"Joanna Russ - When It Changed" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russ Joanna)

re-established on Earth?"

"You're the real one," I said, "aren't you? The other one's for show." It was
a great relief to get things cleared up. He nodded affably.

"As a people, we are not very bright," he said. "There's been too much genetic
damage in the last few centuries. Radiation. Drugs. We can use Whileaway's
genes, Janet." Strangers do not call strangers by the first name.

"You can have cells enough to drown in," I said. "Breed your own."

He smiled. "That's not the way we want to do it." Behind him I saw Katy come
into the square of light that was the screened-in door. He went on, low and
urbane, not mocking me, I think, but with the self-confidence of someone who
has always had money and strength to spare, who doesn't know what it is to be
second-class or provincial. Which is very odd, because the day before, I would
have said that was an exact description of me.

"I'm talking to you, Janet," he said, "because I suspect you have more popular
influence than anyone else here. You know as well as I do that parthenogenetic
culture has all sorts of inherent defects, and we do notтАФif we can help
itтАФmean to use you for anything of the sort. Pardon me; I should not have said
'use.' But surely you can see that this kind of society is unnatural."

"Humanity is unnatural," said Katy. She had my rifle under her left arm. The
top of that silky head does not quite come up to my collarbone, but she is as
tough as steel; he began to move, again with that queer smiling deference
(which his fellow had showed to me but he had not) and the gun slid into
Katy's grip as if she had shot with it all her life.

"I agree," said the man. "Humanity is unnatural. I should know. I have metal
in my teeth and metal pins here." He touched his shoulder. "Seals are harem
animals," he added, "and so are men; apes are promiscuous and so are men;
doves are monogamous and so are men; there are even celibate men and
homosexual men. There are homosexual cows, I believe. But Whileaway is still
missing something." He gave a dry chuckle. I will give him the credit of
believing that it had something to do with nerves.

"I miss nothing," said Katy, "except that life isn't endless."
"You areтАФ?" said the man, nodding from me to her.

"Wives," said Katy. "We're married." Again the dry chuckle.

"A good economic arrangement," he said, "for working and taking care of the
children. And as good an arrangement as any for randomizing heredity, if your
reproduction is made to follow the same pattern. But think, Katharina
Michaelason, if there isn't something better that you might secure for your
daughters. I believe in instincts, even in Man, and I can't think that the two
of youтАФa machinist, are you? and I gather you are some sort of chief of
policeтАФdon't feel somehow what even you must miss. You know it intellectually,