516
Deed." But there are some pas–
sages in it that must be revised.
You see, it's a shame when a
story is good and you come
across things that are different
from what you'd wish. Let's see,
how does it start, your story?
She :
It
was the dead of night
-three o'clock. Everybody in
the town was asleep....
He: No good at all.
It
im–
plies that the police are asleep
and those on watch are asleep,
and.... No, won't do at all.
It
indicates a lack of vigilance.
That passage must be changed.
Better write it like this: It was
dead of night-three o'clock.
No one in the town was asleep.
She: But that's impossible, it's
night time and people do sleep.
He: Yes,
I
suppose you're
right. Then let's have it this
way: Everybody
in
the town
was asleep but was at his post.
She: Asleep at their posts?
He: No, that's complete non–
sense. Better write: Some people
slept while others kept a sharp
lookout. What comes next?
She: Not a single electric
light was burning.
He: What's this? Sounds as
if,
in our country, we make
bulbs that don't work?
She: But it's night. They
were turned off.
He:
It
could reflect on our
bulbs. Delete it!
If
they aren't
lit, what need is there to men·
tion them?
She: (reading on) But sud·
denly a gory tongue of flame
shot out of the fourth·floor
window of a large grey house.
"Help!" so m eon e shouted,
"we're on fire!"
He: What's that, panic?
She: Yes.
He: And it is your opinion
that panic ought to be publi.
cized in the columns of our
periodicals?
She: No, of course not. But
this is fiction . . . a creative
work. I'm describing a fire.
He: And you portray a man
who spreads panic instead of a
civic-minded citizen?
If
I were
you I'd replace that cry of
"help" by some more rallying
cry.
She: For instance?
He: For instance, say
"We don't give a damn! We
shall put it out!" someone shout·
ed. "Nothing to worry about,
there's no fire."
She: What do you mean,
"there's no fire," when there
is
a fire?
He : No, "there's no fire"
in
the sense of "we shall put it Qut,
nothing to worry about."
She: It's impossibie.
He: It's possible. And then,
