Then:
"He shook his head. 'Hokay,' said Nicholas van Rijn, well-nigh too low to hear. 'I keep my mouth shut. Always. Now can we sit down and have our party for making you welcome?' He moved to pour from a bottle; and Coya saw that he was indeed old."
-Poul Anderson, "Lodestar" IN Anderson, David Falkayn: Star Trader (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 631-682 AT p. 680.
He is indeed old but more than age went into this decision. He sees the next generation after that of his granddaughter and her prospective husband.
An Aside
When a character has become established in the minds of his audience, an extremely powerful dramatic effect can be made by having that character, in sufficiently extreme circumstances, act out of character. How does van Rijn characteristically communicate? He shouts. How does he communicate here? He speaks almost too quietly to be heard. Subdued - but insisting on a party.
In a British TV comedy, It Ain't Half Hot, Mum, a tough British Army Sergeant, disgusted to be put in charge of an entertainment troupe, addresses them only with shouted insults until, one day, in the grip of great emotion, he says quietly, "Fall the men in..."
"Sir! That's the first time you've called us 'men'!"
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I suspect Adzel, Chee Lan, and Captain Hirharouk felt ANXIOUS as well as tense! They may well have been apprehensive that Nicholas van Rijn would EXPLODE. And I think we should understand that "Now can we sit down and have our party for making you welcome?" as showing Old Nick was forgiving David Falkayn.
Ad astra! Sean
Though note that van Rijn is perfectly capable of sniveling pathetically about the ills of age as a -tactic-.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I remember, and those moments always made me laugh! Esp. when Old Nick was moaning about how desperately he needed a few hard earned credits for supporting his impoverished old age! (Smiles)
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment