"Very。"
"Theworld,whatyouseeofit,seemsstrangetoyou?"
"IsupposeIhavetoliveinit,strangeasitseems。"
"Isupposeso,now。"
"Inthefirstplace,hadn’tIbetterhavesomeclothes?"
"They——"saidthethicksetmanandstopped,andtheflaxen—beardedmanmethiseyeandwentaway。
"Youwillveryspeedilyhaveclothes,"saidthethicksetman。
"Isittrueindeed,thatIhavebeenasleeptwohundred——?"askedGraham。
"Theyhavetoldyouthat,havethey?Twohundredandthree,asamatteroffact。"
Grahamacceptedtheindisputablenowwithraisedeyebrowsanddepressedmouth。Hesatsilentforamoment,andthenaskedaquestion,"Isthereamillordynamonearhere?"Hedidnotwaitforananswer。"Thingshavechangedtremendously,I
suppose?"hesaid。
"Whatisthatshouting?"heaskedabruptly。
"Nothing,"saidthethicksetmanimpatiently。
"It’speople。You’llunderstandbetterlater——perhaps。
Asyousay,thingshavechanged。"Hespokeshortly,hisbrowswereknit,andheglancedabouthimlikeamantryingtodecideinanemergency。
"Wemustgetyouclothesandsoforth,atanyrate。
Betterwaithereuntilsomecancome。Noonewillcomenearyou。Youwantshaving。"
Grahamrubbedhischin。
Themanwiththeflaxenbeardcamebacktowardsthem,turnedsuddenly,listenedforamoment,liftedhiseyebrowsattheolderman,andhurriedoffthroughthearchwaytowardsthebalcony。Thetumultofshoutinggrewlouder,andthethicksetmanturnedandlistenedalso。Hecursedsuddenlyunderhisbreath,andturnedhiseyesuponGrahamwithanunfriendlyexpression。Itwasasurgeofmanyvoices,risingandfalling,shoutingandscreaming,andoncecameasoundlikeblowsandsharpcries,andthenasnappinglikethecracklingofdrysticks。Grahamstrainedhisearstodrawsomesinglethreadofsoundfromthewoventumult。
Thenheperceived,repeatedagainandagain,acertainformula。Foratimehedoubtedhisears。Butsurelythesewerethewords:"howustheSleeper!
ShowustheSleeper!"
Thethicksetmanrushedsuddenlytothearchway。
"Wild!"hecried,"Howdotheyknow?Dotheyknow?Orisitguessing?"
Therewasperhapsananswer。
"Ican’tcome,"saidthethicksetman;"Ihave__him__
toseeto。Butshoutfromthebalcony。"
Therewasaninaudiblereply。
"Sayheisnotawake。Anything!Ileaveittoyou。"
HecamehurryingbacktoGraham。"Youmusthaveclothesatonce,"hesaid。"Youcannotstophere——anditwillbeimpossibleto——"
Herushedaway,Grahamshoutingunansweredquestionsafterhim。Inamomenthewasback。
"Ican’ttellyouwhatishappening。Itistoocomplextoexplain。Inamomentyoushallhaveyourclothesmade。Yes——inamoment。AndthenIcantakeyouawayfromhere。Youwillfindoutourtroublessoonenough。"
"Butthosevoices。Theywereshouting——?"
"SomethingabouttheSleeper——that’syou。Theyhavesometwistedidea。Idon’tknowwhatitis。I
knownothing。"
Ashrillbelljettedacutelyacrosstheindistinctminglingofremotenoises,andthisbrusquepersonsprangtoalittlegroupofappliancesinthecorneroftheroom。Helistenedforamoment,regardingaballofcrystal,nodded,andsaidafewindistinctwords;thenhewalkedtothewallthroughwhichthetwomenhadvanished。Itrolledupagainlikeacurtain,andhestoodwaiting。
Grahamliftedhisarmandwasastonishedtofindwhatstrengththerestorativeshadgivenhim。Hethrustonelegoverthesideofthecouchandthentheother。Hisheadnolongerswam。Hecouldscarcelycredithisrapidrecovery。Hesatfeelinghislimbs。
Themanwiththeflaxenbeardre—enteredfromthearchway,andashedidsothecageofaliftcameslidingdowninfrontofthethicksetman,andalean,grey—beardedman,carryingaroll,andwearingatightly—fittingcostumeofdarkgreen,appearedtherein。
"Thisisthetailor,"saidthethicksetmanwithanintroductorygesture。"Itwillneverdoforyoutowearthatblack。Icannotunderstandhowitgothere。
ButIshall。Ishall。Youwillbeasrapidaspossible?"
hesaidtothetailor。
Themaningreenbowed,and,advancing,seatedhimselfbyGrahamonthebed。Hismannerwascalm,buthiseyeswerefullofcuriosity。"Youwillfindthefashionsaltered,Sire,"hesaid。Heglancedfromunderhisbrowsatthethicksetman。,Heopenedtherollerwithaquickmovement,andaconfusionofbrilliantfabricspouredoutoverhisknees。
"Youlived,Sire,inaperiodessentiallycylindrical——
theVictorian。Withatendencytothehemisphereinhats。Circularcurvesalways。Now——"Heflickedoutalittleappliancethesizeandappearanceofakeylesswatch,whirledtheknob,andbehold——alittlefigureinwhiteappearedkinetoscopefashiononthedial,walkingandturning。Thetailorcaughtupapatternofbluishwhitesatin。"Thatismyconceptionofyourimmediatetreatment,"hesaid。
ThethicksetmancameandstoodbytheshoulderofGraham。
"Wehaveverylittletime,"hesaid。
"Trustme,"saidthetailor。"Mymachinefollows。
Whatdoyouthinkofthis?"
"Whatisthat?"askedthemanfromthenineteenthcentury。
"Inyourdaystheyshowedyouafashion—plate,"
saidthetailor,"butthisisourmoderndevelopmentSeehere。"Thelittlefigurerepeateditsevolutions,butinadifferentcostume。"Orthis,"andwithaclickanothersmallfigureinamorevoluminoustypeofrobemarchedontothedial。Thetailorwasveryquickinhismovements,andglancedtwicetowardstheliftashedidthesethings。
Itrumbledagain,andacrop—hairedanaemicladwithfeaturesoftheChinesetype,cladincoarsepalebluecanvas,appearedtogetherwithacomplicatedmachine,whichhepushednoiselesslyonlittlecastorsintotheroom。Incontinentlythelittlekinetoscopewasdropped,Grahamwasinvitedtostandinfrontofthemachineandthetailormutteredsomeinstructionstothecrop—hairedlad,whoansweredingutturaltonesandwithwordsGrahamdidnotrecognise。Theboythenwenttoconductanincomprehensiblemonologueinthecorner,andthetailorpulledoutanumberofslottedarmsterminatinginlittlediscs,pullingthemoutuntilthediscswereflatagainstthebodyofGraham,oneateachshoulderblade,oneattheelbows,oneattheneckandsoforth,sothatatlasttherewere,perhaps,twoscoreofthemuponhisbodyandlimbs。Atthesametime,someotherpersonenteredtheroombythelift,behindGraham。Thetailorsetmovingamechanismthatinitiatedafaint—soundingrhythmicmovementofpartsinthemachine,andinanothermomenthewasknockinguptheleversandGrahamwasreleased。Thetailorreplacedhiscloakofblack,andthemanwiththeflaxenbeardprofferedhimalittleglassofsomerefreshingfluid。Grahamsawovertherimoftheglassapale—facedyoungmanregardinghimwithasingularfixity。
Thethicksetmanhadbeenpacingtheroomfretfully,andnowturnedandwentthroughthearchwaytowardsthebalcony,fromwhichthenoiseofadistantcrowdstillcameingustsandcadences。Thecropheadedladhandedthetailorarollofthebluishsatinandthetwobeganfixingthisinthemechanisminamannerreminiscentofarollofpaperinanineteenthcenturyprintingmachine。Thentheyrantheentirethingonitseasy,noiselessbearingsacrosstheroomtoaremotecornerwhereatwistedcableloopedrathergracefullyfromthewall。Theymadesomeconnexionandthemachinebecameenergeticandswift。
"Whatisthatdoing?"askedGraham,pointingwiththeemptyglasstothebusyfiguresandtryingtoignorethescrutinyofthenewcomer。"Isthat——
somesortofforce——laidon?"
"Yes,"saidthemanwiththeflaxenbeard。
"Whoisthat?"Heindicatedthearchwaybehindhim。
Themaninpurplestrokedhislittlebeard,hesitated,andansweredinanundertone,"HeisHoward,yourchiefguardian。Yousee,Sire,——it’salittledifficulttoexplain。TheCouncilappointsaguardianandassistants。Thishallhasundercertainrestrictionsbeenpublic。Inorderthatpeoplemightsatisfythemselves。
Wehavebarredthedoorwaysforthefirsttime。ButIthink——ifyoudon’tmind,Iwillleavehimtoexplain。"
"Odd"saidGraham。"Guardian?Council?"
Thenturninghisbackonthenewcomer,heaskedinanundertone,"Whyisthismanglaringatme?
Isheamesmerist?"
"Mesmerist!Heisacapillotomist。"
"Capillotomist!"
"Yes——oneofthechief。Hisyearlyfeeissixdozlions。"
Itsoundedsheernonsense。Grahamsnatchedatthelastphrasewithanunsteadymind。"Sixdozlions?"hesaid。
"Didn’tyouhavelions?Isupposenot。Youhadtheoldpounds?Theyareourmonetaryunits。"
"Butwhatwasthatyousaid——sixdoz?"
"Yes。Sixdozen,Sire。Ofcoursethings,eventheselittlethings,havealtered。Youlivedinthedaysofthedecimalsystem,theArabsystem——tens,andlittlehundredsandthousands。Wehaveelevennumeralsnow。Wehavesinglefiguresforbothtenandeleven,twofiguresforadozen,andadozendozenmakesagross,agreathundred,youknow,adozengrossadozand,andadozanddozandamyriad。Verysimple?"
"Isupposeso,"saidGraham。"Butaboutthiscap——whatwasit?"
Themanwiththeflaxenbeardglancedoverhisshoulder。
"Hereareyourclothes!"hesaid。Grahamturnedroundsharplyandsawthetailorstandingathiselbowsmiling,andholdingsomepalpablynewgarmentsoverhisarm。Thecrop—headedboy,bymeansofonefinger,wasimpellingthecomplicatedmachinetowardstheliftbywhichhehadarrived。Grahamstaredatthecompletedsuit。"Youdon’tmeantosay——!"
"Justmade,"saidthetailor。HedroppedthegarmentsatthefeetofGraham,walkedtothebedonwhichGrahamhadsorecentlybeenIying,flungoutthetranslucentmattress,andturnedupthelookingglass。Ashedidsoafuriousbellsummonedthethicksetmantothecorner。Themanwiththeflaxenbeardrushedacrosstohimandthenhurriedoutbythearchway。
ThetailorwasassistingGrahamintoadarkpurplecombinationgarment,stockings,vest,andpantsinone,asthethicksetmancamebackfromthecornertomeetthemanwiththeflaxenbeardreturningfromthebalcony。Theybeganspeakingquicklyinanundertone,theirbearinghadanunmistakablequalityofanxiety。Overthepurpleunder—garmentcameaI
complexbutgracefulgarmentofbluishwhite,andI
Grahamwasclothedinthefashiononcemoreandsawhimself,sallow—faced,unshavenandshaggystill,butatleastnakednolonger,andinsomeindefinableunprecedentedwaygraceful。
"Imustshave,"hesaidregardinghimselfintheglass。
"Inamoment,"saidHoward。
Thepersistentstareceased。Theyoungmanclosedhiseyes,reopenedthem,andwithaleanhandextended,advancedonGraham。Thenhestopped,withhishandslowlygesticulating,andlookedabouthim。
"Aseat,"saidHowardimpatiently,andinamomenttheflaxen—beardedmanhadachairbehindGraham。
"Sitdown,please,"saidHoward。
Grahamhesitated,andintheotherhandofthewildeyedmanhesawtheglintofsteel。
"Don’tyouunderstand,Sire?"criedtheflaxen—beardedmanwithhurriedpoliteness。"Heisgoingtocutyourhair。"
"Oh!"criedGrahamenlightened。"Butyoucalledhim——
"Acapillotomist——precisely!Heisoneofthefinestartistsintheworld。"
Grahamsatdownabruptly。Theflaxen—beardedmandisappeared。Thecapillotomistcameforwardwithgracefulgestures,examinedGraham’searsandsurveyedhim,feltthebackofhishead,andwouldhavesatdownagaintoregardhimbutforHoward’saudibleimpatience。ForthwithwithrapidmovementsandasuccessionofdeftlyhandledimplementsheshavedGraham’schin,clippedhismoustache,andcutandarrangedhishair。Allthishedidwithoutaword,withsomethingoftheraptairofapoetinspired。AndassoonashehadfinishedGrahamwashandedapairofshoes。
Suddenlyaloudvoiceshouted——itseemedfromapieceofmachineryinthecorner——"Atonce——atonce。Thepeopleknowalloverthecity。Workisbeingstopped。Workisbeingstopped。Waitfornothing,butcome。"
ThisshoutappearedtoperturbHowardexceedingly。
ByhisgesturesitseemedtoGrahamthathehesitatedbetweentwodirections。Abruptlyhewenttowardsthecornerwheretheapparatusstoodaboutthelittlecrystalball。Ashedidsotheundertoneoftumultuousshoutingfromthearchwaythathadcontinuedduringalltheseoccurrencesrosetoamightysound,roaredasifitweresweepingpast,andfellagainasifrecedingswiftly。ItdrewGrahamafteritwithanirresistibleattraction。Heglancedatthethicksetman,andthenobeyedhisimpulse。Intwostrideshewasdownthestepsandinthepassage,and,inascorehewasoutuponthebalconyuponwhich
thethreemenhadbeenstanding。
CHAPTERV
THEMOVINGWAYS
Hewenttotherailingsofthebalconyandstaredupward。Anexclamationofsurpriseathisappearance,andthemovementsofanumberofpeoplecamefromthespaciousareabelow。
Hisfirstimpressionwasofoverwhelmingarchitecture。
TheplaceintowhichhelookedwasanaisleofTitanicbuildings,curvingspaciouslyineitherdirection。
Overheadmightycantileverssprangtogetheracrossthehugewidthoftheplace,andatraceryoftranslucentmaterialshutoutthesky。Giganticglobesofcoolwhitelightshamedthepalesunbeamsthatfiltereddownthroughthegirdersandwires。
Hereandthereagossamersuspensionbridgedottedwithfootpassengersflungacrossthechasmandtheairwaswebbedwithslendercables。Acliffofedificehungabovehim,heperceivedasheglancedupward,andtheoppositefacadewasgreyanddimandbrokenbygreatarchings,circularperforations,balconies,buttresses,turretprojections,myriadsofvastwindows,andanintricateschemeofarchitecturalrelief。
Athwarttheseraninscriptionshorizontallyandobliquelyinanunfamiliarlettering。Hereandthereclosetotheroofcablesofapeculiarstoutnesswerefastened,anddroopedinasteepcurvetocircularopeningsontheoppositesideofthespace,andevenasGrahamnotedthesearemoteandtinyfigureofamancladinpalebluearrestedhisattention。Thislittlefigurewasfaroverheadacrossthespacebesidethehigherfasteningofoneofthesefestoons,hangingforwardfromalittleledgeofmasonryandhandlingsomewell—nighinvisiblestringsdependentfromtheline。
Thensuddenly,withaswoopthatsentGraham’sheartintohismouth,thismanhadrusheddownthecurveandvanishedthrougharoundopeningonthehithersideoftheway。Grahamhadbeenlookingupashecameoutuponthebalcony,andthethingshesawaboveandopposedtohimhadatfirstseizedhisattentiontotheexclusionofanythingelse。Thensuddenlyhediscoveredtheroadway!Itwasnotaroadwayatall,asGrahamunderstoodsuchthings,forinthenineteenthcenturytheonlyroadsandstreetswerebeatentracksofmotionlessearth,jostlingrivuletsofvehiclesbetweennarrowfootways。Butthisroadwaywasthreehundredfeetacross,anditmoved;itmoved,allsavethemiddle,thelowestpart。Foramoment,themotiondazzledhismind。Thenheunderstood。
UnderthebalconythisextraordinaryroadwayranswiftlytoGraham’sright,anendlessflowrushingalongasfastasanineteenthcenturyexpresstrain,anendlessplatformofnarrowtransverseoverlappingslatswithlittleinterspacesthatpermittedittofollowthecurvaturesofthestreet。Uponitwereseats,andhereandtherelittlekiosks,buttheysweptbytooswiftlyforhimtoseewhatmightbetherein。Fromthisnearestandswiftestplatformaseriesofothersdescendedtothecentreofthespace。Eachmovedtotheright,eachperceptiblyslowerthantheoneaboveit,butthedifferenceinpacewassmallenoughtopermitanyonetostepfromanyplatformtotheoneadjacent,andsowalkuninterruptedlyfromtheswiftesttothemotionlessmiddleway。BeyondthismiddlewaywasanotherseriesofendlessplatformsrushingwithvaryingpacetoGraham’sleft。Andseatedincrowdsuponthetwowidestandswiftestplatforms,orsteppingfromonetoanotherdownthesteps,orswarmingoverthecentralspace,wasaninnumerableandwonderfullydiversifiedmultitudeofpeople。
"Youmustnotstophere,"shoutedHowardsuddenlyathisside。"Youmustcomeawayatonce。"
Grahammadenoanswer。Heheardwithouthearing。
Theplatformsranwitharoarandthepeoplewereshouting。Heperceivedwomenandgirlswithflowinghair,beautifullyrobed,withbandscrossingbetweenthebreasts。Thesefirstcameoutoftheconfusion。Thenheperceivedthatthedominantnoteinthatkaleidoscopeofcostumewasthepalebluethatthetailor’sboyhadworn。Hebecameawareofcriesof"TheSleeper。WhathashappenedtotheSleeper?"
anditseemedasthoughtherushingplatformsbeforehimweresuddenlyspatteredwiththepalebuffofhumanfaces,andthenstillmorethickly。Hesawpointingfingers。Heperceivedthatthemotionlesscentralareaofthishugearcadejustoppositetothebalconywasdenselycrowdedwithblue—cladpeople。
Somesortofstrugglehadsprungintolife。Peopleseemedtobepusheduptherunningplatformsoneitherside,andcarriedawayagainsttheirwill。Theywouldspringoffsosoonastheywerebeyondthethickoftheconfusion,andrunbacktowardstheconflict。
"ItistheSleeper。VerilyitistheSleeper,"shoutedvoices。"ThatisnevertheSleeper,"shoutedothers。Moreandmorefaceswereturnedtohim。AttheintervalsalongthiscentralareaGrahamnotedopenings,pits,apparentlytheheadsofstaircasesgoingdownwithpeopleascendingoutofthemanddescendingintothem。Thestruggleitseemedcentredabouttheoneofthesenearesttohim。Peoplewererunningdownthemovingplatformstothis,leapingdexterouslyfromplatformtoplatform。Theclusteringpeopleonthehigherplatformsseemedtodividetheirinterestbetweenthispointandthebalcony。A
numberofsturdylittlefigurescladinauniformofbrightred,andworkingmethodicallytogether,wereemployeditseemedinpreventingaccesstothisdescendingstaircase。Aboutthemacrowdwasrapidlyaccumulating。Theirbrilliantcolourcontrastedvividlywiththewhitish—blueoftheirantagonists,forthestrugglewasindisputable。
HesawthesethingswithHowardshoutinginhisearandshakinghisarm。AndthensuddenlyHowardwasgoneandhestoodalone。
Heperceivedthatthecriesof"TheSleeper"grewinvolume,andthatthepeopleonthenearerplatformwerestandingup。Thenearerswifterplatformheperceivedwasemptytotherightofhim,andfaracrossthespacetheplatformrunningintheoppositedirectionwascomingcrowdedandpassingawaybare。
Withincredibleswiftnessavastcrowdhadgatheredinthecentralspacebeforehiseyes;adenseswayingmassofpeople,andtheshoutsgrewfromafitfulcryingtoavoluminousincessantclamour:"TheSleeper!"
TheSleeper!"andyellsandcheers,awavingofgarmentsandcriesof"Stoptheways!"TheywerealsocryinganothernamestrangetoGraham。Itsoundedlike"Ostrog。"Theslowerplatformsweresoonthickwithactivepeople,runningagainstthemovementsoastokeepthemselvesoppositetohim。
"Stoptheways,"theycried。Agilefiguresranupswiftlyfromthecentretotheswiftroadnearesttohim,werebornerapidlypasthim,shoutingstrange,unintelligiblethings,andranbackobliquelytothecentralway。Onethinghedistinguished:"ItisindeedtheSleeper。ItisindeedtheSleeper,"theytestified。
ForaspaceGrahamstoodwithoutamovement。
Thenhebecamevividlyawarethatallthisconcernedhim。Hewaspleasedathiswonderfulpopularity,hebowed,and,seekingagestureoflongerrange,wavedhisarm。Hewasastonishedattheviolenceofuproarthatthisprovoked。Thetumultaboutthedescendingstairwayrosetofuriousviolence。Hebecameawareofcrowdedbalconies,ofmenslidingalongropes,ofmenintrapeze—likeseatshurlingathwartthespace。
Heheardvoicesbehindhim,anumberofpeopledescendingthestepsthroughthearchway;hesuddenlyperceivedthathisguardianHowardwasbackagainandgrippinghisarmpainfully,andshoutinginaudiblyinhisear。
Heturned,andHoward’sfacewaswhite。"Comeback,"heheard。"Theywillstoptheways。Thewholecitywillbeinconfusion。"
HeperceivedanumberofmenhurryingalongthepassageofbluepillarsbehindHoward,thered—hairedman,themanwiththeflaxenbeard,atallmaninvividvermilion,acrowdofothersinredcarryingstaves,andallthesepeoplehadanxiouseagerfaces。
"Gethimaway,"criedHoward。
"Butwhy?"saidGraham。"Idon’tsee——"
"Youmustcomeaway!"saidthemaninredinaresolutevoice。Hisfaceandeyeswereresolute,too。
Graham’sglanceswentfromfacetoface,andhewassuddenlyawareofthatmostdisagreeableflavourinlife,compulsion。Someonegrippedhisarm……
Hewasbeingdraggedaway。Itseemedasthoughthetumultsuddenlybecametwo,asifhalftheshoutsthathadcomeinfromthiswonderfulroadwayhadsprungintothepassagesofthegreatbuildingbehindhim。
Marvellingandconfused,feelinganimpotentdesiretoresist,Grahamwashalfled,halfthrust,alongthepassageofbluepillars,andsuddenlyhefoundhimselfalonewithHowardinaliftandmovingswiftlyupward。
CHAPTERVI
THEHALLOFTHEATLAS
FromthemomentwhenthetailorhadbowedhisfarewelltothemomentwhenGrahamfoundhimselfinthelift,wasaltogetherbarelyfiveminutes。Andasyetthehazeofhisvastintervalofsleephungabouthim,asyettheinitialstrangenessofhisbeingaliveatallinthisremoteagetouchedeverythingwithwonder,withasenseoftheirrational,withsomethingofthequalityofarealisticdream。Hewasstilldetached,anastonishedspectator,stillbuthalfinvolvedinlife。
Whathehadseen,andespeciallythelastcrowdedtumult,framedinthesettingofthebalcony,hadaspectacularturn,likeathingwitnessedfromtheboxofatheatre。"Idon’tunderstand,"hesaid。"Whatwasthetrouble?Mymindisinawhirl。Whyweretheyshouting?Whatisthedanger?"
"Wehaveourtroubles,"saidHoward。HiseyesavoidedGraham’senquiry。"Thisisatimeofunrest。
And,infact,yourappearance,yourwakingjustnow,hasasortofconnexion——"
Hespokejerkily,likeamannotquitesureofhisbreathing。Hestoppedabruptly。
"Idon’tunderstand,"saidGraham。
"Itwillbeclearerlater,"saidHoward。
Heglanceduneasilyupward,asthoughhefoundtheprogressoftheliftslow。
"Ishallunderstandbetter,nodoubt,whenIhaveseenmywayaboutalittle,"saidGrahampuzzled。"It。
willbe——itisboundtobeperplexing。Atpresentitisallsostrange。Anythingseemspossible。AnythingInthedetailseven。Yourcounting,Iunderstand,isdifferent。"
Theliftstopped,andtheysteppedoutintoanarrowbutverylongpassagebetweenhighwalls,alongwhichrananextraordinarynumberoftubesandbigcables。
"Whatahugeplacethisis!"saidGraham。"Isitallonebuilding?Whatplaceisit?"
"Thisisoneofthecitywaysforvariouspublicservices。Lightandsoforth。"
"Wasitasocialtrouble——that——inthegreatroadwayplace?Howareyougoverned?Haveyoustillapolice?"
"Several,"saidHoward。
"Several?"