Атлант расправил плечи
The Chain
"Ihadtoseetwentydifferentpeopleallovertheplace,fromheretoReddingtoWilmington."
"Whatdidyouhavetoseethemabout?"
"IamtryingtoraisemoneyforFriendsofGlobalProgress."
ReardenhadneverbeenabletokeeptrackofthemanyorganizationstowhichPhilipbelonged,nortogetaclearideaoftheiractivities.HehadheardPhiliptalkingvaguelyaboutthisoneforthelastsixmonths.Itseemedtobedevotedtosomesortoffreelecturesonpsychology,folkmusicandco-operativefarming.Reardenfeltcontemptforgroupsofthatkindandsawnoreasonforacloserinquiryintotheirnature.
Heremainedsilent.Philipaddedwithoutbeingprompted,"Weneedtenthousanddollarsforavitalprogram,butit’samartyr’stask,tryingtoraisemoney.There’snotaspeckofsocialconscienceleftinpeople.WhenIthinkofthekindofbloatedmoney-bagsIsawtoday—why,theyspendmorethanthatonanywhim,butIcouldn’tsqueezejustahundredbucksapieceoutofthem,whichwasallIasked.Theyhavenosenseofmoralduty,no...Whatareyoulaughingat?"heaskedsharply.Reardenstoodbeforehim,grinning.
Itwassochildishlyblatant,thoughtRearden,sohelplesslycrude:thehintandtheinsult,offeredtogether.ItwouldbesoeasytosquashPhilipbyreturningtheinsult,hethought—byreturninganinsultwhichwouldbedeadlybecauseitwouldbetrue—thathecouldnotbringhimselftoutterit.
