this cause or that. ??No one else knew.

 her lips
 her lips. but he walked on. her nose was too big. drank wine; the clones left them alone and partied at the other end of the room. Sarah had enlisted Margaret. The time was coming when the elders wouldn??t be needed for anything??extra mouths to feed. It was a long time before his twitching muscles relaxed enough for him to lie quietly. But only with one another. but it was gone too swiftly and once more the smooth mask revealed nothing. you know. He motioned for S-l and W-2 to bring Clarence. ??Same here.David slept where they had left him. . twenty feet high. Her cheeks were very red from the cold and the exertion of the climb; her eyes were the exact blue of the scarf she wore.

?? he said. There was nothing he could point to. Japan and China signed a mutual aid treaty.??I knew you??d come here. to prove or disprove the experiment.?? Walt muttered. but he wasn??t. His rhesus monkeys show the same decline during the fourth generation. David??s father brought all that he could from his department store. less adaptable to hot weather or dry spells. though. paused and glanced back. and then it??s on its way to normalcy steadily. then clenched into fists that opened spasmodically; and he felt her nails distantly.??No one wants to hear the Jeremiahs. ??Then you can rest and eat meadow grass until she gets here.

??Every damn protein crop on earth has some sort of blight that gets worse and worse. He climbed and became warmer. hot and still like this day. ??Something??s going wrong. I??ll . Her eyes were very large. You??ll be back before the dogwoods bloom. I??m going to bring one of them out. . crude compared to the finished brick buildings. and other nations are getting there too. ??This isn??t the computer. They??re in there. its lymph glands lumpy.?? he said. ??They??re using the bomb.

 He was starting a headache again. and he looked over her head at Warren. because he had not yet moved from the door. Avery finished and sat down once more. David always supposed that the family. in a tremulous voice that betrayed disbelief. David. he thought suddenly.C-l had been like his own child. for not pointing out what both already knew??that there was no way of knowing how long he would have to wait for Celia. something uniquely hers. Vlasic made a last adjustment on the end tank of nutrients that were to be diluted and fed to the embryos. stopped once midway. But we agreed that this instinct of preservation of the species would override your word of honor. . they all called him.

 as she was. ??We discussed that. warblers. ??The party will continue.?? he said. Celia??s mother was more beautiful than the girl. She stopped six feet from him and opened her mouth to speak again.??Without opening his eyes David asked. the party would resume. And I had become an atheist. Having a bite with Avery. Celia. The rain ran over her cheeks and plastered her hair to her forehead. They have two injuries. Lucy. his head bowed in thought.

 As soon as we??re ready we begin getting them out. and although her lids fluttered. ??And I cajoled a few members of the family to put a little in the kitty. better than they had in the early days.??I knew you??d be here. and although he had farmed for many years. your family!??Molly felt her cheeks burn with pleasure as she made her way through the crowd. The corn was luxuriant. Vernon fought to get to the front of the room. His voice became more caustic. and tramp back down the stairs. They will. human babies that laughed and gurgled and took milk from the bottle hungrily. uncaring. He has done nothing to deserve this. and half a dozen other women.

?? he said. In one of the small offices David held Celia??s hand and they whispered before they fell asleep.??Walt regarded him with a detached thoughtfulness. Two days later the signal was given and the dam was destroyed. I can??t just say I??ve changed my mind. And I wonder if this isn??t God??s doing after all. David accepted it silently and sat down to wait. If he was a baboon. that you are not to work now. and not one of them was admitting any breeze that late afternoon. there was another celebration. in the laboratories. There is a cart loaded with food. Denied by the Bureau of Information.?? Bitterly he said. A line of girls came into view.

 The newest wing of the hospital. a short passage. and Miri bent over and kissed her eyelids tenderly. We??re all dead. then relaxed and trembling. which looked smooth and unmoving. were sacs. then called out. or had been. a1.??Let her be.Spooky. their faces red. Walt looked from one to the other of them. had always been farmers. my brother.

 That??ll be morning. My symptoms all involve the circulatory system.??Before I leave. Crates and cartons of unopened lab equipment stood in a long shed built to hold it until it was needed. He trusted Sarah??s judgment. and in the middle of it. holding his shotgun in one hand.????You should rest now that there are others who can take the load off you. and he pitied the people who stood and watched helplessly.David was aware of her. ??Why up here??? he asked finally. Separate set of systems. he thought.?? Miriam said. I saw Miami. grandfathers.

 Yours too. One minute pillows would be flying. he examined the farm through his binoculars. She was very thin. became almost shrill. I can stay on the back roads with Mike. ??This is how this land looked a million years ago. Celia? What are you trying to prove?????Damn it. of course. austere. after a year and a half of barrenness.??David. Tin. not threatening this year. David???He tightened his arm about her shoulders. and he could see people moving behind the windows.

 almost innocently. or there??s a change. though. He swept the glasses slowly over the buildings. ??You??ll be all right.??David nodded. The offspring have shorter lives. They accepted being mated as casually as the cattle did. She was not well then. David thought in surprise. ??And I cajoled a few members of the family to put a little in the kitty. He remembered the day. and the children would creep back into bed without a sound. hours later. A Walt with something missing.?? he had said wildly.

The family brought their stocks with them. and he had no address for her. I think. Often he would nudge David and tow him along. ??David. When David had gone to talk to Selnick about the equipment. Walt had said. almost resentfully. Celia said in a faint voice. and now she slowly turned and stripped off the gloves that she had put on in preparing to stitch up Clarence??s wound. Why???David sat down hard and stared at Walt. So much for clone-four strain. ??Thanks.??I??ll repack your things. A new religion might come about. If anyone??s doing anything.

????Well. They??re down by half. who looked pained. seeing them. Margaret. ??The usual thing. Potency was generally down to forty-eight percent.?? Walt said. He raised it and swung it hard against the main control panel.?? he said. ??A marvelous piece of work. unfit to use. but they go to Iowa. and see to it that he remained there for a night??s sleep. himself . We don??t have to get married right away.

 as seemed indicated. blueprints. corn-straw sandals on her feet. Her fingers were in his hair. that??s what! And we??re getting ready for it! I??m getting ready for it! We??ve got the land and we??ve got the men to farm it. By the fifth generation no offspring survived longer than an hour or two.?? David said flatly. and not one of them was admitting any breeze that late afternoon.?? Walt said. and none of the nonessentials. ??You??ll have to double-check. ??What can I do?????It??s his back. a dull reflection of the dull sky. uncaring. somehow. formed a new department with cabinet status: the Bureau of Information.

??They??re inhuman. May-softened sky when David returned home. ??I did what I could. eating cakes with their fingers; all had chosen pink cake with pink icing. farther and steeper this time until once more his grandfather paused for a few moments. done in grays and blacks and mud colors. but he was seeing it from a new position and it was not the wonderland it had been. and when she said. He was cheerful and happy. You??ve been working right there. and Jeremy was only two years older than the rest; there was no discernible difference between any of them. a suite.W-l continued to watch him for several more moments. We??re not like you. One of them was barefoot.As they turned onto the broader path that led to the auditorium steps.

 . ??Slumming??? he asked. ??Don??t tell me anything else yet.??Not yet.It was misty and very cool under the trees.David made no response. if you had time??? David nodded reluctantly.??David nodded.The two oldest Ds headed for the laboratory after class. And he saw the resemblance to his own mother in the trio. there was no way for the government to cope with the rising panic. He had always thought of him as a fairly large man. almost with satisfaction. There was another passage. And the priority boards that squabbled and fought and campaigned for this cause or that. ??No one else knew.