Білі люди
Chapter IV
“PoorlittleWhiteOne!”
ThatledusintoourtalkabouttheWhitePeople.Hesaidhedidnotthinkhewasexactlyanobservantpersoninsomerespects.Rememberinghisbooks,whichseemedtometheworkofamanwhosawandunderstoodeverythingintheworld,Icouldnotcomprehendhisthinkingthat,andItoldhimso.ButherepliedthatwhatIhadsaidaboutmyWhitePeoplemadehimfeelthathemustbeabstractedsometimesandmissthings.HedidnotrememberhavingnoticedtherarefairnessIhadseen.Hesmiledashesaidit,because,ofcourse,itwasonlyalittlething—thathehadnotseenthatsomepeopleweresomuchfairerthanothers.
“Butithasnotbeenalittlethingtoyou,evidently.ThatiswhyIamevenrathercuriousaboutit,”heexplained.“Itisadifferencedefiniteenoughtomakeyouspeakalmostasiftheywereofadifferentracefromours.”
Isatsilentafewseconds,thinkingitover.SuddenlyIrealizedwhatIhadneverrealizedbefore.
“Doyouknow,”Isaid,asslowlyashehimselfhadspoken,“Ididnotknowthatwastrueuntilyouputitintowords.Iamsousedtothinkingofthemasdifferent,somehow,thatIsupposeIdofeelasiftheywerealmostlikeanotherrace,inaway.PerhapsonewouldfeellikethatwithanativeIndian,oraJapanese.”
“Idaresaythatisagoodsimile,”hereflected.“Aretheydifferentwhenyouknowthemwell?”
“IhaveneverknownonebutWeeBrownElspeth,”Ianswered,thinkingitover.
Hedidstartthen,inthestrangestway.
“What!”heexclaimed.“Whatdidyousay?”
Iwasquitestartledmyself.
