extra free days they had given me. But there was a new
Dictatorium now. President Charles and General William had been lowered
into Copper Pit and metallized. Now they were mounted in the Historical
Museum in Central City. The others of the Dictatorium had been
eliminated in Black Passage.

"--Jon Farmer 8267. You have written with favor about Enemies of the
State. You are therefore yourself declared an Enemy of the State. By
order of the Supreme Council of the Dictatorium of President Joseph 28,
you are hereby sentenced to elimination in Black Passage."

Then Nina--"Nina Farmerswife 8267, you have mated with an Enemy of the
State. By condescension of the Supreme Council of the Dictatorium of
President Joseph 28, you are to be permitted to take an oath of
renunciation and separation."

It is not too difficult for the heart to be strong when there is no
decision for the mind to make. But what strength of heart Nina must have
had then. I was terribly proud and terribly frightened when she walked
over and stood with me.

"Please, Nina--" I said, but she shook her head, and her eyes told me I
could say nothing more.

The Judges were angry. "Nina Farmerswife 8267, you are hereby declared
an Enemy of the State. By order of ..."

* * * * *

There was no one else in the guard cubicle when they locked us in. When
the May trials were over, five awakes later, there were seven of us.
Doctor Dorn 394 was brought in the awake after we were. He had read the
forbidden books in the Chambers of the Dead at the Historical Museum. He
was almost thirty-five years old, and had been third assistant physician
to the Supreme Council. This was a very strong office and only something
as terrible as reading the forbidden books could have made him an Enemy
of the State.

Ralf Fishcatcher and his wife, Mari, came from Red Lake. They were
Enemies of the State because they had not reported all of the fish they
had caught.

Except for Nina, the youngest one of us was Theodor Cook 3044. He was
very frightened. He told how he had stolen mushroom bread from the
Central City Ration Station where he worked, and how his wife had
reported him so she wouldn't become an Enemy of the State also.

The last one to be brought in was Bruno Oreminer 2139. He had killed his
foreman by hitting him in the head with a rock. He was a very big man,
and very strong. But he talked very little and there was a cold and
dangerous look