\"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。