Instantly the ash tray was in Amanda's hand, the massive glass tray Dell had given her. She hurled it at the Wall, which shattered with a brittle explosive splintering. Kathryn jumped back, wailing. "I hate you!" Frantically she manipulated the lever and twisted the ebony dials. "Bass, come back. Bass!" Amanda patted the Wall seat. "Sit down, Kathryn." Finally the girl sat down, sullenly rubbing her eyes with her fists. "Kathryn, have you noticed that we never see infants on the Wall? We never see small children, either, because, Kathryn, you're the youngest person in this city. The week after you were born, the city hospital's obstetrical ward closed permanently." Kathryn sobbed convulsively. "Who needs babies? I want Bass!" "The human race needs babies! Kathryn, you sit so complacently in front of your Wall and pretend there isn't a world! There won't be unless you wake up." "Don't be silly!" "I'm not. Kathryn, you may be the youngest person in the world, for all I know. Forty or fifty years from now this planet will be cluttered with blank Walls. There'll be no one to watch them." "Well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not different, like you." "Kathryn, marry. Have children. Persuade your friends at the office--" She laughed shrilly, rocking back against the Wall seat. "Friends! They hate me, every one of them, and I hate them. Even if Bass did marry me, they'd only take him away." Amanda clutched her fists. "I don't want you to marry Bass. You must find some nice boy your own age." "Oh, Mother! You want me to marry some stupid, ugly boy! You can't make me!" "Kathryn, he needn't be dull. There are hundreds of boys, each interesting in--" * * * * * Hearing a sound, she looked up to see Dell, thin and red-headed, standing in the doorway staring at the shattered Wall. Kathryn jumped up. "Mother broke it. She threw that big green ash tray and broke it all to pieces." Dell looked questioningly at Amanda. "Honey, why'd you do that?" "She's jealous of Bass!" "Now isn't Bass pretty young for you, honey?" He stooped to remove the ash tray from inside the shattered Wall. "Now, how can I watch Alice this evening? She promised me a special dance in that red dress she was showing me last night." "Showing you?" She sprang up. "She showed it to every man in the country, Dell." He frowned. "Well, I'll call Replacements. They'll have a new Wall in before Alice comes." "And I'll smash it too. I'll smash every replacement you can buy!" "Now, Amanda." He regarded her mildly. "You're not jealous of Alice! Honey, if you'd watch Lester, you wouldn't care about Alice and me." She took the intact ash tray from him. "I'm not jealous of Alice, and I haven't been for twenty years. But Dell, do you realize Kathryn was the last child born in this city?" The girl's voice was harsh. "She wants me to marry some stupid, ugly boy. And I won't do it! I love Bass."