and you will understand better: there are two forces in the world, entropy and energy. One leads into blessed quietude, to happy equilibrium, the other to the destruction of equilibrium, to torturingly perpetual motion. Our, or rather your ancestors, the Christians, worshipped entropy like a God. But we are not Christians, we. …”
At that moment a slight whisper was suddenly heard, a knock at the door, and in rushed that flattened man with the forehead low over his eyes, who several times had brought me notes from I-330 . He ran straight to us, stopped, panting like an air-pump, and could say not a word, as he must have been running at top speed.
“But tell me! What has happened?” I-330 grasped him by the hand.
“They are coming here—” panted the air-pump, “with guards. … And with them that what’s-his-name, the hunchback. …”
“ S- ?”
“Yes. They are in the house by this time. They’ll soon be here. Quick, quick!”
“Nonsense, we have time!” I-330 was laughing, cheerful sparks in her eyes. It was either absurd, senseless courage, or else there was something I did not yet understand.
“ I- , dear, for the sake of the Well-Doer! You must understand that this. …”
“For the sake of the Well-Doer!” The sharp, triangle-smile.
“Well … well, for my sake, I implore you!”
“Oh, yes, I wanted to talk to you about some other matters. … Well, never mind. … We’ll talk about them tomorrow.”