Атлант расправил плечи

           "

           "Thenhowcanyouletitgotopieces?"

           "Dagny,you’remorefortunatethanI.TaggartTranscontinentalisadelicatepieceofprecisionmachinery.Itwillnotlastlongwithoutyou.Itcannotberunbyslavelabor.Theywillmercifullydestroyitforyouandyouwon’thavetoseeitservingthelooters.Butcopperminingisasimplerjob.D’AnconiaCoppercouldhavelastedforgenerationsoflootersandslaves.Crudely,miserably,ineptly—butitcouldhavelastedandhelpedthemtolast.Ihadtodestroyitmyself."

           "You—what?"

           "Iamdestroyingd’AnconiaCopper,consciously,deliberately,byplanandbymyownhand.IhavetoplanitascarefullyandworkashardasifIwereproducingafortune—inordernottoletthemnoticeitandstopme,inordernottoletthemseizetheminesuntilitistoolate.AlltheeffortandenergyIhadhopedtospendond’AnconiaCopper,I’mspendingthem,only...onlyit’snottomakeitgrow.Ishalldestroyeverylastbitofitandeverylastpennyofmyfortuneandeveryounceofcopperthatcouldfeedthelooters.IshallnotleaveitasIfoundit—IshallleaveitasSebastiand’Anconiafoundit—thenletthemtrytoexistwithouthimorme!"

           "Francisco!"shescreamed."Howcouldyoumakeyourselfdoit?"

           "Bythegraceofthesameloveasyours,"heansweredquietly,"myloveford’AnconiaCopper,forthespiritofwhichitwastheshape.