” They sure don’t have a good opinion of us,” I said.
” ‘I don’t either,” the stranger said. ‘But good or bad opinions of humanity, based on en masse consideration, have nothing to do with the ethical aspects.’
” ‘How can you love someone you despise?’ I said.
” ‘It isn’t easy,’ he said. ‘But nothing truly ethical is easy to do. However, this is wasting my time.’
“A bluish fight glowed, and by its light I could see that he had taken his right hand out from under his cloak. Around its wrist was a device larger man a man’s pocket watch, and it was emitting the bluish light. I couldn’t see what was on its face, but it was also talking, softly, like a radio turned way down.
“I couldn’t hear the words, but it all sounded to me like some foreign language I never heard before. And the blue light showed me the globe, which was black and looked glassy. His hand was a big one, broad, but with long, slim fingers.
” ‘My time is up,’ he said, and he put his hand under the cloak, and the hut was dark again, except for a lightning bolt now and then.
” ‘I can’t tell you now why I chose you,’ he said, ‘except to say that your aura shows you’re a likely candidate for the job.’
“What’s on aura? I thought. I knew what it meant according to the dictionary, but I had the feeling he meant something else. And what job? I thought.
“Suddenly, as if he’d been reading my thought, his hand came out from under the cloak again. The bluish light was bright, very bright, so bright I could hardly see him. But I could see both his hands now, and they lifted the globe off. I though I’d be able to see at least the outlines of his head, maybe something of his features if I squinted hard enough. But all I could see was the big globe above his head. Not the glass globe, because he held that to one side. The thing above his head was whirling, shot with many colors, and was so bright I could see only that.It put out feelers from time to time, feelers that shot out and men shrank back into the whirling thing.
“I don’t mind admitting that I was scared men. Well, not really so much scared as awed. It was like seeing an angel face to face, and there’s no shame in being afraid of an angel.”
“Lucifer was an angel,” Frigate said.
“Yeah, I know. I’ve read the Bible. Shakespeare, too. Maybe I didn’t get through grammar school, but I’m self-educated.”
“I wasn’t intimating that you were ignorant,” Frigate said.
Martin snorted, and he said, “You two don’t really believe in angels, do you?”
“Not me,” Tom said, “But he sure seemed like one. Anyway, I don’t think that aura is ordinarily visible. I think he showed me it by means of that thing he wore on his wrist. It suddenly disappeared, and the bluish glow died immediately. Too soon for me to see his face. Another lightning flash silhouetted him men, and I saw he’d put the glass globe back over his head.
“Now I knew what he meant by an aura. I figured from what he said that I had one, too. And it was invisible.”
“Next you’ll be claiming to be an angel,” Martin said.
” ‘You can, you must, be of help to me,’ the stranger said. ‘I want you to start up-River, toward the tower. But first, you must tell this Jack London what has happened here tonight. And you must convince him that you are telling the truth. And get him to accompany you.
” ‘But under no circumstances are you to tell anyone else that I have talked to you. No one. We Ethicals are few and seldom venture from the tower. But my enemies have agents among you. Not many, compared to you. But they are disguised as resurrectees, and they will be looking for me.
” ‘Some day, they may even suspect that I have recruited help from you Riverdwellers. So they will be trying to find you. If they do, they will take you to the tower, unroll your memories, read them, and excise the parts relevant to me. And return you to the Valley.