Алая чума
Chapter 2
Theeasieritwastogetfood,themorementherewere; themorementherewere,themorethicklyweretheypackedtogetherontheearth; andthemorethicklytheywerepacked,themorenewkindsofgermsbecamediseases. Therewerewarnings. Soldervetzsky,asearlyas1929,toldthebacteriologiststhattheyhadnoguarantyagainstsomenewdisease,athousandtimesmoredeadlythananytheyknew,arisingandkillingbythehundredsofmillionsandevenbythebillion. Yousee,themicro-organicworldremainedamysterytotheend. Theyknewtherewassuchaworld,andthatfromtimetotimearmiesofnewgermsemergedfromittokillmen.
“Andthatwasalltheyknewaboutit. Foralltheyknew,inthatinvisiblemicro-organicworldtheremightbeasmanydifferentkindsofgermsastherearegrainsofsandonthisbeach. Andalso,inthatsameinvisibleworlditmightwellbethatnewkindsofgermscametobe. Itmightbetherethatlifeoriginated—the’abysmalfecundity,’Soldervetzskycalledit,applyingthewordsofothermenwhohadwrittenbeforehim....”
ItwasatthispointthatHare-Liprosetohisfeet,anexpressionofhugecontemptonhisface.
“Granser,”heannounced,“youmakemesickwithyourgabble. Whydon’tyoutellabouttheRedDeath? Ifyouain’tgoingto,sayso,an’we’llstartbackforcamp.”
Theoldmanlookedathimandsilentlybegantocry. Theweaktearsofagerolleddownhischeeksandallthefeeblenessofhiseighty-sevenyearsshowedinhisgrief-strickencountenance.
