Волны

           ’Theywagtheirtails;theyflicktheirtails;theymovethroughtheairinflocks,nowthisway,nowthatway,movingalltogether,nowdividing,nowcomingtogether.’

           ’Thoseareyellowwords,thosearefierywords,’saidJinny.’Ishouldlikeafierydress,ayellowdress,afulvousdresstowearintheevening.’

           ’Eachtense,’saidNeville,’meansdifferently.Thereisanorderinthisworld;therearedistinctions,therearedifferencesinthisworld,uponwhosevergeIstep.Forthisisonlyabeginning.’

           ’NowMissHudson,’saidRhoda,’hasshutthebook.Nowtheterrorisbeginning.Nowtakingherlumpofchalkshedrawsfigures,six,seven,eight,andthenacrossandthenalineontheblackboard.Whatistheanswer?Theotherslook;theylookwithunderstanding.Louiswrites;Susanwrites;Nevillewrites;Jinnywrites;evenBernardhasnowbeguntowrite.ButIcannotwrite.Iseeonlyfigures.Theothersarehandingintheiranswers,onebyone.Nowitismyturn.ButIhavenoanswer.Theothersareallowedtogo.Theyslamthedoor.MissHudsongoes.Iamleftalonetofindananswer.Thefiguresmeannothingnow.Meaninghasgone.Theclockticks.Thetwohandsareconvoysmarchingthroughadesert.Theblackbarsontheclockfacearegreenoases.Thelonghandhasmarchedaheadtofindwater.Theother,painfullystumblesamonghotstonesinthedesert.Itwilldieinthedesert.Thekitchendoorslams.Wilddogsbarkfaraway.Look,theloopofthefigureisbeginningtofillwithtime;itholdstheworldinit.