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leaned into it. She took this as an affirmative answer. "Were you aware that there was a death in the park?" she asked. Silently he moved the staff to his left side and dug around with his right hand in the cassock's pocket, coming out with a much-folded square of newspaper. He handed it to Kate. It was the front page of that morning'sChronicle, whose lower right corner (continued on the back page) told all the details that had been released, including the man's first name, the cremation attempt, and even a paragraph on the cremation of Theophilus last month. Page 44 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html "You knew the man?" "He was not the Light, but came to bear witness to the Light." "Sir, just answer the question, please." "Er, Inspector?" interrupted the dean. "Could I have a word?" He led her aside, under a bare tree. She kept one eye on Erasmus, but the man merely pulled a small book with a light green cover out of his pocket, propped himself against his staff, and began to read. "Perhaps I ought to explain something before you go any further. Brother Erasmus does not speak in what you might call a normal conversational mode. He may not be able to answer your questions." "He was doing well enough talking to all those people. There's only one of me." "But he wasn't talking. He recites. Everything he says is a quotation." Kate took her eyes from the monk and looked at the dean. "Well then, he can just quote the information I want." "It's not that simple. If the answers to your questions were contained in the Bible or the Church Fathers or Shakespeare or a couple dozen other places, he could give you answers. But a direct question is very difficult. Look, you heard me ask him if he wanted omelette or Chinese food for breakfast, or lunch, whatever you call it this time of day." "He didn't answer you." "But he did. He gave me the first part of a quote from Matthew's Gospel, which ends, 'even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.' Hen: egg. He wants an omelette." "But all that . . . speech he gave." Page 45 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html "All quotations. First Corinthians, Luke, Matthew. And a bit of Gilbert and Sullivan to you that's a first." "Why does he talk like that?" "I don't know. I just know he never speaks freely. I suspect he carries a fair amount of suffering around with him. Perhaps it's his way of dealing with it." "Would you say that he is mentally disturbed?" "No more than I am. Probably less, since he doesn't have any administrative jobs hung around his neck. No, but seriously, he's not delusional, doesn't think he's Jesus. He never mutters and mumbles to invisible beings. He's always cooperative and helpful. He reacts and understands even if he doesn't always answer in a way people can understand. The board here discussed his presence this is not public property, you know, so in effect he has been invited. He stimulates discussion and thought, the students enjoy his stream-of-consciousness talks, and frankly I find him great fun. I love asking him direct questions, just to see how he answers. It's a game, for both of us." Oh, right lots of fun, thought Kate: prospecting the off-the-wall remarks of a religious fanatic in hopes of finding nuggets of sense. Well, since he enjoyed it: "I wonder if I could ask you to stay with me, then, while I talk with him. You can be my translator." "I'd be happy to, but I'm leading a seminar in an hour, so could we do it while we eat?" "No problem." In the cafe down the road, the air was thick with the smells of cooking eggs and hot cheese and coffee, the clatter of crockery and voices, the essence of a morning cafe in a university town. Erasmus stepped inside behind the dean, then circled behind the door and propped his staff up in the corner before following the dean to a table next to the window. Kate, behind both of them, noticed the easy familiarity of both men with the place and its patrons, the way they collected and distributed nods. Page 46 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html The waitress knew them, too, and automatically brought two mugs of coffee along with the menus. Erasmus paused in the act of sitting down and rose up again to his full height. After she had put down the coffee and distributed menus, he reached out, took hold of her heavily ringed hand, and, looking into [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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