第15章
加入书架 A- A+
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  Everywherehecaughtsnatchesofthatcrudethickdialectthatservedtheilliterateclass,theclass,thatis,beyondthereachofphonographculture,intheircommon—placeintercourse。Everywherethistroubleofdisarmamentwasintheair,withaqualityofimmediatestressofwhichhehadnoinklingduringhisseclusionintheWind—Vanequarter。HeperceivedthatassoonashereturnedhemustdiscussthiswithOstrog,thisandthegreaterissuesofwhichitwastheexpression,inafarmoreconclusivewaythanhehadsofardone。Perpetuallythatnight,evenintheearlierhoursoftheirwanderingsaboutthecity,thespiritofunrestandrevoltswampedhisattention,totheexclusionofcountlessstrangethingshemightotherwisehaveobserved。

  Thispreoccupationmadehisimpressionsfragmeary。

  Yetamidstsomuchthatwasstrangeandvivid,nosubject,howeverpersonalandinsistent,couldexertundividedsway。Therewerespaceswhentherevolutionarymovementpassedcleanoutofhismind,wasdrawnasidelikeacurtainfrombeforesomestartlingnewaspectofthetime。Helenhadswayedhismindtothisintenseearnestnessofenquiry,buttherecametimeswhenshe,even,recededbeyondhisconsciousthoughts。Atonemoment,forexample,hefoundtheyweretraversingthereligiousquarter,fortheeasytransitaboutthecityaffordedbythemovingwaysrenderedsporadicchurchesandchapelsnolongernecessary——andhisattentionwasvividlyarrestedbythefacadeofoneoftheChristiansects。

  Theyweretravellingseatedononeoftheswiftupperways,theplaceleaptuponthematabendandadvancedrapidlytowardsthem。Itwascoveredwithinscriptionsfromtoptobase,invividwhiteandblue,savewhereavastandglaringkinematographtransparencypresentedarealisticNewTestamentscene,andwhereavastfestoonofblacktoshowthatthepopularreligionfollowedthepopularpolitics,hungacrosstheletteringGrahamhadalreadybecomefamiliarwiththephonotypewritingandtheseinscriptionsarrestedhim,beingtohissenseforthemostpartalmostincredibleblasphemy。Amongthelessoffensivewere\"SalvationontheFirstFloorandturntotheRight。\"\"PutyourMoneyonyourMaker。\"\"TheSharpestConversioninLondon,ExpertOperators!LookSlippy!\"

  \"WhatChristwouldsaytotheSleeper;——JointheUp—to—dateSaints!\"\"BeaChristian——withouthindrancetoyourpresentOccupation。\"\"AlltheBrightestBishopsontheBenchto—nightandPricesasUsual。\"

  \"BriskBlessingsforBusyBusinessMen。\"

  \"Butthisisappalling!\"saidGraham,asthatdeafeningscreamofmercantilepietytoweredabovethem。

  \"Whatisappalling?\"askedhislittleofficer,apparentlyseekingvainlyforanythingunusualinthisshriekingenamel。

  \"__This!__Surelytheessenceofreligionisreverence。\"

  \"Oh__that!__\"AsanolookedatGraham。\"Doesitshockyou?\"hesaidinthetoneofonewhomakesadiscovery。\"Isupposeitwould,ofcourse。Ihadforgotten。Nowadaysthecompetitionforattentionissokeen。andpeoplesimplyhaven’ttheleisuretoattendtotheirsouls,youknow,astheyusedtodo。\"Hesmiled。

  \"IntheolddaysyouhadquietSabbathsandthecountryside。ThoughsomewhereI’vereadofSundayafternoonsthat——\"

  \"But,__that__,\"saidGraham,glancingbackattherecedingblueandwhite。\"Thatissurelynottheonly——\"

  \"Therearehundredsofdifferentways。But,ofcourse,ifasectdoesn’ttellitdoesn’tpay。Worshiphasmovedwiththetimes。Therearehighclasssectswithquieterways——costlyincenseandpersonalattentionsandallthat。Thesepeopleareextremelypopularandprosperous。TheypayseveraldozenlionsforthoseapartmentstotheCouncil——toyou,Ishouldsay。\"

  Grahamstillfeltadifficultywiththecoinage,andthismentionofadozenlionsbroughthimabruptlytothatmatter。Inamomentthescreamingtemplesandtheirswarmingtoutswereforgotteninthisnewinterest。Aturnofaphrasesuggested,andananswerconfirmedtheideathatgoldandsilverwerebothdemonetised,thatstampedgoldwhichhadbegunitsreignamidstthemerchantsofPhoeniciawasatlastdethroned。Thechangehadbeengraduatedbutswift,broughtaboutbyanextensionofthesystemofchequesthathadeveninhispreviouslifealreadypracticallysupersededgoldinallthelargerbusinesstransactions。Thecommontrafficofthecity,thecommoncurrencyindeedofalltheworld,wasconductedbymeansofthelittlebrown,greenandpinkcouncilchequesforsmallamounts,printedwithablankpayee。

  Asanohadseveralwithhim,andatthefirstopportunityhesuppliedthegapsinhisset。Theywereprintednotontearablepaper,butonasemi—transparentfabricofsilken,flexibility,interwovenwithsilk。

  AcrossthemallsprawledafacsimileofGraham’ssignature,hisfirstencounterwiththecurvesandturnsofthatfamiliarautographfortwohundredandthreeyears。

  Someintermediaryexperiencesmadenoimpressionsufficientlyvividtopreventthematterofthedisarmamentclaiminghisthoughtsagain;ablurredpictureofaTheosophisttemplethatpromisedMIRACLES

  inenormouslettersofunsteadyfirewasleastsubmergedperhaps,butthencametheviewofthedininghallinNorthumberlandAvenue。Thatinterestedhimverygreatly。

  BytheenergyandthoughtofAsanohewasabletoviewthisplacefromalittlescreenedgalleryreservedfortheattendantsofthetables。Thebuildingwaspervadedbyadistantmuffledhooting,pipingandbawling,ofwhichhedidnotatfirstunderstandtheimport,butwhichrecalledacertainmysteriousleatheryvoicehehadheardaftertheresumptionofthelightsonthenightofhissolitarywandering。

  Hehadgrownaccustomednowtovastnessandgreatnumbersofpeople,neverthelessthisspectacleheldhimforalongtime。Itwasashewatchedthetableservicemoreimmediatelybeneath,andinterspersedwithmanyquestionsandanswersconcerningdetails,thattherealisationofthefullsignificanceofthefeastofseveralthousandpeoplecametohim。

  Itwashisconstantsurprisetofindthatpointsthatonemighthaveexpectedtostrikevividlyattheveryoutsetneveroccurredtohimuntilsometrivialdetailsuddenlyshapedasariddleandpointedtotheobviousthinghehadoverlooked。Inthismatter,forinstance,ithadnotoccurredtohimthatthiscontinuityofthecity,thisexclusionofweather,thesevasthallsandways,involvedthedisappearanceofthehousehold;

  thatthetypicalVictorian\"home,\"thelittlebrickcellcontainingkitchenandscullery,livingroomsandbedrooms,had,savefortheruinsthatdiversifiedthecountryside,vanishedassurelyasthewattlehut。Butnowhesawwhathadindeedbeenmanifestfromthefirst,thatLondon,regardedasalivingplace,wasnolongeranaggregationofhousesbutaprodigioushotel,anhotelwithathousandclassesofaccommodation,thousandsofdininghalls,chapels,theatres,marketsandplacesofassembly,asynthesisofenterprises,ofwhichhechieflywastheowner。Peoplehadtheirsleepingrooms,with,itmightbe,antechambers,roomsthatwerealwayssanitaryatleastwhateverthedegreeofcomfortandprivacy,andfortheresttheylivedmuchasmanypeoplehadlivedinthenew—madegianthotelsoftheVictoriandays,eating,reading,thinking,playing,conversing,allinplacesofpublicresort,goingtotheirworkintheindustrialquartersofthecityordoingbusinessintheirofficesinthetradingsection。

  HeperceivedatoncehownecessarilythisstateofaffairshaddevelopedfromtheVictoriancity。Thefundamentalreasonforthemoderncityhadeverbeentheeconomyofco—operation。Thechiefthingtopreventthemergingoftheseparatehouseholdsinhisowngenerationwassimplythestillimperfectcivilisationofthepeople,thestrongbarbaricpride,passions,andprejudices,thejealousies,rivalries,andviolenceofthemiddleandlowerclasses,whichhadnecessitatedtheentireseparationofcontiguoushouseholds。Butthechange,thetamingofthepeople,hadbeeninrapidprogresseventhen。Inhisbriefthirtyyearsofpreviouslifehehadseenanenormousextensionofthehabitofconsumingmealsfromhome,thecasuallypatronisedhorse—boxcoffee—househadgivenplacetotheopenandcrowdedAeratedBreadShopforinstance,women’sclubshadhadtheirbeginning,andanimmensedevelopmentofreadingrooms,loungesandlibrarieshadwitnessedtothegrowthofsocialconfidence。Thesepromiseshadbythistimeattainedtotheircompletefulfillment。Thelockedandbarredhouseholdhadpassedaway。

  Thesepeoplebelowhimbelonged,helearnt,tothelowermiddleclass,theclassjustabovethebluelabourers,aclasssoaccustomedintheVictorianperiodtofeedwitheveryprecautionofprivacythatitsmembers,whenoccasionconfrontedthemwithapublicmeal,wouldusuallyhidetheirembarrassmentunderhorseplayoramarkedlymilitantdemeanour。

  Butthesegaily,iflightlydressedpeoplebelow,albeitvivacious,hurriedanduncommunicative,weredexterouslymanneredandcertainlyquiteattheireasewithregardtooneanother。

  Henotedaslightsignificantthing;thetable,asfarashecouldsee,wasandremaineddelightfullyneat,therewasnothingtoparalleltheconfusion,thebroadcastcrumbs,thesplashesofviandandcondiment,theoverturneddrinkanddisplacedornaments,whichwouldhavemarkedthestormyprogressoftheVictorianmeal。

  Thetablefurniturewasverydifferent。Therewerenoornaments,noflowers,andthetablewaswithoutacloth,beingmade,helearnt,ofasolidsubstancehavingthetextureandappearanceofdamask。Hediscernedthatthisdamasksubstancewaspatternedwithgracefullydesignedtradeadvertisements。

  Inasortofrecessbeforeeachdinerwasacompleteapparatusofporcelainandmetal。Therewasoneplateofwhiteporcelain,andbymeansoftapsforhotandcoldvolatilefluidsthedinerwashedthishimselfbetweenthecourses;healsowashedhiselegantwhitemetalknifeandforkandspoonasoccasionrequired。

  Soupandthechemicalwinethatwasthecommondrinkweredeliveredbysimilartaps,andtheremainingcoverstravelledautomaticallyintastefullyarrangeddishesdownthetablealongsilverrails。Thedinerstoppedtheseandhelpedhimselfathisdiscretion。

  Theyappearedatalittledooratoneendofthetable,andvanishedattheother。Thatturnofdemocraticsentimentindecay,thatuglyprideofmenialsouls,whichrendersequalslothtowaitononeanother,wasverystronghefoundamongthesepeople。Hewassopreoccupiedwiththesedetailsthatitwasonlyjustashewasleavingtheplacethatheremarkedthehugeadvertisementdioramasthatmarchedmajesticallyalongtheupperwallsandproclaimedthemostremarkablecommodities。

  Beyondthisplacetheycameintoacrowdedhall,andhediscoveredthecauseofthenoisethathadperplexedhim。Theypausedataturnstileatwhichapaymentwasmade。

  Graham’sattentionwasimmediatelyarrestedbyaviolent,loudhoot,followedbyavastleatheryvoice。

  \"TheMasterissleepingpeacefully,\"itvociferately。

  \"Heisinexcellenthealth。Heisgoingtodevotetherestofhislifetoaeronautics。Hesayswomenaremorebeautifulthanever。Galloop!Wow!Ourwonderfulcivilisationastonisheshimbeyondmeasure。

  Beyondallmeasure。Galloop。HeputsgreattrustinBossOstrog,absoluteconfidenceinBossOstrog。

  Ostrogistobehischiefminister;isauthorisedtoremoveorreinstatepublicofficers——allpatronagewillbeinhishands。AllpatronageinthehandsofBossOstrog!TheCouncillorshavebeensentbacktotheirownprisonabovetheCouncilHouse。\"

  Grahamstoppedatthefirstsentence,and,lookingup,beheldafoolishtrumpetfacefromwhichthiswasbrayed。ThiswastheGeneralIntelligenceMachine。

  Foraspaceitseemedtobegatheringbreath,andaregularthrobbingfromitscylindricalbodywasaudible。Thenittrumpeted\"Galloop,Galloop,\"andbrokeoutagain。

  \"Parisisnowpacified。Allresistanceisover。

  Galloop!Theblackpoliceholdeverypositionofimportanceinthecity。Theyfoughtwithgreatbravery,singingsongswritteninpraiseoftheirancestorsbythepoetKipling。Onceortwicetheygotoutofhand,andtorturedandmutilatedwoundedandcapturedinsurgents,menandwomen。Moral——don’tgorebelling。Haha!Galloop,Galloop!Theyarelivelyfellows。Livelybravefellows。Letthisbealessontothedisorderlybanderlogofthiscity。Yah!

  Banderlog!Filthoftheearth!Galloop,Galloop!\"

  Thevoiceceased。Therewasaconfusedmurmurofdisapprovalamongthecrowd。\"Damnedniggers。\"

  Amanbegantoharangnenearthem。\"IsthistheMaster’sdoing,brothers?IsthistheMaster’sdoing?\"

  \"Blackpolice!\"saidGraham。\"Whatisthat?

  Youdon’tmean——\"

  Asanotouchedhisarmandgavehimawarninglook,andforthwithanotherofthesemechanismsI

  screameddeafeninglyandgavetongueinashrillvoice。

  \"Yahaha,Yahah,Yap!Hearalivepaperyelp!

  Livepaper。Yaha!ShockingoutrageinParis。

  Yahahah!TheParisiansexasperatedbytheblackpolicetothepitchofassassination。Dreadfulreprisals。Savagetimescomeagain。Blood!Blood!

  Yaha!\"ThenearerBabbleMachinehootedstupendously,\"Galloop,Galloop,\"drownedtheendofthesentence,andproceededinaratherflatternotethanbeforewithnovelcommentsonthehorrorsofdisorder。

  \"Lawandordermustbemaintained,\"saidthenearerBabbleMachine。

  \"But,\"beganGraham。

  \"Don’taskquestionshere,\"saidAsano,\"oryouwillbeinvolvedinanargument。\"

  \"Thenletusgoon,\"saidGraham,\"forIwanttoknowmoreofthis。\"

  Asheandhiscompanionpushedtheirwaythroughtheexcitedcrowdthatswarmedbeneaththesevoices,towardstheexit,Grahamconceivedmoreclearlytheproportionandfeaturesofthisroom。Altogether,greatandsmall,theremusthavebeennearlyathousandoftheseerections,piping,hooting,bawlingandgabblinginthatgreatspace,eachwithitscrowdofexcitedlisteners,themajorityofthemmendressedinbluecanvas。Therewereallsizesofmachines,fromthelittlegossippingmechanismsthatchuckledoutmechanicalsarcasminoddcorners,throughanumberofgradestosuchfifty—footgiantsasthatwhichhadfirsthootedoverGraham。

  Thisplacewasunusuallycrowded,becauseoftheintensepublicinterestinthecourseofaffairsinParis。

  EvidentlythestrugglehadbeenmuchmoresavagethanOstroghadrepresentedit。Allthemechanismswerediscoursinguponthattopic,andtherepetitionofthepeoplemadethehugehivebuzzwithsuchphrasesas\"Lynchedpolicemen,\"\"Womenburntalive,\"\"FuzzyWuzzy。\"\"ButdoestheMasterallowsuchthings?\"askedamannearhim。\"IsthisthebeginningoftheMaster’srule?\"

  Is__this__thebeginningoftheMaster’srule?Foralongtimeafterhehadlefttheplace,thehooting,whistlingandbrayingofthemachinespursuedhim;

  \"Galloop,Galloop,\"\"Yahahah,Yaha,Yap!Yaha!\"

  IsthisthebeginningoftheMaster’srule?

  DirectlytheywereoutuponthewayshebegantoquestionAsanocloselyonthenatureoftheParisianstruggle。\"Thisdisarmament!Whatwastheirtrouble?Whatdoesitallmean?\"Asanoseemedchieflyanxioustoreassurehimthatitwas\"allright。\"

  \"Buttheseoutrages!\"\"Youcannothaveanomelette,\"

  saidAsano,\"withoutbreakingeggs。Itisonlytheroughpeople。Onlyinonepartofthecity。Alltherestisallright。TheParisianlabourersarethewildestintheworld,exceptours。\"

  \"What!theLondoners?\"

  \"No,theJapanese。Theyhavetobekeptinorder。\"

  \"Butburningwomenalive!\"

  \"ACommune!\"saidAsano。\"Theywouldrobyouofyourproperty。Theywoulddoawaywithpropertyandgivetheworldovertomobrule。YouareMaster,theworldisyours。ButtherewillbenoCommunehere。Thereisnoneedforblackpolicehere。

  \"Andeveryconsiderationhasbeenshown。Itistheirownnegroes——Frenchspeakingnegroes。Senegalregiments,andNigerandTimbuctoo。\"

  \"Regiments?\"saidGraham,\"Ithoughttherewasonlyone——。\"

  \"No,\"saidAsano,andglancedathim。\"Thereismorethanone。\"

  Grahamfeltunpleasantlyhelpless。

  \"Ididnotthink,\"hebeganandstoppedabruptlyHewentoffatatangenttoaskforinformationabouttheseBabbleMachines。Forthemostpart,thecrowdpresenthadbeenshabbilyorevenraggedlydressed,andGrahamlearntthatsofarasthemoreprosperousclasseswereconcerned,inallthemorecomfortableprivateapartmentsofthecitywerefixedBabbleMachinesthatwouldspeakdirectlyaleverwaspulled。ThetenantoftheapartmentcouldconnectthiswiththecablesofanyofthegreatNewsSyndicatesthathepreferred。Whenhelearntthispresently,hedemandedthereasonoftheirabsencefromhisownsuiteofapartments。Asanostared。\"Ineverthought,\"hesaid。\"Ostrogmusthavehadthemremoved。\"

  Grahamstared。\"HowwasItoknow?\"heexclaimed。

  \"Perhapshethoughttheywouldannoyyou,\"saidAsano。

  \"TheymustbereplaceddirectlyIreturn,\"saidGrahamafteraninterval。

  Hefoundadifficultyinunderstandingthatthisnewsroomandthedininghallwerenotgreatcentralplaces,thatsuchestablishmentswererepeatedalmostbeyondcountingalloverthecity。Buteverandagainduringthenight’sexpeditionhisears,insomenewquarterwouldpickoutfromthetumultofthewaysthepeculiarhootingoftheorganofBossOstrog,\"Galloop,Galloop!\"ortheshrill\"Yahaha,Yaha,Yap!——Hearalivepaperyelp!\"ofitschiefrival。

  Repeated,too,everywhere,weresuch__creches__astheonehenowentered。Itwasreachedbyalift,andbyaglassbridgethatflungacrossthedininghallandtraversedthewaysataslightupwardangle。ToenterthefirstsectionoftheplacenecessitatedtheuseofhissolventsignatureunderAsano’sdirection。

  Theywereimmediatelyattendedtobyamaninavioletrobeandgoldclasp,theinsigniaofpractisingmedicalmen。Heperceivedfromthisman’smannerthathisidentitywasknown,andproceededtoaskquestionsonthestrangearrangementsoftheplacewithoutreserve。

  Oneithersideofthepassage,whichwassilentandpadded,asiftodeadenthefootfall,werenarrowlittledoors,theirsizeandarrangementsuggestiveofthecellsofaVictorianprison。Buttheupperportionofeachdoorwasofthesamegreenishtransparentstuffthathadenclosedhimathisawakening,andwithin,dimlyseen,lay,ineverycase,averyyoungbabyinalittlenestofwadding。Elaborateapparatuswatchedtheatmosphereandrangabellfarawayinthecentralofficeattheslightestdeparturefromtheoptimumoftemperatureandmoisture。A

  systemofsuch__creches__hadalmostentirelyreplacedthehazardousadventuresoftheold—worldnursing。

  TheattendantpresentlycalledGraham’sattentiontothewetnurses,avistaofmechanicalfigures,witharms,shouldersandbreastsofastonishinglyrealisticmodelling,articulation,andtexture,butmerebrasstripodsbelow,andhavingintheplaceoffeaturesaflatdiscbearingadvertisementslikelytobeofinteresttomothers。

  OfallthestrangethingsthatGrahamcameuponthatnight,nonejarredmoreuponhishabitsofthoughtthanthisplace。Thespectacleofthelittlepinkcreatures,theirfeeblelimbsswayinguncertainlyinvaguefirstmovements,leftalone,withoutembraceorendearment,waswhollyrepugnanttohim。Theattendantdoctorwasofadifferentopinion。HisstatisticalevidenceshowedbeyonddisputethatintheVictoriantimesthemostdangerouspassageoflifewasthearmsofthemother,thattherehumanmortalityhadeverbeenmostterrible。Ontheotherhandthis__creche__company,theInternationalCrecheSyndicate,lostnotone—halfpercentofthemillionbabiesorsothatformeditspeculiarcare。ButGraham’sprejudicewastoostrongevenforthosefigures。

  Alongoneofthemanypassagesoftheplacetheypresentlycameuponayoungcoupleintheusualbluecanvaspeeringthroughthetransparencyandlaughinghystericallyatthebaldheadoftheirfirst—born。

  Graham’sfacemusthaveshowedhisestimateofthem,fortheirmerrimentceasedandtheylookedabashed。

  Butthislittleincidentaccentuatedhissuddenrealisationofthegulfbetweenhishabitsofthoughtandthewaysofthenewage。HepassedontothecrawlingroomsandtheKindergarten,perplexedanddistressed。

  Hefoundtheendlesslongplayroomswereempty!thelatter—daychildrenatleaststillspenttheirnightsinsleep。Astheywentthroughthese,thelittleofficerpointedoutthenatureofthetoys,developmentsofthosedevisedbythatinspiredsentimentalistFroebel。Therewerenurseshere,butmuchwasdonebymachinesthatsanganddancedanddandled。

  Grahamwasstillnotclearuponmanypoints。

  \"Butsomanyorphans,\"hesaidperplexed,revertingtoafirstmisconception,andlearntagainthattheywerenotorphans。

  Sosoonastheyhadleftthe__creche__hebegantospeakofthehorrorthebabiesintheirincubatingcaseshadcausedhim。\"Ismotherhoodgone?\"hesaid。\"Wasitacant?Surelyitwasaninstinct。

  Thisseemssounnatural——abominablealmost。\"

  \"Alonghereweshallcometothedancingplace,\"

  saidAsanobywayofreply。\"Itissuretobecrowded。Inspiteofallthepoliticalunrestitwillbecrowded。Thewomentakenogreatinterestinpolitics——exceptafewhereandthere。Youwillseethemothers——mostyoungwomeninLondonaremothers。

  Inthatclassitisconsideredacreditablethingtohaveonechild——aproofofanimation。Fewmiddleclasspeoplehavemorethanone。WiththeLabourCompanyitisdifferent。AsformotherhoodTheystilltakeanimmenseprideinthechildren。

  Theycomeheretolookatthemquiteoften。\"

  \"Thendoyoumeanthatthepopulationoftheworld——?\"

  \"Isfalling?Yes。ExceptamongthepeopleundertheLabourCompany。Theyarereckless——。\"

  Theairwassuddenlydancingwithmusic,anddownawaytheyapproachedobliquely,setwithgorgeouspillarsasitseemedofclearamethyst,flowedaconcourseofgaypeopleandatumultofmerrycriesandlaughter。Hesawcurledheads,wreathedbrows,andahappyintricateflutterofgambogepasstriumphantacrossthepicture。

  \"Youwillsee,\"saidAsanowithafaintsmile\"Theworldhaschanged。Inamomentyouwillseethemothersofthenewage。Comethisway。Weshallseethoseyonderagainverysoon。\"

  Theyascendedacertainheightinaswiftlift,andchangedtoaslowerone。Astheywentonthemusicgrewuponthem,untilitwasnearandfullandsplendid,and,movingwithitsgloriousintricaciestheycoulddistinguishthebeatofinnumerabledancingfeet。Theymadeapaymentataturnstile,andemergeduponthewidegallerythatoverlookedthedancingplace,anduponthefullenchantmentofsoundandsight。

  \"Here,\"saidAsano,\"arethefathersandmothersofthelittleonesyousaw。\"

  ThehallwasnotsorichlydecoratedasthatoftheAtlas,butsavingthat,itwas,foritssize,themostsplendidGrahamhadseen。Thebeautifulwhitelimbedfiguresthatsupportedthegalleriesremindedhimoncemoreoftherestoredmagnificenceofsculpture;

  theyseemedtowritheinengagingattitudes,theirfaceslaughed。Thesourceofthemusicthatfilledtheplacewashidden,andthewholevastshiningfloorwasthickwithdancingcouples。\"Lookatthem,\"saidthelittleofficer,\"seehowmuchtheyshowofmotherhood。\"

  Thegallerytheystooduponranalongtheupperedgeofahugescreenthatcutthedancinghallononesidefromasortofouterhallthatshowedthroughbroadarchestheincessantonwardrushofthecityways。Inthisouterhallwasagreatcrowdoflessbrilliantlydressedpeople,asnumerousalmostasthosewhodancedwithin,thegreatmajoritywearingtheblueuniformoftheLabourCompanythatwasnowsofamiliartoGraham。Toopoortopasstheturnstilestothefestival,theywereyetunabletokeepawayfromthesoundofitsseductions。Someofthemevenhadclearedspaces,andweredancingalso,flutteringtheirragsintheair。Someshoutedastheydanced,jestsandoddallusionsGrahamdidnotunderstand。

  Oncesomeonebeganwhistlingtherefrainoftherevolutionarysong,butitseemedasthoughthatbeginningwaspromptlysuppressed。ThecornerwasdarkandGrahamcouldnotsee。Heturnedtothehallagain。Abovethecaryatidaeweremarblebustsofmenwhomthatageesteemedgreatmoralemancipatorsandpioneers;forthemostparttheirnameswerestrangetoGraham,thoughherecognisedGrantAllen,LeGallienne,Nietzsche,ShelleyandGoodwin。

  Greatblackfestoonsandeloquentsentimentsreinforcedthehugeinscriptionthatpartiallydefacedtheupperendofthedancingplace,andassertedthat\"TheFestivaloftheAwakening\"wasinprogress。

  \"Myriadsaretakingholidayorstayingfromworkbecauseofthat,quiteapartfromthelabourerswhorefusetogoback,\"saidAsano。\"Thesepeoplearealwaysreadyforholidays。\"

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