\"Everyoneknowsthat，Ishouldthink，\"saidtheoldman。\"Except——justfools。Hemeanttobemastersomehow。IntheCouncilornot。Everyonewhoknowsanythingknowsthat。AndherewearewithdeadbodiesIyinginthedark！Why，wherehaveyoubeenifyouhaven’theardallaboutthetroublebetweenOstrogandtheVerneys？Andwhatdoyouthinkthetroublesareabout？TheSleeper？Eh？
YouthinktheSleeper’srealandwokeofhisownaccord——eh？\"
\"I’madullman，olderthanIlook，andforgetful，\"
saidGraham。\"Lotsofthingsthathavehappened——
especiallyoflateyears——。IfIwastheSleeper，totellyouthetruth，Icouldn’tknowlessaboutthem。\"
\"Eh！\"saidthevoice。\"Old，areyou？Youdon’tsoundsoveryold！Butitsnoteveryonekeepshismemorytomytimeoflife——truly。Butthesenotoriousthings！Butyou’renotsooldasme——notnearlysooldasme。Well！Ioughtnottojudgeothermenbymyself，perhaps。I’myoung——forsooldaman。Maybeyou’reoldforsoyoung。\"
\"That’sit，\"saidGraham。\"AndI’veaqueerhistory。
Iknowverylittle。Andhistory！PracticallyI
knownohistory。TheSleeperandJuliusCaesarareallthesametome。It’sinterestingtohearyoutalkofthesethings。\"
\"Iknowafewthings，\"saidtheoldman。\"Iknowathingortwo。But——。Hark！\"
Thetwomenbecamesilent，listening。Therewasheavythud，aconcussionthatmadetheirseatshiver。
Thepassers—bystopped，shoutedtooneanother。Theoldmanwasfullofquestions；heshoutedtoamanwhopassednear。Graham，emboldenedbyhisexample，gotupandaccostedothers。Noneknewwhathadhappened。
Hereturnedtotheseatandfoundtheoldmanmutteringvagueinterrogationsinanundertone。Forawhiletheysaidnothingtooneanother。
Thesenseofthisgiganticstruggle，sonearandyetsoremoteoppressedGraham’simagination。Wasthisoldmanright，wasthereportofthepeopleright，andweretherevolutionarieswinning？Orweretheyallinerror，andweretheredguardsdrivingallbeforethem？Atanytimethefloodofwarfaremightpourintothissilentquarterofthecityandseizeuponhimagain。Itbehoovedhimtolearnallhecouldwhiletherewastime。Heturnedsuddenlytotheoldmanwithaquestionandleftitunsaid。Buthismotionmovedtheoldmantospeechagain。
\"Eh！buthowthingsworktogether！\"saidtheoldman。\"ThisSleeperthatallthefoolsputtheirtrustin！I’vethewholehistoryofit——Iwasalwaysagoodoneforhistories。WhenIwasaboy—I’mthatold——
Iusedtoreadprintedbooks。You’dhardlythinkit。
Likelyyou’veseennone——theyrotanddustso——andtheSanitaryCompanyburnsthemtomakeashlarite。
Buttheywereconvenientintheirdirtyway。OhI
learntalot。Thesenew—fangledBabbleMachines——
theydon’tseemnew—fangledtoyou，eh？——they’reeasytohear，easytoforget。ButI’vetracedalltheSleeperbusinessfromthefirst。\"
\"Youwillscarcelybelieveit，\"saidGrahamslowly，\"I’msoignorant——I’vebeensopreoccupiedinmyownlittleaffairs，mycircumstanceshavebeensoodd——IknownothingofthisSleeper’shistory。Whowashe？\"
\"Eh！\"saidtheoldman。\"Iknow。Iknow。Hewasapoornobody，andsetonaplayfulwoman，poorsoul！Andhefellintoatrance。There’stheoldthingstheyhad，thosebrownthings——silverphoto—
graphs——stillshowinghimashelay，agrossandahalfyearsago——agrossandahalfofyears。\"
\"Setonaplayfulwoman，poorsoul，\"saidGrahamsoftlytohimself，andthenaloud，\"Yes——well！goon。\"
\"YoumustknowhehadacousinnamedWarmingasolitarymanwithoutchildren，whomadeabigfortunespeculatinginroads——thefirstEadhamiteroads。
Butsurelyyou’veheard？No？Why？Heboughtallthepatentrightsandmadeabigcompany。Inthosedaysthereweregrossesofgrossesofseparatebusinessesandbusinesscompanies。Grossesofgrosses！Hisroadskilledtherailroads——theoldthings——intwodozenyears；heboughtupandEadhaillited’
thetracks。Andbecausehedidn’twanttobreakuphisgreatpropertyorletinshareholders，heleftitalltotheSleeper，andputitunderaBoardofTrusteesthathehadpickedandtrained。HeknewthentheSleeperwouldn’twake，thathewouldgoonsleeping，sleepingtillhedied。Heknewthatquitewell！Andplump！amanintheUnitedStates，whohadlosttwosonsinaboataccident，followedthatupwithanothergreatbequest。Histrusteesfoundthemselveswithadozenmyriadsoflions’—worthormoreofpropertyattheverybeginning。\"
\"Whatwashisname？\"
\"Graham。\"
\"No，Imean——thatAmerican’s。\"
\"Isbister。\"
\"Isbister！\"criedGraham。\"Why，Idon’tevenknowthename。\"
\"Ofcoursenot，\"saidtheoldman。\"Ofcoursenot。
Peopledon’tlearnmuchintheschoolsnowadays。
ButIknowallabouthim。HewasarichAmericanwhowentfromEngland，andhelefttheSleeperevenmorethanWarming。Howhemadeit？ThatIdon’tknow。Somethingaboutpicturesbymachinery。Buthemadeitandleftit，andsotheCouncilhaditsstart。
Itwasjustacounciloftrusteesatfirst。\"
\"Andhowdiditgrow？\"
\"Eh！——butyou’renotuptothings。Moneyattractsmoney——andtwelvebrainsarebetterthanone。Theyplayeditcleverly。Theyworkedpoliticswithmoney，andkeptonaddingtothemoneybyworkingcurrencyandtariffs。Theygrew——theygrew。AndforyearsthetwelvetrusteeshidthegrowingoftheSleeper’sestate，underdoublenamesandcompanytitlesandallthat。TheCouncilspreadbytitledeed，mortgage，share，everypoliticalparty，everynewspaper，theybought。IfyoulistentotheoldstoriesyouwillseetheCouncilgrowingandgrowingBillionsandbillionsoflionsatlast——theSleeper’sestate。Andallgrowingoutofawhim——outofthisWarming’swill，andanaccidenttoIsbister’ssons。
\"Menarestrange，\"saidtheoldman。\"Thestrange，thingtomeishowtheCouncilworkedtogethersolong。Asmanyastwelve。Buttheyworkedincliquesfromthefirst。Andthey’veslippedback。InmyyoungdaysspeakingoftheCouncilwaslikeanignorantmanspeakingofGod。Wedidn’tthinktheycoulddowrong。Wedidn’tknowoftheirwomenandallthat！OrelseI’vegotwiser。
\"Menarestrange，\"saidtheoldman。\"Hereareyou，youngandignorant，andme——sevendyyearsold，andImightreasonablybeforgetting——explainingitalltoyoushortandclear。
\"Sevendy，\"hesaid，\"sevendy，andIhearandsee——
hearbetterthanIsee。Andreasonclearly，andkeepmyselfuptoallthehappeningsofthings。Sevendy！
\"Lifeisstrange。IwastwaindybeforeOstrogwasababy。Irememberhimlongbeforehe’dpushedhiswaytotheheadoftheWindVanesControl。I’veseenmanychanges。Eh！I’veworntheblue。AndatlastI’vecometoseethiscrushanddarknessandtumultanddeadmencarriedbyinheapsontheways。
Andallhisdoing！Allhisdoing！\"
HisvoicediedawayinscarcelyarticulatepraisesofOstrogGrahamthought。\"Letmesee，\"hesaid，\"ifIhaveitright。\"
Heextendedahandandtickedoffpointsuponhisfingers。\"TheSleeperhasbeenasleep——\"
\"Changed，\"saidtheoldman。
\"Perhaps。AndmeanwhiletheSleeper’spropertygrewinthehandsofTwelveTrustees，untilitswallowedupnearlyallthegreatownershipoftheworld。TheTwelveTrustees——byvirtueofthispropertyhavebecomevirtuallymastersoftheworld。
Becausetheyarethepayingpower——justastheoldEnglishParliamentusedtobe——\"
\"Eh！\"saidtheoldman。\"That’sso——that’sagoodcomparison。You’renotso——\"
\"AndnowthisOstrog——hassuddenlyrevolutionisedtheworldbywakingtheSleeper——whomnoonebutthesuperstitious，commonpeoplehadeverdreamtwouldwakeagain——raisingtheSleepertoclaimhispropertyfromtheCouncil，afteralltheseyears。\"
Theoldmanendorsedthisstatementwithacough。
\"It’sstrange，\"hesaid，\"tomeetamanwholearnsthesethingsforthefirsttimetonight。\"
\"Aye，\"saidGraham，\"it’sstrange。\"
\"HaveyoubeeninaPleasureCity？\"saidtheoldman。\"AllmylifeI’velonged——\"Helaughed。
\"Evennow，\"hesaid，\"Icouldenjoyalittlefun。
Enjoyseeingthings，anyhow。\"HemumbledasentenceGrahamdidnotunderstand。
\"TheSleeper——whendidheawake？\"saidGrahamsuddenly。
\"Threedaysago。\"
\"Whereishe？\"
\"Ostroghashim。HeescapedfromtheCouncilnotfourhoursago。Mydearsir，wherewereyouatthetime？Hewasinthehallofthemarkets——wherethefightinghasbeen。Allthecitywasscreamingaboutit。AlltheBabbleMachines！Everywhereitwasshouted。EventhefoolswhospeakfortheCouncilwereadmittingit。Everyonewasrushingofftoseehim——everyonewasgettingarms。Wereyoudrunkorasleep？Andeventhen！Butyou’rejoking！
Surelyyou’repretending。ItwastostoptheshoutingoftheBabbleMachinesandpreventthepeoplegatheringthattheyturnedofftheelectricity——andputthisdamneddarknessuponus。Doyoumeantosay——？\"
\"IhadheardtheSleeperwasrescued，\"saidGraham。
\"But——tocomebackaminute。AreyousureOstroghashim？\"
\"Hewon’tlethimgo，\"saidtheoldman。
\"AndtheSleeper。Areyousureheisnotgenuine？
Ihaveneverheard——\"
\"Soallthefoolsthink。Sotheythink。Asiftherewasn’tathousandthingsthatwereneverheard。I
knowOstrogtoowellforthat。DidItellyou？InawayI’masortofrelationofOstrog’s。Asortofrelation。Throughmydaughter—in—law。\"
\"Isuppose——\"
\"Well？\"
\"Isupposethere’snochanceofthisSleeperassertinghimself。Isupposehe’scertaintobeapuppet——
inOstrog’shandsortheCouncil’s，assoonasthestruggleisover。\"
\"InOstrog’shands——certainly。Whyshouldn’thebeapuppet？Lookathisposition。Everythingdoneforhim，everypleasurepossible。Whyshouldhewanttoasserthimself？\"
\"WhatarethesePleasureCities？\"saidGraham，abruptly。
Theoldmanmadehimrepeatthequestion。WhenatlasthewasassuredofGraham’swords，henudgedhimviolently。\"That’stoomuch，\"saidhe。\"You’repokingfunatanoldman。I’vebeensuspectingyouknowmorethanyoupretend。\"
\"PerhapsIdo，\"saidGraham。\"Butno！whyshouldIgoonacting？No，IdonotknowwhataPleasureCityis。\"
Theoldmanlaughedinanintimateway。
\"Whatismore，Idonotknowhowtoreadyourletters，Idonotknowwhatmoneyyouuse，Idonotknowwhatforeigncountriesthereare。IdonotknowwhereIam。Icannotcount。Idonotknowwheretogetfood，nordrink，norshelter。\"
\"Come，come，\"saidtheoldman，\"ifyouhadaglassofdrink，now，wouldyouputitinyourearoryoureye？\"
\"Iwantyoutotellmeallthesethings。\"
\"He，he！Well，gentlemenwhodressinsilkmusthavetheirfun。\"AwitheredhandcaressedGraham’sarmforamoment。\"Silk。Well，well！But，allthesame，IwishIwasthemanwhowasputupastheSleeper。He’llhaveafinetimeofit。Allthepompandpleasure。He’saqueerlookingface。Whentheyusedtoletanyonegotoseehim，I’vegotticketsandbeen。Theimageoftherealone，asthephotographsshowhim，thissubstituteusedtobe。Yellow。Buthe’llgetfedup。It’saqueerworld。Thinkoftheluckofit。Theluckofit。Iexpecthe’llbesenttoCapri。
It’sthebestfunforagreener。\"
Hiscoughovertookhimagain。Thenhebeganmumblingenviouslyofpleasuresandstrangedelights。
\"Theluckofit，theluckofit！AllmylifeI’vebeeninLondon，hopingtogetmychance。\"
\"Butyoudon’tknowthattheSleeperdied，\"saidGraham，suddenly。J
Theoldmanmadehimrepeathiswords。
\"Mendon’tlivebeyondtendozen。It’snotintheorderofthings，\"saidtheoldman。\"I’mnotafool。
Foolsmaybelieveit，butnotme。\"
Grahambecameangrywiththeoldman’sassurance。
\"Whetheryouareafoolornot，\"hesaid，\"ithappensyouarewrongabouttheSleeper。\"
\"Eh？\"
\"YouarewrongabouttheSleeper。Ihaven’ttoldyoubefore，butIwilltellyounow。YouarewrongabouttheSleeper。\"
\"Howdoyouknow？Ithoughtyoudidn’tknowanything——notevenaboutPleasureCities。\"
Grahampaused。
\"Youdon’tknow，\"saidtheoldman。\"Howareyoutoknow？It’sveryfewmen——\"
\"I__am__theSleeper。\"
Hehadtorepeatit。
Therewasabriefpause。\"There’sasillythingtosay，sir，ifyou’llexcuseme。Itmightgetyouintotroubleinatimelikethis，\"saidtheoldman。
Graham，slightlydashed，repeatedhisassertion。
\"IwassayingIwastheSleeper。ThatyearsandyearsagoIdid，indeed，fallasleep，inalittlestonebuiltvillage，inthedayswhentherewerehedgerows，andvillages，andinns，andallthecountrysidecutupintolittlepieces，littlefields。Haveyouneverheardofthosedays？AnditisI——Iwhospeaktoyou——
whoawakenedagainthesefourdayssince。\"
\"Fourdayssince！——theSleeper！Butthey’vegottheSleeper。Theyhavehimandtheywon’tlethimgo。Nonsense！You’vebeentalkingsensiblyenoughuptonow。IcanseeitasthoughIwasthere。TherewillbeLincolnlikeakeeperjustbehindhim；theywon’tlethimgoaboutalone。Trustthem。You’reaqueerfellow。Oneofthesefunpokers。Iseenowwhyyouhavebeenclippingyourwordssooddly，but——\"
Hestoppedabruptly，andGrahamcouldseehisgesture。
\"AsifOstrogwouldlettheSleeperrunaboutalone！No，you’retellingthattothewrongmanaltogether。Eh！asifIshouldbelieve。What’syourgame？Andbesides，we’vebeentalkingoftheSleeper。\"
Grahamstoodup。\"Listen，\"hesaid。\"IamtheSleeper。\"
\"You’reanoddman，\"saidtheoldman，\"tosithereinthedark，talkingclipped，andtellingalieofthatsort。But——\"
Graham’sexasperationfelltolaughter。\"Itispreposterous，\"hecried。\"Preposterous。Thedreammustend。Itgetswilderandwilder。HereamI——inthisdamnedtwilight——Ineverknewadreamintwilightbefore——ananachronismbytwohundredyearsandtryingtopersuadeanoldfoolthatIammyself，andmeanwhile——Ugh！\"
Hemovedingustyirritationandwentstriding。Inamomenttheoldmanwaspursuinghim。\"Eh！butdon’tgo！\"criedtheoldman。\"I’manoldfool，I
know。Don’tgo。Don’tleavemeinallthisdarkness。\"
Grahamhesitated，stopped。Suddenlythefollyoftellinghissecretflashedintohismind。
\"Ididn’tmeantooffendyou——disbelievingyou，\"
saidtheoldmancomingnear。\"It’snomannerofharm。CallyourselftheSleeperifitpleasesyou。
’Tisafoolishtrick\"
Grahamhesitated，turnedabruptlyandwentonhisway。
Foratimeheheardtheoldman’shobblingpursuitandhiswheezycriesreceding。Butatlastthedarknessswallowedhim，andGrahamsawhimnomore。
CHAPTERXII
OSTROG
Grahamcouldnowtakeaclearerviewofhisposition。
Foralongtimeyethewandered，butafterthetalkoftheoldmanhisdiscoveryofthisOstrogwasclearinhismindasthefinalinevitabledecision。Onethingwasevident，thosewhowereattheheadquartersoftherevolthadsucceededveryadmirablyinsuppressingthefactofhisdisappearance。ButeverymomentheexpectedtohearthereportofhisdeathorofhisrecapturebytheCouncil。
Presentlyamanstoppedbeforehim。\"Haveyouheard？\"hesaid。
\"No！\"saidGrahamstarting。
\"Nearadozand，\"saidtheman，\"adozandmen！\"
andhurriedon。
Anumberofmenandagirlpassedinthedarkness，gesticulatingandshouting：\"Capitulated！Givenup！\"Adozandofmen。\"\"Twodozandofmen。\"
\"Ostrog，Hurrah！Ostrog，Hurrah！\"Thesecriesreceded，becameindistinct。
Othershoutingmenfollowed。Foratimehisattentionwasabsorbedinthefragmentsofspeechheheard。
HehadadoubtwhetherallwerespeakingEnglish。
Scrapsfloatedtohim，scrapslikePigeonEnglish，like’nigger’dialect，blurredandmangleddistortions。Hedaredaccostnoonewithquestions。Theimpressionthepeoplegavehimjarredaltogetherwithhispreconceptionsofthestruggleandconfirmedtheoldman’sfaithinOstrog。ItwasonlyslowlyhecouldbringhimselftobelievethatallthesepeoplewererejoicingatthedefeatoftheCouncil，thattheCouncilwhichhadpursuedhimwithsuchpowerandvigourwasafteralltheweakerofthetwosidesinconflict。
Andifthatwasso，howdiditaffecthim？Severaltimeshehesitatedonthevergeoffundamentalquestions。
Onceheturnedandwalkedforalongwayafteralittlemanofrotundinvitingoutline，buthewasunabletomasterconfidencetoaddresshim。
Itwasonlyslowlythatitcametohimthathemightaskforthe\"wind—vaneoffices，\"whateverthe\"wind—
vaneoffices\"mightbe。HisfirstenquirysimplyresultedinadirectiontogoontowardsWestminster。
Hissecondledtothediscoveryofashortcutinwhichhewasspeedilylost。Hewastoldtoleavethewaystowhichhehadhithertoconfinedhimselfknowingnoothermeansoftransit——andtoplungedownoneofthemiddlestaircasesintotheblacknessofacrossway。Thereuponcamesometrivialadventures；chiefoftheseanambiguousencounterwithagruff—voicedinvisiblecreaturespeakinginastrangedialectthatseemedatfirstastrangetongue，athickflowofspeechwiththedriftingcorpsesofEnglishwordstherein，thedialectofthelatter—dayvile。Thenanothervoicedrewnear，agirl’svoicesinging，\"tralalatralala。\"
ShespoketoGraham，herEnglishtouchedwithsomethingofthesamequality。Sheprofessedtohavelosthersister，sheblunderedneedlesslyintohimhethought，caughtholdofhimandlaughed。Butawordofvagueremonstrancesentherintotheunseenagain。
Thesoundsabouthimincreased。Stumblingpeoplepassedhim，speakingexcitedly。\"Theyhavesurrendered！\"
\"TheCouncil！SurelynottheCouncil！\"
\"TheyaresayingsointheWays。\"Thepassageseemedwider。Suddenlythewallfellaway。Hewasinagreatspaceandpeoplewerestirringremotely。
Heinquiredhiswayofanindistinctfigure。\"Strikestraightacross，\"saidawoman’svoice。Helefthisguidingwall，andinamomenthadstumbledagainstalittletableonwhichwereutensilsofglass。Graham’seyes，nowattunedtodarkness，madeoutalongvistawithpallidtablesoneitherside。Hewentdownthis。Atoneortwoofthetablesheheardaclangofglassandasoundofeating。Therewerepeoplethencoolenoughtodine，ordaringenoughtostealamealinspiteofsocialconvulsionanddarkness。
Faroffandhighuphepresentlysawapallidlightofasemi—circularshape。Asheapproachedthis，ablackedgecameupandhidit。Hestumbledatstepsandfoundhimselfinagallery。Heheardasobbing，andfoundtwoscaredlittlegirlscrouchedbyarailing。Thesechildrenbecamesilentatthenearsoundoffeet。Hetriedtoconsolethem，buttheywereverystilluntilheleftthem。Thenasherecededhecouldhearthemsobbingagain。
Presentlyhefoundhimselfatthefootofastaircaseandnearawideopening。HesawadimtwilightabovethisandascendedoutoftheblacknessintoastreetofmovingWaysagain。Alongthisadisorderlyswarmofpeoplemarchedshouting。Theyweresingingsnatchesofthesongoftherevolt，mostofthemoutoftune。Hereandtheretorchesflaredcreatingbriefhystericalshadows。Heaskedhiswayandwastwicepuzzledbythatsamethickdialect。Histhirdattemptwonananswerhecouldunderstand。Hewastwomilesfromthewind—vaneofficesinWestminster，butthewaywaseasytofollow。
Whenatlasthedidapproachthedistrictofthewind—vaneofficesitseemedtohim，fromthecheeringprocessionsthatcamemarchingalongtheWays，fromthetumultofrejoicing，andfinallyfromtherestorationofthelightingofthecity，thattheoverthrowoftheCouncilmustalreadybeaccomplished。Andstillnonewsofhisabsencecametohisears。
There—illuminationofthecitycamewithstartlingabruptness。Suddenlyhestoodblinking，allabouthimmenhalteddazzled，andtheworldwasincandescent。
ThelightfoundhimalreadyupontheoutskirtsoftheexcitedcrowdsthatchokedtheWaysnearthewind—vaneoffices，andthesenseofvisibilityandexposurethatcamewithitturnedhiscolourlessintentionofjoiningOstrogtoakeenanxiety。
Foratimehewasjostled，obstructed，andendangeredbymenhoarseandwearywithcheeringhisname，someofthembandagedandbloodyinhiscause。Thefrontageofthewind—vaneofficeswasilluminatedbysomemovingpicture，butwhatitwashecouldnotsee，becauseinspiteofhisstrenuousattemptsthedensityofthecrowdpreventedhisapproachingit。
Fromthefragmentsofspeechhecaught，hejudgeditconveyednewsofthefightingabouttheCouncilHouse。Ignoranceandindecisionmadehimslowandineffectiveinhismovements。Foratimehecouldnotconceivehowhewastogetwithintheunbrokenfacadeofthisplace。Hemadehiswayslowlyintothemidstofthismassofpeople，untilherealisedthatthedescendingstaircaseofthecentralWayledtotheinteriorofthebuildings。Thisgavehimagoal，butthecrowdinginthecentralpathwassodensethatitwaslongbeforehecouldreachit。Andeventhenheencounteredintricateobstruction，andhadanhourofvividargumentfirstinthisguardroomandtheninthatbeforehecouldgetanotetakentotheonemanofallmenwhowasmosteagertoseehim。Hisstorywaslaughedtoscornatoneplace，andwiserforthat，whenatlasthereachedasecondstairwayheprofessedsimplytohavenewsofextraordinaryimportanceforOstrog。Whatitwashewouldnotsay。
Theysenthisnotereluctantly。Foralongtimehewaitedinalittleroomatthefootoftheliftshaft，andthitheratlastcameLincoln，eager，apologetic，astonished。HestoppedinthedoorwayscrutinisingGraham，thenrushedforwardeffusively。
\"Yes，\"hecried。\"Itisyou。Andyouarenotdead！\"
Grahammadeabriefexplanation。
\"Mybrotheriswaiting，\"explainedLincoln。\"Heisaloneinthewind—vaneoffices。Wefearedyouhadbeenkilledinthetheatre。Hedoubted——andthingsareveryurgentstillinspiteofwhatwearetellingthem__there__——orhewouldhavecometoyou。\"
Theyascendedalift，passedalonganarrowpassage，crossedagreathall，emptysavefortwohurryingmessengers，andenteredacomparativelylittleroom，whoseonlyfurniturewasalongsetteeandalargeovaldiscofcloudy，shiftinggrey，hungbycablesfromthewall。
ThereLincolnleftGrahamforaspace，andheremainedalonewithoutunderstandingtheshiftingsmokyshapesthatdroveslowlyacrossthisdisc。
Hisattentionwasarrestedbyasoundthatbeganabruptly。Itwascheering，thefranticcheeringofavastbutveryremotecrowd，aroaringexultation。
Thisendedassharplyasithadbegun，likeasoundheardbetweentheopeningandshuttingofadoor。
Intheouterroomwasanoiseofhurryingstepsandamelodiousclinkingasifaloosechainwasrunningovertheteethofawheel。
Thenheheardthevoiceofawoman，therustleofunseengarments。\"ItisOstrog！\"heheardhersay。
Alittlebellrangfitfully，andtheneverythingwasstillagain。
Presentlycamevoices，footstepsandmovementwithout。Thefootstepsofsomeonepersondetacheditselffromtheothersoundsanddrewnear，firm，evenlymeasuredsteps。Thecurtainliftedslowly。A
tall，white—hairedman，cladingarmentsofcreamcolouredsilk，appeared，regardingGrahamfromunderhisraisedarm。
Foramomentthewhiteformremainedholdingthecurtain，thendroppeditandstoodbeforeit。Graham’sfirstimpressionwasofaverybroadforehead，verypaleblueeyesdeepsunkenunderwhitebrows，anaquilinenose，andaheavily—linedresolutemouth。Thefoldsoffleshovertheeyes，thedroopingofthecornersofthemouthcontradictedtheuprightbearing，andsaidthemanwasold。Grahamrosetohisfeetinstinctively，andforamomentthetwomenstoodinsilence，regardingeachother。
\"YouareOstrog？\"saidGraham。
\"IamOstrog。\"
\"TheBoss？\"
\"SoIamcalled。\"
Grahamfelttheinconvenienceofthesilence。\"I
havetothankyouchiefly，Iunderstand，formysafety，\"
hesaidpresently。
\"Wewereafraidyouwerekilled，\"saidOstrog。
\"Orsenttosleepagain——forever。Wehavebeendoingeverythingtokeepoursecret——thesecretofyourdisappearance。Wherehaveyoubeen？Howdidyougethere？\"