gression to speak to men of other Trades, save
in groups at the Social Meetings. But once, standing at the hedge, we
raised our hand to our forehead and then moved it slowly, palm down,
toward Liberty 5-3000. Had the others seen it, they could have guessed
nothing, for it looked only as if we were shading our eyes from the
sun. But Liberty 5-3000 saw it and understood. They raised their hand to
their forehead and moved it as we had. Thus, each day, we greet Liberty
5-3000, and they answer, and no men can suspect.

We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second Transgression
of Preference, for we do not think of all our brothers, as we must, but
only of one, and their name is Liberty 5-3000. We do not know why we
think of them. We do not know why, when we think of them, we feel of a
sudden that the earth is good and that it is not a burden to live.

We do not think of them as Liberty 5-3000 any longer. We have given them
a name in our thoughts. We call them the Golden One. But it is a sin to
give men other names which distinguish them from other men. Yet we call
them the Golden One, for they are not like the others. The Golden One
are not like the others.

And we take no heed of the law which says that men may not think of
women, save at the Time of Mating. This is the time each spring when all
the men older than twenty and all the women older than eighteen are sent
for one night to the City Palace of Mating. And each of the men have one
of the women assigned to them by the Council of Eugenics. Children are
born each winter, but women never see their children and children never
know their parents. Twice have we been sent to the Palace of Mating, but
it is an ugly and shameful matter, of which we do not like to think.

We had broken so many laws, and today we have broken one more. Today we
spoke to the Golden One.

The other women were far off in the field, when we stopped at the hedge
by the side of the road. The Golden One were kneeling alone at the moat
which runs through the field. And the drops of water falling from their
hands, as they raised the water to their lips, were like sparks of fire
in the sun. Then the Golden One saw us, and they did not move, kneeling
there, looking at us, and circles of light played upon their white
tunic, from the sun on the water of the moat, and one sparkling drop
fell from a finger of their hand held as frozen in the air.

Then the Golden One rose and walked to the h