had his fun, and he could take whatever happened. It had been worth it.
He had the curious sense that he was re-living something that had happened before, as he entered theirapartment in the Quarters building. His father was waiting for him, his face drawn, unreadable.
“Where have you been?”
“In the city. At the home of Kennard Alton.”
Montray’s face contracted with anger, but his voice was level and stern.
“You do remember that I forbade you to leave the Terran Zone? You’re not going to tell me that you
forgot?”
“I didn’t forget.”
“In other words, you deliberately disobeyed.”
Larry said quietly, “Yes.”
Montray was evidently holding his anger in check with some effort. “Precisely why, when I did forbidit?”
Larry paused a moment before answering. Was he simply making excuses about having done what hewanted to do? Then he was sure, again, of the rightness of his position.
“Because, Dad, I’d made a promise and I didn’t feel it was right to break it, without a better reason than just that you’d forbidden it. This was something I had to do, and you were treating me like a kid. I tried to make sure that you wouldn’t be involved, or the Terran Empire, if anything had happened to me.”
His father said, at last, “And you felt you should make that decision for yourself. Very well, Larry, Iadmire your honesty. Just the same, I refuse to concede that you have a right to ignore my orders onprinciple. You know I don’t like punishing you. However, for the present you will consider yourself underhouse arrest—not to leave our quarters except to go to school, under any pretext.” He paused and ableak smile touched his lips. “Will you obey me, or shall I inform the guards not to let you pass withoutreporting it?”
Larry flinched at the severity of the punishment, but it was just. From his father’s point of view, it was theonly thing he could do. He nodded, not looking up. “Anything you say, Dad. You’ve got my word.” Montray said, without sarcasm, “You have shown me that it means something to you. I’ll trust you.
House arrest until I decide you can be trusted with your freedom again.” The next days dragged slowlyby, no day distinguishing itself from the last. The bruises on his face and hands healed, and his Darkovanadventure began to seem dim and pallid, as if it had happened a long time ago. Nevertheless, even in the
Page 31
dullness of his punishment, which deprived him even of things he had previously not valued—freedom to go about the spaceport and the Terran city, to visit friends and shops—he never doubted that he had done the right thing. He chafed under the restriction, but did not really regret having earned it.
Ten days had gone by, and he was beginning to wonder a little when his father would see fit to lift thesentence, when the order came from the Commandant.
His father had just come in, one evening, when the intercom buzzed, and when Montray put the phonedown, he looked angry and apprehensive.
“Your idiotic prank is probably coming home to roost,” he said angrily. “That was the Legate’s office in Administration. You and I have both been ordered to report there this evening—and it was a priority summons.”
“Dad, if it means trouble for you, I’m sorry. You’ll have to tell them you forbade me to go—and if you don’t, I will. I’ll take all the blame myself.” For the first time, Larry felt that the consequences might really go beyond himself. But that’s not my fault—it’s because the administration is unreasonable. Why should Dad be blamed for what I did ? He had never been in the administration building before, and as he approached the great white skyscraper that loomed over the whole spaceport complex, he was intrigued to the point of forgetting that he was here for a reproof.
The immense building, glimmering with white metal and glass, the wide halls and the panoramic viewfrom each corridor
He had the curious sense that he was re-living something that had happened before, as he entered theirapartment in the Quarters building. His father was waiting for him, his face drawn, unreadable.
“Where have you been?”
“In the city. At the home of Kennard Alton.”
Montray’s face contracted with anger, but his voice was level and stern.
“You do remember that I forbade you to leave the Terran Zone? You’re not going to tell me that you
forgot?”
“I didn’t forget.”
“In other words, you deliberately disobeyed.”
Larry said quietly, “Yes.”
Montray was evidently holding his anger in check with some effort. “Precisely why, when I did forbidit?”
Larry paused a moment before answering. Was he simply making excuses about having done what hewanted to do? Then he was sure, again, of the rightness of his position.
“Because, Dad, I’d made a promise and I didn’t feel it was right to break it, without a better reason than just that you’d forbidden it. This was something I had to do, and you were treating me like a kid. I tried to make sure that you wouldn’t be involved, or the Terran Empire, if anything had happened to me.”
His father said, at last, “And you felt you should make that decision for yourself. Very well, Larry, Iadmire your honesty. Just the same, I refuse to concede that you have a right to ignore my orders onprinciple. You know I don’t like punishing you. However, for the present you will consider yourself underhouse arrest—not to leave our quarters except to go to school, under any pretext.” He paused and ableak smile touched his lips. “Will you obey me, or shall I inform the guards not to let you pass withoutreporting it?”
Larry flinched at the severity of the punishment, but it was just. From his father’s point of view, it was theonly thing he could do. He nodded, not looking up. “Anything you say, Dad. You’ve got my word.” Montray said, without sarcasm, “You have shown me that it means something to you. I’ll trust you.
House arrest until I decide you can be trusted with your freedom again.” The next days dragged slowlyby, no day distinguishing itself from the last. The bruises on his face and hands healed, and his Darkovanadventure began to seem dim and pallid, as if it had happened a long time ago. Nevertheless, even in the
Page 31
dullness of his punishment, which deprived him even of things he had previously not valued—freedom to go about the spaceport and the Terran city, to visit friends and shops—he never doubted that he had done the right thing. He chafed under the restriction, but did not really regret having earned it.
Ten days had gone by, and he was beginning to wonder a little when his father would see fit to lift thesentence, when the order came from the Commandant.
His father had just come in, one evening, when the intercom buzzed, and when Montray put the phonedown, he looked angry and apprehensive.
“Your idiotic prank is probably coming home to roost,” he said angrily. “That was the Legate’s office in Administration. You and I have both been ordered to report there this evening—and it was a priority summons.”
“Dad, if it means trouble for you, I’m sorry. You’ll have to tell them you forbade me to go—and if you don’t, I will. I’ll take all the blame myself.” For the first time, Larry felt that the consequences might really go beyond himself. But that’s not my fault—it’s because the administration is unreasonable. Why should Dad be blamed for what I did ? He had never been in the administration building before, and as he approached the great white skyscraper that loomed over the whole spaceport complex, he was intrigued to the point of forgetting that he was here for a reproof.
The immense building, glimmering with white metal and glass, the wide halls and the panoramic viewfrom each corridor
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