The Unbegotten Read Online Free PDF Page A

load of barren women on the pill. It’s madness.’
    Trust Bob Smith to bring common sense into the discussion, Maddern thought. He himself felt much better now, perhaps a little disappointed in Palfrey, who had lost that impressiveness and become almost meek and tentative.
    â€˜Nicely put,’ he approved. ‘The key words are “no one in his senses”.’ While they waited for him to go on, he smiled, diffidently. ‘Not everyone is in his senses, especially about the pill. I’ve known men of sound common sense and high intelligence get hysterical, both for and against it. Now!’ He squared his shoulders, and there was a change in him, a return of decisiveness. ‘Some questions, please. Has anyone present any theory as to the cause of the barrenness?’ He looked from man to man. ‘Anyone!’ Then in a tone almost of exasperation, he went on, ‘No one with a single idea. Tell me, gentlemen, how many of you have realised the possible significance of this phenomenon?’ When there was no reply, he continued. ‘Do you realise, for instance, how far it could spread?’
    Maddern spoke, very quietly.
    â€˜If it’s infectious or contagious, eventually nationwide. But on the face of it it can’t be infectious or contagious.’
    â€˜Why not?’ demanded Simister, who looked antagonistic.
    â€˜The phenomenon apparently doesn’t apply to neighbouring rural districts,’ answered Maddern. ‘People intermingle a great deal on some of the border areas. If it were contagious or infectious this incidence would not be confined virtually to the Middlecombe Rural boundaries. It would spread in a wider and wider circle. And people who move from the area would be affected, causing many more than three affected places.’ He said all this quite objectively, thinking only slightly ahead of his words, and as he finished he turned to Palfrey. ‘Is this restriction true of the other two childless districts, sir?’
    â€˜Yes,’ answered Palfrey. ‘The area affected seems to be one of the terrain rather than of population.’
    â€˜Then the indications are that it is not infectious or contagious,’ Maddern said. ‘It—’
    That was the moment when he broke off. A thought of such horror struck him that for a moment he felt sick. With the nausea came a moment of dizziness, and Palfrey’s face seemed to shimmer and shake and Palfrey’s eyes grow huge. All of this was over in a flash, and he steadied, but his train of thought was broken. He hoped Palfrey would not ask him to take the question further.
    He sat down.
    Another man was speaking and a dozen others spoke, obviously simply for the sake of talking to Palfrey. At last, the voices stopped and Palfrey said very clearly, ‘Thank you all very much, gentlemen. What we need is the closest possible description of all the pregnancies you have coped with in the past year, particularly of pregnancies which may have been terminated early. We need, in fact, a detailed analysis of the health of women of child-bearing age, so that we can check if there are any similarities or any factors which might help us.’
    Simister spoke, almost sarcastically.
    â€˜But these are women who’ve had their children. We want to know what women have been up to to prevent conception. After all, we may—’
    He broke off abruptly as Maddern had, and sat down. Suddenly, everyone was on the move; as suddenly, a man appeared at the doorway carrying a sheaf of folders, handing one to each doctor. Maddern took one, almost mechanically, and tucked it underneath his arm. As he went out, Dai Rees caught up with him.
    â€˜It’s a remarkable business, isn’t it?’ Rees remarked.
    â€˜Astonishing.’
    â€˜But I can’t understand why Palfrey should come here, can you?’
    â€˜Eh?’
    â€˜I can’t see why Palfrey came down here. He’s normally