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。\"