A World We Live In - Unit3

UNIT III

Modern World

BILLENIUM

James G. Ballard

J.G.Ballard was born in 1930 in Shanghai, China, where his father was a businessman. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ballard and his family were placed in a civilian prison camp. They returned to England in 1946. After two years at Cambridge, where he read medicine, Ballard worked as a copywriter and Covent Garden porter before going to Canada with the RAF.

In 1956 his first short story was published in "New Worlds" and he took a full-time job on a technical journal , moving on to become assistant editor of a scientific journal, where he stayed until 1961. His first novel, "The Drowned World", was written in the same year. His semi-autobiographical novel, "Empire of the Sun", won the 1984 Guardian Fiction Prize and James Tait Black Award, and was filmed by Steven Spielberg. He is currently at work on its successor.

All day long, and often into the early hours of the morning, the tramp of feet sounded up and down the stairs outside Ward's cubicle. Built into a narrow alcove in a bend of the staircase between the fourth and the fifth floors its plywood walls flexed and creaked with every footstep like the timbers of a rotting windmill. Over a hundred people lived in the top three floors of the old rooming house, and sometimes Ward would lie awake on his narrow bunk until 2 or 3 a.m., mechanically counting the last residents returning from the all-night movies in the stadium half a mile away. Through the window he could hear giant fragments of the amplified dialogue booming among the rooftops. The stadium was never empty. During the day the huge four-sided screen was raised on its davits and athletics meetings or football matches ran continuously. For the people in the houses abutting the stadium the noise must have been unbearable.

Ward, at least, had a certain degree of privacy. Two months earlier, before he came to live on the staircase, he had shared a room with seven others on the ground floor of a house in 755th Street, and the ceaseless press of people jostling past the window had reduced him to a state of exhaustion. The street was always full, an endless clamour of voices and shuffling feet. By 6.30, when he woke, hurrying to take his place in the bathroom queue, the crowds already jammed it from sidewalk to sidewalk, the din punctuated every half minute by the roar of the elevated trains running over the shops on the opposite side of the road. As soon as he saw the advertisement describing the staircase cubicle he had left (like everyone else, he spent most of his spare time scanning the classifieds in the newspapers, moving his lodgings an average of once every two months ) despite the higher rental. A cubicle on a staircase would almost certainly be on its own.

However, this had its drawbacks. Most evenings his friends from library would call in, eager to rest their elbows after the bruising crush of the public reading room. The cubicle was slightly more than four and a half square metres in floor area, half a square metre over the statutory maximum for a single person, the carpenters having taken advantage, illegally, of a recess beside a nearby chimney breast. Consequently Ward had been able to fit a small straight-backed chair into the interval between the bed and the door, so that only one person at a time needed to sit on the bed - in most single conversing over their shoulders and changing places periodically to avoid neck-strain.

"You were lucky to find this place," Rossiter, the most regular visitor, never tired of telling him. He reclined back on the bed, gesturing at the cubicle. "It's enormous, the perspectives really zoom. I'd be surprised if you haven't got at least five metres here, perhaps six."

Ward shook his head categorically. Rossiter was his closest friend, but the quest for living space had forged powerful reflexes. "Just over four and a half, I've measured it carefully. There's no doubt about it."

Rossiter lifted one eyebrow. "I'm amazed. It must be the ceiling then."

Manipulating the ceiling was a favourite trick of unscrupulous landlords - most assessments of area were made upon the ceiling, out of convenience, and by tilting back the plywood partitions the rated area of a cubicle could be either increased, for the benefit of a prospective tenant (many married couples were thus bamboozled into taking a single cubicle), or decreased temporarily on the visits of the housing inspectors. Ceilings were crisscrossed with pencil marks staking out the rival claims of tenants on opposite sides of a party wall. Someone timid of his rights could be literally squeezed out of existence - in fact, the advertisement "quiet clientele" was usually a tacit invitation to this sort of piracy.

"The wall does tilt a little," Ward admitted. "Actually it's about four degrees out - I used a plumb-line. But there's still plenty of room on the stairs for people to get by."

Rossiter grinned. "Of course, John. I'm just envious, that's all. My room is driving me crazy." Like everyone, he used the term "room" to describe his tiny cubicle, a hangover from the days fifty years earlier when people had indeed lived one to a room, sometimes, unbelievably, one to an apartment or house. The microfilms in the architecture catalogues at the library showed scenes of museums, concert halls and other public buildings in what appeared to be everyday settings, often virtually empty, two or three people wandering down an enormous gallery or staircase. Traffic moved freely along the centre of streets and in the quieter districts sections of sidewalk would be deserted for fifty yards or more.

Now, of course, the older buildings had been torn down and replaced by housing batteries, or converted into apartment blocks. The great banqueting room in the former City Hall had been split horizontally into four decks, each of these cut up into hundreds of cubicles.

As for the streets, traffic had long since ceased to move about them. Apart from a few hours before dawn when only the sidewalks were crowded, every thoroughfare was always packed with a shuffling mob of pedestrians, perforce ignoring the countless "Keep Left" signs suspended over their heads, wrestling past each other on their way to home and office, their clothes dusty and shapeless. Often "locks" would occur when a huge crowd at a street junction became immovably jammed. Sometimes these locks would last for days. Two years earlier Ward had been caught in one outside the stadium, and for over forty-eight hours was trapped in a gigantic pedestrian jam containing over 20 000 people, fed by the crowds leaving the stadium on one side and those approaching it on the other. An entire square mile of the local neighbourhood had been paralysed and he vividly remembered the nightmare of swaying helplessly on his feet as the jam shifted and heaved, terrified of losing his balance and being trampled underfoot. When the police had finally sealed off the stadium and dispersed the jam he had gone back to his cubicle and slept for a week, his body blue with bruises.

"I hear they may reduce the allocation to three and a half metres," Rossiter remarked. Ward paused to allow a party of tenants from the sixth floor to pass down the staircase,

holding the door to prevent it jumping off its latch. "So they're always saying," he commented. "I can remember that rumour ten years ago."

"It's no rumour," Rossiter warned him. "It may well be necessary soon. Thirty million people are packed into this city now, a million increase in just one year. There's been some

pretty serious talk at the Housing Department."

Ward looked at his watch. It was 7:30. "Time to eat. Let's see if we can get into the food-bar across the road."

Grumbling at the prospect, Rossiter pulled himself off the bed. They left the cubicle and made their way down the staircase. This was crammed with luggage and packing cases so that only a narrow interval remained around the banister. On the floors below the congestion was worse. Corridors were wide enough to be chopped up into single cubicles, and the air was stale and dead, cardboard walls hung with damp laundry and makeshift larders. Each of the five rooms on the floors contained a dozen tenants, their voices reverberating through the partitions.

They stepped out into the pedestrian stream, carried along by it for ten or twenty yards, then quickened their pace and sidestepped through the crowd, slowly tacking across to the other side of the road. There they found the shelter of the shop-fronts, slowly worked their way back to the food-bar, shoulders braced against the countless minor collisions.

"What are the latest population estimates?" Ward asked as they circled a cigarette kiosk, stepping forward whenever a gap presented itself.

Rossiter smiled. "Sorry, John, I'd like to tell you but you might start a stampede. Besides, you wouldn't believe me."

Rossiter worked in the Insurance Department at the City Hall, the informal access to the census statistics. For the last ten years these had been classified information, partly because they were felt to be inaccurate, but chiefly because it was feared they might set off a mass attack of claustrophobia. Minor outbreaks had taken place already, and the official line was that world population had reached a plateau, levelling off at 20 000 million. No one believed this for a moment, and Ward assumed that the 3 per cent annual increase maintained since the 1960's was continuing.

How long it could continue was impossible to estimate. Despite the gloomiest prophecies of the Neo-Malthusians, world agriculture had managed to keep pace with the population growth, although intensive cultivation meant that 95 per cent of the population was permanently trapped in vast urban conurbations. The outward growth of cities had at last been checked; in fact, all over the world former suburban areas were being reclaimed for agriculture and population additions were confined within the existing urban ghettos. The countryside, as such, no longer existed. Every single square foot of ground sprouted a crop of one type or other. The one-time fields and meadows of the world were now, in effect, factory floors, as highly mechanized and closed to the public as any industrial area. Economic and ideological rivalries had long since faded before one over-riding quest - the internal colonization of the city.

Reaching the food-bar, they pushed themselves into the entrance and joined the scrum of customers pressing six deep against the counter.

"What is really wrong with the population problem," Ward confided to Rossiter, "is that no one has ever tried to tackle it. Fifty years ago short-sighted nationalism and industrial expansion put a premium on rising population curve, and ever now the hidden incentive is to have a large family so that you can gain a little privacy. Single people are penalized simply because there are more of them and they don't fit neatly with its compact, space-saving logistic that is the real villain."

Rossiter nodded, edging nearer the counter, ready to shout his order. "Too true. We all look forward to getting married just so that we can have our six square metres."

COMMENTARY

1.Billenium - the name of the story by J. Ballard made of billion and millenium.

2.Classifieds - classified advertisements, classified ads.

3.Claustrophobia - morbid fear of confined places (e.g. a lift, cave or coal mine).

4.Plateau - expanse of level land high above sea-level.

5. Neo-Malthusians - new supporters of the principles of T. R. Malthus , 1834-1976, English economist who declared that the growth of the worlds population would, unless checked, lead to a world shortage food.

6.Urban conurbation - an urban region including adjacent towns; a group of towns that have grown and joined together.

7.Urban ghetto - a part of a city where many people of the same race, religion, etc.

live.

to be amazed (at), to be blue with bruises, to be crammed with, to be deserted, to be timid of one's rights, closest friend, to converse over one's shoulder, to convert smth into smth, to change places, to disperse the jam, to drive smb crazy, to find a shelter, for the benefit of smb, to keep pace with the population, to lie awake, a state of exhaustion

Exercises to the Text

I. Think over the questions and give detailed answers:

1.Does the story relate of the present day events ?

2.What proves that the story belongs to science fiction ?

3.How many people lived in the top three floors of the old rooming house ?

4.What did the cubicle look like ?

5.Could you imagine yourself in such a cubicle ? What would you feel ?

6.Why was the stadium never empty ? What did the people do there ?

7.Why did the people come to live on the staircase ?

8.Who did they call lucky ? What did it mean to be lucky ?

9.What was the statistics ? How long could it continue ?

10.What was really wrong with the population problem ?

11.Who could gain a little privacy ?

12.How did Ward manage to have a certain degree of privacy ?

13.Why did all look forward to getting married ?

14.What was a favourite trick of unscrupulous landlords ?

15.What would happen in the streets ? What would occur when a huge crowd at a street junction became immovably jammed ?

16.What caused some serious talk at the Housing Department ?

17.Where did the friends go to have a snack ?

18.What significance does the author attach to the notion "privacy" ?

19.What problems does the author raise in the story ?

20.Does the development of mankind, civilization always lead to progress ?

21.Do the results of the present day progress turn out to be positive ?

22.What made the author write the story "BILLENIUM" ?

II. Arrange the following statements in their logical order. Explain and expand on

them.

1.The Stadium was never empty.

2.Ward, at least, had a certain degree of privacy.

3.Over a hundred people lived in the top three floors of the old rooming house.

4.The cubicle was slightly more than four and a half square metres in floor area.

5.The street was always full, an endless clamour of voices and shuffling feet.

6.Now of course, the older buildings had been torn down and replaced by housing batteries, or converted into apartment blocks.

7.As for the streets, traffic had long since ceased to move about them.

8.Manipulating the ceiling was a favourite trick of unscrupulous landlords.

9.How long it could continue was impossible to estimate.

10.They stepped out into the pedestrian stream.

III. Retell the story

a)from the point of view of Ward; Rossiter;

b)in the form of a dialogue between Ward and Rossiter;

c)as one of the possible hypothesis of the world development;

d)as if you were recalling your nightmare.

Vocabulary Exercises

I. Write out from the story words and word-combinations referring to homes and streets so as to use them in the description of the blocks of flats and the apartments (cubicles) the people lived in.

II. Give words with the opposite meaning to the following words from the story. Classify them according to the principles of word-formation:

increase, illegally, enormous, regular, unbearable, timid, unbelievably, to cease, immovably, shapeless, helplessly, minimum, inaccurate, internal, to quicken, ceaseless.

III. Give Russian equivalents for the following:

drawbacks, to disperse the jam, crammed with luggage, narrow alcove, the timber of a rotting windmill, the bathroom queue, the staircase cubicle, to squeeze, a small straight-backed chair, jostle, food-bar, to keep pace with the population, to rest one's elbows, to recline back on the bed, unscrupulous landlords, for the benefit, architecture catalogues, census statistics, internal colonization, merely for.

IV. Give English equivalents for the following:

ранние часы утра, уединение, жить в одной комнате, нескончаемый шум голосов, робкий, молчаливое приглашение, завистливый, свободно ( без помех) передвигаться, перед рассветом, пробки ( заторы ), парализованный, напичканный, соперничество, соревнование, индустриальный район, близорукий, наказывать, штрафовать, шесть квадратных метров, боязнь замкнутого пространства.

V. Give the definition of the following verbs, using an English-English dictionary.

a) What kind of noise do the verbs express ?

to sound, to creak, to zoom, to shuffle, to roar, to boom.

b) Put the correct verb in the right form into the following sentences: 1. . . . your horn to warn the other driver.

2. The football crowd . . .

3. The floorboards in the old house . . . noisily. 4. The foghorn . . . out its warning.

5. Jack went . . . past in his new car. 6. The old lady . . . across the room.

7. His jokes made us all . . . with laughter. 8. He walked along . . . his feet.

9. The tax system is . . . under its increasingly heavy workload. 10. The guns . . .

VI. Paraphrase the marked sections of the following sentences:

1.The circumstances and people made him change his beliefs and become a catholic.

2.They had to be married in strict secrecy.

3.The lift stopped on every floor of the building that soon I felt that I was pressed on from all sides.

4.As evening came the coastline went slowly out of view into darkness.

5.The girl was so excited that she damaged her dress on a nail, by pulling it sharply.

6.When he managed to get what he needed he usually smiled broadly expressing foolish satisfaction.

7.When the friends gathered they used to speak of those days when they were young and had everything in common.

8.There was nothing to do and soon we were pushed roughly by the crowd.

9.A fallen tree soon decays.

10.The inhabitants knew that the hosts were not guided by conscience.

11.When the police interfered the crown scattered.

12.We should confess that our difficulties are becoming greater and greater.

13.Through the window one might see that it began to rain and people waiting for

their bus rushed to the cafй on the opposite side of the road, being sure that there they would be given protection.

14.No people were seen in the streets at the hour, perhaps because bandits were in the

districts.

15.The only disadvantage of the plan is that it costs too much.

16.The government must deal with the problem of rising unemployment.

VII. Fill in the prepositions or adverbs where necessary:

a) People were sitting ... the steps ... the second floor, using the staircase as an informal lounge, although this was ... the fire regulations, women talking ... the men queueing ... their shirtsleeves ... the washroom, children diving ... them. ... the time they reached the entrance Ward and Rossiter were having to force their way ... the tenants packed together ... every landing, loitering ... the notice boards or pushing ... ... the streets ... .

Taking a breath ... the top ... the steps, Ward pointed ... the food-bar ... the other side ...

the road. It was only thirty yards away, but the throng moving ... the street swept ... like a river ... full tide, crossing them ... right ... left. The first picture show ... the stadium started ...

9 o'clock, and people were setting ... already to make sure ... getting ... .

(J. G. Ballard “Billenium”) b) 1. Soon the restaurant was torn ... and replaced ... a hardware store.

2.This new equipment gives access ... the new informational systems.

3.Grumbling ... the necessity to leave him home in stormy weather he put ... his raincoat, took his umbrella and made his way ... the stairs.

4.If you want to be a success you should try to keep pace ... the group.

5.The room was crammed ... the participants of the meeting so one could converse ...

his shoulder.

6.... the windows of the room we heard very strange sounds and we could not say what

it was.

7.Finally she managed to fit a small table ... the interval ... the armchair and the sofa.

8.They may reduce the salary ... a minimum.

9.He pulled himself ... the bed and went ... the bathroom to take a shower. The day promised to be very hectic.

10.If you are timid ... your rights you’ll never be the winner.

VIII. Fill in the articles where necessary and be prepared to explain their usage: Ward nodded. Rossiter was right . In ... morning, when he set off for ... library, ...

pedestrian traffic was moving with him towards ... down-town offices; in ... evening, when he came back, it was flowing in ... opposite direction. By and large he never altered his routine. Brought up from ... age of ten in ... municipal hostel, he had gradually lost touch with his father and mother, who lived on ... east side of ... city and had been unable, or unwilling, to make ... journey to see him. Having surrendered his initiative to ... dynamics of ... city he was reluctant to try to win it back merely for ... better cup of coffee. Fortunately his job at ...

library brought him into contact with ... wide range of young people of similar interests. Sooner or later he would marry, find ... double cubicle near ... library and settle down. If they had enough children ( three was required minimum ) they might even one day own ... small room of their own.

( J.G.Ballard "Billenium" )

IX. Write out from the story “Billenium” all sentences with the construction “would + inf”, denoting repeated actions in the past. Account for their active use in the story and give a synonymous construction. Translate the sentences into Russian and make up your own sentences of the same type.

X. Translate into English with particular care for the marked words and phrases.

1.Полка прогнулась под тяжестью книг.

2.Смеркалось. День угасал.

3.На окне висели выцветшие занавески.

4.Он ухмылялся во весь рот.

5.Люди толпились на площади.

6.Он увеличил скорость и помчался вперед.

7.Я надеюсь, что здесь никто не нарушит моего уединения.

8.Он делит со мной и горе и радость.

9.Привычным движением она выдавила крем из тюбика и начала накладывать

грим.

10.Зубной врач выкроил для меня время утром.

11.Одна из страниц в книге была немного надорвана.

12.Здание снесли два года назад.

13.К сожалению дерево сгнило. А жаль. Оно - свидетель истории.

14.В рисунке нарушена перспектива.

15.Путники укрылись от дождя под деревьями.

16.Он очень удивился увидев нас.

17.В тот вечер с трудом удалось рассеять пробку.

18.У него нервное истощение.

19.Он наклонился, чтобы сказать ей несколько слов.

20.После отпуска я вновь прибавила в весе.

Discussion Exercises

HOMES IN BRITAIN

Nick Mclver

I. Before you read the article, look at the various types of house below and match each with its correct description.

1)cottage

2)semi-detached house

3)terraced house

4)bungalow

5)council house

6)detached house

a)a house in a row of houses which are all joined together

b)a house which stands alone and is not joined to any other

c)a house which is joined to another on one side only

d)house which is rented from a local authority

e)a small house in the country, usually with a garden

f)a house which has only one floor ( storey )

A Few Facts

Most people obtain their home in one of three ways. The majority, about two-thirds, buy their own houses or flats. About 10 per cent of the population live in flats or houses which they rent privately from another person or organisation. The majority of the remaining 25 per cent live in accommodation that is owned by, and rented from, their local council. Council houses ( or flats ), as these are called, are available to everyone, but in many areas there are long waiting lists, and the homes go to the most needy people. In the past few years it has become possible for council house tenants to buy their property from the local authority at a fairly cheap price - this is determined by taking into account how much rent the person has paid to the council over the years.

Homes in Britain are relatively expensive, although prices vary from area to area. They are most expensive in the London area and cheapest in northern England, parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Buying a Home

There are two types of organisation which are central to the buying of houses and flats. The first is the estate agent. An estate agency is, essentially, a shop which arranges for

the sale of homes.

Let us imagine that Mr and Mrs Smith want to sell their house. First, they ask one or

more local estate agents to visit the house and tell them how much they should be able to sell it for. They will also want to know how much the agent will charge for his services ( usually between 1% and 2% of the selling price ). If the Smiths are happy with his proposals, the agent will publish details of the house in the local or even national newspapers. The leaflet will describe the house in detail, describing the position, number and sizes of its rooms, the garden and so on.

Mr and Mrs Smith then wait for prospective buyers to arrive.

Imagine that Mr and Mrs Johnson want to buy a house in the same area. They go to the estate agency and inspect the details of the houses on offer. If they are attracted by the description of the Smiths' house, they will visit the property to look at it. If they are still interested after seeing the house they may make an offer to the Smiths via the estate agent. Often the offer will be slightly less than the official "asking" price. If the Smiths agree, the house can be sold.

But the Johnsons probably do not have enough money to pay for the house immediately, so what do they do? They go to the second type of institution involved in house buying and selling - the building society.

A building society's main function is to lend people like the Johnsons enough money to buy a house. Banks also offer a similar service.

Building societies make their money by borrowing money from some members of the public - their "depositors" - and lending it to others. Many British people have building society savings accounts. They save their money with a building society, which pays them interest. The society then lends this money to people who want to buy a house or flat and charges them a higher interest rate on the amount borrowed. This long-term loan is called a "mortgage" /pronounced "morgidge"/.

So Mr and Mrs Johnson go to a local building society where they will be asked a number of questions - what type of jobs do they have? How much do they earn? What are their monthly expenses? And so on. The society will also inspect the house to see if it is worth the money they are being asked to lend. All being well, it will offer to lend the Johnsons up to about 90 per cent of the price of the house, to be paid back with interest over 25 years, or sometimes less. When all is agreed and the papers signed, the money is paid to the Smiths or to their legal representative - usually a solicitor - and the Johnsons can move in.

Over the 25 years, the Johnsons, because of the interest on the loan, will pay far more than the original price of the house - but since they are paying it in fairly small sums once a month they are, at least, able to afford it.

The Language of Estate Agents

It is a running joke in Britain that the more disreputable estate agents will always try to make the houses they are trying to sell sound much more desirable than they really are. An estate agent would never write: "This is a horrible little house in very poor condition. The trains go past every 10 minutes and shake the walls." The back garden is laughably small. This is why it is so cheap. "Instead he would say: "This compact residence is ideally priced for the first-time buyer. Although in need of some renovation, it has some highly attractive features, including a small patio/garden to the rear. It is very convenient for the railway station."

What do you think the following extracts from estate agents' descriptions really mean? 1 Planning permission has been granted for the addition of a bathroom.

2 The rooms have been decorated to the taste of the present owner. 3 The cottage has particularly charming historical character.

II. Compare the following descriptions of the houses and apartments and say what

century and style in architecture they belong to. How do they characterise their inhabitants and their mode of life? What kind of a dwelling would you prefer? Justify your choice.

I. The plans were spread on the oak table in the architect's room; and pale, imperturbable, inquiring Soames bent over them for a long time without speaking.

A rectangular house of two storeys was designed in a quadrangle round a covered-in count. This count, encircled by a gallery on the upper floor, was roofed with a glass roof, supported by eight columns running up from the ground.

It was indeed to Forsyte eyes, an odd house.

"The principle of this house," said the architect, "was that you should have room to breathe - like a gentleman!"

"I've tried to plan a house with some self-respect of its own. If you don't like it, you'd better say so. It's certainly the last thing to be considered - who wants self-respect in a house, when you can squeeze in an extra lavatory?" He put his finger suddenly down on the left division of the centre oblong: "You can swing a cat here. This is for your pictures, divided from this court by curtains; draw them back and you'll have a space of fifty-one by twenty-three six. This double-faced stove in the centre, here, looks one way towards the court, one way towards the picture room; this end wall is all window; you've a south-east light from that, a north light from the court. The rest of your pictures you can hang round the gallery upstairs, or in the other rooms. In architecture, "he went on -" as in life, you'll get on self-respect without regularity. Fellows tell you that's old-fashioned. It appears to be peculiar any way; it never occurs to us to embody the main principle of life in our buildings; we load our houses with decoration, gimcracks, corners, anything to distract the eye. On the contrary the eye should rest; get your effects with a few strong lines. The whole thing is regularity - there's no self-respect without it."

( J.Galsworthy, "The Forsyte Saga") pp 110-111.

* * *

I am always drawn back to places and their neighborhoods. For instance, there is a brownstone in the East Seventies where, during the early years of the war, I had my first New York apartment. It was one room crowded with attic furniture, a sofa and fat chairs upholstered in that itchy, particular red velvet that one associates with hot days on a train. The walls were stucco, and a colour rather like tobacco - spit. Everywhere, in the bathroom too, there were prints of Roman ruins freckled brown with age. The single window looked out on a fire escape. Even so, my spirits heightened whenever I felt in my pocket the key to this apartment; with all its gloom, it still was a place of my own, the first, and my books were there, and jars of pencils to sharpen, everything I needed, so I felt, to become the writer I wanted to be.

( Truman Capote, "Breakfasf at Tiffany's”) p 121

** *

Mrs. OLIVER DROVE INTO THE INNER COURT OF BORODENE Mansions. There were six cars filling the parking space. As Mrs. Oliver hesitated, one of the cars backed out and drove away. Mrs. Oliver hurried neatly into the vacant space. She descended, banged the door and stood looking up to the sky. It was a recent block, occupying a space left by the havoc of a land mine in the last war. It might, Mrs. Oliver thought, have been lifted en bloc from the Great West Road and, first deprived of some such legend as SKYLARK'S FEATHER RAZOR BLADES, have been deposited as a block of flats in situ. It looked