Sandhill Street: The Loss of Gentleness

by Rob Summers

Chapter 22 Listening to Wisdom

  Over the next half hour one member after another offered objections to the letter as it stood, until Reason’s notepad was filled with them. No one seriously thought that the Leasings would accept Reason’s counter-conditions, and yet no one, it seemed, felt that the letter should be sent.

  What about the lie that Guiles’ compromise offer was an old one? they asked. Was that to be swallowed? What about all the additional forbidden subjects of conversation that Guiles was sure to come up with in the weeks ahead? He could add any subjects he wanted, couldn’t he? And why shouldn’t Dignity and Reason be able to drop in at Leasing House any time and unannounced? Had Dignity considered that Guiles might continue to avoid him and not speak to him, and how did he intend to react to that?

  “What if they get offended by something and lock you out again?” Faithfulness Orchard asked, her pretty face taut with emotion. “Or, who knows, you might be over there and they’d decide to throw you out again! Shouldn’t there be a guarantee that won’t happen?”

  “You shouldn’t see them again unless it’s in the presence of a family counselor,” Honesty said. She glanced at Confusion. “I mean a real one.”

  “The main problem is that you’re saying you won’t talk about Relocation,” said Truth, “but that’s the gospel, man. You can’t say you won’t tell them the gospel.”

  Someone pointed out that Guiles might be taking advantage of Neglect and Folly by bleeding them financially. Wouldn’t Dignity want to feel free to ask questions about that? Love came back to the danger of Leasing House collapsing on Neglect and Folly. Faith stood and, with tears in her eyes, spoke of what an emotional strain it was on Dignity and Reason to keep trying so hard. Why keep exposing themselves to such stress when Guiles would never agree to anything fair and reasonable?

  So when all these objections were in, Reason drafted another letter, detailing why a visit would just make more trouble, and saying it could only take place in case of medical emergency or under the authority of a family counselor. After reading it aloud, she gave it to Wisdom to hand to Confusion. But Wisdom was still not satisfied, so exchanging a conspiratorial look with Miss Fret, he handed it to her.

  Fret stayed where she was and held the letter up. “Last chance,” she said. “Are you all OK with this?”

  Therion listened intently. A few in the household briefly spoke their approval. The rest were silent. He raised the hammer again, bringing it near the bell.

  Wisdom turned to his mother. “Why do you want to say that about a counselor? You know the Leasings would never go for that.”

  After Reason turned to Dignity and repeated Wisdom’s question, both grinned at the boy guiltily.

  “Kid, it’s really just so we can feel righteous when we’re indignantly turned down,” Dignity said. “So we can say that Guiles rejected our perfectly reasonable offer.”

  “Actually,” Reason admitted, “the whole letter is like that.”

  “Then why send it at all?” Wisdom asked.

  “Right,” Fret said and tossed the letter back on the table. “So don’t send it.”

  Reason looked at Dignity and raised her eyebrows.

  “I, uh, don’t have any answer to that,” he admitted.

  “Let’s listen to Wisdom,” she said.

  Dignity stood up. “Everybody! Wisdom has raised a sort of point here.” When he had explained to the group what had just been discussed and had asked for a response, no one objected to completely dispensing with a letter. “OK, but to feel really sure of myself,” he said, “I want to specifically poll someone here who hasn’t taken part in the discussion. He really deserves to be heard on this. Gentleness, what about sending Confusion packing without an answer? Do you, uh, really approve of that? We’d be what you might call pretty rude to Guiles and my parents. It’d be breaking communication and all that. Uh, what do you think, guy? Aren’t you concerned about us hurting them?”

  Gentleness grinned broadly. “Cut ’em off at the ankles, Dig.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Are you sure? Say, everybody, is this Gentleness or someone else?”

  Gentleness nodded his bald head. “Sure, I’m sure.”

  “OK, cruel boy, we’re unanimous.”

  As Dignity and the others had spoken, Therion had lowered the hammer inch by inch. Now he gripped his bandaged head and wept with pain.