| Another voice from the crowd, "Seems to be a lot of questions unanswered here." And another, | Еще один голос из публики: |
| "Sign the petition, Senator!" | - Сенатор, подпишите нашу петицию! |
| All the voices, | Все хором: |
| "Sign it, sign it!" | - Подпишите, подпишите! |
| "But why?" | - Но почему же? |
| Mary began to cry. The voices stilled for a moment. "Because-Because-" "If you'd only tell me that. Tell me!" "Why, it simply isn't being done, that's all. The greatest gift of all, and what if others should get the same idea? What would happen to us then, little girl? We'd be right back to the ugly, thin, fat, unhealthy-looking race we were ages ago! There can't be any exceptions." "Maybe they didn't consider themselves so ugly." | - Мэри заплакала. |
| The mumbling began anew. | Ропот толпы сменяется дикими воплями. |
| "That isn't the point," cried the man. | - Так не пойдет! - крикнул мужчина в мантии. |
| "You must conform!" | - Мы должны действовать согласованно! |
| And the voices cried | И красивые люди стали скандировать: |
| "Yes" loudly until the man took up a pen and signed the papers on his desk. Cheers, applause, shouts. Mrs. Cuberle patted Mary on the top of her head. "There, now!" she said, happily, "Everything will be all right now. You'll see, Mary." | "Да!", пока мужчина, взяв перо, не подписал лежавшую на его столе бумагу... |
| THE Transformation Parlor Covered the entire Level, sprawling with its departments. | Трансформационное Ателье занимало целый уровень. |
| It was always filled and there was nothing to sign and no money to pay and people were always waiting in line. | Здесь всегда было людно. |
| But today the people stood aside. | Но сегодня все держались в отдалении. |
| And there were still more, looking in through doors, TV cameras placed throughout the tape machines in every corner. | Народу собралось больше, чем обычно, везде была установлена телевизионная аппаратура, на каждом шагу стояли звукозаписывающие устройства. |
| It was filled, but not bustling as usual. | Однако отсутствовала привычная для этого места суматоха. В Трансформационном Ателье царило гнетущее спокойствие. |
| Mary walked past the people, Mother and the men in back of her, following. | Мэри шла мимо толпы, за ней по пятам следовали мать и мужчина. |
| She looked at the people. | Она взглянула на людей, как ежедневно смотрела на них из своей комнаты, включив окна. Но не заметила никакой разницы. |
| The people were beautiful, perfect, without a single flaw. |