"Don't suppose, Tom." Her nostrils were white. She said coldly: "You seemed like a very good bet, as far as we could tell. I will tell you something you don't know. There is a memorandum regarding you in the office of the Chief of Expediters in Naples. I do not choose to tell you how I know of it, but even your Mr. Gogarty doesn't know it exists. It is private and secret, and it says of you, 'Loyalty doubtful. Believed in contact with underground movement. Keep under close but secret surveillance'." * * * * * That one rocked me, I admit. "But that's all wrong!" I finally burst out. "I admit I went through a bad time after Marianna died, but--" She was smiling, though still angry. "Are you apologizing to _me_?" "No, but--" I stopped. That was a matter to be taken up with Defoe, I told myself, and I was beginning to feel a little angry, too. "All right," I said. "There's been a mistake; I'll see that it's straightened out. But even if it was true, did you think I was the kind of man to join a bunch of murderers?" "We are not murderers!" "Hammond's body says different." "We had nothing to do with that, Tom!" "Your friend Slovetski did." It was a shot in the dark. It missed by a mile. She said loftily: "If he is such a killer, how did you escape? When I had my interview with you, and it became apparent that the expediters were less than accurate, the information came a little late. You could easily have given us trouble--Slovetski was in the next room. Why didn't he shoot you dead?" "Maybe he didn't want to be bothered with my body." "And maybe you are all wrong about us!" "No! If you're against the Company, I _can't_ be wrong. The Company is the greatest blessing the world has ever known--it's made the world a paradise!" "It has?" She made a snorting sound. "How?" "By bringing countless blessings to all of us. _Countless!_" She was shaking with the effort of controlling her temper. "Name one!" I swore in exasperation. "All right," I said. "It ended war." She nodded--not a nod of agreement, but because she had expected that answer. "Right out of the textbooks and propaganda pieces, Tom. Tell me, why is my father in the vaults?" "Because he has radiation poisoning!" "And how did he get this radiation poisoning?" "How?" I blinked at her. "You know how, Rena. In the war between Naples and--the war--" * * * * * Rena said remorselessly, "That's right, Tom, the war. The war that couldn't have existed, because the Company ended war--everybody knows that. Ah, Tom! For God, tell me, why is the world blind? Everyone believes, no one questions. The Company ended war--it says so itself. And the blind world never sees the little wars that rage, all the time, one upon the heels of another. The Company has ended disease. But how many deaths are there? The Company has abolished poverty. But am I living in riches, Tom? Was the old man who ran into the vaults?"