[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
. I didn t think.I just acted.I tried to stop it that s all. And was there no other way? Appear confident of your innocence, he told himself. There wasn t time to think.I wanted to save Klei.You know what they were doing. I told you that Klei had explained everything.But was what you call saving Klei wasyour real motive? What they were doing goes on all the time among the boys.You can t say youdon t know that.Men can t control their desires especially men of a certain age.That s why wesend them out of the Valley.This can t have been the only time you saw someone abusing one ofthe younger boys.So why was this the first time you tried to stop it? More to the point, do youalways try to solve problems with your fists? And what is Klei to you? another woman interjected. Is he your boyfriend? Were they asking for information or were them simply trying to taunt him? He d spokento Klei once or twice.All the boys knew one another.But he d never been close to him.Something about Klei unnerved him, and even now he wasn t sure what it was.Alf would staywhere Jon put him, but, as a friend, Klei would not be so easy to handle.He looked at you as if he knew exactly what you were thinking.At least that s the way Jon saw it.And Jon didn t wantanybody getting inside his head. He s nothing to me.I knew his name, that s all. Then why did you act with such passion? They told us you flew into Piers like amadman.Those were their words flew into him like a madman.There s something you re nottelling us, Jon.Was it jealousy? Were those boys doing something you wanted to do yourself?Klei has a pretty face almost as pretty as a girl.We understand these things. A rustle of clothing and a movement of chairs among the other women told him that theyconcurred with this interpretation.But why? He d told them that before yesterday that he d neversaid more than a few words to Klei.And surely Klei had said the same.Klei would never lie.Jonwasn t sure how he knew that, but he was certain of it. I ve reported everything exactly as it happened.I was taking a walk on the mountain.Itwas nothing unusual.You can ask the other boys.They ll tell you I often wander off by myselflike that.Ask Mother Lyla.She knows it, too. He hoped Lyla would speak up in his behalf, but, wherever she was, she remained silent. Then, after I d been there a while, I came down, heading for the cabins.That was when Isaw what they were doing to Klei and tried to stop them.I didn t mean to hurt Piers I onlywanted to help Klei.I thought he was being forced to do something he didn t want to do. He hadn t told them the real reason he d been on the mountain.How could he? But theymust have sensed he was hiding something.But if they could see that, why didn t they see thathe d been as frightened by what he d done as anyone else? He was taller than Piers by ahandbreadth and by the logic of his accusers that made him a bully.Yet he wasn t half asstrong as the boy he d hit.Piers was built like an ox.It had been a lucky blow, that s all or anunlucky one, as it turned out. What were your feelings? Had anything happened to put you in a bad mood? That s a good question, Rachael, another women commented. The boy Jon seemsconvinced that his actions are all that s important.But you can t separate an action from thefeelings behind it.Intention is everything. I was in a good mood, Jon said. Are you saying that you liked Piers up until the moment you saw him with Klei? What did Piers have to do with his mood? No, I didn t like him. Jon heard murmurs from many of the Mothers. So you were searching for a reason to harm him? Rachael asked. No.I never gave Piers a thought until that moment. Then why did you say you hated him? I didn t say I hated him.I said I didn t like him.Can t you see the difference? Despite his efforts to remain calm, the women had raised his temper.That had been theirplan and he d fallen for it. Well, you must have disliked him for a reason.Everyone calls you a thinker, so youmust have given him some thought, another Mother pointed out. I gave him the thought you give a person you see every day without caring anythingabout, Jon said, trying to calm himself. That s all I meant when I said I didn t like him.I neverthought about Piers.I had no interest in him. Jon had wanted to say that he thought Piers unworthy of interest.He was proud ofhimself for his restraint. I d like to hear more about that, Jon.We recognize that men are different from us.Youcan t help feeling rivalry where we understand only cooperation.That s why we make ourjudgments as a group, so each can have her say.Outside the valley, men appoint judges to maketheir decisions and call that justice.But how can one person understand as well as many?Women are better at sorting out right from wrong than men could ever be. But it s not your fault that you re a man, Jon.You had no choice, so none of us blameyou for it.Still, you can only be expected to act as other men do.Piers is a large boy not as tallas you, but very robust.Robust s the right word, isn t it?Sounds of agreement
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]