Page:The life of the insects by Čapek brothers.pdf/54

 2nd Engineer. She abides in the law—she is nowhere else.

Tramp. And who gives you your orders?

Chief Engineer. Reason.

2nd Engineer. Law.

Chief Engineer. The interests of the State.

2nd Engineer. That ’s it—that ’s it—

Tramp. I like that—all for the whole, and the whole for all.

Chief Engineer. For its majesty.

2nd Engineer. And against its enemies.

Tramp. What ’s that? Against whom?

Chief Engineer. Against all.

2nd Engineer. We are surrounded by enemies.

Chief Engineer. We defeated the Black Ants—

2nd Engineer. And starved out the Brown—

Chief Engineer. And subjugated the Greys, and only the Yellows are left; we must starve out the Yellows—

2nd Engineer. We must starve them all out.

Tramp. Why?

Chief Engineer. In the interests of the whole.

2nd Engineer. The interests of the whole are the highest.

Chief Engineer. Interests of race—

2nd Engineer. Industrial interests—

Chief Engineer. Colonial interests—

2nd Engineer. World interests—

Chief Engineer. Interests of the world.

2nd Engineer. Yes, yes, that ’s it.

Chief Engineer. All interests are the whole’s.

2nd Engineer. Nobody may have interests but the whole.

Chief Engineer. Interests preserve the whole.

2nd Engineer. And wars nourish it.