Rossum´s Universal Robots Read Online Free PDF Page B

it’s girl who’s asking who’s slightly pretty....
    Domin But of course, Miss Glory, we have no secrets from you.
    Helena ( suddenly serious ) Are you sure about that, Harry?
    Domin No.
    Helena ( again in earlier tone ) But do be careful, sir; this little girl has frightful intentions
    Domin Good heavens, Miss Glory, what could that be? Are you thinking of getting married?
    Helena No, no, God forbid! Not in my wildest dreams! I’ve come here with plans to start a revolution among your horrible robots!
    Domin ( jumping up ) A robot revolution?!
    Helena ( standing ) Harry, what’s wrong?
    Domin Haha, Miss Glory, you’ll never manage that! A robot revolution! You might more easily start a revolution among the nails and bobbins in the spinning mill than among our robots! ( sitting )You were a wonderful girl, you know, Helena, you enchanted all of us.
    Helena ( sitting beside him ) But I felt so daunted by all of you in those days! I felt like a little girl who’d got lost among... among...
    Domin Among what, Helena?
    Helena Among enormous trees. You were so confident, so powerful! And you know, Harry, even after these ten years I’ve never lost that feeling of... that anxiety or something. And did younever have any doubts? Not even when everything was going wrong?
    Domin What was going wrong?
    Helena Your plans, Harry. When there was that uprising against the robots by the workers and they started smashing them, and the robots were given weapons to defend themselves and the robots killed so many people. Or when governments started turning robots into soldiers and there was so much war, and all of that. You know.
    Domin ( stands and walks up and down ) We were expecting that to happen, Helena. Don’t you see, that was just a transitional stage before things would be... different.
    Helena All the world admired you-( standing ) Oh, Harry!
    Domin What do you want?
    Helena ( stops him ) Shut down the factory and let’s go away somewhere. All of us!
    Domin Now what’s that got to do with it?
    Helena I don’t know. How about it, shall we go? There’s something making me feel so uneasy.
    Domin ( takes her hand ) What?
    Helena Oh, I don’t know! It’s as if there’s something about to fall down on us and everything around us, something that can’t be taken off again. Please Harry, let’s do it! Let’s just get away from here, all of us! Let’s find somewhere where there are no people, Alquist can build a house for us, everyone can get married and have children, and then...
    Domin What then?
    Helena Then we can start all over again.
    ( telephone rings )
    Domin ( pulls himself away ) Helena, excuse me. ( picks up receiver ) Hello... yes.... What?.... aha.... I’ll be right there. ( hangs up ) That was Fabry.
    Helena ( wringing hands ) Tell me...
    Domin Yes, as soon as I get back. I’ll see you later. ( rushes out, left )Don’t go outside!
    Helena ( alone ) Oh, my God, what’s happening? Nana, Nana, come quickly!
    Nana ( enters right ) Yes, what is it now?
    Helena Nana, get me the latest papers! Quick! They’re in the master’s bedroom!
    Nana Alrigh’. ( exit left )
    Helena What’s going on, for God’s sake? Nothing, they never tell me anything! ( takes binoculars and looks at harbour ) That’s a warship! My God, what’s a warship doing there? And what’s that they’re loading onto it, and in such a hurry? What’s happened? That name on it;’Ul-ti-mus-‘What’s that supposed to mean-‘Ultimus’?
    Nana ( returns with papers ) Lying about all over the show, they were, all crumpled and screwed up.
    Helena ( hurriedly opens papers ) They’re old, these are already a week old! Nothing, they’ve got nothing in them. ( drops paper )
    ( Nana picks up paper, takes horn-rimmed glasses from apron, sits down and reads )
    Helena There’s something going on, Nana! I’m so worried! It’s as if everything were dead, even the air...
    Nana ( syllable by syllable ) “War in the