Gordon Dickson Childe 08 The Chantry Guild

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rate, Kanin, foreseeing something like the Occupation, moved everyone
connected with the Guild-not just the walkers-up here and started building for
permanent occupation of this place. Then, last year, he died . . .and I've
already told you how I came to be with him-too late; and was asked to take
over as Guildmaster. " "The only possible choice-," began Artur, but Amid
interrupted.
-Perhaps, as I say. But what you need to know, Hal, if you're going to stay
here awhile, is that we're an open democracy in this place, everybody having a
vote on everything and the majority ruling. In practice the Guildmaster has a
veto over anything voted, but-" "In practice," put in Artur firmly, "no one
would think of
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Gordon R. Dickson
questioning the Guildmaster's veto, or an order by the Guildmaster. " "Well,
well. The point is, Hal, you'll be moving in as one of the members of the
Guild. That means you'll have a vote, of course, but I'd suggest you wait
until you understand this place better before you begin using it. You'll stay
in one of the dormitory buildings, in the singles' quarters. There are rooms
for couples here as well, but they're all full right now and we haven't had
time to build more; that's why I suggested you use
my office as your room for tonight." "Thank you," said Amanda. "We appreciate
it." "Yes, indeed," said Hal. "The office would only be empty otherwise. I
sleep here, nights." Amid made a dismissing gesture with his chopsticks. "Now,
about the circle itself. Every Chantry Guild member, which means everyone on
the ledge, has a chance to walk in it, in regular rotation. He or she can pass
up the turn when it comes, if they want. Both Artur and myself have to, most
of the time, because of the administrative work to be done. For the rest, it's
a matter of each one waiting for his or her turn, then joining the small group
of waiters beside the circle-did you see
the group of those waiting their turn as you came in?"
Hal thought back. There had, indeed, been a handful of men and women on the
far side of the circle of walkers, but he had thought they were simply people
who had stopped for a moment to watch. "The rule as laid down by Jathed, you
see," went on Amid, "is that once you begin to walk the circle you can keep
walking as long as you wish. The circle goes twenty-four hours a day, every
day of the year, so if it was physically possible, a single person could hold
his or her place in it indefinitely. But in reality, exhaustion would
eventually put an end to anything like that; and the truth is, even those
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walking normally seem to reach a point far short of exhaustion, at which they
decide to step out and let someone replace them. I don't mean they stop as a
matter of fair play or good manners; but simply because something in them
feels it has accomplished, or absorbed, or whatever you want to call it-what
it set out to do. As if a good day's work had been done and they were
satisfied with what had been achieved after the time and effort expended."
THE CHANTRY GUILD
147
: "Can they tell you afterward what it was that made them decide to stop? What
it was they'd accomplished?" Hal asked.
Amid glanced at him suddenly. "That's an interesting question," he answered.
"No. They can't. But they'll tell you that they feel . . . completed. In fact,
that's the way I've felt after walking." "I see," said Hal thoughtfully. "What
this means," said Amid, "is that while I can recommend your immediate access
to the Guild members i you'll still have to go out there and
join those standing by, and wait your turn when it comes. Unless someone ahead
of you offers you his or her turn; and of course, this assumes that those
in-between you and the one offering don't mind you going before them, too."
"No one, I think, would object to Hal being given priority," said Artur. "In
fact, even not knowing him, they wouldn't object if a fellow Guild member
wanted to trade places backward. " "Well, in theory they've got a perfect
right to object, and I Want Hal to understand that." "I do," said Hal. "In
fact," said Amid, almost fiercely, "what you may actually find when you join
the waiters is that they'll each offer you the chance to step ahead of them,
so that you may be the
rst one to take the next opening in the circle. But that's up to them. They'd
have to do that. I can't, in conscience, even recommend it." "I understand," [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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