Человек в высоком замке

           WhatI’vebeendoingistogoalongwiththeexteriormotionsbecauseitissafer;afterall,thesearethevictors…theycommand.AndIwillgoondoingit,Iguess.BecausewhyshouldImakemyselfunhappy?TheyreadanAmericanbookandwantmetoexplainittothem;theyhopethatI,awhiteman,cangivethemtheanswer.AndItry?ButinthiscaseIcan’t,althoughhadIreadit,Inodoubtcould.

           "PerhapsonedayI’llhavealookatthatMissLonelyheartsbook,"hesaidtoPaul."AndthenIcanconveytoyouitssignificance."

           Paulnoddedslightly.

           "However,atpresentIamtoobusywithmywork,"Robertsaid."Lateron,perhaps…Iamsureitwouldn’ttakemeverylong."

           "No,"Paulmurmured."Veryshortbook."BothheandBettylookedsad,RobertChildanthought.Hewonderedifthey,too,sensedtheunbridgeablegapbetweenthemselvesandhim.Hopeso,hethought.Theydeserveto.Ashame—justhavetoferretoutbook’smessageontheirown.

           Heatewithmoreenjoyment.

           Nofurtherfrictionmarredtheevening.WhenhelefttheKasouras’apartmentatteno’clock,RobertChildanstillfeltthesenseofconfidencewhichhadovertakenhimduringthemeal.

           HemeandereddowntheapartmenthousestairswithnogenuineconcernastotheoccasionalJapaneseresidentswho,ontheirwaytoandfromthecommunalbaths,mightnoticehimandstare.Outontothedarkeveningsidewalk,thenthehailingofapassingpedecab.Andhewasthereupononhistriphome.

           Ialwayswonderedwhatitwouldbeliketomeetcertaincustomerssocially.