Атлант расправил плечи

           "Tolearnwhatit’slike,Slug,"heanswered,"andtotellyouthatI’vehadajobwithTaggartTranscontinentalbeforeyoudid."

           DagnyandEddiespenttheirwinterstryingtomastersomenewskill,inordertoastonishFranciscoandbeathim,foronce.Theyneversucceeded.Whentheyshowedhimhowtohitaballwithabat,agamehehadneverplayedbefore,hewatchedthemforafewminutes,thensaid,"IthinkIgettheidea.Letmetry."Hetookthebatandsenttheballflyingoveralineofoaktreesfarattheendofthefield.

           WhenJimwasgivenamotorboatforhisbirthday,theyallstoodontheriverlanding,watchingthelesson,whileaninstructorshowedJimhowtorunit.Noneofthemhadeverdrivenamotorboatbefore.Thesparklingwhitecraft,shapedlikeabullet,keptstaggeringclumsilyacrossthewater,itswakealongrecordofshivering,itsmotorchokingwithhiccoughs,whiletheinstructor,seatedbesidehim,keptseizingthewheeloutofJim’shands.Fornoapparentreason,JimraisedhisheadsuddenlyandyelledatFrancisco,"Doyouthinkyoucandoitanybetter?""Icandoit.""Tryit!"

           Whentheboatcamebackanditstwooccupantssteppedout,Franciscoslippedbehindthewheel."Waitamoment,"hesaidtotheinstructor,whoremainedonthelanding."Letmetakealookatthis."Then,beforetheinstructorhadtimetomove,theboatshotouttothemiddleoftheriver,asiffiredfromagun.Itwasstreakingawaybeforetheygraspedwhattheywereseeing.