Атлант расправил плечи

           Herduty?Towhom?

           Thedispatcherwasgoneforalongtime;whenhecameback,hisvoicesoundedsulky:"Well,thewipersayshecangetthemenallright,butit’snouse,becausehowamIgoingtosendthemouttoyou?Wehavenoengine."

           "Noengine?"

           "No.ThesuperintendenttookonetorundowntoLaurel,andtheother’sintheshops,beenthereforweeks,andtheswitchenginejumpedarailthismorning,they’llbeworkingonhertilltomorrowafternoon."

           "Whataboutthewrecker’senginethatyouwereofferingtosendus?"

           "Oh,she’supnorth.Theyhadawreckthereyesterday.Shehasn’tcomebackyet."

           "HaveyouaDieselcar?"

           "Neverhadanysuchthing.Notaroundhere."

           "Haveyouatrackmotorcar?"

           "Yes.Wehavethat."

           "Sendthemoutonthetrackmotorcar."

           "Oh...Yes,ma’am."

           "Tellyourmentostophere,attrackphoneNumber83,topickupMr.Kelloggandmyself."Shewaslookingatthebeacon,"Yes,ma’am."

           "CalltheTaggarttrainmasteratLaurel,reporttheComet’sdelayandexplaintohimwhathappened."Sheputherhandintoherpocketandsuddenlyclutchedherfingers:shefeltthepackageofcigarettes.