There was no doubt whatever that the man was putting this forward as a perfectly serious plan. I evaded a comment on it by repeating myself:
“But the place just can’t support that many.”
“For a few years, undoubtedly, you’ll have to feed them mostly on mashed triffids—there won’t be any shortage of that raw material by the look of it.”
“Cattle food!” I said.
“But sustaining—rich in the important vitamins, I’m told. And beggars—particularly blind beggars—can’t be choosers.”
“You’re seriously suggesting that I should take on all these people and keep them on cattle fodder?”
“Listen, Mr. Masen. If it were not for us, none of these blind people would be alive at all now—nor would their children. It’s up to them to do what we tell them, take what we give them, and be thankful for whatever they get. If they like to refuse what we offer—well, that’s their own funeral.”
I decided it would be unwise to say what I felt about such a philosophy at the moment. I turned to another angle:
“I don’t see——Tell me, just where do you and your Council stand in all this?”
“Supreme authority and legislative power is vested in the Council. It will rule. It will also control the armed forces.”
“Armed forces!” I repeated blankly.
“Certainly. The forces will be raised, as and when necessary, by levies on what you called the seigneuries. In return, you will have the right to call on the Council in cases of attack from outside or unrest within.”
I was beginning to feel a bit winded.
“An army! Surely a small mobile squad of police——”
“I see you haven’t grasped the wider aspect of the situation, Mr. Masen. This affliction we have had was not confined to these islands, you know. It was world-wide. Everywhere there is the same sort of chaos—that must be so, or we should have heard differently by now—and in every country there are probably a few survivors. Now it stands to reason, doesn’t it, that the first country to get on its feet again and put itself in order is also going to be the country to have the chance of bringing order elsewhere? Do you suggest that we should leave it for some other country to do this, and so make itself the new dominant power in Europe—and possibly farther afield? Obviously not. Clearly, it is our national duty to get ourselves back on our feet as soon as possible and assume the dominant status, so that we can prevent dangerous opposition from organizing against us. Therefore, the sooner we can raise a force adequate to discourage any likely aggressors, the better.”
For some moments silence lay on the room. Then Dennis laughed unnaturally:
“Great God almighty! We’ve lived through all this—and now the man proposes to start a war!”
Torrence said shortly:
“I don’t seem to have made myself clear. The word ‘war’ is an unjustifiable exaggeration. It will be simply a matter of pacifying and administering tribes that have reverted to primitive lawlessness.”
“Unless, of course, the same benevolent idea happens to have occurred to them,” Dennis suggested.
I became aware that both Josella and Susan were looking at me very hard. Josella pointed at Susan, and I perceived the reason.
“Let me get this straight,” I said. “You expect the three of us who can see to be entirely responsible for twenty blind adults and an unspecified number of children. It seems to me——”
“Blind people aren’t quite incapable. They can do a lot, including caring for their own children in general and helping to prepare their own food. Properly arranged, a great deal can be reduced to supervision and direction. But it will be two of you, Mr. Masen—yourself and your wife—not three.”