Chapter 12

 At the foot of the stairway Cudyk saw Burgess standing¹, blinking uncertainly around him. He dropped back and put his hand on the man's arm. "Hello, Louis. I'm glad to see you. How is Kathy?"

 

Burgess straightened a trifle. "Oh—Laszlo. She's all right, thank you. Feeling a little low, just now, of course...." His voice trailed off.

 

"Of course," said Cudyk sympathetically. "I wish there were something I could do."

 

"No—no, there's nothing. Time will cure her, I suppose. Where are you going now?"

 

Cudyk explained. "Were you at the meeting, earlier?" he asked.

 

"No. I was not invited. I only heard—ten minutes ago. Perhaps it would be all right if I came upstairs with you? In that way—But if I would be a nuisance—" His features worked.

 

Cudyk felt obscurely uneasy. He recalled suddenly that it was a long time since he had seen Burgess looking perfectly² normal. He said reluctantly, "I think it will be all right. Why not? Come along."

 

Rack was sitting at the end of the long table on the far side of the room, talking to Ferguson. Ferguson's hatchet-man, Vic Smalley, was leaning watchfully³ against the far wall. Monk⁴ and Spider sat at Rack's left. De Grasse, pale and red-eyed, sat halfway⁵ down the table, away from the others. He stared at the table in front of him, paying no attention to the rest.

 

Cudyk had heard that De Grasse was still with Rack, and had wondered what he had done to expiate⁶ his sin. The obvious answer was one that he had not wanted to believe: that De Grasse had been given the task of murdering Harkway.

 

He had done it, probably, with a tormented⁷ soul and under Rack's eye, but he had done it. So much, Cudyk thought wearily, for the selfless nobility of man.

 

Rack looked up expressionlessly as the five men approached. "Yes?"

 

Cudyk said, "We have been chosen to ask you some questions about your previous statement."

 

"Ask away," said Rack, leaning back in his chair. Before him was a glass of the dark, smoky liquor Ferguson imported for his special use. He was smoking a tremendously long, black Russian cigarette.

 

Cudyk took the list from Paz and read the first question. "What is the status of New Earth as to housing, utilities and so on?"

 

"Housing and utilities are adequate for the present population," said Rack indifferently. "More units will be built as needed."

 

Paz scribbled⁸ in his notebook. Cudyk read, "Will every new colonist⁹ be expected to serve as a member of New Earth's fighting forces?"

 

Rack said, "Every man will work where he's needed. Common sense ought to tell you that aged¹¹" target="_blank">middle-aged¹⁰ men with pot bellies¹² and no military training won't be asked to man battleships."

 

"What is the size of New Earth's navy?"

 

"Next question."

 

"Will new colonists¹³ be allowed to retain their personal fortunes?"

 

Rack stared at him coldly. "The man who asked that," he said, "had better stay in the Quarter. If by his personal fortune he means Galactic currency, he can use it to stuff rat-holes. Any personal property of value to the community, and in excess of the owner's minimum needs, will be commandeered and dispensed¹⁴ for the good of the community."

 

"Will new colonists be under military dis—"

 

"Look out!" said De Grasse suddenly. He lurched to his feet, upsetting his chair.

 

Someone stumbled against Paz, who fell heavily across Cudyk's legs, bringing him down. Someone else shouted. From the floor, Cudyk saw Burgess standing quietly with a tiny nickeled revolver in his hand.

 

"Please don't move, Mr. Ferguson," said Burgess. "I don't trust you. All of you, stand still, please."

 

Cudyk carefully got his legs under him and slowly stood up. The men on the other side of the table were still sitting or standing where they had been a moment before. De Grasse stood in an attitude of frozen protest, one big hand flat against his trousers pocket. He looked comically like a man who has left the house without his keys.

 

They must have taken his gun away, Cudyk thought, after that affair yesterday.

 

Monk and the aged Spider were sitting tensely, trying to watch Rack and Burgess at the same time. Rack, as always, was inhumanly¹⁵ calm. Ferguson looked frightened. The gunman, Vic Smalley, had straightened away from the wall; he looked alert and unworried.

 

"Captain Rack," said Burgess, "you killed that man Harkway."

 

Rack said nothing.

 

"I did it," De Grasse said hoarsely¹⁶. "If you have to shoot somebody, shoot me."

 

Burgess turned slightly. Rack, without seeming to hurry, picked up the glass in front of him and half rose to fling the black liquor at Burgess' face.

 

The gun went off. Burgess stumbled back a step and then toppled over, with a knife-handle sprouting¹⁷ magically between neck and shoulder. De Grasse came hurtling across the table top, dived onto Burgess' prostrate¹⁸ body and came up with the gun. Not more than two seconds had gone by since Rack lifted the glass.

 

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 watchfully   

警惕地，留心地

参考例句：

• Defending his wicket watchfully, the last man is playing out time. 最后一名球员小心地守着他的三柱门，直到比赛结束。

4 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

5 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

6 expiate   

v.抵补，赎罪

参考例句：

• He tried to expiate his crimes by giving money to the church.他以捐款给教会来赎罪。
• It seemed that Alice was expiating her father's sins with her charity work.似乎艾丽斯正在通过自己的慈善工作来弥补父亲的罪过。

7 tormented   

饱受折磨的

参考例句：

• The knowledge of his guilt tormented him. 知道了自己的罪责使他非常痛苦。
• He had lain awake all night, tormented by jealousy. 他彻夜未眠，深受嫉妒的折磨。

8 scribbled   

v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
• He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。

9 colonist   

n.殖民者，移民

参考例句：

• The indians often attacked the settlements of the colonist.印地安人经常袭击殖民者的定居点。
• In the seventeenth century, the colonist here thatched their roofs with reeds and straw,just as they did in england.在17世纪，殖民者在这里用茅草盖屋，就像他们在英国做的一样。

10 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

11 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

12 bellies   

n.肚子( belly的名词复数 )；腹部；（物体的）圆形或凸起部份；腹部…形的

参考例句：

• They crawled along on their bellies. 他们匍匐前进。
• starving children with huge distended bellies 鼓着浮肿肚子的挨饿儿童

13 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 dispensed   

v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药）

参考例句：

• Not a single one of these conditions can be dispensed with. 这些条件缺一不可。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage. 他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 inhumanly   

adv.无人情味地，残忍地

参考例句：

16 hoarsely   

adv.嘶哑地

参考例句：

• "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
• Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

17 sprouting   

v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• new leaves sprouting from the trees 树上长出的新叶
• They were putting fresh earth around sprouting potato stalks. 他们在往绽出新芽的土豆秧周围培新土。 来自名作英译部分

18 prostrate   

v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的

参考例句：

• She was prostrate on the floor.她俯卧在地板上。
• The Yankees had the South prostrate and they intended to keep It'so.北方佬已经使南方屈服了,他们还打算继续下去。