BLASPHEMY1!“Foster looked up. .Something bite you, Junior?“ This temporary annex2 hadbeen run up in a hurry and Things did get in-swarms of almost invisible impsusually - . . harmless, of course, but a bite from one left an itch3 on the ego4.
.Uh ... you’d have to see it to believe it-here, I’ll run the omniscio back atouch.“.You’d be surprised at what I can believe, Junior.“ Nevertheless Digby’ssupervisor shifted a part of his attention. Three temporals-humans, he sawthey were; a man and two women-speculating about the eternal. Nothing oddabout that. .Yes?“.You heard what she said! The .Archangel Michael’ indeed!“.What about it?“.’What about it?’ Oh, for God’s sake!“.Very possibly.“Digby was so indignant that his halo quivered. .Foster, you must not havetaken a good look. She meant that over-age juvenile5 delinquent6 that sent meto the showers. Scan it again.“Foster let the gain increase, noted7 that the angel-in-training had spokenrightly-and noticed something else and smiled his angelic smile. .How do youknow he isn’t, Junior?“.Huh?“.I haven’t seen Mike around the Club lately and I recall that his name hasbeen scratched on the Millennial8 Solipsist Tournament-that’s a Sign that he’slikely away on detached duty, as Mike is one of the most eager Solipsismplayers in this sector9.“.But the notion’s obscene!“.You’d be surprised how many of the Boss’s best ideas have been called.obscene’ in some quarters-or, rather, you should not be surprised, in view ofyour field work. But .obscene’ is a concept you don’t need; it has notheological meaning. .To the pure all things are pure.’“.But-.
.I’m still Witnessing, Junior. You listen. In addition to the fact that our brotherMichael seems to be away at this micro-instant-and I don’t keep track of him;we’re not on the same Watch list-that tattooed10 lady who made that oracularpronouncement is not likely to be mistaken; she’s a very holy temporalherself.“.Who says?“.I say. I know.“ Foster smiled again with angelic sweetness. Dear littlePatricia! Getting a little long in the tooth now but still Earthily desirable-andshining with an inner light that made her look like a stained glass window. Henoted without temporal pride that George had finished his great dedicationsince he had last looked at Patricia-and that picture of his being called up toHeaven wasn’t bad, not bad at all, in the Higher sense. He must remember tolook up George and compliment him on it, and tell him he had seen Patriciahnun,where was George? A creative artist in the universe design sectionworking right under the Architect, as he recalled-no matter, the master filewould dig him out in a split millennium11.
What a delicious little butterball Patricia had been and such holy frenzy12! Ifshe had had just a touch more assertiveness13 and a touch less humility14 hecould have made her a priestess. But such was Patricia’s need to acceptGod according to her own nature that she could have qualified15 only amongthe Lingayats . . . where she wasn’t needed. Foster considered scanningback and seeing her as she had been, decided16 against it with angelicrestraint; there was work to be done- .Forget the omniscio, Junior. I want aWord with you.“ Digby did so and waited. Foster twanged his halo, anannoying habit he had when he was meditating17. .Junior, you aren’t shapingup too angelically.“.I’m sorry.“.Sorrow is not for eternity18. But the Truth is you’ve been preoccupied19 with thatyoung fellow who may or may not be our brother Michael. Now wait- In thefirst place it is not for you to Judge the instrument used to call you from thepasture. In the second place it is not he who vexes20 you-you hardly knew himwhat’sbothering you is that little brunette secretary you had. She had earnedmy Kiss quite some temporal period before you were called. Hadn’t she?“.I was still testing her.“.Then no doubt you have been angelically pleased to note that SupremeBishop Short, after giving her a most thorough examination himself-oh, verythorough; I told you he would measure up-has passed her and she nowenjoys the wider Happiness she deserves. Mmmm, a shepherd should takejoy in his work . . . but when he’s promoted, he should take joy in that, too.
Now it just happens I know there is a spot open for a Guardian-in-Training ina new sector being opened up-a job under your nominal21 rank, I concede, butgood angelic experience. This planet-well, you can think of it as a planet;you’ll see-is occupied by a race of tripolaxity instead of bipolarity and I have iton High Authority that Don Juan himself could not manage to take Earthlyinterest in any of their three polarities . . . that’s not an opinion; he wasborrowed as a test. He screamed, and prayed to be returned to the solitaryhell he has created for himself.“.Going to send me out to Flatbush, huh? So I won’t interfere22!“.Tut, tut! You can’t interfere-the one Impossibility that permits all else to bepossible; I tried to tell you that when you arrived. But don’t let it fret23 you; youare eternally permitted to try. Your orders will include a loop so that you willcheck back at here-now without any loss of temporality. Now fly away andget cracking; I have work to do.“ Foster turned back to where he had beeninterrupted. Oh, yes, a poor soul temporally designated as .Alice Douglas“-tobe a goad24 was a hard assignment at best and she had met it unflaggingly.
But her job was complete and now she would need rest and rehabilitationfrom the inescapable battle fatigue25 . . . she’d be kiclthig and screaming andfoaming ectoplasm at all orifices.
Oh, she would need a thorough exorcism after a job that rough! But theywere all rough; they couldn’t be anything else. And .Alice Douglas“ was anutterly reliable field operative; she could take any left-hand assignment aslong as it was essentially26 virginal-burn her at the stake or put her in anunnery; she always delivered.
Not that he cared much for virgins27, other than with professional respect forany job well done. Foster sneaked28 a quick last look at Mrs. Paiwonski. Therewas a fellow worker he could appreciate. Darling little Patricia! What ablessed, lusty benison
收听单词发音 |
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blasphemy
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| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
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annex
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| vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物 | |
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itch
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| n.痒，渴望，疥癣；vi.发痒，渴望 | |
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ego
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| n.自我，自己，自尊 | |
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juvenile
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| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
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delinquent
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| adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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millennial
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| 一千年的，千福年的 | |
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sector
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| n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形 | |
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tattooed
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| v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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millennium
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| n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世 | |
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frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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assertiveness
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| n.过分自信 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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vexes
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| v.使烦恼( vex的第三人称单数 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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goad
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| n.刺棒，刺痛物；激励；vt.激励，刺激 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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virgins
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| 处女，童男( virgin的名词复数 )； 童贞玛利亚（耶稣之母） | |
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sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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