Атлант расправил плечи

           NocluewaseverfoundtoMulligan’smotive,tohispersonalfateortothemanymillionsofhispersonalfortune.Themanandthefortunevanishedasiftheyhadneverexisted.Noonehadhadanywarningabouthisdecision,andnoeventscouldbetracedtoexplainit.Ifhehadwishedtoretire—peoplewondered—whyhadn’thesoldhisestablishmentatahugeprofit,ashecouldhavedone,insteadofdestroyingit?Therewasnobodytogiveananswer.Hehadnofamily,nofriends.

           Hisservantsknewnothing:hehadlefthishomethatmorningasusualanddidnotcomeback;thatwasall.

           Therewas—Dagnyhadthoughtuneasilyforyears—aqualityoftheimpossibleaboutMulligan’sdisappearance;itwasasifaNewYorkskyscraperhadvanishedonenight,leavingnothingbehindbutavacantlotonastreetcorner.AmanlikeMulligan,andafortunesuchashehadtakenalongwithhim,couldnotstayhiddenanywhere;askyscrapercouldnotgetlost,itwouldbeseenrisingaboveanyplainorforestchosenforitshidingplace;wereitdestroyed,evenitspileofrubblecouldnotremainunnoticed.ButMulliganhadgone—andinthesevenyearssince,inthemassofrumors,guesses,theories,Sundaysupplementstories,andeyewitnesseswhoclaimedtohaveseenhimineverypartoftheworld,nocluetoaplausibleexplanationhadeverbeendiscovered.