Follow a Stranger

would be impossible to bring many cars here, anyway,

and modern tourists love to go everywhere by car. The life

of our people would change if we allowed too many

outsiders on to the island.”

“It’s such a beautiful place,” she said. “Isn’t that a selfish

attitude?”

“The villagers all agree with me. They are happy as they

are.”

“Are they? Living on goat’s cheese and olives, with

occasionally a little fish??

?

“Does the technological society make men any happier?”

he countered coolly.

“I think your attitude is too possessive,” she said.

His eyes flashed across the room at her and she felt oddly

breathless, as though he had touched her. “But I am

possessive,” he said softly. “Any man worth his salt must

be—the desire to possess is the root of love.”

She was angrily aware of a weakness spreading through

her body, a trembling and fluttering of the nerves. “That’s

a very old-fashioned idea,” she said, trying to laugh, but

too conscious of his masculine presence to be able to carry

it off. “Nowadays we believe that to love is to be ready to

let go. People have to be free.”

“Hence divorce?” he said sarcastically. “And the high

abortion rate in your country, not to mention the appalling

tragedies of drug addiction.”

She was grateful when, at that moment, Sam and Pallas

came into the room. Sam was still very pale, but the blue

line around his mouth had vanished, and some of his