"Kate Wilhelm - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

you know that! If there were, we simply wouldnтАЩt have children, but thereтАЩs no reason. You know
that, donтАЩt you?тАЭ
She nodded. тАЬI know.тАЭ
тАЬFor GodтАЩs sake! Come with me, Celia. We donтАЩt have to get married right away, let them get
used to the idea first. They will. They always do. We have a resilient family, you and me. Celia,
I love you.тАЭ
She turned her head, and he saw that she was weeping. She wiped her cheeks with her glove,
then with her bare hand, leaving dirt streaks. David pulled her to him, held her and kissed her
tears, her cheeks, her lips. And he kept saying, тАЬI love you, Celia.тАЭ
She finally drew away and started back down the slope, with David following. тАЬI canтАЩt decide
anything right now. It isnтАЩt fair. I should have stayed at the house. I shouldnтАЩt have followed
you up here. David, IтАЩm committed to going in two days. I canтАЩt just say IтАЩve changed my mind.
ItтАЩs important to me. To the people down there. I canтАЩt just decide not to go. You went to Oxford
for a year. I have to do something too.тАЭ
He caught her arm and held her, kept her from moving ahead again. тАЬJust tell me you love me.
Say it, just once, say it.тАЭ
тАЬI love you,тАЭ she said very slowly.
тАЬHow long will you be gone?тАЭ
тАЬThree years. I signed a contract.тАЭ
He stared at her in disbelief. тАЬChange it! Make it one year. IтАЩll be out of grad school
then. You can teach here. Let their bright young students come to you.тАЭ
тАЬWe have to get back, or theyтАЩll send a search party for us,тАЭ she said. тАЬIтАЩll try to change
it,тАЭ she whispered then. тАЬIf I can.тАЭ
Two days later she left.
David spent New YearтАЩs Eve at the Sumner farm with his parents and a horde of aunts and
uncles and cousins. On New YearтАЩs Day, Grandfather Sumner made an announcement. тАЬWeтАЩre building a
hospital up at Bear Creek, this side of the mill.тАЭ
David blinked. That was a mile from the farm, miles from anything else at all. тАЬA hospital?тАЭ
He looked at his uncle Walt, who nodded.
Clarence was studying his eggnog with a sour expression, and DavidтАЩs father, the third
brother, was watching the smoke curl from his pipe. They all knew, David realized. тАЬWhy up here?тАЭ
he asked finally.
тАЬItтАЩs going to be a research hospital,тАЭ Walt said. тАЬGenetic diseases, hereditary defects,
that sort of thing. Two hundred beds.тАЭ
David shook his head in disbelief. тАЬYou have any idea how much something like that would
cost? WhoтАЩs financing it?тАЭ
His grandfather laughed nastily. тАЬSenator Burke has graciously arranged to get federal
funds,тАЭ he said. His voice became more caustic. тАЬAnd I cajoled a few members of the family to put
a little in the kitty.тАЭ David glanced at Clarence, who looked pained. тАЬIтАЩm giving the land,тАЭ
Grandfather Sumner went on. тАЬSo here and there we got support.тАЭ
тАЬBut why would Burke go for it? YouтАЩve never voted for him in a single campaign in his
life.тАЭ
тАЬTold him weтАЩd dig out a lot of stuff weтАЩve been sitting on, support his opposition. If he
was a baboon, weтАЩd support him, and thereтАЩs a lot of family these days, David. A heap of family.тАЭ
тАЬWell, hats off,тАЭ David said, still not fully believing it. тАЬYou giving up your practice to
go into research?тАЭ he asked Walt. His uncle nodded. David drained his cup of eggnog.
тАЬDavid,тАЭ Walt said quietly, тАЬwe want to hire you.тАЭ
He looked up quickly. тАЬWhy? IтАЩm not into medical research.тАЭ
тАЬI know what your specialty is,тАЭ Walt said, still very quietly. тАЬWe want you for a