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!\"