A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller [122]
“Caesar’s divinity is showing again.”
“Domne?”
“Let it pass. Are the brothers in the courtyard yet?”
“About half of them were when I passed. Shall I go see?”
“Do. Then come back here. I have something to say to you before we join them.”
Before Joshua returned, the abbot had got the Quo peregrinatur papers out of the wall safe.
“Read the precis,” he told the monk. “Look at the table of organization, read the procedural outline. You’ll have to study the rest in detail, but later.”
The communicator buzzed loudly while Joshua was reading.
“Reverend Father Jethrah Zerchi, Abbas, please,” droned the voice of a robot operator.
“Speaking.”
“Urgent priority wire from Sir Eric Cardinal Hoffstraff, New Rome. There is no courier service at this hour. Shall I read?”
“Yes, read the text of it. I’ll send someone down later to pick up a copy.”
“The text is as follows: ‘Grex peregrinus erit. Quam primum est factum suscipiendum vobis, jussu Sactae Sedis. Suscipite ergo operis partem ordini vestro propriam…’“
“Can you read that back in Southwest translation?” the abbot asked.
The operator complied, but in neither did the message seem to contain anything unexpected. It was a confirmation of the plan and a request for speed.
“Receipt acknowledged,” he said at last.
“Will there be a reply?”
“Reply as follows: Eminentissimo Domino Eric Cardinali Hoffstraff obsequitur Jethra Zerchius, A.O.L., Abbas. Ad has res disputandas iam coegi discessuros fratres ut hodie parati dimitti Roman prima aerisnave possint. End of text.”
“I read back: ‘Eminentissimo…’ “
“All right, that’s all. Out.”
Joshua had finished reading the precis. He closed the portfolio and looked up slowly.
“Are you ready to get nailed on it?” Zerchi asked.
“I-I’m not sure I understand.” The monk’s face was pale.
“I asked you three questions yesterday. I need the answers now.”
“I’m willing to go.”
“That leaves two to be answered.”
“I’m not sure about the priesthood, Domne.”
“Look, you’ll have to decide. You have less experience with starships than any of the others. None of the others is ordained. Someone has to be partially released from technical duties for pastoral and administrative duties. I told you this will not mean abandoning the Order. It won’t, but your group will become an independent daughter house of the Order, under a modified rule. The Superior will be elected by secret ballet of the professed, of course-and you are the most obvious candidate, if you have a vocation to the priesthood as well. Have you, or haven’t you? There’s your inquisition, and the time’s now, and a brief now it is too.”
“But Reverend Father, I’m not through studying-”
“That doesn’t matter. Besides the twenty-seven-man crew-all our people-others are going too: six sisters and twenty children from the Saint Joseph school, a couple of scientists, and three bishops, two of them newly consecrated. They can ordain, and since one of the three is a delegate of the Holy Father, they will even have the power to consecrate bishops. They can ordain you when they feel you’re ready. You’ll be in space for years, you know. But we want to know whether you have a vocation, and we want to know it now.”
Brother Joshua stammered for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Would you like half an hour? Would you like a glass of water? You go so gray. I tell you, son, if you’re to lead the flock, you’ll have to be able to decide things here-and-now. You need to now. Well, can you speak?”
“Domne, I’m not-certain-”
“You can croak anyhow, eh? Are you going to submit to the yoke, son? Or aren’t you broken yet? You’ll be asked to be the ass He rides into Jerusalem, but it’s a heavy load, and it’ll break your back, because He’s carrying the sins of the world.”
“I don’t think I’m able.”
“Croak and wheeze. But you can growl too, and that’s well for the leader of the pack. Listen, none of