Maybe,' he said hesitantly, 'maybe there is a beast.'<br />The assembly cried out savagely and Ralph stood up in amazement.<br />'You, Simon? You believe in this?'<br />'I don't know,' said Simon. 'But . . .'<br />His heartbeats were choking him.<br />The storm broke.<br />'Sit down!'<br />'Shut up!'<br />'Take the conch!'<br />'Sod you!'<br />'Shut up!'<br />Ralph shouted.<br />'Hear him! He's got the conch!'<br />'What I mean is. Maybe . . . it's only us.'<br />'Nuts!'<br />That was Piggy, shocked out of decorum. <br />'We could be sort of . . .' <br />Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express mankind's essential illness.