody else’s business, really.
Steward to deposit monies in a drawing account for living expenses of partyof the first part-uh, oh yes, I thought maybe you would want to use the Bankof Shanghai, say, as your depository, and, say, Lloyd’s as your businessagent-or maybe the other way around-just to protect your own name andfame. But Mr. Smith won’t hear of any fixed32 instructions-just an unlimitedassignment of power, revocable by either side at choice. But I won’t read allthis; that’s why we wrote it out-. Jubal turned and looked vacantly around.
.Uh, Miriam-trot around and give this to the Secretary General, that’s a goodgirl. Urn11, these other copies, I’ll leave them here. You may want to pass .emout to people ... or you may need them yourself. Oh, I’d better give one to Mr.
Caxton though- here, Ben-.
Jubal looked anxiously around. .Uh, I guess that’s all I have to say, Mr.
Secretary. Did you have anything more to say to us?’
.Just a moment. Mr. Smith?“.Yes, Mr. Douglas?“.Is this what you want? Do you want me to do what it says on this paper?“Jubal held his breath, avoided even glancing at his client- Mike had beencarefully coached to expect such a question - . - but there had been no tellingwhat form it would take, nor any way to tell in advance how Mike’s literalinterpretations could trip them.
.Yes, Mr. Douglas.“ Mike’s voice rang out clearly in the big room- and in abillion rooms around a planet.
.You want me to handle your business affairs?“.Please, Mr. Douglas. It would be a goodness. I thank you-.
Douglas blinked. .Well, that’s clear enough. Doctor, I’ll reserve my answerbutyou shall have it promptly.“.Thank you, sir. For myself as well as for my client.“Douglas started to stand up. Assemblyman Kung’s voice sharply interrupted.
.One moment! How about the Larkin Decision?“Jubal grabbed it before Douglas could speak. .Ah, yes, the Larkin Decision.
I’ve heard quite a lot of nonsense talked about the Larkin Decision-but mostlyfrom irresponsible persons. Mr. Kung, what about the Larkin Decision?“.I’m asking you. Or your .. client. Or the Secretary General.“Jubal said gently, .Shall I speak, Mr. Secretary?“.Please do.“.Very well.“ Jubal paused, slowly took out a big handkerchief and blew hisnose in a prolonged blast, producing a minor33 chord three octaves belowmiddle C. He then fixed Kung with his eye and said solemnly, .Mr.
Assemblyman, I’ll address this to you-because I know it is unnecessary toaddress it to the government in the person of the Secretary. Once a long,long tine ago, when I was a little boy, another little boy, equally young andfoolish, and I formed a club. Just the two of us. Since we had a club, we hadto have rules . . - and the first rule we passed, unanimously, I should add-wasthat henceforth we would always call our mothers, .crosspatch.’ Silly, ofcourse . . . but we were very young. Mr. Kung, can you deduce the outcomeof that .rule’?“.I won’t guess, Dr. Harshaw.“.I tried to implement34 our .Crosspatch’ decision once. Once was enough and itsaved my chum from making the same mistake. All it got me was my youngbottom well warmed with a peach switch. And. that was the end of the.crosspatch’ decision.“Jubal cleared his throat. .Just a moment Mr. Kung. Knowing that someonewas certain to raise this non-existent issue I tried to explain the LarkinDecision to my client. At first be had trouble realizing that anyone could thinkthat this legal fiction would apply to Mars. After all, Mars is inhabited, by anold and wise race-much older than yours, sir, and possibly wiser. But whenhe did understand it, he was amused. Just that, sir- tolerantly amused. Oncejustonce-I under-rated my mother’s power to punish a small boy’simpudence. That lesson was cheap, a bargain- But this planet cannot affordsuch a lesson on a planetary scale. Before we attempt to parcel out landswhich do not belong to us, it behooves35 us to be very sure what peachswitches are hanging in the Martian kitchen.“Kung looked blandly36 unconvinced- .Dr. Harshaw, if the Larkin Decision is nomore than a small boy’s folly37 . . . why were national honors rendered to Mr.
Smith?“Jubal shrugged- .That question should be put to the government, not me. ButI can tell you how I interpreted them-as elementary politeness to the AncientOnes of Mars.“.Please?“.Mr. Kung, those honors were no hollow echo of the Larkin Decision. In afashion quite beyond human experience, Mr. Smith is the Planet Mars.“Kung did not even blink. .Continue.“.Or, rather, the entire Martian race. In Smith’s person, the Ancient Ones ofMars are visiting us. Honors rendered to him are honors rendered to themandharm done to him is harm done to them. This is true in a very literal bututterly unhuman sense. It was wise and prudent38 for us to render honors toour neighbors today-but the wisdom in it has nothing to do with the LarkinDecision. No responsible person has argued that the Larkin precedentapplies to an inhabited planet-I venture to say that no one ever will.“ Jubalpaused and looked up, as if asking Heaven for help. .But, Mr. Kung, beassured that the ancient rulers of Mars do not fail to notice how we treat theirambassador. The honors rendered to them through him were a gracioussymbol. I am certain that the government of this planet showed wisdomthereby. In time, you will learn that it was a most prudent act as well.“Kung answered blandly, .Doctor, if you are trying to frighten me, you havenot succeeded.“.I did not expect to. But, fortunately for the welfare of this planet, your opiniondid not control.“ Jubal turned back to Douglas. .Mr. Secretary, this is thelongest public appearance I have made in years . . and I find that I amfatigued. Could we recess39 these talks? While we await your decision?“
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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anthem
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| n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌 | |
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royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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reigning
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| adj.统治的，起支配作用的 | |
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salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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guts
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| v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠 | |
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parasites
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| 寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫 | |
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preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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urn
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| n.（有座脚的）瓮；坟墓；骨灰瓮 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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federation
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| n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会 | |
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bulge
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| n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀 | |
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terminology
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| n.术语；专有名词 | |
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gimmick
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| n.(为引人注意而搞的)小革新，小发明 | |
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puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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sonorous
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| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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dual
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| adj.双的；二重的，二元的 | |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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wheeze
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| n.喘息声，气喘声；v.喘息着说 | |
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privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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protocol
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| n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节 | |
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dispensed
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| v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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auditing
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| n.审计，查账，决算 | |
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prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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behooves
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| n.利益，好处( behoof的名词复数 )v.适宜( behoove的第三人称单数 ) | |
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blandly
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| adv.温和地，殷勤地 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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