Carthage, first, for the professor.It's a dark and stormy night in Newcastle. Uncle Willie used to warn me that their daddies always turned out to be the sheriff."Ī year later the professor had died of alcoholism, but Jeff had promised himself that one day he would go on a dig. "You're the first townie I ever made love to. "Your daddy's not the sheriff, is he?" Jeff asked. Jeff propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at Louise. Afterward, they lay on their sides, facing each other. They made love on the deck, where the soft tropical air caressed their bodies like a blessing. But when she informed them that she intended to marry Jeff, they were frantic. He's another one of Louise's playthings, they thought. They were together every night after that. "Was there anything else, Miss Hollander?" I'm giving a dinner party tomorrow night. I wish I could take you there on a dig one day, my boy." The Romans reduced the place to rubble and came back twenty-five years later to build a great city on its ashes. "Do you know how Cato the Elder used to end his speeches in the Roman Senate? He'd say, 'Delenda est cartaga' 'Carthage must be destroyed.' His wish finally came true. The Circus Maximus was as large as five football fields." He had noted the interest in the boy's eyes. The people had their games, and baths, and chariot racing. Long before Christ was born, it was a great city, the Paris of ancient Africa. "Carthage- that's where I'd like to go on a dig. Thousands of years ago there were people just like you and me dreaming dreams, spinning tales, living out their lives, giving birth to our ancestors." His eyes had taken on a faraway look. "You can read the whole future of mankind in the past," the professor would say. He and Jeff had had long talks, and the professor had imbued Jeff with an enthusiasm for archaeology. One of the carnies had been a professor of archaeology until he was thrown out of college for stealing and selling valuable relics. His school had been Uncle Willie and the carnival. They had come from monied families and had attended the best schools. But Jeff admitted to himself that he was envious of them- their backgrounds, their educations, and their easy manners. In their quarters at night, the crew members disparaged the passengers and made jokes about them. "Then if you want to get your money's worth, you'd better let me get on with my work." Jeff moved on to the next stanchion. "What kind of women do you like? Whores, I suppose."
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