Атлант расправил плечи
Their Brothers’ Keepers
Rearden—soIjustwantedyoutoknowthatyouwon’thavetoworryabouttheproblemoffuelthiswinter!"
Reardenhungupthetelephonereceiver,withafrownofworry,notabouttheproblemoffuelandtheendoftheCaliforniaoilfields—disastersofthiskindhadbecomehabitual—butaboutthefactthattheWashingtonplannersfounditnecessarytoplacatehim.Thiswasnew;hewonderedwhatitmeant.Throughtheyearsofhisstruggle,hehadlearnedthatanapparentlycauselessantagonismwasnothardtodealwith,butanapparentlycauselesssolicitudewasanuglydanger.Thesamewonderstruckhimagain,when,walkingdownanalleybetweenthemillstructures,hecaughtsightofaslouchingfigurewhoseposturecombinedanairofinsolencewithanairofexpectingtobeswatted:itwashisbrotherPhilip.
EversincehehadmovedtoPhiladelphia,Reardenhadnotvisitedhisformerhomeandhadnotheardawordfromhisfamily,whosebillshewentonpaying.Then,inexplicably,twiceinthelastfewweeks,hehadcaughtPhilipwanderingthroughthemillsfornoapparentreason.
HehadbeenunabletotellwhetherPhilipwassneakingtoavoidhimorwaitingtocatchhisattention;ithadlookedlikeboth.HehadbeenunabletodiscoveranycluetoPhilip’spurpose,onlysomeincomprehensiblesolicitude,ofakindPhiliphadneverdisplayedbefore.
