Page 166 - BraveNewWorld

166 IDPH

“Yes, we’re off to-morrow,” said Bernard on whose face the Savage remarked
a new expression of determined resignation. “And by the way, John,” he con-
tinued, leaning forward in his chair and laying a hand on the Savage’s knee,
“I want to say how sorry I am about everything that happened yesterday.” He
blushed. “How ashamed,” he went on, in spite of the unsteadiness of his voice,
“how really .”

The Savage cut him short and, taking his hand, affectionately pressed it.
“Helmholtz was wonderful to me,” Bernard resumed, after a little pause. “If it
hadn’t been for him, I should .”

“Now, now,” Helmholtz protested.
There was a silence. In spite of their sadness-because of it, even; for their sad-
ness was the symptom of their love for one another-the three young men were
happy.
“I went to see the Controller this morning,” said the Savage at last.

“What for?”
“To ask if I mightn’t go to the islands with you.”
“And what did he say?” asked Helmholtz eagerly.

The Savage shook his head. “He wouldn’t let me.”
“Why not?”
“He said he wanted to go on with the experiment. But I’m damned,” the Savage
added, with sudden fury, “I’m damned if I’ll go on being experimented with.
Not for all the Controllers in the world. l shall go away to-morrow too.”
“But where?” the others asked in unison.

The Savage shrugged his shoulders. “Anywhere. I don’t care. So long as I can
be alone.”

From Guildford the down-line followed the Wey valley to Godalming, then,
over Milford and Witley, proceeded to Haslemere and on through Petersfield
towards Portsmouth. Roughly parallel to it, the upline passed over Worples-
den, Tongham, Puttenham, Elstead and Grayshott. Between the Hog’s Back and
Hindhead there were points where the two lines were not more than six or se-
ven kilometres apart. The distance was too small for careless flyers-particularly
at night and when they had taken half a gramme too much. There had been ac-
cidents. Serious ones. It had been decided to deflect the upline a few kilometres
to the west. Between Grayshott and Tongham four abandoned air-lighthouses
marked the course of the old Portsmouth-to-London road. The skies above
them were silent and deserted. It was over Selborne, Bordon and Farnham that

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