5
It was after supper, when the dishes had all been washed and thechildren packed off to bed, that the clan gathered in the livingroom.They had chatted for a short time, but all fell silent when Ricky gotup. He went to the mantlepiece and, turning, announced: "I find thatthere are problems before the clan that require the mature considerationof the clan. I therefore request a caucus." The words were the ritual ofthe process, established through long custom, and the clan's by-laws.
Tom stood up and, with some ostentation, counted the people present. Hethen announced: "I find that there is present the full membership of theclan that is adult, and that has been accepted into responsibility forthe clan. Also, there are no strangers present. I believe you may call acaucus." He sat down.
"We have the word of Tom," Ricky said. "Does anyone doubt that I may nowcall a caucus?" He looked around carefully. "Since no one seems to havea doubt, I do now declare that the clan is assembled in caucus, and askSandy to operate the recorder." Sandy reached over to a box sitting on atable and flipped a switch. She spoke into a microphone, giving the dateand time, and then announced that the recorder was on.
Paul bounced up out of his chair. "What is the purpose of this caucus?"This, too, was ritual.
"I have called this caucus," Ricky said, "to ask the clan to considerthe application for membership of Marcia Graves. It is my opinion thatthis question must be decided now, since various collateral problems ofsome urgency will be determined by our decision on this matter. Doesanyone question this, or feel that the matter should not be consideredat this time for any reason?" Although this was part of the establishedpattern of a caucus, he looked at Tom since the latter could, if hewished, protest the matter. Tom, however, smiled and barely shook hishead.
"Since there is no objection," Ricky continued, looking slightlyrelieved, "I will summarize the situation as I see it.
"Marcia has requested admission to the clan. She has been instructed inwhat this means both legally, and--in so far as it can be described orcodified--socially. I do not think it can be said that she does not knowwhat she is doing. As regards the girl herself, all of you have met her,I think, several times. This, of course, is not sufficient to determineher fitness or compatibility. However, it is as much as can reasonablybe done before decision.
"In accordance with the custom and the law, then, it is proposed thatshe be admitted on a conditional basis for a period of one year. Duringthis time the clan may, by a majority vote in caucus, refuse her furthermembership. At the end of one year, in the absence of such a vote, shewill be admitted to full membership and reciprocal obligations with theclan established. Subsequent severance of this relation can beaccomplished only through the courts for due cause, and with dueconsideration of the equity of both parties." His voice was almost amonotone as he recited the formula.
"In the present case," he continued, his voice coming alive, "there arecertain collateral problems. Marcia is the daughter of Mr. Graves,president of Eltron Electric. Mr. Graves has long been a Free-Trader,and Eltron Electric has never contracted with the clans. However, it isclear that, if his daughter becomes a clanswoman, then he can no longermaintain this aloofness towards the clan. Specifically, he has indicatedhe will be willing to contract the Vord clan for a desirable piece ofwork if we accept his daughter. It is my opinion that, if he can once bepersuaded to contract a functioning clan, then he will find this thedesirable way to operate, and will therefore stop opposing the clans. Hehas had a continued history of labor-troubles, with strikes,absenteeism, high turnover, and all the rest. Once he has tried theclans, he will find they solve his worst headaches; he may well end upour best friend, almost no matter what happens to Marcia."
Ricky continued, "It is this matter of Graves that makes this matterurgent. Graves must decide in the next day or two how to handle thispiece of work. He will either give it to us, or set up his ownsupervisory organization in this time. So we have to decide quickly.This, however, is not the only basis on which we should decide. It isone of them, and, I think, is a legitimately important one. But it isonly one; we must also consider Marcia and the clan. She is one whosebackground is not in this direction. Her father, as I said, is rathervigorously Free-Trading and Monogamistic. She is poorly prepared,psychologically, for clan life.
"And yet, she is sincere in wanting to join the clan. She has tried theother life and had it fail her. She hopes, in the clan, to find what sheneeds; and I think it quite possible that she may. I would not advocatethis unless I thought she had at least a reasonable chance ofsucceeding.
"As regards the clan, this, I suppose, is something each of us will haveto decide for ourselves. Personally, I think she has a lot tocontribute. She is intelligent, well-educated, and she has had a lot ofcultural experience that none of us have had. I think she could add muchto the clan, if we can only integrate her in. But that 'if' is thequestion. And each of you will have to decide yourself what is theanswer to it.
"But I think I have talked enough, here," he said. "I've told you my ownpoint of view. I think it is time to listen to the other side." Helooked at Tom, and waved his hand as if presenting him the floor.
Tom got to his feet. He looked around at all these faces so familiar tohim. What should he say? he wondered. What did he want to say? He didnot know; he felt confused. And this surprised him.
He looked at Ricky, and remembered their argument that afternoon. Whatwas Ricky really after? he wondered. Was he just asking the clan to beopportunistic? To take Marcia in, just because of what the contractcould do for them?
Or did he really think Marcia could fit? That she could learn to be areal part of them? Or, again, as he remembered Ricky's comment that shewas a 'dish', had Ricky gone overboard about her? Was he so taken by herlooks and all that he was forgetting the clan? Not consciously, ofcourse; he would not, could not, do that consciously. But perhapsunknowing? Using the other arguments as rationalization?
Somehow, Tom doubted this. Ricky might not be too deep a thinker but,Tom thought, he was generally extremely level headed. No, he thought,Ricky was probably quite serious in thinking the clan should acceptMarcia, that she, in one way or another, would be good for the clan. Andthat left only the question of whether he was right or not.
Tom's eyes swung to Sandy, and he remembered his discussion with her.And he remembered her parting shot which had asked him if he was afraidof Marcia. If, perhaps, he did not resent her for being better educatedthan he, and if, maybe, she might awe him. Was that it? he wondered. Didhe feel awe at her? He did of her father, certainly. He remembered histalks with Mr. Graves, and remembered coming out of them feeling beatenand bedraggled--something of the way he might feel towards Marcia.
Yes, he had to admit it, there was that feeling there. She was from abackground he did not know and it did, in truth, somewhat scare him. Howmuch did this influence him? He did not know.
He looked at Betsy, thinking of his talk with her. He remembered how shehad brushed aside any thought that the kids might be harmed by Marcia.Was she right? Were the kids so stable emotionally that nothing Marciacould bring into their world would seriously harm them? Remembering Suewho had come to flirt with him with her four-year-old eyes, it was nothard to believe that Betsy was right.
Also there was Betsy's discussion of what might happen to Marcia. Betsyhad argued, Tom remembered, that Marcia might well learn to fit, thatshe would find all the old rules by which she had lived outside the clanso completely inadequate that she would be forced to learn from scratch.Was that right, he wondered. After the initial period when she would belearning how little she knew, would she then be able to learn like achild, without undue prejudice, just because her background was sodifferent? It was possible, he had to admit.
And finally he looked at Pete. Pete had argued that it was not immoralto take in Marcia for economic reasons, that it was not like marrying agirl for her money. Economics were an integral and avowed part of theclan idea; and certainly the moralities of a clan had to be differentfr
om those of a monogamist marriage. Yes, he had to admit that hethought Pete's arguments sound. There was a different ethics here. Therehad to be. What the true ethics would say of the case of Marcia, he didnot know. But at least he could not lightly dismiss it all as simply andobviously immoral. It could not be that simple.
As Tom looked at them and pondered what he should say, the answersuddenly came to him. It came to him like a revelation, and he felt asif something inside of him had broken, something that had hampered andrestricted him, even without his knowing it. He felt free, suddenly,free and exultant.
He smiled at them and said: "When Ricky told me this afternoon, I wasafraid; as I talked to several of you since that time, I continued to beafraid. And I was afraid when I came here tonight. But now, as I look atyour bright faces, I am no longer. You and I are the clan, and the clanis stronger than anyone outside. Not Marcia, nor Graves, nor anyone elsecan break it; only we can break it--only we, by losing faith in it. Iknow now that I have not had the faith that I should have. The faith inyou, and in us, and in our relations to each other. As I stood herelooking at the faces of those I talked to, and remembering what yousaid, it came to me how foolish I have been.
"I don't know whether this thing is right or not; I don't know what itsultimate result will be. Maybe it will be good, and maybe bad. But ifit's bad, it won't be so bad as to be a disaster. The clan will surviveanything that may come of it, and may even be the stronger for it. Andif the results are good, why then of course everyone will be the winnerfor it. No, I don't know what the results will be, but now I am willingto face whatever they are without fear, and with confidence in the clan.
"My vote will be to accept Marcia." He sat down feeling quite at peacewith himself for the first time in what seemed like a long, long time.
As Ricky came forward to take the floor again, and ask for furtherdiscussion, Tom looked around. Sandy, he saw, was looking at him with asmile in her eyes. She approved, he knew. And so did Betsy. She waswatching him with a warm look that spoke her feelings. Pete was staringoff into space, no doubt following down some logical train.
The others were each reacting in their separate ways. Paul wasinterested but probably had no idea of what it really was about. Rita,in her maternal self-absorption, was not really concerned. Polly waswatching him with sympathy for him as a man, but not with any basicunderstanding. Sam, with his dead-pan face was hard to read. Hispenetrating eyes saw deeply, but what they saw was hard to tell. Herbwas looking around him with awkward movements; he was probably feelingvery shy at the thought of a new member. Marcia, Tom thought, might wellbe good for him, teach him a greater social finesse.
And there was Joan, leaning forward intently, no doubt wondering howMarcia would affect the artistic balance of the group. Mike was lookinginterested but not concerned. And Esther was sitting back in her chairwith a vague smile on her lips. Probably, Tom thought with a mentalchuckle, she was already planning some suitable induction ceremony.
From here on out, Tom sensed, it was only a matter of formality. Otherdiscussion there would be; arguments, perhaps. But in the end, Marciawould be admitted by unanimous vote. And he was content that it be so.
* * * * *
Transcriber Notes:
This etext was produced from Science Fiction Stories 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
Obvious punctuation errors have been repaired.
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends