"Flora, you know better than that. I'm lucky to have gotten this apartment when I did; there's nothing--absolutely nothing available." He chuckled. "In a way, the situation is good job insurance. You know, I couldn't be fired, even if the company wanted to: They couldn't get a replacement. A man can't very well take a job if he hasn't a place to live in the city--and I can sit on this place as long as I like; we might get tired of issue rations, but by God we could hold on; so--not that anybody's in danger of getting fired." "We could move out of the city, Harry. When I was a girl--" "Oh, not again!" Harry groaned. "I thought that was all threshed out, long ago." He fixed a pained look on Flora. "Try to understand, Flora. The population of the world has doubled since you were a girl. Do you realize what that means? There are more people alive now than had been born in all previous human history up to fifty years ago. That farm you remember visiting as a kid--it's all paved now, and there are tall buildings there. The highways you remember, full of private autos, all driving across open country; they're all gone. There aren't any highways, or any open country except the TV settings and a few estates like the President's acre and a half--not that any sun hits it, with all those buildings around it--and maybe some essential dry-land farms for stuff they can't synthesize or get from the sea." "There has to be some place we could go. It wasn't meant that people should spend their lives like this--away from the sun, the sea...." A shadow crossed Harry's face. "I can remember things, too, Flora," he said softly. "We spent a week at the beach once, when I was a small boy. I remember getting up at dawn with the sky all pink and purple, and going down to the water's edge. There were little creatures in the sand--little wild things. I could see tiny fish darting along in a wave crest, just before it broke. I could feel the sand with my toes. The gulls sailed around overhead, and there was even a tree-- "But it's gone now. There isn't any beach, anywhere. That's all over...." He broke off. "Never mind. That was then. This is now. They've paved the beach, and built processing plants on it, and they've paved the farms and the parks and the gardens--but they've given us Full-wall to make up for it. And--" * * * * * There was a buzz from the door. Harry got to his feet. "They're here, Flora. Wait'll you see...." Something seemed to tighten around Flora's throat as the men emerged from the lift, gingerly handling the great roll of wall screen. "Harry...." "Four walls," Harry said triumphantly. "I told you I was working toward something, remember? Well, this is it! By God, the Harry Trimble's have shown 'em!" "Harry--I can't--not four walls...." "I know you're a little overwhelmed--but you deserve it, Flora--" "Harry, I don't WANT four walls! I can't stand it! It will be all around me--"