Атлант расправил плечи
The Moratorium on Brains
"See?"saidKipChalmerstriumphantlytoLesterTuck,asthewheelsundertheirfeetshudderedforward."Fearistheonlypracticalmeanstodealwithpeople."
Theconductorsteppedontothevestibuleofthelastcar.Noonesawhimashewentdownthestepsoftheotherside,slippedoffthetrainandvanishedintothedarknessofthemountains.
AswitchmanstoodreadytothrowtheswitchthatwouldsendtheCometfromthesidingontothemaintrack.HelookedattheCometasitcameslowlytowardhim.Itwasonlyablazingwhiteglobewithabeamstretchinghighabovehishead,andajerkythundertremblingthroughtherailunderhisfeet.Heknewthattheswitchshouldnotbethrown.Hethoughtofthenight,tenyearsago,whenhehadriskedhislifeinafloodtosaveatrainfromawashout.Butheknewthattimeshadchanged.Inthemomentwhenhethrewtheswitchandsawtheheadlightjerksidewise,heknewthathewouldnowhatehisjobfortherestofhislife.
TheCometuncoiledfromthesidingintoathin,straightline,andwentonintothemountains,withthebeamoftheheadlightlikeanextendedarmpointingtheway,andthelightedglasscurveoftheobservationloungeendingitoff.
SomeofthepassengersaboardtheCometwereawake.
