V + 

Bishop Linda + 

About a fortnight after New YearвАЩs Day, Marek was sitting in BondyвАЩs business office. + 

вАЬHow far have you got?вАЭ Bondy had just asked, raising his head from some papers over which he was bending. + 

вАЬIвАЩve finished,вАЭ said the engineer. вАЬIвАЩve given your engineers detailed drawings of the Karburator. That bald-headed fellowвБ†вАФwhatвАЩs his nameвБ†вАФвАЭ + 

вАЬKrolmus.вАЭ + 

вАЬYes, Krolmus has simplified my atomic motor amazinglyвБ†вАФthe transformation of electronic energy into motor power, you know. HeвАЩs an able fellow, my boy, is Krolmus. And what other news is there?вАЭ + 

G. H. Bondy went on writing assiduously. + 

вАЬWeвАЩre building,вАЭ he said after a while. вАЬSeven thousand bricklayers on the job. A factory for Karburators.вАЭ + 

вАЬWhere?вАЭ + 

вАЬAt VysoƒНany. And weвАЩve increased our share capital. A billion and a half. Our new inventionвАЩs getting into the papers. See for yourself,вАЭ he added, tipping half a hundredweight of Czech and foreign papers into MarekвАЩs lap, then buried himself in the documents on his desk. + 

вАЬI havenвАЩt been for a fortnight,вАЭ said Marek gloomily. + 

вАЬHavenвАЩt been where?вАЭ + 

вАЬI havenвАЩt been to my little factory out at B≈Щevnov for a fortnight. IвБ†вАФI darenвАЩt go there. Is anything being done there?вАЭ + 

вАЬMphm.вАЭ + 

вАЬAnd what about my Karburator?вАЭ asked Marek, controlling his anxiety. + 

вАЬItвАЩs still running.вАЭ + 

вАЬAnd what aboutвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ the other thing?вАЭ + 

The Chief sighed and laid down his pen, вАЬDo you know that we had to have Mixa Street closed?вАЭ + 

вАЬWhy?вАЭ + 

вАЬPeople kept going there to pray. Whole processions of them. The police tried to disperse them, and seven people lost their lives. They let themselves be knocked over like sheep.вАЭ + 

вАЬI feared as much, I feared as much,вАЭ muttered Marek in despair. + 

вАЬWeвАЩve blocked the street with barbed wire,вАЭ Bondy went on. вАЬWe had to clear the people out of the neighbouring housesвБ†вАФreligious manifestations all over them, you know. A commission of the Ministries of Health and Education is occupying them now.вАЭ + 

вАЬI expect,вАЭ said Marek with a breath of relief, вАЬthat the authorities will prohibit my Karburator.вАЭ + 

вАЬOh no, they wonвАЩt,вАЭ said G. H. Bondy. вАЬThe Clerical party are making a fearful row about your Karburator, and for that very reason the progressive parties have taken it under their wing. In reality no one knows what itвАЩs all about. ItвАЩs evident that you donвАЩt read the papers, man. ItвАЩs developed into a quite needless attack upon clericalism, and the Church happens to have a little right on its side in this case. That confounded Bishop informed the Cardinal ArchbishopвБ†вАФвАЭ + 

вАЬWhat Bishop?вАЭ + 

вАЬOh, some Bishop by the name of Linda, quite a sensible man in other respects. You see, I took him up there as an expert, to inspect the wonder-working Absolute. His inspection lasted a full three hours, and he spent the whole time in the cellar, andвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

вАЬHe got religion?вАЭ burst out Marek. + 

вАЬNot a bit of it! Perhaps heвАЩs had too long a training with God, or else heвАЩs a more hard-baked atheist than you; I donвАЩt know. But three days later he came to me and told me that from the Catholic standpoint God cannot be brought into the matter, that the Church absolutely rejects and forbids the pantheistic hypothesis as heresy. In short, that this isnвАЩt any legal, duly recognized God, supported by the authority of the Church, and that, as a priest, he must declare it false, perverse, and heretical. He talked very reasonably, did his Reverence.вАЭ + 

вАЬSo he wasnвАЩt conscious of any supernatural manifestations down there?вАЭ + 

вАЬHe underwent them all: illumination, miraculous powers, ecstasy, everything. He doesnвАЩt deny, either, that these things happen there.вАЭ + 

вАЬWell, then, tell me, how does he explain it?вАЭ + 

вАЬHe simply doesnвАЩt. He said that the Church does not explain, but merely prescribes or prohibits. In short, he definitely refused to compromise the Church with any new and untried God. At least, thatвАЩs what I understood him to mean. Do you know that IвАЩve bought that church up on the White Mountain?вАЭ + 

вАЬWhy?вАЭ + 

вАЬItвАЩs the nearest one to B≈Щevnov. It cost me three hundred thousand, man. Both in writing and by word of mouth I offered it to the Absolute down in the cellar to induce it to move over there. ItвАЩs quite a pretty baroque church; and besides, I expressed my readiness to undertake any necessary alterations. And hereвАЩs a queer thing: just a few steps from the church, at No.¬†457, there was a fine case of ecstasy the night before lastвБ†вАФone of our erectors; but in the church itself nothing miraculous happened, nothing whatever. There was even one case right out in Vokovice and two in Ko≈°i≈Щe, while at the Pet≈Щ√≠n wireless station thereвАЩs practically an epidemic of religion. All the wireless operators on duty up there are sending out ecstatic messages of their own accord, a sort of new gospel to the world at large: God coming down again to the earth to ransom it, and so forth. Just imagine the scandal! Now the progressive papers are going for the Post Office, and the furвАЩs fairly flying. TheyвАЩre screaming about Clericalism showing its horns, and rubbish of that kind. Nobody as yet suspects that this has any connection with the Karburator. Marek,вАЭ Bondy added in a whisper, вАЬIвАЩll tell you something, but itвАЩs a dead secret. A week ago it attacked our Minister for War.вАЭ + 

вАЬWhom!вАЭ cried Marek. + 

вАЬHush, quietly. The Minister for War. He вАШsaw the lightвАЩ all of a sudden in his villa at Dejvice. The following morning he assembled the garrison of Prague, talked to them about eternal peace, and exhorted the troops to become martyrs. Of course he had to resign at once. The papers stated that his health had suddenly broken down. And thatвАЩs how matters stand, my friend.вАЭ + 

вАЬIn Dejvice already!вАЭ groaned the engineer. вАЬItвАЩs terrible, Bondy, the way itвАЩs spreading.вАЭ + 

вАЬItвАЩs amazing,вАЭ said Bondy. вАЬThe other day a man shifted his piano from the infected Mixa Street area out to Pankr√°c. In twenty-four hours the whole house was down with it.вАЭ + 

Here the Chairman was interrupted. A servant entered to announce a caller in the person of Bishop Linda. Marek hurriedly rose to take his leave, but Bondy forced him to resume his seat, saying, вАЬJust sit still and say nothing. The BishopвАЩs really a charming man.вАЭ At that moment the Suffragan Bishop Linda came into the room. + 

He was a small, jolly person with gold spectacles and a comical mouth puckered up in clerical fashion in pleasant childish folds. Bondy introduced Marek to him as the owner of the ill-omened cellar at B≈Щevnov. The Bishop rubbed his hands with delight while the wrathful engineer spluttered out something about being вАЬdelighted to have the honour,вАЭ with a dogged expression that said clearly, вАЬConfound you for a canting humbug!вАЭ The Bishop pursed his lips and turned quickly to Bondy. + 

He began briskly, without beating about the bush. вАЬIвАЩve come to you on a very delicate errand. Very delicate indeed,вАЭ he repeated with relish. вАЬWe have been discussing yourвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ ahemвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ your affair in the Consistory. His Eminence, the Archbishop, wishes to settle this regrettable incident with as little publicity as possible. You understand. This objectionable business about the miracles. Oh, IвАЩm sorry. I have no wish to hurt the feelings of MrвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ erвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ the proprietorвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

вАЬPlease go on,вАЭ Marek conceded gruffly. + 

вАЬWell, then, in a word, the whole scandal. His Eminence declares that from the standpoint of both reason and faith there can be nothing more offensive than this godless and blasphemous perversion of the laws of NatureвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

вАЬI beg your pardon!вАЭ Marek broke out disgustedly. вАЬWould you mind leaving the laws of Nature to us? After all, we donвАЩt interfere with your dogmas!вАЭ + 

вАЬYou are mistaken,вАЭ cried the Bishop gaily. вАЬQuite mistaken. Science without dogma is only a heap of doubts. What is worse, your Absolute opposes the laws of the Church. It contradicts the doctrine of the holy sacraments. It does not regard the traditions of the Church. It seriously violates the doctrine of the Trinity. It pays no attention to the apostolic succession. It does not even submit to the rites of exorcism. And so on. In short, it behaves itself in a manner which we must severely discountenance.вАЭ + 

вАЬCome, come,вАЭ suggested Bondy propitiatingly. вАЬUp to the present its behaviour has been veryвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ dignified.вАЭ + 

The Bishop raised his finger warningly. + 

вАЬUp to the present; but we donвАЩt know how it will behave next. Look here, Mr.¬†Bondy,вАЭ he suddenly said in a confidential tone, вАЬit is to your interest that there should be no unpleasantness. To our interest, too. You would like to settle it quickly, like a practical business man. So should we, as the representatives and servants of the Lord. We cannot permit the rise of some new God or possibly a new religion.вАЭ + 

вАЬThank Heaven,вАЭ Mr.¬†Bondy sighed with relief. вАЬI knew we should come to an agreement.вАЭ + 

вАЬSplendid!вАЭ cried the Bishop, his eyes sparkling with happiness through his spectacles. вАЬAn agreement, thatвАЩs the thing. The venerable Consistory decided that in the interests of the Church it would place yourвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ erвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Absolute provisionally under its patronage. It would attempt to bring it into harmony with Catholic doctrine. It would proclaim the premises in B≈Щevnov known as No.¬†1651 a miraculous shrine and place of pilgrimageвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

вАЬOho!вАЭ growled Marek, and leaped to his feet. + 

вАЬPermit me,вАЭ said the Bishop with an imperious motion. вАЬA miraculous shrine and place of pilgrimageвБ†вАФwith certain conditions, of course. The first condition is that on the aforesaid premises the production of the Absolute should be limited to the smallest possible quantity, and that it should be only weak, almost innocuous, very much diluted Absolute, whose manifestations would be less uncontrollable and more irregular, rather as at Lourdes. Otherwise we cannot assume the responsibility.вАЭ + 

вАЬVery well,вАЭ agreed Mr.¬†Bondy. вАЬAnd what else?вАЭ + 

вАЬFurther,вАЭ continued the Bishop, вАЬit is to be manufactured only from coal obtained at Male Svantovice. As you know, there is a miraculous shrine of the Virgin in that district, so that with the aid of this particular coal we might establish at No.¬†1651 B≈Щevnov a centre for the worship of Our Lady.вАЭ + 

вАЬUndoubtedly,вАЭ assented Mr.¬†Bondy. вАЬAnything more?вАЭ + 

вАЬIn the third place, you must bind yourself not to manufacture the Absolute at any other place or time.вАЭ + 

вАЬWhat?вАЭ cried G. H. Bondy, вАЬand our KarburatorsвБ†вАФвАЭ + 

вАЬвБ†вАФWill never come into operation, with the exception of the one at B≈Щevnov, which remains the property of the Holy Church, and will be under her management.вАЭ + 

вАЬNonsense,вАЭ protested G. H. Bondy. вАЬThe Karburators shall be manufactured. In three weeksвАЩ time ten of them will be erected. In the first six months there will be twelve hundred. In the course of a year, ten thousand. Our arrangements have gone as far as that already.вАЭ + 

вАЬAnd I tell you,вАЭ said the Bishop quietly and sweetly, вАЬthat at the end of that year not a single Karburator will be running.вАЭ + 

вАЬWhy not?вАЭ + 

вАЬBecause mankind, whether believers or unbelievers, cannot do with a real and active God. We simply cannot, gentlemen. It is out of the question.вАЭ + 

вАЬAnd I tell you,вАЭ Marek interposed vehemently, вАЬthat the Karburators shall be made. IвАЩm in favour of them myself now. I mean to have them precisely because you donвАЩt want them. In spite of you, my Lord Bishop, in spite of all superstition, in spite of all Rome! And I mean to be the first to cryвАЭвБ†вАФhere the engineer took breath, then burst out with unmelodious enthusiasmвБ†вАФвАЬSuccess to the Perfect Karburator!вАЭ + 

вАЬWe shall see,вАЭ said the Bishop with a sigh. вАЬYou gentlemen will live to be convinced that the venerable Consistory was right. In a yearвАЩs time you will stop the manufacture of the Absolute of your own accord. But, oh, the damage, the devastation it will bring to pass in the meantime! Gentlemen, in the name of Heaven, do not imagine that the Church brings God into the world. The Church merely confines Him and controls Him. And you two unbelievers are loosing Him upon the earth like a flood. The ship of Peter will survive even this deluge; like the Ark of Noah, it will ride out this inundation of the AbsoluteвБ†вАФbut your modern society,вАЭ cried the Bishop with a mighty voice, вАЬthat will pay the price!вАЭ + 