第16章
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  Grahamwalkedtotheparapetandstoodleaningover,lookingdownatthedancers。Savefortwoorthreeremotewhisperingcouples,whohadstolenapart,heandhisguidehadthegallerytothemselves。

  Awarmbreathofscentandvitalitycameuptohim。

  Bothmenandwomenbelowwerelightlyclad,bare—

  armed,open—necked,astheuniversalwarmthofthecitypermitted。Thehairofthemenwasoftenamassofeffeminatecurls,theirchinswerealwaysshaven,andmanyofthemhadflushedorcolouredcheeks。

  Manyofthewomenwereverypretty,andallweredressedwithelaboratecoquetry。Astheysweptbybeneath,hesawecstaticfaceswitheyeshalfclosedinpleasure。

  \"Whatsortofpeoplearethese?\"heaskedabruptly。

  \"Workers——prosperousworkers。Whatyouwouldhavecalledthemiddleclass。Independenttradesmenwithlittleseparatebusinesseshavevanishedlongago,buttherearestoreservers,managers,engineersofahundredsorts。Tonightisaholidayofcourse,andeverydancingplaceinthecitywillbecrowded,andeveryplaceofworship。\"

  \"But——thewomen?\"

  \"Thesame。There’sathousandformsofworkforwomennow。Butyouhadthebeginningoftheindependentworking—womaninyourdays。Mostwomenareindependentnow。Mostofthesearemarriedmoreorless——thereareanumberofmethodsofcontract——andthatgivesthemmoremoney,andenablesthemtoenjoythemselves。\"

  \"Isee,\"saidGrahamlookingattheflushedfaces,theflashandswirlofmovement,andstillthinkingofthatnightmareofpinkhelplesslimbs。\"Andtheseare——mothers。\"

  \"Mostofthem。\"

  \"ThemoreIseeofthesethingsthemorecomplexIfindyourproblems。This,forinstance,isasurprise。

  ThatnewsfromPariswasasurprise。\"

  Inalittlewhilehespokeagain:

  \"Thesearemothers。Presently,Isuppose,Ishallgetintothemodernwayofseeingthings。Ihaveoldhabitsofmindclingingaboutme——habitsbased,I

  suppose,onneedsthatareoveranddonewith。Ofcourse,inourtime,awomanwassupposednotonlytobearchildren,buttocherishthem,todevoteherselftothem,toeducatethem——alltheessentialsofmoralandmentaleducationachildoweditsmother。

  Orwentwithout。Quiteanumber,Iadmit,wentwithout。Nowadays,clearly,thereisnomoreneedforsuchcarethaniftheywerebutterflies。Iseethat!

  Onlytherewasanideal——thatfigureofagrave,patientwoman,silentlyandserenelymistressofahome,motherandmakerofmen——toloveherwasasortofworship——\"

  Hestoppedandrepeated,\"Asortofworship。\"

  \"Idealschange,\"saidthelittleman,\"asneedschange。\"

  GrahamawokefromaninstantreverieandAsanorepeatedhiswords。Graham’smindreturnedtothethingathand。

  \"OfcourseIseetheperfectreasonablenessofthisRestraint,soberness,thematuredthought,theunselfishaact,theyarenecessitiesofthebarbarousstate,thelifeofdangers。Dournessisman’stributetounconquerednature。Butmanhasconquerednaturenowforallpracticalpurposes——hispoliticalaffairsaremanagedbyBosseswithablackpolice——andlifeisjoyous。\"

  Helookedatthedancersagain。\"Joyous,\"hesaid。

  \"Therearewearymoments,\"saidthelittleofficer,reflectively。

  \"Theyalllookyoung。DownthereIshouldbevisiblytheoldestman。AndinmyowntimeIshouldhavepassedasmiddle—aged。\"

  \"Theyareyoung。Therearefewoldpeopleinthisclassintheworkcities。\"

  \"Howisthat?\"

  \"Oldpeople’slivesarenotsopleasantastheyusedtobe,unlesstheyarerichtohireloversandhelpers。

  AndwehaveaninstitutioncalledEuthanasy。\"

  \"Ah!thatEuthanasy!\"saidGraham。\"Theeasydeath?\"

  \"Theeasydeath。Itisthelastpleasure。TheEuthanasyCompanydoesitwell。Peoplewillpaythesum——itisacostlything——longbeforehand,goofftosomepleasurecityandreturnimpoverishedandweary,veryweary。\"

  \"Thereisalotleftformetounderstand,\"saidGrahamafterapause。\"YetIseethelogicofitall。

  Ourarrayofangryvirtuesandsourrestraintswastheconsequenceofdangerandinsecurity。TheStoic,thePuritan,eveninmytime,werevanishingtypes。IntheolddaysmanwasarmedagainstPain,nowheiseagerforPleasure。Thereliesthedifference。

  Civilisationhasdrivenpainanddangersofaroff——forwell—to—dopeople。Andonlywell—to—dopeoplematternow。Ihavebeenasleeptwohundredyears。\"

  Foraminutetheyleantonthebalustrading,followingtheintricateevolutionofthedance。Indeedthescenewasverybeautiful。

  \"BeforeGod,\"saidGraham,suddenly,\"Iwouldratherbeawoundedsentinelfreezinginthesnowthanoneofthesepaintedfools!\"

  \"Inthesnow,\"saidAsano,\"onemightthinkdiferently。\"

  \"Iamuncivilised,\"saidGraham,notheedinghim。

  \"Thatisthetrouble。Iamprimitive——Palaeolithic。

  Theirfountainofrageandfearandangerissealedandclosed,thehabitsofalifetimemakethemcheerfulandeasyanddelightful。Youmustbearwithmynineteenthcenturyshocksanddisgusts。Thesepeople,yousay,areskilledworkersandsoforth。Andwhilethesedance,menarefighting——menaredyinginParistokeeptheworld——thattheymaydance。\"

  Asanosmiledfaintly。\"Forthatmatter,menaredyinginLondon,\"hesaid。

  Therewasamoment’ssilence。

  \"Wheredothesesleep?\"askedGraham。

  \"Aboveandbelow——anintricatewarren。\"

  \"Andwheredotheywork?Thisis——thedomesticlife。\"

  \"Youwillseelittleworkto—night。Halftheworkersareoutorunderarms。Halfthesepeoplearekeepingholiday。Butwewillgototheworkplacesifyouwishit。\"

  ForatimeGrahamwatchedthedancers,thensuddenlyturnedaway。\"Iwanttoseetheworkers。

  Ihaveseenenoughofthese,\"hesaid。

  Asanoledthewayalongthegalleryacrossthedancinghall。Presentlytheycametoatransversepassagethatbroughtabreathoffresher,colderair。

  Asanoglancedatthispassageastheywentpast,stopped,wentbacktoit,andturnedtoGrahamwithasmile。\"Here,Sire,\"hesaid,\"issomething——willbefamiliartoyouatleast——andyet——。ButIwillnottellyou。Come!\"

  Heledthewayalongaclosedpassagethatpresentlybecamecold。Thereverberationoftheirfeettoldthatthispassagewasabridge。Theycameintoacirculargallerythatwasglazedinfromtheouterweather,andsoreachedacircularchamberwhichseemedfamiliar,thoughGrahamcouldnotrecalldistinctlywhenhehadentereditbefore。Inthiswasaladder——thefirstladderhehadseensincehisawakening——upwhichtheywent,andcameintoahigh,dark,coldplaceinwhichwasanotheralmostverticalladder。Thistheyascended,Grahamstillperplexed。

  Butatthetopheunderstood,andrecognizedthemetallicbarstowhichheclung。HewasinthecageundertheballofSt。Paul’s。Thedomerosebutalittlewayabovethegeneralcontourofthecity,intothestilltwilight,andslopedaway,shininggreasilyunderafewdistantlights,intoacircumambientditchofdarkness。

  Outbetweenthebarshelookeduponthewind—clearnorthernskyandsawthestarryconstellationsallunchanged。Capellahunginthewest,Vegawasrising,andthesevenglitteringpointsoftheGreatBearsweptoverheadintheirstatelycircleaboutthePole。

  Hesawthesestarsinacleargapofsky。Totheeastandsouththegreatcircularshapesofcomplainingwind—wheelsblottedouttheheavens,sothattheglareabouttheCouncilHousewashidden。Tothesouth—westhungOrion,showinglikeapallidghostthroughatraceryofiron—workandinterlacingshapesaboveadazzlingcoruscationoflights。Abellowingandsirenscreamingthatcamefromtheflyingstageswarnedtheworldthatoneoftheaeroplaneswasreadytostart。Heremainedforaspacegazingtowardstheglaringstage。Thenhiseyeswentbacktothenorthwardconstellations。

  Foralongtimehewassilent。\"This,\"hesaidatlast,smilingintheshadow,\"seemsthestrangestthingofall。TostandinthedomeofSaintPaul’sandlookoncemoreuponthesefamiliar,silentstars!\"

  ThenceGrahamwastakenbyAsanoalongdeviouswaystothegreatgamblingandbusinessquarterswherethebulkofthefortunesinthecitywerelostandmade。Itimpressedhimasawell—nighinterminableseriesofveryhighhalls,surroundedbytiersupontiersofgalleriesintowhichopenedthousandsofoffices,andtraversedbyacomplicatedmultitudeofbridges,footways,aerialmotorrails,andtrapezeandcableleaps。Andheremorethananywherethenoteofvehementvitality,ofuncontrollable,hastyactivity。

  rosehigh。Everywherewasviolentadvertisement,untilhisbrainswamatthetumultoflightandcolour。

  AndBabbleMachinesofapeculiarlyrancidtonewereabundantandfilledtheairwithstrenuoussquealingandanidioticslang。\"Skinyoureyesandslide,\"

  \"Gewhoop,Bonanza,\"\"Golliperscomeandhark!\"

  Theplaceseemedtohimtobedensewithpeopleeitherprofoundlyagitatedorswellingwithobscurecunning,yethelearntthattheplacewascomparativelyempty,thatthegreatpoliticalconvulsionofthelastfewdayshadreducedtransactionstoanunprecedentedminimum。Inonehugeplacewerelongavenuesofroulettetables,eachwithanexcited,undignifiedcrowdaboutit;inanotherayelpingBabelofwhite—facedwomenandred—

  neckedleathery—lungedmenboughtandsoldthesharesofanabsolutelyfictitiousbusinessundertakingwhich,everyfiveminutes,paidadividendoftenpercentandcancelledacertainproportionofitssharesbymeansofalotterywheel。

  Thesebusinessactivitieswereprosecutedwithanenergythatreadilypassedintoviolence,andGrahamapproachingadensecrowdfoundatitscentreacoupleofprominentmerchantsinviolentcontroversywithteethandnailsonsomedelicatepointofbusinessetiquette。Somethingstillremainedinlifetobefoughtfor。Furtherhehadashockatavehementannouncementinphoneticlettersofscarletflame,eachtwicetheheightofaman,that\"WEASSURETHE

  PROPRAIET’R。WEASSURETHEPROPRAIET’R。\"

  \"Who’stheproprietor?\"heasked。

  \"You。\"

  \"Butwhatdotheyassureme?\"heasked。\"Whatdotheyassureme?\"

  \"Didn’tyouhaveassurance?\"

  Grahamthought。\"Insurance?\"

  \"Yes——Insurance。Irememberthatwastheolderword。Theyareinsuringyourlife。Dozandsofpeoplearetakingoutpolicies,myriadsoflionsarebeingputonyou。Andfurtheronotherpeoplearebuyingannuities。Theydothatoneverybodywhoisatallprominent。Lookthere!\"

  Acrowdofpeoplesurgedandroared,andGrahamsawavastblackscreensuddenlyilluminatedinstilllargerlettersofburningpurple。\"AnuetesonthePropraiet’r———x5pr。G。\"Thepeoplebegantobooandshoutatthis,anumberofhardbreathing,wildeyedmencamerunningpast,clawingwithhookedfingersattheair。Therewasafuriouscrushaboutalittledoorway。

  Asanodidabriefcalculation。\"Seventeenpercentperannumistheirannuityonyou。Theywouldnotpaysomuchpercentiftheycouldseeyounow,Sire。

  Buttheydonotknow。Yourownannuitiesusedtobeaverysafeinvestment,butnowyouaresheergambling,ofcourse。Thisisprobablyadesperatebid。Idoubtifpeoplewillgettheirmoney。\"

  Thecrowdofwould—beannuitantsgrewsothickaboutthemthatforsometimetheycouldmoveneitherforwardnobackward。Grahamnoticedwhatappearedtohimtobeahighproportionofwomenamongthespeculators,andwasremindedagainoftheeconomicalindependenceoftheirsex。Theyseemedremarkablywellabletotakecareofthemselvesinthecrowd,usingtheirelbowswithparticularskill,ashelearnttohiscost。Onecurly—headedpersoncaughtinthepressureforaspace,lookedsteadfastlyathimseveraltimes,almostasifsherecognizedhim,andthen,edgingdeliberatelytowardshim,touchedhishandwithherarminascarcelyaccidentalmanner,andmadeitplainbyalookasancientasChaldeathathehadfoundfavourinhereyes。Andthenalank,grey—

  beardedman,perspiringcopiouslyinanoblepassionofself—help,blindtoallearthlythingssavethatglaring,bait,thrustbetweentheminacataclysmalrushtowardsthatalluring\"x5pr。G。\"

  \"Iwanttogetoutofthis,\"saidGrahamtoAsano。

  \"ThisisnotwhatIcametosee。Showmetheworkers。Iwanttoseethepeopleinblue。Theseparasiticlunatics——\"

  Hefoundhimselfwedgedinastrugglingmasscpeople,andthishopefulsentencewentunfinished。

  CHAPTERXXI

  THEUNDERSIDE

  FromtheBusinessQuartertheypresentlypassedbytherunningwaysintoaremotequarterofthecity,wherethebulkofthemanufactureswasdone。OntheirwaytheplatformscrossedtheThamestwice,andpassedinabroadviaductacrossoneofthegreatroadsthatenteredthecityfromtheNorth。Inbothcaseshisimpressionwasswiftandinbothveryvivid。Theriverwasabroadwrinkledglitterofblackseawater,overarchedbybuildings,andvanishingeitherwayintoablacknessstarredwithrecedinglights。Astringofblackbargespassedseaward,mannedbyblue—cladmen。Theroadwasalongandverybroadandhightunnel,alongwhichbig—wheeledmachinesdrovenoiselesslyandswiftly。Here,too,thedistinctiveblueoftheLabourCompanywasinabundance。Thesmoothnessofthedoubletracks,thelargenessandthelightnessofthebigpneumaticwheelsinproportiontothevehicularbody,struckGrahammostvividly。Onelankandveryhighcarriagewithlongitudinalmetallicrodshungwiththedrippingcarcassesofmanyhundredsheeparrestedhisattentionunduly。Abruptlytheedgeofthearchwaycutandblottedoutthepicture。

  Presentlytheyleftthewayanddescendedbyaliftandtraversedapassagethatslopeddownward,andsocametoadescendingliftagain。Theappearanceofthingschanged。Eventhepretenceofarchitecturalornamentdisappeared,thelightsdiminishedinnumberandsize,thearchitecturebecamemoreandmoremassiveinproportiontothespacesasthefactoryquarterswerereached。Andinthedustybiscuit—

  makingplaceofthepotters,amongthefelsparmillsinthefurnaceroomsofthemetalworkers,amongtheincandescentlakesofcrudeEadhamite,thebluecanvasclothingwasonman,womanandchild。

  Manyofthesegreatanddustygalleriesweresilentavenuesofmachinery,endlessrakedoutashenfurnacestestifiedtotherevolutionarydislocation,butwherevertherewasworkitwasbeingdonebyslow—

  movingworkersinbluecanvas。Theonlypeoplenotinbluecanvasweretheoverlookersofthework—placesandtheorange—cladLabourPolice。Andfreshfromtheflushedfacesofthedancinghalls,thevoluntaryvigoursofthebusinessquarter,Grahamcouldnotethepinchedfaces,thefeeblemuscles,andwearyeyesofmanyofthelatter—dayworkers。Suchashesawatworkwerenoticeablyinferiorinphysiquetothefewgailydressedmanagersandforewomenwhoweredirectingtheirlabours。TheburlylabourersoftheVictoriantimeshadfollowedthedrayhorseandallsuchlivingforceproducers,toextinction;theplaceofhiscostlymuscleswastakenbysomedexterousmachine。Thelatter—daylabourer,maleaswellasfemale,wasessentiallyamachine—minderandfeeder,aservantandattendant,oranartistunderdirection。

  Thewomen,incomparisonwiththoseGrahamremembered,wereasaclassdistinctlyplainandflat—

  chested。TwohundredyearsofemancipationfromthemoralrestraintsofPuritanicalreligion,twohundredyearsofcitylife,haddonetheirworkineliminatingthestrainoffemininebeautyandvigourfromthebluecanvasmyriads。Tobebrilliantphysicallyormentally,tobeinanywayattractiveorexceptional,hadbeenandwasstillacertainwayofemancipationtothedrudge,alineofescapetothePleasureCityanditssplendoursanddelights,andatlasttotheEuthanasyandpeace。Tobesteadfastagainstsuchinducementswasscarcelytobeexpectedofmeanlynourishedsouls。IntheyoungcitiesofGraham’sformerlife,thenewlyaggregatedlabouringmasshadbeenadiversemultitude,stillstirredbythetraditionofpersonalhonourandahighmorality;nowitwasdifferentiatingintoadistinctclass,withamoralandphysicaldifferenceofitsown——evenwithadialectofitsown。

  Theypenetrateddownward,everdownward,towardstheworkingplaces。Presentlytheypassedunderneathoneofthestreetsofthemovingways,andsawitsplatformsrunningontheirrailsfaroverhead,andchinksofwhitelightsbetweenthetransverseslits。Thefactoriesthatwerenotworkingweresparselylighted;

  toGrahamtheyandtheirshroudedaislesofgiantmachinesseemedplungedingloom,andevenwhereworkwasgoingontheilluminationwasfarlessbrilliantthanuponthepublicways。

  BeyondtheblazinglakesofEadhamitehecametothewarrenofthejewellers,and,withsomedifficultyandbyusinghissignature,obtainedadmissiontothesegalleries。Theywerehighanddark,andrathercold。Inthefirstafewmenweremakingornamentsofgoldfiligree,eachmanatalittlebenchbyhimself,andwithalittleshadedlight。Thelongvistaoflightpatches,withthenimblefingersbrightlylitandmovingamongthegleamingyellowcoils,andtheintentfacelikethefaceofaghost,ineachshadowhadtheoddesteffect。

  Theworkwasbeautifullyexecuted,butwithoutanystrengthofmodellingordrawing,forthemostpartintricategrotesquesortheringingofthechangesonageometricalmotif。Theseworkersworeapeculiarwhiteuniformwithoutpocketsorsleeves。Theyassumedthisoncomingtowork,butatnighttheywerestrippedandexaminedbeforetheyleftthepremisesoftheCompany。Inspiteofeveryprecaution,theLabourpolicemantoldtheminadepressedtone,theCompanywasnotinfrequentlyrobbed。

  Beyondwasagalleryofwomenbusiedincuttingandsettingslabsofartificialruby,andnexttheseweremenandwomenbusiedtogetherupontheslabsofcoppernetthatformedthebasisofcloisonnetiles。

  Manyoftheseworkershadlipsandnostrilsalividwhite,duetoadiseasecausedbyapeculiarpurpleenamelthatchancedtobemuchinfashion。AsanoapologisedtoGrahamfortheoffenceoftheirfaces,butexcusedhimselfonthescoreoftheconvenienceofthisroute。\"ThisiswhatIwantedtosee,\"saidGraham;

  \"thisiswhatIwantedtosee,\"tryingtoavoidastartataparticularlystrikingdisfigurementthatsuddenlystaredhimintheface。

  \"Shemighthavedonebetterwithherselfthanthat,\"saidAsano。

  Grahammadesomeindignantcomments。

  \"But,Sire,wesimplycouldnotstandthatstuffwithoutthepurple,\"saidAsano。\"Inyourdayspeoplecouldstandsuchcrudities,theywerenearerthebarbaricbytwohundredyears。\"

  Theycontinuedalongoneofthelowergalleriesofthiscloisonnefactory,andcametoalittlebridgethatspannedavault。Lookingovertheparapet,Grahamsawthatbeneathwasawharfunderyetmoretremendousarchingsthananyhehadseen。Threebarges,smotheredinflourydust,werebeingunloadedoftheircargoesofpowderedfelsparbyamultitudeofcoughingmen,eachguidingalittletruck;thedustfilledtheplacewithachokingmist,andturnedtheelectricglareyellow。Thevagueshadowsoftheseworkersgesticulatedabouttheirfeet,andrushedtoandfroagainstalongstretchofwhite—washedwall。

  Everynowandthenonewouldstoptocough。

  Ashadowy,hugemassofmasonryrisingoutoftheinkywater,broughttoGraham’smindthethoughtofthemultitudeofwaysandgalleriesandlifts,thatroseflooraboveflooroverheadbetweenhimandthesky。

  ThemenworkedinsilenceunderthesupervisionoftwooftheLabourPolice;theirfeetmadeahollowthunderontheplanksalongwhichtheywenttoandfro。Andashelookedatthisscene,somehiddenvoiceinthedarknessbegantosing。

  \"Stopthat!\"shoutedoneofthepolicemen,buttheorderwasdisobeyed,andfirstoneandthenallthewhite—stainedmenwhowereworkingtherehadtakenupthebeatingrefrain,singingitdefiantly,theSongoftheRevolt。Thefeetupontheplanksthunderednowtotherhythmofthesong,tramp,tramp,tramp。

  Thepolicemanwhohadshoutedglancedathisfellow,andGrahamsawhimshrughisshoulders。Hemadenofurtherefforttostopthesinging。

  Andsotheywentthroughthesefactoriesandplacesoftoil,seeingmanypainfulandgrimthings。Butwhyshouldthegentlereaderbedepressed?Surelytoarefinednatureourpresentworldisdistressingenoughwithoutbotheringourselvesaboutthesemiseriestocome。Weshallnotsufferanyhow。Ourchildrenmay,butwhatisthattous?ThatwalkleftonGraham’smindamazeofmemories,fluctuatingpicturesofswathedhalls,andcrowdedvaultsseenthroughcloudsofdust,ofintricatemachines,theracingthreadsoflooms,theheavybeatofstampingmachinery,theroarandrattleofbeltandarmature,ofill—litsubterraneanaislesofsleepingplaces,illimitablevistasofpin—pointlights。Andherethesmelloftanning,andherethereekofabreweryandhere,unprecedentedreeks。AndeverywherewerepillarsandcrossarchingsofsuchamassivenessasGrahamhadneverbeforeseen,thickTitansofgreasy,shiningbrickworkcrushedbeneaththevastweightofthatcomplexcityworld,evenastheseanemicmillionswerecrushedbyitscomplexity。Andeverywherewerepalefeatures,leanlimbs,disfigurementanddegradation。

  Onceandagain,andagainathirdtime,Grahamheardthesongoftherevoltduringhislong,unpleasantresearchintheseplaces,andoncehesawaconfusedstruggledownapassage,andlearntthatanumberoftheseserfshadseizedtheirbreadbeforetheirworkwasdone。Grahamwasascendingtowardsthewaysagainwhenhesawanumberofblue—cladchildrenrunningdownatransversepassage,andpresentlyperceivedthereasonoftheirpanicinacompanyoftheLabourPolicearmedwithclubs,trottingtowardssomeunknowndisturbance。Andthencamearemotedisorder。Butforthemostpartthisremnantthatworked,workedhopelessly。Allthespiritthatwasleftinfallenhumanitywasaboveinthestreetsthatnight,callingfortheMaster,andvaliantlyandnoisilykeepingitsarms。

  Theyemergedfromthesewanderingsandstoodblinkinginthebrightlightofthemiddlepassageoftheplatformsagain。TheybecameawareoftheremotehootingandyelpingofthemachinesofoneoftheGeneralIntelligenceOffices,andsuddenlycamemenrunning,andalongtheplatformsandaboutthewayseverywherewasashoutingandcrying。Thenawomanwithafaceofmutewhiteterror,andanotherwhogaspedandshriekedassheran。

  \"Whathashappenednow?\"saidGraham,puzzled,forhecouldnotunderstandtheirthickspeech。ThenhehearditinEnglishandperceivedthatthethingthateveryonewasshouting,thatmenyelledtooneanother,thatwomentookupscreaming,thatwaspassinglikethefirstbreezeofathunderstorm,chillandsuddenthroughthecity,wasthis:\"OstroghasorderedtheBlackPolicetoLondon。TheBlackPolicearecomingfromSouthAfrica……TheBlackPolice。TheBlackPolice。\"

  Asano’sfacewaswhiteandastonished;hehesitated,lookedatGraham’sface,andtoldhimthethinghealreadyknew。\"Buthowcantheyknow?\"askedAsano。

  Grahamheardsomeoneshouting。\"Stopallwork。

  Stopallwork,\"andaswarthyhunchback,ridiculouslygayingreenandgold,cameleapingdowntheplatformstowardhim,bawlingagainandagainingoodEnglish,\"ThisisOstrog’sdoing,Ostrog,theKnave!

  TheMasterisbetrayed。\"Hisvoicewashoarseandathinfoamdroppedfromhisuglyshoutingmouth。HeyelledanunspeakablehorrorthattheBlackPolicehaddoneinParis,andsopassedshrieking,\"OstrogtheKnave!\"

  ForamomentGrahamstoodstill,forithadcomeuponhimagainthatthesethingswereadream。Helookedupatthegreatcliffofbuildingsoneitherside,vanishingintobluehazeatlastabovethelights,anddowntotheroaringtiersofplatforms,andtheshouting,runningpeoplewhoweregesticulatingpast。

  \"TheMasterisbetrayed!\"theycried。\"TheMasterisbetrayed!\"

  Suddenlythesituationshapeditselfinhismindrealandurgent。Hisheartbegantobeatfastandstrong。

  \"Ithascome,\"hesaid。\"Imighthaveknown。Thehourhascome。\"

  Hethoughtswiftly。\"WhatamItodo?\"

  \"GobacktotheCouncilHouse,\"saidAsano。

  \"WhyshouldInotappeal——?Thepeoplearehere。

  \"Youwilllosetime。Theywilldoubtifitisyou。

  ButtheywillmassabouttheCouncilHouse。Thereyouwillfind’theirleaders。Yourstrengthistherewiththem。\"

  \"Supposethisisonlyarumour?\"

  \"Itsoundstrue,\"saidAsano。

  \"Letushavethefacts,\"saidGraham。

  Asanoshruggedhisshoulders。\"WehadbettergettowardstheCouncilHouse,\"hecried。\"Thatiswheretheywillswarm。Evennowtheruinsmaybeimpassable。\"

  Grahamregardedhimdoubtfullyandfollowedhim。

  Theywentupthesteppedplatformstotheswiftestone,andthereAsanoaccostedalabourer。Theanswerstohisquestionswereinthethick,vulgarspeech。

  \"Whatdidhesay?\"askedGraham。

  \"Heknowslittle,buthetoldmethattheBlackPolicewouldhavearrivedherebeforethepeopleknew——hadnotsomeoneintheWind—VaneOfficesLearnt。Hesaidagirl。\"

  \"Agirl?Not?\"

  \"Hesaidagirl——hedidnotknowwhoshewas。

  WhocameoutfromtheCouncilHousecryingaloud,andtoldthemenatworkamongtheruins。\"

  Andthenanotherthingwasshouted,somethingthatturnedanaimlesstumultintodeterminatemovements,itcamelikeawindalongthestreet。\"ToyourWards,toyourWards。Everymangetarms。EverymantohisWard!\"

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