"Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rand Ayn)

Willers was this habit of looking straight into peopleтАЩs eyes. EddieтАЩs eyes
were blue, wide and questioning; he had blond hair and a square face,
unremarkable except for that look of scrupulous attentiveness and open,
puzzled wonder.
"What do you want?" snapped Taggart.
"I just came to tell you something you had to know, because somebody had to
tell you."
"That weтАЩve had another accident?"
"That we canтАЩt give up the Rio Norte Line."
James Taggart seldom raised his head; when he looked at people, he did so by
lifting his heavy eyelids and staring upward from under the expanse of his
bald forehead.
"WhoтАЩs thinking of giving up the Rio Norte Line?" he asked.
"ThereтАЩs never been any question of giving it up. I resent your saying it. I
resent it very much."
"But we havenтАЩt met a schedule for the last six months. We havenтАЩt completed
a run without some sort of breakdown, major or minor. WeтАЩre losing all our
shippers, one after another. How long can we last?"
"YouтАЩre a pessimist, Eddie. You lack faith. ThatтАЩs what undermines the morale
of an organization."
"You mean that nothingтАЩs going to be done about the Rio Norte Line?"
"I havenтАЩt said that at all. Just as soon as we get the new track-"
"Jim, there isnтАЩt going to be any new track." He watched TaggartтАЩs eyelids
move up slowly. "IтАЩve just come back from the office of Associated Steel.
IтАЩve spoken to Orren Boyle."
"What did he say?"
"He spoke for an hour and a half and did not give me a single straight
answer." "What did you bother him for? I believe the first order of rail wasnтАЩt due
for delivery until next month."
"And before that, it was due for delivery three months ago."
"Unforeseen circumstances. Absolutely beyond OrrenтАЩs control."
"And before that, it was due six months earlier. Jim, we have waited for
Associated Steel to deliver that rail for thirteen months."
"What do you want me to do? I canтАЩt run Orren BoyleтАЩs business."
"I want you to understand that we canтАЩt wait."
Taggart asked slowly, his voice half-mocking, half-cautious, "What did my
sister say?"
"She wonтАЩt be back until tomorrow."
"Well, what do you want me to do?"
"ThatтАЩs for you to decide."
"Well, whatever else you say, thereтАЩs one thing youтАЩre not going to mention
nextand thatтАЩs Rearden Steel."
Eddie did not answer at once, then said quietly, "All right, Jim. I wonтАЩt
mention it."
"Orren is my friend." He heard no answer. "I resent your attitude. Orren
Boyle will deliver that rail just as soon as itтАЩs humanly possible. So long
as he canтАЩt deliver it, nobody can blame us."
"Jim! What are you talking about? DonтАЩt you understand that the Rio Norte
Line is breaking upwhether anybody blames us or not?"
"People would put up with ittheyтАЩd have toif it werenтАЩt for the