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"Yes," Jari Eleven said, his voice gentle. "But you won't be alone, Honath.
Beginning tomorrow, you'll have all your people with you."
"All our people? Butyou're going to drive them out?"
"All of them. Oh, we won't prohibit the use of the vine-
webs, too, but from now on your race will have to fight it out on the surface
as well. You and Mathild have proven that it can be done. It's high time the
rest of you learned, too."
"Jari, you think too little of these young people themselves,"
Adier said. "Tell them what is in store for them. They are frightened."
"Of course, of course. It's obvious. Honath, you and
Mathild are the only living individuals of your race who know how to survive
down there on the surface. And we're not going to tell your people how to do
that. We aren't even going to drop them so much as a hint. That part of it is
up to you."
Honath's jaw dropped.
"It's up to you," Jarl Eleven repeated firmly. "We'll return you to your tribe
tomorrow, and we'll tell your people that you two know the rules for
successful life on the ground
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file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/James%20Blish%20-%20Thing%20In%20the
%20Attic.txt and that everyone else has to go down and live there, too.
We'll tell them nothing else but that. What do you think they'll do then?"
"I don't know," Honath said dazedly. "Anything could happen. They might even
make us Spokesman and Spokes-
womanexcept that we're just common criminals."
"Uncommon pioneers, Honath. The man and woman to lead the humanity of Tellura
out of the attic, into the wide world." Jarl Eleven got to his feet, the great
light playing over him. Looking up after him, Honath saw that there were at
least a dozen other Giants standing just outside the oval of light, listening
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intently to every word.
"But there's a little time to be passed before we begin,"
Jarl Eleven said. "Perhaps you two would like to look over our ship."
Numbly, but with a soundless emotion much like music inside him, Honath
took Mathild's hand. Together they walked away from the chimney to Hell,
following the foot-
steps of the Giants.
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