Атлант расправил плечи
The Non-commercial
HecouldbarelyfindtimetoskimthroughtheirreportsfromWashingtonandtosignthecheckswhichMouchrequestedforthebattle.
Reardendidnotbelievethatthebillwouldpass.Hewasincapableofbelievingit.Havingdealtwiththecleanrealityofmetals,technology,productionallhislife,hehadacquiredtheconvictionthatonehadtoconcernoneselfwiththerational,nottheinsane—thatonehadtoseekthatwhichwasright,becausetherightansweralwayswon—thatthesenseless,thewrong,themonstrouslyunjustcouldnotwork,couldnotsucceed,coulddonothingbutdefeatitself.Abattleagainstathingsuchasthatbillseemedpreposterousandfaintlyembarrassingtohim,asifheweresuddenlyaskedtocompetewithamanwhocalculatedsteelmixturesbytheformulasofnumerology.
Hehadtoldhimselfthattheissuewasdangerous.Buttheloudestscreamingofthemosthystericaleditorialrousednoemotioninhim—whileavariationofadecimalpointinalaboratoryreportonatestofReardenMetalmadehimleaptohisfeetineagernessorapprehension.Hehadnoenergytospareforanythingelse.
Hecrumpledtheeditorialandthrewitintothewastebasket.Hefelttheleadenapproachofthatexhaustionwhichheneverfeltathisjob,theexhaustionthatseemedtowaitforhimandcatchhimthemomentheturnedtootherconcerns.Hefeltasifhewereincapableofanydesireexceptadesperatelongingforsleep.
