"Everyoneknowsthat，Ishouldthink，"saidtheoldman。"Except——justfools。Hemeanttobemastersomehow。IntheCouncilornot。Everyonewhoknowsanythingknowsthat。AndherewearewithdeadbodiesIyinginthedark！Why，wherehaveyoubeenifyouhaven’theardallaboutthetroublebetweenOstrogandtheVerneys？Andwhatdoyouthinkthetroublesareabout？TheSleeper？Eh？
YouthinktheSleeper’srealandwokeofhisownaccord——eh？"
"I’madullman，olderthanIlook，andforgetful，"
saidGraham。"Lotsofthingsthathavehappened——
especiallyoflateyears——。IfIwastheSleeper，totellyouthetruth，Icouldn’tknowlessaboutthem。"
"Eh！"saidthevoice。"Old，areyou？Youdon’tsoundsoveryold！Butitsnoteveryonekeepshismemorytomytimeoflife——truly。Butthesenotoriousthings！Butyou’renotsooldasme——notnearlysooldasme。Well！Ioughtnottojudgeothermenbymyself，perhaps。I’myoung——forsooldaman。Maybeyou’reoldforsoyoung。"
"That’sit，"saidGraham。"AndI’veaqueerhistory。
Iknowverylittle。Andhistory！PracticallyI
knownohistory。TheSleeperandJuliusCaesarareallthesametome。It’sinterestingtohearyoutalkofthesethings。"
"Iknowafewthings，"saidtheoldman。"Iknowathingortwo。But——。Hark！"
Thetwomenbecamesilent，listening。Therewasheavythud，aconcussionthatmadetheirseatshiver。
Thepassers—bystopped，shoutedtooneanother。Theoldmanwasfullofquestions；heshoutedtoamanwhopassednear。Graham，emboldenedbyhisexample，gotupandaccostedothers。Noneknewwhathadhappened。
Hereturnedtotheseatandfoundtheoldmanmutteringvagueinterrogationsinanundertone。Forawhiletheysaidnothingtooneanother。
Thesenseofthisgiganticstruggle，sonearandyetsoremoteoppressedGraham’simagination。Wasthisoldmanright，wasthereportofthepeopleright，andweretherevolutionarieswinning？Orweretheyallinerror，andweretheredguardsdrivingallbeforethem？Atanytimethefloodofwarfaremightpourintothissilentquarterofthecityandseizeuponhimagain。Itbehoovedhimtolearnallhecouldwhiletherewastime。Heturnedsuddenlytotheoldmanwithaquestionandleftitunsaid。Buthismotionmovedtheoldmantospeechagain。
"Eh！buthowthingsworktogether！"saidtheoldman。"ThisSleeperthatallthefoolsputtheirtrustin！I’vethewholehistoryofit——Iwasalwaysagoodoneforhistories。WhenIwasaboy—I’mthatold——
Iusedtoreadprintedbooks。You’dhardlythinkit。
Likelyyou’veseennone——theyrotanddustso——andtheSanitaryCompanyburnsthemtomakeashlarite。
Buttheywereconvenientintheirdirtyway。OhI
learntalot。Thesenew—fangledBabbleMachines——
theydon’tseemnew—fangledtoyou，eh？——they’reeasytohear，easytoforget。ButI’vetracedalltheSleeperbusinessfromthefirst。"
"Youwillscarcelybelieveit，"saidGrahamslowly，"I’msoignorant——I’vebeensopreoccupiedinmyownlittleaffairs，mycircumstanceshavebeensoodd——IknownothingofthisSleeper’shistory。Whowashe？"
"Eh！"saidtheoldman。"Iknow。Iknow。Hewasapoornobody，andsetonaplayfulwoman，poorsoul！Andhefellintoatrance。There’stheoldthingstheyhad，thosebrownthings——silverphoto—
graphs——stillshowinghimashelay，agrossandahalfyearsago——agrossandahalfofyears。"
"Setonaplayfulwoman，poorsoul，"saidGrahamsoftlytohimself，andthenaloud，"Yes——well！goon。"
"YoumustknowhehadacousinnamedWarmingasolitarymanwithoutchildren，whomadeabigfortunespeculatinginroads——thefirstEadhamiteroads。
Butsurelyyou’veheard？No？Why？Heboughtallthepatentrightsandmadeabigcompany。Inthosedaysthereweregrossesofgrossesofseparatebusinessesandbusinesscompanies。Grossesofgrosses！Hisroadskilledtherailroads——theoldthings——intwodozenyears；heboughtupandEadhaillited’
thetracks。Andbecausehedidn’twanttobreakuphisgreatpropertyorletinshareholders，heleftitalltotheSleeper，andputitunderaBoardofTrusteesthathehadpickedandtrained。HeknewthentheSleeperwouldn’twake，thathewouldgoonsleeping，sleepingtillhedied。Heknewthatquitewell！Andplump！amanintheUnitedStates，whohadlosttwosonsinaboataccident，followedthatupwithanothergreatbequest。Histrusteesfoundthemselveswithadozenmyriadsoflions’—worthormoreofpropertyattheverybeginning。"
"Whatwashisname？"
"Graham。"
"No，Imean——thatAmerican’s。"
"Isbister。"
"Isbister！"criedGraham。"Why，Idon’tevenknowthename。"
"Ofcoursenot，"saidtheoldman。"Ofcoursenot。
Peopledon’tlearnmuchintheschoolsnowadays。
ButIknowallabouthim。HewasarichAmericanwhowentfromEngland，andhelefttheSleeperevenmorethanWarming。Howhemadeit？ThatIdon’tknow。Somethingaboutpicturesbymachinery。Buthemadeitandleftit，andsotheCouncilhaditsstart。
Itwasjustacounciloftrusteesatfirst。"
"Andhowdiditgrow？"
"Eh！——butyou’renotuptothings。Moneyattractsmoney——andtwelvebrainsarebetterthanone。Theyplayeditcleverly。Theyworkedpoliticswithmoney，andkeptonaddingtothemoneybyworkingcurrencyandtariffs。Theygrew——theygrew。AndforyearsthetwelvetrusteeshidthegrowingoftheSleeper’sestate，underdoublenamesandcompanytitlesandallthat。TheCouncilspreadbytitledeed，mortgage，share，everypoliticalparty，everynewspaper，theybought。IfyoulistentotheoldstoriesyouwillseetheCouncilgrowingandgrowingBillionsandbillionsoflionsatlast——theSleeper’sestate。Andallgrowingoutofawhim——outofthisWarming’swill，andanaccidenttoIsbister’ssons。
"Menarestrange，"saidtheoldman。"Thestrange，thingtomeishowtheCouncilworkedtogethersolong。Asmanyastwelve。Buttheyworkedincliquesfromthefirst。Andthey’veslippedback。InmyyoungdaysspeakingoftheCouncilwaslikeanignorantmanspeakingofGod。Wedidn’tthinktheycoulddowrong。Wedidn’tknowoftheirwomenandallthat！OrelseI’vegotwiser。
"Menarestrange，"saidtheoldman。"Hereareyou，youngandignorant，andme——sevendyyearsold，andImightreasonablybeforgetting——explainingitalltoyoushortandclear。
"Sevendy，"hesaid，"sevendy，andIhearandsee——
hearbetterthanIsee。Andreasonclearly，andkeepmyselfuptoallthehappeningsofthings。Sevendy！
"Lifeisstrange。IwastwaindybeforeOstrogwasababy。Irememberhimlongbeforehe’dpushedhiswaytotheheadoftheWindVanesControl。I’veseenmanychanges。Eh！I’veworntheblue。AndatlastI’vecometoseethiscrushanddarknessandtumultanddeadmencarriedbyinheapsontheways。
Andallhisdoing！Allhisdoing！"
HisvoicediedawayinscarcelyarticulatepraisesofOstrogGrahamthought。"Letmesee，"hesaid，"ifIhaveitright。"
Heextendedahandandtickedoffpointsuponhisfingers。"TheSleeperhasbeenasleep——"
"Changed，"saidtheoldman。
"Perhaps。AndmeanwhiletheSleeper’spropertygrewinthehandsofTwelveTrustees，untilitswallowedupnearlyallthegreatownershipoftheworld。TheTwelveTrustees——byvirtueofthispropertyhavebecomevirtuallymastersoftheworld。
Becausetheyarethepayingpower——justastheoldEnglishParliamentusedtobe——"
"Eh！"saidtheoldman。"That’sso——that’sagoodcomparison。You’renotso——"
"AndnowthisOstrog——hassuddenlyrevolutionisedtheworldbywakingtheSleeper——whomnoonebutthesuperstitious，commonpeoplehadeverdreamtwouldwakeagain——raisingtheSleepertoclaimhispropertyfromtheCouncil，afteralltheseyears。"
Theoldmanendorsedthisstatementwithacough。
"It’sstrange，"hesaid，"tomeetamanwholearnsthesethingsforthefirsttimetonight。"
"Aye，"saidGraham，"it’sstrange。"
"HaveyoubeeninaPleasureCity？"saidtheoldman。"AllmylifeI’velonged——"Helaughed。
"Evennow，"hesaid，"Icouldenjoyalittlefun。
Enjoyseeingthings，anyhow。"HemumbledasentenceGrahamdidnotunderstand。
"TheSleeper——whendidheawake？"saidGrahamsuddenly。
"Threedaysago。"
"Whereishe？"
"Ostroghashim。HeescapedfromtheCouncilnotfourhoursago。Mydearsir，wherewereyouatthetime？Hewasinthehallofthemarkets——wherethefightinghasbeen。Allthecitywasscreamingaboutit。AlltheBabbleMachines！Everywhereitwasshouted。EventhefoolswhospeakfortheCouncilwereadmittingit。Everyonewasrushingofftoseehim——everyonewasgettingarms。Wereyoudrunkorasleep？Andeventhen！Butyou’rejoking！
Surelyyou’repretending。ItwastostoptheshoutingoftheBabbleMachinesandpreventthepeoplegatheringthattheyturnedofftheelectricity——andputthisdamneddarknessuponus。Doyoumeantosay——？"
"IhadheardtheSleeperwasrescued，"saidGraham。
"But——tocomebackaminute。AreyousureOstroghashim？"
"Hewon’tlethimgo，"saidtheoldman。
"AndtheSleeper。Areyousureheisnotgenuine？
Ihaveneverheard——"
"Soallthefoolsthink。Sotheythink。Asiftherewasn’tathousandthingsthatwereneverheard。I
knowOstrogtoowellforthat。DidItellyou？InawayI’masortofrelationofOstrog’s。Asortofrelation。Throughmydaughter—in—law。"
"Isuppose——"
"Well？"
"Isupposethere’snochanceofthisSleeperassertinghimself。Isupposehe’scertaintobeapuppet——
inOstrog’shandsortheCouncil’s，assoonasthestruggleisover。"
"InOstrog’shands——certainly。Whyshouldn’thebeapuppet？Lookathisposition。Everythingdoneforhim，everypleasurepossible。Whyshouldhewanttoasserthimself？"
"WhatarethesePleasureCities？"saidGraham，abruptly。
Theoldmanmadehimrepeatthequestion。WhenatlasthewasassuredofGraham’swords，henudgedhimviolently。"That’stoomuch，"saidhe。"You’repokingfunatanoldman。I’vebeensuspectingyouknowmorethanyoupretend。"
"PerhapsIdo，"saidGraham。"Butno！whyshouldIgoonacting？No，IdonotknowwhataPleasureCityis。"
Theoldmanlaughedinanintimateway。
"Whatismore，Idonotknowhowtoreadyourletters，Idonotknowwhatmoneyyouuse，Idonotknowwhatforeigncountriesthereare。IdonotknowwhereIam。Icannotcount。Idonotknowwheretogetfood，nordrink，norshelter。"
"Come，come，"saidtheoldman，"ifyouhadaglassofdrink，now，wouldyouputitinyourearoryoureye？"
"Iwantyoutotellmeallthesethings。"
"He，he！Well，gentlemenwhodressinsilkmusthavetheirfun。"AwitheredhandcaressedGraham’sarmforamoment。"Silk。Well，well！But，allthesame，IwishIwasthemanwhowasputupastheSleeper。He’llhaveafinetimeofit。Allthepompandpleasure。He’saqueerlookingface。Whentheyusedtoletanyonegotoseehim，I’vegotticketsandbeen。Theimageoftherealone，asthephotographsshowhim，thissubstituteusedtobe。Yellow。Buthe’llgetfedup。It’saqueerworld。Thinkoftheluckofit。Theluckofit。Iexpecthe’llbesenttoCapri。
It’sthebestfunforagreener。"
Hiscoughovertookhimagain。Thenhebeganmumblingenviouslyofpleasuresandstrangedelights。
"Theluckofit，theluckofit！AllmylifeI’vebeeninLondon，hopingtogetmychance。"
"Butyoudon’tknowthattheSleeperdied，"saidGraham，suddenly。J
Theoldmanmadehimrepeathiswords。
"Mendon’tlivebeyondtendozen。It’snotintheorderofthings，"saidtheoldman。"I’mnotafool。
Foolsmaybelieveit，butnotme。"
Grahambecameangrywiththeoldman’sassurance。
"Whetheryouareafoolornot，"hesaid，"ithappensyouarewrongabouttheSleeper。"
"Eh？"
"YouarewrongabouttheSleeper。Ihaven’ttoldyoubefore，butIwilltellyounow。YouarewrongabouttheSleeper。"
"Howdoyouknow？Ithoughtyoudidn’tknowanything——notevenaboutPleasureCities。"
Grahampaused。
"Youdon’tknow，"saidtheoldman。"Howareyoutoknow？It’sveryfewmen——"
"I__am__theSleeper。"
Hehadtorepeatit。
Therewasabriefpause。"There’sasillythingtosay，sir，ifyou’llexcuseme。Itmightgetyouintotroubleinatimelikethis，"saidtheoldman。
Graham，slightlydashed，repeatedhisassertion。
"IwassayingIwastheSleeper。ThatyearsandyearsagoIdid，indeed，fallasleep，inalittlestonebuiltvillage，inthedayswhentherewerehedgerows，andvillages，andinns，andallthecountrysidecutupintolittlepieces，littlefields。Haveyouneverheardofthosedays？AnditisI——Iwhospeaktoyou——
whoawakenedagainthesefourdayssince。"
"Fourdayssince！——theSleeper！Butthey’vegottheSleeper。Theyhavehimandtheywon’tlethimgo。Nonsense！You’vebeentalkingsensiblyenoughuptonow。IcanseeitasthoughIwasthere。TherewillbeLincolnlikeakeeperjustbehindhim；theywon’tlethimgoaboutalone。Trustthem。You’reaqueerfellow。Oneofthesefunpokers。Iseenowwhyyouhavebeenclippingyourwordssooddly，but——"
Hestoppedabruptly，andGrahamcouldseehisgesture。
"AsifOstrogwouldlettheSleeperrunaboutalone！No，you’retellingthattothewrongmanaltogether。Eh！asifIshouldbelieve。What’syourgame？Andbesides，we’vebeentalkingoftheSleeper。"
Grahamstoodup。"Listen，"hesaid。"IamtheSleeper。"
"You’reanoddman，"saidtheoldman，"tosithereinthedark，talkingclipped，andtellingalieofthatsort。But——"
Graham’sexasperationfelltolaughter。"Itispreposterous，"hecried。"Preposterous。Thedreammustend。Itgetswilderandwilder。HereamI——inthisdamnedtwilight——Ineverknewadreamintwilightbefore——ananachronismbytwohundredyearsandtryingtopersuadeanoldfoolthatIammyself，andmeanwhile——Ugh！"
Hemovedingustyirritationandwentstriding。Inamomenttheoldmanwaspursuinghim。"Eh！butdon’tgo！"criedtheoldman。"I’manoldfool，I
know。Don’tgo。Don’tleavemeinallthisdarkness。"
Grahamhesitated，stopped。Suddenlythefollyoftellinghissecretflashedintohismind。
"Ididn’tmeantooffendyou——disbelievingyou，"
saidtheoldmancomingnear。"It’snomannerofharm。CallyourselftheSleeperifitpleasesyou。
’Tisafoolishtrick"
Grahamhesitated，turnedabruptlyandwentonhisway。
Foratimeheheardtheoldman’shobblingpursuitandhiswheezycriesreceding。Butatlastthedarknessswallowedhim，andGrahamsawhimnomore。
CHAPTERXII
OSTROG
Grahamcouldnowtakeaclearerviewofhisposition。
Foralongtimeyethewandered，butafterthetalkoftheoldmanhisdiscoveryofthisOstrogwasclearinhismindasthefinalinevitabledecision。Onethingwasevident，thosewhowereattheheadquartersoftherevolthadsucceededveryadmirablyinsuppressingthefactofhisdisappearance。ButeverymomentheexpectedtohearthereportofhisdeathorofhisrecapturebytheCouncil。
Presentlyamanstoppedbeforehim。"Haveyouheard？"hesaid。
"No！"saidGrahamstarting。
"Nearadozand，"saidtheman，"adozandmen！"
andhurriedon。
Anumberofmenandagirlpassedinthedarkness，gesticulatingandshouting："Capitulated！Givenup！"Adozandofmen。""Twodozandofmen。"
"Ostrog，Hurrah！Ostrog，Hurrah！"Thesecriesreceded，becameindistinct。
Othershoutingmenfollowed。Foratimehisattentionwasabsorbedinthefragmentsofspeechheheard。
HehadadoubtwhetherallwerespeakingEnglish。
Scrapsfloatedtohim，scrapslikePigeonEnglish，like’nigger’dialect，blurredandmangleddistortions。Hedaredaccostnoonewithquestions。Theimpressionthepeoplegavehimjarredaltogetherwithhispreconceptionsofthestruggleandconfirmedtheoldman’sfaithinOstrog。ItwasonlyslowlyhecouldbringhimselftobelievethatallthesepeoplewererejoicingatthedefeatoftheCouncil，thattheCouncilwhichhadpursuedhimwithsuchpowerandvigourwasafteralltheweakerofthetwosidesinconflict。
Andifthatwasso，howdiditaffecthim？Severaltimeshehesitatedonthevergeoffundamentalquestions。
Onceheturnedandwalkedforalongwayafteralittlemanofrotundinvitingoutline，buthewasunabletomasterconfidencetoaddresshim。
Itwasonlyslowlythatitcametohimthathemightaskforthe"wind—vaneoffices，"whateverthe"wind—
vaneoffices"mightbe。HisfirstenquirysimplyresultedinadirectiontogoontowardsWestminster。
Hissecondledtothediscoveryofashortcutinwhichhewasspeedilylost。Hewastoldtoleavethewaystowhichhehadhithertoconfinedhimselfknowingnoothermeansoftransit——andtoplungedownoneofthemiddlestaircasesintotheblacknessofacrossway。Thereuponcamesometrivialadventures；chiefoftheseanambiguousencounterwithagruff—voicedinvisiblecreaturespeakinginastrangedialectthatseemedatfirstastrangetongue，athickflowofspeechwiththedriftingcorpsesofEnglishwordstherein，thedialectofthelatter—dayvile。Thenanothervoicedrewnear，agirl’svoicesinging，"tralalatralala。"
ShespoketoGraham，herEnglishtouchedwithsomethingofthesamequality。Sheprofessedtohavelosthersister，sheblunderedneedlesslyintohimhethought，caughtholdofhimandlaughed。Butawordofvagueremonstrancesentherintotheunseenagain。
Thesoundsabouthimincreased。Stumblingpeoplepassedhim，speakingexcitedly。"Theyhavesurrendered！"
"TheCouncil！SurelynottheCouncil！"
"TheyaresayingsointheWays。"Thepassageseemedwider。Suddenlythewallfellaway。Hewasinagreatspaceandpeoplewerestirringremotely。
Heinquiredhiswayofanindistinctfigure。"Strikestraightacross，"saidawoman’svoice。Helefthisguidingwall，andinamomenthadstumbledagainstalittletableonwhichwereutensilsofglass。Graham’seyes，nowattunedtodarkness，madeoutalongvistawithpallidtablesoneitherside。Hewentdownthis。Atoneortwoofthetablesheheardaclangofglassandasoundofeating。Therewerepeoplethencoolenoughtodine，ordaringenoughtostealamealinspiteofsocialconvulsionanddarkness。
Faroffandhighuphepresentlysawapallidlightofasemi—circularshape。Asheapproachedthis，ablackedgecameupandhidit。Hestumbledatstepsandfoundhimselfinagallery。Heheardasobbing，andfoundtwoscaredlittlegirlscrouchedbyarailing。Thesechildrenbecamesilentatthenearsoundoffeet。Hetriedtoconsolethem，buttheywereverystilluntilheleftthem。Thenasherecededhecouldhearthemsobbingagain。
Presentlyhefoundhimselfatthefootofastaircaseandnearawideopening。HesawadimtwilightabovethisandascendedoutoftheblacknessintoastreetofmovingWaysagain。Alongthisadisorderlyswarmofpeoplemarchedshouting。Theyweresingingsnatchesofthesongoftherevolt，mostofthemoutoftune。Hereandtheretorchesflaredcreatingbriefhystericalshadows。Heaskedhiswayandwastwicepuzzledbythatsamethickdialect。Histhirdattemptwonananswerhecouldunderstand。Hewastwomilesfromthewind—vaneofficesinWestminster，butthewaywaseasytofollow。
Whenatlasthedidapproachthedistrictofthewind—vaneofficesitseemedtohim，fromthecheeringprocessionsthatcamemarchingalongtheWays，fromthetumultofrejoicing，andfinallyfromtherestorationofthelightingofthecity，thattheoverthrowoftheCouncilmustalreadybeaccomplished。Andstillnonewsofhisabsencecametohisears。
There—illuminationofthecitycamewithstartlingabruptness。Suddenlyhestoodblinking，allabouthimmenhalteddazzled，andtheworldwasincandescent。
ThelightfoundhimalreadyupontheoutskirtsoftheexcitedcrowdsthatchokedtheWaysnearthewind—vaneoffices，andthesenseofvisibilityandexposurethatcamewithitturnedhiscolourlessintentionofjoiningOstrogtoakeenanxiety。
Foratimehewasjostled，obstructed，andendangeredbymenhoarseandwearywithcheeringhisname，someofthembandagedandbloodyinhiscause。Thefrontageofthewind—vaneofficeswasilluminatedbysomemovingpicture，butwhatitwashecouldnotsee，becauseinspiteofhisstrenuousattemptsthedensityofthecrowdpreventedhisapproachingit。
Fromthefragmentsofspeechhecaught，hejudgeditconveyednewsofthefightingabouttheCouncilHouse。Ignoranceandindecisionmadehimslowandineffectiveinhismovements。Foratimehecouldnotconceivehowhewastogetwithintheunbrokenfacadeofthisplace。Hemadehiswayslowlyintothemidstofthismassofpeople，untilherealisedthatthedescendingstaircaseofthecentralWayledtotheinteriorofthebuildings。Thisgavehimagoal，butthecrowdinginthecentralpathwassodensethatitwaslongbeforehecouldreachit。Andeventhenheencounteredintricateobstruction，andhadanhourofvividargumentfirstinthisguardroomandtheninthatbeforehecouldgetanotetakentotheonemanofallmenwhowasmosteagertoseehim。Hisstorywaslaughedtoscornatoneplace，andwiserforthat，whenatlasthereachedasecondstairwayheprofessedsimplytohavenewsofextraordinaryimportanceforOstrog。Whatitwashewouldnotsay。
Theysenthisnotereluctantly。Foralongtimehewaitedinalittleroomatthefootoftheliftshaft，andthitheratlastcameLincoln，eager，apologetic，astonished。HestoppedinthedoorwayscrutinisingGraham，thenrushedforwardeffusively。
"Yes，"hecried。"Itisyou。Andyouarenotdead！"
Grahammadeabriefexplanation。
"Mybrotheriswaiting，"explainedLincoln。"Heisaloneinthewind—vaneoffices。Wefearedyouhadbeenkilledinthetheatre。Hedoubted——andthingsareveryurgentstillinspiteofwhatwearetellingthem__there__——orhewouldhavecometoyou。"
Theyascendedalift，passedalonganarrowpassage，crossedagreathall，emptysavefortwohurryingmessengers，andenteredacomparativelylittleroom，whoseonlyfurniturewasalongsetteeandalargeovaldiscofcloudy，shiftinggrey，hungbycablesfromthewall。
ThereLincolnleftGrahamforaspace，andheremainedalonewithoutunderstandingtheshiftingsmokyshapesthatdroveslowlyacrossthisdisc。
Hisattentionwasarrestedbyasoundthatbeganabruptly。Itwascheering，thefranticcheeringofavastbutveryremotecrowd，aroaringexultation。
Thisendedassharplyasithadbegun，likeasoundheardbetweentheopeningandshuttingofadoor。
Intheouterroomwasanoiseofhurryingstepsandamelodiousclinkingasifaloosechainwasrunningovertheteethofawheel。
Thenheheardthevoiceofawoman，therustleofunseengarments。"ItisOstrog！"heheardhersay。
Alittlebellrangfitfully，andtheneverythingwasstillagain。
Presentlycamevoices，footstepsandmovementwithout。Thefootstepsofsomeonepersondetacheditselffromtheothersoundsanddrewnear，firm，evenlymeasuredsteps。Thecurtainliftedslowly。A
tall，white—hairedman，cladingarmentsofcreamcolouredsilk，appeared，regardingGrahamfromunderhisraisedarm。
Foramomentthewhiteformremainedholdingthecurtain，thendroppeditandstoodbeforeit。Graham’sfirstimpressionwasofaverybroadforehead，verypaleblueeyesdeepsunkenunderwhitebrows，anaquilinenose，andaheavily—linedresolutemouth。Thefoldsoffleshovertheeyes，thedroopingofthecornersofthemouthcontradictedtheuprightbearing，andsaidthemanwasold。Grahamrosetohisfeetinstinctively，andforamomentthetwomenstoodinsilence，regardingeachother。
"YouareOstrog？"saidGraham。
"IamOstrog。"
"TheBoss？"
"SoIamcalled。"
Grahamfelttheinconvenienceofthesilence。"I
havetothankyouchiefly，Iunderstand，formysafety，"
hesaidpresently。
"Wewereafraidyouwerekilled，"saidOstrog。
"Orsenttosleepagain——forever。Wehavebeendoingeverythingtokeepoursecret——thesecretofyourdisappearance。Wherehaveyoubeen？Howdidyougethere？"