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.He inquired belligerently, “Don’t you care, buster?”“Yes,” Nim said.“I care.”Nim realized that if this were a regular court proceeding the chances were that Birdsong would long since have been cited for contempt.But he wouldn’t be, now or later, because the courtroom setting was a façade.Hearings of this kind were allowed, deliberately, to operate loosely with occasional disorders tolerated.Oscar O’Brien had explained the reasons at one of his advance briefings.“Public commissions nowadays are scared shitless that if they don’t allow all and sundry to have an unrestricted chance to say their piece, later there could be challenges in the courts on grounds that significant evidence was quashed.If that happened it might mean an overturned decision, undoing years of work because some nut was ordered to shut up or a minor argument disallowed.No one wants that—including us.So, by general consent, the demagogues and kooks et al are given their head along with all the time they want.It makes for dragged out hearings but in the end is probably shorter.”That, Nim knew, was why the experienced administrative law judge had shaken his head a few moments ago, advising the young commissioner not to disallow Birdsong’s disputed question.Something else O’Brien had explained was that lawyers like himself, who were involved on behalf of applicants, raised fewer objections at this type of hearing than they would in court.“We save them for something that’s outrageously wrong and ought to be corrected in the record.” Nim suspected that O’Brien’s objections during J.Eric Humphrey’s cross-examination by Birdsong were mostly to mollify Humphrey, O’Brien’s boss, who had been reluctant to make this appearance anyway.Nim was sure that when his own turn came to testify and be cross-examined, O’Brien would leave him pretty much to fend for himself.“Let’s get back,” Davey Birdsong was continuing, “to those huge profits we were talking about.Now take the effect on consumers’ monthly bills …”For another half hour the p & lfp leader continued his interrogation.He employed leading, loaded questions unsubstantiated by facts, interrupted by clowning, but hammering home his contention that profits from Tunipah would be excessive and were the major motivation.Nim conceded mentally: While the charge was false, the Goebbels-type repetition was effective.Undoubtedly it would receive prominence in the media, and probably credence, which clearly was among Birdsong’s objectives.“Thank you, Mr.Humphrey,” the commissioner said When the GSP & L chairman stepped down from the witness stand.Eric Humphrey nodded an acknowledgment, then departed with evident relief.Two other GSP & L witnesses followed.Both were specialist engineers.Their testimony and cross-examination were uneventful but occupied two full days, after which the hearing was adjourned until Monday of the following week.Nim, who would have the burden of presenting the main thrust of GSP & L’s case, would be next on the witness stand when proceedings resumed.9Three weeks ago, when Ruth Goldman startled Nim by announcing her intention to leave home for a while, he considered it likely she would change her mind.However, Ruth hadn’t.Now, on Friday evening, during the weekend recess of the Tunipah hearings, Nim found himself alone in their house, Leah and Benjy having been taken by Rum to their grandparents across town before her departure.The arrangement was that both children would remain with the Neubergers until Ruth’s return, whenever that might be.Ruth had been vague about that, just as she had declined to say where she was going, or with whom.“Probably it will be two weeks, though it may be less or more,” she had told Nim several days ago.But there was nothing vague about her attitude toward him; it had been cool and definite.It was, he thought, as if she had reached decisions within herself and all that remained was to implement them.What the decisions were, and how he would be affected, Nim had no idea.At first he told himself he should care, but was saddened to find he didn’t.At least, not much.That was why he had raised no protest when Ruth told him her plans were complete and she would be leaving at the end of the week.It was uncharacteristic, Nim realized, for him merely to “go along” and let things drift.By nature he was accustomed to make decisions promptly and to plan ahead: that ability, applied to his work, had earned him recognition and advancement.But where his marriage was concerned he still had a curious reluctance to move, perhaps to face reality.He was leaving it all to Ruth.If she chose to leave permanently and afterward seek a divorce, which seemed the natural sequence, he would be disinclined to fight or even try to dissuade her.However, he would not take the step himself.Not yet.He had asked Ruth only yesterday if she was ready to discuss their situation, remembering her words: “… you and I have only been going through the motions of being married [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]