Report on Probability A Read Online Free PDF Page A

had never seen it bear a flag.
    To the left of the house, a section of red-brick garden wall had been removed to make room for a garage. This garage was constructed in a style and of materials different from those of the house. Large slabs of asbestos strengthened at intervals formed three of its sides, the front being entirely formed by two doors of a light metal. Small sealed windows were set above the doors at the front and in a similar position at the rear (the rear one being concealed from G’s point of observation), the whole being capped by a corrugated metal roof.
    Thus from G’s post at the table in the café he could observe seven windows belonging to Mr. Mary’s property; equally, he could be observed where he sat from seven windows belonging to Mr. Mary’s property. He saw no movement at any of the windows.
    G. F. Watt now returned through the door bearing the advertisement for a circus. He had disposed of the cleaning machine in the back regions of his premises; he bore a tray which he carried round the counter and placed on top of the red and white squared tablecloth, pronouncing as he did so a tentative opening to a conversation.
    â€œAnother strike in the car factory.”
    â€œThey say the conditions are bad.”
    â€œConditions have been worse.”
    â€œI’m sure you are quite right, that is the price we have to pay for progress—conditions have always been worse. It’s like in the fish shortages.”
    â€œHow do you mean? This is a fine piece of poached haddock.”
    â€œIn a fish shortage, the price of fish goes up.”
    â€œTaste your poached haddock.”
    â€œThe coffee is good.”
    â€œThe haddock?”
    â€œExcellent. Poached to a turn. Are you busy?”
    â€œI haven’t seen Mr. Mary’s wife this morning.”
    â€œPerhaps it’s the strike?”
    â€œHow do you mean?”
    â€œThere’s another strike in the car factory. They say conditions are bad.”
    â€œHow do you mean?”
    â€œMen hanging about the streets. She might not like to go out.”
    â€œI see what you mean.”
    â€œMen hang about in the streets, you know.”
    The two men both cast their gaze into the deserted road. G. F. Watt did not remove his until G had finished the meal; even then, he continued standing exactly where he was, close behind the chair that folded efficiently, so that when G rose to go he pushed the table forward to enable himself to rise. G moved to the door, opened it and went through onto the pavement. He looked up and down the road, found it empty of cars, and crossed it, heading for the brown side gate. The brown side gate was open, as he had left it.
    G went through the gate and made for the wooden bungalow. When he reached it, he put his shoulder to the door of the wooden bungalow and pushed it open. The key lay inside on the floor, on the bare boards between the threshold of the door and the first of the fibre mats with green and orange stripes. G entered the bungalow without picking up the key.
    Domoladossa thought, “We’ll have to decide. It may be possible to communicate with Probability A. We’ll have to decide — I’ll have to decide — whether these people have human responses.”
    He glanced ahead at the report. He wanted to know about the rest of the occupants of the house. What did they do? What was their life about?

4
    As G closed his door behind him, S walked round the west corner of the house, treading on the blocks of concrete that formed the path to the brown side gate and avoiding the cracks between the blocks. He reached the brown side gate, opened it, went through it, and shut it behind him.
    For a while he stood on the edge of the pavement, breathing deeply and looking to his left and to his right. A car passed him, moving slowly with a flat tire, and disappeared down the road towards the white marble cross. S crossed the road.
    He entered the café