〃I'm already tired of that！ I don't care how many million voters with plastic stomachs affiliated with Party A will be living in Chicago twenty years from now。 Mister； how can you spend years playing with numbers？〃
〃I'm fascinated by them…numbers and people。 The relief of a plastic stomach may cause a citizen to switch from the activist A to the more conservative B； his vote may alter the oute of an election； and a conservative administration…local； state； or national…may stall or do nothing about a problem that needed solving yesterday。 The Great Lakes problem is a problem because of just that。〃
Saltus said： 〃Excuse me。 What problem？〃
〃You've been away。 The Lakes are at their highest levels in history； they're flooding out ten thousand miles of shoreline。 The average annual precipitation in the Lakes watersheds has been steadily increasing for the past eighty years and the high water is causing damage。 Those summer houses have been toppling into the Lakes for years as the water eroded the bluffs； in a very short while more than summer houses will topple in。 Beaches are gone； private docks are going； low land is being marshes。 Sad thing； mander。〃
〃Hey…when we go into Chicago on the survey； maybe we should look to see if Michigan Avenue is underwater。〃
〃That's no joke。 It may be。〃
〃Oh； doom； doom； doom！〃 Saltus declared。 〃Your books and tables are always crying doom。〃
〃I've published only one book。 There was no doom。〃
〃William said it was poppycock。 I haven't read it； I'm not much of a reader； mister； but he looked down his nose； And Katrina said the newspapers gave you hell。〃
〃You've been talking about me。 Idle gossiping！〃
〃Hey…you were two or three days late ing in； remember？ We had to talk about something； so we talked about you； mostly…curiosity about one tame civilian on a military team。 Katrina knew all about you； I guess she read your dossier forward and backward。 She said you were in trouble…trouble with your pany； with reviewers and scholars and churches and…oh； everybody。〃 Saltus gave his walking panion a slanted glance。 〃Old William said you were bent on destroying the foundations of Christianity。 You must have done something； mister。 Did you chip away at the foundation？〃
Chaney answered with a single word。
Saltus was interested。 〃I don't know that。〃
〃It's Aramaic。 You know it in English。〃
〃Say it again…slowly…and tell me what it is。〃
Chaney repeated it； and Saltus turned it on his tongue； delighted with the sound and the fresh delivery of an old transitive verb。 〃Hey…I like that！〃 He walked on； repeating the word just above his breath。
After a space： 〃What about those foundations？〃
〃I translated two scrolls into English and caused them to be published；〃 Chaney said with resignation。 〃I could have saved my time； or spent my holiday digging up buried cities。 One man in ten read the book slowly and carefully and understood what I had done…the other nine began yapping before they finished the first half。〃
His panion was ready with a quick grin。 〃William yapped； and Katrina seemed scandalized； but I guess Gilbert Seabrooke read it slowly： Katrina said the Bureau was embarrassed； but Seabrooke stood up for you。 Now me； I haven't read it and I probably won't； so where does that put me？〃
〃An honest neutral； subject to intimidation。〃
〃All right； mister： intimidate this honest neutral。〃
Chaney looked down at the missary； guessing at the remaining distance。 He intended to be short； the subject was painful since a university press had published the book and a misunderstanding public had taken it up。
〃I don't want you yapping at me； mander； so you need first to understand one word： midrash。〃
〃Midrash。 Is that another Aramaic word？〃
〃No…it's Hebraic； and it means fiction； religious fiction。 pare it to whatever modern parallel you like： historical fiction； soap opera； detective stories； fantasy； the ancient Hebrews liked their midrash。 It was their favorite kind of fantasy； they liked to use biblical events and personages in their fiction…call it bible…opera if you like。 Scholars have long been aware of that； they know midrash when they find it； but the general public hardly seems to know it exists。 The public tends to believe that everything written two thousand years ago was sacred； the work of one saint or another。〃
〃I guess nobody told them；〃 Saltus said。 〃All right； I'll go along with that。〃
〃Thank you。 The public should be as generous。〃
〃Didn't you tell them about midrash？〃
〃Certainly。 I spent twelve pages of the introduction explaining the term and its general background； I pointed out that it was a monplace thing； that the old Hebrews frequently employed religious or heroic fiction as a means of putting across the message。 Times were hard； the land was almost always under the heel of an oppressor； and they desperately wanted freedom…they wanted the messiah that had been promised for the past several hundred years。〃
〃Ah…there's your mistake； civilian！ Who wants to waste twelve pages gnawing on the bone to get at the marrow？〃 He glanced around at Chaney and saw his pained expression。 〃Excuse me； mister。 I'm not much of a reader…and I guess they weren't either。〃
Chaney said： 〃Both my scrolls were midrash； and both used variations of that same theme： some heroic figure was ing to rid the land of the oppressor； to free the people from their ills and starvations； to show them the door to a brand new life and happy times forever after； The first scroll was the longer of the two with greater detail and more explicit promises； it foretold wars and pestilence； of signs in the heavens； of invaders from foreign lands； of widespread death； and finally of the ing of the messiah who would bring eternal peace to the world。 I thought it was a great work。〃
Saltus was puzzled。 〃Well…what's the trouble？〃
〃Haven't you read the Bible？〃
〃No。〃
〃Nor the Book of Revelations？〃
〃I'm not much of a reader； civilian。〃
〃The first scroll was an orginal copy of the Book of Revelations…original； in that it was written at least a hundred years earlier than the book included in the Bible。 And it was presented as fiction。 That's why Major Moresby is angry with me。 Moresby…and people like him…don't want the book to be a hundred years older than believed； they don't want it to be revealed as fiction。 They can't accept the idea that the story was first written by some Qumran priest or scribe； and circulated around the country to entertain or inspire the populace。 Major Moresby doesn't want the book to be midrash。〃
Saltus whistled。 〃I should think not！ He takes all that seriously； mister。 He believes in prophecies。〃
〃I don't；〃 Chaney said。 〃I'm skeptical； but I'm quite willing to let others believe if they so choose。 I said nothing in the book to undermine their beliefs； I offered no opinions of my own。 But I did show that the first Revelations scroll was written at the Qumran school； and that it was buried in a cave a hundred years or more before the present book was written…or copied… and included in the Bible。 I offered indisputable proof that the book in the Christian Bible was not only a later copy； but that it had been altered from the original。 The two versions didn't match； the seams showed。 Whoever wrote the second version deleted several passages from the first and inserted new chapters more in keeping with his times。 In short； he modernized it and made it more acceptable to his priest； his king； his people。 His only failing was that he was a poor editor…or a poor seamstress…and his seams were visible。 He did a poor job of rewriting。〃
Saltus said： 〃And old William went up in smoke。 He blamed you for everything。〃
〃Almost everyone did。 A newspaper reviewer in Saint Louis questioned my patriotism； another in Minneapolis hinted that I was the anti…Christ； and a munist tool to boot。 A newspaper in Rome skewered me with the unkindcst cut of all： it printed the phrase Traduttore Traditore over the review…the Translator is a Traitor。〃 Despite himself a trace of bitterness was evident。 〃On my next holiday I'll confine myself to something safe。 I'll dig up a ten…thousand…