iii
Now I must tell you a part of the situation that had no pleasantness. This was involving a young lady named Má-Lín Gé-Luó-Xiào-Kè.34 I won't explain any of this to you all. Perhaps I oughtn't to bring up the matter, but it's part of our nation's history. And yet—
Ah, this is what occurred. Right, this is also in a book—a book entitled ‹‹Follow the Summons That Arrives,›› by the knowledgeable celebrity. (And we know who "the knowledgeable celebrity" was, is it not so?)
She was not a bad girl. Not a bit of it. Or at least she didn't think herself a bad girl. She was the gaudiest, the sort of gaudiness that didn't give her a good place in life, and she wasn't smart. What she wanted was to be a television star.
But, of course that wasn't likely. Years ago in Péng-shĭ Angle, we didn't broadcast live television, there were only recorded images. Many widespread-appraisals35 were left inside them, even though the already-gone broadcast-people's images were touting products that were no longer available anywhere, not to speak of in Péng-shĭ Angle. Má-Lín's inspiration was the image of a television saleswoman named Betty Furness.36 Má-Lín strung up pictures of her taken from many tapes; put them up all over in her room.
At the time I'm talking about, Má-Lín called herself a corporate secretary. Back then there weren't many people who wanted her services. (And afterwards, because there was other work to do, she had already given up that part of her trade.) But if anybody in Péng-shĭ Angle wanted somebody to help, writing letters or catching up on correspondence or such, they would go to Má-Lín. But before this, she had never approached a stranger for work.
When the innkeeper told her that this Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán had arrived, and wanted to have a person to help him with some business, she was pleased with herself. She didn't know what the business was, but I must tell you that if she knew she would have helped him anyway. Of course any person expecting to be a television star would have helped.
She stopped in the Péng-shĭ Inn's lobby to change to new makeup. Chá-Lĭ Fú-Lín-Kè gave her a sort of look, even though he was not aged more than fifteen. She looked down at him, shook her head a toss, and went spectacularly upstairs.
She tap-tapped on the carved wooden door of Room 41—that was the honeymoon suite; she was completely aware of this—and she smiled at the tall old man with bright eyes who opened the door for her.
"Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán? I am Miss Gé-Luó-Xiào-Kè, a corporate secretary. I'm told you wanted to summon me."
"Right," he said. "I did send for you. Come in."
He turned his body from her, and she came in and then closed the door herself.
Kē-Gé-Lán was busy. He had already taken to pieces the television set inside the room, on the floor.
He was thinking to mend the television somehow, Má-Lín felt-thought. This was most peculiar, Má-Lín felt in an obscure manner, because although she was not a truly smart person, she knew that he wasn't a television repairman, nor any such a type of worker. She knew completely what he was. It already said on his card what he was, that Mr. Lā-Fā-Jí had taken roundabout. He was a place-study-and-go-build advisor.
Whatever that was known to be.
Má-Lín was a very conscientious worker, and she knew that a corporate secretary must be a worker with a conscientious heart. She said: "What is the trouble, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán?"
Unable to endure this, he raised his head. "I have not been able to reach Danbury on this television."
"The Danbury administrative division of Connecticut? Outside reach the television? Not so, sir. You aren't meant to reach Danbury."
He stood up and looked at her. "Not meant to reach Danbury." He thinking nod-nodded his head. "This 48-cùn, 27-component color-constricted-path-out-strip device with open-wire airwave UHF-VHF hang-on-wall television set isn't meant to reach the Danbury administrative division of Connecticut."
"That's how it is, sir."
"À," he said, "this will really get a big laugh inside the cave in Schenectady."38
Má-Lín trying to help said; "It hasn't any sky-wire."39
Kē-Gé-Lán frowned, and corrected her. "Can't, not any way that can be. It must have a sky-wire. These wire-heads must have a use."
Má-Lín very prettily shrug-a-shrugged.
He said: "Immediately after the war you wouldn't be able to reach Danbury at all. This I agree with. There was nuclear fission back then, answer-what? But now it is already not important. Danbury ought to be coming very clearly."
Má-Lín said: "Not like this; after that. I once went with a lad named Dì-Mĭ Háo-Lán,40 he had such a job, I mean to say he repaired televisions. A couple of years after the war, I was young, when they were able to get images from outside. But afterwards, they passed an article of law, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán."
"An article of law?" His face was suddenly very fierce.
"Oh, yeah, I think so. Nonetheless, Dì-Mĭ had to remove the sky-wires from the television sets. He really did that. Afterwards they used television image-tapes; good, that was." She thought a thought. "He didn't tell me why," She spoke of her own will.
"I know the reason why." He plainly spoke.
"So, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán, they only have those image-record-tapes. But if you think to watch anything, the steward will send it for you. They have very many of them. Dinah Shore41 pieces, Jackie Gleason42 pieces, and I remember they still have the doctor-medicine-program. Oh, and still have part of an old Western routine. You only need tell him what you wish brought."
Kē-Gé-Lán thought about that and said: "I understand." To himself, not to her, he said: "No wonder we couldn't get our heads in. Go-understand, we'll have a try-try."
"Why-what, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán?"
"Not to worry about it, Miss Gé-Luó-Xiào-Kè. I am seeing this situation now. But it isn't pleasant."
He returned to confront the television set.
He wasn't a television repairman, he wasn't, but now he knew something about the work involved, because he had the thing put back together in a quick interval. Oh, can't even say that much. But it wasn't in its original form. He had improved it. Even Má-Lín was able to see this. Perhaps not advanced, yet changed from its original form; he had changed it.
"Better this?" he demanded, look-a-Iooking at her.
"You say how?"
"I mean to know, when looking at this image is there anything you have?"
"I regret it, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán, but I don't much care to watch the first-stage-program.43 You know how it is, it demands that I think too much."
Yet she obediently watch-looked the television.
He had already tuned the television to the recorded signal, that all the television sets in the Péng-shĭ Angle place were able to get. I think you don't know how we managed at that time, but there was an electrical tower that sent out its own unoriginal images, for people not wanting to look at the pieces. These were naturally bygone objects. People didn't have anything new.
But Má-Lín watch-looked, and it was funny, she began to make gé-gé-laugh44 noises.
"Hey, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán," she said, although he was just sitting there.
"This is good," he said, and he was pleased.
He had every reason to be pleased.
"Nevertheless," Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán said, "the priority matters receive priority. I want you to assist me."
"Very well, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán," Má-Lín said with a very smooth voice.
"I speak in reference to commerce. I want to hire some local people. I want you to help me find some local people, and to keep track of the records. Afterwards I'll need some raw materials. I'll need an office, and some workrooms."
"Won't that require plenty-plenty money?"
Kē-Gé-Lán made a gé-gé-laugh sound.
"That, good," Má-Lín said, satisfied. "Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán, I'm your person. I speak in reference to commerce. Can-you-can't-you tell me what sort of business you have?"
"I mean to make Péng-shĭ Angle stand up."
"Oh, that's as it should be, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán. But, I mean how will this be done?"
"Auspicious-widespread-appraisal," the old man Kē-Gé-Lán said using the laugh of a goblin.
Silence. A fragment of silence.
Má-Lín said in an air-voice: "I don't think they'll like this."
"Who?"
"The local people of great importance. They won't like this. You know, they won't like auspicious-widespread-appraisal. I mean to say that I favor you. I favor auspicious-widespread-appraisal. I enjoy it. However—"
"This isn't a matter of not liking it!" Kē-Gé-Lán using a fearsome voice spoke. "Our nation became this mighty by using it! It made us able to fight in a great war, and after that war it bound us into one large family again!"
"I understand this, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán," she said. "Nevertheless—"
"Miss Gé-Luó-Xiào-Kè, I don't want to hear you say 'nevertheless,'" Unable to endure being vexed by this he spoke, "This isn't a subject for discussion. Think-a-think of the United States of America after the war. Maybe you don't remember. They didn't let you know the situation. But you know that the cities were all destroyed. The buildings were wrecked. It was only auspicious-widespread-appraisal that let us stand up—auspicious-widespread-appraisal, and the physical strength of go-study45; I wish to remind you of what a prominent scholar once remarked: 'Our purpose in go-study is to cause the customers to attain discontent.'"
Kē-Gé-Lán stopped for a bit, touched to the heart. "That was said by the automobile corporation person Chá-Lĭ F. Kǎi-té-Lín."46 He said, "The most beautiful part of it, Miss Gé-Luó-Xiào-Kè, he said this during the twenties! You think-a-think of this! He had such a thorough insight into the importance of scientific knowledge to us all. He had such a keen perception of the research and ingenuity of the United States!"
Má-Lín said stammer-stammering: "This is truly most beautiful."
Kē-Gé-Lán nodded his head. "Naturally. You can see your local people of great importance will be unable to have anything to do about this situation, whether they like it or not. We the people of the United States of America—we the genuine United States citizens—know that not having widespread-appraisal causes not having industry; and so we have made widespread-appraisal into a sort of very useful tool. Hey, you look, you look at this television!"
Má-Lín looked, and presently she was gé-gé-laughing again. She quietly said: "Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán!"
"You see how it is? In case that isn't enough, you look there is still forever the law backing us. We shall look-look, when the old bigshots of Péng-shĭ Angle contend with the physical strength of the total ground force of the Unites States of America!"
"I truly hope ten million legions won't leave to start fight here, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán."
"I don't think that's likely," he sincerely said. "Now we must work, good-what? Otherwise—" He had a look at his wristwatch, nodded his head—"It's important to say, we don't have to feel a need to hurry the matter this afternoon. You and I have an evening, how-about, the both of us have something to eat? And yet a drop of wine And yet a bit of—"
"As you think proper, Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán.
Má-Lín made for the telephone, but Mr. Kē-Gé-Lán stopped her. "Miss Gé-Luó-Xiào-Kè, I just now think a bit," he said, beginning to breathe heavily, "I will use the telephone. You sit there, and rest a bit. Look at the television."