Short Sun. new user - spoiler-ish

Hello all... I used to subscribe to the BOTNS list years ago and after this short hiatus have subscribed to -this- list.... as a sort of introduction I thought I'd begin with a really sophomoric question that has been bothering me... I'm on my third re-read of BOTLS but have only read Short Snu once. At the beginning of Return to the Whorl, Horn/Silk is cared for by a couple near Silk's old residence (manse?)... what are the common ideas about who they are? The man's sudden (violent) reaction to Horn/Silk at the end of their encounter is quite odd and implies a lot more than is apparent (surprise there). I'm sure I've overlooked something of critical importance, but I'll go out on a limb and ask for your ideas... Thanks for your time, Tony

They're pretty poor, and the old man didn't seem too happy that his wife was sharing with Silk. My impression was that he was afraid Silk would try to sneak back and steal from them, that this was a sign of how much society had broken down with the sun failing. (I take it Silk won't have to go all the way to Yesod to get the Long Sun working again?) I guess it's also possible they knew Silk and Hyacinth when they were living nearby and have some grudge against Silk. Or that they recognize him as Calde Silk and have some grudge against him because of his policies or whatever. -Rostrum *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.