"Michael Flynn - Falling Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Flynn Michael)

approved term тАФ will be short. Perhaps they are right; though I wish they didnтАЩt feel the need to repeat the
assurance quite so much.тАЭ
Jacinta shivered. тАЬHow bad is it?тАЭ
тАЬOh, our workshops are busy enough. More people are looking for low-cost goods. But our investments
lost value along with everyone elseтАЩs. And next quarterтАЩs tithes from our fledglings тАФ like yourself тАФ will
fall terribly short. But the Council decided to sit on the portfolio. Our losses are only real if we start selling.
When the market recovers, weтАЩll be no worse off.тАЭ
There was more to the world than the sisterhoodтАЩs endowment, but Mother Linda might be forgiven for
viewing the question through the lens of her immediate concerns. And JacintaтАЩs scholarship was funded
through the interest off the sisterhoodтАЩs holdings. тАЬI guess the good times are over.тАЭ
Mother Linda waved a hand. тАЬWeтАЩve gotten so used to the тАШgood times,тАЩ that this episode mayseem worse
than it is. ItтАЩs a crisis ofconfidence ; nothing more. After all, Klon-Am resorted to fraud because the
demand for their services exceeded their supply. But a great many foolish decisions were made. Panic
selling. Hasty interventions. The desire to preen before the newsgroups. Short-term thinking. The
sisterhood,тАЭ she added in the Voice of Confidence, тАЬtakes a longer view; and we have urged other orders
to do the same.тАЭ The mother smiled. тАЬThere may even be opportunities to further our work. Every
panicked seller needs a thoughtful buyer. And if the underlying investment is fundamentally sound тАж Well,
the silver apples will come through. Remember, тАШPatience resolves тАжтАЩтАЭ
тАЬтАШ тАж more problems than action,тАЩтАЭ Jacinta finished. тАЬBut тАШmoreтАЩ isnтАЩt тАШall.тАЩ The trick is knowing which
problems need patience and which need action.тАЭ
The mother raised an eyebrow, took a sip of tea. тАЬThatтАЩs not part of the Precept,тАЭ she said quietly. Jacinta
flushed and looked at her feet.
тАЬSorry.тАЭ
тАЬMay I see your copy of thePrecepts ?тАЭ The hand was extended, waiting.
JacintaтАЩs blush deepened. тАЬI тАж left it in my room.тАЭ
тАЬYou should carry it with you at all times.тАЭ The admonition, gently spoken, was an admonishment
nonetheless. тАЬGo fetch it and bring it here,muchacha .тАЭ
The mother didnтАЩt understand, Jacinta thought as she hurried down the corridor to the elevator. How could
you take a copy of thePrecepts up a scaling tower or through an obstacle course?No excuses , she told
herself firmly.ThatтАЩs why they invented zippered pockets. And yet тАж And yet тАж When she pulled the slim
booklet from her duffel bag, she clutched it to her. How could she let the director see it? It was marked up
with her own comments in the margins and the spaces between. She flipped rapidly through it. Every page
was scribbled. Her throat tightened.
Maybe mother would not inspect the book. Maybe Jacinta could claim it as lost. She sat on the edge of the
bed. Maybe тАж
No excuses. You are responsible for your own actions. That was the Fifth Precept.
But what about the recession and the shutdown тАж How amIresponsible?
She thumbed through the dog-eared booklet until she came to the Fifth Precept and read her own gloss.
тАЬThe world can do what it damn well pleases,тАЭ she read aloud to the pleasantly colored walls. тАЬBut I am
responsible for how Irespond to the world. If someone knocks me down, itтАЩsme that decides whether to lie
in the dirt and cry; to leap to my feet and strike back; or to turn my back and walk away.тАЭ The words
comforted her. Her own words.
Still, the corridor to motherтАЩs office stretched toward infinity. Chatter, both subdued and cheerful,
surrounded her. The murmur of recitations in the classrooms downstairs. The smell of paint and leather
and freshly cut lumber from the workshops. The rasp of a buzz saw. Friendly greetings from passing
strangers who were also her sisters. The bright sun through the skylights bringing the day into the
building. One of the panes was cracked. She ought to offer to replace it. She hadnтАЩt forgotten her
glaziering, nor the other crafts she had learned at North Orange.We educate your minds . Sister Jennifer
had once told a much younger Jacinta,but also your hands and feet. There will always be somethingyou
can do .