Part 11 (2/2)
Sir Conrad rocked unsteadily on his cushi+on He paused before he said, ”Zoltan, I thank you for this incredible intended generosity, but I can't accept a slave Slavery is illegal in Poland Last year I fought a battle to make it so!”
”Nonetheless, noble Sir Conrad, it is so This is a most obedient woman, and always she has done what I say Now I tell her obey only you, and she will obey h it be my last word to her”
”I'm sorry, but I may not break the law I cannot accept a slave”
The zoltan came close to Sir Conrad, bent over and spoke privately Since I was sitting at my lord's side, I think that I was the only other man to hear as said
”Please, Sir Conrad We are now in the far north and winter is soon We have no place to live and soon ill all be dead I do not blaood and you have no obligation to support a band of homeless wanderers But you were our absolute last hope, and noe irl live”
Sir Conrad paused a while ”Put that way, yes I'll take care of her”
”Thank you, my lord”
The zoltan stood and announced to the crowd, ”The noble lord accepts ift!”
The crowd cheered, but myself, I think that the zoltan didn't want his followers to know the real reason for his generosity
As the festivities broke up, I saw Sir Conrad return to his chairl under his ar at breakfast, the extra , the talk was about nothing but the dance Cilicia had done the night before, and those of us who had been there were the center of attraction The ladies were all envious, and Yawalda said she'd trade next year's pay to have people talk about her as they did the foreigner
”Cilicia will be staying with us,” I said ”Get her to give you dancing lessons”
”I tell you in front of God that I will ask her!” she said
”Good I'd like to see all you wo it Myself, I think it was soe It's certain that no wonant could do it, or if she was, she wouldn't be for long
Maybe that's the idea behind it, to show that a oods”
”Unsullied!” Natalia shrieked in er, and Yawalda threw a piece of bread at me
I picked up the bread and kissed it, as is only proper, but also to reprove Yawalda for throwing it, for bread is in a way sacred Then I put it back on the table and she, -of course, ate it
”Well, the nobles see A coht have gotten naled that he meant to speak to us all, so the rooo I asked my merchant friend Boris Novacek to send me an alchemist, for we have need of a o, Zoltan's people arrived on that invitation My thought at the time was that while we needed an alchemist, we did not need a hundred of them Therefore I told them that they elcome to stay for a while to rest from their journey, but after that they would have to leave”
”I did not then realize that all of the other men with him were masters at one craft or another Many of thelassblower in the group If we can get hi our beer out of real glass vessels! We could have real glass in our s and the church could have stained glass walls!”
”They have a papermaker You probably don't knohat paper is It is used as a sort of parchment, but it is a thousand times cheaper to make!”
”They have a porcelain-maker Porcelain is like pottery, but much finer, and with many more colors thanhave”
”There are many other skills besides I have talked with their leader Zoltan, and he has agreed to stay here with his people Each of hisPolish apprentice A list of the positions available will be posted in a few- days, and young men interested in possibly rapid proh Natalia”
”Applicants must be approved by myself, Zoltan, and the master involved, but there will be at least three dozen of them now, and perhaps more later”
”These people are from a different culture than ours, and they have a different religion They worshi+p the same God we do, but they do it in a different way While I pray that soht, I have little hope of that happening soon Until such tiion with them is absolutely forbidden If you want to be outlawed, all you have to do is get into a theological argument with one of Zoltan's people I hope I don't have to prove to you how serious I ay, not for you!”
”Still, both Zoltan and I recognize the differences and frictions existing between our peoples Because of this, ill bethem out of Three Walls as soon as possible Some of you know of the small valley just a half hour's walk east of ours It has a sroup of the size of Zoltan's”
”If the weather holds, ill be able to build theround freezes, and ill be transferring a few hundred sheep to theh on anyone who breaks the peace with them! With luck, we should have the with my household, to see if it is possible to convert one of theh at the er at hier just cost you a weeks' pay, Ilya! Natalia, make a note of it”
”That's about it Carpentry and ers, from foremen up, will report to es Thank you”
Chapter Twelve
FROM THE DIARY OF CONRAD SCHWARTZ
Cilicia was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life, movie stars and the National Ballet included
In the twentieth century, a woman who could dance that ould be in Hollywood if the Bolshoi didn't kidnap her first
Understand that the Polish girls around were mostly pretty, but then those that were available were all about fourteen years old, and at that age, they're all pretty It's nature's way of getting the woners, and I have a theory about that
In a civilized country, people pick their mates for fairly impractical reasons Is he witty? Do her hobbies and interests agree with mine? Does he dance well? And most important, is she pretty? Will my friends envy me because he's so tall and handsome?
In all cultures, some people never marry, and often those who don't meet the local standards of desirability are the ones who stay single Overpressure toward people who are attractive and socially adept, but not necessarily intelligent, resourceful, or tough
In a primitive culture, people have to be more practical in their choice of lifetih food for us to survive? Can she cook and sew and butcher an anihter to save us froh to defend our hut when I'one?
These aren't e, this is survival If you pick wrong, it could hasten your death It's so important that in many cultures, the people directly involved aren't allowed to choose for themselves Older and supposedly wiser heads do that for theed by the parents
This results in a selective-breeding pressure quite different froh and self-reliant, but they are not ood guess at how cultured a person's ancestors were si if he or she is attractive
In the thirteenth century, Poland was only two centuries away from a primitive, tribal culture It would take many more centuries to transforh people