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importance of his work to any other thing or person. Eli, who could adapt,
told himself that it was therefore up to him to take the initiative.
But no poking around in his mind.No, not now or ever.This was no casual
psychosis which had walled off one whole section ofhimself ; but one
consciously won by hard dint of agony and long effort. It was over twenty
years ago that he had slipped the last block into place,resquiescat in pace,
but there was no resting in peace, for it for the love of God, Montressor! it
was part of him and would not die, though buried and forgotten. Yes,
forgotten; and he could not remember now what it truly was; but he could
remember that he must not remember, for hell is this: to be conscious of
suffering and helpless before it.
"Eli."
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He looked. Tammy.
"Eli," she came toward him, with a gentle smile, "you came out of the
elevator as if you didn't even see me."
"With my head in the clouds," said Eli, smiling at her. "I was making plans
for the future."
She looked shy and changed the subject.
"How do you feel?"
"Fine," he told her."Except for the incisions." He reached a deck chair
halfway across the solar and sank into it gratefully. "Where's Alan Clyde?"
She sat down opposite him.
"He left, Eli."
"And Seth?"
She sobered, looking at him. "He left, too, Eli."
"Well, that's too bad," he said. "I haven't seen him for some years. I was
looking forward to having some more time to talk to him."
She looked down at the floor.
"Does it make much difference?" she asked in a low voice.
He peered at her, with puzzlement. "Does what make much difference?" he
asked.
"That you didn't have more chance to talk to him."
"Oh?" said Eli. "Well, I suppose it doesn't make too much difference. Why?"
"Then you didn't turn on the screen in your room!" Tammy looked up with
sudden gladness on her face. "I thought you'd heard but you were pretending to
ignore it."
"Ignore what?"
Instead of answering, she jumped to her feet and pulled his chair around so
that he faced the solar's screen, just a few feet in the center of the floor.
Then she stepped across and turned the screen on. The image of an announcer at
his desk took form in the bubble.
"It started yesterday," she said.
The announcer's voice came clearly to them.
" and in other large cities the story remains the same. All known centers of
Member activity, all hospitals, Foundations, and laboratories have been raided
by impromptu citizens' associations. In some cases the civil or local group
authority has attempted to give sanctuary to known Members and this has
resulted in fighting between local people "
"What's this?" snapped Eli, turning on Tammy. "That first raid on the Members
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inGenevaCity ," said Tammy. "That was the beginning. All at once it began to
happen in other cities.Clyde left right away."
"Spokesmen of all groups are attempting to restore order. Some cities have
been blacked out so that we do not know what is taking place there now.
Indications are that full scale riots are in progress in these localities.
Among those which we have no information are the cities ofParis ,Rio de
Janeiro ,Prague ,Belfast ,Ireland , and most of the Atlantic seaboard cities
inNorth America . In other localities provisional local governments are being
set up to prevent looting and other criminal disorder; and various
organizations, in particular the Transportation people qualified for first-aid
and assistancearmbands, have been particularly helpful. At present "
"Turn it off!" said Eli, speaking through tight-clenched teeth. He was frozen
in his chair, as rigid as if he had been suddenly paralyzed. Only when Tammy
jumped to obey and the picture dwindled and disappeared, did he let go of
himself, almost collapsing in his seat.
"Oh, Eli, Eli!"She was on her knees beside the chair, trying against the top
of the chair back. "I didn't know. I didn't know!"
Sweat was pouring down his face.
"I'll be all right," he gasped. "Get get me a drink."
Sleekly humped against the floor, a tiny modernistic bar squatted beside the
elevator shaft. Tammy ran to it and returned with a glass half full. He choked
on it but got it down; and then slumped back, letting the tumbler fall from
his hand.
Slowly his face relaxed; the lines of twisted pain smoothed and a little [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]