XVI + 

In the Mountains + 

It was noon at the Hut in Bear Valley. Rudolf Marek sat curled up on the veranda; he looked at a newspaper, but he soon folded it up again, and gazed out over the far-stretching chain of the Giant Mountains. Stillness, a vast and crystalline stillness, lay upon the mountains, and the man curled up in the chair straightened himself and took a deep breath. + 

Then the tiny figure of a man appeared from below, making towards the Hut. + 

вАЬHow pure the air is here!вАЭ thought Marek on his veranda. вАЬHere, Heaven be praised, the Absolute is still latent, it still lies under a spell, hidden in everything, in these mountains and forests, in the sweet grass and the blue sky. Here it does not rush about all over the place, waking terror or working magic; it simply dwells in all matter, a God deeply and quietly present, not even breathing, only in silence watching over allвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ Marek clasped his hands in a mute prayer of thankfulness. вАЬDear God, how pure the air is here!вАЭ + 

The man who had come up from below stopped under the veranda. + 

вАЬWell, Marek, so IвАЩve found you at last!вАЭ + 

Marek looked up, not greatly pleased. The man who stood before him was G. H. Bondy. + 

вАЬSo IвАЩve found you at last!вАЭ Bondy said again. + 

вАЬCome along up, then,вАЭ said Marek, with obvious reluctance. вАЬWhat the deuce has brought you here? Heavens, man, you do look queer!вАЭ + 

G. H. Bondy did indeed look sunken and yellow; he had gone very grey about the temples, and lines of weariness made dark shadows around his eyes. He seated himself without a word beside Marek and squeezed his hands together between his knees. + 

вАЬCome now, whatвАЩs wrong with you?вАЭ Marek pressed him after a painful silence. + 

Bondy raised his arms. + 

вАЬIвАЩm going to retire, old man. You see, itвАЩs got me tooвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ me!вАЭ + 

вАЬWhat, religion?вАЭ shouted Marek, recoiling as though from a leper. + 

Bondy nodded. Was it not a tear of shame that trembled on his lashes? Marek whistled softly. вАЬWhatвБ†вАФitвАЩs got you now? My poor old fellow!вАЭ + 

вАЬNo,вАЭ cried Bondy quickly, wiping his eyes. вАЬDonвАЩt think IвАЩm not all right at present; IвАЩve got it under, you might say, Rudy, IвАЩve beaten it. But, do you know, when it came over me, it was the very happiest moment of my life. You have no idea, Rudy, what tremendous willpower it takes to shake that off.вАЭ + 

вАЬI can well believe it,вАЭ said Marek gravely. вАЬAnd tell me, what sort ofвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ erвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ symptoms did you have?вАЭ + 

вАЬLove for my neighbour,вАЭ Bondy whispered. вАЬMan, I was frantic with love. I would never have believed it possible to feel anything like it.вАЭ + 

There was silence for a moment. + 

вАЬSo, then, youвАЩveвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ Marek began. + 

вАЬIвАЩve thrown it off. Rather like a fox that gnaws its own leg off when itвАЩs caught in a trap. But IвАЩm still confoundedly weak after the struggle. An utter wreck, Rudy. As if IвАЩd had typhoid. ThatвАЩs why IвАЩve come here, to pick up again, you seeвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Is it all clear up here?вАЭ + 

вАЬQuite clear; not a single trace of it so far. You can only sense itвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ in Nature and everything; but then one could do that beforeвБ†вАФone always could, in the mountains.вАЭ + 

Bondy kept a gloomy silence. вАЬWell, and what do you make of it all?вАЭ he said absently, after a while. вАЬHave you any notion up here of whatвАЩs going on down below there?вАЭ + 

вАЬI get the papers. Even from the papers one can to a certain extent deduce what is happening. Of course these journalists distort everything; still, anyone who can readвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ I say, Bondy, are things really so awful?вАЭ + 

G. H. Bondy shook his head. + 

вАЬA lot worse than you think. Simply desperate. Listen,вАЭ he whispered brokenly. вАЬHeвАЩs everywhere by now. I think thatвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ that HeвАЩs got a definite plan.вАЭ + 

вАЬA plan?вАЭ cried Marek, leaping to his feet. + 

вАЬDonвАЩt shout so. He has some kind of plan, my friend. And HeвАЩs going about it deuced cleverly. Tell me, Marek, what is the greatest power in the world?вАЭ + 

вАЬEngland,вАЭ said Marek without hesitation. + 

вАЬNot at all. Industry is the greatest power in the world. And the so-called вАШproletariatвАЩ are likewise the greatest power in the world. Do you see the scheme now?вАЭ + 

вАЬNo, I donвАЩt see it at all.вАЭ + 

вАЬHe has got control of them both. He has both industry and the masses in His power. So everything is in His grasp. Everything goes to show that He is thinking of world-supremacy. ThatвАЩs how things are, Marek.вАЭ + 

Marek sat down. вАЬWait a bit, Bondy,вАЭ he said. вАЬIвАЩve been thinking a good deal about it up here in the mountains. IвАЩve been following up everything and comparing the signs. I tell you, Bondy, I donвАЩt even give a thought to anything else. I certainly donвАЩt know what He is aiming at, but I do know this, Bondy, that HeвАЩs following no particular plan. He doesnвАЩt know Himself what He wants and how to get it. Possibly He wants to do something big, but doesnвАЩt know how to set about it. IвАЩll tell you something, Bondy. So far HeвАЩs only a force of Nature. Politically, HeвАЩs a fearful ignoramus. In the matter of economics HeвАЩs a simple savage. After all, He ought to have submitted to the Church; she has had experienceвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ You know, He sometimes strikes me as being so childishвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

вАЬDonвАЩt you believe it, Rudy,вАЭ G. H. Bondy returned heavily. вАЬHe knows what He wants. ThatвАЩs why He plunged into large-scale industry. He is far more up to date than we ever thought.вАЭ + 

вАЬThat is only His play,вАЭ urged Marek. вАЬHe only wants something to occupy Himself with. DonвАЩt you see, thereвАЩs a sort of godlike boyishness about it. Wait, I know what you want to say. As a worker He is tremendous. It is simply amazing what He can bring off. But, Bondy, it is so senseless that there canвАЩt be any plan in it.вАЭ + 

вАЬThe most senseless things in history were systematically prosecuted plans,вАЭ declared G. H. Bondy. + 

вАЬMy dear Bondy,вАЭ said Marek quickly. вАЬLook at all the papers I have here. I follow up every step He takes. I tell you that there isnвАЩt a scrap of consistency about them. TheyвАЩre all merely the improvisations of omnipotence. He performs tremendous tricks, but at random, disconnectedly, confusedly. His activity isnвАЩt organized a scrap. He came into the world altogether too unprepared. ThatвАЩs where His weakness lies. He impresses me, but I see His weak points. He is not a good organizer, and perhaps never has been. He has flashes of genius, but He is unsystematic. IвАЩm surprised that you havenвАЩt got the better of Him, Bondy, a wideawake fellow like you.вАЭ + 

вАЬYou canвАЩt do anything with Him,вАЭ Bondy asserted. вАЬHe attacks you in your innermost soul, and youвАЩre done for. When He canвАЩt convince you by reason, He sends miraculous enlightenment upon you. You know what He did with Saul.вАЭ + 

вАЬYou are running away from Him,вАЭ said Marek, вАЬbut I am running after Him, and IвАЩm close at His heels. I know a bit about Him already, enough to get out a warrant for Him! Description: infinite, invisible, and formless. Place of residence: everywhere in the vicinity of atomic motors. Occupation: mystical Communism. Crimes for which He is wanted: alienation of private property, illegal practice of medicine, offences against the Public Assemblies Act, interference with officials in the execution of their duty, and so forth. Distinguishing marks: omnipotence. In short, have Him arrested.вАЭ + 

вАЬYouвАЩre making fun of it,вАЭ sighed G. H. Bondy. вАЬDonвАЩt do it. He has beaten us.вАЭ + 

вАЬNot yet!вАЭ cried Marek. вАЬLook here, Bondy. He doesnвАЩt know how to govern yet. He has got into a fearful muddle with His new undertakings. For instance, He has gone in for overproduction instead of first building up a miraculous railway system. Now HeвАЩs in the mire HimselfвБ†вАФwhat He produces has no value. That miraculous profusion of everything was a fearful fiasco. In the second place, He turned the brains of the authorities with His mysticism and upset the whole machinery of Government, which otherwise He could now be using to maintain order. You can make revolutions anywhere else you like, but not in the Government offices; even if the worldвАЩs to be brought to an end, the thing to do is to destroy the universe first and take the Government offices afterwards. ThatвАЩs how it is, Bondy. And in the third place, like the crudest of doctrinaire Communists, He has done away with the currency and thereby with one stroke paralysed the circulation of commodities. He did not know that the laws of the market are stronger than the laws of God. He did not know that production without trade is utterly senseless. He knew nothing whatever. He behaved likeвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ like aвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ well, to put it shortly, as if He would destroy with one hand what He made with the other. Here we have miraculous profusion, and along with it disastrous shortage. He is all-powerful, yet HeвАЩs achieved only chaos. I believe that He once did really create the laws of Nature, the primordial lizards, the mountains, and anything else you like. But business, Bondy, our modern industry and commerce, that I swear He did not create, for He simply doesnвАЩt know a thing about it. No, Bondy, industry and commerce are not of God.вАЭ + 

вАЬHold on,вАЭ said G. H. Bondy. вАЬI know that the consequences of His acts are calamitousвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ immeasurableвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ But what can we do about it?вАЭ + 

вАЬFor the time being, nothing. My dear Bondy, I just study and compare. It is a second Babel. Here, for instance, you have the Roman Catholic publications expressing the suspicion that вАШthe confusions of these times of religious excitement are being deliberately organized with Satanic subtlety by the Freemasons.вАЩ The Nationalist Press blames the Jews, the Socialists of the Right blame those of the Left, the Agrarian party attacks the Liberals; itвАЩs killing. And mind you, weвАЩre not really in the whirlpool yet. In my opinion, the whole thing is only just beginning to get into a tangle. Come here, Bondy, I want to tell you something.вАЭ + 

вАЬWell?вАЭ + 

вАЬDo you think that HeвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ you know what I meanвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ that HeвАЩs the only one there is?вАЭ + 

вАЬI donвАЩt know,вАЭ replied Bondy. вАЬAnd is it of any special importance?вАЭ + 

вАЬImmense importance,вАЭ Marek answered. вАЬCome closer, Bondy, and prick up your ears.вАЭ + 