Brave New World

"Cost me a fortune by the time I get back." With his mind's eye, Bernard saw theneedle on the scent meter creeping round and round, antlike, indefatigable."Quickly telephone to Helmholtz Watson.""… upwards of five thousand kilometres of fencing at sixty thousand volts.""You don't say so," said Lenina politely, not knowing in the least what the Wardenhad said, but taking her cue from his dramatic pause. When the Warden startedbooming, she had inconspicuously swallowed half a gramme of soma, with the resultthat she could now sit, serenely not listening, thinking of nothing at all, but with herlarge blue eyes fixed on the Warden's face in an expression of rapt attention."To touch the fence is instant death," pronounced the Warden solemnly. "There isno escape from a Savage Reservation."The word "escape" was suggestive. "Perhaps," said Bernard, half rising, "we ought tothink of going." The little black needle was scurrying, an insect, nibbling throughtime, eating into his money."No escape," repeated the Warden, waving him back into his chair; and as thepermit was not yet countersigned Bernard had no choice but to obey. "Those whoare born in the Reservation–and remember, my dear young lady," he added,leering obscenely at Lenina, and speaking in an improper whisper, "remember that,in the Reservation, children still are born, yes, actually born, revolting as that mayseem …" (He hoped that this reference to a shameful subject would make Leninablush; but she only smiled with simulated intelligence and said, "You don't say so!"Disappointed, the Warden began again. ) "Those, I repeat who are born in theReservation are destined to die there."Destined to die … A decilitre of Eau de Cologne every minute. Six litres an hour."Perhaps," Bernard tried again, "we ought …"Leaning forward, the Warden tapped the table with his forefinger. "You ask me howmany people live in the Reservation. And I reply"–triumphantly–"I reply that we donot know. We can only guess.""You don't say so.""My dear young lady, I do say so."Six times twenty-four–no, it would be nearer six times thirty-six. Bernard was paleand trembling with impatience. But inexorably the booming continued."… about sixty thousand Indians and half-breeds … absolute savages … ourinspectors occasionally visit … otherwise, no communication whatever with thecivilized world … still preserve their repulsive habits and customs … marriage, if youknow what that is, my dear young lady; families … no conditioning … monstroussuperstitions … Christianity and totemism and ancestor worship … extinct languages,such as Zuñi and Spanish and Athapascan … pumas, porcupines and other ferociousanimals … infectious diseases … priests … venomous lizards …""You don't say so?"They got away at last. Bernard dashed to the telephone. Quick, quick; but it tookhim nearly three minutes to get on to Helmholtz Watson. "We might be among thesavages already," he complained. "Damned incompetence!""Have a gramme," suggested Lenina.He refused, preferring his anger. And at last, thank Ford, he was through and, yes,it was Helmholtz; Helmholtz, to whom he explained what had happened, and whopromised to go round at once, at once, and turn off the tap, yes, at once, but tookthis opportunity to tell him what the D.H.C. had said, in public, yesterday evening …