Атлант расправил плечи
The Concerto of Deliverance
Howarewetocopewithit,ifyouleaveus?We’resmallandweakandwe’llbesweptlikedriftwoodinthatterrorthat’srunninglooseintheworld.Maybewehadourshareofguiltforit,maybewehelpedtobringitabout,notknowinganybetter,butwhat’sdoneisdone—andwecan’tstopitnow.Ifyouabandonus,we’relost.Ifyougiveupandvanish,likeallthosemenwho—"
Itwasnotasoundthatstoppedher,itwasonlyamovementofhiseyebrows,thebrief,swiftmovementofacheckmark.Thentheysawhimsmile;thenatureofthesmilewasthemostterrifyingofanswers.
"Sothat’swhatyou’reafraidof,"hesaidslowly.
"Youcan’tquit!"hismotherscreamedinblindpanic."Youcan’tquitnow!Youcouldhave,lastyear,butnotnow!Nottoday!Youcan’tturndeserter,becausenowtheytakeitoutonyourfamily!They’llleaveuspenniless,they’llseizeeverything,they’llleaveustostarve,they’ll—"
"Keepstill!"criedLillian,moreadeptthantheothersatreadingdangersignsinRearden’sface.
Hisfaceheldtheremnantofasmile,andtheyknewthathewasnotseeingthemanylonger,butitwasnotintheirpowertoknowwhyhissmilenowseemedtoholdpainandanalmostwistfullonging,orwhyhewaslookingacrosstheroom,atthenicheofthefarthestwindow.
