would be impossible to bring many cars here, anyway,
and modern tourists love to go everywhere by car. The life
of our people would change if we allowed too many
outsiders on to the island.”
“It’s such a beautiful place,” she said. “Isn’t that a selfish
attitude?”
“The villagers all agree with me. They are happy as they
are.”
“Are they? Living on goat’s cheese and olives, with
occasionally a little fish??
?
“Does the technological society make men any happier?”
he countered coolly.
“I think your attitude is too possessive,” she said.
His eyes flashed across the room at her and she felt oddly
breathless, as though he had touched her. “But I am
possessive,” he said softly. “Any man worth his salt must
be—the desire to possess is the root of love.”
She was angrily aware of a weakness spreading through
her body, a trembling and fluttering of the nerves. “That’s
a very old-fashioned idea,” she said, trying to laugh, but
too conscious of his masculine presence to be able to carry
it off. “Nowadays we believe that to love is to be ready to
let go. People have to be free.”
“Hence divorce?” he said sarcastically. “And the high
abortion rate in your country, not to mention the appalling
tragedies of drug addiction.”
She was grateful when, at that moment, Sam and Pallas
came into the room. Sam was still very pale, but the blue
line around his mouth had vanished, and some of his