more on the airshipWhorl

I thank Rich Skrenta and Peter Cash for replying to my queries about the top-of-the-airship conversation between Silk and Horn. I am almost finished with my second reading of "Exodus," and I think I now agree with Rich Skrenta that as Mucor possessed Horn, it upset Horn's balance; it's not a matter of Silk actually attempting suicide, or of anything else sinister. Also, I'm regarding as a possibility Peter Cash's thoughtful suggestion that Hyacinth might be--or might once have been--a spy for Trivagaunti. At any rate it's clear that she has a complicated past (or something about her nature) that has been kept secret from Silk. I wish I understood it better. Evidently Silk's intuition about it--combined with his fatigue, his dawning understanding of Pas's plan, and the frustration of his efforts to establish peace among the factions in Viron--has thrown him into a despondent contemplation of humanity's frailties and evil. Apparently he recovers from this despondency through his talk with Horn. I would continue to welcome more thoughts on this key scene from other readers. --Henry Rathvon Questions or problems to whorl-owner at lists.best.com