Books In English "City Of Illusions" Ursula K. Le Guin | Page 117

founded on, Falk did not understand. It was not mere birth-ranking, but
Orry's childish memories did not suffice to give a clear picture. However
that might be, Falk disliked the tone of the word "natives" in Orry's mouth,
and he finally asked with a trace of irony, "How do you know which you
should bow to and which should bow to you? I can't tell Lords from
Natives. The Lords are natives—aren't they?"
"Oh, yes. The natives call themselves that, because they insist the
Lords are alien conquerors. I can't always tell them apart either," the boy
said with his vague, engaging, ingenuous smile. "Most of these people in
the streets are Shing?"
"I suppose so. Of course I only know a few by sight."
"I don't understand what keeps the Lords, the Shing, apart from the
natives, if they are all Terran men together."
"Why, knowledge, power—the Lords have been ruling Earth for
longer than the achinowao have been ruling Kelshy!"
"But they keep themselves a caste apart? You said the Lords believe in
democracy." It was an antique word and had struck him when Orry used it;
he was not sure of its meaning but knew it had to do with general
participation in government.
"Yes, certainly, prech Ramarren. The Council rules democratically for
the good of all, and there is no king or dictator. Shall we go to a
parьtha-hall? They have stimulants, if you don't care for parьtha, and
dancers and teanb-players—"
"Do you like music?"
"No," the boy said with apologetic candor. "It makes me want to weep
or scream. Of course on Werel only animals and little children sing. It
is—it seems wrong to hear grown men do it. But the Lords like to
encourage the native arts. And the dancing, sometimes that's very
pretty…"
"No." A restlessness was rising strong in Falk, a will to see the thing
through and be done with it. "I have a question for that one called
Abundibot, if he will see us."
"Surely. He was my teacher for a long time; I can call him with this."
Orry raised toward his mouth the gold-link bracelet on his wrist. While he
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