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. The People do not permit themselves to be angry with a child; instead they set him back on the proper path . . . until he follows your complex customs as automatically as Fritz does."
"Uh, I think I see." Thorby sighed. "But it isn't easy."
"Because you weren't born to it. But you'll learn and it will be no more effort than breathing -- and as useful. Customs tell a man who he is, where he belongs, what he must do. Better illogical customs than none; men cannot live together without them. From an anthropologist's view, 'justice' is a search for workable customs."
"My father -- my other father, I mean; Baslim the Cripple -- used to say the way to find justice is to deal fairly with other people and not worry about how they deal with you."
"Doesn't that fit what I said?"
"Uh, I guess so."
"I think Baslim the Cripple would regard the People as just." She patted his shoulder. "Never mind, Thorby. Do your best and one day you'll marry one of those nice girls. You'll be happy."
The prophecy did not cheer Thorby.
Chapter 9
By the time Sisu approached Losian Thorby had a battle station worthy of a man. His first assignment had been to assist in the central dressing station, an unnecessary job. But his background in mathematics got him promoted.
He had been attending the ship's school. Baslim had given him a broad education, but this fact did not stand out to his instructors, since most of what they regarded as necessary -- the Finnish language as they spoke it, the history of the People and of Sisu, trading customs, business practices, and export and import laws of many planets, hydroponics and ship's economy, ship safety and damage control -- were subjects that Baslim had not even touched; he had emphasized languages, science, mathematics, galactography and history
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