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convince them that they wanted what she wanted them to want. Peter, on the other hand, could only make themfear what he wanted them to fear. When he first pointed this out to Val, she resented it. She had wanted tobelieve she was good at persuading people because she was right, not because she was clever. But no matter howmuch she told herself that she didn't ever want to exploit people the way Peter did, she enjoyed knowing that shecould, in her way, control other people. And not just control what they did. She could control, in a way, whatthey wanted to do. She was ashamed that she took pleasure in this power, and yet she found herself using itsometimes. To get teachers to do what she wanted, and other students. To get Mother and Father to see things herway. Sometimes, she was able to persuade even Peter. That was the most frightening thing of all-- that she couldunderstand Peter well enough, could empathize with him enough to get inside him that way. There was morePeter in her than she could bear to admit, though sometimes she dared to think ahout it anyway. This is what shethought as Peter spoke: You dream of power, Peter, but in my own way I am more powerful than you."I've been studying history," Peter said. "I've been learning things about patterns in human behavior. There aretimes when the world is rearranging itself, and at times like that, the right words can change the world. Thinkwhat Pericles did in Athens, and Demosthenes--""Yes, they managed to wreck Athens twice.""Pericles, yes, but Demosthenes was right about Philip--""Or provoked him--""See? This is what historians usually do, quibble about cause and effect when the point is, there are times whenthe world is in flux and the right voice in the right place can move the world. Thomas Paine and Ben Franklin,for instance. Bismarek. Lenin.""Not exactly parallel cases, Peter." Now she was disagreeing with him out of habit; she saw what he was gettingat, and she thought it might just be possible."I didn't expect you to understand. You still believe that teachers know something worth learning."I understand more than you think, Peter. "So you see yourself as Bismarck?"第 135 页 共 340 页http://www.en8848.com.cn/ 原 版 英 语 阅 读 网