Grahamtoldhimbriefly。
　　Ostroglistenedinsilence。
　　Hesmiledfaintly。"DoyouknowwhatIwasdoingwhentheycametotellmeyouhadcome？"
　　"HowcanIguess？"
　　"Preparingyourdouble。"
　　"Mydouble？"
　　"Amanaslikeyouaswecouldfind。Weweregoingtohypnotisehim，tosavehimthedifficultyofacting。Itwasimperative。Thewholeofthisrevoltdependsontheideathatyouareawake，alive，andwithus。Evennowagreatmultitudeofpeoplehasgatheredinthetheatreclamouringtoseeyou。Theydonottrust……Youknow，ofcourse——somethingofyourposition？"
　　"Verylittle，"saidGraham。
　　"Itislikethis。"Ostrogwalkedapaceortwointotheroomandturned。"Youareabsoluteowner，"
　　hesaid，"ofmorethanhalftheworld。AsaresultofthatyouarepracticallyKing。Yourpowersarelimitedinmanyintricateways，butyouarethefigurehead，thepopularsymbolofgovernment。ThisWhiteCouncil，theCouncilofTrusteesasitiscalled"
　　"Ihaveheardthevagueoutlineofthesethings。"
　　"Iwondered。"
　　"Icameuponagarrulousoldman。"
　　"Isee……Ourmasses——thewordcomesfromyourdays——youknowofcourse，thatwestillhavemasses——regardyouasouractualruler。JustasagreatnumberofpeopleinyourdaysregardedtheCrownastheruler。Theyarediscontented——themassesallovertheearth——withtheruleofyourTrustees。Forthemostpartitistheolddiscontent，theoldquarrelofthecommonmanwithhiscommonness——themiseryofworkanddisciplineandunfitness。
　　ButyourTrusteeshaveruledill。Incertainmatters，intheadministrationoftheLabourCompanies，forexample，theyhavebeenunwise。Theyhavegivenendlessopportunities。Alreadyweofthepopularpartywereagitatingforreforms——whenyourwakingcame。Came！Ifithadbeencontriveditcouldnothavecomemoreopportunity。"Hesmiled。
　　"Thepublicmind，makingnoallowanceforyouryearsofquiescence，hadalreadyhitonthethoughtofwakingyouandappealingtoyou，and——Flash！"
　　Heindicatedtheoutbreakbyagesture，andGrahammovedhisheadtoshowthatheunderstood。
　　"TheCouncilmuddled——quarreled。Theyalwaysdo。Theycouldnotdecidewhattodowithyou。
　　Youknowhowtheyimprisonedyou？"
　　"Isee。Isee。Andnow——wewin？"
　　"Wewin。Indeedwewin。Tonight，infiveswifthours。Suddenlywestruckeverywhere。Thewindvanepeople，theLabourCompanyanditsmillions，burstthebonds。Wegotthepulloftheaeropiles。"
　　Hepaused。"Yes，"saidGraham，guessingthataeropilemeantflyingmachine。
　　"Thatwas，ofcourse，essential。Ortheycouldhavegotaway。Allthecityrose，everythirdmanalmostwasinit！Alltheblue，allthepublicservices，saveonlyjustafewaeronautsandabouthalftheredpolice。Youwererescued，andtheirownpoliceoftheWays——nothalfofthemcouldbemassedattheCouncilHouse——havebeenbrokenup，disarmedorkilled。AllLondonisours——now。OnlytheCouncilHouseremains。
　　"Halfofthosewhoremaintothemoftheredpolicewerelostinthatfoolishattempttorecaptureyou。Theylosttheirheadswhentheylostyou。Theyflungalltheyhadatthetheatre。WecutthemofffromtheCouncilHousethere。Trulytonighthasbeenanightofvictory。Everywhereyourstarhasblazed。Adayago——theWhiteCouncilruledasithasruledforagrossofyears，foracenturyandahalfofyears，andthen，withonlyalittlewhispering，acovertarminghereandthere，suddenly——So！"
　　"Iamveryignorant，"saidGraham。"Isuppose——。
　　Idonotclearlyunderstandtheconditionsofthisfighting。Ifyoucouldexplain。WhereistheCouncil？Whereisthefight？"
　　Ostrogsteppedacrosstheroom，somethingclicked，andsuddenly，saveforanovalglow，theywereindarkness。ForamomentGrahamwaspuzzled。
　　Thenhesawthatthecloudygreydischadtakendepthandcolour，hadassumedtheappearanceofanovalwindowlookingoutuponastrangeunfamiliarscene。
　　Atthefirstglancehewasunabletoguesswhatthisscenemightbe。Itwasadaylightscene，thedaylightofawintryday，greyandclear。Acrossthepictureandhalfwayasitseemedbetweenhimandtheremoterview，astoutcableoftwistedwhitewirestretchedvertically。Thenheperceivedthattherowsofgreatwindwheelshesaw，thewideintervals，theoccasionalgulfsofdarkness，wereakintothosethroughwhichhehadfledfromtheCouncilHouse。Hedistinguishedanorderlyfileofredfiguresmarchingacrossanopenspacebetweenfilesofmeninblack，andrealisedbeforeOstrogspokethathewaslookingdownontheuppersurfaceoflatter—dayLondon。Theovernightsnowshadgone。Hejudgedthatthismirrorwassomemodernreplacementofthecameraobscura，butthatmatterwasnotexplainedtohim。Hesawthatthoughthefileofredfigureswastrottingfromlefttoright，yettheywerepassingoutofthepicturetotheleft。
　　Hewonderedmomentarily，andthensawthatthepicturewaspassingslowly，panoramafashion，acrosstheoval。
　　"Inamomentyouwillseethefighting，"saidOstrogathiselbow。"Thosefellowsinredyounoticeareprisoners。ThisistheroofspaceofLondon——allthehousesarepracticallycontinuousnow。
　　Thestreetsandpublicsquaresarecoveredin。Thegapsandchasmsofyourtimehavedisappeared。"
　　Somethingoutoffocusobliteratedhalfthepicture。
　　Itsformsuggestedaman。Therewasagleamofmetal，aflash，somethingthatsweptacrosstheoval，astheeyelidofabirdsweepsacrossitseye，andthepicturewasclearagain。AndnowGrahambeheldmenrunningdownamongthewind—wheels，pointingweaponsfromwhichjettedoutlittlesmokyflashes。
　　Theyswarmedthickerandthickertotheright，gesticulating——itmightbetheywereshouting，butofthatthepicturetoldnothing。Theyandthewindwheelspassedslowlyandsteadilyacrossthefieldofthemirror。
　　"Now，"saidOstrog，"comestheCouncilHouse，"
　　andslowlyablackedgecreptintoviewandgatheredGraham’sattention。Soonitwasnolongeranedgebutacavity，ahugeblackenedspaceamidsttheclusteringedifices，andfromitthinspiresofsmokeroseintothepallidwintersky。Gauntruinousmassesofthebuilding，mightytruncatedpiersandgirders，rosedismallyoutofthiscavernousdarkness。Andoverthesevestigesofsomesplendidplace，countlessminutemenwereclambering，leaping，swarming。
　　"ThisistheCouncilHouse，"saidOstrog。"Theirlaststronghold。Andthefoolswastedenoughammunitiontoholdoutforamonthinblowingupthebuildingsallaboutthem——tostopourattack。Youheardthesmash？Itshatteredhalfthebrittleglassinthecity。"
　　Andwhilehespoke，Grahamsawthatbeyondthisseaofruins，overhangingitandrisingtoagreatheight，wasaraggedmassofwhitebuilding。Thismasshadbeenisolatedbytheruthlessdestructionofitssurroundings。Blackgapsmarkedthepassagesthedisasterhadtornapart；bighallshadbeenslashedopenandthedecorationoftheirinteriorsshoweddismallyinthewintrydawn，anddownthejaggedwallhungfestoonsofdividedcablesandtwistedendsoflinesandmetallicrods。Andamidstallthevastdetailsmovedlittleredspecks，thered—clotheddefendersoftheCouncil。Everynowandthenfaintflashesilluminatedthebleakshadows。AtthefirstsightitseemedtoGrahamthatanattackuponthisisolatedwhitebuildingwasinprogress，butthenheperceivedthatthepartyoftherevoltwasnotadvancing，butshelteredamidstthecolossalwreckagethatencircledthislastraggedstrongholdofthered—garbedmen，waskeepingupafitfulfiring。
　　Andnottenhoursagohehadstoodbeneaththeventilatingfansinalittlechamberwithinthatremotebuildingwonderingwhatwashappeningintheworld！
　　Lookingmoreattentivelyasthiswarlikeepisodemovedsilentlyacrossthecentreofthemirror，Grahamsawthatthewhitebuildingwassurroundedoneverysidebyruins，andOstrogproceededtodescribeinconcisephraseshowitsdefendershadsoughtbysuchdestructiontoisolatethemselvesfromastorm。
　　Hespokeofthelossofmenthathugedownfallhadentailedinanindifferenttone。Heindicatedanimprovisedmortuaryamongthewreckageshowedambulancesswarminglikecheese—mitesalongaruinousgroovethathadoncebeenastreetofmovingways。
　　HewasmoreinterestedinpointingoutthepartsoftheCouncilHouse，thedistributionofthebesiegers。
　　InalittlewhilethecivilcontestthathadconvulsedLondonwasnolongeramysterytoGraham。Itwasnotumultuousrevolthadoccurredthatnight，noequalwarfare，butasplendidlyorganised__coupd’etat__。
　　Ostrog’sgraspofdetailswasastonishing；heseemedtoknowthebusinessofeventhesmallestknotofblackandredspecksthatcrawledamidsttheseplaces。
　　Hestretchedahugeblackarmacrosstheluminouspicture，andshowedtheroomwhenceGrahamhadescaped，andacrossthechasmofruinsthecourseofhisflight。Grahamrecognisedthegulfacrosswhichthegutterran，andthewind—wheelswherehehadcrouchedfromtheflyingmachine。Therestofhispathhadsuccumbedtotheexplosion。HelookedagainattheCouncilHouse，anditwasalreadyhalfhidden，andontherightahillsidewithaclusterofdomesandpinnacles，hazy，dimanddistant，wasglidingintoview。
　　"AndtheCouncilisreallyoverthrown？"hesaid。
　　"Overthrown，"saidOstrog。
　　"AndI——。IsitindeedtruethatI？"
　　"YouareMasteroftheWorld。"
　　"Butthatwhiteflag——"
　　"ThatistheflagoftheCouncil——theflagoftheRuleoftheWorld。Itwillfall。Thefightisover。
　　Theirattackonthetheatrewastheirlastfranticstruggle。Theyhaveonlyathousandmenorso，andsomeofthesemenwillbedisloyal。Theyhavelittleammunition。Andwearerevivingtheancientarts。Wearecastingguns。"
　　"But——help。Isthiscitytheworld？"
　　"Practicallythisisalltheyhavelefttothemoftheirempire。Abroadthecitieshaveeitherrevoltedwithusorwaittheissue。Yourawakeninghasperplexedthem，paralysedthem。"
　　"Buthaven’ttheCouncilflyingmachines？Whyistherenofightingwiththem？"
　　"Theyhad。Butthegreaterpartoftheaeronautswereintherevoltwithus。Theywouldn’ttaketheriskoffightingonourside，buttheywouldnotstiragainstus。Wehadtogetapullwiththeaeronauts。
　　Quitehalfwerewithus，andtheothersknewit。
　　Directlytheyknewyouhadgotaway，thoselookingforyoudropped。Wekilledthemanwhoshotatyou——anhourago。Andweoccupiedtheflyingstagesattheoutsetineverycitywecould，andsostoppedandcapturedtheairplanes，andasforthelittleflyingmachinesthatturnedout——forsomedid——
　　wekeptuptoostraightandsteadyafireforthemtogetneartheCouncilHouse。Iftheydroppedtheycouldn’triseagain，becausethere’snoclearspaceaboutthereforthemtogetup。Severalwehavesmashed，severalothershavedroppedandsurrendered，theresthavegoneofftotheContinenttofindafriendlycityiftheycanbeforetheirfuelrunsout。
　　Mostofthesemenwereonlytoogladtobetakenprisonerandkeptoutofharm’sway。Upsettinginaflyingmachineisn’taveryattractiveprospect。There’snochancefortheCouncilthatway。Itsdaysaredone。"
　　HelaughedandturnedtotheovalreflectionagaintoshowGrahamwhathemeantbyflyingstages。
　　Eventhefourneareroneswereremoteandobscuredbyathinmorninghaze。ButGrahamcouldperceivetheywereveryvaststructures，judgedevenbythestandardofthethingsaboutthem。
　　Andthenasthesedimshapespassedtothelefttherecameagainthesightoftheexpanseacrosswhichthedisarmedmeninredhadbeenmarching。Andthentheblackruins，andthenagainthebeleagueredwhitefastnessoftheCouncil。Itappearednolongeraghostlypile，butglowingamberinthesunlight，foracloudshadowhadpassed。Aboutitthepigmystrugglestillhunginsuspense，butnowthereddefenderswerenolongerfiring。
　　So，inaduskystillness，themanfromthenineteenthcenturysawtheclosingsceneofthegreatrevolt，theforcibleestablishmentofhisrule。Withaqualityofstartlingdiscoveryitcametohimthatthiswashisworld，andnotthatotherhehadleftbehind；
　　thatthiswasnospectacletoculminateandcease；thatinthisworldlaywhateverlifewasstillbeforehim，layallhisdutiesanddangersandresponsibilities。Heturnedwithfreshquestions。Ostrogbegantoanswerthem，andthenbrokeoffabruptly。"ButthesethingsImustexplainmorefullylater。Atpresentthereare——duties。Thepeoplearecomingbythemovingwaystowardsthiswardfromeverypartofthecity——
　　themarketsandtheatresaredenselycrowded。Youarejustintimeforthem。Theyareclamouringtoseeyou。Andabroadtheywanttoseeyou。Paris，NewYork，Chicago，Denver，Capri——thousandsofcitiesareupandinatumult，undecided，andclamouringtoseeyou。Theyhaveclamouredthatyoushouldbeawakenedforyears，andnowitisdonetheywillscarcelybelieve——"
　　Butsurely——Ican’tgo……"
　　Ostrogansweredfromtheothersideoftheroom，1。
　　andthepictureontheovaldiscpaledandvanished’
　　asthelightjerkedbackagain。"Therearekinetotele—photographs，"hesaid。"Asyoubowtothepeoplehere——allovertheworldmyriadsofmyriadsofpeople，packedandstillindarkenedhalls，willseeyoualso。Inblackandwhite，ofcourse——notlikethis。
　　Andyouwillheartheirshoutsreinforcingtheshoutinginthehall。
　　"Andthereisanopticalcontrivanceweshalluse，"
　　saidOstrog，"usedbysomeoftheposturersandwomendancers。Itmaybenoveltoyou。Youstandinaverybrightlight，andtheyseenotyoubutamagnifiedimageofyouthrownonascreen——sothateventhefurtherestmanintheremotestgallerycan，ifhechooses，countyoureyelashes。"
　　Grahamclutcheddesperatelyatoneofthequestionsinhismind。"WhatisthepopulationofLondon？"
　　"Eightandtwaindymyriads。"
　　"Eightandwhat？"
　　"Morethanthirty—threemillions。"
　　ThesefigureswentbeyondGraham’simagination"Youwillbeexpectedtosaysomething，"saidOstrog。"NotwhatyouusedtocallaSpeech，butwhatourpeoplecallaWord——justonesentence，sixorsevenwords。Somethingformal。IfImightsuggest——’Ihaveawakenedandmyheartiswithyou。’
　　Thatisthesortofthingtheywant。"
　　"Whatwasthat？"askedGraham。
　　"’Iamawakenedandmyheartiswithyou。’Andbow——bowroyally。Butfirstwemustgetyoublackrobes——forblackisyourcolour。Doyoumind？
　　Andthentheywilldispersetotheirhomes。"
　　Grahamhesitated。"Iaminyourhands，"hesaid。
　　Ostrogwasclearlyofthatopinion。Hethoughtforamoment，turnedtothecurtainandcalledbriefdirectionstosomeunseenattendants。Almostimmediatelyablackrobe，theveryfellowoftheblackrobeGrahamhadworninthetheatre，wasbrought。Andashethrewitabouthisshoulderstherecamefromtheroomwithouttheshrillingofahigh—pitchedbell。
　　Ostrogturnedininterrogationtotheattendant，thensuddenlyseemedtochangehismind，pulledthecurtainasideanddisappeared。
　　ForamomentGrahamstoodwiththedeferentialattendantlisteningtoOstrog’sretreatingsteps。
　　Therewasasoundofquickquestionandanswerandofmenrunning。ThecurtainwassnatchedbackandOstrogreappeared，hismassivefaceglowingwithexcitement。Hecrossedtheroominastride，clickedtheroomintodarkness，grippedGrahamsarmandpointedtothemirror。
　　"Evenasweturnedaway，"hesaid。
　　Grahamsawhisindexfinger，blackandcolossal，abovethemirroredCouncilHouse。Foramomenthedidnotunderstand。Andthenheperceivedthattheflagstaffthathadcarriedthewhitebannerwasbare。
　　"Doyoumean——？"hebegan。
　　"TheCouncilhassurrendered。Itsruleisatanendforevermore。"
　　"Look！"andOstrogpointedtoacoilofblackthatcreptinlittlejerksupthevacantflagstaff，unfoldingasitrose。
　　TheovalpicturepaledasLincolnpulledthecurtainasideandentered。
　　"Theyareclamourous，"hesaid。
　　OstrogkepthisgripofGraham’sarm。
　　"Wehaveraisedthepeople，"hesaid。"Wehavegiventhemarms。Fortodayatleasttheirwishesmustbelaw。"
　　LincolnheldtheCurtainopenforGrahamandOstrogtopassthrough。
　　OnhiswaytothemarketsGrahamhadatransitoryglanceofalongnarrowwhite—walledroominwhichmenintheuniversalbluecanvaswerecarryingcoveredthingslikebiers，andaboutwhichmeninmedicalpurplehurriedtoandfro。Fromthisroomcamegroansandwailing。Hehadanimpressionofanemptyblood—stainedcouch，ofmenonothercouches，bandagedandblood—stained。Itwasjustaglimpsefromarailedfootwayandthenabuttresshidtheplaceandtheyweregoingontowardsthemarkets。
　　Theroarofthemultitudewasnearnow：itleapttothunder。And，arrestinghisattention，aflutteringofblackbanners，thewavingofbluecanvasandbrownrags，andtheswarmingvastnessofthetheatrenearthepublicmarketscameintoviewdownalongpassage。Thepictureopenedout。Heperceivedtheywereenteringthegreattheatreofhisfirstappearance，theFreattheatrehehadlastseenasachequer—workofglareandblacknessinhisflightfromtheredpolice。
　　Thistimeheentereditalongagalleryatalevelhighabovethestage。Theplacewasnowbrilliantlylitagain。Hesoughtthegangwayupwhichhehadfled，buthecouldnottellitfromamongitsdozensoffellows；norcouldheseeanythingofthesmashedseats，deflatedcushions，andsuchliketracesofthefightbecauseofthedensityofthepeople。Exceptthestagethewholeplacewascloselypacked。Lookingdowntheeffectwasavastareaofstippledpink，eachdotastillupturnedfaceregardinghim。AthisappearancewithOstrogthecheeringdiedaway，thesingingdiedaway，acommonintereststilledandunifiedthedisorder。Itseemedasthougheveryindividualofthosemyriadswaswatchinghim。
　　CHAPTERXIII
　　THEENDOFTHEOLDORDER
　　SofarasGrahamwasabletojudge，itwasnearmiddaywhenthewhitebanneroftheCouncilfell。
　　Butsomehourshadtoelapsebeforeitwaspossibletoeffecttheformalcapitulation，andsoafterhehadspokenhis"Word"heretiredtohisnewapartmentsinthewind—vaneoffices。Thecontinuousexcitementofthelasttwelvehourshadlefthiminordinatelyfatigued，evenhiscuriositywasexhausted；foraspacehesatinertandpassivewithopeneyes，andforaspaceheslept。Hewasrousedbytwomedicalattendants，comepreparedwithstimulantstosustainhimthroughthenextoccasion。Afterhehadtakentheirdrugsandbathedbytheiradviceincoldwater，hefeltarapidreturnofinterestandenergy，andwaspresentlyableandwillingtoaccompanyOstrogthroughseveralmiles（asitseemed）ofpassages，lifts，andslidestotheclosingsceneoftheWhiteCouncil’srule。
　　Thewayrandeviouslythroughamazeofbuildings。
　　Theycameatlasttoapassagethatcurvedabout，andshowedbroadeningbeforehimanoblongopening，cloudshotwithsunset，andtheraggedskylineoftheruinousCouncilHouse。Atumultofshoutscamedriftinguptohim。Inanothermomenttheyhadcomeouthighuponthebrowofthecliffoftornbuildingsthatoverhungthewreckage。ThevastareaopenedtoGraham’seyes，nonethelessstrangeandwonderfulfortheremoteviewhehadhadofitintheovalmirror。
　　Thisrudelyamphitheatralspaceseemednowthebetterpartofamiletoitsouteredge。Itwasgoldlitonthelefthand，catchingthesunlight，andbelowandtotherightclearandcoldintheshadow。AbovetheshadowygreyCouncilHousethatstoodinthemidstofit，thegreatblackbannerofthesurrenderstillhunginsluggishfoldsagainsttheblazingsunset。
　　Severedrooms，hallsandpassagesgapedstrangely，brokenmassesofmetalprojecteddismallyfromthecomplexwreckage，vastmassesoftwistedcabledroppedliketangledseaweed，andfromitsbasecameatumultofinnumerablevoices，violentconcussions，andthesoundoftrumpets。Allaboutthisgreatwhitepilewasaringofdesolation；thesmashedandblackenedmasses，thegauntfoundationsandruinouslumberofthefabricthathadbeendestroyedbytheCouncil’sorders，skeletonsofgirders，Titanicmassesofwall，forestsofstoutpillars。Amongstthesombrewreckagebeneath，runningwaterflashedandglistened，andfarawayacrossthespace，outofthemidstofavaguevastmassofbuildings，therethrustthetwistedendofawater—main，twohundredfeetintheair，thunderouslyspoutingashiningcascade。Andeverywheregreatmultitudesofpeople。
　　Wherevertherewasspaceandfoothold，peopleswarmed，littlepeople，smallandminutelyclear，exceptwherethesunsettouchedthemtoindistinguishablegold。Theyclamberedupthetotteringwalls，theyclunginwreathsandgroupsaboutthehigh—standingpillars。Theyswarmedalongtheedgesofthecircleofruins。Theairwasfulloftheirshouting，andwerepressingandswayingtowardsthecentralspace。
　　TheupperstoreysoftheCouncilHouseseemeddeserted，notahumanbeingwasvisible。Onlythedroopingbannerofthesurrenderhungheavilyagainstthelight。ThedeadwerewithintheCouncilHouse，orhiddenbytheswarmingpeople，orcarriedaway。
　　Grahamcouldseeonlyafewneglectedbodiesingapsandcornersoftheruins，andamidsttheflowingwater。
　　"Willyouletthemseeyou，Sire？"saidOstrog。
　　"Theyareveryanxioustoseeyou。"
　　Grahamhesitated，andthenwalkedforwardtowherethebrokenvergeofwalldroppedsheer。HeI
　　stoodlookingdown，alonely，tall，blackfigureagainstthesky。
　　Veryslowlytheswarmingruinsbecameawareofhim。Andastheydidsolittlebandsofblack—
　　uniformedmenappearedremotely，thrustingthroughthecrowdstowardstheCouncilHouse。Hesawlittleblackheadsbecomepink，lookingathim，sawbythatmeansawaveofrecognitionsweepacrossthespace。
　　Itoccurredtohimthatheshouldaccordthemsomerecognition。Hehelduphisarm，thenpointedtotheCouncilHouseanddroppedhishand。Thevoicesbelowbecameunanimous，gatheredvolume，cameuptohimasmultitudinouswaveletsofcheering。
　　Thewesternskywasapallidbluishgreen，andJupitershonehighinthesouth，beforethecapitulationwasaccomplished。Abovewasaslowinsensiblechange，theadvanceofnightsereneandbeautiful；
　　belowwashurry，excitement，conflictingorders，pauses，spasmodicdevelopmentsoforganisation，avastascendingclamourandconfusion。BeforetheCouncilcameout，toilingperspiringmen，directedbyaconflictofshouts，carriedforthhundredsofthosewhohadperishedinthehand—to—handconflictwithinthoselongpassagesandchambers。
　　GuardsinblacklinedthewaythattheCouncilwouldcome，andasfarastheeyecouldreachintothehazybluetwilightoftheruins，andswarmingnowateverypossiblepointinthecapturedCouncilHouseandalongtheshatteredcliffofitscircumadjacentbuildings，wereinnumerablepeople，andtheirvoicesevenwhentheywerenotcheering，wereasthesoughingoftheseauponapebblebeach。Ostroghadchosenahugecommandingpileofcrushedandover—
　　thrownmasonry，andonthisastageoftimbersandmetalgirderswasbeinghastilyconstructed。Itsessentialpartswerecomplete，buthummingandclangorousmachinerystillglaredfitfullyintheshadowsbeneaththistemporaryedifice。
　　ThestagehadasmallhigherportiononwhichGrahamstoodwithOstrogandLincolnclosebesidehim，alittleinadvanceofagroupofminorofficers。A
　　broaderlowerstagesurroundedthisquarterdeck，andonthisweretheblack—uniformedguardsoftherevoltarmedwiththelittlegreenweaponswhoseverynamesGrahamstilldidnotknow。ThosestandingabouthimperceivedthathiseyeswanderedperpetuallyfromtheswarmingpeopleinthetwilightruinsabouthimtothedarklingmassoftheWhiteCouncilHouse，whencetheTrusteeswouldpresentlycome，andtothegauntcliffsofruinthatencircledhim，andsobacktothepeople。Thevoicesofthecrowdswelledtoadeafeningtumult。
　　HesawtheCouncillorsfirstafaroffintheglareofoneofthetemporarylightsthatmarkedtheirpath，alittlegroupofwhitefiguresblinkinginablackarchway。IntheCouncilHousetheyhadbeenindarkness。