The Top and the Bottom

           Theceilingwasthatofacellar,soheavyandlowthatpeoplestoopedwhencrossingtheroom,asiftheweightofthevaultingrestedontheirshoulders.Thecircularboothsofdarkredleatherwerebuiltintowallsofstonethatlookedeatenbyageanddampness.Therewerenowindows,onlypatchesofbluelightshootingfromdentsinthemasonry,thedeadbluelightproperforuseinblackouts.Theplacewasenteredbywayofnarrowstepsthatleddown,asifdescendingdeepundertheground.ThiswasthemostexpensivebarroominNewYorkanditwasbuiltontheroofofaskyscraper.

           Fourmensatatatable.Raisedsixtyfloorsabovethecity,theydidnotspeakloudlyasonespeaksfromaheightinthefreedomofairandspace;theykepttheirvoiceslow,asbefittedacellar.

           "Conditionsandcircumstances,Jim,"saidOrrenBoyle."Conditionsandcircumstancesabsolutelybeyondhumancontrol.Wehadeverythingmappedtorollthoserails,butunforeseendevelopmentssetin,whichnobodycouldhaveprevented.Ifyou’donlygivenusachance,Jim."

           "Disunity,"drawledJamesTaggart,"seemstobethebasiccauseofallsocialproblems.Mysisterhasacertaininfluencewithacertainelementamongourstockholders.Theirdisruptivetacticscannotalwaysbedefeated."

           "Yousaidit,Jim.Disunity,that’sthetrouble.It’smyabsoluteopinionthatinourcomplexindustrialsociety,nobusinessenterprisecansucceedwithoutsharingtheburdenoftheproblemsofotherenterprises."

           Taggarttookasipofhisdrinkandputitdownagain.