CHAPTER?I
ILIUM,?NEW?YORK,?IS?DIVIDED?INTO?THREE?PARTS.

In?the?northwest?are?the?managers?and?engineers?and?civil?servants?and?a?few?professional?people;?in?the?northeast?are?the?machines;?and?in?the?south,?across?the?Iroquois?River,?is?the?area?known?locally?as?Homestead,?where?almost?all?of?the?people?live.

If?the?bridge?across?the?Iroquois?were?dynamited,?few?daily?routines?would?be?disturbed.?Not?many?people?on?either?side?have?reasons?other?than?curiosity?for?crossing.

During?the?war,?in?hundreds?of?Iliums?over?America,?managers?and?engineers?learned?to?get?along?without?their?men?and?women,?who?went?to?fight.?It?was?the?miracle?that?won?the?war——production?with?almost?no?manpower.?In?the?patois?of?the?north?side?of?the?river,?it?was?the?know-how?that?won?the?war.?Democracy?owed?its?life?to?know-how.

Ten?years?after?the?war——after?the?men?and?women?had?come?home,?after?the?riots?had?been?put?down,?after?thousands?had?been?jailed?under?the?antisabotage?laws——Doctor?Paul?Proteus?was?petting?a?cat?in?his?office.?He?was?the?most?important,?brilliant?person?in?Ilium,?the?manager?of?the?Ilium?Works,?though?only?thirty-five.?He?was?tall,?thin,?nervous,?and?dark,?with?the?gentle?good?looks?of?his?long?face?distorted?by?darkrimmed?glasses.

He?didn't?feel?important?or?brilliant?at?the?moment,?nor?had?he?for?some?time.?His?principal?concern?just?then?was?that?the?black?cat?be?contented?in?its?new?surroundings.

Those?old?enough?to?remember?and?too?old?to?compete?said?affectionately?that?Doctor?Proteus?looked?just?as?his?father?had?as?a?young?man-and?it?was?generally?understood,?resentfully?in?some?quarters,?that?Paul?would?someday?rise?almost?as?high?in?the?organization?as?his?father?had.?His?father,?Doctor?George?Proteus,?was?at?the?time?of?his?death?the?nation's?first?Nationa?Industrial,?Commercial,?Communications,?Foodstuffs?and?Resources?Director,?a?position?approached?in?importance?only?by?the?presidency?of?the?United?States

As?for?the?Proteus?genes'?chances?of?being?passed?down?to?yet?another?generation,?there?were?practically?none.?Paul's?wife,?Anita,?his?secretary?during?the?war,?was?barren.?Ironically?as?anyone?would?please,?he?had?married?her?after?she?had?declared?that?she?was?certainly?pregnant,?following?an?abandoned?office?celebration?of?victory.

"Like?that,?Kitty?”?With?solicitousness?and?vicarious?pleasure,?young?Proteus?ran?a?roll?of?blueprints?along?the?cat's?arched?back.?"Mmmmm-aaaaah—good,?eh?"?He?had?spotted?her?that?morning,?near?the?golf?course,?and?had?picked?her?up?as?a?mouser?for?the?plant.?Only?the?night?before,?a?mouse?had?gnawed?through?the?insulation?on?a?control?wire?and?put?buildings?17,?19,?and?21?temporarily?out?of?commission.

Paul?turned?on?his?intercom?set.?"Katharine?"
"Yes,?Doctor?Proteus?"
"Katharine,?when's?my?speech?going?to?be?typed?"?ise.”?"I'm?doing?it?now,?sir.?Ten,?fiftcen?minutes,?I?prom

Doctor?Katharine?Finch?was?his?secretary,?and?the?only?woman?in?the?Ilium?Works.?Actually,?she?was?more?a?symbol?of?rank?than?a?real?help,?although?she?was?useful?as?a?stand-in?when?Paul?was?ill?or?took?a?notion?to?leave?work?early.?Only?the?brass—plant?managers?and?bigger—had?secretaries.?During?the?war,?the?managers?and?engineers?had?found?that?the?bulk?of?secretarial?work?could?be?done-as?could?most?lower-echelon?jobs—more?quickly?and?efficiently?and?cheaply?by?machines.?Anita?was?about?to?be?dismissed?when?Paul?had?married?her.?Now,?for?instance,?Katharine?was?being?annoyingly?unmachinelike,?dawdling?over?Paul's?speech,?and?talking?to?her?presumed?lover,?Doctor?Bud?Calhoun,?at?the?same?time.

Bud,?who?was?manager?of?the?petroleum?terminal?in?Ilium,?worked?onlywhen?shipments?came?orwent?by?barge?or?pipeline,?and?hespentmostof?his?time?between?thesecrises—as?now—filling?Katharine'sears?with?the?euphoria?of?his?Georgia?sweet?talk.

Paul?took?the?cat?in?his?arms?and?carried?her?to?the?enormous?floor-to-ceiling?windowthat?comprised?one?wall.?“Lots?and?lots?of?mice?out?there,?Kitty,"he?said.?He?was?showing?the?cat?an?old?battlefield?at?peace.?Here,?in?the?basin?of?the?river?bend,?the?Mohawks?had?overpowered?the?Algonquins,?the?Dutch?the?Mohawks,?the?British?the?Dutch,?the?Americans?the?British.?Now,?over?bones?and?rotten?palingsand?cannon?ballsand?arrowheads,?there?lay?a?triangle?of?steel?and?masonry?buildings,?a?half-mile?on?each?side—the?Illium?Works.?Where?men?had?once?howled?and?hacked?at?one?an-?other,?and?fought?nip-and-tuck?with?nature?as?well,?the?machines?hummed?and?whirred?and?clicked,?and?made?parts?for?baby?carriages?and?bottle?caps,?motorcycles?and?refrigerators,?television?sets?and?tricycles—the?fruits?of?peace.
Paul?raised?his?eyes?above?the?rooftops?of?the?great?triangle?to?the?glare?of?the?sun?on?the?Iroquois?River,?and?beyond—to?Homestead,?where?many?of?the?pio-?neer?names?still?lived:?van?Zandt,?Cooper,?Cortland,?Stokes...

“Doctor?Proteus?"It?was?Katharine?again.
“Yes,?Katharine.”
“It’s?on?again.”
“Three?in?building?58?”
“Yes?sir—the?light's?on?again.”
“All?right—call?Doctor?Shepherd?and?find?out?what?he's?doing?about?it.”
“He's?sick?today.?Remember?"

“Then?it's?up?to?me,?Iguess.”?He?puton?his?coat,?sighed?with?ennui,?picked?up?the?cat,?and?walked?into?Katharine's?office.Don't?get?up.?don't?get?up,"?he?said?to?Bud,?who?was?stretched?out?on?a?couch.
“Who?was?gonna?get?up?”?said?Bud.

Three?walls?of?the?room?were?solid?with?meters?from?baseboard?to?molding,unbroken?save?for?the?doors?leading?into?the?outer?hall?and?into?Paul's?ofice.?The?fourth?wall，as?in?Paul's?ofice,
was?a?single?pane?of?glass.?The?meters?were?identical,?the?size?of?cigarette?packages,?and?stacked?like?masonry,?each?labeled?with?a?bright?brass?plate.Each?was?connected?to?a?group?of
machines?somewhere?in?the?Works.?A?glowingred?meter?from?the?bottom,?fifth?row?to?the?left,?on?the?jewel?called?a?an?the?east?wall.?

Paul?tapped?the?meter?withhisfinger.?“Uh-huh——here?wegoagain:number?three?in?58?getting?rejects,?all?right.”?He?glancedover?the?rest?of?the?instruments.“Guess?that's?all,?eh?”

“Just?that?one.”
“Whatch?goin'?do?with?thet?cat?"?said?Bud.

Paul?snapped?his?fingers.?“Say,?I'm?glad?you?asked?that.?I?have?a?project?for?you,?Bud.?I?want?some?sort?of?signaling?device?that?will?tell?this?cat?where?she?can?find?a?mouse.”

“Electronic?”
“I?should?hope?so.”
“You'd?need?some?kind?of?sensin'?element?that?could?smell?a?mouse.”
“Or?a?rat.?I?want?you?to?work?on?it?while?I'm?gone.”

As?Paul?walked?outto?hiscar?in?the?pale?March?sunlight,?he?realized?that?Bud?Calhoun?would?havea?mouse?alarm?designed—one?a?cat?could?understand—by?the?time?he?got?back?to?the?office.?Paul?sometimes?wondered?if?he?wouldn't?have?been?more?content?in?another?period?ofhistory,but?the?rightnessof?Bud's?being?alive?now?was?beyond?question.?Bud's?mentality?was?one?that?had?been?remarked?upon?as?being?peculiarly?American?since?the?nationhad?been?born—the?restless,?erratic?insight?and?imaginationof?a?gadgeteer.?This?was?the?climax,?or?close?to?it,?of?genera-?tionsof?Bud?Calhouns,?with?almost?all?of?American?in-?dustryintegrated?into?one?stupendousRube?Goldberg?machine.

Paul?stopped?by?Bud's?car,?which?was?parked?next?to?his.?Bud?had?shown?offits?special?features?to?him?several?times,?and,playfully,?Paul?put?it?through?itspaces.“Let's?go,"?he?said?to?the?car.

A?whir?and?a?click,?and?the?doorflews?open.?“Hop?in,”said?a?taperecording?under?the?dashboard.?The?starter?spun,the?engine?caught?andidled?down,and?the?radio?went?on.
Gingerly,Paul?pressed?a?button?onthe?steering?col-?umn.A?motor?purred,gears?grumbled?softly,?and?the?two?front?seats?lay?down?side?by?side?like?sleepy?lovers.?It?struck?Paul?as?shockingly?like?an?operating?table?for?horseshe?had?once?seen?inaveterinaryhospital.?where?the?horse?waswalked?alongside?the?tipped?table,?lashed?to?it,?anesthetized,?and?then?toppled?into?oper-?ating?position?by?the?gear-driven?table?top.?He?could?see?KatharineFinchsinking,?sinking,?sinking,as?Bud,?his?hand?on?the?button,?crooned.?Paul?raised?the?seats?with?another?button.“Goodbye,"?he?said?to?the?car.?The?motor?stopped,?the?radiowinked?off,andthe?door?slammed.?“Don't?take?any?wooden?nickels,”?called?the?car?as?Paul?climbed?into?his?own.?"Don't?take?any?wooden?nickels,?don't?take?any?wooden?nickels,?don't?take?any——”

“I?won't!”
Bud's?car?fell?silent,?apparently?at?peace.

Paul?drove?down?the?broad,?clean?boulevard?that?split?the?plant,?and?watched?the?building?numbers?flash?by.?A?station?wagon,?honking?its?horn,?and?its?occu-?pants?waving?to?him,?shot?past?in?the?oppositedirec-?tion,?playfully?zigzagging?on?thedeserted?street,?head-?ing?for?the?main?gate.?Paul?glanced?at?his?watch.?That?was?the?second?shift?just?coming?off?work.?It?annoyed?him?that?sophomoric?high?spirits?should?be?correlated?with?the?kind?of?young?men?it?took?to?keep?the?plant?going.Cautiously,?he?assured?himself?that?when?he,Finnerty,?and?Shepherd?had?come?to?work?in?the?lium?Works?thirteen?years?before,?they?had?been?a?goodbit?more?adult,?less?cock-sure,?and?certainly?without?the?air?of?belonging?to?an?elite.

Some?people,including?Paul's?famous?father,had?talked?in?the?old?days?as?though?engineers,?managers,?and?scientists?were?an?elite.?And?when?things?were?building?up?to?the?war,?it?was?recognized?that?American?khow-how?was?the?only?answer?to?the?prospective?enemy's?vast?numbers,?and?there?was?talk?of?deeper,?thicker?shelters?for?the?possessors?of?know-how,and?of?keep.?ing?this?cream?ofthe?population?out?of?the?frontling?fighting.?But?not?many?had?taken?the?idea?of?an?elit?to?heart.?When?Paul,?Finnerty,?and?Shepherd?had?grad.?uated?from?college,?earlyin?the?war,?they?hadfel?sheepish?about?not?going?to?fight,and?humbled?by?those?who?did?go.?But?now?this?elite?business,?this?assuranc?of?superiority,?this?sense?of?rightness?about?the?hierarchy?topped?by?managers?and?engineers—this?was?instilled?in?all?college?graduates,?and?there?were?no?bones?about?it.

Paul?felt?better?when?he?got?into?Building?58,a?long,?narrow?structure?four?blocks?long.?It?was?a?pet?of?his.?He'd?been?told?to?have?the?north?end?of?the?building?torn?down?and?replaced,?and?he'd?talked?Headquarters?out?of?it.?The?north?end?was?the?oldest?building?in?the?plant,?and?Paul?had?saved?it—because?of?its?historical?interest?to?visitors,?he'd?told?Headquarters.?But?he?discouraged?and?disliked?visitors,?and?he'd?really?saved?Building?58's?north?end?for?himself.?It?was?the?original?machine?shop?set?up?by?Edison?in?1886,?the?same?year?in?which?he?opened?another?in?Schenectady,?and?visiting?it?took?the?edge?off?Paul's?periods?of?depression.?It?was?a?vote?of?confidence?from?the?past,he?thought—where?the?past?admitted?how?humble?and?shoddyit?had?been,?where?one?could?look?from?the?old?to?the?new?and?see?that?mankind?really?had?come?a?long?way——Paul?needed?that?reassurance?from?time?to?time.

Objectively,?Paul?tried?to?tell?himself,?things?really?were?better?than?ever.?For?once,?after?the?great?bloodbath?of?the?war,?the?world?reallywas?cleared?of?unnatural?terrors—massstarvation,?mass?imprisonment,?mass?torture,?mass?murder.?Objectively,?know-how?and?world?law?were?getting?their?long-awaited?chance?to?turn?earth?into?an?altogether?pleasantandconvenient?place?in?which?to?sweat?out?Judgment?Day.

what?seemed?so?clear?to?others—that?what?Paul?felt?better?when?he?got?into?Building?58,a?long,?narrow?structure?four?blocks?long.?It?was?a?pet?of?his.?He'd?been?told?to?have?the?north?end?of?the?building?torn?down?and?replaced,?and?he'd?talked?Headquarters?out?of?it.?The?north?end?was?the?oldest?building?in?the?plant,?and?Paul?had?saved?it—because?of?its?historical?interest?to?visitors,?he'd?told?Headquarters.?But?he?discouraged?and?disliked?visitors,?and?he'd?really?saved?Building?58's?north?end?for?himself.?It?was?the?original?machine?shop?set?up?by?Edison?in?1886,?the?same?year?in?which?he?opened?another?in?Schenectady,?and?visiting?it?took?the?edge?off?Paul's?periods?of?depression.?It?was?a?vote?of?confidence?from?the?past,he?thought—where?the?past?admitted?how?humble?and?shoddyit?had?been,?where?one?could?look?from?the?old?to?the?new?and?see?that?mankind?really?had?come?a?long?way——Paul?needed?that?reassurance?from?time?to?time.

Objectively,?Paul?tried?to?tell?himself,?things?really?were?better?than?ever.?For?once,?after?the?great?bloodbath?of?the?war,?the?world?reallywas?cleared?of?unnatural?terrors—massstarvation,?mass?imprisonment,?mass?torture,?mass?murder.?Objectively,?know-how?and?world?law?were?getting?their?long-awaited?chance?to?turn?earth?into?an?altogether?pleasant?and?convenient?place?in?which?to?sweat?out?Judgment?Day.

Paul?wished?he?had?gone?to?the?front,?and?heard?the?senseless?tumult?and?thunder,?and?seen?the?wounded?and?dead,?and?maybe?got?a?piece?of?shrapnel?through?his?leg.?Maybe?he'd?be?able?to?understand?then?how?good?everything?now?was?by?comparison?to?see?what?seemed?so?clear?——that?he?was?doing,?had?done,?and?would?do?as?a?manager?and?engineer?was?vital,?above?reproach,?and?had,?in?fact,brought?on?a?golden?age.??Of?late,?his?job,?the?system,?and?organizationalpolitics?had?left?him?variously?annoyed,?bored,or?queasy.

He?stood?in?the?old?part?of?Building?58,?which?was?now?filled?with?welding?machines?and?a?bank?of?in-?sulation?braiders.It?soothed?him?to?look?up?at?the?wooden?rafters,?uneven?withancient?adze?marks?beneath?flaking?calcimine,?and?at?the?dull?walls?of?brick?soft?enough?for?men—God?knows?how?long?ago—tocarve?their?initials?in:?“KTM,”“DG,”“GP,”“BDH,”“HB.”“NNS.”Paul?imagined?for?amoment—as?he?often?imagined?on?visits?to?Building?58—that?he?was?Edison,?standing?on?the?threshold?of?a?solitary?brick?building?on?the?banks?of?the?Iroquois,?with?the?upstate?winter?slashing?through?the?broomcorn?outside.?The?rafters?still?bore?the?marks?of?what?Edison?had?done?with?the?lonely?brick?barn:?bolt?holes?showed?where?overhead?shafts?had?once?carried?power?to?a?forest?of?belts,?and?the?wood-block?foor?was?black?with?the?oil?and?scarred?by?the?feet?of?the?crude?machines?the?belts?had?spun.

On?his?office?wall,?Paul?had?a?picture?of?the?shop?as?it?had?been?in?the?beginning.?All?of?the?employees,?most?of?them?recruited?from?surrounding?farms,?had?stood?shoulder?to?shoulder?amid?the?crude?apparatus?for?the?photograph,almostfierce?with?dignity?and?pride,?ridiculous?in?stiff?collars?and?derbies.?The?photographer?had?apparently?been?accustomed?to?taking?pictures?of?athletic?teams?and?fraternal?organizations,?for?the?picture?had?the?atmosphere,?after?the?fashion?of?the?day,?of?both.?In?each?face?was?a?defiant?promise?of?physical?strength,?and?at?the?same?time,?there?was?the?attitude?of?a?secret?order,?above?and?apart?from?society?by?virtue?of?participating?in?important?and?moving?rites?laity?could?only?guess?about—and?guess?wrong.?The?pride?in?strength?and?important?mystery?showed?no?less?in?the?eyes?of?the?sweepers?than?in?those?of?the?machinists?and?inspectors,?and?in?those?of?the?foreman,?who?alone?was?without?a?lunchbox.

A?buzzer?sounded,and?Paul?stepped?to?one?side?of?the?aisle?as?the?sweeping
machine?rattle?by?on?its?rails，?whooshing?up?the?cloud?with?voracious?snout.The?cat?in?Paul's?arms?clawed?up?threads?from?his?suit?an?hissrd?at?the?machinel.

Paul's?eyes?began?to?nag?him?with?a?prickling?sensation,?and?he?realized?that?he'd?been?gazing?into?the?glare?and?sputter?of?the?welding?machines?without?protecting?his?eyes.?He?clipped?dark?glasses?over?his?spec?tacles,?and?strode?through?the?antiseptic?smell?of?ozone?toward?lathe?group?three,?which?was?in?the?center?of?the?building,in?the?new?part.

He?paused?for?a?moment?by?the?last?welding-machine?group,?and?wished?Edison?could?be?with?him?to?see?it.?The?old?man?would?have?been?enchanted.?Two?steel?plates?were?stripped?from?a?pile,?sent?rattling?down?a?chute;?were?seized?by?mechanical?hands?and?thrust?under?the?welding?machine.?The?welding?heads?dropped,?sputtered,?and?rose.?A?battery?of?electric?eyes?balefully?studied?the?union?of?the?two?plates,?signaled?a?meter?in?Katharine's?office?that?all?was?well?with?welding-machine?group?five?in?Building?58,?and?the?welded?plates?skittered?down?another?chuteinto?the?jawsof?the?punch-press?group?in?the?basement.?Every?seventeen?seconds,?each?of?the?twelve?machines?in?the?group?completed?the?cycle.

Looking?the?length?of?Building?58,?Paul?had?the?impression?of?a?great?gymnasium,?where?countless?squads?practiced?precision?calisthenics——bobbing,?spinning,?leaping,?thrusting,waving……?This?much?of?the?new?era?Paul?loved:?the?machines?themselves?were?entertaining?and?delightful.

Cursorily,?he?opened?the?control?box?for?the?welding-machine?group,?and?saw?that?the?machinesweresetto?run?for?three?more?days.?After?that,?they?would?shut?down?automatically?until?Paul?received?neworders?Headquarters?and?relayed?them?to?Doctor?Lawson?Shepherd,?who?was?second-in-command?and?responsible?for?Buildings?53?through?71.?Shepherd,?who?wassick?today,would?then?set?the?controls?for?a?new?batch?of?refrigerator?backs—however?many?backs?EPICAC,?a?computing?machine?in?Carlsbad?Caverns,felt?the?economy?could?absorb.

Paul,?calming?the?anxious?cat?with?his?long,?slender?fingers,wondered?indifferentlyif?Shepherd?really?was?sick.?Probably?not.?More?likely,?he?was?seeing?important?people,?trying?to?get?transferred?out?from?under?Paul.

Shepherd,?Paul,?and?Edward?Finnerty?had?all?come?to?Ilium?together?as?youngsters.?Now?Finnerty?had?moved?on?to?bigger?things?in?Washington;?Paul?had?been?given?the?highest?job?in?Ilium;?and?Shepherd,?sulkyand?carping,?but?efficient,?had,?in?his?own?eyes,?been?humiliated?by?being?named?second-in-command?to?Paul.?Transfers?were?an?upper-echelon?decision,?and?Paul?hoped?to?God?that?Shepherd?got?one.

Paul?arrived?at?lathe?group?three,?the?troublemaker?he?had?come?to?see.?He?had?been?agitating?a?long?time?for?permission?to?junk?the?group——?without?much?luck.?The?lathes?were?of?the?old?type,?built?originally?to?be?controlled?by?men,?and?adapted?during?the?war,?clumsily,?to?the?new?techniques.The?accuracy?was?going?out?of?them,and,?as?the?meterin?Katharine's?office?had?pointed?out,?and,pointed?out,?rejects?were?showing?up?in?quantity.?Paul?was?willing?to?bet?that?the?lathe?group?was?ten?per?cent?as?wastefull?as?it?had?been?in?the?days?of?human?control?and?mountainous?scrap?heaps.

The?group,five?ranks?of?ten?machines?each,swept?their?tools?in?unison?across?steel?bars,kicked?out?finished?shafts?onto?continuous?belts,stopped?while?raw?bars?dropped?between?their?chucks?and?tailstocks,?clamped?down,?and?swept?their?tools?across?the?bars,?kicked?out?the?finished?out?the?finished?shafts?onto……

Paul?unlocked?the?box?containing?the?tape?recording?that?controlled?them?all.?The?tape?was?a?small?loop?that?fed?continuously?between?magnetic?pickups.?On?it?were?recorded?the?movements?of?a?master?machinist?turning?out?a?shaft?for?a?fractional?horsepower?motor.Pual?counted?back——eleven,twelve,thirteen?years?ago?,he'd?been?in?on?the?making?of?the?tape,?the?master?from?which?this?one?had?been?made.

He?and?Finnerty?and?Shepherd,?with?the?ink?hardly?dry?on?their?doctorates,?had?been?sent?to?one?of?the?machine?shops?to?make?the?recording.?The?foreman?had?pointed?out?his?best?man—what?was?his?name?—and,joking?with?the?puzzled?machinist,?the?three?bright?young?men?had?hooked?up?the?recording?apparatus?to?the?lathe?controls.?Hertz!?That?had?been?the?machinist's?name—Rudy?Hertz,?an?old-timer,?who?had?been?about?ready?to?retire.?Paul?remembered?the?name?now,?and?remembered?the?deference?the?old?man?had?shown?the?bright?young?men.

Afterward,?they'd?got?Rudy's?foreman?to?let?him?off,?and,?in?a?boisterous,?whimsical?spirit?of?industrial?democracy,?they'd?taken?him?across?the?street?for?a?beer.?Rudy?hadn't?understood?quite?what?the?recording?instruments?were?all?about,?but?what?he?had?understand,he'd?liked:?that?he,?out?of?thousands?of?machinists,?had?been?chosen?to?have?his?motions?immortalized?on?tape.

And?here,?now,?this?little?loop?in?the?box?before?Paul?here?wasRudy?as?Rudy?had?been?to?his?machine?thatafternoon—Rudy,?the?turner-on?of?power,?the?setter?of?speeds,?the?controller?of?the?cutting?tool.?This?was?the?essence?of?Rudy?as?far?as?his?machine?was?concerned,as?far?as?the?economy?was?concerned,?as?far?as?the?war?effort?had?been?concerned.?The?tape?was?the?essence?distilled?from?the?small,?polite?man?with?the?big?hands?and?black?fingernails;?from?the?man?who?thought?the?world?could?be?saved?if?everyone?read?a?verse?from?the?Bible?every?night;?from?the?man?who?adored?a?collie?for?want?of?children;?from?the?man?who……what?else?had?Rudy?said?that?afternoon??Paul?supposed?the?old?man?was?dead?now—or?in?his?second?childhoodin?Homestead.

Now,?by?switching?in?lathes?on?a?master?panel?and?feeding?them?signals?from?the?tape,Paul?could?make?the?essence?of?Rudy?Hertz?produce?one,ten,?a?hundred?or?a?thousand?of?the?shafts.

Paul?closed?the?box's?door.?The?tape?seemed?in?good?condition,?andso?were?the?pickups.Everything?in?fact,?wasasship-shape?as?could?be?expected,?con-?sidering?the?antiquity?ofthe?machines.?There?were?just?going?to?have?to?be?rejects,?and?that?was?that.?The?whole?group?belonged?in?a?museum,?not?a?production?setup.?Even?the?box?was?archaic—a?vaultlike?affair?bolted?to?the?floor,?with?a?steel?door?and?lock.?At?the?time?of?the?riots,?right?after?the?war,?the?master?tapes?had?all?been?locked?up?in?this?way.?Now,?with?the?antisabotage?laws?as?rigidly?enforced?as?they?were,?the?only?protection?the?controls?needed?was?from?dust,?cockroaches,?and?mice.

At?the?door,?in?the?old?part?of?the?building?once?more,?Paul?paused?for?a?moment?to?listen?to?the?music?of?Building?58.?He?had?had?it?in?the?back?of?his?mind?for?years?to?get?a?composer?to?do?somethingwith?it—the?Building?58?Suite.?It?was?wild?and?Latin?music,?hectic?rhythms,?fading?in?and?outofphase,kaleidoscopic?sound.?He?tried?toseparate?and?identify?the?themes.?There!?The?lathe?groups,?the?tenors:“Furrazz-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ak!ting!Furr-azz-ow-ow...”Thewelders,the?baritones:“Vaaaaaaa-zuzip!?Vaaaaaaa-zuzip!”And,?with?the?basement?as?a?resonating?chamber,?the?punch?presses,?the?basses:“Aw-grumph!?tonka-tonka.Aw-grump!?tonka-tonka...?”It?was?exciting?music,?and?Paul,?flushed,?his?vague?anxieties?gone,?gave?himself?over?to?it.

Out?of?the?corner?of?his?eye,?a?crazy,?spinning?move?ment?caught?his?fancy,?and?he?turned?in?his?delight?to?watch?a?cluster?of?miniature?maypoles?braid?bright?cloth?insulation?abouta?black?snake?of?cable.?A?thousand?little?dancers?whirled?about?one?anotherat?incredible?speeds,?pirouetting,?dodging?one?anotherunerringly?building?their?snug?snare?about?the?cable.?Paul?laughed?at?the?wonderful?machines,?and?had?to?lookaway?to?keep?from?getting?dizzy.?In?the?old?days,?when?women?had?watched?over?the?machines,?some?of?the?more?simple-hearted?had?been?found?sitting?rigidly?at?their?posts,?staring,?long?after?quitting?time.

His?gaze?fell?upon?an?asymmetrical?heart?scratched?into?the?old?brick,?and?in?its?center,?“K.L.-M.W.,”and?the?date,?“1931.”?K.L.?and?M.W.had?taken?a?liking

His?gaze?fell?upon?an?asymmetrical?heart?scratched?into?the?old?brick,?and?in?its?center,?“K.L.-M.W.,”and?the?date,?“1931.”?K.L.?and?M.W.had?taken?a?liking?to?one?another,then,in?the?same?year?that?Edison?had?died.?Paul?thought?again?of?the?fun?of?showing?the?old?man?around?Building?58,andsuddenlyrealized?that?most?of?the?machinery?would?be?old?stuff,?even?to?Edison.?The?braiders,?the?welders,?the?punchpresses,?the?lathes,?the?conveyers—everything?in?sight,?almost,?had?been?around?in?Edison's?time.?The?basic?parts?of?the?automatic?controls,?too,?and?the?electric?eyes?and?other?elements?that?did?and?did?better?what?human?senses?had?once?done?for?industry—all?were?familiar?enoughin?scientific?circles?even?in?the?nineteen-twenties.?All?that?was?new?was?the?combination?of?these?elements.?Paul?reminded?himself?to?bring?that?out?in?his?talk?at?the?Country?Club?that?night.

The?cat?arched?her?back?and?clawed?at?Paul's?suit?again.?The?sweeper?was?snuffing?down?the?aisle?toward?them?once?more.?It?sounded?its?warning?buzzer,?and?Paul?stepped?out?of?its?path.?The?cat?hissed?and?spat,?suddenly?raked?Paul's?hand?with?her?claws,?and?jumped.?With?a?bouncing,?stiff-legged?gait,?she?fled?before?the?sweeper.?Snatching,?flashing,?crashing,?shrieking?machines?kept?her?in?the?middle?of?the?aisle,?yards?ahead?of?the?sweeper's?whooshing?brooms.?Paul?looked?frantically?for?the?switch?that?wouldstop?the?sweeper,but?before?he?found?it,?the?cat?made?a?stand.?She?faced?the?oncoming?sweeper,?her?needle-like?teeth?bared,?the?tip?of?her?tail?snapping?back?and?forth.?The?flash?of?a?welder?went?off?inches?from?her?eyes,?and?the?sweeper?gobbled?her?up?and?hurled?her?squalling?and?scratching?into?its?galvanized?tin?belly.

Windedafter?a?quarter-mile?run?through?the?length?of?the?building,?Paul?caught?the?sweeper?just?as?it?reached?a?chute.?It?gagged,?and?spat?the?cat?down?the?chute?and?into?a?freight?car?outside.?When?Paul?got?outside,the?cat?had?scrambled?up?the?side?of?the?freight?car,?tumbled?to?the?ground,?and?was?desperately?clawing?her?way?up?a?fence.

“No,kitty,no!"cried?Paul.

The?cat?hit?the?alarm?wire?on?the?fence,?and?sirens?screamed?from?the?gate?house.?In?the?next?second?the?cat?hit?the?charged?wires?atop?the?fence.?A?pop,a?green?fash,?and?the?cat?sailed?high?over?the?top?strand?as?though?thrown.?She?dropped?to?the?asphalt—dead?and?smoking,?but?outside.

An?armored?car,?its?turret?nervously?jerking?its?brace?of?machine?guns?this?way?and?that,?grumbled?to?a?stop?by?the?small?corpse.The?turret?hatch?clanged?open,?and?a?plant?guard?cautiously?raised?his?head.“Everything?all?right,?sir?”

“Turn?off?the?sirens.?Nothing?but?a?cat?on?the?fence.”Paul?knelt,?and?looked?at?the?cat?through?the?mesh?of?the?fence,?frightfully?upset.?"Pick?up?the?cat?and?take?her?to?my?office."

“Beg?your?pardon,?sir?”
“The?cat—I?want?her?taken?to?my?office.”
“She's?dead,?sir.”
“You?heard?me.”
“Yessir.”

Paul?was?in?the?depths?again?as?he?climbed?into?his?car?in?front?of?Building?58.?There?was?nothing?in?sight?to?divert?him,?nothing?but?asphalt,?a?perspective?of?blank,?numbered?facades,?and?wisps?of?cold?cirrus?clouds?in?a?strip?of?blue?sky.?Paul?glimpsed?the?only?life?visible?through?a?narrow?canyon?between?Buildings?57?and?59,?a?canyon?that?opened?onto?the?river?and?revealed?a?bank?of?gray?porches?in?Homestead.?On?the?topmostporch?an?old?man?rocked?in?a?patch?of?sunlight.A?child?leaned?over?the?railing?and?launched?a?square?of?paper?in?a?lazy,?oscillating?course?to?the?river's?edge.?The?youngster?looked?up?from?the?paper?to?meet?Paul'sgaze.?The?old?man?stopped?rocking?and?looked,?too,at?the?curiosity,?a?living?thing?in?the?Ilium?Works.

As?Paul?passed?Katharine's?Finch's?desk?on?hisway?into?his?ofice,?she?held?out?his?typewritten?speech.“That's?very?good,?what?you?said?about?the?Second?Industrial?Revolution,"?she?said.

“Old,?old?stuff.”

It?seemed?very?fresh?to?me—I?mean?that?part?where?you?say?how?the?First?Industrial?Revolution?devalued?muscle?work,?then?the?second?one?devalued?routine?mental?work.?I?was?fascinated.

“Norbert?Wiener,?a?mathematician,?said?all?that?way?back?in?the?nineteen-forties.?It's?fresh?to?you?because?you're?too?young?to?know?anything?but?the?way?thing?are?now.”

“Actually,it?is?kind?of?incredible?that?thingswere?ever?any?other?way,?isn't?it??It?was?so?ridiculous?to?have?people?stuck?in?one?place?all?day,?just?usingtheir?senses,?then?a?reflex,?using?their?senses,?then?a?reflex?and?not?really?thinking?at?all.”

“Expensive,”said?Paul,?“and?about?as?reliable?as?a?putty?ruler.?You?can?imagine?what?the?scrap?heap?looked?like,?and?what?hell?it?was?to?be?a?service?manager?in?those?days.?Hangovers,?family?squabbles,?re?sentments?against?the?boss,?debts,?the?war—every?kind?of?human?trouble?was?likely?to?show?up?in?a?product?one?way?or?another."?He?smiled.?"And?happiness,?too.?I?can?remember?when?we?had?to?allow?for?holidays,?especially?around?Christmas.?There?wasn't?anything?to?do?but?take?it.?The?reject?rate?would?start?climbing?around?the?fifth?of?December,?and?up?and?up?it'd?go?until?Christmas.?Then?the?holiday,?then?a?horrible?reject?rate;?then?New?Year's,?then?a?ghastly?reject?level.?Then?things?would?taper?down?to?normal—which?was?plenty?enough—by?January?fifteenth?or?so.?We?used?to?have?to?figure?in?things?like?that?in?pricing?a?product."?

“Do?you?suppose?there'll?be?a?Third?Industrial?Revolution?”

Paul?paused?in?his?office?door?way.?"A?third?one??What?would?that?be?like?"

“I?don't?know?exactly.?The?first?and?second?ones?must?have?been?sort?of?inconceivableat?one?time.”

“To?the?people?who?were?going?to?be?replaced?by?machines,maybe.?A?third?one,?eh??In?a?way,?I?guess?the?third?one's?been?going?on?for?some?time,?if?you?mean?thinking?machines.?That?would?be?the?third?revolution,?I?guess—machines?that?devaluate?human?thinking.?Some?of?the?big?computers?like?EPICAC?do?that?all?right,?in?specialized?fields.”

“Uhhuh,"?said?Katharine?thoughtfully.?She?rattled?a?pencil?between?her?teeth.?“First?the?muscle?work,?then?the?routine?work,?then,?maybe,?the?real?brainwork."

"I?hope?I'm?not?around?long?enough?to?see?that?final?step.?Speaking?of?industrial?revolutions,?where's?Bud?"

“A?barge?was?coming?in,?so?he?had?to?getback?to?work.?He?left?this?for?you."?She?handed?him?a?crumpled?laundry?slip?with?Bud's?name?on?it.

Paul?turned?the?slip?over?and?found,?as?he?had?expected,a?circuitdiagram?for?a?mouse?detector?and?alarm?system?that?might?very?well?work.?"Astonishing?mind,?Katharine.”

She?nodded?uncertainly.

Paul?closed?his?door,it?silently,?and?got?a?bottle?from?under?papers?in?a?bottom?drawer.?He?blacked?out?for?an?instant?under?the?gloriously?hot?impact?of?a?gulp?of?whisky.?He?hid?the?bottle?again,?his?eyes?watering.

“Doctor?Proteus,?your?wife?is?on?the?phone,"said?Katharine?on?the?intercom.

“Proteus?speaking."?He?started?to?sit,?and?was?distressed?to?find?a?small?wicker?basket?in?his?chair,?containing?a?dead?black?cat.

“This?is?me,darling,?Anita.”

“Hello,?hello,?hello."?He?set?the?basket?on?the?floor?gently,?and?sank?into?his?chair.?“How?are?you,?sweet-heart?"?he?said?absently.?His?mind?was?still?on?the?cat.

“All?set?to?have?a?good?time?tonight?"It?was?a?theatrical?contralto,?knowing?and?passionate:Ilium's?Lady?of?the?Manor?speaking.

“Been?jumpy?all?day?about?the?talk.”

“Then?you'll?do?it?brilliantly,?darling.?You'll?get?to?Pittsburgh?yet.?I?haven't?the?slightest?doubt?about?that,?Paul,?not?the?slightest.?Just?wait?until?Kroner?and?Baer?hear?you?tonight."

“Kroner?and?Baer?accepted,?did?they?"These?two?were?manager?and?chier?engineer,?respectively,?ofthe?entire?Eastern?Division,?of?which?the?IliumWorks?was?one?smallpart.?It?was?Kroner?and?Baer?who?would?decide?who?was?to?get?the?most?important?job?in?their?division,?a?job?left?vacant?two?weeks?ago?by?death?the?managership?of?the?Pittsburgh?Works.?“Howgaycan?a?party?get?"

“Well,?if?you?don't?like?that,?I?have?somenews?you?will?like.?There's?going?to?be?another?very?special?guest.”

“Hi?ho.”

“And?you?have?to?go?to?Homestead?forsome?Irish?whisky?for?him.?The?club?hasn't?got?any."

“Finnerty!Ed?Finnerty!”

“Yes,?Finnerty.?He?calledthis?afternoon?and?Was?very?specific?about?your?getting?some?Irish?for?him.?He's?on?his?way?from?Washington?to?Chicago,?and?he's?going?to?stop?off?here.”

“How?long?has?it?been,?Anita??Five,?six?years?"

“Notsince?before?you?got?to?be?manager.?That?long."?She?was?hale,?enthusiastic?about?Finnerty's?coming.?It?annoyed?Paul,?because?he?knew?very?well?that?she?didn't?care?for?Finnerty.?She?was?crowing,?not?be?cause?she?was?fond?of?Finnerty?but?because?she?enjoyed?the?ritual?attitudes?of?friendships,?of?which?she?had?none.?Also,?since?he'd?left?Ilium,?Ed?Finnerty?had?become?man?of?consequence,?a?member?of?the?National?Indus?trial?Planning?Board;?and?this?fact?no?doubt?dulled?her?recollections?of?contretemps?with?Finnerty?in?the?past.

“You're?right?about?that?being?good?news,?Anita.?It's?wonderful.?Takes?the?edge?off?Kroner?and?Baer.”

“Now,?you're?going?to?be?nice?to?them,too.”

“Oh?yes.?Pittsburgh,?here?we?come.”

“If?I?tell?you?something?for?your?own?good,?promise?not?to?get?mad?”

“No.”

"All?right,I'll?tell?you?anyway.?Amy?Halpornsaid?this?morning?she'd?heard?something?about?you?and?Pittsburgh.?Her?husband?was?with?Kroner?today,?and?Kroner?had?the?impression?that?you?didn't?want?to?go?to?Pittsburgh."

“How?does?he?want?me?to?tell?him—in?Esperanto??I've?told?him?I?wanted?the?job?a?dozen?different?ways?in?English."

“Apparently?Kroner?doesn't?feelyou?really?mean?it?You'vebeen?too?subtle?and?modest,?darling."

“Kroner's?a?bright?one,?all?right.”

“How?do?you?mean?”

“I?mean?he's?got?more?insight?into?me?than?I?do.”

“You?mean?you?don't?want?the?Pittsburgh?job?”

“I'm?not?sure.?He?apparently?knew?that?before?I?did.”

“You're?tired,darling."

“I?guess.”

“You?need?a?drink.?Come?home?early.”

“All?right.”

“I?love?you,?Paul.”

“I?love?you,Anita.Goodbye.”

Anita?had?the?mechanics?of?marriage?down?pat,even?to?the?subtlest?conventions.?If?her?approach?was?disurbingly?rational,?systematic,?she?was?thorough?enough?to?turn?out?a?creditable?counterfeit?of?warmth.?Paul?could?only?suspect?that?her?feelings?were?shallow—andberhaps?that?suspicion?was?part?of?what?he?was?beginning?to?think?of?as?his?sickness.

His?head?was?down,?his?eyes?closed,?when?he?hung?up.?When?he?opened?his?eyes,?he?was?looking?at?the?dead?cat?in?the?basket.

“Katharine!”

“Yessir.”

“Will?you?have?somebody?bury?this?cat.”

“We?wondered?what?you?wanted?to?do?with?it.”

“God?knows?what?I?had?in?mind."?He?looked?at?the?corpse?and?shook?his?head.“God?knows.?Maybe?a?Christian?burial;maybe?I?hoped?she'd?come?around.?Get?rid?of?it?right?away,?would?you?”

He?stopped?by?Katharine's?desk?on?hisway?home?and?told?her?not?to?worry?about?the?glowing?jewel?on?the?seventh?meter?from?the?bottom,?fifth?row?from?the?left,on?the?east?wall.

“Beyond?help,”?he?said.?Lathe?group?three,?Building?58,?had?been?good?in?its?day,?but?was?showing?wear?and?becoming?a?misfit?in?the?slick,?streamlined?setup,where?there?was?no?place?for?erratic?behavior.?“Basically,?it?wasn't?built?for?the?job?it's?doing?anyway.?I?look?for?the?buzzer?to?go?off?any?day?now,?and?that'll?be?the?end."?

In?each?meter?box,?in?addition?to?the?instrument,?the?jewel,?and?the?warning?lamp,?was?a?buzzer.?The?buzzer?was?the?signal?for?a?unit's?complete?breakdown.

（論質量，我輸入的原文和譯文一樣糟糕。反正也沒有會看，隨便啦!）