第14章
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  \"Speakingahorribledialect,coarseandweak。\"

  \"Ihaveheardit。\"

  \"Theyaretheslaves——yourslaves。TheyaretheslavesoftheLabourCompanyyouown。\"

  \"TheLabourCompany!Insomeway——thatisfamiliar。Ah!nowIremember。IsawitwhenIwaswanderingaboutthecity,afterthelightsreturned,greatfrontsofbuildingscolouredpaleblue。Doyoureallymean——?\"

  \"Yes。HowcanIexplainittoyou?Ofcoursetheblueuniformstruckyou。Nearlyathirdofourpeoplewearit——moreassumeitnoweveryday。ThisLabourCompanyhasgrownimperceptibly。\"

  \"WhatisthisLabourCompany?\"askedGraham。

  \"Intheoldtimes,howdidyoumanagewithstaningpeople?\"

  \"Therewastheworkhouse——whichtheparishesmaintained。\"

  \"Workhouse!Yes——therewassomething。Inourhistorylessons。Iremembernow。TheLabourCompanyoustedtheworkhouse。Itgrew——partly——

  outofsomething——you,perhaps,mayrememberit——

  anemotionalreligiousorganisationcalledtheSalvationArmy——thatbecameabusinesscompany。Inthefirstplaceitwasalmostacharity。Tosavepeoplefromworkhouserigours。NowIcometothinkofit,itwasoneoftheearliestpropertiesyourTrusteesacquired。TheyboughttheSalvationArmyandreconstructeditasthis。Theideainthefirstplacewastogiveworktostarvinghomelesspeople。\"

  \"Yes。\"

  \"Nowadaystherearenoworkhouses,norefugesandcharities,nothingbutthatCompany。Itsofficesareeverywhere。Thatblueisitscolour。Andanyman,womanorchildwhocomestobehungryandwearyandwithneitherhomenorfriendnorresort,mustgototheCompanyintheend——orseeksomewayofdeath。TheEuthanasyisbeyondtheirmeans——forthepoorthereisnoeasydeath。Andatanyhourinthedayornightthereisfood,shelterandablueuniformforallcomers——thatisthefirstconditionoftheCompanysincorporation——andinreturnforaday’ssheltertheCompanyextractsaday’swork,andthenreturnsthevisitor’sproperclothingandsendshimorheroutagain。\"

  \"Yes?\"

  \"Perhapsthatdoesnotseemsoterribletoyou。Inyourdaysmenstarvedinyourstreets。Thatwasbad。

  Buttheydied——men。Thesepeopleinblue——。Theproverbruns:’Bluecanvasonceandever。’TheCompanytradesintheirlabour,andithastakencaretoassureitselfofthesupply。Peoplecometoitstarvingandhelpless——theyeatandsleepforanightandday,they—workforaday,andattheendofthedaytheygooutagain。Iftheyhaveworkedwelltheyhaveapennyorso——enoughforatheatreoracheapdancingplace,orakinematographstory,oradinnerorabet。Theywanderaboutafterthatisspent。Beggingispreventedbythepoliceoftheways。Besides,noonegives。Theycomebackagainthenextdayorthedayafter——broughtbackbythesameincapacitythatbroughtthemfirst。Atlasttheirproperclothingwearsout,ortheirragsgetsoshabbythattheyareashamed。Thentheymustworkformonthstogetfresh。Iftheywantfresh。A

  greatnumberofchildrenarebornundertheCompany’scare。Themotherowesthemamonththereafter——thechildrentheycherishandeducateuntiltheyarefourteen,andtheypaytwoyears’service。

  Youmaybesurethesechildrenareeducatedforthebluecanvas。AndsoitistheCompanyworks。\"

  \"Andnonearedestituteinthecity?\"

  \"None。Theyareeitherinbluecanvasorinprison。\"

  \"Iftheywillnotwork?\"

  \"Mostpeoplewillworkatthatpitch,andtheCompanyhaspowers。Therearestagesofunpleasantnessinthework——stoppageoffood——andamanorwomanwhohasrefusedtoworkonceisknownbyathumb—markingsystemintheCompany’sofficesallovertheworld。Besides,whocanleavethecitypoor?TogotoPariscoststwoLions。Andforinsubordinationtherearetheprisons——darkandmiserable——outofsightbelow。Thereareprisonsnowformanythings。\"

  \"Andathirdofthepeoplewearthisbluecanvas?\"

  \"Morethanathird。Toilers,livingwithoutprideordelightorhope,withthestoriesofPleasureCitiesringingintheirears,mockingtheirshamefullives,theirprivationsandhardships。ToopoorevenfortheEuthanasy,therichman’srefugefromlife。Dumb,crippledmillions,countlessmillions,alltheworldabout,ignorantofanythingbutlimitationsandunsatisfieddesires。Theyareborn,theyarethwartedandtheydie。Thatisthestatetowhichwehavecome。\"

  ForaspaceGrahamsatdowncast。

  \"Buttherehasbeenarevolution,\"hesaid。\"Allthesethingswillbechanged。\"Ostrog——\"

  \"Thatisourhope。Thatisthehopeoftheworld。

  ButOstrogwillnotdoit。Heisapolitician。Tohimitseemsthingsmustbelikethis。Hedoesnotmind。

  Hetakesitforgranted。Alltherich,alltheinfluential,allwhoarehappy,comeatlasttotakethesemiseriesforgranted。Theyusethepeopleintheirpolitics,theyliveineasebytheirdegradation。Butyou——youwhocomefromahappierage——itistoyouthepeoplelook。Toyou。\"

  Helookedatherface。Hereyeswerebrightwithunshedtears。Hefeltarushofemotion。Foramomentheforgotthiscity,heforgottherace,andallthosevagueremotevoices,intheimmediatehumanityofherbeauty。

  \"ButwhatamItodo?\"hesaidwithhiseyesuponher。

  \"Rule,\"sheanswered,bendingtowardshimandspeakinginalowtone。\"Ruletheworldasithasneverbeenruled,forthegoodandhappinessofmen。

  Foryoumightruleit——youcouldruleit。

  \"Thepeoplearestirring。Allovertheworldthepeoplearestirring。Itwantsbutaword——butawordfromyou——tobringthemalltogether。Eventhemiddlesortofpeoplearerestlessunhappy。

  \"Theyarenottellingyouthethingsthatarehappening。Thepeoplewillnotgobacktotheirdrudgery——theyrefusetobedisarmed。Ostroghasawakenedsomethinggreaterthanhedreamtof——hehasawakenedhopes。\"

  Hisheartwasbeatingfast。Hetriedtoseemjudicial,toweighconsiderations。

  \"Theyonlywanttheirleader,\"shesaid。

  \"Andthen?\"

  \"Youcoulddowhatyouwould;——theworldisyours。\"

  Hesat,nolongerregardingher。Presentlyhespoke。\"Theolddreams,andthethingIhavedreamt,liberty,happiness。Aretheydreams?

  Couldoneman——oneman——?\"Hisvoicesankandceased。

  \"Notoneman,butallmen——givethemonlyaleadertospeakthedesireoftheirhearts。\"

  Heshookhishead,andforatimetherewassilence。

  Helookedupsuddenly,andtheireyesmet。\"I

  havenotyourfaith,\"hesaid。\"Ihavenotyouryouth。

  Iamherewithpowerthatmocksme。No——letmespeak。Iwanttodo——notright——Ihavenotthestrengthforthat——butsomethingratherrightthanwrong。Itwillbringnomillenium,butIamresolvednowthatIwillrule。Whatyouhavesaidhasawakenedme……Youareright。Ostrogmustknowhisplace。AndIwilllearn——……OnethingIpromiseyou。ThisLabourslaveryshallend。\"

  \"Andyouwillrule?\"

  \"Yes。Provided——。Thereisonething。\"

  \"

  Yes?\"

  \"

  Thatyouwillhelpme。\"

  \"I!——agirl!\"

  \"Yes。DoesitnotoccurtoyouIamabsolutelyalone?\"

  Shestartedandforaninstanthereyeshadpity。

  \"NeedyouaskwhetherIwillhelpyou?\"shesaid。

  Shestoodbeforehim,beautiful,worshipful,andherenthusiasmandthegreatnessoftheirthemewaslikeagreatgulffixedbetweenthem。Totouchher,toclaspherhand,wasathingbeyondhope。\"ThenIwillruleindeed,\"hesaidslowly。\"Iwillrule—\"

  Hepaused。\"Withyou。\"

  Therecameatensesilence,andthenthebeatingaclockstrikingthehour。Shemadehimnoanswer。

  Grahamrose。

  Evennow,\"hesaid,\"Ostrogwillbewaiting。\"Hehesitated,facingher。\"WhenIhaveaskedhimcertainquestions——。ThereismuchIdonotknow。Itmaybe,thatIwillgotoseewithmyowneyesthethingsofwhichyouhavespoken。AndwhenIreturn——?\"

  \"Ishallknowofyourgoingandcoming。Iwillwaitforyouhereagain。\"

  Hestoodforamomentregardingher。

  \"Iknew,\"shesaid,andstopped。

  Hewaited,butshesaidnomore。Theyregardedoneanothersteadfastly,questioningly,andthenheturnedfromhertowardstheWindVaneoffice。

  CHAPTERXIX

  OSTROGSPOINTOFVIEW

  GrahamfoundOstrogwaitingtogiveaformalaccountofhisday’sstewardship。Onpreviousoccasionshehadpassedoverthisceremonyasspeedilyaspossible,inordertoresumehisaerialexperiences,butnowhebegantoaskquickshortquestions。Hewasveryanxioustotakeuphisempireforthwith。Ostrogbroughtflatteringreportsofthedevelopmentofaffairsabroad。InParisandBerlin,Grahamperceivedthathewassaying,therehadbeentrouble,notorganisedresistanceindeed,butinsubordinateproceedings。\"Afteralltheseyears,\"

  saidOstrog,whenGrahampressedenquiries;

  \"theCommunehaslifteditsheadagain。Thatistherealnatureofthestruggle,tobeexplicit。\"

  Butorderhadbeenrestoredinthesecities。Graham,themoredeliberatelyjudicialforthestirringemotionshefelt,askediftherehadbeenanyfighting。\"A

  little,\"saidOstrog。\"Inonequarteronly。ButtheSenegalesedivisionofourAfricanagriculturalpolice——

  theConsolidatedAfricanCompanieshaveaverywelldrilledpolice——wasready,andsoweretheaeroplanes。

  Weexpectedalittletroubleinthecontinentalcities,andinAmerica。ButthingsareveryquietinAmerica。

  TheyaresatisfiedwiththeoverthrowoftheCouncilForthetime。\"

  \"Whyshouldyouexpecttrouble?\"askedGrahamabruptly。

  \"Thereisalotofdiscontent——socialdiscontent。\"

  \"TheLabourCompany?\"

  \"Youarelearning,\"saidOstrogwithatouchofsurprise。\"Yes。ItischieflythediscontentwiththeLabourCompany。Itwasthatdiscontentsuppliedthemotiveforceofthisoverthrow——thatandyourawakening。\"

  \"Yes?\"

  Ostrogsmiled。Hebecameexplicit。\"Wehadtostiruptheirdiscontent,wehadtorevivetheoldidealsofuniversalhappiness——allmenequal——allmenhappy——noluxurythateveryonemaynotshare——

  ideasthathaveslumberedfortwohundredyears。Youknowthat?Wehadtorevivetheseideals,impossibleastheyare——inordertooverthrowtheCouncil。Andnow——\"

  \"Well?\"

  \"Ourrevolutionisaccomplished,andtheCouncilisoverthrown,andpeoplewhomwehavestirredupremainsurging。Therewasscarcelyenoughfighting……Wemadepromises,ofcourse。Itisextraordinaryhowviolentlyandrapidlythisvagueout—of—datehumanitarianismhasrevivedandspread。

  Wewhosowedtheseedeven,havebeenastonished。

  InParis,asIsay——wehavehadtocallinalittleexternalhelp。\"

  \"Andhere?\"

  \"Thereistrouble。Multitudeswillnotgobacktowork。Thereisageneralstrike。HalfthefactoriesareemptyandthepeopleareswarmingintheWays。TheyaretalkingofaCommune。Meninsilkandsatinhavebeeninsultedinthestreets。Thebluecanvasisexpectingallsortsofthingsfromyou……

  Ofcoursethereisnoneedforyoutotrouble。WearesettingtheBabbleMachinestoworkwithcountersuggestionsinthecauseoflawandorder。Wemustkeepthegriptight;thatisall。\"

  Grahamthought。Heperceivedawayofassertinghimself。Buthespokewithrestraint。

  \"Eventothepitchofbringinganegropolice,\"hesaid。

  \"Theyareuseful,\"saidOstrog。\"Theyarefineloyalbrutes,withnowashofideasintheirheads——

  suchasourrabblehas。TheCouncilshouldhavehadthemaspoliceoftheWays,andthingsmighthavebeendifferent。Ofcourse,thereisnothingtofearexceptriotingandwreckage。Youcanmanageyourownwingsnow,andyoucansoarawaytoCapriifthereisanysmokeorfuss。Wehavethepullofallthegreatthings;theaeronautsareprivilegedandrich,theclosesttradesunionintheworld,andsoaretheengineersofthewindvanes。Wehavetheair,andthemasteryoftheairisthemasteryoftheearth。Nooneofanyabilityisorganisingagainstus。Theyhavenoleaders——onlythesectionalleadersofthesecretsocietyweorganisedbeforeyourveryopportuneawakening。Merebusybodiesandsentimentaliststheyareandbitterlyjealousofeachother。Noneofthemismanenoughforacentralfigure。Theonlytroublewillbeadisorganisedupheaval。Tobefrank——thatmayhappen。Butitwon’tinterruptyouraeronautics。

  ThedayswhenthePeoplecouldmakerevolutionsarepast。\"

  \"Isupposetheyare,\"saidGraham。\"Isupposetheyare。\"Hemused。\"Thisworldofyourshasbeenfullofsurprisestome。Intheolddayswedreamtofawonderfuldemocraticlife,ofatimewhenallmenwouldbeequalandhappy。\"

  Ostroglookedathimsteadfastly。\"Thedayofdemocracyispast,\"hesaid。\"Pastforever。ThatdaybeganwiththebowmenofCrecy,itendedwhenmarchinginfantry,whencommonmeninmassesceasedtowinthebattlesoftheworld,whencostlycannon,greatironclads,andstrategicrailwaysbecamethemeansofpower。To—dayisthedayofwealth。

  Wealthnowispowerasitneverwaspowerbefore——

  itcommandsearthandseaandsky。Allpowerisforthosewhocanhandlewealth……Youmustacceptfacts,andthesearefacts。TheworldfortheCrowd!TheCrowdasRuler!Eveninyourdaysthatcreedhadbeentriedandcondemned。To—dayithasonlyonebeliever——amultiplex,sillyone——themallintheCrowd。\"

  Grahamdidnotanswerimmediately。Hestoodlostinsombrepreoccupations。

  \"No,\"saidOstrog。\"Thedayofthecommonmanispast。Ontheopencountrysideonemanisasgoodasanother,ornearlyasgood。Theearlieraristocracyhadaprecarioustenureofstrengthandaudacity。

  Theyweretempered——tempered。Therewereinsurrections,duels,riots。Thefirstrealaristocracy,thefirstpermanentaristocracy,cameinwithcastlesandarmour,andvanishedbeforethemusketandbow。

  Butthisisthesecondaristocracy。Therealone。

  Thosedaysofgunpowderanddemocracywereonlyaneddyinthestream。Thecommonmannowisahelplessunit。Inthesedayswehavethisgreatmachineofthecity,andanorganisationcomplexbeyondhisunderstanding。\"

  \"Yet,\"saidGraham,\"thereissomethingresists,somethingyouareholdingdown——somethingthatstirsandpresses。\"

  \"Youwillsee,\"saidOstrog,withaforcedsmilethatwouldbrushthesedifficultquestionsaside。\"Ihavenotrousedtheforcetodestroymyself——trustme。\"

  \"Iwonder,\"saidGraham。

  Ostrogstared。

  \"Musttheworldgothisway?\"saidGraham,withhisemotionsatthespeakingpoint。\"Mustitindeedgointhisway?Haveallourhopesbeenvain?\"

  \"Whatdoyoumean?\"saidOstrog。\"Hopes?\"

  \"Icamefromademocraticage。AndIfindanaristocratictyranny!\"

  \"Well,——butyouarethechieftyrant。\"

  Grahamshookhishead。

  \"Well,\"saidOstrog,\"takethegeneralquestion。

  Itisthewaythatchangehasalwaystravelled。

  Aristocracy,theprevalenceofthebest——thesufferingandextinctionoftheunfit,andsotobetterthings。\"

  \"Butaristocracy!thosepeopleImet——\"

  \"Oh!notthose!\"saidOstrog。\"Butforthemostparttheygototheirdeath。Viceandpleasure!Theyhavenochildren。Thatsortofstuffwilldieout。Iftheworldkeepstooneroad,thatis,ifthereisnoturningback。Aneasyroadtoexcess,convenientEuthanasiaforthepleasureseekerssingedintheflame,thatisthewaytoimprovetherace!\"

  \"Pleasantextinction,\"saidGraham。\"Yet——。\"

  Hethoughtforaninstant。\"Thereisthatotherthing——theCrowd,thegreatmassofpoormen。Willthatdieout?Thatwillnotdieout。Anditsuffers,itssufferingisaforcethatevenyou——\"

  Ostrogmovedimpatiently,andwhenhespoke,hespokeratherlessevenlythanbefore。

  \"Don’tyoutroubleaboutthesethings,\"hesaid。

  Everythingwillbesettledinafewdaysnow。TheCrowdisahugefoolishbeast。Whatifitdoesnotdieout?Evenifitdoesnotdie,itcanstillbetamedanddriven。Ihavenosympathywithservilemen。

  Youheardthosepeopleshoutingandsingingtwonightsago。Theyweretaughtthatsong。Ifyouhadtakenanymanthereincoldbloodandaskedwhyheshouted,hecouldnothavetoldyou。Theythinktheyareshoutingforyou,thattheyareloyalanddevotedtoyou。JustthentheywerereadytoslaughtertheCouncil。To—day——theyarealreadymurmuringagainstthosewhohaveoverthrowntheCouncil。\"

  \"No,no,\"saidGraham。\"Theyshoutedbecausetheirlivesweredreary,withoutjoyorpride,andbecauseinme——inme——theyhoped。\"

  \"Andwhatwastheirhope?Whatistheirhope?

  Whatrighthavetheytohope?Theyworkillandtheywanttherewardofthosewhoworkwell。Thehopeofmankind——whatisit?ThatsomedaytheOver—manmaycome,thatsomedaytheinferior,theweakandthebestialmaybesubduedoreliminated。

  Subduedifnoteliminated。Theworldisnoplaceforthebad,thestupid,theenervated。Theirduty——it’safinedutytoo!——istodie。Thedeathofthefailure!

  Thatisthepathbywhichthebeastrosetomanhood,bywhichmangoesontohigherthings。\"

  Ostrogtookapace,seemedtothink,andturnedonGraham。\"IcanimaginehowthisgreatworldstateofoursseemstoaVictorianEnglishman。Youregretalltheoldformsofrepresentativegovernment——theirspectresstillhaunttheworld,thevotingcouncilsandparliamentsandallthateighteenthcenturytomfooleryYoufeelmovedagainstourPleasureCities。Imighthavethoughtofthat,——hadInotbeenbusy。Butyouwilllearnbetter。Thepeoplearemadwithenvy——theywouldbeinsympathywithyou。Eveninthestreetsnow,theyclamourtodestroythePleasureCities。

  ButthePleasureCitiesaretheexcretoryorgansoftheState,attractiveplacesthatyearafteryeardrawtogetherallthatisweakandvicious,allthatislasciviousandlazy,alltheeasyrogueryoftheworld,toagracefuldestruction。Theygothere,theyhavetheirtime,theydiechildless,alltheprettysillylasciviouswomendiechildless,andmankindisthebetter。Ifthepeopleweresanetheywouldnotenvytherichtheirwayofdeath。Andyouwouldemancipatethesillybrainlessworkersthatwehaveenslaved,andtrytomaketheirliveseasyandpleasantagain。Justastheyhavesunktowhattheyarefitfor。\"HesmiledasmilethatirritatedGrahamoddly。\"Youwilllearnbetter。Iknowthoseideas;inmyboyhoodIreadyourShelleyanddreamtofLiberty。Thereisnoliberty,savewisdomandselfcontrol。Libertyiswithin——notwithout。Itiseachman’sownaffair。

  Suppose——whichisimpossible——thattheseswarmingyelpingfoolsinbluegettheupperhandofus,whatthen?Theywillonlyfalltoothermasters。SolongastherearesheepNaturewillinsistonbeastsofprey。

  Itwouldmeanbutafewhundredyears’delay。Thecomingofthearistocratisfatalandassured。TheendwillbetheOver—man——forallthemadprotestsofhumanity。Letthemrevolt,letthemwinandkillmeandmylike。Otherswillarise——othermasters。Theendwillbethesame。\"

  \"Iwonder,\"saidGrahamdoggedly。

  Foramomenthestooddowncast。

  \"ButImustseethesethingsformyself,\"hesaid,suddenlyassumingatoneofconfidentmastery。

  \"OnlybyseeingcanIunderstand。Imustlearn。

  ThatiswhatIwanttotellyou,Ostrog。IdonotwanttobeKinginaPleasureCity;thatisnotmy,pleasure。Ihavespentenoughtimewithaeronautics——andthoseotherthings。Imustlearnhowpeoplelivenow,howthecommonlifehasdeveloped。ThenI

  shallunderstandthesethingsbetter。Imustlearnhowcommonpeoplelive——thelabourpeoplemoreespecially——howtheywork,marry,bearchildren,die——\"

  \"Yougetthatfromourrealisticnovelists,\"

  suggestedOstrog,suddenlypreoccupied。

  \"Iwantreality,\"saidGraham,\"notrealism。\"

  \"Therearedifficulties,\"saidOstrog,andthought。

  \"Onthewholeperhaps——

  \"Ididnotexpect——。

  \"Ihadthought——。Andyet,perhaps——。YousayyouwanttogothroughtheWaysofthecityandseethecommonpeople。\"

  Suddenlyhecametosomeconclusion。\"Youwouldneedtogodisguised,\"hesaid。\"Thecityisintenselyexcited,andthediscoveryofyourpresenceamongthemmightcreateafearfultumult。Stillthiswishofyourstogointothiscity——thisideaofyours——。Yes,nowIthinkthethingoveritseemstomenotaltogether——。Itcanbecontrived。Ifyouwouldreallyfindaninterestinthat!Youare,ofcourse,Master。Youcangosoonifyoulike。A

  disguiseforthisexcursionAsanowillbeabletomanage。

  Hewouldgowithyou。Afterallitisnotabadideaofyours。\"

  \"Youwillnotwanttoconsultmeinanymatter?\"

  askedGrahamsuddenly,struckbyanoddsuspicion。

  \"Oh,dearno!No!Ithinkyoumaytrustaffairstomeforatime,atanyrate,\"saidOstrog,smiling。

  \"Evenifwediffer——\"

  Grahamglanced;athimsharply。

  \"Thereisnofightinglikelytohappensoon?\"heaskedabruptly。

  \"Certainlynot。\"

  \"Ihavebeenthinkingaboutthesenegroes。Idon’tbelievethepeopleintendanyhostilitytome,and,afterall,IamtheMaster。IdonotwantanynegroesbroughttoLondon。Itisanarchaicprejudiceperhaps,butIhavepeculiarfeelingsaboutEuropeansandthesubjectraces。EvenaboutParis———\"

  Ostrogstoodwatchinghimfromunderhisdroopingbrows。\"IamnotbringingnegroestoLondon,\"

  hesaidslowly。\"Butif——\"

  \"YouarenottobringarmednegroestoLondon,whateverhappens,\"saidGraham。\"InthatmatterI

  amquitedecided。\"

  Ostrog,afterapause,decidednottospeak,andboweddeferentially。

  CHAPTERXX

  INTHECITYWAYS

  Andthatnight,unknownandunsuspected,Graham,dressedinthecostumeofaninferiorwind—vaneofficialkeepingholiday,andaccompaniedbyAsanoinLabourCompanycanvas,surveyedthecitythroughwhichhehadwanderedwhenitwasveiledindarkness。

  Butnowhesawitlitandwaking,awhirlpooloflife。

  Inspiteofthesurgingandswayingoftheforcesofrevolution,inspiteoftheunusualdiscontent,themutteringsofthegreaterstruggleofwhichthefirstrevoltwasbuttheprelude,themyriadstreamsofcommercestillflowedwideandstrong。Heknewnowsomethingofthedimensionsandqualityofthenewage,buthewasnotpreparedfortheinfinitesurpriseofthedetailedview,forthetorrentofcolourandvividimpressionsthatpouredpasthim。

  Thiswashisfirstrealcontactwiththepeopleoftheselatterdays。Herealisedthatallthathadgonebefore,savinghisglimpsesofthepublictheatresandmarkets,hadhaditselementofseclusion,hadbeenamovementwithinthecomparativelynarrowpoliticalquarter,thatallhispreviousexperienceshadrevolvedimmediatelyaboutthequestionofhisownposition。

  Butherewasthecityatthebusiesthoursofnight,thepeopletoalargeextentreturnedtotheirownimmediateinterests,theresumptionoftherealinformallife,hecommonhabitsofthenewtime。

  Theyemergedatfirstintoastreetwhoseoppositewayswerecrowdedwiththebluecanvasliveries。ThisswarmGrahamsawwasaportionofaprocession——

  itwasoddtoseeaprocessionparadingthecityseatedTheycarriedbannersofcoarseredstuffwithredletters。\"Nodisarmament,\"saidthebanners,forthemostpartincrudelydaubedlettersandwithvariantspelling,and\"Whyshouldwedisarm?\"\"Nodisarming。\"

  \"Nodisarming。\"Bannerafterbannerwentby,astreamofbannersflowingpast,andatlastattheend,thesongoftherevoltandanoisybandofstrangeinstruments。\"Theyalloughttobeatwork,\"

  saidAsano。\"Theyhavehadnofoodthesetwodays,ortheyhavestolenit。\"

  PresentlyAsanomadeadetourtoavoidthecongestedcrowdthatgapedupontheoccasionalpassageofdeadbodiesfromhospitaltoamortuary,thegleaningsafterdeath’sharvestofthefirstrevolt。

  Thatnightfewpeopleweresleeping,everyonewasabroad。Avastexcitement,perpetualcrowdsperpetuallychanging,surroundedGraham;hismindwasconfusedanddarkenedbyanincessanttumult,bythecriesandenigmaticalfragmentsofthesocialstrugglethatwasasyetonlybeginning。Everywherefestoonsandbannersofblackandstrangedecorations,intensifiedthequalityofhispopularity。

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