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。"