the first to show nebulous traceries of green along the graceful branches. Having a bite with Avery.

 someone else trying to read by flashlight
 someone else trying to read by flashlight.?? he said finally. The hospital had more than two hundred beds. In the name of mankind.??Remember when one of your women killed one of us a long time ago. You know the cattle are good. And he saw the resemblance to his own mother in the trio. It came like that. He went on in one direction. It didn't matter. then straightened again. probed confidently along the spinal column. If Four didn??t make it. ignoring them. the kids.??All right. not threatening this year. and very rich.When she came home and he saw her standing with her mother and grandmother.

 At ten Walt took his place on the table again and called out.??By the end of summer two of the Four-strain girls were pregnant. and David turned toward it. was the master of ceremonies. But you??ll be back. If they had decided to bar him from the lab. We??ve changed the photochemical reactions of our own atmosphere. and he realized that the sun had set long ago and the lanterns had been lighted below. and strangely sympathetic. And Uncle Warner said to him.?? Martha??s body was hot against her.?? He sighed. it??s that team. but since the tests for female fertility required rabbits which they did not have. he seemed to imply. ??We want you for a consultant. three years ago. metal dulled by neglect. Clone-five strain had gross abnormalities.

 or they??ll send a search party for us.?? he said. ??You have any idea how much something like that would cost? Who??s financing it???His grandfather laughed nastily. waiting patiently for David to begin. Forsythias and flaming bushes were in bloom. hah. ??We have to keep it pretty warm in here. In every room except the one where the human clones were being grown. ??Have you got around that??? He wanted to end this conversation.????But it doesn??t matter any longer. Most of South America will be in a state of famine before the end of this decade if they aren??t helped almost immediately.?? she whispered then. he shook his head and left the emergency room. and said to Vernon. David. She was trembling slightly. . you know. It??s the third generation that is the turning point then???David shrugged.

 W-l. white. Everyone thinks it??s propaganda. warblers. nine weeks younger than the others. Three today. They huddled under a blanket and sat without talking. by God! And what do you think will happen in the world when we suddenly can??t even purify our drinking water???His face was darkening as he spoke. or hadn??t read. Coffee will be served now. Walt said. someone would be crying. And there was a steady. and you know it. David jumped at the noise.??You want me to fill you in on anything here???She shook her head.?? W-l said patiently. Every day David spent hours with Walt. Unable to endure it any longer.

 and the fatigue lines on his face were smoothing out. looking at the bleak landscape. It knows all the family secrets. There wasn??t room for her to lie down in the cart. But she continued to sit motionlessly and speak in a dead voice.?? she whispered then. Okay.In the family there were farmers. If you don??t understand. held her and kissed her tears. where she could at least put her head back and rest.??David walked blankly for an hour or more. ready to move down the slopes when the conditions were right for them again. He felt like hell.?? Hilda had strangled the small girl who looked more like her every day. then turned to look at David with startled eyes.??David. D-l. I??m telling you what the goddamn government doesn??t dare admit yet.

 looking to Dr. ??What can I do?????It??s his back. It??s our friend. The only baby left in the tanks was the fetus that would be Celia. or had been. head bowed. ignoring them. The little Miriam sisters were quiet now. David took her arm.?? she said gently when David protested. She looked at him for a moment. then said. There was the dissection room. .?? He started to write then. what have we done??? And his voice that had been too heavy. don??t you???She nodded. after scanning the two pages. are efficient enough.

 David. ??They might form a committee to protest this act of the devil. Mike. indeed it was practically required of them to be free in their loving. It was the first time she had ever owned something not shared by her sisters. Beyond the corn the land broke and tumbled down to meet the river. At the end of this passage was the animal experiment room. He grinned at David and Celia. almost resentfully. They or others that were identical to them. and the ability to do so is there. The Wiston farm always had been flood-prone; it enriched the soil. and sat down on an outcrop of limestone that felt cool and smooth. Walt-three is ready.????When I was his age. They??re adding them as fast as they can. Celia was working longer hours now. of course. the others who worked in the various labs.

 We??re not like you. Never again. The offices and hallway formed a mezzanine overlooking the dimly lighted well.Two days later David was asked to attend a meeting in the cafeteria. They or others that were identical to them. ??You know how we are getting our meat. as she was and would be. with their fields of rice. pallets for the children. are efficient enough. a suite. There was no way to lock it. The men wore tunics. I in another. the powdering of snow. asking what he could not answer. but he wasn??t. put them in the lab on the other side. They had discussed that years ago.

 maybe I didn??t quite believe it. not six months from now. he thought often. or a bird in flight. just custodians. seeing very little. Vlasic nodded again and again. dispassionately.?? Walt said. and then two of them unrolled the floor mat and waited there as the others guided her to it.?? The large farmhouse with glowing windows. the generating system has bugs in it. just damn gone. I can stay on the back roads with Mike. They all shunned the elders. too pretty almost. Walt studied the assembled people and deliberately said.??Winter came early in sheets of icy rain that went on day after day after day. yellow.

 There was a tic in his cheek that David never had seen before. . tested for reflexes. and we can??t adapt to the new radiations fast enough to survive! There have been hints here and there that this is a major concern. ??If I can. ??A marvelous piece of work.?? he lied to Walt. ??Something??s going wrong.??Has he been eating enough meat lately? He looks peaked.?? he said. but I can??t hear any one of you this way. It finally was easier to keep their temperatures right by keeping us too warm.W-l sat quietly. Molly gasped when she looked through the open doors at the other side of the auditorium: the path to the river had been decorated with tallow torches and arches of pine boughs.????But I haven??t even finished my thesis yet.They worked all night preparing the nursery. up on the hill. Separate set of systems. what the percentage of boys to girls would be.

 then clenched into fists that opened spasmodically; and he felt her nails distantly.David slept where they had left him. . And the government was freezing all assets of every business??nothing could be bought or sold without approval.?? Walt said patiently. ??Stop this! I??m going to answer any questions. he shook his head and left the emergency room. This project will get me a doctorate. ??We can??t handle that many premature babies. Chickens. presumably for a thrashing. ??What are we to do with you?????Don??t be an ass. and he watched with relief as she started to eat.But it was a long time before he slept. turn off the light. stopped once midway.David spent New Year??s Eve at the Sumner farm with his parents and a horde of aunts and uncles and cousins. No one needed him in the lab any longer. At the end of this passage was the animal experiment room.

 God knows where all of it??s coming from. Practically no one.????What is Selnick working on?????Nothing. At the end of the third day.??And Wednesday-night Bible school? I keep thinking of it now.They came out of the school in matched sets: four of this. He felt in the way there.??Perfecting the methods. And there was a steady. Celia didn??t write.?? she whispered then. ??I keep forgetting.?? he had said wildly. Grotesque shadows made the hallway strange. He flung his coat off and hurried to her.?? W-l said.?? Melissa called from the far end of the room. and now he wanted nothing more than to sleep. ??Might start a class in delivery procedures.

 and tried to pick out Ben. and see to it that he remained there for a night??s sleep. . half carried her back to their room. He pushed the thought aside angrily. He talked of their boyhood.?? he said. As dead as those men must be by now. and we have food stores that will carry us for years even if we can??t plant crops in the spring.??Walt was watching him closely. and deep blue eyes that used to twinkle with merriment. fetched and carried for him. who were sleeping doubled up. examining the gift bag. and perhaps he never would have to discuss the implications of his work. There was no way to lock it.??Will you take Margaret home and put her to bed??? David asked. but it would be a meager harvest. her voice came from behind him.

 He stopped and the boy ran to him. And my man says that the plague is spreading again in the Mediterranean area.????For God??s sake! Come with me. Grandfather?????Up to and including this tree.??Can you get materials for the hospital??? David asked. a stranger with a fat belly and a lot of money who expected instant obedience from the world.There was a celebration party. four years already. They were learning in their teens what he hadn??t grasped in his twenties. and presently they were being led to the dock and the final surprise??a pennant flying from the mast of the small boat that would carry them to Washington. She let the soil fall from her hand and carefully pushed the protective covering of leaves back over the bared spot. The anchovies are gone. ??That??s crazy. Melissa. David wondered where they were waiting to hear about the condition of their own.??W-2 was one of the three to accompany him. . perhaps.?? She bowed her head and started to pull her glove on again.

 There were calves in the field.The music changed. ??Custodians of the soil. sometimes daughter. He shouldn??t do that. The voices were louder. Internal injuries. He gave them a surprise test and stalked about the room as they worried over the answers.  He opened his eyes painfully. ??The humans among them will be pariahs. on his back.?? she said. Never again.?? David said slowly. find out what they??re doing in the lab. a dead area. One minute pillows would be flying. ??Not yet. all of us???He thought.

 not Celia??s. then showered and went to the cave entrance. Preservation of the species is a very strong instinct. Say it. ??Then a meeting. and work in the lab went on at the same numbing pace.??David sat down. God knows where all of it??s coming from.?? Vlasic said softly. I believe. But still. now down about his throat. or they??ll send a search party for us.Molly stared at the river and tried to imagine its journey through the hills. because you??ll see the signs.??David scanned the final lines quickly. which was just over a hundred yards from the hospital. . They know we??re watching for them.

 the atmosphere had reverted to what it must have been long ago. deep blue. And the honorary members??the brothers and sisters and parents of those who had married into the family. all the children would seem to be sleeping. spring would give way to summer without a pause and the corn would be shiny. after a year and a half of barrenness. I think we??re going to have our hands full with prematures.??D-l shook his head.There was another toast. playing their own games that appeared governed by random rules. corn-straw sandals on her feet. I??m going to bring one of them out. and now each needed someone to cling to. He watched Walt as if from a great distance. They all knew. and now. he knew; not only pass.?? David said. A1.

 stop the mining.??David stood at the window. She wiped her cheeks with her glove. Forever waiting for the day when they would start the whole climb up the evolutionary ladder once more. They always do.??Wordlessly David turned and left. and she smiled.??God damn it! You turn around here and listen to me. They refused to believe the United States could not meet their demands. He was tired. and went to the lab. that I have to do something.??D-l didn??t reply. I should have stayed at the house. and still smiling easily. so far ahead of time?????Because it isn??t that far ahead of time. and he felt as if he had stumbled into a pot party. Something like sixty percent fatal. after scanning the two pages.

 the bulbs now covered with globes of blue. . and the rest of them thrived.?? He drank his eggnog then and put the crystal cup down hard.When she came home and he saw her standing with her mother and grandmother. The elders talked among themselves. like where to hit if you really meant it. He found a window that went up easily when he pushed it. He was not one of the expendable ones. ??What happened?????Accident down at the mill. and government employees were overseeing the strict rationing that had been imposed.??D-l shook his head.?? She pressed the stethoscope against Clarence??s chest. We made it happen. she from scraping her shoulder on a rock.??She didn??t look quite so blue-cold now. Not even he could come up with any answers.It was greening time; the willows were the first to show nebulous traceries of green along the graceful branches. Having a bite with Avery.