Атлант расправил плечи
The Utopia of Greed
Itdoestakeanexceptionalmindandastillmoreexceptionalintegritytoremainuntouchedbythebrain-destroyinginfluencesoftheworld’sdoctrines,theaccumulatedevilofcenturies—toremainhuman,sincethehumanistherational."
ShefeltsomenewqualityinDr.Akston’sattitude,somechangeinthesternnessofhisusualreserve;heseemedtoincludeherintheircircle,asifsheweremorethanaguest.Franciscoactedasifherpresenceattheirreunionwerenaturalandtobetakengailyforgranted.Galt’sfacegavenohintofanyreaction;hismannerwasthatofacourteousescortwhohadbroughtherhereatDr.Akston’srequest.
ShenoticedthatDr.Akston’seyeskeptcomingbacktoher,asifwiththequietprideofdisplayinghisstudentstoanappreciativeobserver.Hisconversationkeptreturningtoasingletheme,inthemannerofafatherwhohasfoundalistenerinterestedinhismostcherishedsubject:"Youshouldhaveseenthem,whentheywereincollege,MissTaggart.Youcouldn’thavefoundthreeboys‘conditioned’tosuchdifferentbackgrounds,but—conditionersbedamned!—theymusthavepickedoneanotheratfirstsight,amongthethousandsonthatcampus.
Francisco,therichestmanintheworld—Ragnar,theEuropeanaristocrat—andJohn,theself-mademan,self-madeineverysense,outofnowhere,penniless,parentless,tie-less.
