Атлант расправил плечи
The Sign of the Dollar
AllIknowisthatI—andthat’swhatIcan’tforget!—I,too,hadcaughtmyselfwishingthatshewoulddie.This—mayGodforgiveus!—wasthebrotherhood,thesecurity,theabundancethattheplanwassupposedtoachieveforus!
"Wasthereanyreasonwhythissortofhorrorwouldeverbepreachedbyanybody?Wasthereanybodywhogotanyprofitfromit?Therewas.TheStarnesheirs.Ihopeyou’renotgoingtoremindmethatthey’dsacrificedafortuneandturnedthefactoryovertousasagift.Wewerefooledbythatone,too.Yes,theygaveupthefactory.Butprofit,ma’am,dependsonwhatitisyou’reafter.AndwhattheStarnesheirswereafter,nomoneyonearthcouldbuy.
Moneyistoocleanandinnocentforthat.
"EricStarnes,theyoungest—hewasajellyfishthatdidn’thavethegutstobeafteranythinginparticular.HegothimselfvotedasDirectorofourPublicRelationsDepartment,whichdidn’tdoanything,exceptthathehadastaffforthenotdoingofanything,sohedidn’thavetobotherstickingaroundtheoffice.Thepayhegot—well,Ishouldn’tcallit‘pay,’noneofuswas‘paid’—thealmsvotedtohimwasfairlymodest,abouttentimeswhatIgot,butthatwasn’triches.
Ericdidn’tcareformoney—hewouldn’thaveknownwhattodowithit.Hespenthistimehangingaroundamongus,showinghowchummyhewasanddemocratic.Hewantedtobeloved,itseems.
