Атлант расправил плечи

           Ineverhadanynameforit,butjustnow,whenyousaidit,itstruckmethatthat’swhatitwas...Dagny,tofeelthatwayaboutyourownlife—isthatgood?"

           "Cherryl,listentomecarefully:thatfeeling—witheverythingwhichitrequiresandimplies—isthehighest,noblestandonlygoodonearth."

           "ThereasonIaskisbecauseI...Iwouldn’thavedaredtothinkthat.Somehow,peoplealwaysmademefeelasiftheythoughtitwasasin...asifthatwerethethinginmewhichtheyresentedand...andwantedtodestroy."

           "It’strue.Somepeopledowanttodestroyit.Andwhenyoulearntounderstandtheirmotive,you’llknowthedarkest,ugliestandonlyevilintheworld,butyou’llbesafelyoutofitsreach."

           Cherryl’ssmilewaslikeafeebleflickerstrugglingtoretainitsholduponafewdropsoffuel,tocatchthem,toflareup."It’sthefirsttimeinmonths,"shewhispered,"thatI’vefeltasif...asifthere’sstillachance."ShesawDagny’seyeswatchingherwithattentiveconcern,andsheadded,"I’llbeallright...Letmegetusedtoit—toyou,toallthethingsyousaid.IthinkI’llcometobelieveit...tobelievethatit’sreal...andthatJimdoesn’tmatter."Sherosetoherfeet,asiftryingtoretainthemomentofassurance.

           Promptedbyasudden,causelesscertainty,Dagnysaidsharply,"Cherryl,Idon’twantyoutogohometonight."

           "Ohno!I’mallright.