me it wouldn’t matter. In the first place, I wouldn’t have any proof. In
the second place, I’m sympathetic to the Underground — any American is. I
just think they’re wrong-headed and foolish. Otherwise I’d join ’em
myself.”
“They’re foolish all right! You can say that again.”
“So you were in it?”
“Huh? You’re trying to trap me. I gave my word of honor — ”
“Oh, relax!” Moyland said hastily. “Forget it. I didn’t hear anything; I
can’t tell anything. Hear no evil, see no evil — that’s me.” He changed the
subject.
The level of the bottle dropped while Moyland explained current events as
he saw them. “It’s a shame we had to take such a shellacking to learn our
lesson but the fact of the matter is, we were standing in the way of the
natural logic of progress. There was a time back in ’45 when we could have
pulled the same stunt ourselves, only we weren’t bright enough to do it.
World organization, world government. We stood in the way, so we got
smeared. It had to come. A smart man can see that.”
Benz was bleary but he did not find this comment easy to take. “Look,
Zack-you don’t mean you like what happened to us?”
“Like it? Of course not. But it was necessary. You don’t have to like
having a tooth pulled — but it has to be done. Anyhow,” he went on, “it’s
not all bad. The big cities were economically unsound anyway. We should
have blown them up ourselves. Slum clearance, you might call it.”
Benz banged his empty glass down. “Maybe so — but they made slaves out of
us!”
“Take it easy, Joe,” Moyland said, filling his glass, “you’re talking
abstractions. The cop on the corner could push you around whenever he
wanted to. Is that freedom? Does it matter whether the cop talks with an
Irish accent or some other accent? No, chum, there’s a lot of guff talked
about freedom. No man is free. There is no such thing as freedom. There are
only various privileges. Free speech — we’re talking freely now, aren’t we?
After all, you don’t want to get up on a platform and shoot off your face.
Free press? When did you ever own a newspaper? Don’t be a chump. Now that
you’ve shown sense and come in, you are going to find that things aren’t so
very different. A little more orderly and no more fear of war, that’s all.
Girls make love just like they used to, the smart guys get along, and the
suckers still get the short end of the deal.”
Benz nodded. “You’re right, Zack. I’ve been a fool.”
“I’m glad you see it. Now take those wild men you were with. What freedom
have they got? Freedom to starve, freedom to sleep on the cold ground,
freedom to be hunted.”
“That was it,” Benz agreed. “Did you ever sleep in a mine, Zack? Cold. That
ain’t half of it. Damp, too.”
“I can imagine,” Moyland agreed. “The Capehart Lode always was wet.”
“It wasn’t the Capehart; it was the Harkn — ” He caught himself and looked
puzzled.
“The Harkness, eh? That’s the headquarters?”
“I didn’t say that! You’re putting words in my mouth! You — ”
“Calm yourself, Joe. Forget it.” Moyland got up and drew down the shade.
“You didn’t say anything.”
“Of course I didn’t.” Benz stared at his glass. “Say, Zack, where do I
sleep? I don’t feel good.”
“You’ll have a nice place to sleep any minute now.”
“Huh? Well, show me. I gotta fold up.”
“Any minute. You’ve got to check in first.”
“Huh? Oh, I can’t do that tonight, Zack. I’m in no shape.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to. See me pull that shade down? They’ll be along
any moment.”
Benz stood up, swaying a little. “You framed me!” he yelled, and lunged at
his host.
Moyland sidestepped, put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him down into
the chair. “Sit down, sucker,” he said pleasantly. “You don’t expect me to
get A-bombed just for you and your pals, do you?”
Benz shook his head, then began to sob.