Thethrob，throb，throb——beat，oftheaeropile’sflight，thathadseemedsopotentandsoswift，suddenlyappearedslowbycomparisonwiththistremendousrush。Howgreatthemonsterseemed，howswiftandsteady！Itpassedquitecloselybeneaththem，drivingalongsilently，avastspreadofwirenettedtranslucentwings，athingalive。Grahamhadamomentaryglimpseoftherowsandrowsofwrapped—uppassengers，slungintheirlittlecradlesbehindwind—screens，ofawhite—clothedengineercrawlingagainstthegalealongaladderway，ofspoutingenginesbeatingtogether，ofthewhirlingwindscrew，andofawidewasteofwing。Heexultedinthesight。
Andinaninstantthethinghadpassed。
Itroseslightlyandtheirownlittlewingsswayedintherushofitsflight。Itfellandgrewsmaller。
Scarcelyhadtheymoved，asitseemed，beforeitwasagainonlyaflatbluethingthatdwindledinthesky。
ThiswastheaeroplanethatwenttoandfrobetweenLondonandParis。Infairweatherandinpeacefultimesitcameandwentfourtimesaday。
TheybeatacrosstheChannel，slowlyasitseemednow，toGraham’senlargedideas，andBeachyHeadrosegreylytotheleftofthem。
\"Land，\"calledtheaeronaut，hisvoicesmallagainstthewhistlingoftheairoverthewind—screen。
\"Notyet，\"bawledGraham，laughing。\"Notlandyet。Iwanttolearnmoreofthismachine。\"
\"Imeant——\"saidtheaeronaut。
\"Iwanttolearnmoreofthismachine，\"repeatedGraham。
\"I’mcomingtoyou，\"hesaid，andhadflunghimselffreeofhischairandtakenastepalongtheguardedrailbetweenthem。Hestoppedforamoment，andhiscolourchangedandhishandstightened。Anotherstepandhewasclingingclosetotheaeronaut。Hefeltaweightonhisshoulder，thepressureoftheair。
Hishatwasawhirlingspeckbehind。Thewindcameingustsoverhiswind—screenandblewhishairinstreamerspasthischeek。Theaeronautmadesomehastyadjustmentsfortheshiftingofthecentresofgravityandpressure。
\"Iwanttohavethesethingsexplained，\"saidGraham。\"Whatdoyoudowhenyoumovethatengineforward？\"
Theaeronauthesitated。Thenheanswered，\"Theyarecomplex，Sire。\"
\"Idon’tmind，\"shoutedGraham。\"Idon’tmind。\"
Therewasamoment’spause。\"Aeronauticsisthesecret——theprivilege——\"
\"Iknow。ButI’mtheMaster，andImeantoknow。\"Helaughed，fullofthisnovelrealisationofpowerthatwashisgiftfromtheupperair。
Theaeropilecurvedabout，andthekeenfreshwindcutacrossGraham’sfaceandhisgarmentluggedathisbodyasthestempointedroundtothewest。Thetwomenlookedintoeachother’seyes。
\"Sire，therearerules——\"
\"NotwhereIamconcerned，\"saidGraham。\"Youseemtoforget。\"
Theaeronautscrutinisedhisface。\"No，\"hesaid。
\"Idonotforget，Sire。Butinalltheearth——nomanwhoisnotaswornaeronaut——haseverachance。
Theycomeaspassengers——\"
\"Ihaveheardsomethingofthesort。ButI’mnotgoingtoarguethesepoints。DoyouknowwhyI
haveslepttwohundredyears？Tofly！\"
\"Sire，\"saidtheaeronaut，\"therules——ifIbreaktherules——\"
Grahamwavedthepenaltiesaside。
\"Thenifyouwillwatchme——\"
\"No，\"saidGraham，swayingandgrippingtightasthemachinelifteditsnoseagainforanascent。
\"That’snotmygame。Iwanttodoitmyself。DoitmyselfifIsmashforit！No！Iwill。See。Iamgoingtoclamberbythistocomeandshareyourseat。Steady！ImeantoflyofmyownaccordifIsmashattheendofit。Iwillhavesomethingtopayformysleep。Ofallotherthings——。Inmypastitwasmydreamtofly。Now——keepyourbalance。\"
\"Adozenspiesarewatchingme，Sire！\"
Graham’stemperwasatend。Perhapshechoseitshouldbe。Heswore。Heswunghimselfroundtheinterveningmassofleversandtheaeropileswayed。
\"AmIMasteroftheearth？\"hesaid。\"OrisyourSociety？Now。Takeyourhandsoffthoselevers，andholdmywrists。Yes——so。Andnow，howdoweturnhernosedowntotheglide？\"
\"Sire，\"saidtheaeronaut。
\"Whatisit？\"
\"Youwillprotectme？\"
\"Lord！Yes！IfIhavetoburnLondon。Now！\"
AndwiththatpromiseGrahamboughthisfirstlessoninaerialnavigation。\"It’sclearlytoyouradvantage，thisjourney，\"hesaidwithaloudlaugh——fortheairwaslikestrongwine——\"toteachmequicklyandwell。
DoIpullthis？Ah！So！Hullo！\"
\"Back，Sire！Back！\"
\"Back——right。One——two——three——goodGod！Ah！Upshegoes！Butthisisliving！\"
Andnowthemachinebegantodancethestrangestfiguresintheair。Nowitwouldsweeproundaspiralofscarcelyahundredyardsdiameter，nowitwouldrushupintotheairandswoopdownagain，steeply，swiftly，fallinglikeahawk，torecoverinarushingloopthatsweptithighagain。Inoneofthesedescentsitseemeddrivingstraightatthedriftingparkofballoonsinthesoutheast，andonlycurvedaboutandclearedthembyasuddenrecoveryofdexterity。Theextraordinaryswiftnessandsmoothnessofthemotion，theextraordinaryeffectoftherarefiedairuponhisconstitution，threwGrahamintoacarelessfury。
Butatlastaqueerincidentcametosoberhim，tosendhimflyingdownoncemoretothecrowdedlifebelowwithallitsdarkinsolubleriddles。Asheswooped，cameatapandsomethingflyingpast，andadroplikeadropofrain。Thenashewentondownhesawsomethinglikeawhiteragwhirlingdowninhiswake。\"Whatwasthat？\"heasked。\"Ididnotsee。\"
Theaeronautglanced，andthenclutchedatthelevertorecover，fortheyweresweepingdown。Whentheaeropilewasrisingagainhedrewadeepbreathandreplied。\"That，\"andheindicatedthewhitethingstillflutteringdown，\"wasaswan。\"
\"Ineversawit，\"saidGraham。
Theaeronautmadenoanswer，andGrahamsawlittledropsuponhisforehead。
TheydrovehorizontallywhileGrahamclamberedbacktothepassenger’splaceoutofthelashofthewind。Andthencameaswiftrushdown，withthewind—screwwhirlingtochecktheirfall，andtheflyingstagegrowingbroadanddarkbeforethem。Thesun，sinkingoverthechalkhillsinthewest，fellwiththem，andlefttheskyablazeofgold。
Soonmencouldbeseenaslittlespecks。Heheardanoisecominguptomeethim，anoiselikethesoundofwavesuponapebblybeach，andsawthattheroofsabouttheflyingstageweredarkwithhispeoplerejoicingoverhissafereturn。Adarkmasswascrushedtogetherunderthestage，adarknessstippledwithinnumerablefaces，andquiveringwiththeminuteoscillationofwavedwhitehandkerchiefsandwavinghands。
CHAPTERXVII
THREEDAYS
LincolnawaitedGrahaminanapartmentbeneaththeflyingstages。Heseemedcurioustolearnallthathadhappened，pleasedtohearoftheextraordinarydelightandinterestwhichGrahamtookinflyingGrahamwasinamoodofenthusiasm。\"Imustlearntofly，\"hecried。\"Imustmasterthat。Ipityallpoorsoulswhohavediedwithoutthisopportunity。Thesweetswiftair！Itisthemostwonderfulexperienceintheworld。\"
\"Youwillfindournewtimesfullofwonderfulexperiences，\"saidLincoln。\"Idonotknowwhatyouwillcaretodonow。Wehavemusicthatmayseemnovel。\"
\"Forthepresent，\"saidGraham，\"flyingholdsme。
Letmelearnmoreofthat。Youraeronautwassayingthereissometradesunionobjectiontoone’slearning。\"
\"Thereis，Ibelieve，\"saidLincoln。\"Butforyou——！Ifyouwould’liketooccupyyourselfwiththat，wecanmakeyouaswornaeronauttomorrow。\"
Grahamexpressedhiswishesvividlyandtalkedofhissensationsforawhile。\"Andasforaffairs，\"heaskedabruptly。\"Howarethingsgoingon？\"
Lincolnwavedaffairsaside。\"Ostrogwilltellyouthattomorrow，\"hesaid。\"Everythingissettlingdown。TheRevolutionaccomplishesitselfallovertheworld。Frictionisinevitablehereandthere，ofcourse；butyourruleisassured。YoumayrestsecurewiththingsinOstrog’shands。\"
\"Woulditbepossibleformetobemadeaswornaeronaut，asyoucallit，forthwith——beforeIsleep？\"
saidGraham，pacing。\"ThenIcouldbeatittheveryfirstthingtomorrowagain。
\"Itwouldbepossible，\"saidLincolnthoughtfully。
\"Quitepossible。Indeed，itshallbedone。\"Helaughed。\"Icamepreparedtosuggestamusements，butyouhavefoundoneforyourself。IwilltelephonetotheaeronauticalofficesfromhereandwewillreturntoyourapartmentsintheWind—VaneControl。Bythetimeyouhavedinedtheaeronautswillbeabletocome。Youdon’tthinkthatafteryouhavedined，youmightprefer——？\"Hepaused。
\"Yes，\"saidGraham。
\"Wehadpreparedashowofdancers——theyhavebeenbroughtfromtheCapritheatre。\"
\"Ihateballets，\"saidGraham，shortly。\"Alwaysdid。Thatother——。That’snotwhatIwanttosee。
Wehaddancersintheolddays。Forthematterofthat，theyhadtheminancientEgypt。Butflying——\"
\"True，\"saidLincoln。\"Thoughourdancers——\"
\"Theycanaffordtowait，\"saidGraham；\"theycanaffordtowait。Iknow。I’mnotaLatin。There’squestionsIwanttoasksomeexpert——aboutyourmachinery。I’mkeen。Iwantnodistractions。\"
\"Youhavetheworldtochoosefrom，\"saidLincoln；
\"whateveryouwantisyours。\"
Asanoappeared，andundertheescortofastrongguardtheyreturnedthroughthecitystreetstoGraham’sapartments。Farlargercrowdshadassembledtowitnesshisreturnthanhisdeparturehadgathered，andtheshoutsandcheeringofthesemassesofpeoplesometimesdrownedLincoln’sanswerstotheendlessquestionsGraham’saerialjourneyhadsuggested。AtfirstGrahamhadacknowledgedthecheeringandcriesofthecrowdbybowsandgestures，butLincolnwarnedhimthatsucharecognitionwouldbeconsideredincorrectbehaviour。Graham，alreadyalittleweariedbyrhythmiccivilities，ignoredhissubjectsfortheremainderofhispublicprogress。
DirectlytheyarrivedathisapartmentsAsanodepartedinsearchofkinematographicrenderingsofmachineryinmotion，andLincolndespatchedGraham’scommandsformodelsofmachinesandsmallmachinestoillustratethevariousmechanicaladvancesofthelasttwocenturies。ThelittlegroupofappliancesfortelegraphiccommunicationattractedtheMastersostronglythathisdelightfullyprepareddinner，servedbyanumberofcharminglydexterousgirls，waitedforaspace。Thehabitofsmokinghadalmostceasedfromthefaceoftheearth，butwhenheexpressedawishforthatindulgence，inquiriesweremadeandsomeexcellentcigarswerediscoveredinFlorida，andsenttohimbypneumaticdispatchwhilethedinnerwasstillinprogress。Afterwardscametheaeronauts，andafeastofingeniouswondersinthehandsofalatter—dayengineer。Forthetime，atanyrate，theneatdexterityofcountingandnumberingmachines，buildingmachines，spinningengines，patentdoorways，explosivemotors，grainandwaterelevators，slaughter—housemachinesandharvestingappliances，wasmorefascinatingtoGrahamthananybayadere。\"Weweresavages，\"washisrefrain，\"weweresavages。Wewereinthestoneage——comparedwiththis……Andwhatelsehaveyou？\"
Therecamealsopracticalpsychologistswithsomeveryinterestingdevelopmentsintheartofhypnotism。
ThenamesofMilneBramwell，Fechner，Liebault，WilliamJames，MyersandGurney，hefound，boreavaluenowthatwouldhaveastonishedtheircontemporaries。Severalpracticalapplicationsofpsychologywerenowingeneraluse；ithadlargelysupersceededdrugs，antisepticsandanaestheticsinmedicine；wasemployedbyalmostallwhohadanyneedofmentalconcentration。Arealenlargementofhumanfacultyseemedtohavebeeneffectedinthisdirection。
Thefeatsof\"calculatingboys，\"thewonders，asGrahamhadbeenwonttoregardthem，ofmesmerisers，werenowwithintherangeofanyonewhocouldaffordtheservicesofaskilledhypnotist。Longagotheoldexaminationmethodsineducationhadbeendestroyedbytheseexpedients。Insteadofyearsofstudy，candidateshadsubstitutedafewweeksoftrances，andduringthetrancesexpertcoacheshadsimplytorepeatallthepointsnecessaryforadequateanswering，addingasuggestionoftheposthypnoticrecollectionofthesepoints。Inprocessmathematicsparticularly，thisaidhadbeenofsingularservice，anditwasnowinvariablyinvokedbysuchplayersofchessandgamesofmanualdexterityaswerestilltobefound。Infact，alloperationsconductedunderfiniterules，ofaquasi—mechanicalsortthatis，werenowsystematicallyrelievedfromthewanderingsofimaginationandemotion，andbroughttoanunexampledpitchofaccuracy。
Littlechildrenofthelabouringclasses，sosoonastheywereofsufficientagetobehypnotised，werethusconvertedintobeautifullypunctualandtrustworthymachineminders，andreleasedforthwithfromthelong，longthoughtsofyouth。Aeronauticalpupils，whogavewaytogiddiness，couldberelievedfromtheirimaginaryterrors。Ineverystreetwerehypnotistsreadytoprintpermanentmemoriesuponthemind。Ifanyonedesiredtorememberaname，aseriesofnumbers，asongoraspeech，itcouldbedonebythismethod，andconverselymemoriescouldbeeffaced，habitsremoved，anddesireseradicated——asortofpsychicsurgerywas，infact，ingeneraluse。
Indignities，humblingexperiences，werethusforgotten，amorouswidowswouldobliteratetheirprevioushusbands，angryloversreleasethemselvesfromtheirslavery。Tograftdesires，however，wasstillimpossible，andthefactsofthoughttransferencewereyetunsystematised。Thepsychologistsillustratedtheirexpositionswithsomeastoundingexperimentsinmnemonicsmadethroughtheagencyofatroupeofpale—facedchildreninblue。
Graham，likemostofthepeopleofhisformertime，distrustedthehypnotist，orhemightthenandtherehaveeasedhismindofmanypainfulpreoccupations。
ButinspiteofLincoln’sassurancesheheldtotheoldtheorythattobehypnotisedwasinsomewaythesurrenderofhispersonality，theabdicationofhiswill。Atthebanquetofwonderfulexperiencesthatwasbeginning，hewantedverykeenlytoremainabsolutelyhimself。
Thenextday，andanotherday，andyetanotherdaypassedinsuchinterestsasthese。EachdayGrahamspentmanyhoursinthegloriousentertainmentofflying。OnthethirddayhesoaredacrossmiddleFrance，andwithinsightofthesnow—cladAlps。Thesevigorousexercisesgavehimrestfulsleep，andeachdaysawagreatstrideinhishealthfromthespiritlessanaemiaofhisfirstawakening。Andwheneverhewasnotintheair，andawake，Lincolnwasassiduousinthecauseofhisamusement；allthatwasnovelandcuriousincontemporaryinventionwasbroughttohim，untilatlasthisappetitefornoveltywaswell—nighglutted。
Onemightfilladozeninconsecutivevolumeswiththestrangethingstheyexhibited。Eachafternoonheheldhiscourtforanhourorso。Hespeedilyfoundhisinterestinhiscontemporariesbecomingpersonalandintimate。Atfirsthehadbeenalertchieflyforunfamiliarityandpeculiarity；anyfoppishnessintheirdress，anydiscordancewithhispreconceptionsofnobilityintheirstatusandmannershadjarreduponhim，anditwasremarkabletohimhowsoonthatstrangenessandthefainthostilitythatarosefromit，disappeared；howsoonhecametoappreciatethetrueperspectiveofhisposition，andseetheoldVictoriandaysremoteandquaint。Hefoundhimselfparticularlyamusedbythered—haireddaughteroftheManageroftheEuropeanPiggeries。Ontheseconddayafterdinnerhemadetheacquaintanceofalatter—daydancinggirl，andfoundheranastonishingartist。Andafterthat，morehypnoticwonders。OnthethirddayLincolnwasmovedtosuggestthattheMastershouldrepairtoaPleasureCity，butthisGrahamdeclined，norwouldheaccepttheservicesofthehypnotistsinhisaeronauticalexperiments。ThelinkoflocalityheldhimtoLondon；hefoundaperpetualwonderintopographicalidentificationsthathewouldhavemissedabroad。\"Here——orahundredfeetbelowhere，\"hecouldsay，\"IusedtoeatmymiddaycutletsduringmyLondonUniversitydays。UnderneathherewasWaterlooandtheperpetualhuntforconfusingtrains。
OftenhaveIstoodwaitingdownthere，baginhand，andstaredupintotheskyabovetheforestofsignals，littlethinkingIshouldwalksomedayahundredyardsintheair。Andnowinthatveryskythatwasonceagreysmokecanopy，Icircleinanaeropile。\"
DuringthosethreedaysGrahamwassooccupiedwithsuchdistractionsthatthevastpoliticalmovementsinprogressoutsidehisquartershadbutasmallshareofhisattention。Thoseabouthimtoldhimlittle。DailycameOstrog，theBoss，hisGrandVizier，hismayorofthepalace，toreportinvaguetermsthesteadyestablishmentofhisrule；\"alittletrouble\"
soontobesettledinthiscity，\"aslightdisturbance\"
inthat。Thesongofthesocialrevoltcametohimnomore；heneverlearnedthatithadbeenforbiddeninthemunicipallimits；andallthegreatemotionsofthecrow’snestslumberedinhismind。
Butonthesecondandthirdofthethreedayshefoundhimself，inspiteofhisinterestinthedaughterofthePigManager，oritmaybeby，reasonofthethoughtsherconversationsuggested，rememberingthegirlHelenWotton，whohadspokentohimsooddlyattheWind—VaneKeeper’sgathering。Theimpressionshehadmadewasadeepone，albeittheincessantsurpriseofnovelcircumstanceshadkepthimfrombroodinguponitforaspace。Butnowhermemorywascomingtoitsown。
Hewonderedwhatshehadmeantbythosebrokenhalf—forgottensentences；thepictureofhereyesandtheearnestpassionofherfacebecamemorevividashismechanicalinterestsfaded。Herbeautycamecompellinglybetweenhimandcertainimmediatetemptationsofignoblepassion。Buthedidnotseeheragainuntilthreefulldayswerepast。
CHAPTERXVIII
GRAHAMREMEMBERS
ShecameuponhimatlastinalittlegallerythatranfromtheWindVaneOfficestowardhisstateapartments。Thegallerywaslongandnarrow，withaseriesofrecesses，eachwithanarchedfenestrationthatlookeduponacourtofpalms。Hecameuponhersuddenlyinoneoftheserecesses。Shewasseated。
Sheturnedherheadatthesoundofhisfootstepsandstartedatthesightofhim。Everytouchofcolourvanishedfromherface。Sheroseinstantly，madeasteptowardhimasiftoaddresshim，andhesitated。
Hestoppedandstoodstill，expectant。Thenheperceivedthatanervoustumultsilencedher，perceivedtoo，thatshemusthavesoughtspeechwithhimtobewaitingforhiminthisplace。
Hefeltaregalimpulsetoassisther。\"Ihavewantedtoseeyou，\"hesaid。\"Afewdaysagoyouwantedtotellmesomething——youwantedtotellmeofthepeople。Whatwasityouhadtotellme？\"
Shelookedathimwithtroubledeyes。
\"Yousaidthepeoplewereunhappy？\"
Foramomentshewassilentstill。
\"Itmusthaveseemedstrangetoyou，\"shesaidabruptly。
\"Itdid。Andyet——\"
\"Itwasanimpulse。\"
\"Well？\"
\"Thatisall。\"
Shelookedathimwithafaceofhesitation。Shespokewithaneffort。\"Youforget，\"shesaid，drawingadeepbreath。
\"What？\"
\"Thepeople——\"
\"Doyoumean——？\"
\"Youforgetthepeople。\"
Helookedinterrogative。
\"Yes。Iknowyouaresurprised。Foryoudonotunderstandwhatyouare。Youdonotknowthethingsthatarehappening。\"
\"Well？\"
\"Youdonotunderstand。\"
\"Notclearly，perhaps。But——tellme。\"
Sheturnedtohimwithsuddenresolution。\"Itissohardtoexplain。Ihavemeantto，Ihavewantedto。
Andnow——Icannot。Iamnotreadywithwords。
Butaboutyou——thereissomething。ItisWonder。
Yoursleep——yourawakening。Thesethingsaremiracles。Tomeatleast——andtoallthecommonpeople。Youwholivedandsufferedanddied，youwhowereacommoncitizen，wakeagain，liveagain，tofindyourselfMasteralmostoftheearth。\"
\"Masteroftheearth，\"hesaid。\"Sotheytellme。
ButtryandimaginehowlittleIknowofit。\"
\"Cities——Trusts——theLabourCompany——\"
\"Principalities，powers，dominions——thepowerandtheglory。Yes，Ihaveheardthemshout。Iknow。
IamMaster。King，ifyouwish。WithOstrog，theBoss——\"
Hepaused。
Sheturneduponhimandsurveyedhisfacewithacuriousscrutiny。\"Well？\"
Hesmiled。\"Totaketheresponsibility。\"
\"Thatiswhatwehavebeguntofear。\"Foramomentshesaidnomore。\"No，\"shesaidslowly。\"Youwilltaketheresponsibility。Youwilltaketheresponsibility。Thepeoplelooktoyou。\"
Shespokesoftly。\"Listen！Foratleasthalftheyearsofyoursleep——ineverygeneration——multitudesofpeople，ineverygenerationgreatermultitudesofpeople，haveprayedthatyoumightawake——
prayed。\"
Grahammovedtospeakanddidnot。
Shehesitated，andafaintcolourcreptbacktohercheek。\"Doyouknowthatyouhavebeentomyriads——KingArthur，Barbarossa——theKingwhowouldcomeinhisowngoodtimeandputtheworldrightforthem？\"
\"Isupposetheimaginationofthepeople——\"
\"Haveyounotheardourproverb，’WhentheSleeperwakes？’Whileyoulayinsensibleandmotionlessthere——thousandscame。Thousands。Everyfirstofthemonthyoulayinstatewithawhiterobeuponyouandthepeoplefiledbyyou。WhenIwasalittlegirlIsawyoulikethat，withyourfacewhiteandcalm。\"
Sheturnedherfacefromhimandlookedsteadfastlyatthepaintedwallbeforeher。Hervoicefell。\"WhenIwasalittlegirlIusedtolookatyourface……itseemedtomefixedandwaiting，likethepatienceofGod。\"
\"Thatiswhatwethoughtofyou，\"shesaid。\"Thatishowyouseemedtous。\"
Sheturnedshiningeyestohim，hervoicewasclearandstrong。\"Inthecity，intheearth，amyriadmyriadmenandwomenarewaitingtoseewhatyouwilldo，fullofstrangeincredibleexpectations。\"
\"Yes？\"
\"Ostrog——noone——cantakethatresponsibility。\"
Grahamlookedatherinsurprise，atherfacelitwithemotion。Sheseemedatfirsttohavespokenwithaneffort，andtohavefiredherselfbyspeaking。
\"Doyouthink，\"shesaid，\"thatyouwhohavelivedthatlittlelifesofarawayinthepast，youwhohavefallenintoandrisenoutofthismiracleofsleep——doyouthinkthatthewonderandreverenceandhopeofhalftheworldhasgatheredaboutyouonlythatyoumayliveanotherlittlelife？……Thatyoumayshifttheresponsibilitytoanyotherman？\"
\"Iknowhowgreatthiskingshipofmineis，\"hesaidhaltingly。\"Iknowhowgreatitseems。Butisitreal？Itisincredible——dreamlike。Isitreal，orisitonlyagreatdelusion？\"
\"Itisreal，\"shesaid；\"ifyoudare。\"
\"Afterall，likeallkingship，mykingshipisBelief。
Itisanillusioninthemindsofmen。\"
\"Ifyoudare！\"shesaid。
\"But——\"
\"Countlessmen，\"shesaid，\"andwhileitisintheirminds——theywillobey。\"
\"ButIknownothing。ThatiswhatIhadinmind。
Iknownothing。Andtheseothers——theCouncillors，Ostrog。Theyarewiser，cooler，theyknowsomuch，everydetail。And，indeed，whatarethesemiseriesofwhichyouspeak？WhatamItoknow？Doyoumean——\"
Hestoppedblankly。
\"Iamstillhardlymorethanagirl，\"shesaid。\"Buttometheworldseemsfullofwretchedness。Theworldhasalteredsinceyourday，alteredverystrangely。I
haveprayedthatImightseeyouandtellyouthesethings。Theworldhaschanged。Asifacankerhadseizedit——androbbedlifeof——everythingworthhaving。\"
Sheturnedaflushedfaceuponhim，movingsuddenly。
\"Yourdayswerethedaysoffreedom。Yes——
Ihavethought。Ihavebeenmadetothink，formylife——hasnotbeenhappy。Menarenolongerfree——
nogreater，nobetterthanthemenofyourtime。Thatisnotall。Thiscity——isaprison。Everycitynowisaprison。Mammongripsthekeyinhishand。
Myriads，countlessmyriads，toilfromthecradletothegrave。Isthatright？Isthattobe——forever？
Yes，farworsethaninyourtime。Allaboutus，beneathus，sorrowandpain。Alltheshallowdelightofsuchlifeasyoufindaboutyou，isseparatedbyjustalittlefromalifeofwretchednessbeyondanytellingYes，thepoorknowit——theyknowtheysuffer。Thesecountlessmultitudeswhofaceddeathforyoutwonightssince——！Youoweyourlifetothem。\"
\"Yes，\"saidGraham，slowly。\"Yes。Iowemylifetothem。\"
\"Youcome，\"shesaid，\"fromthedayswhenthisnewtyrannyofthecitieswasscarcelybeginning。
Itisatyranny——atyranny。Inyourdaysthefeudalwarlordshadgone，andthenewlordshipofwealthhadstilltocome。Halfthemenintheworldstilllivedoutuponthefreecountryside。Thecitieshadstilltodevourthem。Ihaveheardthestoriesoutoftheoldbooks——therewasnobility！Commonmenledlivesofloveandfaithfulnessthen——theydidathousandthings。Andyou——youcomefromthattime。\"
\"Itwasnot——。Butnevermind。Howisitnow——？\"
\"GainandthePleasureCities！Orslavery——unthanked，unhonoured，slavery。\"
\"Slavery！\"hesaid。
\"Slavery。\"
\"Youdon’tmeantosaythathumanbeingsarechattels。\"
\"Worse。ThatiswhatIwantyoutoknow，whatIwantyoutosee。Iknowyoudonotknow。Theywillkeepthingsfromyou，theywilltakeyoupresentlytoaPleasureCity。Butyouhavenoticedmenandwomenandchildreninpalebluecanvas，withthinyellowfacesanddulleyes？\"
\"Everywhere。\"
