DUKE UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 The Glenn Negley Collection 
 of Utopian Literature 
 
*** 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive 
 in 2010 witii funding from . 
 Dul<e University Libraries 
 
 littp://www.arcliive.org/details/jamesingletonliiOOdick 
 
JAMES INGLETON: 
 
 THE HISTORY OF A SOCIAL STATE 
 
 ^. 
 
 s.ooo. 
 
 TD. 
 
 BY 
 
 MB. DICK.'' 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 JAMES BLACKWOOD & CO., LOVELL'S COURT, 
 PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 All Bights Reserved. 
 
]brV7X 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter. Page, 
 
 I. Looking Backward 9 
 
 II. The Hero's Home Circle 24 
 
 III, "The Young Alliance" and its Members... 38 
 
 IV. A 21sT Century Adventure 48 
 
 V. Miss Smither's Philosophy — The Work of 
 
 the Levellers 64 
 
 VI. Mr. Stocking's Courtship 78 
 
 VII. Mr. B. M. Slowun, President of the 
 
 Alliance 89 
 
 VIII. At the Aerial Station — A Bold Plan of 
 
 Action 104 
 
 IX. The Voice of the Oracle — Concerted 
 
 Action 122 
 
 X. A 21sT Century Court of Justice .;. ... 140 
 XI. A Lecture on Individualism —The Gag ... 157 
 XII. In a Workshop of the Social State — The 
 
 Unrest Spreads 172 
 
 XIII. Mr. Slowun's Breakfast — The Tell-Tale 
 
 Telephone 190 
 
6 CO'iiiTE'^TS.— Continued. 
 
 Chapter. Page. 
 
 XIV. An Aerial Conspiracy 206 
 
 XV. Mysterious Pamphlets 223 
 
 XVI. In the London of the Past 240 
 
 XVII. Mr. Stocking's Genius — Buerlin's Diary ... 255 
 
 XVIII. The Muses in the Social State — Une Affaire 
 
 de Cceur 2G8 
 
 XIX. At " The Epicurean — Equality without 
 
 Liberty 282 
 
 XX. The Convention — The Session Opens — Mr. 
 
 Slowun's Night-Cap 298 
 
 XXI. A Demand for Free Speech — A Scene in 
 the Chamber — Arrest of the Individual- 
 ist Leaders 313 
 
 XXII. In Prison — The People Roused 332 
 
 XXIII. The "Staff of Life" Speaks — An Instruc- 
 tive Smoke — A Petition and its Con- 
 sequences — The Last of Mr. Slowun ... 349 
 XXIV. An Introspection — Tfe First Barricade — 
 
 Prisoners Released 369 
 
 XXV. The City's Roof Collapses — Barricade 
 
 Warfare 385 
 
 XXVI. A Mournful Truce — " Individualism to 
 
 THE Fore" 399 
 
 XXVII. A Battle in the Clouds — The Individual- 
 ists Triumph 413 
 
 XXVIII. Mr. Collingwood— a Sad Past 426 
 
CO'i^lTEl^lTS.— Continued. . 7 
 
 Chapter. Page. 
 
 XXIX. A Great Demonstration — The Committee of 
 
 Public Safety and its Programme ... 433 
 XXX. The Belief of Death — The Monarchy 
 Restored — Edward VII. — " Hurrah for 
 Merry England" 441 
 
JAMES INGLETON: 
 
 IW-^^ ^Bfitst0rg of a j^octal j^late. 
 
 m I «^»*- 
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 The shadow of night has fallen over London, 
 and, as if by one mysterious hand, the arc-lamps 
 are lit simultaneously in every street. The glass- 
 domed streets are dry; yet amid the busy din 
 and the whistling of the electric transports, the 
 patter, patter can be heard of the falling rain. 
 But above all other sounds rises a great sigh, and 
 anon a moan, as of a human being in distress. It is 
 the wind shrieking and sobbing, gust racing gust in 
 a vain endeavour to assist its companion, the 
 rain, to penetrate the roof of the city. 
 
 The Hall of Antiquity is situated in Concord 
 Square. In the centre of the space is a fountain 
 which is playing, and as the light falls upon the 
 jets of water they seem transformed into sheets 
 of silver. Bound about are statues, allegorical 
 sculptures, of Liberty, Equality, and the Brother- 
 hood of Man. 
 
 s 
 
10 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Suddenly the only dark spot in the Square is 
 lighted up. The Hall is about to be opened. 
 
 A curious building this, with its great eaves 
 and enormous roof, which occupy at least twice 
 the space of the frontage itself, Uke an enormous 
 pigeon-cote in an exposed position. As the 
 phono-chronometer of the City Hall bawls out 
 ** eight o'clock," the doors sink away, and a flood 
 of light shows itself on a screen. 
 
 Passers-by stop to look at the white patch, upon 
 which slowly appears the following announce- 
 ment : — 
 
 "HALL OF ANTIQUITY. 
 
 THE HISTORICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY. 
 
 ]\Ir. BosTWELL will lecture this evening on 
 English History, 
 
 Period— 1Q89 to 1970, 
 At 8.30 punctual." 
 
 In the lobby, some men and women congregate, 
 and as they make their way to the interior 
 pass a few remarks. 
 
 " Best lecture for the last three months, I 
 suppose ? " says a portly man to an elderly 
 female, who looks a " blue-stocking." 
 
 " Yes, yes, it will be very interesting, I have 
 no doubt." 
 
 "Good," from the men as they enter; and 
 
JAMES INQLETON. 11 
 
 " Beautiful," " Delightful," from the women, are 
 the principal remarks heard. 
 
 In the centre of the hall are arranged models 
 of the various vehicles, machinery, and build- 
 ings in use at the end of the Nineteenth 
 Century. Notwithstanding that the major por- 
 tion of those who are to form the lecturer's 
 audience are familiar with these curios, they 
 are yet objects of interest. 
 
 The flooring of the hall is composed of 
 papier-mache squares, on each of which is a 
 chair. These are ranged in rigidly straight 
 lines. Before each row is a pair of rails. On 
 the inner edge of the rail, exactly facing each 
 separate chair, is a set of stoppers, marked 
 with the names of various refreshments, and on 
 the two outer ones are inscribed the words *' down " 
 and " up." 
 
 At the further end of the hall, behind 
 the cases of curios, and partly hidden from view, 
 is a wheel of peculiar workmanship ; and above 
 it, suspended from the ceiling, hangs a tablet, on 
 which rlins the following legend : 
 
 " The seating accommodation of the hall at 
 the present time is 300," and beneath that — 
 
 "To increase same, turn wheel to the left; to 
 lessen, turn to the right." 
 
 On the left, behind the chairs, is a screen 
 some three feet in diameter, and around it this 
 inscription : — 
 
12 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 "A prismatic view of the Contents Bill of 
 the Ealf Hour is visible on this screen im- 
 mediately on publication of that Journal. Matters 
 of great importance will also appear at other 
 times when considered advisable." 
 
 On the right, so as to face the centre chairs, 
 are a gramophone, a telephone, a kinteograph, 
 and photophone apparatus, all on behalf of the 
 newspaper mentioned. 
 
 The hall filled rapidly, and before long, someone 
 approached the wheel described, gave it a sharp 
 turn to the left, and re- adjusted the brake. 
 
 The figure " 3," on the board above, turned into 
 a " 6 " ; the left and right walls moved with a slight 
 whirr for a few seconds, then stopped, and seemed 
 rigid as ever. A shrill tinkle of a bell, and the 
 empty space became filled with chairs and rails, 
 (similar to the other pa,rt of the hall), which rose up 
 through the flooring. 
 
 A tall, dark complexioned, patrican looking man, 
 whose lofty forehead betokened intellectuality, now 
 entered the hall, being followed by a numerous 
 party, including some fifty young men, on whose 
 breasts were embroidered the letters " Y.A." They 
 seated themselves at the farther end of the hall. 
 
 The tall man, who, as the reader guesses, was 
 the lecturer, Mr. Bostwell, pressed the button 
 marked " up " on the rail, and chair and all rose 
 some four feet above the ground. From this vantage 
 point he commenced his lecture. He said : — 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 13 
 
 *' Fellow citizens, — la accordance with custom, 
 now established some eight years, I will take up the 
 thread of the last lecture, and that places me some 
 six months forward in the year 1888. Towards the 
 end of that year, a movement began, the like of which 
 had never been heard of before. Labour troubles 
 had been known, but that London, with its four and 
 half million inhabitants, should be at the mercy 
 of a hundred thousand men, headed by a few mere 
 nobodies, staggered everyone. It was the period of 
 the great Dock Strike. Fellow citizens, this labour 
 war, this struggle of unskilled labour against the 
 mighty power of capital, ' must be disastrous for the 
 men.' Thus declared the papers of the day when 
 this strike commenced. But with its vast proces- 
 sions, its combination, its union of unions, its 
 determination, it at first awed the press into 
 submission, and then proceeded to frighten its 
 readers. For some weeks London was governed 
 from the taproom of a refreshment house (a public- 
 house, as it was called). Here, from a mean 
 little room in a back street of the poorest 
 locality of the ' Capital of the World,' the war was 
 carried on. Suffice it, that the people won the day. 
 Thus ended 1889. Its results were manifold : the 
 men were emboldened, the various unions of labour 
 drew vast numbers of adherents to their ranks, 
 compelling many others to follow. In 1890, London 
 was threatened with darkness. The gas workers 
 (friends, gas was the light of the period,) refused to 
 
14 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 work. Dismay, fear, trembling, seized the press 
 and the people, and conciliation was the cry. But 
 the great corporation was obstinate, the men 
 obdurate, and, eventually the latter lost. Hundreds 
 were starving. But, from this time, strikes became 
 the order of the day, not one, but hundreds took 
 place — here, there, and everywhere. As the earnings 
 increased, so the necessaries of life grew dearer. 
 In 1891, the successes of the working classes caused 
 them to make increased demands. Albeit, they 
 met with varying fortunes during the numerous 
 skirmishes. The Unions split up, but a cry was re- 
 echoed everywhere — from valley to mountain 
 peak. "What was it ? you ask. I will tell you in a 
 four-line doggerel often repeated at the time — 
 
 ' Eight hours work, 
 Eight hours play, 
 Eight hours rest. 
 Eight bob a day.' 
 
 " But the demand really was for eight hours work 
 at fair remuneration, made compulsory by leglisla- 
 tion. * No man shall work longer than another,' was 
 the argument of the workers, but they did not 
 obtain their demands. 
 
 " It now becomes necessary to review history 
 rather than give it in detail. 
 
 " During the next ten years, ministerial changes 
 were frequent, ministers died, men changed places, 
 and the labour war went on with varying fortunes. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 15 
 
 But the eight hours' question was shunned by each 
 government. 
 
 "In 1901, the census was taken, and, to the sur- 
 prise of all, it was found that the population had 
 remained stationary since 1891. What was the 
 cause? Births had been normal ; death, that grim, 
 gaunt spectre, had not claimed more than the 
 average number ; and it was stated that immigration 
 had brought many to these shores. Emigration 
 had done it. The times had proved hard, food 
 dearer, the ordering and marshalling of the labour 
 unions was irksome, many sought therefore in 
 happier climes what they could not find at home. 
 
 " In 1902, parliament was dissolved. A tenth 
 of the people were starving, and a good pro- 
 portion were obliged to live very close. The people 
 cried for bread, the children's wan, pinched faces too 
 well betokened the empty stomach. Party warfare 
 went on. Many there were who called themselves 
 labour candidates. A labour party was formed, and 
 from that moment the cry * eight hours a day ' rose 
 high above, and drowned that of 'got no work 
 to do.' The constitutional liberal party, not to be 
 outdone, offered extended suffrage — one man, one 
 vote — every man a vote. The people were fed on 
 paper, of which, tons were scattered about in the 
 form of bills, circulars, and posters. These two 
 parties gained the day together. The people 
 having no food, were satisfied with a vote ; and 
 having no work were emphatic in declaiming 
 
16 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 that they would not work more than eight 
 hours a day. 
 
 ** Parhament met, and great changes were ex- 
 pected. The Hberal party being strongest, took the 
 lead, and the suffrage question claimed precedence. 
 Eighteen months elapsed before the bill passed — no 
 other party having a hand in it, without introducing 
 into the question its own pet hobbies. At length the 
 champions of the extended franchise triumphed. A 
 procession, consisting of a quarter of a million of 
 persons, escorted the triumphant leaders to Hyde 
 Park, which they reached at a quarter to five in the 
 afternoon. Then they immediately dispersed. 
 Those having any, hurried home to tea ; and those 
 who had none, were voted a pint per person by the 
 Labour Union. 
 
 " ' Now for the eight hours' question,' cried the 
 people ; but it did not get so far. 
 
 "Everybody having had his tea — which was 
 always presided over by one of the feminine mem- 
 bers of the household — proceeded to the public 
 houses, drank many half pints of a liquid called ale, 
 smoked long pipes, spat many times on the floor, 
 and assured himself that it was the greatest day 
 England had ever known. Then they all went to 
 bed, not awakening from their lethargy for several 
 months ; in fact, just in time to discover that women 
 had now demanded a vote, and that processions, 
 meetings, petitions, canvassing, and teas — high and 
 low — were in full swing on their part. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 17 
 
 "Women a vote, meant women a seat in Parlia- 
 ment. The liberal and the labour parties being 
 pledged to progressive legislation, naturally took 
 twelve months to pass a bill in favour of female 
 suffrage, when all at once the whole political apple- 
 cart was upset, it being discovered that a law 
 existed preventing legislation by females ; and it 
 requiring some time to revoke this law, the govern- 
 ment appealed to the country. 
 
 "Although satisfied with the progress made, the 
 popular vote returned the Conservatives, combined 
 with the Labour Party. As these factions were 
 antagonistic to each other, they fell to wrangUng, 
 and patching up quarrels, until the nation was dis- 
 gusted. 
 
 "Thus, for fifteen years things went on; first 
 with one party in power, then another ; nothing 
 happening to smooth the unevenness of political life, 
 
 " The Census of 1911 told the silent tale that the 
 population had decreased by some per cent., and this 
 added fuel to the fire. Huge co-operative schemes 
 were tried, only to collapse. Times out of number, 
 the labour question came forward, only to be put 
 aside for more pressing subjects. 
 
 " In 1914, Women's Eights were formally ac- 
 knowledged. The following year ten ladies were 
 elected members of the Legislature. The year 
 1919 saw the beginning of the end. The Docks of 
 London were found one morning with only suffici- 
 ent work for five thousand men. Starvation wa& 
 
18 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 increasing ; and the want amongst the people was 
 abeady so great that the children looked numbed, 
 although it was summer. 
 
 " A Meeting—that panacea for all evils — was held. 
 A man with a red tie cried, ' Down with the rich.' 
 An enormous rabble surged westward, and looted 
 the houses, breaking the windows of the goldsmiths' 
 shops, and passing the bakers unheedingly. Reach- 
 ing Nelson's Monument, which then stood in Trafal- 
 gar Square, they stopped, held another Meeting, and 
 marched to the Parliament House. In front of this 
 they set up such a screaming and shrieking, that it 
 frightened the lady members, who were just taking 
 their teas on the terraces. Having shouted them- 
 selves hoarse, the crowd turned, and wrecked all 
 the pubUc houses on their .way home. At night- 
 fall, a few thousand drunken men in the streets 
 were all that remained of the disturbance. 
 
 " On the morrow, supplies were voted in Parlia- 
 ment ; more regiments of soldiers ordered up to 
 London ; and the. magistrates were told to be pre- 
 pared to read the Eiot Act. 
 
 " For four years this spark of rebellion continued 
 to smoulder, and red neckties became very 
 fashionable. 
 
 ** In 1923, it was found that trade — and as a result, 
 shipping traffic — and everything in fact, was at a 
 very low ebb. The Census returns showed a further 
 decrease. Whole neighbourhoods were depopulated. 
 Land was at pepper-corn rents. Taxation was in- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 19 
 
 creased in order to balance the exchequer. A rising 
 took place in London and other towns. To subdue 
 this, equalisation of taxes was proposed, and a bill 
 to that eflect passed. The Church of England was 
 disestablished, and the House of Peers declared an- 
 nulled. This latter measure was revoked ; and it 
 was declared that all titles would cease with the 
 death of the then bearer. Thus the Monarchy 
 tottered to its base. But it was not till 1930 that 
 the system was overthrown. On the 13th of March, 
 on a snowy morning, hundreds of houses were set 
 in flames ; several hundred thousand men, marched 
 to the music of the Marseillaise through London, 
 burning, looting, and destroying everything they 
 came across. 
 
 " For forty eight hours London was at the mercy 
 of these men. But regiments having been marched 
 to the City, and the Riot Act read, the soldiers fired. 
 Many thousands fell, only to be replaced by others. 
 Hundreds of arrests were made, but to no effect. 
 For every hundred soldiers drafted to London, a 
 thousand men joined the rioters. Barricades were 
 erected in the streets ; the tunnels of the railways 
 blown up ; murder, fire, rapine, was everywhere. 
 ' Liberty !' was the cry ; and the red flag — the ban- 
 ner of blood — on all sides. 
 
 " The Royal Family hurriedly fled the country ; and 
 the soldiery, having no one left to guard, left the 
 people to their excesses, in fact, joined them them- 
 selves. 
 
20 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 "After a month's delay, a republic was formed, 
 A President was chosen, and out of chaos came 
 order. But it took two years ! Meanwhile, the 
 commerce of London had vanished, and most 
 of the merchants were left mere wrecks. Those 
 who had been proud men, at whose call there had 
 once appeared an army of servants, were now left 
 mere flotsam and jetsam on the tide of humanity. 
 At the end of twelve months, the great Labour 
 Questions came to the front. The cries of 1902 
 grew general ; and after some delay, a law 
 came in force, giving every town and trade 
 the option of working eight hours a day. The 
 unions were reorganized, and most trades adopted 
 the idea. London again grew busy with the 
 sound of toil, yet thousands starved. Half the City 
 having been destroyed, work went on for five years 
 without intermission." CAt this point some old 
 ladies who evidently were satisfied with his- 
 tory up to this date, and who were acquainted 
 with events since that period, leaned back in their 
 chairs and fell fast asleep). 
 
 " In 1938, a man was almost flogged to death for 
 having been found in a workshop ten minutes after 
 closing time. At the end of that year the Govern- 
 ment fell." (Here the speaker paused, wiped his 
 forehead, and drank some water.) He continued, — 
 ** Fellow citizens, these things must startle some of 
 you, they must impress you all — these horrors on 
 horrors head accumulate ; yet, friends, the news- 
 
JAMES INGLE TON. 21 
 
 papers of the day recorded these events ; but I will 
 resume : 
 
 "Anew Government was formed in 1941, and 
 lasted two years. At the end of that period, it was 
 found that there was no work for the majority of 
 the people. The inventive genius of man had sur- 
 vived all these changes. During the whole of this 
 time, labour-saving apparatus, high speed machinery, 
 was invented. As much could now be provided in a 
 few hours as could be made in 1870 in a month. The 
 eight hours compulsory legislation came into 
 force in 1943. Its effects were varied, but no 
 really good result could be claimed for the 
 measure. The hours of labour were few enough, 
 but the work was wanting. No law was suffi- 
 ciently powerful to satisfy the wants of the 
 people. None really knew what they required. 
 The books, the pamphlets, the newspapers, of the 
 day prove it. A dark cloud was always hanging over 
 the country, and this none of the various forms 
 of Government that were tried could dispel. Four- 
 teen times, in twenty years, Governments changed. 
 Fourteen times presidents were elected, only to be 
 replaced by others, every occasion causing the burn- 
 ing and devestating of the town. 
 
 " In 1945, two words were expunged from the dic- 
 tionary by Act of Convention. They were 
 "masses" and "classes." Women, about that 
 same time, attempted to erase from the language 
 another word, it was " sex." I am wrong, they had 
 
22 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 thought to do it fifty years before. They now ap- 
 peared in public in male attire, but this led to such 
 excesses that it was stopped by Convention. How- 
 ever, to give the history of the next ten years 
 would be mere repetition. 
 
 " Revolution succeeded Revolution ; the population 
 still continued to decrease ; in fact, the evils of the 
 past were but re-enacted. Friends, I have done. 
 May the past prove a lasting lesson for the future." 
 The lecture over, the old ladies, who went 
 to sleep in 1930, awoke somewhere between 
 1945 and 1970, and stared at everybody as if every- 
 body except themselves had done something wrong. 
 The lecturer pressed the button marked " down," 
 and in a moment he was on a level with the flooring. 
 A young man, with short brown hair and heavy 
 moustache, rose from his seat, and walked towards 
 the lecturer. The lightness of his tread, his easy 
 movements, gave an impression of gentility, and, as 
 he faced the audience, the nobility of his character 
 became plainly visible from the well chiselled 
 features. 
 
 "Friends," he said, "some of those present here 
 must remember many of the incidents related to 
 night. I, and the other members of the "Young 
 Alliance," do not. "We are thankful for this history, 
 and shall treasure it in our memories " ; and, turn- 
 ing to the lecturer, he added, " Mr. Bostwell, our 
 thanks." 
 
 The lecture was over, and all slowly passed out of 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 23 
 
 the hall. As the last speaker approached his fellows 
 one of them remarked,— 
 
 " Ingleton, what do you think of the lecture ? " 
 
 He answered with a curious expression on his 
 face, — 
 
 " A great deal. Good night," and passed out. 
 
 The foregoing is reproduced firom the columns of 
 of the " Half Hour " of August the 29th, 1999. 
 
CHAPTEK II. 
 
 It was the morning after the lecture. The rain 
 had ceased, but the wind, no longer blowing a gale, 
 raced about in a gambolling, rolhcking manner, 
 running round the corner of the streets, stopping, 
 and rmining on again, like a child at play. 
 
 James Ingleton resided in Utopia Terrace, hard 
 by the City Hall, where once the Eoyal Exchange 
 had stood. The houses were of red brick, all alike — 
 two windows on the ground floor, two on the first 
 floor, and all surmounted, or finished off, with a ridge, 
 which made them resemble Dutch mediaeval houses, 
 cut short. Every house had one stone step, and a 
 bell fixed some few feet above in the masonry of 
 the doorway. 
 
 In the middle of such a row was the house 
 occupied by Ingleton, his mother and sisters. 
 
 He was seated in the front room. The apartment 
 was furnished in a comfortable homely fashion, 
 with a table, chairs, a low couch and other 
 articles of furniture, a few shelves on which were 
 books and files of newspapers. He was seated in 
 an armchair, near a stove (from which heat was 
 given by means of an electric current passing 
 through a platinum coil). Ingleton was reading a 
 newspaper. It was the "Half Hour," which, as 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 25 
 
 its name betokened, appeared every half hour, 
 from 8 o'clock a.m. till 8 o'clock, p.m. 
 
 Opposite him, on the couch, lay a little girl. The 
 child was about ten years of age. Her transparent 
 skin, the thin blue lips, the purple edging of the 
 ears, the gentle heaving of the body, and the 
 general restlessness, showed that disease had left its 
 heavy imprint. The sun brightened up the room. 
 As the child opened her eyes, two suns were reflected 
 in their pupils. No gleaming bright eyes, sparkling 
 with youth, here, only these two dull suns. The child 
 was blind ! Ob, that in youth, in very childhood, the 
 windows of the soul should be darkened, and that a 
 cold glazed stare should be all that nature had to 
 bestow in place of the glorious gift of vision. Oh, 
 childhood ! that thou shouldst be deprived of all thy 
 pleasures, thy innocent joys, thy very life ! That to 
 thee the bright sunshine should be as hopeless dark- 
 ness, and all a lifelong night ! Yet do the blind see, 
 they know, they can penetrate the human mind, with- 
 out beholding the face. All is not darkness ; the want 
 of hght develops another sense — perception. They 
 do not see, they perceive. 
 
 The child was aware of the presence of her 
 brother, for she sat up, and turning her head to 
 where Ingleton was sitting, said, " James, hasNelHe 
 been in yet ? " How the weak voice trembled with 
 this effort. 
 
 " Yes, Katie dear, she will be back in a moment," 
 was the answer. 
 
 
 
26 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 "I am so tired; so tired, James. I am always 
 tired," she said. Then, as if the effort had been too 
 much, she sank back on the pillows. 
 
 Ingleton rose, passed over towards the child, 
 gently smoothed the pillows, and caressing the 
 little head, said, " Don't fret, dear, you will soon be 
 strong again." 
 
 A young lady entered the room on tip-toe, and 
 approached the couch. She was very like her 
 brother ; her sparkling blue eyes, and rose-tinged 
 cheeks, were but a feminine replica of James Ingle- 
 ton, except that the colour of her hair was golden. 
 
 Motioning him to move, she stepped close to 
 the couch, and for a few seconds looked intently at 
 the child, who was already in the land of dreams. 
 
 She moved and took a chair near her brother, who 
 was already seated. 
 
 "Well, Nell, how did you like the lecture?" said 
 Ingleton in a low tone. 
 
 " Very well indeed," she answered. Then by the 
 way of postscript, " But it was too disjointed, too 
 much jumping from precipice to precipice, or rather 
 from revolution to revolution." 
 
 " You see," said Ingleton, " the lecturer gives 
 but outlines, and the sub-committees furnish details. 
 For all this was but the preparatory work for 
 writing a history." 
 
 " Oh ! indeed," said Nell, " why did he not men- 
 tion names?" 
 
 "Names, my dear, are mere nothings ; men are 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 27 
 
 nothing;" and then with bitterness, "life is 
 nothing." 
 
 "Another thing," said Nell, " why so much detail 
 one moment, and plain outlines the next ?" 
 
 ** Listen ! history is mostly lies ; the facts of to- 
 day are magnified to-morrow, and mimimised the 
 next day." 
 
 " I cannot see what that has to do with it," inter- 
 rupted Nell. 
 
 " A great deal. The biographies of men have fur- 
 nished more facts and given more real details which 
 show the causes that have led to the events which 
 ultimately occurred." 
 
 " WeU ? " said Nell. 
 
 " When we read of spontaneous risings we are 
 deceived. Sometimes the merest trifle, an un- 
 necessary detail — people say — calls into life the 
 spark which smoulders for years until it bursts into 
 sudden flame, burning all the fiercer for this very 
 slow combustion." 
 
 A lady, on whom Time's hand had left a few 
 wrinkles, and in whose hair the grey intermingled 
 with the brown, came in and sat down beside them. 
 
 "Well," she said, having listened to the last 
 part of Ingleton's remarks, " my mother always 
 told me that when she saw bread get dear, we should 
 see some revolutions." 
 
 "A detail," remarked Ingleton, "which was 
 worthy of observation, as was proved in France in 
 1793." 
 
28 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " My mother told me," chimed in Mrs. Ingleton, 
 ** that on the sixth of June, in the year 1917, the 
 baker came to the door at eight o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, to her mother — that was my grandmother — and 
 said, ' Ma'am, the bread's ninepence 'er quartern.' " 
 " How funny," interrupted Nell, looking question- 
 ingly at Ingleton. " Did they announce prices in that 
 way ? Could not you see for yourself at the store ? " 
 " I believe that is right enough," said Ingleton. 
 " Everybody had a shop then on his own account, 
 you see. Go on, mother, please." 
 
 Nell seemed perplexed, but her mother continued : 
 " ' Ma'am,' he said, ' bread's ninepence 'er quartern.' 
 My grandmother was surprised, but took the bread ; 
 and the man said, * The dock is nearly closed, ma'am ; 
 a big meeting going to be held to-day. There 'ill 
 be a scrimmage,' and my mother told me there was 
 a riot, something awful ; so that's conclusive." 
 
 "Mr. Bostwell mentioned that riot," said Nell, 
 
 ** I believe he called it * the beginning of the end.' " 
 
 Ingleton took down from the shelves behind him 
 
 a large book. It was the file of a newspaper dated 
 
 1941. 
 
 " Here, Nell," he said, turning the leaves as he 
 spoke, " are some details," and reading from the 
 paper : " ' This morning, a question which has 
 exercised the minds of men for fifty years was 
 settled. An eight hours' labour bill was passed 
 throughout the length and breadth of England, 
 Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and all the depen- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 29 
 
 ^encies. This law is now to be enforced. " Eight 
 hours ye shall work," is now the eleventh command- 
 ment. We trust everyone will recognise the great 
 blessing which has been bestowed upon him.' 
 
 " So it goes on," said Ingleton, stopping suddenly, 
 " but at the end it says : * We trust that no one 
 will now be in want, work must be found for all.' " 
 
 ** You seem to attach great importance to that 
 last line," said Nell laughingly. 
 
 " Indeed I do," answered Ingleton, in all serious- 
 ness, with brows contracted. " Note," turning the 
 leaves rapidly, " this is the end of the year. Here 
 is a short paragraph : * Subscriptions will be re- 
 ceived on behalf of the boot makers, now out of 
 work.' " 
 
 He closed the book and restored it to the shelf. 
 
 " Well," said Ingleton, after an interval of silence, 
 " Mr. Bostwell forgot to mention one great fact. At 
 one time, when every man kept his store, there 
 was a large class of men who had refreshment 
 houses, public-houses as they were called." 
 
 " Mr. Bostwell mentioned them," interposed his 
 sister. 
 
 " Yes, but he did not mention that opposed to 
 these were men — religious fanatics — who cried 
 them down, who denied a man the right of drinking 
 wine, spirits, or malt liquors, who said it was a sin 
 to drink, or touch these stimulants, and who became 
 a power in the land. Through them, it came about 
 that a publican could have his house shut up, his 
 
30 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 business taken away, his wife and children left to 
 starve, through the mere whim of a Magistrate. 
 This confiscation of property, without compensation, 
 had great effect afterwards." 
 
 " I don't clearly understand it all," said Nell, 
 " things are so different now." 
 
 " You should read these," said Ingleton, pointing 
 to the files of the newspapers. 
 
 " Yes, I will. History has little attraction for 
 me," said Nell, " it is so dull. I would have read 
 those papers long ago, but they are so large, I was 
 afraid of them." 
 
 ** My mother told me," said Mrs. Ingleton, ** yes, 
 she always told me, that she said to my father, 
 ' Joe,' she said, * no good can come of it, hounding 
 people out of their homes, because they sell a glass 
 of ale.' " 
 
 She sighed, and closed her eyes, as though her 
 
 thoughts reverted to her past life and her mother's 
 days. 
 
 ** Extremes never succeed," said Ingleton. 
 
 "How about the equalisation of property in 
 1968?" said Nell. 
 
 Ingleton did not answer for a few minutes, but 
 puckered his brows till they met. 
 
 " Well," said Nell, " how about that ? it seems to 
 upset your argument." 
 
 " No," at length answered Ingleton, *' I think 
 not. I might speak at some length about it. 
 But let us see — go back to history. In 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 31 
 
 1960, those who had been lauded proprietors 
 had nothing, or next to nothing, for the con- 
 tinuous civil war had left direst results behind 
 it. True, they still held the land in name, 
 but in name only, for their houses had been burnt 
 over their heads ; the cost of tillage and harvesting 
 was so great that very few attempted it. Previous 
 governments had advanced money to the land- 
 owners to reinstate them somewhat, but the Con- 
 vention of 1968 took away that land on which its pre- 
 decessors in power had advanced the money, and so 
 this equalisation was nothing but a farce. The 
 government became the sole proprietor, after depriv- 
 ing the owners of their property. And I don't 
 know if it had aright to do it." 
 
 " But isn't it through this very equalisation that 
 we now exist? "said Mrs. Ingleton. " My mother 
 always told me, although I was still very young, 
 that it caused many a row and riot." 
 
 "It did not last long," said Nell. 
 
 " Not very," said Ingleton, " it was soon upset ; in 
 fact, every two years, up to 1975, saw changes — still 
 oftener perhaps — for the British pubUc chose to be 
 dissatisfied with everything. It was one crisis after 
 another." 
 
 " One went to bed expecting to see a revolution 
 every morning," said Mrs. Ingleton; and as if she 
 had forgotten something, she pressed her left hand 
 to her forehead, sat musing for a moment, and 
 said, " My mother told me so." 
 
32 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " James, has the present system ever been tried 
 before on the same scale ? " said Nell. 
 
 " It was always considered to be the dream of 
 visionaries," rejoined Ingleton ; " and now that we 
 have it, we may best compare it to the feudal 
 system." 
 
 " I have read a little about that," interposed his 
 sister. 
 
 " Men were compelled by their masters to work a 
 certain number of hours per day, and to be governed 
 in a manner which closely resembles the present in 
 its " — he paused as if to find a word to express 
 himself — " grandmotherly fashion. They were called 
 tyrants then, now we call them the nation's pre- 
 servers." He spoke, not as if in answer to his 
 sister's question, but as though musing to himself. 
 
 Pursuing this train of thought, he observed, 
 " But still there was a great difference in many 
 ways. To-day we call a certain action tyranny, 
 next year we call it an act of folly, and an age hence 
 we will say it was not so bad as was thought, and 
 that it was justified by the ultimate objects in view." 
 
 He opened his eyes to their fullest, and they 
 seemed to penetrate beyond the confines of the 
 room into the hazy future. 
 
 " You are thinking aloud, you are musing, and 
 not answering me," said his sister with a puzzled 
 air. 
 
 " Am I ? " 
 
 '* Yes, you are." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 33 
 
 "I did not know it." 
 
 " You are like this very often ; it is very strange 
 on your part," said Nell. 
 
 " My mother told me," said Mrs. Ingleton, who 
 had been silently listening to this conversation, 
 " that a man once thought aloud, and it cost him 
 his life." 
 
 " How was that ? " asked Nell. 
 
 "I don't clearly remember," said her mother, 
 *' but it was during a revolution. A man addressed a 
 crowd, and told them to change the government. 
 Another man, who stood by, was thinking aloud, and 
 said they were rogues — meaning the party on 
 whose behaK the first man was addressing the 
 people. So everybody got angry, and they hanged 
 him on the nearest lamp-post, such as there used to 
 be in those days. My mother told me so." 
 
 " Cold comfort, that," said Ingleton, with a smile. 
 
 " Ugh," said Nell, shivering at the thought. 
 
 "Ob, it was a common thing then," added Mrs. 
 Ingleton ; " my mother told me it was quite common, 
 and thought little enough of." 
 
 " Perhaps I do think aloud," said Ingleton ; 
 *' thought has no boundaries. Ideas mingle one 
 with the other. Sometimes I am sleepless. Sleep- 
 lessness is full of dreams ; a slumber — even actual 
 wakefulness — has its dreams. Dreams are but 
 thoughts, wrought in the imagery of the mind, 
 becoming visible to the veiled eye." 
 
 A sharp ring at the bell was heard, and a short 
 
34 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 stout gentleman, with cheeks as red as winter apples, 
 entered ; and as Nell led him into the room, he 
 lifted his hat, when half a dozen snow white hairs 
 became visible. These did not lay on his head, but 
 stood up, as if to menace any other hairs that were 
 likely to come within view. 
 
 " Fine morning, Mrs. Ingleton," he said. 
 
 " Yes, rather brisk," was the rejoinder. 
 
 "How is our little patient ?" 
 
 " Eestless, doctor." 
 
 He walked to the couch, lifted the tiny hand, and 
 said, " Feverish; nothing very bad, but feverish." 
 
 " Dr; Shindle," said Nell, " do you think she will 
 ever regain her health." 
 
 "Ah! Miss Ingleton, it is difficult to tell, very 
 difficult; but we have hopes, we live in hope," 
 rejoined the doctor. 
 
 "She seems to grew weaker day by day," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 "Fever! my dear sir, fever! that's all, nothing 
 scientific or new, nothing special." 
 
 The doctor had a habit of repeating his ideas, and 
 had a predeliction for cases which would give him 
 a theme to write to the College of Physicians about. 
 
 "I'll send her a tonic," he said after some 
 deliberation ; " strengthening measures, that's what 
 we want." 
 
 He evidently did not require the strengthening 
 measures, but like most doctors, he included himself 
 in mentioning his patients. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 35- 
 
 " I thought you would try your new electrical 
 apparatus, which I have heard mentioned," remark- 
 ed Ingleton. 
 
 " I will, but not now. I shall as soon as she (he 
 looked hard, yet sympathetically at the little sufferer,) 
 is a httle stronger." 
 
 " Thank you, doctor." 
 
 "It is nothing, my friend; I would do more 
 if I could. Illness cannot be cured in a day ; you 
 cannot cure it in a week either, but — washing his 
 hands with imaginary soap — " we will have a good 
 try." 
 
 He again approached the child, and felt her pulse,, 
 and muttered, "Fever — fever." 
 
 " What did yoa remark?" said Mrs. Ingleton. 
 
 "Nothing, ma'am, only fever; nothing, that is, 
 principally fever, and we must not stop it ; it must 
 run its course." He put his hat on tightly, as if to 
 remind those few menacing hairs that be was 
 master, bade them good morning, and went out. 
 
 " I shall order some dinner," said Nell, turning 
 to her mother, who was about to leave the room. 
 
 " Consult James," said the old lady, as she softly 
 closed the door. 
 
 " Anything you Uke," said Ingleton, who had sat 
 down, and was reading his newspaper, a fresh 
 number of which had just arrived. 
 
 Nell crossed the room, looked sorrowfully at the 
 child, and then, with deep concern, at her brother. 
 
 When he was left alone he looked for a time at 
 
36 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 the newspaper, then threw it aside. Half closing 
 his eyes, he seemed lost in thought, deep in the 
 unravelling of a problem which seemed too difficult 
 to solve. Perplexity was written on his brow, and 
 the movement of the index-finger in the air showed 
 he was tracing something in his mind. He was 
 aroused from his brown study by the voice of his 
 little sister. 
 
 "Is that you, James?" she asked. 
 
 "Yes, dear." 
 
 " I have been asleep. I have seen so many things, 
 but now all is dark again." 
 
 " You have dreamed, Katie," said Ingleton. 
 
 " I saw men and women, but all seemed to rush 
 past me ; everything went quickly. I saw a great 
 heap of something, it was heaving up and down, 
 and on it was a man. I heard someone say he's 
 dead. James, what does that mean ?" 
 
 " Dead means that the spirit has fled ; that we 
 no longer breathe, speak (he was going to say, see, 
 but stopped himself, and added), hear." 
 
 " I do not understand it all," said the child. " I 
 thought that was sleep." 
 
 " No, you cannot understand ;" and walking to the 
 further end of the room, he muttered, as if speaking to 
 someone else, " Death ! thou art incomprehensible.'' 
 
 He walked back to the couch. 
 
 " And that great heaving?" asked the child. 
 
 " Did it sound like this?" said Ingleton, placing 
 a cup to her ear. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 37 
 
 "Yes, it did." 
 
 "Then it was the sea." 
 
 " The sea you have read to me about?' 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Did the sea make that man dead ?" 
 
 " Remember, dear, you have only dreamed." 
 
 " No, I saw it ; I am sure of it." 
 
 " The fever," muttered Ingleton, pacing the 
 room. " The fever and the sea are one. Both 
 devour, slay, and kill. Cruel fever! remorseless 
 sea ! " 
 
 As he returned to the couch a hectic flush o'er- 
 spread the child's face, and as she sank back on to 
 the pillows she murmured, " I saw . . ." 
 
 Ingleton administered a draught, and still moodily 
 paced the room. "Strange," he muttered, "that 
 the clear noonday should be as night, and the night 
 as noonday. Strange that this child, which has 
 never seen the sea, can imagine it. Imagination, 
 what art thou ? as the poets sung of the shadow. 
 Art thou part of our dual existence, or art thou the 
 remnant of a former life, returniug to us in our 
 dreams?" 
 
 As he again passed the child he saw that she was 
 fast asleep. 
 
 He stepped close to the window, glanced upward, 
 and said, " Thou knowest all." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 At the date of writing London was built on the 
 square. Now, when you stood in Concord Square, 
 on the side where the Hall of Antiquity was, and 
 turned to the left, or the right, you had a vista of 
 endless streets, crossing and recrossing in a 
 rectangular form ver}' wearying to the eye. 
 
 On this occasion we will turn to the left, down 
 Concord Avenue into the Parade. Here again was 
 a fountain, statues and allegorical sculptures. 
 Crossing the Parade, on the opposite side stood the 
 "Young Alliance Club." It was built in the 
 Corinthian style. Passing through the columns, up 
 the flight of steps, and entering the building, on 
 the left was the gymnasium, on the right the library, 
 and further up the corridor, on both sides, were 
 elevators. On the first floor was the smoking- 
 room. 
 
 In this room were a few tables, benches, and 
 chairs. The arc-lamps, let in through the ceiling, 
 diffuse a subdued light through the apartment. 
 
 On a bench reclined a young man, his elbow on a 
 table, on which he rested his head. In appearance, 
 he was not prepossessing ; he certainly could have 
 claimed membership of the Ugly Club which existed 
 in the eighteenth century. His nose was flattened 
 
JAMBS INGLETON. 39 
 
 s,s if he had pressed it against a pane of glass, and 
 it had remained in that position ever since. To say 
 that his face was wrinkled, would not give the 
 shghtest idea of its peculiarities. A mass of 
 wrinkles it was, hundreds of them, that drew the 
 ears inwards ; and the two little eyes stared with a 
 dull stony glare, as if they peered at everything 
 through a haze. Every now and then he put a pipe 
 to his mouth, blew out a thin wreath of smoke, then 
 shut his mouth with a snap, and ejaculated, 
 " Hurrah for Merry England." 
 
 On chairs, some distance away, sat three more 
 young men. The first of these would not have 
 called for any particular attention, but that his 
 jovial face showed he was a fellow bent upon enjoy- 
 ing himself wherever he might be. His two 
 companions, who sat opposite him, were almost 
 hidden behind the thick clouds of tobacco smoke. 
 
 A battle of smoke was raging. He of the jovial 
 face, was administering heavy puffs to his compan- 
 ions, as if he intended to reduce them to the condi- 
 tion of bacon ; while they, taking advantage of 
 his hearty laughter, which almost caused him to roll 
 from his chair, answered with a dual puff, which 
 nearly chocked him. This continued until the 
 three worthies were obhged to stop for want of 
 ammunition, for they had exhausted all the tobacco 
 in their pipes. 
 
 '* Well," said the jolly faced party, knocking the 
 ashes out of his pipe, " I think it's enough, Glimson." 
 
40 JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 The one who answered to this name, and who was 
 very thin, tall, and beetle-browed, answered, — 
 
 " Yes, Bligow, but you've given in." 
 
 Bligow immediately took out his pouch, as if to 
 continue the battle, when the third, a young man 
 of medium stature, with an everlasting smile, 
 bordering on a sneer, said, in a somewhat purring 
 voice, — 
 
 "No, I think Bligow has won ; anyhow I have 
 had enough." 
 
 Bligow, feeling that honour had been satisfied, 
 dropped his pouch, stared at his friends, set up a 
 hearty laughter, which again nearly caused him to 
 roll from his chair; but he was restored to his 
 equilibrium by the young man on the couch 
 shouting, " Hurrah for Merry England." 
 
 " Ante is back in the days of Eobin Hood," 
 said Stocking with a sneer, as he glanced at the 
 former, whose name, Antony, was familiarly cut down 
 by half. 
 
 "Yes," said Glimson, of all the history he ever 
 learnt, this cry alone left any impression on him." 
 
 Glimson was great in history, and only required a 
 date to start him. 
 
 The three worthies filled their pipes, and smoked 
 for a few minutes in silence. 
 
 " Glimson," said Stocking, with another sneer^ 
 which instantly reformed into his coventional smile, 
 " you are to assist in the preparation of our history> 
 in company with Ingleton and the seniors." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 41 
 
 At the sound of the word " Ingleton," Antony 
 pricked up his ears, gazed round the room with 
 his hazy look, but, hearing no immediate 
 sequence to it, reassumed his old attitude. 
 
 " Yes," now answered Glimson, with animation. 
 
 " I am sick of it all," said BHgow. 
 
 " Of what ? " asked Stocking. 
 
 *' Everything," was the laconic reply. 
 
 "Everything may be anything, or nothing in 
 particular," rejoined Stocking. 
 
 " It's a mistake," said Bligow, with a long pull at 
 his pipe. 
 
 '* What is? " queried Stocking. 
 
 " Everything," was the answer. 
 
 " Well, I must say, you are explicit," said GUmson. 
 
 " I don't care this much," said Bligow, snapping 
 his fingers. 
 
 " For what don't you care ? " queried Glimson. 
 
 "Bligow has the blues to night, so let us leave 
 him alone," said Stocking. 
 
 " Look here," said Bligow, taking his pipe from 
 his mouth, and pointing to nothing in particular, 
 "things are unsatisfactory. I have done no work 
 this twelve-month, and there's no prospect of 
 doing anything for another year. There are hun- 
 dreds in a similar condition. Of course, I can still 
 study, but I ask you" — he banged his fist on the 
 table — " what for ? What am I to be ? Is there room 
 for me or anyone else ? A glut everywhere, and in 
 everything." 
 
42 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " A nineteenth century cry — * "What to do with our 
 boys,' " interposed Glimson. 
 
 " Nineteenth or twentieth century, it is all the 
 same," rejoined Bligow ; ** we are no nearer Arcadia 
 or Utopia now than then." 
 
 " But you ha.ve nothing to trouble you. You eat, 
 you drink, and your credit card is not exhausted, — 
 at least, I hope not," said the smiling Stocking. 
 
 " No, it's not, but there it ends. I eat, drink, and 
 sleep per contract, per chapter, convention, and date. 
 I think, or rather I am supposed to think, to 
 exist, to regulate myself, my very habits and my 
 actions, all on the same stereotyped conditions. 
 Therefore I'm sick of it," said Bligow all in a 
 breath. 
 
 " You have hit the target somewhere," said Stock- 
 ing. 
 
 " There is something — I know not what, I cannot 
 express it, but I feel it. Look at this badge 
 (Bligow pointed to the letters Y.A. on his coat), 
 expressionless like my thoughts." 
 
 "A mark of disgrace once; not these letters, of 
 course, but the wearing of a badge. Jews were 
 compelled to wear one, convicts did too," said the 
 historical Glimson. 
 
 " It's not that, but," — here Bligow gave another 
 long pull at his pipe — 'tis the eternal sameness. I 
 believe if the Convention had the power, they would 
 have turned us out all one size." 
 
 " You have got 'em on to night, my friend," said 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 43 
 
 Stocking ; " but " — his teeth became visible from 
 edge to gum, in the immensity of his smile — " I 
 fancy you are correct. I will go so far as to say, I 
 have often thought so to." 
 
 Urged on, Bligow launched forth anew : " Every- 
 one," he said — his face becoming contracted, in the 
 serious expression which so ill became it — " has the 
 same income. So much shalt thou have, and no 
 more. Do nothing, do something, it's all the same. 
 Very nice, no doubt, for those who are idly inclined; 
 but what encouragement to incite one to progress, 
 to become, say, a doctor, or a steeple-jack ? Noth- 
 ing ! — you might as well become a store clerk, and 
 take it easy." He pulled at his pipe again. " In 
 what branch, I ask you, have we made any great 
 progress ? People talk of doing one's duty, one's 
 level best for humanity. Well, for five and twenty 
 years the present social system has existed. Dar- 
 ing all this period, we have not seen one painting 
 that has made the world marvel at the artist's 
 genius, or a book that has called forth universal 
 admiration, as did the works of Dickens, Thackeray, 
 Hugh, Cuthbert Bede, and a host of others." 
 
 The voice of Antony shrieked out, " Hurrah for 
 Merry England." 
 
 Not heeding the interruption, Bligow continued, — 
 
 "A sameness, an everlasting sameness! No 
 machinery has been invented (and surely there is 
 yet scope,) that has been the means of creating new 
 industries, of promoting any change for the better 
 
44 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 over former methods. All the inventive faculty of 
 the brain, all that can elevate a person by his 
 individual gifts above the common multitude, has 
 been stunted, and why? Because no results are 
 assured to the searcher, the thinker, or the inven- 
 tor." 
 
 " Bh'gow, you have spoken of twenty five years, 
 almost in a breath," said Glimson. 
 
 " He has scored a point," said Stocking. 
 
 Glimson demurred ; and swinging his long arms as 
 though his thoughts emanated from them, said, "A 
 good many years ago the present Social State was 
 founded. Affairs had, by then, come to such a pass 
 that people were very glad to accept the new 
 order of things." 
 
 " Of course they were," said Stocking ; " why 
 shouldn't they ? A third of them had grown old in 
 strife and civil war ; others had nothing to do, and 
 no organization ; and the rest were too young to 
 have a voice in the matter." 
 
 " I know, I know," said Bligow, with some im- 
 patience. " The duffers, 'tis true, they were paid 
 wages for work which they would have found neces- 
 sary to do under any circumstances ; those that did 
 nothing received their allowance, naturally, without 
 a murmur." 
 
 " You seem put out about it," said Glimson, very 
 slowly ; " you have no cause to grumble. You have 
 a credit card ; you get twenty-four numbers of the 
 Half Hour per day; you have your club, the use of 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 45 
 
 the common kitchen, good light, and music laid on 
 with the water. You are ridiculous, my friend." 
 
 " But is there not something beyond all this — some- 
 thing I cannot define, but of which I have a vague 
 idea?" 
 
 " What do you mean?" said Glimson. 
 
 " We are an army. ' Work,' cries the sergeant, and 
 we work ; * Stop,' cries the sergeant, and we stop. 
 We are still in the probationary class. To-morrow 
 men may be required for a certain trade. ' March and 
 join the trade,' says our officer, and we must join it. 
 Now, in all ages, armies existed for defensive and 
 offensive purposes. Large rewards were promised, 
 medals which were highly prized were given. Yet 
 but a few joined the ranks. Why was it ? Answer 
 that and you have solved my ideas for me," said 
 Bligow. 
 
 No one answered that question, and he who had 
 never been known to speak at such length, and so 
 seriously, refilled his pipe, and blew many clouds 
 from his lips, watching them one by one disappear into 
 space. This perturbation of spirits slowly, dis- 
 appeared. As the clouds grew thinner the cheerful 
 look and merry twinkle in his eye returned. 
 
 " Ingleton has not been here," said Bligow. 
 
 Once more, at the mention of this name, a momen- 
 tary sneer spread over the face of Stocking, and 
 Antony pricked up his ears and sat bolt upright, 
 staring in front of him. 
 
 " No," said Glimson, " his little sister is worse." 
 
46 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " My great regret is that I have not had the oppor- 
 tunity of paying her a visit," said Stocking in his 
 suave manner. 
 
 " By-the-by, have we not to choose two mem- 
 bers as delegates to the Convention," said Bhgow. 
 
 " I beUeve we have," rejoined Stocking. " Sup- 
 posing we appoint, or rather propose, Boldinch and 
 Thurmson. I do not think we could have better 
 representatives." 
 
 The names of these two worthies so tickled the 
 fancy of Bligow that he gave vent to his feelings by 
 bursting out laughing. 
 
 " I thought I should see you smile," said Stock- 
 ing. 
 
 " Two delegates shall be appointed by the Young 
 Alliance, as their representatives at the Convention, 
 which shall be held in each year, at such time and 
 place as shall be found necessary. The delegates 
 shall assist at all its meetings, and at any other 
 conference that may be deemed necessary for the 
 welfare of the nation. Year 2, 1977, Chapter IV." 
 
 " Year 2, second meeting of Convention, 1977." 
 Glim son uttered this in a very deliberate manner, as 
 if weighing every word. 
 
 " The Levellers," exclaimed Bligow. 
 
 The conversation would again have taken a 
 serious turn, but for the appearance of a young man, 
 Jerrold Trevors by name. He sported the most 
 diminutive, thinnest specimen of a moustache, which 
 he was in the habit of continually pulling, in order 
 
JAMES INGLETON. . 47 
 
 no doubt to assist its growth. In one hand he held 
 a box, on which was the word " Chessmen," and in 
 the other a chess-board. 
 
 He placed the two on the table, and walking up 
 to Antony, said, — 
 ' •• Hallo, old fellow, how is England to-night?" 
 
CHAPTEK IV. 
 
 It was a beautiful morning in September. One of 
 those mild yet bracing days, fragrant with the breath 
 of autumn flowers, but with that pleasant crispness 
 in the air, that bluish haze, softly mantling the hills 
 and lingering in the valleys by which the fall of the 
 year is usually heralded in this climate. On such 
 mornings as these, in the sweet, faint flavour of 
 broom and heather, the dying summer, with fragrant 
 breath, wafts us a last farewell ; while the filmy 
 mists, first harbingers of coming change — the brisk- 
 ness in the atmosphere, the reddening leaf — all warn 
 us to gather up our strength in order to meet the 
 advent of a stern and boisterous visitor. 
 
 Ingleton sat in his room, in his hand lay an 
 open book. Yet it could hardly be said that he 
 was much engrossed in its contents. For ever 
 and anon his eyes would wander from its pages 
 to the windows, and at length he suddenly sprang 
 to his feet and cast the volume aside. In truth, 
 though studious to a degree at night, and when days 
 were dark and dreary, he was a true child of nature ; 
 and when he beheld her in such a smiling mood as 
 this, when the — in London — unwonted sight of 
 azure skies and brilhant sunshine met his gaze, the 
 allurements were too much for him, and invariably 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 lie had to yield, and saunter forth to have his fill of 
 Tjalmy air and golden sunlight. He was soon 
 dressed, and left the house. " Only a quarter past 
 ten," he remarked, looking at his watch. " Just 
 time to stroll to the Park and be back for luncheon 
 at the Cretonian," and descending the steps he 
 walked with firm but elastic pace, humming the 
 tuneful barcarolle from the " Diver." 
 
 But despite the glorious morning and the bright- 
 ness of everything around him, Ingleton had not 
 proceeded very far before the buoyant spirits with 
 which he had started were beginning to droop, until 
 they were well nigh down to zero. And all this, 
 despite his firmest resolves to get the better of this 
 fit of the blues that was unaccountably stealing 
 over him. 
 
 The truth was, ever since the night of Mr. Bost- 
 well's lecture, Ingleton's mind had been filled with 
 •vague but persistent forebodings of coming trouble. 
 Although well acquainted with the facts, for history 
 had great attraction for him, the lecturer's descrip- 
 tion of life towards the latter part of the nineteenth 
 century, filled as it was with grim pictures of selfish 
 greed, and grinding poverty, had left a vivid impres- 
 sion on Ingleton's memory. But it had done more. 
 It had loosened a web of ideas that had long laid 
 coiled up in his mind, and it had set him thinking. 
 
 Do what he might, to live only for the present, his 
 brain ever harked back to one engrossing subject. 
 He would ponder and ponder, asking himself, 
 
50 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 what would be the end of it all ? When the present 
 system of the State for all, and no one for himself, 
 should have succeeded in destroying the last remain- 
 ing germs of individuality of action, of thought, of 
 impulse in the nation; when man's natural re- 
 sistance to the soul-kilHng, dead-levelling tyranny of 
 this grandmotherly government could go no farther ; 
 he feared, aye, he felt certain, that then the time 
 would not be far distant when the nation would 
 once more awaken to find itself plunged into an 
 abyss of gloom, of prosy monotony, to which even 
 the horrors of civil strife, that made the waning days 
 of the former century hideous, would be as nought 
 in comparison. 
 
 Thus musing, Ingleton had walked on some dis- 
 tance, when suddenly his thoughts were recalled to 
 the present by the shrill scream of a child. Quickly 
 on the alert, he turned his head in the direction 
 whence the sound came. 
 
 At the entrance of the Park gates a child lay on 
 its face. Not ten paces from it was a transport 
 coming towards it. Ever quick of action, Ingleton 
 ran back, just as the car was within an inch of the 
 child. With a firm grasp he dragged it from the 
 metals. The transport had been brought to a 
 standstill. With the child still in his arms, Ingle- 
 ton hastily stepped back to the pavement. The 
 whole scene lasted but a moment. 
 
 " Oh, auntie, auntie," cried the child. It was a 
 little girl, her loose streaming bright brown curk 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 51 
 
 covered with dust, and her pretty dress all 
 crumpled and torn. " Oh, auntie, auntie," cried the 
 child again, as a young lady came up and took the 
 child from Ingleton. 
 
 As he glanced, furtively enough, at the graceful 
 form of the young girl, who was doing her utmost 
 to pacify the sobbing child, he inwardly confessed 
 that never had he met with a loveUer being than the 
 lady whom he now knew to be the little girl's 
 auntie. 
 
 " Oh, auntie," sobbed the child. 
 
 Ingleton turned to her, and saw she had a bruise 
 on her head. Then his gaze met the beautiful dark 
 eyes of the charming unknown, and the look of 
 mingled fear and pleasure which greeted him, he 
 remembered for many a day. 
 
 " How kind of you, sir. I did not notice that 
 Georgie had left my side," said she in a voice low 
 and musical, the unmistakable tones of a strong, 
 yet womanly and gentle nature. 
 
 ** I heard her cry," said Ingleton. " But talking is 
 of little use ; the child is bruised, and shaken with 
 fear, besides I think I have injured her in picking 
 her up." 
 
 " Very slightly," was the answer. " I am indeed 
 most thankful for your timely assistance." 
 
 " Well, I will carry her home for you, she is too 
 much shaken to walk." 
 
 "Georgie," said the young lady, "the kind man 
 says you had better come home." 
 
■52 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 The child answered with a mute, appealing 
 glance. 
 
 " I will carry her," said Ingleton, and he lifted the 
 child into his arms. 
 
 Sobbing all the way, she allowed herself to be 
 carried by the stranger. 
 
 The lady, hitherto known as auntie, intro- 
 duced herself to Ingleton as Blanche Collingwood, 
 residing at 54, Liberation Square, and the child as 
 Georgina Berthon. To this place Ingleton wended 
 his way, the child on his arms, musing, as he walked, 
 on the strange circumstances which had brought 
 him and this lady together, and on the un- 
 locked for termination of this morning's stroll. 
 
 Arrived at the house, he handed the child over to 
 her aunt, promising to call the following day to 
 enquire after his young charge's welfare. 
 
 Miss Collingwood begged him to enter. He 
 declined, saying he "had something important to do 
 that morning." 
 
 Walking home, he mused over the latest occur- 
 ences. 
 
 The day following her niece's mishap 'near the 
 park, Blanche Collingwood was seated in her sitting 
 room, engaged, or ostensibly so, in her favourite 
 occupation, that of lace making, an art in which she 
 was a rare adept. But this morning at least, her 
 heart was not in her work, for again and again her 
 eyes wandered aimlessly from the mass of delicate 
 gossamer in her hand, now to the little marble 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 53 
 
 group, representing Daphnis and Chloe, then to the 
 well furnished book-case, and to various objects that 
 filled this little room, over which there was diffused, 
 as it were, an indefinite charm, a grace vague, yet 
 ever present, as though the sweet being who 
 owned this snug domain had breathed upon it the 
 spirit of her fascinating loveliness. 
 
 As if moved by a sudden impulse, she rose, and 
 with quick movement drew towards her an old harp, 
 of which the old-fashioned carving was worn, and 
 the gilt faded. A preliminary canter of deft, light 
 fingers over the strings, a medley of tuneful vibra- 
 tions, and then she gave full rein to her splendid con- 
 tralto ; and with a brilliant series of trills and 
 roulades, clear, metallic vibrating in the upper 
 register, deep, rich, sonorous in the lower, she went 
 through the scena Bel mia fortuna with a wealth of 
 dramatic fervour that even Madame Peroni would 
 not scorn. But it was evident that Mazzanti's 
 florid strains were not the music that harmonized 
 with her present mood, and with a sigh of some- 
 thing of relief, she struck the cords and played the 
 opening bars of Siebel's song in " Faust." The 
 deep pathos of this ever bright gem from the master 
 band of a composer, whose prolific genius had done 
 much to illumine the darkening gloom of the nine- 
 teenth century's death throes, appeared to respond 
 to a hidden chord in her inmost soul. For while 
 her rendering of Bel mia fortuna had been clear, 
 brilliant, penetrating in its power, now the soft 
 
54 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 cadenzas flowed onward, smoothly intermingling 
 with other, melting as it were each in its own 
 softened beauty, the exquisite mellowness of the 
 rich young voice reaching its climax in the simple, 
 but all-expressive termination, Margliarita. 
 
 The song was sung. Blanche did not move from 
 the seat at the harp ; she turned her head towards 
 the window, and appeared to fix her pensive gaze 
 upon the street outside ; and in her eye there sud- 
 denly came a tearfal dimness — a not unfrequent 
 occurrence of late. 
 
 Startled out of her reverie, she almost sprang to 
 her feet, when, with a premonitory ring of the 
 electric turning box, a small card fell through the 
 aperture on the panelling, on to the receiver. 
 Quickly picking it up, she glanced at it, and on her 
 features came a strangely wistful expression as she 
 read, " James Ingleton," and recognized the name 
 as that of the young man she had met under such 
 very unconventional circumstances in the park the 
 other morning. 
 
 Walking towards the door, she opened it and saw 
 Ingleton standing in the passage. 
 
 " Mr. Ingleton, I am very pleased you have called," 
 she said. " Step into my sanctum." 
 
 He approached, and taking her proffered hand, 
 bowed deferentially, as he gave her the morning's 
 greeting. 
 
 She led him into the room, and placed au arm- 
 chair for him. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 55 
 
 " How is the little patient ?" he asked. 
 
 " She is out at present. It was only the fright ; 
 that was all," she rephed. 
 
 He sat down, and she quickly caught his look of 
 surprise as his eyes rested upon the harp— a thing 
 he had not met with for many a day in a private 
 dwelling-house. 
 
 " You are fond of music, I presume," she remarked, 
 leaning back in her armchair, facing Ingieton. 
 
 " Indeed I am," he answered ; " without it, life 
 would— to me at least— be devoid of all sunshine. 
 Music I have iound, when truly appreciated, to be 
 man's most constant friend. With him, it smiles in 
 his joys, weeps in his sorrows, buoys him in his 
 hopes, and is ever ready to lift him out of himself to 
 higher things. But I confess. Miss Collingwood, it 
 is not alone my love of music that makes me feel 
 glad to see such a beautiful instrument grace your 
 charming room." 
 
 " Indeed ! what is the other reason then, pray ?" 
 
 " Well, Miss Collingwood," he resumed, and as 
 he spoke, his clear blue eyes began to kindle with 
 enthusiasm, " if you do not think it presumptuous, in 
 one who is still all but a stranger to you, to'say as 
 much, I repeat I feel exceedingly glad that I find my 
 first impression of you to be correct, when the other 
 morning I first met you near the park. In the few 
 moments I stood before you, I yet had time to see, or 
 rather to feel intuitively that yours was not an every- 
 day nature. And now I rejoice to find how correctly 
 
66 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 I judged you. For in the presence of that harp I 
 cannot help seeing a bold yet womanly assertion of 
 your individuality — a protest, all the more powerful 
 that it comes from one so charming — against a 
 dictatorial administration that supplies us with our 
 music by means of underground tubes and pipes, 
 together with our light and our water, grinding 
 down all individual taste to one common level, as if, 
 forsooth, we were all children, idiots or weaklings, 
 whose whims and fancies it were dangerous to in- 
 dulge." 
 
 As he spoke, she had been watching the varied ex- 
 pressions on his face with growing attention, and at 
 his concluding words a tremor of emotion shook her 
 frame. 
 
 " 'Tis strange, Mr. Ingleton," she replied, after a 
 few minutes' silence, her mobile features flushing 
 with animation, the beautiful eyes aglow with 
 enthusiasm — " 'tis strange, indeed, that your 
 thoughts and mine should be so in harmony. For 
 such ideas as you have just so well explained, I, too, 
 have long held. But until now I feared I was but a 
 mere malcontent, a dreamer of dreams, as none of 
 my own sex with whorn I came into contact appeared 
 to share my views ; and as for men, I have so very 
 few acquaintances among them that I have had but 
 little opportunity to converse with them about such 
 things. The harp is an heirloom in my family, a 
 memory of other days, when all was otherwise. 
 Often, as I run my fingers over the strings, I think of 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 57 
 
 those who, in castle and mansion, drew sweet in- 
 spiration from its melodious sounds, or found rest in 
 their tuneful echoes." 
 
 " I am more than surprised to hear it," said Ingle- 
 ton, who, despite his earnest thoughtful nature, could 
 generally turn a neat phrase when he wished : " the 
 men little guess what a chance they have lost in not 
 cultivating your acquaintance." 
 
 " Thanks for the compliment," she answered ; 
 and there was a tinge of bitterness in her voice, " but 
 I have small reason to wish to extend my circle of 
 male acquaintances." Then noticing the look of 
 something like dismay that passed over Ingleton's 
 features, adding with nervous confused eagerness : 
 " Pardon me, I did not mean to be rude. Of course 
 I was speaking in a general sense. You must grant 
 me your indulgence ; for bitter memories will 
 sometimes carry us back so far into the past, that 
 we are wont to forget the present." 
 
 Her sad tender tones had not escaped Ingleton, 
 although he was too well bred to express his sur- 
 prise; but inwardly he wondered greatly, that so 
 bright, so fair a girl, could have bitter memories 
 at all. Deftly he turned the subject. 
 
 " That is very beautiful lace. Miss Collingwood," 
 he resumed, his eyes fixed on the dainty meshes 
 spread out on the little round table, on which 
 Blanche had thrown her work on his entrance. 
 ■"' I much admire your skill and taste." 
 
 "Oh ! what is the use of it? Why have skill or 
 
58 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 taste?" she replied, •with a Hstless droop of the 
 head. 
 
 " But, Miss ColUngwood," he quickly replied, 
 " surely it is something to cherish, if one has a 
 true sense of the beautiful, and the skill to develop 
 one's tastes." 
 
 "Again I say, Mr Ingleton," she continued — and 
 with growing warmth, her listlessness of before quite 
 gone — " and if one has all this, what is the use it ? 
 Take my individual case, for instance. I am still a 
 minor, and for the next two or three years I may 
 be called upon at any moment to take my place in 
 the industrial army, perchance to stand at the wash 
 tub all day long, or to sweep the floor at the 
 National Laundry. *A good school, eh,' Mr, 
 Ingleton, in which to develop one's taste for the 
 beautiful." 
 
 " And what about us men then," Ingleton replied, 
 with bitterness, — " what matters it to our jog-trot 
 Government ? Be his mind never so much absorbed 
 with the highest aspirations, he must be ready to 
 answer the call of duty, even though it bade him 
 take his place amid the cleansers of the city sewers. 
 You see. Miss CoUingwood, the dream has at last 
 been realised. You take your place at the wash-tub. 
 I join the gangs of the scavengers. There you have 
 it — perfect equality of the sexes ! Do you not mar- 
 vel at the genius of our administrators? Why, here's 
 a problem that has vexed the souls of every would 
 be reformer in the nineteenth century ; and heigh 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 59 
 
 X3resto ! our sediles have solved it in the twink- 
 ling of an eye? And to think of the ingratitude of 
 human nature ! Why you are actually not yet 
 satisfied ! Sad, very sad ! '.' 
 
 " Yes, it is sad," she resumed, and the tone of her 
 voice sounded certainly in harmony with her 
 words — " sad, that so much valuable energy is being 
 daily wasted in the attempt to disindividualize — if I 
 may use such a word — the nation." 
 
 Ingleton appeared suddenly fired with an uncon- 
 trollable enthusiasm. That concluding phrase had 
 touched on all too responsive chords ; and with 
 flushed cheek, and kindling eyes, he rose from his 
 seat with a quick vigorous movement. 
 
 " Miss Collingwood," he said, in a voice vibrating 
 with suppressed energy — " Miss Collingwood, you, 
 I, many of us, have been saddened long enough — 
 aye, maybe ever since we arrived at years of under- 
 standing. We shall be saddened not 7nuch longer. 
 For we are convinced that it is as hopeless as it is 
 absurd — aye, and wicked — to attempt to crush the 
 inviduality out of an enlightened people. Believe 
 me," he continued, with ever rising enthusiasm, 
 " believe me, the day is not far distant that shall see 
 the sun of individuahsm once more rise over this 
 land, with its quickening rays, to call back into life, 
 from its dull lethargic slumbers, that spark of the 
 ' sacred fire ' — individual genius — which is the most 
 God-like of the gifts bestowed upon man. It is a 
 gift divine that, if it is to blossom forth and bear 
 
60 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 golden, glorious fruit, must be watered by the sweat 
 of human labour, ripened by the sun of the immortal 
 individuality of man." 
 
 Again he sat down, and still flushed with excite- 
 ment he glanced half admiringly, half questioning, 
 at his fair vis-a-vis. 
 
 There was silence for a moment, she broke it, and 
 with her eloquent eyes iixed full upon him, she replied 
 in a voice that sounded sweet and sincere — " God 
 speed that day, Mr. Ingleton." 
 
 Ingleton was about to speak again when the door 
 opened and a lady, of that not too sweet age, which 
 is known as " uncertain," entered. 
 
 Hers was not exactly a charming personality, but 
 it was rather a striking one. Of a stature exceeding 
 that of most women, she appeared muscular and 
 powerfully built. In fact, her appearance, as far as 
 her figure was concerned, was decidely masculine. 
 But the contour of her face altogether upset that 
 impression. The complexion was fair and rosy, the 
 features delicate and refined, and the mass of wavy 
 ringlets that peered out from beneath the tasteful 
 little cap of lace and blue ribbon, held the face as 
 in a flaxen yellow framework, streaked here and 
 there with tell-tale threads of silver. But bestow 
 one glance upon those black-browed eyes, and the 
 impression of delicacy and womanliness is dispelled. 
 Piercing in their cold brilliancy, shadowed by over- 
 hanging inky bushes of eyebrows, twinkingand rest- 
 less : they are the eyes that betoken a nature 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 61 
 
 outwardly calm and placid, but selfish to an extreme, 
 fierce and relentless when roused. 
 
 Such was Mrs. Berthon, the lady who had ever 
 since the fateful day, now some years ago, when her 
 father mysteriously disappeared, given Blanche 
 Collingwood the shelter of her home in Liberation 
 Square. 
 
 Here Blanche lived in ease and comfort ; the 
 spiriting away of her father being apparently the 
 only occurrence, the memory of which often ruffled 
 the placidity of her present life. Her mother she 
 did not even recollect, for she was all but an infant 
 at the day of her death. So to all intents Miss 
 Blanche Collingwood was now an orphan, under the 
 protection of Mrs. Berthon. 
 
 Truth to say that lady, who could be amiable 
 enough — in a superficial way — when she chose, 
 missed no opportunity to show kindness to her niece, 
 or to minister to her comforts, so that Blanche 
 valued her friendship, and made her her confidante 
 in all things, her generous, impulsive nature, scorn- 
 ing to suspect any ulterior motive lurking under 
 such gentle mien and behind such constant kind- 
 ness. 
 
 " My aunt, Mrs. Berthon," said Blanche. Then 
 addressing Mrs. Berthon— " This is Mr. Ingleton, 
 who so gallantly saved Georgie yesterday." 
 
 " Oh ! to be sure, yes," remarked Mrs. Berthon, 
 eyeing Ingleton the while searchingly with her sharp 
 orbs. " To be sure," she continued, taking a chair. 
 
62 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " I am very pleased to make the acquaintance of 
 such a preux chevalier as yourself, Mr. Ingleton. 
 Georgie is in rapture about ' the nice man ' who 
 rescued her. The child is out just now, or I would 
 let her come and see you. But you will call again 
 soon, to be sure, when she is at home." 
 
 Ingleton said a few courteous words. But to him 
 it seemed as though there was something too sweet 
 and coaxing in that voice, as though its purring 
 tones were scarcely in harmony with the glitter of 
 those heavily browed eyes. But accustomed as he 
 was, at all times, to subdue and conceal his feelings, 
 he soon resumed the conversation, this time on the 
 most common-place topics, and with a studied 
 politeness, that denoted that neither his mind, nor 
 his heart, were in the words he uttered. The charm 
 that had given life and soul to his utterances, whilst 
 he had been alone with Blanche, was gone, now 
 that the spell had been broken by the entrance of a 
 third person, and after a brief interchange of social 
 platitudes, he felt almost relieved to think, that the 
 forms of politeness no longer bade him prolong his 
 visit. 
 
 He rose, took leave of Blanche and her aunt, left 
 the house, and was soon again under the glass roof 
 of the city. 
 
 His pace was slower than usual, for he was in 
 deep thought. " Strange," he mused, " strange 
 that continually the image of that girl should come 
 between me and my thoughts. 'Tis not of my 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 63 
 
 seeking. The time that is approaching, may be, 
 slowly — I am not so sure of that even, but any- 
 how, surely — will be for me at least a time for 
 action, not for vapid dreams. I must nerve myself 
 for the struggle that must come," — his mouth grew 
 set and firm, his eyes fixed, as he mused on, — "I must 
 concentrate and gather together all the force that is 
 within me. I must think .... tJimlc, so that ere 
 long, I may act .... I cannot, I will not 
 brook an alien thought to lure me into any byways, 
 from the straight path that I have chosen to tread." 
 Suddenly his lips relaxed, his head drooped lower, 
 and he appeared to hesitate. " But," he resumed, 
 falteringly, "is this an alien thought? Should 
 not the influence of so sweet a girl rather spur me 
 on in the task I have set myself. Should not her 
 encouragement inspire me with an ardour ever more 
 intense? Ah ! yes ! it will, it shall." Again his lips 
 resumed a firm, set line. " Old, forgotten, despised 
 days of chivalry, return, hasten back to earth once 
 more ! Nerve my arm with strength, fill my heart 
 with true devotion, and may my prowess yet be a 
 factor in the struggle that must, that shall, end in 
 restoring to this land the greatness that has been 
 crushed out of it — that grandeur and might which it 
 is in the power alone of individual genius,. free and 
 untrammelled, to bestow upon a nation. Heaven 
 grant my prayer ! " 
 
CHAPTEE V. 
 
 " Is she any better?" 
 
 •* Very little indeed." 
 
 " Fever, I suppose." 
 
 " Yes, the doctor says so." 
 
 The speakers were James Ingleton and a lady of 
 uncertain age, but of a very decided rotundity of 
 form, and v^ho, not being satisfied with an ordinary 
 complement of features, possessed a double chin. 
 On her upper lip was a slight down (which her 
 enemies termed bristles). Her eyes were of a hard 
 steel grey, and she was continuously shifting on 
 her chair. Thus runs the pen portrait of Miss 
 Janette Smithers, old maid, and aunt of James 
 Ingleton on the maternal side. 
 
 " Fever," she said, " that's the latest rage ; every 
 disease is fever, every complaint you have, fever,, 
 faugh ! I have no belief in them or in their ways." 
 
 " But, aunt, the doctors have studied these 
 matters, surely they know." 
 
 " No, they go according to the fashion, they cure 
 by fashion. When the doctor was the barber, and 
 the barber was the doctor, he had a sign at his 
 house, it was a brass chalice to receive the blood. 
 'Has he the fever,' said he, 'bleed him.' 
 When the doctor became a doctor, and a 
 
JAMES IXGLETON. 65' 
 
 doctor only, be despised his ancestor, the 
 barber, and called him charlatan, empiric, and a 
 host of other names. He mineralised j'ou, so-and- 
 so, of gold or silver, steel or iron ; everybody v^as 
 cm'ed by minerals " — she paused for breath — " or 
 killed. Then we returned again to nature's reme- 
 dies — herbs ; and the mineral doctors were the 
 quacks. Then we had air and water, water and air. 
 Drink nauseous water and breathe pure air ; that 
 would cure anything. '^Ho ! ho !' cried the next 
 generation of doctors — they were scientists, now all 
 wrong — ' The air is foul, do not breathe. Food is 
 dangerous, do not eat. The water is unhealthy, do 
 not drink ' ; and what was the nightmare ? Why, 
 microbes and bacteria, that was it ; microbes and 
 bacteria in everything — everywhere. * We will 
 prevent it all,' said the scientists — inoculation, that's 
 the thing. Any disease or illness, no matter how 
 slight, it was the bacteria that did it, and they 
 inoculated for it : On the chest, on the arm, on the 
 back, everywhere in turns. Professor Blank has 
 discovered the bacteria of this or that disease, 
 recorded the papers ; to cure it, inoculate. But the 
 people died just the same, that is the strangest part 
 of it. Then came the magnetic, electric, galvanic, 
 mesmeric, hypnotic, and other fads, and with each 
 in turn the people were treated, faugh ! it's all 
 rubbish. Now it's the fever fashion. Between the 
 the whole lies the cause. No extreme is good." 
 " Simply the results of the research of science," 
 
66 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 said Ingleton, "research and study discovered all 
 these things." 
 
 " Science, faugh ! When the priests of old 
 anointed the people with oil, they cured them. Now 
 we require as many complications as there are 
 minutes in an hour. Besides, look at the extremes : 
 some say starve the fever, others feed the fever, both 
 cannot be right." 
 
 " Well, aunt, this will not cure Katie." 
 
 "No, sorry I am that I cannot; but I do not 
 believe the doctors can. She may grow out of it, 
 
 and she may " she shook herself in her chair and 
 
 stopped. 
 
 " James," she said, turning the conversation, 
 ^' you do not look at all well. You have not been 
 burning the midnight oil, I hope ; that is really 
 foolish. If you cannot get through your work in the 
 daytime — do not do it at night, faugh ! I hate that 
 sort of thing." 
 
 " No, aunt, I have not burnt the midnight oil — 
 the oil has been consuming me." 
 
 " You think too much." 
 
 " May be I do." 
 
 " Well, you ought not to." 
 
 " Can one prevent it ?" 
 
 " Your head is choked full of science, history, and 
 many 'ologies, which will never do you any good. 
 Oet rid of them, faugh ! " 
 
 ** But one should know these things." 
 
 " Yes, a little learning is dangerous, and too 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 67 
 
 much equally so. Well, good morning, I cannot 
 stay any longer, wish the little dear better." 
 
 Ingleton, left to himself, sat silently for some 
 time, and as was his wont, began thinking aloud : 
 *' My aunt said I should not study, and not think 
 so much. How can I prevent it — a thousand thoughts 
 
 ■crowd into my brain at once, one effacing the 
 the other, only to return again, and trouble me 
 further. To-day, to-morrow, yesterday, a hundred 
 minor matters mingle with those subjects and 
 thoughts, which it would now be impossible to 
 eradicate from my mind .... The phantasies of 
 the brain are my boon companions. I, in myself, am 
 nothing .... Who is anything ? yet each in him- 
 self is a separate being, whose actions, thoughts, 
 desires, differ with all else. Each of my thoughts 
 differs in the essential from the other. Naked, 
 meagre, a mere phantom of a morbid mind .... 
 They grow, I clothe them, I enhance them ; they 
 become real, my visions become my life, and my life 
 a mere thought .... They grow and crush me, 
 they are beyond me, they are my masters, I their 
 slave. How can I stop thinking ? . . . . Men preach- 
 
 ■ ed the doctrine of the dual existence. I would fain 
 believe it. Which is good? .... which evil? . . . . 
 How do I know ? how can I tell ?....! live in the 
 past, yet my being is in the present .... The tem- 
 
 .pest of thought must out. Then comes the calm. 
 Is it the good or evil part of my personality which 
 
 .revels in the past, abhors the present, and idealises 
 
68 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 the future ? Who can answer? .... Nature ! thou 
 art not yet solved. In every age came a time when 
 men thought they had reached the point whence 
 they could take a plunge into thy depths, and reveal 
 all thy hidden secrets, thy jealously guarded treas- 
 ures. Yet none can tell me, whether that which is 
 the prompting spirit of my thoughts is my good or 
 my evil self. My thoughts conjure up man in every 
 epoch, performing on the stage of life, with thought 
 his prompter, conscience his judge and critic. Where 
 is the audience ? I exclaim ; and in a moment my 
 vision has disappeared, and a thousand different, 
 imageries crowd my brain, until I fain would end 
 them all in myself .... Is is not enough that the 
 burden of life is mine, without the weight of a huge 
 collection of phantoms. I have created them. I 
 cannot end them .... a weariness of spirit and of 
 
 flesh What subject has given me most 
 
 thought ? . . . . History — a constant repetition with 
 a great lesson .... Here are our kings, our queens," 
 (he pointed with his hand at space) " our peers, and 
 noblemen Here red rabid socialism" (he con- 
 tinued pointing) — " anarchy in all its horrors, fight- 
 ing pell-mell in a melee, struggling for very exist- 
 ence. . . . How the scenes change, for now the pres- 
 ent comes surging upward, with its wearying placid- 
 ity, and its monotony everlasting .... How the 
 brain is troubled — nothing decisive, nothing per- 
 fect, thought merging into thought without end." 
 The fingers twitched, and fell listlessly by his side. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 69 
 
 •Great beads of perspiration were on his brow. For 
 a moment, the quiet breathing of the child on the 
 couch was the only sound to be heard. 
 
 The child just then awoke. Ingleton hearing her 
 moving stepped towards her. 
 
 " Have you slept well, Katie ? " 
 
 " Yes ; but I thought I heard some one shouting 
 in my sleep." 
 
 " Shouting, dear?" 
 
 " Yes ; I suppose I dreamt." 
 
 Ingleton walked towards the window — " I sup- 
 pose she heard me in her sleep," he said. 
 
 A bell sounded, the turning box opened, and 
 Pelham Stocking, hat in hand, entered the room, 
 and with him, perhaps, a chilling draught, for at 
 the sound of his voice the child shivered. 
 
 " I trust I find you somewhat improved in health," 
 he said, approaching the child. 
 
 " A little, thank you," Katie replied. 
 
 " I am really glad of that," rejoined Stocking ; 
 and turning to Ingleton, " I suppose you are in your 
 usual good health." 
 
 " Yes, I am ; how do you find yourself? " 
 
 " So, so," answered Stocking. 
 
 " How's that, you look well enough," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " Too much thought, my dear Ingleton. I have 
 had food for reflection for the last few days." 
 
 " What troubles your mind ? perhaps I can assist 
 you," queried Ingleton. 
 
70 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Just what I thought," answered Stocking. ** In 
 fact I said so : no man is so clear-headed as Ingle- 
 ton, and no one could explain or disperse the mist so 
 well as you." 
 
 " Thanks, very much, for the eulogy," said Ingle- 
 ton, with a smile. 
 
 Stocking had been watching Ingleton's every 
 movement, and said, — 
 
 " The fact is I very seldom think ; that is, I seldom 
 have time to do so. But last night, BHgow, the 
 jolliest and best-hearted fellow that ever drew 
 breath, grumbled. In fact, in a manner as serious 
 as possible, more serious than ever I thought he 
 could be. He said he was dissatisfied with the social 
 state. What caused this dissatisfaction he could 
 not comprehend. I could not make out, and 
 Glimson, who was present, did not attempt to 
 enlighten us. Therefore, I began thinking, and find 
 I am also up in mind, and if need he in arms, against 
 the present condition of things. But not being able 
 to clearly define to myself what I sought, nor even 
 capable of centralising my ideas sufficiently to find 
 the wrong, I have come to you, who understand it 
 so much better than I, to assist me to elucidate 
 the difficulties." 
 
 Katie coughed, and Ingleton administered a 
 draught; and turning to Stocking, he said, "Come 
 into my room and we can converse." 
 
 He led the way, followed by Stocking, into the 
 adjoining room, which was furnished with a tablcj, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 71 
 
 chairs, and a bookcase, well-stocked with works on 
 miscellaneous subjects. On the walls hung a few 
 maps ; on a smaller table was a writing desk and a 
 pile of manuscripts. On a shelf were a few more 
 books, whose bindings betokened their age. These 
 were huddled together, as if to prevent time and 
 decay from encroaching upon them. On the larger 
 table were scattered newspapers, pamphlets, and a 
 set of mathematical instruments. 
 
 " Take a seat," said Ingleton, motioning Stocking 
 to a chair; and seating himself opposite that worthy, 
 he said, " Now state your grievance." 
 
 " I remember reading," answered Stocking, " of an 
 old man who was seen walking, day after day, look- 
 ing for something ; what it was nobody could tell. I 
 am in a similar predicament. The present social 
 status does not suffice. Why not ? You can no 
 doubt explain ? " 
 
 For a moment Ingleton let his lashes droop. 
 
 Stocking was watching the effect of his speech 
 with some anxiety. 
 
 " I think the cause is not far to seek, yet it 
 requires some explanation, and it would be necessary 
 to revert to the past before I could explain the rea- 
 son of your discontent with the present," said 
 Ingleton, after an interval. 
 
 " I am perfectly willing to listen," rejoined 
 Stocking, " only too glad to learn ; but I trust I am 
 not putting you to any inconvenience." 
 
 " I will commence," said Ingleton, " as I should, 
 
72 JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 at the beg^inning, and travel as rapidly as possible, 
 then you will understand as well as I. In the end 
 of the eighteenth, and at the beginning of the nine- 
 teenth century, the daylight dawned in the minds of 
 men. Steeped in ignorance and bigotry they had 
 long lived lives of darkness. The heavy cloud lifted, 
 and the faint ray of sunlight that flickered in the sky 
 they mistook for Sol himself. That was a fatal error. 
 
 " Well, towards the middle of the nineteenth 
 <}entury the world was divided into two great sections, 
 known respectively as the ' classes ' and the * masses.' 
 The classes, perhaps from fear, perhaps from a 
 sense of duty, attempted to elevate these masses — 
 that was the populace. They built schools, com- 
 pelled the people to educate themselves, taught them 
 to live nobler, better, and unselfish lives ; albeit, they 
 did not often lead such themselves. Elevate was 
 the watchword. That was the great point. Now, 
 when some men — philosophers, socialists, com- 
 munists — call them what you will — had been 
 elevated (partly so, I should say), and drawn forth 
 from their degredation, they, in their stupidity, with 
 their dimness of perception, mistook the semi- 
 obscurity for the very daylight. 
 
 " That was their mistake, or may be the outcome 
 of sheer wilfulness. 'Equality!' was their cry. 
 That in all cases meant * descend.' You may say 
 that elevation would bring them to the same pass, 
 but it would not." 
 
 Ingleton had already passed the stage of conversa- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 73 
 
 tion, he simply gave utterance to his thoughts, 
 regardless of Stocking. 
 
 " For elevation would never extend to ail. Why ? 
 It would not. As one walks along the streets, men and 
 women pass, who seem to typify the brute creation. 
 There is a face you may hken to a bull-dog, an ape, 
 a cat, or a fox ; and often the physiognomy is a 
 pretty safe index to the man. On such people as 
 these booklore is wasted. Knowledge, even if gained, 
 would in the end prove but a tool for evil designs. 
 Would that be elevation? No. The equaHty 
 preached by these men would cause you, or I, or a 
 thousand others, to descend to their level. In fact, 
 I need not tell you, it has done so. Later on both sides 
 came to extremes. 
 
 " A party of men and women preached a still 
 higher elevation. Ascend, they said, to a higher 
 sphere ; elevate, and the mysteries of nature, the 
 very secrets of God (they recognised not the Deity) 
 would be man's. That was a new idea they thought. 
 It is as old as the hills. Lives of asceticism, hard 
 study, the sacrificing of the body for the sake of the 
 spiritual nature of man, the formula of the monks, 
 the nuns, and the hermit, was their theory, and . 
 their mistake. 
 
 " Man has a corporate body, which must act on 
 its own behalf and must not be suppressed. That I 
 am right is proved. These prophets of a higher 
 elevation disappeared together with their doctrines. 
 They went to an extreme— too great. Meanwhile 
 
 F 
 
74 JAMES INGLETON. * 
 
 the doctrine of equality was preached, nay, bellowed, 
 into people's ears and pushed down their throats. 
 Yet so indigestible a morsel was this same equality 
 that it took a century to transform the dream into a 
 reality. 
 
 " And now for a quarter of a century we have lived 
 in this Utopia, as it is deemed by the Levellers. No 
 better name could have been devised for the party 
 who gave us this present social state. It was for 
 the sake of humanity that they founded this state. 
 But it was individual power that they aimed at, but 
 did not obtain. 
 
 *' Men were weary of strife, and the most brilliant 
 oratory could not rouse them. Collectivism was the 
 doctrine, and equality of the human race was to be 
 obtained at the cost of individuality. I do not deny 
 that the present social system could not exist till 
 the end of time, that were foolish ; but, it requires 
 one condition to enable it to do so. That is, that 
 all men should be cast in one mould, have one 
 brain, and a singleness of ideas. Given that, and the 
 present State can last for ever A thou- 
 sand persons look upon a certain project from 
 a given point of view, and all agree as to its 
 feasibility ; yet those thousand minds, whilst finding 
 a thousand diverse reasonrs for doing so, would dis- 
 cover a thousand differences in the minuticbl. 
 
 " We have reached that stage when we ouo;ht to 
 live in Arcadian bliss, when all our wants ought to 
 be satisfied, and our lives unbroken periods of hap- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 75 
 
 piness. So thought our ancestors. Have we arrived 
 at that stage? No ! certainly not. I, you, Bligow 
 (he had come back to himself), and thousands of us 
 are dissatisfied, finding an insufficiency— in what ? 
 la the loss of our personahty— of Individualism. 
 
 " That word expresses all. We have lost ourselves 
 in the common multitude. That is, we have almost 
 lost ourselves, for were we altogether lost we would 
 he satisfied. The world will some day come to an 
 ■end, we are taught. It is already slipping from us' 
 and the last man will some day not perceive his 
 loneHness, nor the nearness of his end. I think he 
 will ; he may not perceive in his early days how near 
 the edge he stands, but when the truth comes home to 
 him, he will fight a bitter fight for existence. ... So 
 with us. We have not perceived how gradually we 
 have been disappearing, losing ourselves in the great 
 all-engulfing collectivism. But we are discovering 
 it, and inwardly we are fighting for our personality 
 and for Individualism." 
 
 When he ceased speaking he was still visibly 
 agitated. 
 
 Stocking was watching Ingleton very closely, and 
 drew in to his memory every utterance as though he 
 meant to remember them and treasure them up for 
 the time that was to come. 
 
 " You ascribe the want I feel as a yearning for In- 
 dividualism, if I understand you rightly," said Stock- 
 ing, laying stress on the " you." 
 
 "Yes, it is yourself, your distinct personahty drawn 
 
76 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 out of the army of labour that you seek," repHed 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " And you (more emphasis on the you) you are of 
 opinion that it cannot last," insinuated Stocking in 
 the blandest possible manner, as if not daring to 
 venture an opinion himself. 
 
 " It is impossible for the present to merge into the 
 future," answered Ingleton, warmly. 
 
 " How do you make that statement good, my 
 friend?" asked Stocking in a manner as casually as 
 possible. 
 
 " I am opposed to it, you are opposed to it, so is 
 Bligow; tens of thousands may be in a similar 
 position ; nay, it is but natural that they should be ; 
 I am sure they are ; it is impossible for us to be con- 
 tented," answered Ingleton. 
 
 " Well, what would you do, would you oppose it 
 openly? " hazarded Stocking. 
 
 " I would rectify it, if I could. Wrong is not right 
 even if it be ever so powerful !" exclaimed Ingleton, 
 the blood mounting to his face in the vehemence of 
 his utterance. 
 
 " I would second you; rather, if my humble self 
 would prove of any utility in so great a cause, I would 
 offer it willingly, if you would lead," said Stocking, 
 as though carried awaj'^ by Ingleton's enthusiasm. 
 
 A piercing shriek rent the air, and Ingleton 
 sprang from his seat and hurried into the next 
 room, followed by Stocking, who bit his lips from 
 vexation at this interruption. 
 
JAMES INQLETON. 77 
 
 The sick child lay with her head on the ground , 
 and her feet on the couch. Kestless in her sleep, 
 she had fallen. 
 
 Ingleton turned white with fear, but recovering 
 his self possession in the same instant, tenderly 
 lifted the poor little sufferer, and replaced her on 
 the couch. 
 
 " Speak, Katie, are you hurt?" stammered Ingle- 
 ton. 
 
 A painful groan and a sob was the answer. 
 
 Stocking went to the table, and poured out a 
 draught. " She will be alright in a minute," said 
 he. 
 
 Slowly the child recovered, and the sobbing 
 ceased. Stocking raised the glass to her mouth, but 
 the child trembled so that it was with much diffi- 
 culty he administered the medicine. 
 
 Both Ingleton and Stocking took a seat by the 
 couch, and sat silently watching the child. After a 
 time, Stocking, who saw now that it would be im- 
 possible, and imprudent to attempt to re-open the 
 interrupted conversation, took his leave. 
 
 When he had gone, Ingleton went to the window 
 and looked after him. " I have betrayed myself," 
 he murrdured. " He has played Cassius to my 
 Brutus, to some extent. He has led me on, and I 
 have betrayed all that was uttermost in my 
 thoughts. I must be on my guard with that 
 fellow." 
 
CHAPTEK VI. 
 
 "What is it, I -wonder, that could have caused 
 Blanche to be so very pensive lately," remarked 
 Mrs. Berthon, addressing Pelham Stocking, who was 
 comfortably leaning back in an armchair, in the 
 sitting room at No 54, Liberation Square. 
 
 " Some woman's whim or other, I suppose," 
 answered Stocking. " Your sex is like the British 
 weather, of an ever varying mood, now pensive, now 
 gay, without more cause for the one than the 
 other." 
 
 "You speak like one who knows," replied Mrs. 
 Berthon ; and with a cynical smile on her lips, 
 adding, "As of course you should, having made 
 our sex one of your favourite studies." 
 
 " I don't know that I have," he said, not regarding 
 the sarcasm that was evident enough in her voice ; 
 " but you ladies are, as a rule, of more changeable 
 temperament than we. That is a matter of com- 
 mon observation. And, indeed, 'tis a weakness 
 which constitutes one of the chief charms of your 
 sex, so 'tis not for us to complain of it." 
 
 " One thing I have noticed," continued Mrs. 
 Berthon ; " it is generally after Antony has been 
 here that she seems to have one of these gloomy 
 attacks come over her." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 79 
 
 " Oh ! Antony ! " ejaculated Stocking, in a tone 
 of sneering disgust, " as if his presence were not 
 enough to give any one a fit of blues. I cannot 
 conceive, IMrs. Berthon, why you allow him the 
 run of the house, as you seem to do." 
 
 *' Mr. Stocking," answered Mrs. Berthon, with 
 studied deliberation, eyeing him the while with a 
 steady glance from her steely orbs, " Mr. Stocking, 
 notwithstanding what you just now said, about the 
 meaningless, ever changing moods which distin- 
 guish my sex, I assure you that on my own part I 
 do nothing, and allow others, if I can help it, to do 
 nothing, for which there is not a substantial motive. 
 And I tell you that I have a motive in allowing 
 Antony to come and go here as he pleases ; and I am 
 surprised," she continued, fixing her eyes search- 
 iugly upon Stocking, ** I am surprised," she con- 
 tinued, " that you do not see that it would be 
 dangerous to close this house against Antony." 
 
 Stocking winced at her last words, and with 
 drooping head, and a certain trepidation, as though 
 anxious to be done with the subject, he answered, 
 "Yes, I see, I see, you are right." 
 
 The sitting-room door opened, and Blanche 
 entered. Observing who were there, a look of 
 annoyance came into her eyes. " I had no idea that 
 you were here, Mr. Stocking," she said, in a tone 
 of languid indifference, which did not appear to 
 detone that her surprise was a very pleasurable one. 
 Then approaching Stocking, who had risen from his 
 
80 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 seat, she passively allowed him for a moment to 
 take her hand in his. 
 
 Blanche sat down, and a somewhat desultory 
 conversation ensued, which was sustained chiefly by 
 Mrs. Berthon and Stocking, Blanche being for the 
 most part an indifferent listener. 
 
 Suddenly the patter of nimble little feet, the sound 
 of childish laughter, was heard approaching the room, 
 and the next moment, in tiny silvery tones, the 
 question was asked, " May I come in, auntie ? " 
 
 " Yes, my dear," answered Blanche. 
 
 The door opened, and little Georgie Berthon, 
 vision of smiles and dimples, tripped lightly into the 
 room, and bounded on to Blanche's lap. Then look- 
 ing round she beheld Stocking, and her little face 
 fell. 
 
 " Oh," she cried, with childish candour, " I thought 
 it was the nice man I saw in the park that was 
 here, not this one," glancing toward Stocking with 
 a pout on her lips. 
 
 " She means Mr. Ingleton," explained Blanche to 
 Stocking, in reply to his questioning look. 
 
 " Ingleton ! " repeated Stocking, with evident 
 annoyance. " Ingleton ! what does the child want of 
 him ? " Then turning to Blanche, " Do you know 
 James Ingleton? " 
 
 "I made his acquaintance a few days since," 
 replied Blanche. " Is he a friend of yours ? " 
 
 ** He — oh, yes, he is," said Stocking curtly, in the 
 same vexed tone. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 81 
 
 " But when is he coming then ? " persisted the 
 child. 
 
 " He was here yesterday, Georgie," interposed 
 Mrs. Berthon, " but you were out." 
 
 " Oh ! Ingleton visits here?" remarked Stocking, 
 and bit his Hp. 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Berthon," he called upon 
 Blanche after having met her in the park. But now 
 I must go upstairs and dress for dinner. Georgie, 
 come along, you are going out to dine vdth me." 
 
 The child slipped from Blanche's lap and came 
 towards her mother, who, wishing Stocking good 
 day, retired, followed by Georgie. 
 
 Stocking and Blanche were now left alone 
 together. A period of silence ensued which was 
 broken by the former. 
 
 " Miss Blanche," he commenced, in a faltering 
 voice, his eyes intently fixed on the fair face in front 
 of him ; " Miss Blanche, after so many months I 
 have again come to ask you to give me a decisive 
 answer, and may that answer be favourable. Surely 
 you cannot say I have been impatient or unreason- 
 able, but there is an end to all things, and so there is 
 to my forbearance. In fact," he concluded, and his 
 voice quivered with an amount of passion, for which 
 those who met him in everyday life had scarcely 
 given him credit, " In fact I cannot, I loill not, 
 think of you but as my future wife. You shall 
 not " But his vehement utterances were sud- 
 denly cut short, and he was left gazing in front of 
 
82 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 him, with nervously twitching lips and clenched 
 hands. 
 
 " Mr. Stocking," interposed Blanche, in an 
 intensely calm voice, but with features betraying 
 sure signs of inward agitation, " Mr. Stocking, these 
 are strange expressions to use towards me, towards 
 any woman; and now may your own words recoil 
 upon yourself, for I tell you that I cannot, I will* 
 not, allow you to coerce me to say that which would 
 for ever in honour bind me." 
 
 "But you are bound already, Blanche," he 
 quickly replied. 
 
 " Eemember that I have a surname please, Mr. 
 Stocking," she retorted, with a strong emphasis on 
 the "Mr." 
 
 Stocking was quick-witted enough to perceiva 
 that the blustering manner he had before assumed 
 was not palatable to Blanche in her present mood ; so^ 
 he deftly altered his tactics, and now resumed in a 
 tone, the insinuating blandness of which was, 
 perhaps, even more irritating to Blanche than his 
 former threatening rudeness, and affecting to ignore 
 her remark as to her name. 
 
 " Forgive me, Blanche, if I have been too 
 vehement. But you should take it as an evidence 
 of the depth of my feelings. Whatever we 
 do, do not let us quarrel, or misunderstand one 
 another. I have no wish to rake up the past, I 
 assure you, but I must say you have a short memory 
 if you cannot recall to mind that you have already 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 83" 
 
 said as much to me as any man, were he in my 
 place, would consider binding. Having refreshed 
 your memory, I can safely leave the rest to your 
 sense of honour." 
 
 " Yes," she answered, with unwonted determina. 
 tion ; and her large eyes, usually so soft and tender in 
 expression, now sparkled with fire. " Yes, you can 
 leave it to my sense of honour," she repeated. " And 
 would you know what it is that my sense of honour 
 tells me ? It bids me defy you, defy you to rake up 
 the past, as you term it. From the past I have 
 nothing to fear. For the future 1 should have, were 
 I to decide to link it with so mean, unmanly a 
 creature as you must be, to resort to such weapons 
 as covert threats towards a woman in order to gain 
 your ends. My ideal of a man is a far nobler one 
 than you can represent." 
 
 " Ah ! " he resumed, with a distortion of the lips 
 that was intended for a smile, but only resulted 
 in a hard sardonic grin ; " such an ideal, perhaps, you 
 have already found in James Ingleton. But I " 
 
 She did not give him time to complete the sen- 
 tence. With cheeks aglow with indignation, and 
 quivering lips, she rose from her seat and bade him 
 go and taunt her no longer. 
 
 " Go," she repeated, with a disdainful gesture, 
 " and do not again show your face in this house 
 until you have learnt sufficiently to command your- 
 self to speak and to act as becomes a man in the 
 presence of a woman.'' 
 
84 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Then, without deigning to cast him another 
 glance, she passed by him to the door, opened it, 
 and walked out into the hall and up the stairs. 
 
 Left to himself. Stocking remained seated, moodily 
 gazing in front of him, until the door once more 
 opened and Mrs. Berthon entered. 
 
 Perceiving Stocking alone, a look of questioning 
 surprise came over her face. ** Where is Blanche ? " 
 she inquired. 
 
 Stocking, absorbed in his own reflection, had not 
 heard anyone enter the room, and at the sound of 
 Mrs. Berthon's voice he started. 
 
 " Ah ! 'tis you, Mrs. Berthon," he said, in thick 
 husky tones. 
 
 "AVhyare you alone; where is Blanche?" she 
 repeated. 
 
 He merely shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 She was keen-sighted enough, however, to note 
 that his indifference was only assumed, and guessed 
 that something was amiss. She frowned until her 
 heavy eyebrows met in a way that was not pleasant 
 to see, and resumed — 
 
 ** You two have had a difference, that is easy 
 enough to see ; and I think I am at least entitled to 
 be your confidante ; so pray tell me all about it. 
 Perhaps I can suggest how matters may be 
 smoothed. 
 
 " Mrs. Berthon," replied Stocking, in a sullen 
 tone, his eyes still staring vacantly in the direction 
 of the window, " Mrs. Berthon, I think that fellow 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 85 
 
 Ingleton has worked some mischief here. Blanche 
 was never too amiable in her intercourse with me, 
 but just now she really treated me in a most insolent 
 manner. And," added he, with somewhat of petu- 
 lance in his voice, " something tells me that it is on 
 account of Ingleton. At all events, she was never 
 downright rude to me before he visited here. Talks 
 about the past and the future, and that sort of 
 thing, as if I cared a snap for the past. The future 
 will have to take care of itself. I want to live in 
 the present, and make the best of it while it lasts." 
 
 Mrs. Berthon, who had seated herself on the sofa 
 near the stove, watched Stocking with much intent- 
 ness while he spoke, and when he ceased, answered 
 with a deliberate calmness of manner, that con- 
 trasted greatly with Stocking's snappish, petulant 
 tones. 
 
 " It is as I surmised. You will always go to work 
 in your own headlong way. You have an object 
 before you, and there you go straight at it, giving no 
 heed to the bends in the road, the windings of the 
 footpath, and then, when you knock your head 
 against obstacles which you would not foresee, you 
 set about, man-like, bemoaning your fate, instead of 
 opening your eyes to your own blundering headlong 
 course. 
 
 " Very admirable logic, perhaps, but I really do 
 not see what it has to do with the present case," 
 replied, or rather growled. Stocking. " What blun- 
 dering can you charge me with ? " 
 
86 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Well, as you will not, or cannot, see where the 
 fault lies, let me then put you on your guard, once 
 for all, against sayino; anything that might recall the 
 past to Blanche. To yourself you say, bat you are 
 mistaken," she added, fixing her eyes upon him as 
 though she meant to mesmerise him, " that the 
 past is as nothing. But my sight is keener than 
 yours ; and being a woman, I can understand and 
 probe a woman's inner thoughts ; and knowing 
 Blanche as I do, understanding her nature infinitely 
 better than you, or any man for that matter can ever 
 do, I tell you that to her the past is everything ; that 
 is, everything that is evil. To her mind, it conjures 
 up the only memories of gloom and despair that her 
 young life has yet known, and, therefore, I warn you 
 distinctly, if yon wish to obtain any permanent 
 influence over her, never again to strike a key tliat 
 can unravel this web of memory. If you do, mark 
 my words, that which you hope for will never come 
 to pass. I have cautioned you — now act as you 
 think best." 
 
 " You have given me a sound lecturing," answered 
 Stocking, his voice now almost free from its sullen- 
 ness, " and at all events I can well believe you to be 
 sincere in what you say. For after all," he added, 
 with some asperity, *' have you not equal cause to 
 wish the past to remain buried ; but, of course, for 
 reasons altogether different than those of Blanche ?" 
 
 " The present, to my thinking, is not the best time 
 for discussing such points as these," remarked Mrs. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 87 
 
 Berthon, with a quickness that showed her eagerness 
 to have done with the subject. 
 
 "Oh! the subject is not so tempting to me that 
 I should wish to enlarge upon it at any time, and 
 least of all now," said Stocking, with a gasp of 
 relief, as he rose from his chair. " I shall go now ; 
 I shall leave Blanche to get over her fit of the sulks. 
 When I come again let us hope it will be fairer 
 weather. Are you going out to-morrow evening, or 
 are you likely to be at home ? " 
 
 " To-morrow evening we are going to the Thalia 
 to see " Kob Koy," The last time they produced a 
 new piece there I contented myself on hearing it 
 through the telephone in the music room up- 
 stairs. But that does not satisfy me. There is no 
 colour about that sort of thing. 'Tis a lifeless per- 
 formance at best. Besides I want to see as well as 
 hear, and what the kinteograph can show me is not 
 enough to my liking. So if you can be there also, 
 you may meet us." 
 
 " I shall endeavour to be there," said Stocking, 
 'but I doubt whether I can. I have an engagement, 
 I think, of some importance. For the present, good 
 day, Mrs. Berthon. I'll not forget your advice," 
 
 "Good day," said Mrs. Berthon, giving him her 
 hand, as she conducted Stocking to the door. 
 
 On her abrupt departure from the sitting room 
 Blanche had gone straight upstairs to her own bed- 
 room, where she flung herself with mixed feelings of 
 grief and vexation in an arm-chair. With head 
 
88 JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 thrown back in listlessness, she began to ponder and 
 ponder over some of Stocking's words about the past^ 
 until they met with deeper and deeper echoes within 
 her own heart, as the long untouched chord of bitter 
 memories found itself played upon by such worthless, 
 wanton fingers as those of Pelham Stocking. 
 
 Yes, the past with its long vista of vaguest gloom 
 was a terror, a hideous dream, and as she thought 
 and pondered, her listlessness gradually disappeared, 
 making way for a feeling of nameless dread, of blank 
 despair, that lent a feverish lustre to her soft brown 
 eyes, while it left her cheeks a waxen pallor, and 
 caused a visible shudder to seize her supple frame. 
 " What right has he," she muttered, or rather hissed, 
 through her clenched teeth ; " what, and who is he^ 
 that he should conjure up those terrors ? I will not, 
 will not ! live again those days of dread, those nights 
 of watching." 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The reader, having already made the acquaintance 
 of the " Young AlHance Club," needs no re-introduc- 
 tion ; but having accompanied us into some parts of 
 this institution, we would introduce him or her to its 
 presiding genius. Farther along the corridor, past 
 the elevators, was a room, bearing on its door this 
 legend : — 
 
 "Mr. B. M. Slowun, President." 
 The room was lofty, and handsomely furnished, as 
 befitted one so high placed. On a chair, before a 
 writing desk, Mr. B. M. Slowun was seated. 
 
 A glance at him revealed a Ions coat, ba<^crv 
 trowsers, and big boots, also a tall silk hat. 
 
 First appearances are notoriously deceptive, and 
 the four articles mentioned gave no indication to the 
 character of the man. 
 
 He was reading a letter. " Why don't they write 
 plainer?" he said, or rather whined. We may 
 remark that his usual method of speech was some- 
 thing between a cry and a whine. For his own 
 edification he dotted the " i's" and crossed the " t's," 
 thereby making the writing more indistinct than it 
 was before. "Bother it! they always trouble me," 
 he said, reading to himself; and having concluded 
 •the letter, rose from his seat and said, " Nonsense, 
 
 G 
 
90 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 nonsense !" which, next to " bother it," occupied the 
 seat of honour in Mr. Slowun's repertoire of ejacu- 
 lations. 
 
 The shaggy eyebrows, the thick nose, the weak 
 mouth, betrayed the sensuahty of the man ; the soul- 
 less, watery, lack-lustre eyes, bespoke want of 
 energy. The trembling movement of the hands, as 
 he placed one in his mouth, then touched the finger 
 tips to the other, and finally smoothed his hair, were 
 the visible and outward tokens of a nervousness and 
 timidity unsurpassed. Besides this, he stooped, was 
 round-shouldered, and wore a long, straggling beard 
 of dirty grey, which he drew out with his hands 
 occasionally, in order to improve its appearance. 
 
 Turning towards the window, and stroking his 
 beard, he cricked his neck in a manner impossible to 
 describe, so as almost to turn his head upside down, 
 at the imminent risk of dislocating his neck, and 
 looked out ; this operation, in connection with the 
 others already mentioned, being repeated times in- 
 numerable in the course of a day. 
 
 Whilst still in this remarkable attitude, a young 
 man entered the room, and observing his principal's 
 posture, attempted to imitate him ; and his face as- 
 sumed a broad grin. Suddenly Mr. Slowuh turned 
 round. Thompson (the young man) stood staid and 
 stiff, as though he had been a statue, saluted, and 
 offered a newspaper (the Half Hour,) iox inspection. 
 
 " No one has been in here this morning," said 
 Mr. Slowun. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 91 
 
 " Everybody is in the office, Professor," retorted 
 Thompson. 
 
 Mr. Slowun seemed flattered with the title, 
 Professor, though it would have been difficult to say 
 what he was Professor of. No doubt some 
 science exceedingly occult. Perhaps, like the Ameri- 
 can of the nineteenth century, a title was his hobby, 
 because no title existed in the Social state. 
 
 '* Nonsense, nonsense !" muttered Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " But they are here, sir," rejoined Thompson. 
 
 " Don't argue with me," said Mr. Slowun, getting 
 out of temper. 
 
 " I am not arguing ; I know they are," was the 
 answer. 
 
 " How do you know? You don't know," said Mr. 
 Slowun, with growing passion. 
 
 " Well ; I have just been through the offices. I 
 saw everyone in his place ; if that is not knowing, 
 what is ?" said Thompson. 
 
 " Don't argue with me," rejoined Mr. SIowud, 
 trembling with rage. 
 
 Thompson being used to these proceedings, which 
 were the usual termination of these little scenes, 
 walked out of the room, whistling a tune to him- 
 self, whilst Mr. Slowun stepped to the window in 
 high dudgeon, muttering " Nonsense," and " Bother 
 it," by turns. 
 
 Catching sight of the newspaper on his desk, he 
 returned to his seat, scanned the columns in a list- 
 less manner, giving himself about ten minutes for 
 
92 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 this work, murmuring meanwhile, " There's nothing 
 in it." He stopped as suddenly as he had begun. 
 Turning to some of the unopened letters on his 
 desk, he closely examined the superscription as 
 though their contents would thus become visible. 
 He touched a bell by his side, and Thompson re- 
 entered in obedience to its summons. 
 
 " Is this the whole post? " asked Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Yes, sir, except the letters for the Secretary and 
 the other officials," answered Thompson. 
 
 " I shall have to open the post myself in future," 
 said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 Thompson, not knowing whether this remark 
 was intended for himself or not, observed a discreet 
 silence. 
 
 Mr. Slowun turned towards that young person, and 
 stared at him like a great blinking owl. 
 
 Thompson, being aware of the attention which was 
 being bestowed upon him, did not budge an inch the 
 whole time. 
 
 *' Open some of these letters," said Mr. Slowun, 
 after the interval of staring. 
 
 Thompson immediately took a paper cutter and 
 began opening the letters, but was as quickly stopped 
 by Mr. Slowun exclaiming — 
 
 " My dear child, you do not do it artistically 
 enough. You know you should always do every- 
 thing with artistic feeling. Look ! this is the way 
 you should do it." He opened a letter himself with a 
 cautiousness, as if it were an infernal machine ready 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 93 
 
 to explode at a hard touch. " You don't know what 
 may be inside, or what you may damage ; always be 
 careful, there's a good fellow." 
 
 Thus admonished, Thompson set more gingerly to 
 work, having great trouble to suppress his risible 
 faculties. 
 
 The opening of the letters concluded, Mr. 
 Slowun began reading them. This task he con- 
 tinually interrupted by asking, with his favourite 
 whine, "Why don't they write plainer? Why 
 don't they dot their i's and cross their t's." 
 
 Thompson never ventured a reply to the all-ab- 
 sorbing questions. 
 
 "What name do you think this is?" said Mr. 
 Slowun, showing a signature at the end of a letter 
 to Thompson, who, glancing at it for a moment, 
 said, "Bligow." 
 
 " Are you sure ?" asked Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Yes, look ! " said Thompson, tracing the curves 
 of the signature with his forefinger. 
 
 " Never think, always be sure," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 This admonition lost all its weight on Thompson, 
 who took no notice of it. 
 
 " He wants to know when there will be something 
 to do for him? " 
 
 " Bother him ; they all come to me. As if I could 
 help them," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 This remark was also thrown away, for Thompson 
 persevered in his silence. 
 
 Mr. Slowun took a pipe from his pocket and filled 
 
94 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 it, then pressed a small apparatus on his desk, and 
 lighted his pipe with an electric spark, keeping both 
 hands engaged for some time in warming his pipe. 
 At any rate that must have been his object in keep- 
 ing one hand fixed round the stem and the other 
 round the bowl. 
 
 Turning to Thompson he said, "Has that boy come 
 in yet?" "Boy" was an all-embracing term in 
 Mr. Slowun's vocabulary. 
 
 " I don't know," answered Thompson. 
 
 " Well, go and see if he has, and tell him I want 
 him," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 Thompson departed on his errand, winking at the 
 door as he went out. 
 
 The result of his errand was that Pelham Stocking 
 entered. 
 
 "You bad boy, not coming in before," said Mr. 
 Slowun. 
 
 "I was detained," answered Stocking. 
 
 " I am so tired. Here I am all alone. I have so 
 much to do from morning till night," whined Mr. 
 Slowun. 
 
 " You should not overwork yourself," said Stock- 
 ing, in a sympathetic tone. 
 
 " Come and have a cup of coffee," said Mr. Slowun 
 suddenly. 
 
 Stocking accepting his invitation, the worthy pair 
 departed. 
 
 But Mr. Slowun suddenly came back, looked 
 round with his favourite twist of the neck, and went 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 95 
 
 away again, telling Thompson, whom they met in 
 the corridor, that they would be out for ten minutes. 
 That spark, upon their departure, performed an 
 impromptu war dance on the office rug, and blowing 
 up the tubes, he shouted through them, " He's out." 
 
 To return to Glimson. Since the night when 
 Bligow had given vent to his feelings by grumbling, 
 he had very often swung those long arms of his, and 
 occasionally run his fingers through his hair, keep- 
 ing all the while hard at work at that part of the 
 history he had undertaken to write. " It's very 
 strange," he said, speaking to himself, "that a man 
 should be dissatisfied and not know why. It is as 
 plain as possible to my mind where the rub lies. 
 Bligow having brains, as well as a cheerful disposi- 
 tion, finds he cannot work under the present system, 
 which has no use for brains. If we were mere auto- 
 mata we could get on just as well ; in fact, much 
 better, because we should be cheaper to the State. 
 What a beautiful Utopia this is — supreme ! the ideal ! 
 — what hollowness ! I wonder if I shall yet make 
 my appearance as a waiter before I eventually 
 become settled. What we require is somebody to 
 stir the people. I believe I am <* pretty good judge. 
 It would surprise those in power if they knew the 
 general dissatisfaction. Well, there is * something 
 rotten in the State of Denmark.' By-the-by, I 
 wonder how often this phrase has been used?" 
 
96 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Having mumbled all this to himself he duly pro- 
 ceeded to swing his arms. 
 
 The day after this, finding it necessary to consult a 
 book not in his possession, he went to the Alliance 
 to obtain an order from Mr. Slowun for it, 
 
 Ashe was crossing City Square, he ran against a 
 Miss Smithers, who stopped him. 
 
 " Ah, is that you, Glimson ?" said she. 
 
 "How is Katie, Miss Smithers ?" said Glimson, 
 after the customary salutation. 
 
 " I hear, a little better," answered she. "I say, 
 Glimson, James is thinking too hard lately — too 
 much study, and the rest of it." 
 
 "Whew!" said Glimson to himself, " what'& 
 wrong ?" Aloud, " He is assisting to complete the 
 history ; perhaps it is giving him trouble." 
 
 " No, I doubt that. It is something more 
 serious," said Miss Smithers. 
 
 " I do not know what it may be," said Glimson, 
 shaking his head. 
 
 " He has no right to think ! the thinking fashion 
 disappeared long ago. He has no right to be behind 
 the time — to be behind the fashion is eccentric, and 
 to be eccentric sometimes means to be mad. Good- 
 morning, Glimson," and she hurried on. 
 
 " Funny person, yet as right as anyone I ever 
 knew. Fashion ! whew ! It is quite correct," mut- 
 tered Glimson, walking on towards the Alh'ance. At 
 the door of this establishment he met Antony, who 
 greeted him with his " Hurrah for Merry England." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 97 
 
 Button-holing him, GUmson passed in and met 
 Thompson, who was engaged in kicking his heels for 
 want of better occupation. 
 
 " Is Mr, Slowun in?" asked Glimson. 
 
 " No," answered Thompson, rapping his knuckles 
 in a devil's tattoo on a panel, as an adjunct to his 
 kicking. 
 
 " Stop that row, Thompson," said Glimson. 
 
 " Hurrah for Merry England," shouted Antony. 
 
 "What is that Indian war dance for?" asked 
 Glimson. 
 
 " Why, the Professor went out with Pelham Stock- 
 ing for coffee," answered Thompson, stopping his row. 
 
 " How long will he be ?" asked Glimson. 
 
 " He said he would be ten minutes. He has been 
 away fifteen, and is safe for another hour," answered 
 Thompson. 
 
 " Come, Antony," said Glimson, giving that per- 
 son no time to accept his invitation, but dragging 
 him to the elevator, he ascended to the smoking- 
 room, where they both seated themselves. 
 
 " You know Ingleton ?" said Glimson. 
 
 The word Ingleton, Antony immediately grasped, 
 but the rest he did not seem to understand. 
 
 " You know Ingleton?" repeated GHmson, with 
 emphasis. 
 
 •' Ye — es," answered Antony, after a pause, as if 
 to collect the sentence. 
 
 " Now, does any one hate him?" asked Glimson, 
 as slowly as possible. 
 
98 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Antony, having listened and gathered his scattered 
 thoughts, answered, " Ye — es. Hurrah for Merry 
 England." 
 
 ** Never mind England," said Glimson. " Who '?" 
 
 This proved so incomprehensible to Antony that 
 Ghmson repeated his former question, with the last 
 attached. Antony puckered his brows so that the 
 wrinkles doubled and redoubled themselves. 
 
 At length he answered, " Pelham Stocking." 
 
 " How do you know?" asked Glimson, rather 
 amused. 
 
 " I do," answered Antony, after the usual pause. 
 
 " My lad, you have instinct ; you say * I do,'' like a 
 dog — superior to man. Never mind, we will make 
 you Professor Canes one of these days, Antony," 
 said Glimson, laughing at his idea. 
 
 Antony gave no heed to it. 
 
 " Why does Stocking hate Ingleton ?" asked 
 Glimson. 
 
 " Because he does," answered Antony. 
 
 " A woman's answer," said Glimson to himself, 
 " yet a first-rate one. It is difficult sometimes to 
 find causes." 
 
 " Antony," Glimson continued, " what do you do 
 all day long ?" 
 
 Antony took his pipe from his seat, filled it, and lit 
 it, as if in answer to Glimson's question. 
 
 " You smoke ?" said that worthy. 
 
 Antony nodded assent. 
 
 " Smoking promotes reflection," said Glimson to 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 99 
 
 himself. " Wonder if he thinks." Then aloud to 
 Antony, " You think." 
 
 Antony again nodded in the affirmative, watching 
 the blue clouds ascend to the ceiling. 
 
 ** "What about?" asked Glimson. 
 
 Antony shook his head in the negative. 
 
 " He does not know. Well, I do not wonder at it, 
 .few really do. They only guess. Heigho ! there, 
 loliat is thinking ?" Remembering that he had asked 
 no one this question, and that therefore he could 
 scarcely expect an answer, Glimson seemed satisfied, 
 and swung his arms. 
 
 Forgetting Antony's infirmities, he began speak- 
 ing rather rapidly, swinging his arms now and then 
 to assist the working of his mind. " Queer woman, 
 that Miss Smithers, yet as good as any. That word, 
 ' fashion ' — that's her hobby. And she's right, foi- 
 fashion, like thought, is ever changing. When a 
 thing is fashionable it is good. After the fashion, it 
 is ugly, monstrous, cruel, selfish, wicked ; even as 
 the fashion itself may have been- But 'tis only 
 after the fashion, when the fit is over, that we call it 
 so. Elizabeth the prudent, Mary the bloody — sisters 
 — one ordered the size of boots, the length of swords, 
 the width of ruffles, the time of prayer ; and com- 
 pelled people to go to church. The other ordained 
 the religion, and compelled its observance. In this 
 they both agreed. Tyranny they called it then. 
 Later on both characters were duly whitewashed : 
 The Virgin Elizabeth, and Holy Mary. I wonder 
 
100 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 why people should have troubled themselves to com- 
 pel others to think thek way. They couldn't help 
 it. They only followed the fashion. Your Pro- 
 testants did it ; your Catholics, your Puritans, your 
 Socialists, your Freethinkers — all in their turns re- 
 introduced the fashion of directing: other people's 
 thoughts ; each, in turn, pulled the strings, and 
 moved the puppets. To restrict thought, dictate 
 people's religion and manners, check the free course 
 of individuality, and lay down the hours of labour, 
 has been the fashion in all epochs. At one time it 
 was the turn of thought, religion, and customs ; now 
 the restraint of individuality is the hobby. A cen- 
 tury ago it was the hours of labour. How queer ! 
 To prevent a man making the bestuseof his life accord- 
 ing to his own lights. How grand, noble, beautiful ! 
 What tyranny on the part of those who preached free- 
 dom — freedom of thought, not of action. Bid a bird 
 fly, and pinion his wings ; how ingenious.! What 
 simple folks they must have been ! Yet they were not 
 different to present day people. Men are as sensible 
 as a flock of sheep — a high compliment that. Let but 
 one take a leap in the dark, and the rest will follow. 
 Given a party cry, a good catch- word, and you may 
 win a thousand to your side in a moment." 
 
 " Hullo, you," turning to Antony, " you did not 
 understand me." 
 
 Antony shook his head in the negative. 
 
 " I quite believe you," said Glimsou. " I wonder 
 when that President of ours will return?" 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 101 
 
 As if in answer to his question, Thompson, now 
 doleful, entered the room. " Slowun's downstairs," 
 said he. 
 
 " Eeally," said Glimson, not appearing very de- 
 lighted at the information. 
 
 " Yes, he is there right enough," rejoined Thomp- 
 son. " Coming down ?" 
 
 Glimson followed Thompson out of the room, 
 leaving Antony to the enjoyment of his pipe, his 
 thoughts, and his ejaculation, *' Hurrah for Merry 
 England," to which he gave utterance as Glimson 
 and Thompson departed. 
 
 Once below, Glimson made straight for Mr. 
 Slowun's room, having first received the informa- 
 tion from Thompson, " that he was cracked," and 
 that " Pelham Stocking was with him." 
 
 " Good morniiig, Mr. Slowun," said Ghmson, on 
 entering that worthy's sanctum. 
 
 " Good morning, my boy. I very seldom see you 
 now. Why do you not come oftener ?" said Mr. 
 Slowun. 
 
 "Ah! how do?" said Stocking, emerging from 
 the furthest corner of the room. 
 
 " Very well," answered Glimson, turning to 
 Stocking. " The History takes up all my time," 
 turning to Mr. Slowun ; " in fact, this is what T came 
 here for, sir. I want an order for this work. 
 
 He handed Mr. Slowun a piece of paper, saying, 
 ^' Kindly give me a note for it." 
 
 " Nonsense ! Rubbish ! " said Mr. Slowun. This 
 
102 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 remark evidently referring to the way in which 
 GUmson'stime was occupied. " What do you want 
 this book for ?" he said. 
 
 " For reference," answered Glimson. " You know 
 Ingleton and I are engaged on this History." 
 
 At the mention of Ingleton's name, Stocking's 
 face fell, and a sneer came over it, while Mr. Slowun 
 muttered, " Bother it." 
 
 Mr. Slovnin gave Glimson an order for the book, 
 who, upon receiving the same, took his departure, 
 muttering to himself as he left the Alliance, " An- 
 tony, your instinct told you that Stocking is Ingle- 
 ton's enemy ; why did it not tell you that Slowun 
 was one also ?" A reflection that passed away as soon 
 as it was formed, for Glimson, seeing the electric 
 transport passing the Parade, made for it, whistling 
 as he went a chorus from " The Diver." 
 
 To return to Messrs Slowun and Stocking. 
 
 Glimson having departed, Mr. Slowun said, 
 " That fellow is a fool, Pelham," and relishing his 
 own power of penetration, he laughed. What a 
 world was in that laugh. First it sounded " he ! he ! 
 he ! " and then its owner turned a colour commonly 
 associated with copper dimmed by smoke. 
 
 " Well, he does work with energy," said Stocking, 
 with a sneer. 
 
 " I can't, you know ; I make a brave show of it, 
 but I don't do it. I am so tired, you know. Better 
 come and have a cup of coffee, my child," whined 
 Mr. Slowun. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 103 
 
 They departed this wise : Mr. Slowun went out, 
 and suddenly turned back, cricked his neck to take 
 an upside-down observation of nothing in par- 
 ticular, and then turned round, reset his head into 
 its proper position, but putting his fingers in his 
 mouth, touching the other hand, and then smoothing 
 his hair and walking on, turning suddenly round at 
 every other step, as if to assure himself that no 
 dog was barking at his heels. Pelham Stocking 
 followed at a respectful distance vtdth his head on 
 his left shoulder. Both their walks partook of the 
 nature of a shuffle, they being more or less knock- 
 kneed. On reaching the steps, Mr. Slowun met 
 Thompson, and said, " I am going out for ten 
 minutes, but don't tell anyone, will you?" Thomp- 
 son, having undertaken not to impart this informa- 
 tion to anyone, Mr. Slowun shuffled out, followed by 
 his aide-de-camp. 
 
 " More coffee," muttered Thompson. " What a lot 
 of coffee that man gets down himself in the course 
 of the day ; it would astonish some people I know." 
 Having concluded, Thompson gave vent to his feel- 
 ings by another of the war dances for which he was 
 justly celebrated. 
 
CHAPTEK VIII. 
 
 The month of October had ushered itself in with a 
 gloom, surprising indeed, if bright days of September 
 were taken into account. The meteorological office 
 had predicted, had, in fact, staked its existence, upon 
 dirty weather. But those who know, i.e., those 
 who knew nothing about it, expected otherwise, thus 
 depreciating the value of science ; and trusting to 
 the fact that onions had been scarce, and nuts ditto ; 
 therefore it would be good weather. Science thus 
 disparaged, excepted the challenge, and even threat- 
 ened to mahe bad weather, if need be, for the sake 
 of vindicating its character. But although prepared 
 to do so in its own defence, the skies themselves had 
 asserted the correctness of the meteorologists' views. 
 
 Bligow was standing in Liberator Square watch- 
 ing some children who were attempting to catch the 
 stray drops from the fountain ; and when the drops 
 were wafted into their eyes, instead of their hands, 
 BHgow laughed. 
 
 Therefore it may be inferred that Bligow was in 
 his usual good humour. He was not aware that his 
 talk at the " Alliance " had produced any effect, or 
 had even been thought over and talked over by 
 others. He had spoken on that occasion seriously, 
 yet — as he fancied — hopelessly and even aimlessly. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 105 
 
 " I made a fool of myseK," he said to himself at 
 times, when he thought of the matter. In the end 
 his good humour had prevailed, and he hardly 
 troubled himself further concerning a matter he 
 could not alter. 
 
 Thus we find him, hands in pocket, taking all the 
 fun he can get from the children's play. 
 
 While still engrossed in this pastime, Antony (the 
 wrinkled faced) passed by, walking rapidly. 
 
 BHgow hailed him, but Antony, just giving him- 
 self time to sing out, " Hurrah for Merry England," 
 was off again. 
 
 Bligow smiled at the queer greeting and mur- 
 mured, " What is that fellow hurrying along for ? " 
 It being a question too difficult to solve, Bligow 
 sauntered away towards the park, and, taking a seat 
 on a bench near the lake, he observed a duck fish- 
 ing. 
 
 " Talk about circumstances making the man," 
 said Bligow, still watching the upper part of the 
 duck. " Ducks understand matters much better, 
 and fit into their groove much easier." The return 
 of the duck to her ordinary mode of progress stopped 
 further contemplation on this subject, and Bligow 
 turned about in search for something else to rivet 
 his attention. 
 
 Finding nothing of sufficient interest, he rose and 
 walked slowly away from the margin of the lake. 
 Suddenly a bright thought struck him. 
 
 " I will go and see Willie Heughin," he said. 
 
 H 
 
106 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Satisfied that this would afford him better entertain- 
 ment than either the fountain, the children, or the 
 ducks, he walked on at a good pace. 
 
 " "Why ! just now I wanted to know why Antony 
 was making such pace, and now I am doing it 
 myself," he said, as he went along. He re-crossed 
 Liberation Square, and passing through the avenue 
 leading off, he kept walking till a notice board caught 
 his sight — 
 
 " The next aerial car will leave for all towns due 
 north at twelve o'clock." 
 
 " Plenty of time," said Bligow. In a few minutes 
 he had left the protecting cover of glass. In front 
 of him, not a hundred paces away, was the Aerial 
 Station. Hurrying on he soon reached it, and then 
 he slackened his pace. Entering the station, he 
 caught sight of a most peculiar individual, whose 
 chief features were a nose of distinct mulberry 
 colour, and eyebrows that arched upwards at the 
 end. 
 
 Bligow greeted him. " Hallo, "Wilkins, is Willie 
 Heughin about ? ' ' 
 
 " Yes, he is in the establishment," was the 
 answer. 
 
 " Engaged ? " asked Bligow. 
 
 " No ; next car don't go for some time," answered 
 Wilkins. 
 
 •* Where about is he? " questioned Bligow. 
 
 " Try room A, or if he is not there, B on the 
 second floor, or A on the third floor might hit the 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 107 
 
 nail," rejoined Wilkins, who prided himself upon 
 his exactitude. 
 
 BHgow went forward, saying, " That means he is 
 here ; but where exactly I don't know ; but it would 
 never do for me to say so," and he smiled at the 
 idea — his pet broad smile. 
 
 Trying all the rooms in turn, and enquiring of 
 everyone he met, he at last found the person he 
 wanted. 
 
 Willie Heughin was some twenty-eight years of 
 age. He was as flaxen-haired and moustached as a 
 typical Saxon, and ruddy with fresh air and exercise ; 
 amongst possessions being a nose of real ambrosial 
 tint, which William claimed to be hereditary, and 
 proof of the blue blood of his ancestors from before 
 the Norman Conquest. He was standing against 
 the mantel-shelf, legs spread out to their fullest 
 extent, his fingers in his vestcoat pockets. 
 
 " Well ! how in Heaven's name came you hear? " 
 said Heughin. 
 
 Bligow seated himself. 
 
 " How dare you, sir, during the course of my pro- 
 fessional duties ; sir, I repeat — how dare you do it ? " 
 said Heughin. 
 
 BKgow laughed. " Look at his professional 
 duties," he said, in short spasms. 
 
 " Well, sir, would you insinuate that my profes- 
 sional duties are not disturbed by the levity of such 
 a miserable wretch as you," enquired Heughin, in as 
 serious a manner as he could accommodate himself to. 
 
108 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " I thought your professional duties occurred on 
 the average about ten minutes in every hour, and I 
 have called between," said Bligow, entering into the 
 spirit of the joke. 
 
 " You are about right," answered Heughin. 
 " There is so very little to do, because it is so 
 awfully cut up. There are twenty here for every 
 one necessary." 
 
 " I had better come and join you then, and assist 
 you in your onerous duties," said Bligow. 
 
 "A¥hat! would you prevent me walking up and 
 down these stairs looking at people, and giving an 
 order which is painful from its monotonous 
 character V " queried Heughin. 
 
 "Why, you are not as lazy as I thought," said 
 Bligow. 
 
 " Don't measure other people's corn by your own 
 what's er name," reiterated Heughin. 
 
 " I wish I had something to occupy my time," 
 said Bligow. 
 
 " Fall in love, my friend," quizzed Heughin. 
 
 "Couldn't do it to save my life," answered 
 Bligow. 
 
 " I would not like to give you a chance," said 
 Heughin, winking. 
 
 The tinkling of a bell was heard, and Heughin 
 went to the telephone, listened, and spoke down it. 
 
 ** There you are. The Edinburgh car is reported 
 at Derby." He walked up to a desk, and in an 
 open book, he recorded the fact, and the time of 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 109 
 
 arrival to the sixteenth of a second. " There are 
 four rooms where this matter is recorded this 
 minute. Would you believe, that I do not know 
 how many rooms there are in this establishment, 
 Bligow ? " said Heughin. 
 
 ** I believe you ; but what are they all for ? It has 
 always been a puzzle to me, what you all do, and 
 what so many rooms are required for," said Bligow. 
 
 " It would be difficult for me to say. There are 
 chiefs, subs, overseers, observers, down-men, car- 
 men, porters, and a lot of others ; I dare say, every 
 office and post is quadrupled. For instance, all I 
 do is to time the departures and arrivals of the 
 Northern special, which leaves and arrives every 
 hour. There's hard work for you, if you like," said 
 Heughin thoughtfully." 
 
 " I wrote to that old fogy of a Slowun, if there 
 was an opening anywhere, and he has answered 
 me. Look here !" — he held out the letter for 
 Heughin's inspection. — " * Wait a month,' That is 
 nice, is it not," said Bligow. 
 
 Further conversation was interrupted by another 
 tinkle of the bell. Heughin again went to the 
 telephone, and recorded in his book, " The down 
 car will be here in a minute." He said, turning to 
 Bligow, " I am going down." He went out, folk)wed 
 by Bligow, and descended by the elevator. Arrived 
 at the x^latform, they stepped out. 
 
 The platform was of peculiar construction. It 
 was some hundred feet wide, and a hundred and 
 
110 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 twenty feet long, and open to the heavens. In the 
 centre was the apparatus, usually connected with an 
 elevator. On the platform was a large chronometer 
 and a looking glass over it. Into this Heughin looked, 
 and called out, " She is not in sight yet," and walked 
 away. Bligow was looking at the heavens ; and 
 Heughin hearing another tinkle of a bell, ran to the 
 reflector and, looking in, said, " Here she is," and 
 pushed a button near him ; and in response, the car 
 of the elevator rose. Still looking in the glass, he 
 said, " Eight," and pressed the stop of the chronome- 
 ter. 
 
 Meanwhile, an enormous aerial car was hover- 
 ing overhead, and slowly descended to the level of 
 the elevator ; the passengers entered the elevator, 
 which then descended. 
 
 " There, another matter settled, now for the 
 departing car. Come on, Bligow," said Heughin. 
 
 Together they went to another platform, where 
 the same routine was gone through, except 
 that the elevator car ascended with people, and from 
 that they entered the aerial car. 
 
 Amongst those who ascended was Dr. Shindle, 
 who, seeing Bligow, said, " How are we ? how do 
 we do?" 
 
 " Pretty well, thank you," answered Bligow. 
 
 " That is all right," said the doctor, washing his 
 his hands with imaginary soap. 
 
 " How is James Ingleton's sister ?" asked 
 Bligow. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. Ill 
 
 "Nothing scientific — nothing special ; there has 
 not been such a dearth of special cases ; very few 
 would believe it. She is poorly, but nothing special. 
 Good-day," and the doctor ascended. 
 
 BHgow smiled at the doctor's lament about the 
 want of special cases. 
 
 Wilkins, the mulberry-nosed, approached Heughin 
 and said, " Are you going to dinner? if so, I'll take 
 your post." 
 
 "What say you, Bligow?" asked Heughin. 
 Bligow being vsrilling, the pair went to the nearest 
 common dining hall, and ordered their meal, for 
 which they were duly debited on their cards. 
 Glancing round, Bligow saw Jerrold Trevors eating 
 his dinner in as gingerly a fashion as if he were 
 playing chess, and each mouthful meant a great 
 move. Heughin, not being acquainted with him, 
 asked who that " skewered-faced " party was. 
 
 "Oh ! that is Jerrold Trevors," answered Bligow 
 laughing ; and attracted Jerry's attention by ratthng 
 a knife on a glass. 
 
 Jerry gave a sign of recognition, and went on with 
 his dinner in his preoccupied manner. 
 
 " He is playing chess with the vegetables against 
 his beef," said Bligow, between two mouthfuls. 
 
 "Is he though. He must be a funny cus- 
 tomer," said Heughin. 
 
 The rest of the dinner was eaten in silence, and 
 not a sound was heard except the splashing of the 
 small fountain in the centre of the dining hall, and 
 
112 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 the whispering of the jute plants, with their lofty 
 neighbours, the tree ferns. 
 
 Dinner finished, Jerry came over to where Bligow 
 sat, and he immediately introduced him to Hueghin; 
 and all three conversed together for some time, till 
 Heughin took his leave, to return to the Aerial 
 Station. 
 
 "Any news?" asked Bligow, after Heughin's 
 departure. 
 
 " No, not much. By-the-by, James Ingleton was 
 in here just now, so was Pelham Stocking. They 
 were in deep conversation. Afterwards Antony gave 
 a look in, but he left directly Stocking did," said 
 Jerry. 
 
 " Oh ! Did they speak to you?" asked Bligow. 
 
 " M', yes, nothing particular ; er, Stocking said, * I 
 should hear a surprise before long.' "Wonder what 
 that means ?" said Jerry. 
 
 " I'm sure I don't know," repHed Bligow. 
 
 " Ingleton and Stocking are not the best of 
 friends, are they?" asked Jerry. 
 
 " I have never heard so. They are not very thick, 
 it is true. Stocking, however, seems always to be 
 pleased at any token of friendship on Ingleton's 
 part, so that the boot is on the wrong foot." 
 
 " Homeward bound?" asked Jerry, after awhile. 
 
 " No, not particularly; but I'll go your way." 
 
 They went out, walking slowly, till they arrived 
 at Jerry's domicile, when, after taking leave of him, 
 Bligow walked quickly till he came to the Alliance, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 113 
 
 Entering, he espied the ubiquitous Thompson, who 
 informed him that he was out (pointing with his 
 forefinger towards the President's room), and adding 
 that Ingleton was in the smoking room. 
 Thither BHgow immediately repaired. 
 
 Since his conversation with Stocking, Ingleton had 
 been in a state bordering on madness. For, although 
 his talk had eased him for a time, he had returned 
 to his usual mood of thought, and the food of re- 
 flection had proved very bitter. In fact, the more he 
 reflected on the present position of the nation, the 
 more certain he felt that the rights of the people had 
 been outraged. He chafed under the weight of the 
 collectivism which had rode rough-shod over indi- 
 vidual man. But a short visit of Glimson, during 
 which that worthy had spoken with his usual can- 
 dour and swinging of arms, had somewhat revived 
 his spirits ; and after a great deal of thought, and 
 many hours of discussion between his mind and his 
 conscience, he arrived at the Alliance with a fixed 
 purpose. First to see Bligow, whom he had not 
 met for a long time, and then to take certain steps, 
 which he had already decided upon. Bligow found 
 him sitting in the smoking room. The moment he 
 entered, Ingleton greeted him with " The very per- 
 son I wish to see." 
 
 " Well, here he is ; what do you require of me ? " 
 asked Bhgow. 
 
114 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 ** Are you still of the same mind ? " asked 
 Ingleton. - 
 
 ** About what? " rejoined Bligow. 
 
 " It was but a dream, an idle moment," said 
 Ingleton, displeased. 
 
 " If you would explain yourself you may get a 
 better answer," said Bligow. 
 
 Ingleton, seeing he was not going about the matter 
 as he should, began again — " You are dissatisfied 
 with the social state ? " 
 
 " Yes, lam," answered Bligow immediately. 
 
 "You did not know why, but I explained to 
 Stocking," said Ingleton. 
 
 "What had Stocking to do with it?" queried 
 Bligow. 
 
 " Oh ! you have not seen him then. He told me, 
 in the conversation you had with him and Glimson, 
 that you were dissatisfied, but knew not why," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " Yes, that is true ; but why did Stocking come to 
 you about it ? " said Bligow, perplexed. 
 
 " He told me he also was sensible that something 
 was wanting ; and in the course of conversation I 
 think I struck the right key," answered Ingleton. 
 
 " And what was it? " asked Bligow. 
 
 " Individuality," said Ingleton. 
 
 " I see it — I see it," shouted Bligow, when the 
 word had been uttered. 
 
 " You are still of opinion that the present social 
 status is bad ? " said Ingleton. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 115 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Supposing it could be altered, would you 
 assist ? " 
 
 " Yes ; most decidedly." 
 
 " Even at the cost of life — yours and others if 
 need be ? " 
 
 " I would engage in it if you led the van." 
 
 " You are prepared for the sacrifice? " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " Of Glimson I am sure ; Stocking would join 
 too — I shall begin immediately." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 " I will awaken the whole of the ' Young Alliance ' 
 to the peril of the situation." 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 " I have thought it out. A lecture, or a debate, 
 on Individualism would stir them." 
 
 " I think so ; but, perhaps, the subject is 
 tabooed." 
 
 " Then I must force it." 
 
 " Hurrah ! I will assist." 
 
 "Individuality — I shall preach somehow or 
 other." 
 
 The door was heard to creak but no one entered. 
 
 Stocking, who had been eavesdropping, hurried 
 away to Mr. Slowun, and addressing him, said — " If 
 Ingleton comes here refuse what he asks," and 
 hurried off. 
 
 Meanwhile Ingleton and Bligow continued their 
 conversation. 
 
116 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " I'm going to see Mr. Slowun now," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " Strike at once, and true," said Bligow. 
 
 They descended, and were met on the staircase by- 
 Thompson, of whom they inquired whether Mr. 
 Slowun was in. They were informed that he was. 
 
 *' On second thoughts I had better leave you for 
 the present, and wait here," said Bligow. 
 
 " Yes, it would be better," answered Ingleton, a& 
 he made his way to Mr. Slowun's sanctum. 
 
 The day was already fast waning, and when 
 Ingleton retired, he found Mr. Slowun seated in a 
 chair which was placed in semi-obscurity. 
 
 Ingleton having duly greeted Mr. Slowun, he was 
 requested to be seated. 
 
 " What can I do for you, my child ? " asked Mr. 
 Slowun. 
 
 " Is there an open date for a debate or lecture,'^ 
 asked Ingleton, *' within a short period ? " 
 
 Mr. Slowun first consulted his watch, then opened 
 a drawer. Thereupon, he got out of his chair, and 
 went through the performance, such as has already 
 been described to the reader, of smoothing his hair 
 and cricking his neck, and said, ** Wait a moment ; 
 we had better have a little light." 
 
 To this Ingleton acquiesced, and Mr. Slowun 
 touched a button, and the room was filled with light 
 from the incandescent lamps, 
 
 " A lecture? " asked Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Yes, I would give one," answered Ingleton. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 117 
 
 " What subject have you in your mind? " asked 
 Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Individualism," answered Ingleton eagerly. 
 
 "Rubbish, nonsense," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " I beg your pardon," said Ingleton, who could 
 not properly catch the words. 
 
 " A bad subject," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " I do not think so," said Ingleton, laconically. 
 
 To be contradicted so flatly was more than the 
 senior member of the Slowun family could bear. 
 He did not strike Ingleton ; he did not speak, but 
 simply glared. He extended his great fishy eyes 
 without uttering a syllable. He glared on the prin- 
 ciple — that if looks could kill, he would make an end 
 of Ingleton there and then. 
 
 Ingleton, not being used to this sort of thing, at 
 first thought that Mr. Slowun had suddenly been 
 bereft of his senses ; and he had already made up his 
 mind to have him conveyed to a proper institution, 
 when Mr. Slowun turned round and walked to the 
 far end of the room. 
 
 " Is there an open night for my subject?" asked 
 Ingleton, after a pause, and when he had come to 
 the conclusion that this must be one of Mr. 
 Slowun's eccentricities. 
 
 " Bother it, bother it," muttered Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Well, sir," Ingleton said, with growing impatience. 
 
 " I don't know," said Mr. Slowun at last. 
 " Ingleton was about to speak, when Mr. Slowun 
 remarked, " I will see." 
 
118 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 He rang a bell, upon which a rather thick- set 
 man entered. He was the Chief Secretary. 
 
 " Mr. Garford," said Mr. Slowun, addressing him, 
 ** Ingleton, here, wishes to lectmre — or debate " 
 
 Ingleton interrupted — "What date is open?" 
 
 " Let me see what subject is objected to." 
 Mr. Garford walked to the bell next to Mr. 
 Slowun's desk, and pressed the button. 
 
 Thompson appeared, and Mr. Garford gave him a 
 key, and told him to get his debate book, and enter- 
 tainment book. 
 
 Thompson left the room, and soon returned with 
 the books required, and departed. 
 
 Mr. Garford turned the leaves of one of his books, 
 and after a moment's search said, " The eleventh of 
 the month is vacant." 
 
 ** Let me see," said Mr. Slowun, putting on a 
 pair of pince-7iez, which immediately dropped off his 
 nose. After some trouble with the glasses, he looked 
 at the book and said, " Yes, the eleventh is an open 
 night," and Mr. Slowun closed the volume. "But are 
 you sure; let me see;" and he again adjusted his 
 glasses, and reopened the book, glancing at every 
 page in turn, and murmuring, ** Bother it," 
 
 Having at last found it, he looked closely at the 
 page, and came to the conclusion that the eleventh 
 really was a vacant date. 
 
 " My subject is Individualism, sir," said Ingleton. 
 " Having received the above information, you can 
 notify me for a debate or lecture, for that date." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 119 
 
 " I fancy that is one of the subjects objected to by 
 the Senate," said Garford, turning the leaves of the 
 the other book; "that is, they do not object, but 
 advise that certain subjects be tabooed. Listen," 
 he said, as he tound the page, " 'It is advised that 
 the undermentioned subjects be carefully prohibited. 
 The Secretary, or President, should use persuasion 
 that no debate or lecture be held on these subjects, 
 as the Senate deem them dangerous to the State.' 
 Among the subjects here mentioned is Individualism. ' ' 
 
 " I advise you not to lecture on this subject," 
 said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " I thank you for your kind advice, but I intend 
 to do so, all the same," answered Ingleton. 
 
 Mr. Garford left the room. 
 
 " I cannot, under these circumstances, give you 
 leave to lecture on this subject," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " But I intend to do so against any dissuasion," 
 reiterated Ingleton." 
 
 " Bother it ! Nonsense ! " said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 Stocking entered the room. 
 
 Taking no notice of him, Ingleton said, " Non- 
 sense, or no nonsense, I am firm on this subject." 
 
 " What is the question ?" said Stocking. 
 
 " I have requested leave for a debate, or lecture, 
 and am refused. Free speech should not be opposed 
 in a free country." 
 
 " Bother it," muttered Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " I agree with you," said Stocking. " Who 
 opposes it ?" 
 
120 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " My orders are against it," said Mr. Slowun in 
 his whining, apologetic way. 
 
 " You will face the opposition, eh?" said Stock- 
 ing. 
 
 " Decidedly," answered Ingleton. 
 
 " I am glad to hear it," said Stocking. 
 
 At this, Mr. Slowun, who had been acting on 
 Stocking's cue, grew confused, and muttered, — 
 
 " Nonsense ! Bother it !" 
 
 After some further talk, which in nowise improved 
 matters, Ingleton departed with the firm intention 
 of lecturing on " Individualism." 
 
 After his departure, Mr. Slowun asked Stocking 
 what he intendedto do now. 
 
 " Let matters take their own course, now Ingle- 
 ton is so obstinate. The more you oppose him, the 
 more determined he will be," said Stocking. 
 
 " What does he want to lecture on such a subject 
 for ?" queried Mr. Slowun. 
 
 Stocking, not wishing to impart any reason, know- 
 ing that even an explanation would not clear the 
 mist from Mr. Slowun's eyes, said he did not know. 
 
 Meanwhile Ingleton rejoined Bligow, and related 
 his conversation with Mr. Slowun ; and they 
 repaired to the smoking room, where they discussed 
 the subject at some length, and firmly determined to 
 brave the Senate. 
 
 " Well, I will lecture, whatever occurs," said 
 Ingleton ; and ringing a bell, Thompson appeared on 
 the scene. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 121 
 
 Ingleton requested writing materials, with which 
 Thompson returned with alacrity, whistling as he 
 went. 
 
 " What do you think of this ? " said Ingleton, 
 handing round a paper on which was written in very 
 large characters, " James Ingleton offers to debate 
 on * Individualism,' in the Hall of the Alliance, on 
 the 11th of October, at 7 p.m. In the event of no 
 one accepting the debate, he will lecture on this 
 subject." 
 
 " Bravo !" cried Bligow, " Bravo !" and then he 
 fell to laughing in his heartiest way. " Won't this 
 wake up some of them ! " he said. 
 
 Ingleton took the notice paper and pressed it 
 between two bands on a notice board on the walls. 
 
 " Sufficient unto the day is the work thereof," he 
 said, and went out. 
 
CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 Pelham Stocking had row worked upon James 
 Irgleton's mind and thoughts as a good musician 
 plays upon the strings of his instrument. Cunning 
 and shrewd, he calculated every move in the great 
 game of life, gauging every check, white to black, 
 black to white, until, as he thought, he held the 
 game, and mate might be called at a given moment. 
 
 It certainly did not require much to stir the 
 pent up feelings of a man like Ingleton ; it required 
 not much volubility, on Stocking's part, to induce 
 Ingleton to declare himself, since he had passed his 
 whole existence in brooding on the monotonous 
 conditions of life brought about through the subjec- 
 tion imposed upon everyone by the " Levellers." 
 Therefore, Stocking, in pluming himself that it was 
 owing to his keen perceptions that Ingleton had had 
 his eyes opened to the real state of things, had 
 certainly over estimated the value of his own crafti- 
 ness. 
 
 It was late on the night on which Ingleton had 
 spoken to Mr. Slowun,that Stocking was wending his 
 way homeward. He had read the notice that Ingleton 
 had placed upon the notice board with a covert 
 sneer ; but now, on his way home, the mask fell, and 
 the true expression of his features stood revealed. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 123 
 
 The moon occasionally threw its silvery beams 
 ibetwixt the great clouds as Stocking walked along. 
 His face, lit up by the faint light, was ghastly, even 
 fiendish in expression. 
 
 How often has that moonbeam fallen on similar 
 faces ; how its penetrating eye reached from above 
 to poor mortal on earth ! How searching its light, 
 as it passed from face to brain ! How ever watchful 
 was that eye ! Does that eye see ! Does it record 
 those deeds committed in the stillness of the night ? 
 How foul then must be the pictures that are retained 
 on its retina ! 
 
 Stocking did not like to walk under Heaven's 
 search light, so he crossed the road ; but through a 
 break in the clouds the moon, ever watchful, fol- 
 lowed him. 
 
 Stocking was certainly dissatisfied with the spirit 
 of the age. For such a man as he, it did not leave 
 sufficient scope for action. For the rest he was not 
 particular whether he could ruin Ingleton under 
 the present state, or under any future regime. As a 
 matter of choice, he preferred doing so under the 
 existing order of things, as that involved no delay. 
 
 " I shall — I will do it at once," he said to himself ; 
 ^* the more obstacles I throw in his way the more he 
 will exert himself to overcome them, and the easier 
 will be his downfall. Pooh ! pooh ! foolish dreamer, 
 I have already got you into an embroglio from which 
 you could not extricate yourself without loss of 
 honour. Honour ! vain, hollow word ; for which 
 
124 JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 you would sacrifice j'our life. I shall be your friend" — 
 he gnashed his teeth — " I shall aid and abet you to 
 the last. I shall mourn you more than all others " — 
 the light of the moon revealed a sardonic, smile on 
 his face. 
 
 " Now, Obstinacy ! you shall prove yourself true to 
 your character. To-morrow shall bring forth the 
 fiat, which shall arouse the Senate against you. 
 You will attempt to overcome it. Pooh ! pooh \ 
 your individuality shall find itself lodged in a nice 
 cool room at the Government's expense. Your 
 action might even be made treason to the State — 
 that would be death. "What ignominy that would 
 be ? Then I should win the prize. J, Pelham 
 Stocking, would be the victor." 
 
 The moon here lit up a face fiendishly triumphant. 
 
 "A few others, too, would cease to be. That 
 wretched Antony, and that GHmson, and Bligow^ 
 could join the crew." 
 
 The hands twitched, as though he were choking 
 the very life out of his intended victims. Still walk- 
 ing on, he came to a large building, which was 
 bathed in electric light, so that the moon's rays were 
 no longer visible. It was the home of the Half Hour 
 newspaper. Stocking stopped, looked round him, 
 and entered. 
 
 It was morning, the rain had fallen during the 
 night ; the prediction of the weather prophets had 
 
JAMES INQLETON. 125 
 
 thus been verified. The fountains played again, and 
 the sun shone, but without warmth, but it caused the 
 drops of water to gHsten. 
 
 James Ingleton was seated in his study reading 
 the Half Hour. He came to a paragraph which 
 seemed to strike him, for he read and re-read it, and 
 then folding the paper he put it into his pocket, and 
 walked into the room where Katie was lying fast 
 asleep. Nellie entered the apartment. 
 
 " She has passed a good night," said Ingleton, 
 addressing his sister. 
 
 "Yes, there are signs of improvement," she 
 answered. 
 
 "I am going out, Nell, but I will not be long," 
 said Ingleton, as he left. He donned his top coat, 
 and hat, and departed. He had hardly proceeded a 
 dozen steps when he was met by Bligow, who had 
 a newspaper in his hands, and was winking and 
 laughing by turns. 
 
 " I was just coming to see you," said Ingleton. 
 
 " And I to you," answered Bligow. 
 
 " Have you seen it ? " said Ingleton. 
 
 " Yes, that is why I w^as coming," said Bligow. 
 
 " I should hke to see Glimson," remarked Ingle- 
 ton. 
 
 " I thought so, and sent round to him to meet me 
 at my place, and wait for me," said Bligow. 
 
 Bligow lived a few streets off, and they made their 
 way there. The house was in every respect similar 
 to Ingleton's. 
 
126 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Has Mr. Glimson come yet," asked Bligow, of a 
 bright-eyed boy, the counterpart of his own jovial 
 face. 
 
 "Yes," answered the boy, whose name was 
 Tommy. 
 
 They entered, and found Glimson seated by the 
 electric-heated stove. 
 
 " Good morning," said he, addressing the twc 
 others. 
 
 " Have you seen the article in the Half Hour ? " 
 queried Ingleton. 
 
 "No," answered Glimson, "I have not read the 
 paper yet." 
 
 Ingleton and Bligow removed their coats and hats, 
 seating themselves near Glimson. 
 
 "Well, read," said Bligow, handing his copy to 
 Glimson. 
 
 " Wait," said Ingleton. 
 
 Glimson let the paper rest upon his knee. 
 
 "Yesterday I saw Bligow, also Mr. Slowun," said 
 Ingleton, " whom I asked for permission to lecture 
 on Individualism. He declined, as the subject is 
 tabooed. I have placed a notice in the ' Alliance,' 
 offering to debate on my own responsibility ; now 
 they have inserted an article in the paper about it." 
 
 " I admire your pluck," said Glimson, " and will 
 assist if necessary." 
 
 " This is what they write," said Ingleton, taking 
 up the paper ; " I fancy it must refer to me : — 
 *From a nest of sparrows, the chirruping of th© 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 127 
 
 strongest is now heard — poor weak chirrup, which 
 can be stopped for ever when the great bird swoops 
 down upon it. Does it fancy that its chirrup is 
 the shriek of the eagle ? If so, it is mistaken, for it 
 will easily be silenced. Amid the cries of the great 
 birds, the chirruping of a sparrowling is not heard, 
 therefore let it silence its voice.' Nice, is it not ? " 
 
 Bligow was laughing heartily. 
 
 " Why this mysterious method of writing ? I 
 have seen it before, but never took notice of such 
 hints," said Glimson. 
 
 " Oh ! they will not speak openly ; but in another 
 column," said Ingleton, " referring to the ' Alliance,' 
 they say — * We are informed that a lecture is pro- 
 posed on a subject best left alone. We advise the 
 lecturer not to persevere in attempting to force a sub- 
 ject which is of such a very obstrusive character, 
 and which must prove very uninteresting to its 
 hearers. We cannot comprehend anyone wishing 
 to lecture on a subject which does not possess a 
 spark of interest, I dare say they cannot, or — will 
 not." 
 
 *' I wonder who gave them the information. Do 
 you think our old fogey ? " said Bligow. 
 
 " You mean Slowun ? " said Ingleton. 
 
 " Not he," answered Glimson, with evident con- 
 tempt, "he could not trouble himself so much, if it 
 meant life or death to him." 
 
 " I suppose the facts leaked out in the day's 
 transactions at the ' AUiance,' which are generally 
 
128 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 gone over by the press people," said Ingleton, in- 
 differently. 
 
 " I shall write a stiff note to the Half Hour peo- 
 ple, telling them to mind their own business, and 
 speak plainly if they wish to speak at all," said 
 Glimson. 
 
 " No, yon had better not ; let us treat it with in- 
 difference," remarked Ingleton. 
 
 " Yes, let us wait for something official, then we 
 can take action," said Bligow. " I will re-copy your 
 notice, Ingleton, and post it up in the library and 
 gymnasium, subscribing my name to it if you like." 
 
 " Do you think anyone is likely to accept your 
 challenge for a debate?" said Glimson to Ingleton. 
 
 " May be so, but if not I will lecture. Indivi- 
 duality is the keystone to the reform of the existing 
 state, and I shall push it forward under any circum- 
 stunces ; either we must reform the Constitution 
 on those lines, or leave things as they are." 
 
 "A debate would certainly be preferable," said 
 Bligow. 
 
 "If no one offers, I will accept the challenge. 
 Bligow and a few others can rouse the interest. 
 I bet we rouse the fellows surprisingly," said 
 Glimson. 
 
 " I accept," said Ingleton. 
 
 " It will not be my fault if the interest is not 
 keen," said Bligow, enthusiastically. 
 
 " You can reproduce my notice, Bligow," ob- 
 served Ingleton. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 129 
 
 " Wait ! I will take the bull by the horns," said 
 Olimson ; and going to a writing desk, he took a 
 sheet of paper and wrote—* Mark Glimson accepts 
 James Ingleton's challenge to debate on Individ- 
 ualism. Date and time accepted.' " What is this 
 like, eh? " said he, showing it to both Ingleton and 
 Bligow. 
 
 " Come, we will immediately place them under 
 Ingleton's notice," said Glimson. 
 
 Meanwhile BHgow was making copies of the 
 latter document. 
 
 Having finished, they made their way to the 
 AUiance, where they met the ubiquitous Thomp- 
 son, repeating one of his innumerable war dances 
 in the porch. Passing through, they ascended the 
 elevator, and entered the smoking room. On 
 looking at the notice-board, they found Ingleton's 
 notice had disappeared, being replaced by a sheet 
 of paper, on it written "by order," and the stamp 
 of the Alliance. 
 
 The three friends were for a moment perplexed. 
 
 ■** More opposition ! " exclaimed Bligow. 
 
 " Well, never mind," said Ingleton, " post the 
 new notice up." 
 
 This Bligow did, and departed for the other 
 rooms, and posted the notices as pre-arranged. 
 
 •' Anybody about?" asked Glimson, when Bligow 
 returned. 
 
 " No! not a soul," answered Bligow. 
 
 " They might have written ' the freedom of debate 
 
130 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 is prohibited,' that would have been more to the- 
 point. Re-enter ! England under the Feudal 
 system. Please oblige with a Curfew Bell ! Or^ 
 perhaps, ' Holy "Russia ' in the nineteenth century 
 has been accepted as an example. Beautiful ! " 
 said Glimson, swinging his arms. 
 
 " Have they the law on their side? " said Ingle- 
 ton. 
 
 " Act 3, of year II., states " (Glimson swung his 
 arms) — '" The Senate may take such steps, at any 
 time, as may be found necessary for the main- 
 tenance of the peace and the welfare of the State.' " 
 
 '* "With such an order at their backs they might- 
 do whatever they pleased," said Bligow. 
 
 " Let them ! " exclaimed Ingleton. 
 
 *' The more they oppose us, the more it will 
 eventually be to our advantage," said Glimson. 
 
 "But supposing the opposition were to annihilate- 
 you, what then ? " said Stocking, who suddenly en- 
 tered the room. " By-the-by, what is under dis- 
 cussion ? " He seated himself. 
 
 Bligow addressed himself to him : — " Ingleton's. 
 debate upon Individualism." 
 
 *' Oh ! yes ; what have you decided ? " said Stock- 
 ing. 
 
 "We intend to hold it under any circumstances," 
 replied Glimson, with another swing of his arms. 
 
 " Quite right ! I trust, if I can be of any assist- 
 ance, you will allow me to act," said Stocking. 
 
 " "With all my heart," rejoined Glimson {sotto voce)y 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 131 
 
 " especially if you succumbed under the effort, my 
 friend." 
 
 " Suppose the opposition annihilated you. What 
 then? " queried Stocking. 
 
 " First let them annihilate us, and then we will 
 consider that matter in all its bearings," repHed 
 Glimson, sarcastically. 
 
 "Annihilation would be a climax which would 
 leave no opportunity for consultation or considera- 
 tion — it would not require any," said Stocking. 
 
 "You are a bird of ill omen," said Bligow ; 
 " croaking directly you hear of a bold plan. I hate 
 your pessimistic views. Why should we not 
 succeed? " 
 
 Stocking, discomfited by this attack, said — " I do 
 not wish to be pessimistic. In fact, if you know me, 
 I generally am optimistic in my views. I always 
 believe in a silver lining to the cloud, but I think it 
 best to count upon the greatest evil, and then re- 
 joice at its non-occurrence. They laugh best who 
 laugh last." 
 
 At this moment an attendant brought in the last 
 number of the Half Hoiir, still damp from the 
 press. 
 
 Following him came Antony who, looking round, 
 came silently up to Ingleton, shook hands with him, 
 walked away — shivering as he passed Stocking — • 
 and seating himself on a bench, shouted — " Hurrah 
 for Merry England." 
 
 He as usual took out his pipe, filled it and lit it, 
 
132 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 and peering through that haze which seemed ever to 
 surround him, he eyed Stocking in such a manner 
 that the latter, had he ohserved it, would have been 
 reminded of a dog protecting its mistress or master 
 from the onslaught of an assassin. At the present 
 moment this mist which surrounded Antony was 
 intensified by the smoke which he blew straight at 
 Stocking, causing that worthy to be decidedly irri- 
 tated. So much so that he removed his seat to a 
 place where the light fell full on his face. This was 
 just what Antony wanted, who ceased his attacks ; 
 nor must it be thought that Antony did this in a 
 hurry — no, it was all done in a most methodical 
 way. 
 
 The young man who had brought the newspaper 
 had scarcely departed before Glimson was deep in 
 its columns. 
 
 " Ho ! ho ! " shouted Glimson ; " Hsten ; I call 
 this impudence." He proceeded to read — " * We 
 are pleased to see that the lecture to be given 
 at the Alliance, to which we referred in an earlier 
 edition, will not be held. No doubt the good sense 
 of the lecturer, and our advice, has prevailed.' There 
 is a nice prevarication for you ! " 
 
 " I think such a matter requires immediate recti- 
 fication," said Bligow, indignantly. 
 
 " Decidedly so ; at least, if you intend to perse- 
 vere," said Stocking, in his blandest tones. 
 
 " Here is something else," said Glimson, still 
 intent upon the newspaper — " ' The chirrup of the 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 133 
 
 fledgling has already been silenced, and the note of 
 clamour is already forgotten. Farewell, little chirp- 
 ing sparrow, thou hast tumbled from thy nest in a 
 flutter. Thy chirp was as the death song of the 
 swan.' More mystery and more rubbish." 
 
 ♦* I shall immediately write to the Half Hour,'' 
 said Ingleton ; and he rang a bell. 
 
 Thompson appeared, and as directed, immediately 
 returned with writing materials, which he placed on 
 a table, at which Ingleton: seated himself. Antony 
 was about to shout, but Ingleton, putting up his 
 hand, stayed him. 
 
 Stocking left the room. " Only for a minute," he 
 said ; and Ingleton wrote quickly ; and by the time 
 he had finished Stocking had re-entered the room. 
 " I have written this," said Ingleton, read- 
 ing from the letter—" ' To the Editor of the Half 
 Hour. Sir, — I have observed inuendos in your 
 paper in respect to a lecture, or debate, on Indivi- 
 dualism, which I intend holding on the 11th inst. 
 Now, so far from having given up my idea, I have 
 not wavered in the least. The notice I placed on 
 the notice-board of the Alliance Club smoking room 
 was removed, and replaced ' by order ' — that is the 
 -^ord — by a sheet bearing the imprint and the seal 
 of the Alliance. I would ask you to immediately 
 publish this letter, in order to correct the impression 
 conveyed by your remarks. I have repeated my 
 offer for a debate, and have been accepted. So much 
 for the chirrup silenced for ever. I trust this letter 
 
134 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 will appear without emendation or omission. — 
 Yours obediently, James Ingleton.' " 
 
 " This is good," remarked Bligow. 
 
 " You can add that I have accepted the debate," 
 said Glimson. 
 
 Ingleton added the necessary postscript. 
 
 " You have now cast the die, and you cannot 
 retreat if you want to be consistent," said Stocking. 
 
 " I know not retreat," said Ingleton. 
 
 " He who /ears, need not join," said Glimson. 
 
 " I do not fear mortal foe," replied Stocking, 
 grandiloquently. " I will join, whatever the risk." 
 
 "No, he fears no mortal foe," Glimson muttered, 
 ■soito voce — " but he fears the night dews, the night 
 shades, the goblins, and the ghosts." 
 
 " I am going to the Half Hour office at once," 
 said Ingleton. 
 
 ** I will accompany you," said Glimson and Bligow 
 together. 
 
 " I should have much pleasure in doing the same, 
 but am engaged for the present," said Stocking. 
 
 The three friends departed. Stocking remaining in 
 the room. 
 
 Antony rose, and approaching Stocking, peered 
 full in his face. 
 
 Stocking closed his eyes, but did not otherwise 
 notice Antony, who stepped back, still looking at 
 him. Stocking bit his lips until they were white ; 
 then he opened his eyes to their fullest extent, and 
 faced Antony, who stood immovable. A mahguant 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 135 
 
 'look was on Stocking's face ; his fingers twitched ; 
 and he raised his hands as though he wanted to 
 grasp Antony's throat. 
 
 The will was there, but he dared not. In the first 
 place — he was seated, and Antony was standing. 
 "Secondly — Antony, as he thought, was stronger 
 than he ; thirdly — he might be arrested if he injured 
 •or killed him. 
 
 The look of malice grew in intensity. Were he 
 imprisoned he could not wreak vengeance on Ingle- 
 ton. All this Stocking weighed in his mind, while 
 his fingers were nervously twitching. 
 
 At last Antony turned his back on him and left 
 the room. 
 
 Stocking breathed a sigh of relief; he gnashed his 
 teeth, and muttered — " I shall have to remove 
 Antony first " — he spat on the floor as he uttered 
 •this name. "Vile, despicable creature ; disgusting 
 fellow ; you shall not thwart me — you, of all men 
 the vilest." 
 
 He left the room, and in the corridor he met Mr. 
 Slowun, who was " shuffling off for a coffee swill." 
 So said Thompson, whom it would be unwise to 
 doubt. 
 
 INIr. Slowun invited Stocking to come and have a 
 cup of coffee. 
 
 To this Stocking agreed, to the great joy of 
 Thompson ; who straightway gave vent to his 
 feelings by one of his pet war dances. 
 
 On their way to the establishment where was 
 
136 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 dispensed the mild soothing cup of coffee, Stocking" 
 conveyed to Mr. Slowun as much as he thought fit 
 concerning his transactions with Ingleton. Not 
 having to exert himself in the matter, a proceeding 
 which at any time he highly disparaged, the presid- 
 ing genius of the " Alliance " approved of Stocking's 
 work. 
 
 It may be remarked— and we have the authority 
 of Thompson for saying so — that Mr. Slowun had 
 been born old. Thompson stated — and his evidence 
 was unimpeachable — that Mr. Slowun had come 
 into the world with that dirty grey beard ; that he 
 had never been young ; that he had never played a 
 game even in the remote days of his quondam boy- 
 hood ; that he never had missed a day from his 
 ofiice ; had never been ill for a single hour within 
 the memory of any of the officials. 
 
 Thompson was wont to say — " Can you imagine 
 such a man to have ever played at leap frog ? " and 
 if you ventured to assert that it might have been 
 possible, Thompson would declare the idea pre- 
 posterous. He would say — " Such an agglomeration 
 of possibilities as could cause Mr. Slowun to exert 
 his intuitive faculties, or exercise his muscles beyond 
 a shuffle, entirely exceeded his power of concep- 
 tion." 
 
 Having consulted this authority we may return 
 to Stocking. Stocking was speaking very softly : 
 " He has fallen into my trap ; he has written to 
 the Half Hour, and cannot retract now." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 137 
 
 Mr, Slowun immediately turned round, shuffled 
 back, and returned again to Stocking, who took no 
 notice of this little performance, which was repeated 
 several times at intervals of a few minutes. 
 
 " I want your assistance," said Stocking, on Mr. 
 Slowun's return. 
 
 " I cannot do it, you know ; it may compromise 
 ray position," answered Mr. Slowun, in his own 
 vacillating, nerveless way. 
 
 "Oh! it will not implicate you," said Stocking, 
 angrily. 
 
 " Don't get out of temper now, my child," whined 
 
 Mr. Slowun. " What is it? Bother it ! Bother it ! " 
 
 " It will do you good, because it will show that 
 
 you take great interest in the ' Alliance,' and are 
 
 faithful to the State," said Stocking. 
 
 "You know I never like to injure anyone .... 
 What do you want?" said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Well, Ingletonhas replaced his notice, and that 
 of Glimson's. Now you must give notice to the 
 Senate of Ingleton's intention, and if he persists he 
 must be incarcerated together with his accomplices," 
 said Stocking. 
 
 " I would not injure anyone," said Mr. Slowun ; 
 " but peace must be kept at any cost. But why, 
 where, does he injure the State?" asked Mr. 
 Slowun, vaguely. 
 
 Further conversation was stopped by their arrival 
 at the Cretonian. 
 
 ***** 
 
138 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 The prismatic contents sheet of the Half Hour 
 exhibited, amongst other notices, the following : — 
 "A Letter from Mr. J. Ingleton." 
 
 Hundreds stopped at places where these sheets- 
 were exhibited, and looked amazed. "A letter! a 
 letter ! " could be heard passing from lip to lip. It 
 was a strange event, for letters appeared only on the 
 rarest occasions, the newspaper being almost ex- 
 clusively the mouthpiece of those in power, who did 
 not go out of their way at any time to court corres- 
 pondence ; and that especial notice of such corres- 
 pondence should appear on the contents billnaturally 
 increased the public curiosity. 
 
 Those who were weather-wise began predicting^ 
 and like the oracles of Greece, were very mysterious, 
 giving vent for the most part to such expressions 
 as — " There is something up," &c. 
 
 Now as there could be doubt of this, they looked 
 profoundly wise after having given forth these bits of 
 philosophic reasoning. But many hurried home- 
 wards, or to such places where the Half Hour was 
 obtainable, and read the letter. 
 
 From that moment a strange word began to hover 
 on many lips. Those who had known other times 
 could be seen shaking their heads, and old cronies 
 gathered together to recall former days. To these 
 the word Individualism had a meaning — they knew 
 its sense. 
 
 But to the members of the Alliance, who were 
 most interested in this subject, because a fellow 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 139 
 
 member had written this letter, it sounded strange ; 
 it might have been culled from a foreign tongue, so 
 little did they seem to grasp it ; and why anyone 
 should oppose a debate on a subject entirely new to 
 them — they found it difficult to understand. The 
 later editions of the Half Hour were eagerly 
 perused, but contained no news. Those, however, 
 who could read between the lines took particular note 
 of the following mysteriously worded paragraph in 
 the paper : — 
 
 " A voice has been heard, but the ships 
 that brought the news spoke the signs wrongly. 
 The priests were mystified, and said the oracle 
 was silent. Bat the oracle spoke, and in plain 
 language ; nor could the priests disguise its 
 meaning, for it was plain to all. The oracle 
 will be silenced amid the roar of the tempest, and 
 the wind will blow from the north and utterly suffo- 
 cate his voice." 
 
CHAPTEK X. 
 
 It is strange how readily people take up a matter 
 of which they were perfectly ignorant a moment 
 before. 
 
 Mark Glimson was seated at his ease in his room. 
 Near him, on a table, lay three open books and a pile 
 of manuscript. Glimson had been writing, but had 
 removed his chair from the table nearer to the stool, 
 and was swinging his arms while he uttered these 
 words — 
 
 " Last night, not a man but was speaking about 
 Ingleton's letter, and the ridiculous nonsense heard 
 everywhere was enough to make a man swear." 
 
 Glimson rose, pressed a button, and an incandes- 
 cent reading lamp gave light. " Much blessed 
 London," said he, reseating himself : *' City of 
 inveterate mists and general foe to the lungs of its 
 inhabitants, at least of such as are unfortunate 
 enough to live on the outskirts. The fog is above now 
 and around. 
 
 " Those air pumps are magnificent — keeping that 
 mist away. The perfected state has not arrived yet, 
 nor will it be till England shall be free from mist. 
 Oh ! the mist suits the time ; the mist hides the 
 blue vault of Heaven, and the policy of the rulers 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 141 
 
 hides the truth from the people. Beautiful ! Well, 
 there are those who take advantage of the mist, but 
 [ cannot, worse luck." He swung his arms, and 
 then ran his fingers through his hair. 
 
 " Hallo ! who the dickens is that ? " he said, as he 
 heard a sharp ring at the bell. 
 
 A moment later a man entered. He was dressed 
 in the uniform of the State. In appearance he re- 
 sembled a boiled lobster, with garnish of carrots — he 
 having a tough, red, scrubby beard and hair to 
 match. " Man — Mark Glimsou," he said, in an ex- 
 traordinarily gruff voice, as he produced a blue-folded 
 sheet. 
 
 *' T am he," said Glimson, eyeing the fellow as 
 though he were a curiosity. 
 
 " By order," said the man, as he handed Glimson 
 the paper. 
 
 " With my most sincere thanks," said Glimson, 
 accepting the paper. 
 
 The man turned on his heels and walked towards 
 the door. 
 
 " Hi ! put a mask upon your face ; don a slouched 
 hat and a Spanish cloak, and you would make a 
 splendid representative of the Inquisition," said 
 Glimson. 
 
 The man looked at Glimson and turned again. 
 
 " Hi ! a suit of medifcval clothes, a knife, and six 
 inches of string, and you are an emissary of the 
 Vehmgericht," said Glimson. 
 
 The man scowled. 
 
142 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " You would make an ideal representative of a 
 Chambre Noire, the Mafia of Italy, or the Fenians of 
 Ireland. Good morning ! " concluded Glimson. 
 
 The man scowled again, and went out. 
 
 Glimson unfolded the paper in a most leisurely 
 way, and glanced at it. "Hallo! what is this? 
 Beautiful ! Circle at the head : symbol of the unity 
 of the nation. Sometimes this circle means nought, 
 as in arithmetic occasionally. * Mark Ghmson is 
 requested to appear without fail, at the Ilall of 
 Justice, this day at eleven o'clock in the forenoon 
 precisely, before the Senator Judge on the rota. By 
 order ! You are to bring this paper with you.' 
 
 " Now that last line is really ingenious," re- 
 marked Glimson to himself. " If any man can 
 make head or tail of this, I'll eat my head. Blue 
 paper — official. Sent by a man who does not speak 
 half a dozen words, and utters those as though he 
 were an automatic machine. Mysterious ! Beautiful ! 
 I suppose it is about the debate. Eleven o'clock in 
 the forenoon ; that is a miserable time to summon a 
 fellow before the high and mighty. No precedent. 
 Ah ! Yes ' I think Charles the First appeared at 
 that time before the Court which decreed his execu- 
 tion before they tried him. Beautiful ! I don't feel 
 at all as if I am going to have my head chopped off. 
 Besides, they would puff me away — they coald do 
 it — to preserve the peace and prevent danger. Only 
 let them try it, it will require more than one puff. I 
 wonder if they have summoned Ingleton ? No doubt, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 143 
 
 my puissant masters, I shall have the pleasure of 
 your acquaintance before long. You preserve many 
 thingis and discard others. You wear a robe of red — 
 significant of justice, tempered with blood ; I think a 
 robe of white — purity — would suit you better. And , 
 oh ! for a wig, too ; I should like to see you arrayed 
 in a wig with curls and powder, like the one in the 
 glass case at the museum. What buffoons these people 
 must have been who were judged by such zanies. 
 We are no better. Hallo ! it is time I went to pre- 
 sent myself — ' By order.' " 
 
 The Hall of Justice was situated in the centre of 
 an immense square, having four different entrances 
 which were always open, so that the central corridor 
 was an everlasting prey to draughts ; but then the 
 architect who designed the building did not trouble 
 himself about such trifles as draughts. What were 
 draughts ? 
 
 Nothing, when compared to the working out of an 
 elaborate design. If you do not like the draughts 
 then shut those massive doors studded vnth nobs. 
 We have wandered, and have entered before looking 
 round to examine the exterior. If you are a stranger 
 in London, a guide, kindly provided by the Govern- 
 ment, will escort you round, and point his stick as 
 he goes along at the show places. 
 
 He usually begins on the south side, where a 
 monumental stone, fixed in the wall, records the 
 following fact : — 
 
 " The hall of Justice is built in the Victorian 
 
144 JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 Style as designed and approved by the Convention 
 in the year VII." 
 
 Now, supposing your knowledge of architecture 
 to be limited, you immediately look wise and admire 
 the Victorian style, especially when the guide points 
 out the special points in connection with it. If you 
 have no guide with you,- and you have ascended the 
 flight of steps and passed those knobby-faced oak 
 portals, and then through enormous glass svring 
 doors, and after that another set of doors, your first 
 impression will be that it is draughty, that it is 
 dark, and that the tesselated pavement is noisy. 
 Moreover, that slab of black alternated by white 
 marble, reminds you of a chess board. Again, if you 
 looked upwards you w^ould see that it was darker 
 there, and that the friezes of the ceiling and the 
 carving of the Corinthian columns would eventually 
 prove a grand nesting place for dust and cobwebs. 
 
 Among those other notions that will get into your 
 head, as the doors at the end suddenly swing open, 
 and you are almost chilled to the bone by the 
 opposing currents of air, is the question why there 
 was such an enormous space around you. Why 
 men should be coming to and fro in the simmerian 
 darkness of the basement. That draught from below 
 might even put it in your head that justice was 
 being manufactured in those caves under the floor- 
 ing on which you stood ; or, perhaps, the kerchief 
 wherewith open-handed justice was blindfolded, 
 was spun there ; or the evenly-balanced scales 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 145 
 
 taken down and cleaned occasionally, or a fresh edge 
 put upon the sword. 
 
 For to your unguided mind it might seem foolish 
 to have underground rooms, when there was so 
 much room above. But never enter a building 
 without a guide, it is unwise, and above all, eccentric. 
 
 Here then arrived Mark Glimson at a quarter to 
 the eleventh hour. 
 
 As he ascended the steps, he was muttering to 
 himself, — " The Victorian style is very good; chief 
 characteristics — a medley of all the styles from the 
 Corinthian to the Tudor, with a dash of the Moorish 
 thrown in. Beautiful ! A wing of this, and a wing 
 of that, cut short ; very elegant, especially those 
 sugar cones which surmount it all. Beautiful ! " 
 He passed through those swing doors to the hall, as 
 the clock gave the quarter. This clock did not 
 bawl like other clocks. It had more sense, it spoke 
 in an almost subdued tone, and its ticking was very 
 quiet, for even a clock knows how to behave itself 
 when in a Hall of Justice. In the hall, Glimson 
 saw a man in a peculiar garb, whom he immedi- 
 ately recognised as his visitor of the morning. Not 
 knowing where to go, he stepped up to this person, 
 who was pacing the pavement, in an automatic 
 manner. 
 
 " Where am I to go ?" said Glimson to him. 
 
 " Your papers," said the gruff voice in as sepul- 
 chral a tone as it was possible to adopt. 
 
 Glimson produced the blue note for inspection. 
 
146 JAMES INGLETON, 
 
 The man looked at it, and the gruff voice said, 
 ** Arraigned." 
 
 " Who is arraigned? " said Glimson. 
 
 " You," said the gruff voice. 
 
 "Well, you are cleverer than I," said Glimson, 
 I could not make anything of it." 
 
 " Basement. Boom 3," said the gruff voice. 
 
 "Is that where I have to appear?" said Glim- 
 son. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " That is very uninviting," said Glimson; " am I 
 to be buried before my death ? " 
 . ** That's it," said the official, pointing his finger 
 to the descending stairs. ' 
 
 Glimson crossed the hall, and descended the 
 stairs, muttering — " Lasciate ogtii speranza voi 
 ch'entrate — Arraigned I enter the bowels of the 
 earth." 
 
 At the end of the steps was a long corridor. Glim- 
 son looked round for room 3. Where is it? ... . 
 " Hallo, you here ! " — (to a young man with a 
 large volume on his shoulder, who stopped) — 
 " Where is the ' arraigned ' cavern ? " 
 
 " Room 3, round the corner ; that is where 
 arraigned cases are heard ;" and he went on. 
 
 Glimson passed on, turned the corridor, when he 
 found himself face to face with room number 
 3. — "Now for the Senator on the rota." He 
 entered, but was stopped by a man in similar dress 
 to the red-faced janitor on the upper floor. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 147 
 
 ■" Another member of the Inquistion," said GHm- 
 son, sotto voce. Then he asked, "Am I right?' 
 and handed over the blue paper. 
 
 " Yes," was the answer, and GHmson surveyed 
 the room. 
 
 Except for the man at the door, and a Secretary 
 who was writing, it was empty. At the 
 further side, behind the man writing, was a high 
 desk, with three steps on each side. Behind it 
 stood a statue of Justice, above it a suspended sword. 
 In front was a minature tribune, to which GHmson 
 was directed by the door-keeper. From this eleva- 
 tion he surveyed the room critically. 
 
 " So that is the Secretary. Justice take that 
 kerchief off; you have been blind long enough. 
 That sword should be a poniard, for it has often 
 stabbed those who have appeared before it." 
 
 Further reflection was interrupted by the appear- 
 ance of a man behind the desk, and GHmson beheld 
 the patrician features of Mr. Bostwell, who seated 
 himself after bowing to the walls. , 
 
 Mr. Bostwell, the Senator on the rota, examined 
 a pile of papers on his desk before opening the pro- 
 ceedings, it being universally understood that the 
 Judge knows not his work before he enters Court. 
 
 Having duly examined his file he said, " Mr. 
 Secretary, be pleased to take down in writing the 
 matter before us." 
 
 Mr. Secretary took a fresh sheet of paper, and a 
 fresh pen. Addressing GHmson, " Your name." 
 
148 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Mark Glimson," was the answer. 
 " Your profession ? " said the Senator. 
 " A member of the AlHance," answered Glimson. 
 " You know why you are arraigned before this 
 court. What do you propose ?" asked the Senator. 
 " I do not know what I have been arraigned for. 
 Information on that subject would be desirable,'' 
 said Glimson, quizzingly. 
 
 " Order in court," said the usher. 
 " I did not know it was noisy," muttered Glim- 
 son.. 
 
 "You are charged with intent to disturb the 
 peace," said the Senator, looking hard at his desk. 
 
 " Oh ! " exclaimed Glimson ; " am I permitted to 
 ask wherein I have attempted to do so? " 
 
 " You intend to debate on a subject which you 
 entitle * Individualism,' " said the Senator. 
 
 " It takes two to debate," answered Glimson. 
 Under his breath he added-^" Now about Ingleton." 
 " The charge runs — ' That you intend to assist, in 
 company with another,' " said the Senator. 
 " I do not deny it," answered Glimson. 
 "Youwm?/ not," said the Senator harshly, still 
 intent on the woodwork of the desk. 
 " On what grounds ? " asked Glimson. 
 " You know the law," said the Senator sternly. 
 ** I am not an advocate ; how should I know the 
 law ? " said Glimson. 
 
 " You are supposed to," said the Senator. 
 " Ah ! mere supposition," said Glimson. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 149 
 
 *' Order in court," cried the usher. 
 
 Glimson intended to continue this fencing as long 
 as possible, in the hope of hearing from or about 
 Ingleton, for he felt sure that he had already 
 appeared. 
 
 " By law II. of the year III. the Senate may 
 determine to take any course to maintain the peace," 
 said the Senator, slowly. 
 
 Glimson paused for a moment. " By that law the 
 Senate could justify itself if it took the severest 
 possible course," he said. 
 
 " Decidedly," answered the Senator. 
 
 " Then I shall take the first opportunity of peti- 
 tioning against the law," said Glimson. 
 
 The Senator smiled. " You have other matters on 
 hand, and had better attend to them," he said. 
 
 " Oh ! all in good time," said Glimson. 
 
 " Will you undertake not to hold this debate? " 
 said the Senator. 
 
 For a moment Glimson was nonplussed by the 
 directness of the question. At length he answered : 
 *' It takes two to form a debate at the very least." 
 
 " You do not expect extraneous aid ? " asked the 
 Senator. 
 
 " From what do you infer that ? " asked Glimson, 
 looking round at the door. 
 
 " Will you give the undertaking ? " repeated the 
 Senator. 
 
 Ob, for time — to gain time, that was all. A 
 bright idea struck him. He would lead the judge 
 
150 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 astray. "Why is the Government opposed to a 
 debate ? " he asked. 
 
 " The Government does not oppose a debate," 
 said the Senator. 
 
 " Then why am I here?" asked Glimson. 
 
 " They oppose the subject," answered the 
 Senator. 
 
 " Then I will call it ' Personality,' " said Glimson. 
 
 "The name does not change the subject," said the 
 Senator, amused at the parry. 
 
 "More fencing," muttered Glimson. "How 
 would Collectivism do ? " he asked. 
 
 " Not at all," said the Senator. 
 
 " Why not ? " asked Glimson. 
 
 " Because in the debate you would oppose the 
 idea, and your opponent might defend it too 
 weakly," said the Senator, looking up, wondering 
 what would come next. 
 
 " Foiled again," murmured Glimson, looking 
 round at the door. Would no message come ? 
 
 "But would opposition to Collectivism — but a 
 name — a very abstruse subject — be injurious ?" he 
 asked, after a long pause. 
 
 It was now the Senator's turn to be nonplussecl. 
 What could he say to this question ? Glimson 
 watched him closely. " He dare not answer me ; 
 he understands us perfectly," he muttered. 
 
 " Will you give the undertaking — ' Yes ' or ' no '? '' 
 said the Senator, harshly. 
 
 " I cannot," answered Glimson, confusedly. " It . 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 151 
 
 takes more than one to debate — I must consult 
 others before I can give an undertaking.'' Under his 
 breath he said — " Now it's out." 
 
 " You are answerable for yourself alone," said the 
 Senator. 
 
 " I must consult," said Glimson. 
 
 " You cannot," said the Senator. 
 
 "That is arbitrary," said Glimson ; and to him- 
 self—*' I am boxed, and in the dungeon already." 
 
 " Your answer," said the Senator. 
 
 Glimson looked round at the door, but remained 
 silent. 
 
 " Your answer ! " said the Senator again. 
 
 Glimson kept silent. He knit his brows. To 
 refuse was nothing, but would that compromise 
 Ingleton ? 
 
 " I require an hour for consideration," he said. 
 
 " Yoa can have it," said the Senator, and he im- 
 mediately disappeared. 
 
 The usher walked to the desk, collected the 
 papers, and followed suit. 
 
 The secretary folded his papers and rose. He 
 beckoned to Glimson — " Enter that room," he 
 said. 
 
 Suddenly part of the wall gave way, revealing a 
 small room. 
 
 Glimson entered. " Ah ! is this a foretaste of 
 what is to come ? Well, it is time that this state of 
 things "were altered." 
 
 He paced the room, which did not allow of more 
 
152 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 than three steps either way. Seeing a chair, he sat 
 down and began swinging his arms very rapidly. 
 
 " Bostwell is of our way of thinking, but he dare 
 not show it," he said. " Ingleton, why don't you let 
 me know ? Perhaps he has not been up yet." 
 
 An hour passed by. 
 
 At length the door opened, and Glimson stepped 
 out and ascended the tribune, on which he found a 
 scrap of paper. He examined it closely. "Sure it 
 was not there before." He turned it over, and in 
 minute characters he read — " Lecture, give under- 
 taking. — J. I." 
 
 " Why, Ingleton has been here meanwhile, I see. 
 I will give you the undertaking," to the Senator, 
 who had reappeared at the desk. 
 
 Glimson signed the necessary papers, and was 
 immediately ushered out much to his satisfaction. 
 
 " I never knew that secret rooms were included 
 in Victorian architecture," he said, as he made his 
 way out. " Why it is quite delightful to breathe 
 the fresh air and see the daylight, even if it is 
 foggy. I was in a fog just now. I must see Ingle- 
 ton at once ; but homeward first." 
 
 Hurrying along he noticed that in large letters 
 appeared the words — ** Mr. Ingleton and his lec- 
 ture " on the Half Hour placards. Arriving home, 
 he found the last edition of the Half Hour on his 
 table, and glancing through it he read — " We are 
 authoritatively informed that Mr. Ingletoj^ has 
 abandoned the idea of a debate on Individualism, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 153 
 
 but will give a lecture on that subject on the 
 date already published, under certain conditions." 
 
 "What are those conditions, I wonder? Well, 
 now for Ingleton." 
 
 He again went out, and as he closed the street- 
 door Antony touched him on the shoulder. 
 
 " Hallo ! " said Glimson turning round. 
 
 "James Ingleton is at the Al-li-ance; he sent 
 me," stammered Antony. 
 
 "Eight, Antony," said Glimson, hurrying on, 
 accompanied by Antony, who now and then gave 
 vent to his thoughts by shouting "Hurrah for 
 Merry England." 
 
 " Merry indeed, after what I have passed through," 
 said Glimson. 
 
 ***** 
 
 In the every-day phraseology of those who support- 
 ed by word, or those who supported by action, the 
 social status of which this period was the ideal, is 
 to be found the term, " The duty of mankind." Like 
 all such phrases its application is purely personal, 
 and generally it is summed up in the self-satisfied 
 idea: I take my share of the duty to mankind, 
 that is, to mijself. As a generic term, it suffices 
 for its purpose. It is telHng, for it imports little, 
 and is good in its relation to others ; whom yoa 
 know owe mankind a httle, and do such a little of 
 that duty. Do not they, who prate about this duty, 
 who are ever conjuring with a host of words to that 
 effect, do not they owe their share in this duty ? 
 
 L 
 
154 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Have they fulfilled their allotted task, or are not they 
 contravening the quintessence of that duty to man- 
 kind, when bellowing it down the throats of thou- 
 sands, to the detriment of all good, and the 
 triumph of evil ? Is this duty to mankind ? There 
 are those who think that they fulfil their share of 
 the obligation of life, which includes so many duties 
 and cares, by preaching the regeneration of man. 
 These are dreamers, to whom inevitably comes a 
 rough awakening. If the human race were really 
 imbued with such a pure, lofty spirit, both preach- 
 ers and audience might say they fulfilled their duty 
 to mankind. But is it — does the race aspire to 
 these heights, or does it love to grovel in the dust, 
 besmirched with its own hyprocrisy ? Hence the 
 rude awakening for those of high aspirations. They 
 reckoned with them in their theories. An hypothesis 
 to them was equal to an axiom. For centuries have 
 rolled on, and while the banner of progress has 
 waived aloft, the civilization that has been born, 
 and gone on increasing, is but veneer after all. 
 Calculate not upon man fulfilling his duties to man- 
 kind, for may be he is but an evil monster. How 
 rude is this awakening from a pleasant dream ! 
 How bitter to find the reality, and to see that man 
 still has ambitions, evil dispositions, sordid 
 thoughts, greed for its own sake, not solely 
 for the comforts it can bring. 
 
 Man will fulfil his duty to man, only so long as he 
 can make that duty agree with his own selfishness. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 155 
 
 only when it takes a position well in the rear of 
 his ambition, wants and necessities. All this too 
 despite the ceaseless preaching of equality and 
 fraternity. 
 
 An hydra-headed monster stops the path, with 
 greed, ambition, lust, envy, hatred, chief among its 
 hideous writhing heads. Destroy, crush them, 
 if you like, but in due time they will reappear, 
 more hideous, more distorted than ever. 
 
 Pelham Stocking was in Mr. Slowun's room. 
 The latter was lecturing him on the theme, that if a 
 thing was worth doing, it was worth doing well, even 
 if that thing be evil. " We all owe a duty to man- 
 kind, a duty we must fulfill at all costs. Those who 
 oppose the fulfilment of this sacred duty deserve the 
 greatest punishment the law can devise. I have 
 passed my whole life in fulfilHng this duty," so he 
 spoke. 
 
 Stocking rose from his chair, not highly edified 
 by this discourse, for he began pacing the room with 
 uneasy strides. 
 
 " How have Ingleton and Glimson got on ?" he 
 asked. 
 
 " I don't know," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 "But you could know," said Stocking, impa- 
 tiently. 
 
 "Bother it! Yes, but I dare not," whine 1 Mr. 
 Slowun. 
 
156 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 "Why not?" queried Stocking, still pacing the 
 room. 
 
 "Because — because it might look bad," said Mr. 
 Slowun. 
 
 "Bah ! you would be doing your duty to mankind 
 and the State," said Stocking, grimly. 
 
 " Bother it ! bother ! '' muttered Mr. Slowun, as 
 he cricked his neck for an upside down view of 
 nothing in particular. 
 
 Thompson entered with the Half Hour, and im- 
 mediately departed again. 
 
 " Well, it will be in here," said Mr. Slowun, look- 
 ing at the newspaper upside down. 
 
 Stocking snatched it away, and looked through it 
 eagerly. He found the paragraph and read it with 
 care, and at length bit his lips, and muttering the 
 word "foiled," hurriedly left the room. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The evening of the lecture arrived at length. We 
 say at length, for to the impatient and ever active 
 prime movers, time crawled slowly. First they 
 counted the days, then the hours, and then the 
 minutes. Such is the weakness of man that he 
 will, with careless scepticism, attempt to grasp 
 eternity, and yet be impatient if he has to stand still 
 for a few minutes. 
 
 Bligow has bestirred himself with a will, and his 
 jovial presence seemed everywhere. Not that it 
 required any force to awaken interest, for the blind, 
 stupid interference of the Government had done that. 
 Every member of the Alliance felt that he must 
 attend that lecture, for was not the reputation of a 
 member at stake? 
 
 Truly it required but a word, as Glimson said, to 
 awaken the enthusiasm of thousands. The Half 
 Hour had been read with an eagerness unknown 
 since the first few years of the Convention, but ex- 
 cept for a few obscure paragraphs it was silent 
 on the subject. 
 
 The City Hall phono-chronometer had but bawled 
 the sixth hour, and already the members were troop- 
 ing in knots of twos and threes — talking, discussing 
 the subject as they went ; arranging the lecturer's 
 
158 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 method, and showing its treatment to their admiring 
 friends, who, knowing less than the speakers, and 
 that was little enough, dared not dispute it. Here 
 they came, tall and short, stout and thin, in all 
 shapes and sizes. Stop for a moment and look at 
 some of them. 
 
 Here is a thin, lank, young man, with jet black 
 eyes, and a mouth which denotes determination. 
 He is by himself, and stops not to talk with others, 
 but walks straight on. Arthur Calandis his name. 
 
 Here is a group of three — Frederick Baxter, 
 William Perkins, and John Burham — commonly 
 known as the triumvirate. Baxter is dark-com- 
 plexioned, and has a swarthy black beard and 
 Koman nose. Perkins is sallow, and has arms which 
 are longer than those of most men. Burham is 
 short and stout. 
 
 But why enumerate them ? As the minutes fly 
 the corridor becomes congested, and the hall is 
 rapidly filling. Whirr, whirr, go the wheels of the 
 clock, and the sound of the quarter is heard, and 
 still they enter. 
 
 But enter the hall as the hour strikes, how full it 
 is, how animated ; here they sit and there they 
 stand — and here come James Ingleton, Mark 
 Glimson, Henry Bligow, Pelham Stocking, Willie 
 Heughin, and a few others. What a cheering, 
 what a shouting. All this mysterious enthusiasm is 
 kindled by the opposition made against the lecture. 
 They seat themselves on a platform, upon which the 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 159 
 
 Half Hour apparatus is similar to that in the Hall 
 of Antiquity. 
 
 Glimson rose amid a silence which had only 
 been obtainable after a deal of preliminary cough- 
 ing. He said : — 
 
 " Brothers of the Alliance — It is my duty to say 
 that our brother, James Ingleton, will address you 
 to-night on a subject which may seem strange to 
 you. It would have been better if we had been 
 allowed to debate on it, but we may not, and, there- 
 fore, must bow to the inevitable. Freedom of 
 speech, the so-called right of Englishmen, is denied 
 us by that grandmotherly institution — the Govern- 
 ment. Conditions have been imposed upon the 
 lecturer, which are absurd ; but I am not the 
 lecturer — he can speak for himself," and he sat 
 down, ending abruptly. 
 
 Loud cheers followed this short speech. 
 
 Why had Glimson stopped so short — why ? 
 Because one of the conditions of the lecture was 
 that nothing contrary to the Social State should be 
 expressed. Hence his abruptness. He did not 
 wish to come out strong, as Bligow said. 
 
 Ingleton got up amid fresh cheering, and thus 
 addressed the audience : — 
 
 " Fellow citizens — Before I begin my lecture, I 
 must tell you what, perhaps, some of you know, that 
 the subject I have chosen was greatly opposed by 
 the authorities, not systematically, not telling me 
 that I would not be allowed to speak on Individ- 
 
160 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 ualism; but hints, even threats, were thrown 
 out, should I persist in speaking on a subject which 
 it was thought, and rightly so, is opposed 
 in many respects to the present Government ; 
 but my determination has carried me through, 
 you see. So now for our subject. What 
 is Individualism? What does it promote ? These shall 
 be the stand-points I shall take. What is Individu- 
 alism ?" Ingleton spoke in a manner as calm and 
 collected, more so than even if he were addressing his 
 own home circle, when speaking on such a topic. 
 " Individuality is the birth-right of man, his greatest 
 possession, the most precious treasure presented to 
 him by his Maker. Individuality is man himself. 
 The Creator, in His divine design, created thousands 
 of species of animals — that is the individuality of spe- 
 cies; and in every species are sub-divisions, and sub- 
 divisions betraying the intention of a perpetuation 
 of this system of individuality. Again, when every 
 class is examined and every separate animal is made 
 to pass a judging standard, each differs in points, in 
 colour, with the other — that is the individuality of the 
 body, exhibited to all to mark, note, and inwardly 
 digest. But man is a higher creation. Man, we are 
 told by the Bible, was last created ; the evolutionist, 
 starting from a different theory, arrived at the same 
 conclusion. Man is God's most sublime creation ; and 
 .in man individuality is most marked. The first factor 
 in that individuality — which those who take least 
 trouble to observe, are yet compelled to acknowledge, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 161 
 
 SO forcibly is it present — is personal appearance, 
 the contour, the complexion, the lines, the type. 
 "Who has not noticed them ? Who has not observed 
 the lines of demarcation between man and man, 
 between brother and brother, even between those 
 who are each but a part of one — I refer to twins ? But 
 man has besides his body a mind, and in this may 
 be observed above all, his individuality. For man, 
 being superior to all other creatures, possesses more 
 brain power than any other animal, therefore here 
 Ms individuality shines. In every act, in every 
 •deed it is visible. In thought from the lowest to 
 the highest ; from the most debased to the most 
 lofty, the personality of the man in his thought or 
 actions is ipso-facto the best proof I can give of the 
 existence of individuahty. Every hour of our lives 
 proves its power. Now this power has been the 
 greatest factor in the world's history, from the crea- 
 tion to" — he stopped short, a dead silence ensued, 
 ■during which Stocking was watching narrowly — " to 
 within a short period of the present time. It has 
 'been the creative power, for having itself been a 
 •creation it ever copied itself. It was individuality 
 that gave us the inventions which we so highly 
 prize ; it was individuality that gave us the genius 
 of the painter and the novelist, the word power of 
 the historian, the humour of the comedian. The 
 individual right of man could be no more denied than 
 the existence of the human race, for both are bound 
 •up within the other. How far-reaching its power is, 
 
162 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 it is impossible to estimate. Truly it can be put tO' 
 evil purposes ; such, indeed, has been done, but that 
 lessens not the fact of its greatness. It was the 
 personality of a Moses that first gave a code- 
 of laws and morals to the human race. It was- 
 the individuality of an Alexander that swayed his- 
 world and made him feared, and all but worshi^^ped. 
 It was but a man who, by his personal self, evolved 
 a religion that holds half the globe in prayer. Who 
 could disprove this ? Who can doubt this great 
 force ? Genius is the term applied to those members 
 of the human race who possess this power in greater 
 measure than their fellows, and no greater i^roof 
 of the individuality of each person, in the great 
 mass called humanity, comes to my mind than that 
 this gift should show itself greater in one person 
 than in another. What created the revolution in 
 France but individuality displaying its requirements 
 through its greatest possessors ? The Hegelian idea 
 of progress was a growth of human freedom, ipso- 
 facto the enlargement of individuality. Progress was- 
 a factor of the same personality, which created the 
 environment which made the past a potent power for 
 future good. Individualism is the keystone upon 
 which the human race was founded. Where can we 
 not look for Individualism. In everything — in man- 
 kind, in race, in species, in nationality, and countries. 
 AVhy did Germany give birth to philosophers and 
 England to engineers ? Why did France produce a 
 galaxy of great men, and Italy artists of renown? 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 163 
 
 What was it that taught painting to the Dutch and 
 sculpture to the Greeks ? The individuahty of the 
 races. The inherited individual genius, multiplied 
 continuously, produced the fruit. I could enlarge on 
 the subject, but may not for fear of the darker side 
 of the picture. What did, what does Individualism 
 promote ? It causes men to think and some to 
 dream. It caused them to aspire to the loftiest 
 heights the human mind can attain. It caused 
 others to act, to do, to say that which roused the 
 world from a torpid state, when the mind of man 
 had fallen as low as the brute creation. Then, when 
 hideous darkness, like a great pall, covered the world; 
 then, when a word meant death ; then, despite the 
 enthralling venom of their dreary existence, men 
 cried out, by word of mouth, by book, by pamphlets, 
 and the cry raised by the individual mind grew into 
 a roaring tempest which shook the world to its 
 foundations. That was the strength of Individual- 
 ism ! That is what it did ! But to refer to other 
 matters. All the great deeds which caused a man 
 to be honoured among his fellows were a result of 
 individual thought. One man introduced steam 
 power, another electricity. One man discovered the 
 circulation of the blood, and another the law of gravi- 
 tation. There was but one Shakespeare and one 
 Dickens; one Mirabeau and one Voltaire. Each 
 separately proves the power, the strength, of individ- 
 ual men. Each exhibits his personality in a different 
 light — for such is the wondrous creation — Individ- 
 
164 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 ualism. What a mighty host I could name to prove 
 this truth. Bhudda and Mahomet, Caesar and 
 Napoleon, Washington and Garibaldi, Schiller and 
 Hugo, Mozart and Meyerbeer, Burke and Chatham, 
 Livingstone and Speake. Ha ! they live yet — they 
 exist in their mighty works ; the personality of these 
 men are the shades vsrhich we call history. The 
 heathens appreciated the quality, they understood 
 its worth, for they gave a personality to their gods. 
 The wind, the rain, light, drink, each in turn formed 
 a separate god to be worshipped. Look down into 
 the depths of ages ; glance back into that great past. 
 How does the halo, the individuality, of Homer, 
 Horace, and Virgil illumine the globe till this very 
 day ! How they rise through the mist of time. How 
 highly would not a portrait of these men be es- 
 teemed, and why? Because of the acknowledgment 
 of their personality. Man has a good disposition, and 
 an evil one ; in most one or the other predominates. 
 That again proves his individuahty. None can 
 deny that this same Individualism has been put to 
 evil courses, but what has not ? Who could deny 
 the beneficient powers of our personality because 
 evil has been wrought through it ? " 
 
 Suddenly, to the amazement of all, a bell rang, and 
 a part of the panelling behind Ingleton gave way, 
 disclosing a loud trumpet telephone to the view. 
 
 " Stop ! " shouted a voice in a stentorian tone. 
 
 Ingleton ceased speaking. 
 
 " Stop ! " again called the voice, unearthly in its 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 165 
 
 loudness, and as if emanating from space. 
 
 The whole of the audience rose to its feet. 
 
 " Stop ! " again called the voice. 
 
 On the face of Pelham Stocking there appeared 
 a look of triumph. Glimson, ever ready of mind 
 and action, went to the telephone, and shouted 
 into the receiver (below the trumpet), " Who 
 calls?" 
 
 The silence was overpowering as they all 
 waited for the response. What could have so 
 abruptly stopped the lecture ? 
 
 " By order of the Senate ! " came forth the answer 
 in the same stentorian tones, to the great consterna- 
 tion of everyone. 
 
 The lecture had been allowed, the whole country 
 knew of its taking place, and for it to be stopped — 
 stopped in its very course, seemed a strange pro- 
 ceeding. 
 
 Glimson was sorely perplexed, and so were 
 Ingleton and Bligow. Not a word had been uttered 
 which could have given offence. Not a word in 
 derision of the Collectivism, which the subject 
 opposed. 
 
 Yet, "By order of the Senate," it was stopped. 
 
 Glimson again went to the receiver, having first 
 whispered to Ingleton, " Perhaps it was a hoax." 
 He shouted down," Who represents the Senate V " 
 
 "I, Frank Hedgeco, secretary, have received orders 
 to stop the lecture of James Ingleton," shouted the ' 
 voice, sounding quite uncanny in the stillness. 
 
166 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Still disbelieving, Glimson said, " I will go to the 
 kinteograph — show yourself and your order." He 
 crossed over to where that apparatus stood, and 
 turned its tap full on. All heads were eagerly 
 stretched to the small screen, on which suddenly 
 appeared the features of an old man, with bushy 
 eyebrows, a hard mouth, and little comical eyes and 
 short whiskers. 
 
 *' That is he, right enough," said Glimson 
 gloomily. 
 
 The screen for a moment had a subdued tint, and 
 then followed, in black letters, a document, which in 
 the strong relief was visible in most parts of the 
 hall. 
 
 " There can be no doubt of it," said Glimson, as 
 he narrowly examined the wording. " Confound 
 ^hat act of the Convention ! " and he turned the tap 
 off. The kinteograph was once more in darkness. 
 
 Stocking rose from his seat, and speaking to 
 Ingleton in a very low tone, so low that but few 
 heard him, he said, " You must go on ; it is impera- 
 tive that you take advantage of this opportunity — 
 go on! " and then he reseated himself. 
 
 Glimson turned to the audience. " You have heard 
 ^he order — to disobey is treason. It is our duty to 
 obey," he said. 
 
 Ingleton, who was still standing, said, " Friends, 
 I am in your hands. If you say go on, I will do so ; 
 if you decide that the government must be obeyed, I 
 -will follow suit. Let me know your opinion." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 167 
 
 Bligow rose from his seat and said, " Friends, let 
 iihe good sense of the meeting show itself, and let 
 lihe lecture be discontinued. Now is not the time 
 to brave the danger." 
 
 All were on their feet now, but no one spoke. 
 Arthur Caland jumped upon his seat and shouted, 
 "Let us do our duty, let the lecture cease." And 
 -then a wild shout arose — " Yes ! Yes ! " and " Go on ! 
 go on ! " amid the waving of hands and the stamp- 
 ing of feet, but the " ayes " won it. 
 
 The look of triumph disappeared from Stocking's 
 face, and was replaced by a fierce expression. His 
 face was haggard and pale, but his eyes gleamed in 
 horrible contrast. 
 
 Glimson observed it, and then muttered, " Do we 
 owe this to you ? " and going to the receiver, spoke 
 down it : " The lecture will be discontinued. Are 
 you satisfied? " and amid a great silence came the 
 answer " Yes," and the panel reclosed itself. 
 
 ** Three cheers for Ingleton," shouted Arthur 
 ■Caland, and three ereat cheers were given, sounds 
 which had not been heard for nigh a quarter of a 
 •century. 
 
 " Bravo ! bravo !" They were repeated, and would 
 have been continued, but Ingleton stayed them. 
 
 " I thank you for your kindness ; I will treasure it 
 to the end of my life," he said, and sat down. 
 
 Glimson again came to the front of the platform. 
 
 "Time, friends; I ask for time," he said, and 
 retreated to the end of the platform. 
 
168 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Caland, still on his seat, shouted, "Home! go 
 home ! " and he got down. 
 
 A peculiar scene now presented itself. Hundreds 
 went out, but amid deepest silence. Many 
 approached the platform, and shook hands with 
 Ingleton and Glimson. Last of all came Caland, 
 coat buttoned up and head erect. He took great 
 strides, and mounted the platform, and addressing^ 
 Ingleton and Glimson, said, " The time is 
 not yet ripe." Then he immediately departed 
 in the same manner as he had come. 
 
 Stocking was still seated in moody, sullen silence. 
 He bit his lips, then uttered the words, '* Foiled, 
 foiled." 
 
 The moon shone bright, and the stars twinkled 
 merrily above. The hall was empty; all had gone 
 home. What was to be done ? 
 
 Bligow walked home with Ingleton and Glimson, 
 
 " They are stirred," said the former. 
 
 " They are, in spite of all," said Gimson. 
 
 " I think so too," said Ingleton ; and they shook 
 hands heartily, and went home to meditate, and 
 plan for the future. 
 
 Half uttered speech; uncompleted lecture ! What 
 has it effected ? Was the peaceful mind disturbed 
 in this ideal state? Was the object of Ingleton 
 attained to any extent ? 
 
 Had Glimson judged rightly, or was the enthusi- 
 asm a quality which the morning sun would disperse 
 like a mist ? They who read know the results. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 169 
 
 Stocking walked home. " Baffled ! Baffled ! " 
 he muttered. " Baffled, when I could have staked 
 my existence on the results. Baffled ! foiled ! and I 
 thought he would now be approaching his end. 
 Bah ! I shall not give in. I 7nust not — if I had but 
 dared I might have ended it there and then." 
 
 A shadow was following him — a shadow which 
 stopped when he paused for a moment to beat his 
 breast in vexation — a shadow which moved when he 
 moved. That shadow and his own mingled with 
 €ach other. Still he walked on, puzzled how to act. 
 '' I have it," he muttered suddenly. . . . The 
 shadow came face to face with him. ... It was 
 Antony. 
 
 It is a fallacy common to all, that night means 
 sleep, and sweet repose to everything. 
 
 Listen ! the dogs are howling in the stillness. The 
 cocks crow from their roosts and foretell the change 
 of weather. Does the night sleep ? The darkness 
 is watching. The shadows are so many spies that 
 wend their way stealthily and silently. The wind 
 is lifting its voice. Does the night sleep ? No ! 
 Nature is awake. The clouds gather, the stars 
 twinkle, and occasionally are seen taking'flight into 
 space. The moon crosses the path allotted to her 
 course. The tides come and go, and the billows 
 heave one over the other. The trees whisper^in the 
 
 wind, and plants and flowers sigh an answer. Who 
 
 M 
 
170 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 says the night sleeps ! when the watchers of the 
 night do their sentry duty. 
 
 Pelham Stocking slept, and dreamed. He beheld 
 a great open space. Ingleton, Glimson, and 
 Bligow were there — (" Ha ! ha ! " he shrieked 
 in his sleep) — they were being led to execu- 
 tion. He saw it, and triumphed. He laughed in his 
 sleep. The scene changed, and the beads of perspir- 
 ation gathered on his forehead. He moved in 
 violent contortions in his bed. He was on a precipice. 
 He slipped, and fell. He was falling . . . falling 
 on to the jagged rocks below. He shrieked in his 
 agony. No help ! He was falling, and he felt the 
 concussion as he struck the rocks. His brain 
 whirled, and the blood oozed from his head. He 
 was dying, and there was none to save him. 
 
 He sprang up and knocked his head against the 
 woodwork of the bed. He awoke from the shock, 
 and breathed a sigh of relief. The moon's rays 
 entered the room through a crevice in the shutters. 
 AVho said the night slept ? 
 
 He fell asleep again ... and on his ears fell the 
 strains of sweet music, which threw him into 
 an ecstacy of delight, so beautiful it was — it rose and 
 fell in ever changing cadences. Turning suddenly 
 he found himself in the presence of a snake charmer. 
 The music rolled more pleasantly on, and soft 
 aromatic breezes fanned his cheeks. Ah ! the girl 
 was gone. He was alone with a huge python, which 
 magnetized him to the spot. It raised its head and 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 171 
 
 spat at him. Ah ! it came towards him. . . . He 
 felt it twisting itself around his legs. The music 
 was again wild and weird, but it played faster. 
 The serpent had reached his wrists; he felt his 
 muscles contract, and knew he was powerless. 
 Faster, faster, went the music .... He felt the 
 cold clammy folds around his throat. The 
 coils tightened. He knew his end had come ; he 
 yielded himself up as the music rose with a final 
 burst, and died away. 
 
 After a time he awoke. The perspiration, cold and 
 dank upon him. He had swooned, and found that 
 he had nearly throttled himself with his coverlet. 
 He gasped for breath, and loosened its folds. He 
 was nervous, and shook vrith terror. He sprang 
 from his bed, and opened the shutters. The wind 
 was moaning ; the moon lower on the horizon, but 
 invisible. Yet through two breaks in the clouds its 
 rays descended to earth and fell upon him. He 
 turned away sharply, shaking as though he had the 
 ague. 
 
CHAPTEK XII. 
 
 " How did you like the lecture ?" said the basso 
 of little Burham. 
 
 *' The half lecture you mean ? " said Perkins in a 
 thin piping voice. 
 
 " Stopped in the middle," said Frederick Baxter. 
 
 The triumvirate were in their workshop. They 
 were all three engineers, and worked in the same 
 room. 
 
 The engineers' room was well lighted and lofty. 
 Three lathes were at work : two smaller, and one 
 larger and heavier in build — a screw cutter. Below 
 them were three funnels, which received the filings 
 and cuttings as they came from the work which was 
 being turned. The chisels working very smoothly ; 
 their filings fell in a trough below the flooring ; and 
 every now and then the heavy sound of pneumatic 
 pressure, told that the filings were being forced in 
 the melting furnace. 
 
 ** It was very rambling," said Perkins, walking to 
 a gauge-meter, which told him how far the work 
 had progressed. "Another five minutes finishes this 
 piece," he said, after having examined the meter. 
 
 "Yes, no doubt," said Burham, "it was ram- 
 bling." 
 
 " Well, he never had any notes," said Baxter. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 173 
 
 " It was difficult to speak in a negative sense 
 only," said Burham. 
 
 " Freddy, what do you think that lecture was in- 
 tended for? " said Perkins. 
 
 " Ah ! now, Fred, here is a poser for you," said 
 
 Burham. 
 
 " It had a meaning," said Freddy quietly. 
 
 " No doubt about it," said Perkins. 
 
 " Well, now, what do you take that meaning to 
 be? " said Burham, winking at Perkins. 
 
 " Wait a moment," said Baxter, as he went to 
 the lathe on which a screw was turning. " It looks 
 well, does it not," he said, as he examined the re- 
 volving metal. He glanced at the gauge-meter and 
 calculated aloud. " Three feet thirty six inches to 
 do. Let me see— two one-and-a-half done ; took 
 twenty minutes and a half— three to the inch, take 
 another thirty minutes." What's the pressure. 
 
 Will?" 
 
 " Twenty two," answered Will. 
 
 " That's about six thousand five hundred, eh ! " 
 
 "Yes," answered AVill. 
 
 '' Well, then my chisel is blunt," said Baxter, 
 still watching the revolution of the lathe. 
 
 "No one said it was not," said Burham laughing. 
 
 "The return current is high enough," said Per- 
 kins. 
 
 " They get as much electricity back as is necessary 
 to drive the lathes, I beheve," said Baxter slowly. 
 The ringing of a bell caused Perkins to return to 
 
174 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 his lathe. His piece of work was finished. He 
 pressed a treadle, and the pulley raised itself, releas- 
 ing the pressure of the band, which fell on a loose 
 pulley ; and loosening the head stock, he took his 
 work out, and laying it down said, " 1 have done." 
 
 " Wei], now, Freddy, about the lecture," said 
 Burham. 
 
 " Oh, you heard it," said Fred. 
 
 " Never said I did not," returned Burham. 
 
 " Then what do you think of it ?" said Perkins. 
 
 "What would you have me think of it?" said 
 Fred. 
 
 " What do you think of it ? that is the question," 
 said Perkins. 
 
 " That it was a strange subject," returned Fred. 
 
 " News, news ! " said Burham derisively. 
 
 " Well, you have found something out — you 
 have," added Perkins. 
 
 " It was a good subject," said Fred slowly. 
 
 " I think so too," said Perkins, quizzically. 
 
 " It was a strong subject," said Fred, slowly and 
 with deliberation. " It had an object," said Fred 
 in the same thoughtful manner, stroking his 
 beard. 
 
 " That is evident, for it was stopped by order," 
 said Burham. 
 
 "Nov/, why did the Convention stop it?" said 
 Baxter, still stroking his beard, 
 
 " Question ! question ! " shouted Perkins, crossing 
 the room. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 175 
 
 "Because it was opposed to the Senate," said Baxter. 
 
 " In what sense ? " queried Burham. 
 
 " It opposed Collectivism/' said Baxter thought- 
 
 fully. 
 
 " The spirit of the Senate," rejoined Burham. 
 
 " Yes," answered Baxter, then went to the gauge 
 meter. "Another three minutes," he observed. 
 
 Arthur Caland entered the room with long 
 strides. "Another impost!" he exclaimed, drop- 
 ping the newspaper he held in his hand. 
 
 " Eh ! " said the three together. 
 
 " Your next year's credit card will be reduced by 
 two per cent, that's all," replied Caland. 
 
 " Wliew ! " the triumvirate whistled together. 
 
 " A special meeting of the Convention has declared 
 it," rejoined Caland, picking up his newspaper. 
 
 " The trio whistled again. 
 
 " What is the reason ? " asked Baxter. 
 
 " None stated," replied Caland, handing him the 
 newspaper. 
 
 Only Perkins and Burham whistled this time. 
 
 Baxter, looking at the guage-meter, released the 
 band of his lathe, and returned to where the others 
 were standing. Caland walked up and down, while 
 the three immediately began to look over the 
 newspaper. 
 
 Suddenly a door opened, and a man of medium 
 stature entered the factory. His countenance was 
 adorned with two pimples on each cheek, and three 
 on his nose. His hair was of a dull brown colour, 
 
176 JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 very coarse and much dishevelled. He wore a short 
 apron. 
 
 " What does this mean?" he said sternly to the 
 others. 
 
 "What does ivhat mean?" asked Caland 
 quietly. 
 
 " Is this your room ? " said the man, who was an 
 overseer, and by name John Burrows, to Caland. 
 
 " No ! " answered Caland. 
 
 ** What do you mean by being here then? " said 
 Burrows angrily. 
 
 " Nothing ! " answered Caland. 
 
 " Nothing ! Nothing ! that is no answer," said the 
 overseer. 
 
 ** Well, you will have to look out for a better one," 
 said Caland. 
 
 " This is insubordination, do you know that ? 
 Do you know what that means ? " said Burrows 
 white with passion. 
 
 " It little matters to me, very little indeed, seeing 
 how we are. I mean, I am always at the beck and 
 call of others. You can please yourself," said Caland, 
 picking up the paper which the others had dropped 
 when the overseer came in ; and going to the door 
 said, " I don't care," and then went out. 
 
 " Ycu have not heard the end of this yet," said 
 the overseer, looking after him. " You puppy, with 
 your airs, you shall have a surprise." 
 
 Turning to the others he said, " What are you 
 doing, eh 1 Is this work, reading a paper ? " 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 177 
 
 " I have finished," said Perkins, pointing to his 
 work. 
 
 " So have I," said Baxter. 
 
 "Mine will be finished in ten minutes," said 
 Burham. 
 
 "None of your imxDertinent answers," said 
 Burrows, still angry. 
 
 •' Who is impertinent ? " said Perkins, lifting his 
 long arms. 
 
 . " Don't go and ape that puppy of a Caland," said 
 Burrows, cooling down a little. 
 
 " I do not ape anyone, and if I did it would be 
 my own concern," said Perkins, dropping his arms. 
 
 " If you have finished, why didn't you send your 
 work up? " said Burrows, turning to Baxter. 
 
 " Oh, there is no hurry," said Baxter, with 
 indifference. 
 
 "Hurry or no hurry, you send it up," rejoined 
 Burrows, retreating to the open door, which he pulled 
 after him with a slam. 
 
 The trio whistled — this was their common method 
 of letting off steam, or giving vent to their surprise. 
 
 " Well, of all the humbugs," said Baxter to his 
 friends, "he is the worst." 
 
 " He showed his teeth, did he not," said Perkins 
 reflectively. 
 
 " He always grumbles," said Burham, walking to 
 bis guage-meter, and then to his lathe, from which 
 he released the band. The lathe stopped, and he 
 undid the stock, from which he took the tool and 
 
178 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 replaced it by a file. He then screwed the stock 
 down again, and refixing the band went away. 
 
 The screeching of the file prevented all conversa- 
 tion for some minutes. Meanwhile, the others, going 
 to their respective lathes, took their work, and 
 opening the door of an elevator, placed the work in, 
 shut the door and rang the bell. The filing finished, 
 Burham took his work out, and repeated the action 
 of the others. Quiet restored, the conversation 
 began again. 
 
 " Now he can go and eat his head if he likes," 
 said Burham, referring to the overseer. 
 
 "I say, they will make it hot for Caland," said 
 Baxter. 
 
 " He is not afraid. I do not blame him. We are 
 like a lot of slaves, we must not stand talking when 
 there is next to nothing to do. That's nice," said 
 Perkins. 
 
 " Collectivism or no Collectivism, I won't put up 
 with it," said Perkins, lifting his hand and bringing 
 it down on the bench. 
 
 " Bravo ! " said Caland, re-entering the room. 
 
 " What do you think of last night's lecture," said 
 Burham, turning to Caland. 
 
 "A move in the right direction," said Caland 
 sharply. 
 
 " You take its object to be — — ? " said Perkins. 
 
 " To show the evils of Collectivism," retorted 
 Caland. 
 
 " The ? " said Baxter. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 179 
 
 " To establish the right of IndividuaHty," con- 
 tinued C aland. 
 
 " Hear ! hear ! " shouted the three. 
 
 " Here is a later edition of the Half Hour,'' said 
 C aland after a pause. 
 
 " Is the reason of the impost given," said Perkins. 
 
 " Yes ! " said Caland, opening the paper which he 
 produced from his pocket. 
 
 *' What is it ? " queried Burham. 
 
 ** That the supply is greater than the demand. 
 There is no work for thousands, aod two years of 
 famine have diminished the resources of the treasury. 
 Foreign lands will not take our surplus goods. There 
 are great stores of manufactured goods that cannot be 
 got rid of ; and that, therefore, they must reduce our 
 incomes to balance the national exchequer," said 
 Caland. 
 
 " How has that come to pass? " asked Burham. 
 
 *' Through the loss of our Individuality, the State 
 being the national provider and feeder. Also, because 
 work being done at such high speed, the supply must 
 exceed the demand if anything like constant work 
 is to be provided. That, again, the loss of our in- 
 dividuality causes us to stop at a certain pace, and 
 that many luxuries have been thrown into disuse, 
 the turning out of which formerly employed 
 thousands. Therefore the Senate employs but a few, 
 and in order to find work for all, is obliged to lessen 
 the allowance of each," said Caland. 
 
 " Was not this a factor to be dealt with at all 
 
180 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 times, and under all systems of governments ? " said 
 Perkins. 
 
 The ringing of a bell put a stop to further conver- 
 sation, for it vfarned the men to leave the factory 
 without delay. 
 
 " Meet me this evening at the Alliance, and 
 we will talk it over," said Caland, hurrying to 
 get his outer garments. 
 
 ^; * * * 
 
 The rays of the setting sun glinted on the house 
 tops, the spires and facades of the great buildings, 
 and that conglomeration of streets called London. 
 The golden light lit up the clouds with a thousand 
 beauteous tints. The reflection shone on the 
 windows and on the waters, laughing and dancing 
 as it slowly died away to give place to mystic night. 
 Giimson, seated in his room in the semi-obscurity ,. 
 swung his arms for the hundreth time that after- 
 noon. "Well, Ingleton is more resolute than even 
 I thought he would be — ' stick to it till death,' he 
 said. Well, I shall not forsake him. That impost 
 will materially assist us I am sure. Now, my fine 
 fellow, you will have to look alive or " 
 
 He paused, and ran his fingers through his hair. 
 " Yes, a good conceit. You stopped our lecture, and 
 we will stop you. As a certain Eoman said, ' the 
 universe is transformation. Life — is opinion.' My 
 opinions are very decided ; as for the transformation 
 — I think that is just what you need above all things. 
 As that same Roman said, 'always run the short way,. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 181 
 
 for the short way is the natural one.' Why should 
 we think much of a man who said that ? It is not 
 very wonderful after all ! Well, I am going to the 
 Alliance, and shall go the shortest way ; but I do 
 not infer from that, that it will not lead to danger ; 
 may be the other way is more likely to. 
 
 "Heigho ! I must see what they are doing in there, 
 and see how I can effect our cause in any way. 
 Messieurs, the government — everything — is only for 
 a day, except that which is remembered. I remember, 
 or, better still, I know of certain things ; I can say I 
 remember with safety — either I shall remember you, 
 or you remember me." With this, swinging his arms 
 for the hundredeth and first time, he got up, and 
 put on his outer garments. 
 
 At the Alliance all was in full swing when Glimson 
 arrived there. Baxter, Perkins, Burham and Caland, 
 and a few others, were already in the smoking room. 
 
 " Ha ! " said Caland, as he entered, " Glimson 
 could tell more about it than I." 
 
 "Can I though," said Glimson, who, divested of 
 his coat and hat, immediately seated himself in the 
 most convenient position for swinging his arms. 
 
 " Yes," said Caland, "you know more about the 
 past than I." 
 
 "What is under discussion?" said Glimson, 
 lighting his pipe as a preliminary. 
 
 " The relation of supply and demand in the past 
 in reference to labour," said Burham. 
 
 " I suppose the imposts and its reasons are the 
 
182 JAMES INGLETON, 
 
 subject, and how they dealt with the question before 
 our time ?" said Glimson. 
 
 " Yes, yes," answered the trio. 
 
 " We," said Ghmson, " must look at things in 
 their true light, or, to put matters plainly, discover 
 them in their own nudity, and reason then to put 
 matters right. It has been necessary to lessen our 
 incomes because the supply is greater than the 
 demand ; and as the supply will continually increase 
 in ratio to the demand, which cannot increase at the 
 same pace under given conditions, our credit will 
 decrease in proportion. 
 
 " There is a nice look out for you. You could 
 have foretold this twenty years ago as easily as you 
 know it to night. At no time has this differed, per- 
 haps, for at every falj of the year you can read in the 
 old newspapers — ' trade continues slowly to de- 
 cline ' — but although business then might have been 
 slack, that is, the demand might be almost nill, 
 work always continued more or less. This was be- 
 cause of individual men carrying on business accord- 
 ing to their own lights — otherwise called competi- 
 tion. 
 
 " Secondly — a great portion of trade in the past 
 was really speculation. • Perhaps it was the greatest 
 feature. Without this feature trade could not exist, 
 and it cannot exist now. There never was a period 
 when the demand was for any length of time equal 
 to the supply on all the markets of the world. Do 
 you think that all the metals that the earth yielded, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 183 
 
 or the goods that were manufactured, were con- 
 sumed as soon as finished? If you do you are 
 mistaken. 
 
 " They were sold and re-sold. The prices rose and 
 fell from time to time, and, perhaps, the goods were 
 stocked for years before being put to use. This, in 
 the great business then carried on, was of little in- 
 convenience, because loans, bills, and a hundred 
 methods were at hand by which the merchants 
 could raise money to carry on their business. This 
 is how the world existed — by enterprise, by specu- 
 lation, and competition ; the result of Individualism. 
 The currency aided this in the form of gold and 
 silver coin, and paper. It was this that bought and 
 sold everything. 
 
 " The system of barter was sufficient for the 
 primitive times in which it was instituted, but it 
 would not do later. Indirectly it always existed ; 
 but with money the merchants bought in advance, 
 speculating on a arise in prices to yield greater 
 profits. What would be the use of buying in this 
 manner now, when there could be no profit. Why 
 money itself was only merchandise, and was sold and 
 bought to yield profit. If only sufficient goods were 
 made to supply the immediate wants of the world, 
 things would have come to a standstill long ago ; 
 assuredly as we will do now, or in the near future. 
 Such, friends, are the benefits of Collectivism, and 
 grand-mothsrly Government." 
 
 " But suppose the prices fell," said Perkins. 
 
184 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Then some one, some individual, or individuals, 
 lost," continued Glimson. " No doubt you would 
 call this an artificial stimulus to trade, this specula- 
 tion, but it was necessary, and it is still necessary 
 to maintain the commercial equilibrium of the 
 country." 
 
 " Well," said Caland, " there are other matters 
 to be considered, such as the quantity of output 
 during a given time." 
 
 " Decidedly," said Glimson. " There are many 
 other matters to be taken into consideration. For 
 instance, the suppression of our Individualism has 
 limited our spending powers. Luxuries are of no 
 utility in this matter-of-fact age. Who can buy 
 jewellery ? Nobody. Therefore, those who formerly 
 were employed in such trades — and they were a 
 numerous class — had to turn to other occupations 
 and swell them. Then again, in the method of 
 business in vogue, say seventy or eighty years ago, 
 salesmen, travellers, and hundreds of different inter- 
 mediaries were required for which now there is no 
 room, and therefore exist not. Who travels now ? 
 Hardly anyone. For, except to pay a visit, we have 
 no necessity to do so. Yet, formerly, returns of the 
 railways — now replaced by aerial cars — went into 
 millions. Now they represent not so many thou- 
 sands. This travelling employed a host of men, who 
 were ever hard at work. Now the necessary offices 
 are quadrupled merely to give employment to some, 
 which is a gross waste of human energy. What 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 185 
 
 enormous progress we have made in this ideal 
 State. Is it not marvellous ? " 
 
 " It all amounts to this," said Caland, " that 
 individuahty is necessary for the welfare of 
 humanity." 
 
 " Then that was the object of lugleton's lec- 
 ture," said Baxter, who had been silent till now. 
 
 "Yes, of course it was," said Glimson. 
 
 " I said so,'' said Baxter. 
 
 " No, you never did," chimed his two friends. 
 
 " Didn't I though," said Baxter. 
 
 " No, it was not in you," chimed the other two, 
 like a Greek chorus. 
 
 " Well then, what did I say? " asked Baxter. 
 
 " You said it was a very strong subject, and had a 
 purpose," said the others. 
 
 " Well, is not that the same," said Baxter. 
 
 " No, it is not," was the dual answer. 
 
 " Shut up, you noisy beggars!" said Glimson. 
 Turning to Caland, he added—" There never yet 
 was a co-operative system established on a large 
 scale but it failed. I have just been turning it over 
 in my mind, and none that have kept to strict co- 
 operation, but failed in the end. We are hving on 
 a co-operative principle, and that is why we fail. It 
 is all well enough if you try it on a small scale, but 
 as soon as it reaches any magnitude it bursts hke a 
 babble — be-autiful ! 
 
 " I remember reading in an old newspaper of the 
 year 1890 or '91, or thereabouts, of a dowurig'it. 
 
186 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 social co-operative ideal Utopian state being founded 
 in America, and that one day the cook ran away — they 
 numbered but a few — and down came the society 
 like a pack of cards. You see we cannot be ever- 
 lastingly erecting public buildings and bridges, and 
 such like, though we have been doing it for a long 
 time ; and the cry is now almost general of * got no 
 work to do,' better understood in other days, be- 
 cause none of us have ever yet done a hard day's 
 work." 
 
 " Who have not ? " shouted the three others. 
 
 " You," said Glimson, laughing. 
 
 " That's wrong," shouted they. 
 
 " Have you ever felt tired, except from laziness ?" 
 said Glimson. 
 
 "It is true enough after all," said the trio with 
 one voice. 
 
 " Misdirected energy," said Glimson, ''that is 
 what I call all the proceedings of the age." 
 
 *' I say ! Will any more lectures be given by 
 Ingleton?" said Perkins. 
 
 " The time is not yet ripe," said Caland, stopping 
 Glimson, who was about to speak. 
 
 "What fruits are you looking for?" said Bur- 
 ham. 
 
 " The effects of last night's lecture," said Glim- 
 son. 
 
 ** In what respect? " said Baxter. 
 
 "What is your opinion of it? "said Glimson, 
 answering by a question. 
 
JAMES INGLETON, 187 
 
 " That it was correct," said Baxter. " It was in- 
 tended to show the faults of the present, and " 
 
 He stopped. 
 
 " And ? " said Glimson. 
 
 " To change it, if possible," said Baxter. 
 
 " By ' it' you mean the Government," said Caland. 
 
 " Yes," said Baxter. 
 
 ** Hurrah ! " shouted the chorus. 
 
 " And what tells you that ? " said Glimson 
 questioningly. 
 
 *' My individual perception," said Baxter. 
 
 " Hear ! hear ! " shouted the chorus. 
 
 "Your individual perception — I like the phrase. 
 Well, you are not altogether wrong," said Glimson ; 
 muttering under his breath, " Mes sieurs beware ! the 
 dawn of reason." 
 
 " Well, will another lecture be given ? " said 
 Perkins. 
 
 " At present we should be prevented. Wait, 
 friends. It took a hundred years to form this state, 
 let it take as many days to destroy it," said Glimson. 
 Hallo ! I have been speaking treason, that is the 
 upshot of dabbUng with politics. 
 
 " You are safe with us," said Perkins. 
 
 " Of course," said Baxter and Burham. 
 
 " Supposing you were offered the opportunity, 
 would you join in any movement, " said Glimson 
 (speaking softly so that only those near him could 
 hear), " for the suppression of the Government ? " 
 " I for one," said Caland. 
 
188 ; JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 " And I," said the tliree others together. 
 
 " Then be discreet and silent, and you shall hear 
 more later," said Glimson. 
 
 " 'Patience and silence ' should the motto be," said 
 Caland. 
 
 " gentle friend, upon the heat and flame of 
 your distemper sprinkle cool patience — Shakespeare 
 perverted," said Glimson — "you shall hear more 
 anon." 
 
 *' Kemember, that which is patience in mean men 
 is cowardice in great ones," said Caland ; "yet it is 
 necessary to bide our time. I for one do not care 
 when you are ready." 
 
 "Well! good night, friends," said Glimson. 
 " You shall hear from Tngleton very soon." 
 
 Walking homewards, he muttered, " The seed has 
 been sown in a whirlwind, yet it flourishes all the 
 same. I have not judged the people wrongly. They 
 are prepared for it, and will rise to the occasion. 
 Messieurs beware ! " 
 
 In all the dining halls and other places where 
 the people were used to meet and argue the burning 
 question of the hour, two topics were under 
 discussion: Ingleton's question on Individualism, 
 and the impost. Fierce were the arguments, 
 plentiful was the tobacco smoke, and the expenditure 
 in liquids wrought havoc among the credit cards. 
 
 Every number of the Half Hour was snatched 
 up eagerly, read and re-read, explained and listened 
 to with the utmost attention. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 189 
 
 It contained in its earliest editions the lecture, 
 and later on, the comments on it. 
 
 In all parts of the country the impost and its 
 reason were given, but not questioned in the news- 
 paper. 
 
 The lecture certainly was the chief topic, and 
 brought out varied expressions of opinion. Many 
 found themselves in possession of an individuality 
 which they had never thought of before. Others 
 again, knowing, feeling its strength, intended to give 
 it free rein now and for ever; yet none there 
 were who understood fully what that meant. 
 
 Thus began this great agitation which the voice 
 of one individual had created, for everyone under- 
 stood how it affected the Collectivism which from 
 that moment was regarded as tyranny. In what it 
 resulted is a matter of common history. But 
 onward ! onward ! We have not time to stay. 
 
CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 Of the many peculiarities which characterised the 
 President of the AlHance, his meal was un- 
 doubtedly one. It was an eccentric meal, taken 
 every morning at the hour of ten precisely. 
 
 "What a commotion there would be if the joint 
 were not done to a turn, or the vegetables were not 
 ready for serving, or the soups were cold, or any 
 other of those domestic mishaps would occur — as 
 occasionally they did. 
 
 On this particular morning all was perfectly in 
 order, and the meal had been fetched from the com- 
 mon dining hall exactly at the proper moment. 
 So there it was, all hot and steaming on the table, 
 ready to be eaten, nor did Mr. Slowun let it cool — 
 not he. 
 
 " Come, my child, fall to," he said to Pelham 
 Stocking. 
 
 That worthy, although not used to these dinner- 
 breakfasts, and having visions of the horrors of indi- 
 gestion and hosts of kindred visitations — for 
 which vide the medical journals — began eating in 
 a very leisurely fashion, pecking here and there at 
 the most succulent portions of the meat, and eating 
 them slowly and thoughtfully. 
 
 A casual observer might have noticed two things. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 191 
 
 First, the absence of drinkables on the otherwise 
 well-spread board ; and, secondly, that the receiving 
 tube of the telephone — against the mantelpiece — 
 stood open. This last matter — a careless oversight , 
 indeed — might not give rise to the same amount of 
 questioning as the want of liquids. 
 
 Stocking, although he occasionally assisted at 
 these meals, felt the want indeed, and asked to be 
 supplied with something to drink. 
 
 " You know animals never drink while they eat," 
 said Mr. Slowun, in Cassandra-like tones, in answer 
 to Stocking's request. 
 
 " But I am not an animal ; and besides, all vege- 
 table feeders find sufficient moisture in their food to 
 aid mastication," said Stocking, with whom this 
 was a stock answer on all such occasions. 
 
 " Well, then, have something," said Mr. Slowun, 
 ringing a bell ; upon which some liquid refreshment 
 was brought into the room. 
 
 For some time the meal was eaten in silence, but 
 Stocking, who had soon finished, said — 
 
 " I thought Ingleton would have continued his 
 lecture the other night." 
 
 " Then he would have been imprisoned," said Mr. 
 Slowun. 
 
 " I think a conspiracy is a-foot," said Stocking, 
 hesitatingly. 
 
 " A conspiracy ! " said Mr. Slowun, surprised. 
 
 " Yes," answered Stocking. 
 
 " Who is conspiring? " said Mr. Slowun. 
 
192 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 *' Why, Ingleton and his party, I should say," 
 said Stocking. 
 
 "Bother it! What is it all about?" said Mr. 
 Slowun. 
 
 "Well, feeling is running high just now, you 
 know," said Stocking, slowly. 
 
 ** Yes, bother it ! I read about it yesterday. 
 Bother it ! " he whined. 
 
 " And, if I mistake not the man, Ingleton will 
 take advantage of it." 
 
 " What ! A coxijp d'etat — a surprise ! Nonsense, 
 you don't mean that ? " said Mr. Slowun, springing 
 up from his seat in bewilderment. 
 
 " Oh ! not so bad as all that,'' said Stocking, 
 laughing. 
 
 " Oh, you bad boy to frighten me so," said Mr. 
 Slowun, reseating himself. 
 
 *' I never intended to give you a fright. It has not 
 come to that yet, but it may do so," said Stocking. 
 
 " Nonsense ! Eubbish ! There is nothing to 
 grumble about," said Mr. Slowun, continuing the 
 meal. 
 
 " Well, others think there is." 
 
 *' Fools! they are then." 
 
 " You see the impost has assisted the feeling." 
 
 " Eubbish — they have no right to be dissatisfied. 
 
 " Eight or no right — they are." 
 
 " Will you have another helping of vegetables ? " 
 
 " No thank you. Conspiracy is the greatest crime 
 punishable by law." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 195 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Then if it were proved that James Ingleton and 
 Mark GHmson were conspiring, they would imme- 
 diately be arrested ? " 
 
 "I should say so." 
 
 '* Well, then, I believe they are doing so now." 
 
 "You must be able to j)rove it conclusively." 
 
 " M', yes. I should like to give evidence, if I could 
 prove it." 
 
 " Yes — but you do not know for sure." 
 
 " No — I have no proof, but I am certain of it in 
 my own mind." 
 
 " I shall give information then, and they will be 
 watched." 
 
 " Yes, that would not be bad." 
 
 " Bother it ! I have such a lot to do ; and I am 
 finding myself more work." 
 
 ** Well, leave it for the present. I shall ascertain 
 first, and then you can act as you may think fit. I 
 should not like to appear in the matter under any 
 circumstances." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Well, you know, I should be dubbed an informer, 
 and that would never do in a certain quarter." 
 
 " And that certain quarter is ? " 
 
 " Oh ! never mind that just now. Will you stay 
 everything till I ask you to? " 
 
 " Well, I must go down to the office now. Bother 
 it." 
 
 Saying this Mr. Slowun rose from his seat. 
 
194 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Meanwhile, Stocking sat uneasily on his chair. 
 ' * Confound it, this is continually haunting me. I 
 shall go mad soon if it lasts much longer. I never 
 expected this, when I did it "—he shivered in his 
 chair — " no rest by night, no peace by day. Bah ! 
 It is my own fault ; I am moody and ill at ease ; I am 
 frightened of being found out, that is it. Bah ! 
 Conscience ! I don't care a fig for it." 
 
 He laughed in a shrill false tone. " I shall go on. 
 The unexpected is continually happening. He was 
 last in my thoughts, and one minute ended it all. 
 Now Ingleton, Glimson next, two birds with 
 one stone, and that stone will be a heavy one ; and 
 then Miss Collingwood, high and mighty, you are 
 mine. I suffer the torments of hell for you ; you are 
 my weakness, but I shall conquer you by fair means 
 or foul." 
 
 Further meditation was prevented by the re- 
 appearance of Mr. Slowun, armed with a black bag^ 
 the chief contents of which were sundry slices of 
 toast, and copies of the Half Hour, and some papers 
 which were carried to and fro by Mr. Slowun. Not 
 so the toast, for that was regularly eaten. 
 
 " Wei], are you ready, my child?" said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Yes, one minute," said Stocking, and he left the 
 room for his hat and coat, with which he directly 
 returned. !' 
 
 " Come on then, or we shall be late," said Mr. 
 Slowun hurrying on. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 195 
 
 Amongst the numerous acquaintances that Bligow 
 had, was one, Andrew Streathan by name, and 
 telephone operator by profession. About this 
 worthy there is nothing in particular to chronicle. 
 He was a plodding sort of individual, careful and 
 diUgent at his work of connecting and disconnecting 
 wires in the room over which he presided. 
 
 Bligow had little to do the morning when Mr. 
 Slowun and Stocking were taking breakfast together, 
 so for want of better occupation he called upon 
 Streathan to have a little chat to while away the 
 time, and partially — as he confessed to himself — to 
 see whether Streathan was willing to aid his and 
 lugleton's cause — " for a friend in the telephone 
 department is a friend at court sometimes," he 
 said to himself. 
 
 Their conversation had proceeded at some length 
 when Streathan remarked " that the general hazi- 
 ness affected the commurfication, and rendered 
 voices very indistinct." 
 
 A soft gurgling tone was heard — which immedi- 
 ately drew his attention to his work. 
 
 " That is no call," he said, turning to Bligow. 
 
 " How can you tell ? " was the question. 
 
 " Oh ! I suppose some careless fool has left his 
 receiver open," said Streathan, keeping his ear to his 
 machine. " Just look up A 93," he said, pointing 
 to his index book. 
 
 Bligow, turning over the leaves and finding the num- 
 bers, said — " Mr. Slowun, President of the Alliance." 
 
196 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Just come and listen," said Streathan, making" 
 room for Bligow, who put his ear to the tube. 
 " Hallo ! " said that worthy, who had listened 
 silently for a minute, and dropping the tube, " they 
 are talking about Ingleton." 
 
 " Well, you duffer, keep your ear on if it interests 
 you," said Streathan, laughing. 
 
 Bligow did so, and then overheard the whole of 
 the conversation between Mr. Slowun and Pelham 
 Stocking. 
 
 " Who is speaking? " asked Streathan. 
 
 ** I think Mr. Slowun and Pelham Stocking, but 
 it is very indistinct in tone," said Bligow. 
 
 ** Well, they are not speaking to the receiver, but 
 conversing, and the sound is entering the telephone 
 accidentally. The receiver, I suppose, must have been _ 
 left open. Anything worth hearing? I do hear 
 some pretty conversations and skirmishes in domestic 
 warfare through these accidents," said Streathan. 
 
 " No ! no ! " said Bligow, hiding his eagerness as 
 best he could, by laughing and dropping the tube 
 occasionally. The conversation finished, he bade a 
 hasty adieu to his friend, and made for Mark 
 Glimson's abode. Upon his arrival there he found 
 Glimson writing rapidly. 
 
 "The History?" queried Bligow, after the usual 
 greetings. 
 
 " Yes," replied Glimson, continuing to write. 
 
 ** Can you afford a quarter of an hour?" said 
 Bligow, laughing. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 197 
 
 ** Yes ; I hope not a bad one," said Glimson 
 turning himself round to face his friend. 
 
 " Not particularly good," said Bligow, seating 
 himself. 
 
 " Oh ! what is in the wind now? " queried Glim- 
 son. 
 
 " I think I have bowled over our friend Stocking." 
 
 " Have you ? I have suspected him from the 
 first ? " 
 
 " This morning before I came here I went to 
 Andrew Streathau. Do you know him ? " 
 
 "No, I don't." 
 
 " He's a telephone operator, and I thought to win 
 him over to our views." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " I did ; but while with him I overheard a con- 
 versation between Mr. Slowun and Stocking. They 
 must have left a receiver open in the room at Mr. 
 Slowun's house, and the conversation was thus 
 transmitted. 
 
 " Whew ! wait a minute — have a cigar," with this 
 Olimson handed Bligow a cigar, and lit one him- 
 self. Having given Bligow a light, he said — " fire 
 away." 
 
 Bligow continued — " The sound was very husky 
 but I am almost positive of the speaker, and it cer- 
 tainly was the house." 
 
 He stopped to smoke. 
 
 " Well, what did they say ? " said Glimson, im- 
 patiently. 
 
198 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Stocking is playing a double game," continued 
 Bligow. " He said that he suspected a conspiracy 
 among us. He mentioned you particularly later on, 
 when, I think, -he must have been by himself,, 
 though, of course, I cannot be sure." 
 
 " If you had only had the kinteograph going in 
 that room instead," said Glimson, thoughtfully. 
 
 "Yes ; but I did not. He said it would be neces- 
 sary to watch ns ; or, if I remember rightly, he se- 
 conded the idea — though he afterwards said it would 
 be better not to do so, because of a certain quarter. 
 By Jove ! I was in such a hurry that I mixed the 
 whole lot up. But that was what it amounted to. 
 He did not like to appear personally in the matter, 
 because of ' a certain quarter.' " 
 He began smoking again. 
 
 " So we are to be watched. That is how I take 
 it," said Glimson, moving his arms. 
 
 "That would be pretty correct," said Bligow. 
 *' Well, my friend, we will be pretty square with 
 you soon," said Glimson, apostrophising space. 
 
 ** You refer to Stocking, I suppose," said Bligow, 
 laughing. 
 
 ** Of course, who else do you think? " said Glim- 
 son. " Yes, I see through his little game. He is 
 going to insinuate himself further, if he can. Let 
 him try though, and pretend to be with us and then 
 ruin us. He is cocksure of it, I dare say." 
 " Why does he hate us ? " said Bligow. 
 " Ah ! why ? That is more than I can tell." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 199 
 
 " I caught these words also — * No rest by night or 
 day.' What do you think they refer to ?" asked 
 Bligow. 
 
 " No rest by night or day," said GHmson, swing- 
 ing his arms and running his fingers through his 
 hair. " I suppose his conscience troubles him about 
 something? " 
 
 "About what?" 
 
 " More than I can tell. Perhaps his conscience 
 reproves him concerning us ; perhaps about some 
 other mischief he has done." 
 
 " Had we not better tell Ingleton about him ?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 " What ? " 
 
 *' No, decidedly not ; Ingleton would fly into a 
 passion, call Stocking face to face. We could not 
 prove anything. You would be accused of eaves- 
 dropping, or more likely of fabricating the story. 
 Stocking triumphant ! Bah !" said GUmson, speak- 
 ing at a furious rate. 
 
 Bligow laughed at his friend's alarm. "What 
 then," he said. 
 
 " Eemain silent. If he watches us, we will watch 
 him. Play double ; forge a chain of evidence 
 around him too strong to break down. We hold 
 trumps ; we triumph ; all smooth ! " said Glimson, 
 at the same rapid rate. 
 
 " Take it easy," said Bligow. 
 
 " Look here ! We have to meet at Ingleton's 
 house to-night." 
 
■-■200 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Don't go." 
 
 -Why?" 
 
 " Stocking would drop in promiscuously. I know 
 his game. We must meet somewhere else ; where 
 he cannot overhear us," said Glimson, more 
 calmly. 
 
 " Where then, I should like to know ? At my 
 place, or here ? Anywhere would suit me," said 
 Bligow, smoking complacently. 
 
 " No, we must be free from observation. No open 
 telephone receivers if I know it," said Glimson, 
 smiling. 
 
 "For a few moments both remained silent, Glim- 
 son swinging his arms at a marvellous rate, he and 
 Bligow puffing continuously. 
 
 " I have it," said the latter at length. 
 
 " Where ? " 
 
 " Willie Heughin can help us." 
 
 "Willie Heughin!" 
 
 " Yes, he is at the Aerial Station. We can borrow 
 a car of some sort, and ascend to the clouds." 
 
 " Hurrah ! famous ! " shouted Glimson, in high 
 glee. 
 
 " I know he can steer, and he is with us ; for 
 I saw him repeatedly before the lecture?" 
 
 *' Misty weather would be all the better. More 
 free from observation." 
 
 " Yes, it won't matter. We must get a small 
 car, a special ; that would do." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 201 
 
 "Now for a conspiracy in the clouds, and the 
 vanquishing of the dragon." 
 
 " I shall go and ask Heughin at once to be in 
 readiness. What time ? " 
 
 " Six-thirty will do." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " We must let Ingleton know." 
 
 " Upon my word, I forget for the moment." 
 
 " Shall I go and see him ? " 
 
 " Yes ! Tell him we have thought best to be free 
 from observation ; and ask him to meet us in 
 Liberation Square, that will do. You are sure of 
 Heughin though ? " 
 
 " Oh ! leave that to me. Six-thirty, Liberation 
 Square. Well, good day, for the present," and 
 Eligow, throwing the stump of his cigar in an ash 
 tray, left the room. 
 
 " Well," said Glimson, having ushered Bligow 
 out, " what a turning and a twisting. Opportun- 
 ism must be our motto henceforth, for if I mistake 
 not, if it takes too long, we shall be Individualized 
 in cells. Well, Stocking, take care, I have often 
 grumbled at the mist, but now I hope for it. I 
 shall not be far out in my prognostications if I say 
 we will succeed more rapidly than any one supposes. 
 Therefore, Messieurs, beware ! Fashion is the 
 point to guide us, and Carlyism is the fashion now 
 It always was, when a generality of weakness 
 existed. It is no wonder then, that people look up 
 t3 strong and daring men, when they perceive the 
 
202 JAMES INGLETON, 
 
 universal inanity. James Ingleton fulfils to my mind- 
 all the Carlylian requirements, yet all the latter's 
 heroes failed dismally. Courage, strength, and virtue^^ 
 tempered by knowledge, and a careful estimation of 
 the ultimatum, are qualities which combine to make 
 the individual strength complete. Ingleton possesses 
 them, with the weakness, I think, of fear for the sake 
 of others, not for himself in the slightest. He has 
 firmness, principle, virtue ! Bah ! I have been 
 thinking. Thought — what is it, the activity of the 
 brain, or the activity of the soul ? Well, either will 
 do for me ; they may be the same, or they may not. 
 I must work till the last moment. I shall continue- 
 the history. Perhaps I shall have the felicity of 
 writing in better days, when I may be famous, when 
 
 I may let my individuality " He stopped himself 
 
 "Be — autiful! yet there is no wrong in thinking 
 so," and he sat down and continued the history. 
 
 Stocking having, during the earlier part of 
 the day, regaled himself with sundry cups of 
 coffee in company with Mr. Slowun, thought to 
 equaUse matters by partaking of "the cup that 
 cheers, but does not inebriate," in company with 
 Miss Colling wood ; therefore he repaired to 54, 
 Liberation Square in a rather sanguine mood, 
 which was in no wise diminished by the reception 
 accorded him by Mrs. Berthon. 
 
 After having given the usual greeting, he said, 
 " I cannot now press my suit upon Blanche." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 203 
 
 Mrs. Berthon brought her eyes to bear upon him, 
 and in a cynical tone, and with a toss of her head, 
 said, " Of course you know best." 
 
 " You would infer that I am mistaken," said 
 Stocking, in the same languid manner. 
 
 " I iiLfer nothing," said ]Mrs. Berthon. " You have 
 thrown up the struggle," with another shrug of her 
 shoulders. 
 
 " I feel I must throw it up," said Stocking, seem- 
 ing now more interested ; " the odds seem too great. 
 . . . What shall I do?" 
 
 " Surely, as a member of the superior sex, you 
 have no need to ask me," said Mrs. Berthon. 
 
 " We are playing at cross purposes," said Stock- 
 ing, earnestly. "You have too long been my 
 confidante, and I yours, than that we need hide 
 from each other our real feelings. I am against 
 this engagement of Blanche ; why should I not be ? 
 — this more bitterly — " and you are also opposed to 
 the match. What am I to do ? " 
 
 " 'Faint heart never won fair lady,' " rejoined Mrs. 
 Berthon. *' I would not " 
 
 The entrance of Blanche with the tea things 
 stopped further conversation upon this topic. At the 
 the same time, Georgie Berthon, full of vivacity 
 and childish glee, bounded into the room and 
 perched herself on her mother's lap. 
 
 The tea was drunk in silence. The company 
 of Pelham Stocking had altogether dulled Blanche's 
 conversational power ; and as soon as tea was over 
 
204 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 she rose as if to leave the room, but Stocking 
 stopped her, saying, " It is seldom I see you now, 
 will you play me some old tunes on your harp ?" 
 
 Blanche felt inclined to refuse, but a look from 
 her aunt was sufficient. " Yes, I will," she said, but 
 her voice had a ring of reluctance in it. 
 
 Stocking rose and left the room. He soon returned 
 with the harp, which he placed beside Blanche, and 
 then took his seat with a feeling of coming victory. 
 
 Listlessly the fingers travelled over the cords, 
 making music that sounded almost weird and 
 uncanny. 
 
 Stocking watched her closely, looking up once 
 or twice to Mrs. Berthon as if to know the exact 
 cause of the langour. 
 
 Mrs. Berthon, without taking notice of these 
 questioning looks, placed Georgie on her feet and 
 noiselessly left the room. 
 
 Blanche did not see her aunt leave the room, and 
 was therefore surprised to find Pelham Stocking 
 standing beside her. 
 
 The last sounds of the music died away as Stock- 
 ing, in quiet, yet decisive tones, turned to her and 
 said, " Blanche, I have waited sufficiently long. I 
 will now renew my protestations of sincerity." 
 
 • Blanche, with face flushed, rose from her chair. 
 The langour had left. She saw her aunt was gone. 
 Evidently it had all been planned. " I know what 
 you wish to say," she said, " I ... I refuse to 
 listen," and she crossed the room. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 205 
 
 " I was about to say that I will not heed any 
 scene you make ; I must, I iviU,h.aYe an answer, and 
 that to my " 
 
 " This is unmanly," interrupted Blanche, her 
 frame thrilling with excitement and passion. 
 
 " I am master," said Stocking, in louder tones. 
 
 Georgie was twanging the strings of the harp. 
 
 " Of nothing," replied Blanche. 
 
 " We shall see," said Stocking. 
 
 " Enough ! you coward ! " exclaimed Blanche, 
 crossing the room towards the door. 
 
 " Stop, at your peril ; I hold the mastery. The 
 past shall return to the present if you do not agree 
 to my wishes," said Stocking, with a contemptuous 
 look. 
 
 Blanche stood for a moment undecided, then, with 
 defiance written on every line of her face, she said, 
 " Coward, do your worst !" and left the room. 
 
CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 Slowly the hours passed. The mists of evening 
 had risen. In the deepest shadows of the fountain 
 in Liberation Square, James Ingleton and Henry 
 Bhgow were waiting for Mark Ghmson. Silently 
 they stood ; and as the phono-chronometer gave 
 forth the half hour, Glimson was seen leisurely 
 walking round the fountain. Coming upon them, 
 he motioned, and they slowly followed him. 
 
 Pelham Stocking, leaving Miss CoUingwood's 
 abode, angry at his reception at the hands of that 
 young lady, saw them cross the Square. 
 
 At first he did not recognise them, and was already 
 meditating where to go, to obtain such evidence as, 
 in his own mind, was obtainable to incriminate the 
 trio, when the attempt — an attempt which failed 
 ignominously — of Glimson to give his arms one of 
 those peculiar swings, attracted his attention. 
 
 " Glimson, Bligow, and Ingleton," he muttered, 
 and cautiously he followed them, keeping well in the 
 shadow of the houses. 
 
 They had turned the corner and were proceeding 
 at a fair rate, followed some twenty paces behind by 
 Stocking, when he, in his turn, was shadowed. 
 Whether it was his own shadow, or a spy, it was diffi- 
 cult to say at first, so well were the footsteps dogged. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 207 
 
 Thus they proceeded for some time, the first three 
 Tinconscious of Stocking, and he unaware of a 
 follower. 
 
 " Where are they going to I wonder ? " muttered 
 Stocking, as he saw he was nearing the edge of the 
 glass roof, and felt the force of the air.which the air 
 pumps were throwing out to prevent the mist enter- 
 ing the city. Any further meditation was prevented 
 by Antony, who had been following Stocking, touch- 
 ing him upon the shoulder. 
 
 The others were already in the land of artificial 
 wind, and the light was very meagre. 
 
 At the touch Stocking turned sharply round, 
 horror depicted upon his face. 
 
 ""Why haunt me now? this is too much ! " he 
 shrieked, waving his hands as if to dispel the vision, 
 l)ut nothing moved. "It tranfixes me — I cannot 
 move — go away ! " he shrieked. 
 
 Great beads of sweat were on his face. Antony 
 came closer ; and Stocking, staring wildly, gave a 
 loud shriek and fell down in a swoon on the pave- 
 ment. 
 
 For a few minutes Antony stood stock still and 
 looked hard at Stocking ; then, as a sudden impulse 
 seized him, lifted his right foot, as though he in- 
 tended to tread the life out of the man lying there ; 
 but Stocking's helplessness conquered Antony, who 
 immediately put his foot down again, and hurrying 
 away, left Stocking in his swoon. He tried to find 
 Ingleton and the others, but his search was in vain. 
 
208 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 To return to Ingleton and his friends. In a short 
 space of time they reached the Aerial Station, now 
 enveloped in the thick mist, which clung to the 
 walls, hid the moon, and seemed to he oozing forth 
 from the pavements of the streets at the same time, 
 " The weather is favourable to our designs," said 
 Glimson, as they entered the building by a narrow 
 door, which it would have been difficult to find, but 
 that Heughin, hearing their footsteps, had opened 
 it and let them pass in. 
 
 For a moment they were in pitch darkness, but 
 Heughin pressing a button, an incandescent lamp 
 showed them that they were in a car-shed. 
 
 Heughin motioned them to remain silent while 
 he reconnoitered things outside. 
 
 He soon returned, and speaking in a low voice, said, 
 " It will be safe — come," motioning to Bligow, who 
 immediately assisted him to remove a covering from 
 a small car in the centre of the shed. 
 
 *' This is a special to hold four," said Heughin. 
 " Will not the electricity that you require to work 
 the car with be missed ? " said Glimson, closely 
 examining the structure. 
 
 " No," answered Heughin ; " we obtain our 
 electricity direct from coal. With such good quahty 
 at our disposal we require but an infinitesimal 
 quantity. But what I feared more was that the car 
 itself would be missed, so I obtained permission to 
 use it for private experiment, but undertook that no 
 one else went with me." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 209" 
 
 " So that score is settled," said Ingleton. 
 
 " The reservoirs are charged, but not the air cell ; 
 and it is best to charge that, in case we have to 
 mount higher, beyond the clouds, for then we will 
 require it. Come, assist me to fill it quickly," said 
 Heughin. 
 
 The four set to work at an air pump, and in a few 
 minutes the hands of the meter denoted that the air 
 cell had been filled to its utmost capacity. This 
 caused the car to rise a few feet from the ground. 
 
 Opening the door Heughin said — " Now, sharp's- 
 the word." 
 
 The three entered and took their seats. 
 
 Heughin reversing the button, the electric light 
 died out. 
 
 "Darkness," muttered Glimson, as Heughin, 
 jumping in the car, closed the door. 
 
 " Wait a moment," said Heughin, feeling with 
 his hands for various knobs and wheels, with which 
 the car was steered. " Here it is." 
 
 Suddenly a soft light shone in the car. 
 
 " That is better," said Glimson. 
 
 " How are we going to leave the building? " said 
 Ingleton, who had noted everything, and seemed at 
 a loss to understand how they could get out. 
 
 "You could not hear," said Heughin, " because 
 the car is air tight and, therefore, sound proof ; but 
 look" — and he pressed against a small window, 
 causing it to force itself upwards — " what do yoa 
 see?" 
 
210 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Mist," said Bligow, with a slight chuckle. 
 
 " The roof has opened itself — the action is auto- 
 matic. "When a car leaves the ground the roof of 
 this building opens itself ; is it not good?" said 
 Heughin, meanwhile steering the car in an upward 
 direction, causing the other three to have a sensa- 
 tion as though the car were going to overturn itself. 
 Bat nothing of the sort occurred ; the seats being 
 constructed on pivots, remained perfectly level, 
 while the car described an obtuse angle. 
 
 " Hurrah ! " shouted Heughin, pressing the win- 
 dow in the downward direction, " the roof has 
 -closed — we are free, free as the wind." 
 
 " Well, to business," said Glimson, with a pre- 
 liminary swing of his arms. 
 
 "How high do you wish to ascend?" said 
 Heughin, seating himself in front of his steering 
 apparatus. 
 
 " We will leave it to you," said Ingleton. 
 
 " In this mist we should not be perceived, but we 
 are in the track of the cars, and might meet with 
 «ome at any moment. I advise you to ascend above 
 the lower clouds," said Heughin, " then we shall be 
 free from observation." 
 
 "All right, that will do," said Ingleton. 
 
 "Well, then, sit still," said Heughin; "the light 
 will go out ; we are about to rush through space. 
 You can press these two windows " — he pointed to 
 them — " in any direction and watch our flight 
 through the air." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 211 
 
 With this he placed his right foot on a lever, his 
 right hand upon a wheel, and then pressing a knob 
 with the other, increased the pace, then let the 
 light go out. His window was pressed in an upward 
 position ; and thus in the dark, Ingleton and Glim- 
 son looking above them, they ascended. The car 
 took such an angle that Ingleton and Glimson lost 
 their foothold, while Bligow fell all of a heap on his 
 seat* 
 
 In this position they remained for a few minutes, 
 during which the proverbial pin might have been 
 heard falling, while the car rose. The silence had 
 become painful, when Heughin called out — " The 
 moon ! the moon ! we are above the mist." He 
 stopped the car, and released the lever pressure. 
 The car came to a level. 
 
 " I shall not go through that cloud," he said, look- 
 ing upward at a cloud which was within a hundred 
 yards from the car. " We will go through a break 
 up further ;" and steering the car in the direction 
 indicated, in less than twelve seconds they had 
 passed through the clouds and were above them, 
 with the moon shining beautifully overhead. 
 
 " Now to business," said Glimson, as the car 
 stopped and came to a horizontal position, " and 
 some light." 
 
 Heughin caused the light to appear. 
 
 " Before we decide what further is to be done, let 
 us review what we have already accomplished," said 
 iDgleton. 
 
212 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 The others assenting, he proceeded — " I, for my 
 part, have attempted to enlist the sympathies of 
 the members of the Alliance by giving them a 
 lecture — a negative, stopped-short lecture — on the 
 subject which I have most at heart, and for which 
 we must all strive, to establish society on a firm 
 and satisfactory basis. So much for myself, and 
 indeed it is very httle. You," he turned to Glim- 
 son, " have also attempted to stir some of the mem- 
 bers of the Alliance by proving the evils of Collec- 
 tivism to some extent, and, as you say, with some 
 effect. Bligow, you, in your turn, have done more 
 than either, for I am sure we owe much of our pre- 
 sent success to your individual exertion. So much 
 for the past." 
 
 " Very Httle in the aggregate," said Bhgow. 
 
 "We have arrogated to ourselves a universal 
 cause. Of this I am sure, that, although but a few 
 have joined us personally, we may safely count upon 
 at least a thousand friends," said Glimson, giving 
 his arms a swing, 
 
 " So much the better," said Ingleton. " Now, as 
 to the next steps : we must gather all our friends 
 together at some place or the other. That must be 
 our first move." 
 
 " Yes, but we cannot obtain permission to hold a 
 meeting. That is obvious ; so we must do it in 
 secrecy," said Bligow, who was now serious. 
 
 " I, for my part, would greatly wish to do every- 
 thing openly and publicly," said Ingleton. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 213 
 
 " Impossible," exclaimed Glimson. " Now as to 
 •where to hold this meeting. Have you any place to 
 propose ?" 
 
 " Yes," answered Ingleton. " In view of onr not 
 being able to act openly, I propose that we meet in 
 some part of the old town — in some deserted house. 
 No better place could be found to my thinking." 
 
 " Capital," said Glimson. 
 
 " How are we to get them to meet there ? " said 
 Bligow. 
 
 " That is a difficulty I have not been able to cope 
 ■with yet," answered Ingleton. 
 
 "Oh!" that is easily got over," said Glimson. 
 " First, we must decide on the exact house, and 
 then I shall ask my friends to meet there, you and 
 Bligow do likewise. Heughin, here, I am sure, will 
 do the same " (Heughin assented), " and then we 
 shall number, say — one way and another — fifty ; 
 that is a good start." 
 
 "And then," said Ingleton. 
 
 " Let us disseminate our principles as forcibly 
 as we can, and leave others to take them. In a 
 few days we could count upon fifty for each of 
 those present," said Glimson, with a swing of his 
 arms. 
 
 "Your idea is certainly simple and easy," said 
 Ingleton, " what do you say to it, Bligow? " 
 
 " I consider it first class," said Bligow. I am 
 sanguine enough to think that we could reckon 
 upon four thousand, counting young and old. 
 
214 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Would not a few inflammatory pamphlets, distri- 
 buted here and there, assist us ? " 
 
 " Bravo," said Glimson, " that is another matter. 
 But how are we to get them printed ? " 
 
 " Duplicated writing process," rejoined Ingleton. 
 " We have forgotten Pelham Stocking ; had we not 
 better see him ; he should have been here." 
 
 " Leave him to me," said Glimson, " I will see 
 him." 
 
 " We have altogether forgotten with what we 
 should supersede Collectivism, — I mean what form 
 of Government," said Ingleton. 
 
 " A constitutional Monarchy were best." 
 
 "Similar to that of the nineteenth century?" 
 queried Glimson. 
 
 " Yes, with some modifications," replied Ingleton. 
 
 ** I have nothing to object to that," said Glimson. 
 
 ** Nor I," said Bligow. 
 
 " There still lives in Africa a scion of the Guelphs. 
 The crown could be offered to him." 
 
 For a moment they all remained silent, Glimson 
 running his fingers through his hair, having previ- 
 ously taken his hat off for that purpose. " Do you 
 know anything of him ? " he asked of Ingleton. 
 
 " Very little at present. What I purpose is, that 
 as soon as we have formed a powerful party, we 
 shall make overtures to him — send some one to 
 interview him, and learn his disposition. Then 
 formulate certain conditions if we find him agree- 
 able, and worthy." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 215 
 
 "Especially worthy," interrupted Glimson, with 
 emphasis on the word. 
 
 " Yes, that is the greatest condition," continued 
 Ingleton ; " and then, either by peaceful or forcible 
 methods, overthrow the present system. And then, 
 free reign to Individuality." 
 
 "Hurrah!" shouted Bligow, growing merry in 
 anticipation. 
 
 " It would take some time to get to Central Africa 
 and back," said Glimson, thoughtfully. 
 
 " You could leave that to me," said Heughin, who 
 had been listening to the whole of the conversation. 
 "I could undertake to devise a method by which 
 someone could go to Central Africa and back — stay 
 there one day — in three days." 
 
 "What! said Glimson in surprise, "on the 
 telephone ? " 
 
 " Do you see that moon ?" said Heughin, pointing 
 with his forefinger. "How long does it take before 
 the moon rises twice above us ?" 
 
 " A day — four and twenty hours," said Bligow 
 laughing. 
 
 " AVell, I can do ditto," said Heughin. " Are you 
 satisfied if I give my word upon it ? " 
 
 " Yes," answered Ingleton doubtfully. 
 
 " Plenty of time for that," said Bligow laughing. 
 
 "Well, we have arranged for a meeting, and 
 pamphlets. I will drawn up the pamphlets and 
 leave them in the proper places, and see my friends," 
 said Glimson. 
 
-216 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 '* I will find the place of meeting," said Ingleton, 
 '*'and let you know." 
 
 " And I will stir everybody," said Bligow. 
 
 "And I ditto," said Heughin. 
 
 "We stand some risk in this indiscriminate 
 method, but we cannot help that," said Glimson, 
 with a move of his arms. 
 
 " Well, we have built castles in the air — high up in 
 the air," said Ingleton. 
 
 At this sally, Bligow laughed in his old hearty 
 fashion. 
 
 " I do not think there is anything else to arrange 
 to-night," said Glimson after a pause. 
 
 *' No, not at present ; we must proceed with 
 caution," said Ingleton. 
 
 " Ha ! there is the impost. Can we not make some 
 use of the present agitation against it ? " said Bligow. 
 
 The other two sat quietly thinking for a moment, 
 then said together, *' No, I cannot see how we can 
 make use of it, but we shall have assembled before 
 it is over." 
 
 "When do you propose holding the meeting?" 
 said Bligow. 
 
 " Three days hence, at about the same time as we 
 met to-night. I will let you both know the place 
 early to-morrow," said Ingleton. 
 
 " You forget that very few know their way in 
 the old town ; so mind you send explicit directions," 
 Baid Glimson. 
 
 "I shall make certain marks on the notice 
 
JAMES INGLETOX. 
 
 217 
 
 papers, which you will be able to find when I send 
 all the particulars," said Ingleton. 
 
 " Friends, the meeting has been declared over," 
 said Glimson, putting his hand on his breast in a 
 most pompous manner. " I propose a vote of 
 thanks to Heughin for his kind assistance." 
 
 " More than thanks are due," said Ingleton; "let 
 us descend." 
 
 "Well.theu, seat j^ourselves firmly," said Heughin, 
 turning towards the steering gear, and placing his 
 feet on two levers or treadles. The light dis- 
 appeared, the car oscillated for a moment, then 
 Heughin was heard pulling and pressing knobs in 
 the dark. They sank, or rather the car descended 
 at a great speed, causing the occupants' blood to rise 
 to their heads. Down, down, they went — it seemed 
 ages, lasting but a few minutes ; and they almost fell 
 from their seats from the sudden stoppage of the car. 
 The light reappeared. Heughin was looking out of 
 window, and steering the car to a platform on the 
 roof. This righted, he exerted all his strength on 
 the levers ; and as the car touched the platform it 
 rebounded slightly. " Good," said Heughin, " the 
 roof is opening." In a second more they were in 
 the shed from which they had ascended. " The 
 best bit of steering I have ever done," said Heughin, 
 as the car stopped still, after another rebound. He 
 removed his feet from the levers, opened the door, 
 and the others stepped out, feeling slightly giddy 
 from the rapidity of the journey. 
 
218 ■ JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Heughia followed them. "This way out," he 
 said, and led them to the door. They bade each 
 other good night, and made for their homes, each 
 taking a different route, as had been pre-arranged, 
 
 Glimson took the same road by which he had 
 come, (the mist had slightly decreased,) and on 
 entering the covered town he found, lying against the 
 wall, in a deep shadow, a man. It was Pelham 
 Stocking. 
 
 Glimson lifted him, and felt his pulse. It was 
 very feeble ; and he noticed that the hands were 
 clenched, and foam on the mouth. " Why, Pelham 
 Stocking in a fit — there's a queer discovery," he said 
 to himself; "and he is as cold as ice." 
 
 He lifted him on his knee and said, " I thought 
 he was dead at first ; what has done this ? " 
 
 He dragged Stocking into the light, wiped the 
 foam from the mouth, and began chafing the hands ; 
 then he quickly opened the outer garments and 
 began rubbing each limb in turn. Under this treat- 
 ment life slowly returned, and the first sound that 
 escaped Stocking's lips were, " Go away," but so 
 feebly as to be almost inaudible. Glimsom con- 
 tinued the chafing, and muttered, " I wish I had 
 some water here." 
 
 " Go away," muttered Stocking again. 
 " Eh ! " said Glimson, " go away. AVho is to go 
 away ?" 
 
 " Go away, you haunt me," muttered Stocking 
 incoherently, with his head on Glimson's knees, and 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 219 
 
 his face ghastly white, which the piercing light 
 enhanced. 
 
 "Haunt you," muttered GHmson;"your con- 
 science haunts you of your evil deeds no doubt ! " 
 He renewed the chafing. 
 
 "Oh! oh! oh! shrieked Stocking in tremulous 
 broken tones ; and then with a sob, " No rest by 
 nisht or day ! Go away ! " in a despairing tone. 
 
 He was about to swoon again when Glimson 
 shook him somewhat roughly, and said, "Wake up, 
 I, Mack Glimson, am with you. You have had a 
 fit. . . . Come, pull yourself together." 
 
 " This had the desired effect, for Stocking opened 
 his eyes and looked around him in a dazed manner, 
 saying, "Where am I ? " 
 
 "Oh, you are all right," said Glimson, lifting 
 him on his shoulder. Staggering under his burden 
 he walked to Bellamy Avenue, where he laid Stock- 
 ing down and bathed his temples with water from 
 the fountain. 
 
 Stocking, now revived, asked, " Who brought me 
 here ? " 
 
 " I found you," said Glimson, " at the end of the 
 Avenue in a fit, and brought you here. I have 
 called no one as I know you do not like a fass." 
 
 " Thank you, Glimson," said Stocking, trying to 
 rise, but his legs gave no support to his body. 
 
 "Gently, my friend," said Glimson, helping him 
 up and setting him on the coping of the fountain, 
 "you want a reviver." 
 
220 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " I shall be everlastingly under an obligation to 
 you, Glimson," said Stocking. 
 
 " Hush, man, any one would have done the same; 
 but talking in the cold will do no good. Come home 
 with me," and without waiting for a reply he lifted 
 Stocking up, and, supporting him, took him home. 
 
 Arrived there, he called for all the necessary 
 restoratives ; and by the time warm food was brought 
 in, Stocking was himself again, and was seated by 
 the stove. 
 
 " Now you are pretty well," said Glimson, assist- 
 ing him to brush his clothes. 
 
 " I can never repay you," said Stocking. ** I 
 went that way for a walk. I remember getting as 
 far as the air pumps, but the rest is a blank till I 
 found myself in Bellamy Avenue. I have not the 
 slightest notion what occurred. I have had fits 
 before, but very seldom. I wonder what caused it ?" 
 
 " A sudden but incomplete stoppage of the heart's 
 action, brought on somehow or another," said 
 Glimson, seating himself. 
 
 "It is very strange," said Stocking. 
 
 " Yes, it is," said Glimson; "but it must have a 
 cause. Come — take this ! " handing him a basin of 
 broth. 
 
 " I really cannot make it out," said Stocking, 
 sipping the broth. 
 
 " What time did it occur ? " said Glimson. 
 "About seven, or a little later," answered Stock- 
 ing. 
 
JAMES INGLE TON. 221 
 
 •' Well, you had better stop here for to-night," 
 said Glimson ; " the night is cold, and will do you 
 no good." 
 
 " I really cannot trespass on your good nature 
 any more," said Stocking. 
 
 " Bah ! " said Glimson, " you must stop here, 
 will have a bed made up immediately; a good 
 night's rest will put you as right as a trivet." 
 
 •• No, really I will not," said Stocking. 
 
 " Come, come, no nonsense, you are my charge for 
 to-night. Shall I let anyone know you are here ; I 
 mean anyone at your home ? " said Glimson. 
 
 " No need of that." 
 
 " I thought you would not like anyone to know, 
 so I called for no assistance." 
 
 " You are increasing my debt of gratitude every 
 moment ; I shall never be able to repay you." 
 
 " Tut, man, it is nothing ; to-morrow's sun will 
 disperse my goodness and your debt." 
 
 " You think me ungrateful ? " 
 
 " Not in the least ; but, I have but done that which 
 I would have done for anyone, and therefore need no 
 thanks." 
 
 '• You merit high praise, for you are large- 
 hearted." 
 
 " Would you have not done the same for me ? " 
 
 " Most decidedly." 
 
 " Well, then, where do I exceed you in goodness ? 
 The man who refuses to assist another deserves 
 decapitation." 
 
222 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " A very strong terra that." 
 
 " Not half strong enough. Come, your bed is 
 ready ; I will show you the way, and then to rest." 
 Saying this, Ghmson assisted Stocking on his feet, 
 for he was still somewhat shaky, and helped him 
 out of the room. 
 
 " It is very strange," said Stocking, " that I can- 
 not remember what caused me to swoon ; it is a 
 blank hour lost in my life." 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The world was busy ; there was bustle and noise ; 
 but the day was raw and cheerless. 
 
 The world was astir, and as a natural consequence 
 the machinery was in motion, the furnaces were 
 glowing, the wheels turning, and the noise of 
 scraping, filing, and blasting was to be heard. 
 Amid all this din, a small still voice was yet 
 audible. 
 
 Here is its burthen blown, by the wind, on to a 
 window-sill. No ! for a stone held it down; evidently 
 it was placed here by design — not by accident. 
 
 The first comer, a man of stout build, with thin 
 legs and a peculiar old-world face, beheld it, lifted 
 the stone and read the paper. Let us peep over his 
 shoulder and do likewise. 
 
 " What ! who ! how ! " Such exclamations as 
 these escape the reader's lips in quick, rapid succes- 
 sion. For this is what he reads : — 
 
 ** Awake ! awake ! doomed city and your inha- 
 bitants, ere it is too late. You are environed by a 
 power which is devouring your vitality and exist- 
 ence. What is it? What is this fell destroying 
 agent ? Collectivism ! Collectivism, which has 
 arrogated to itself the position of your teacher, 
 your master, your judge, and your accuser. 
 
224 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 How long will you remain a slave to a tyrant who 
 enthralls you, who ordains the order of your life, 
 even before it has commenced ? This potent power 
 has been created by a class rightly called Levellers ! 
 Levellers, who have degraded you to the lowest 
 depths. You are like beasts of burden — tethered to 
 the stake, with just rope enough to allow you to 
 nibble at the grass. 
 
 "But, beware ! if you attempt to lift your head you 
 are strangled ! Strangled by the overpowering 
 weight of this Collectivism which grudges free scope 
 of thought and action to each individual human 
 being. Arise ! arise ! ere the potent drug brings the 
 sleep of death and all is oblivion, for then you will 
 count as naught, as mere non-entities in the great 
 crowd of Collectivism, 
 
 " If you believe in free v^ill, freedom of action, of 
 thought, and of life, either replace this paper or 
 hand it to another." 
 
 That was all that the small voice had to say. The 
 reader hummed and ah'd, looked dazed, as if he had 
 just awoke from a long sleep, shook his head 
 repeatedly and went on his way, either taking it 
 with him or replacing it as directed. 
 
 Everywhere these notes were read eagerly and 
 attentively. 
 
 This had been Glimson's work, assisted by Stock- 
 ing. They had been early astir, and by duplicating 
 the messages had distributed them in different parts 
 of the city. They were passed from hand to hand, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 22^ 
 
 and even found their way to Birmingham, Liverpool, 
 and other towns in the north. 
 
 Who wrote this — who had courage enough to 
 brave the State ? Not the sHghtest due was to be 
 found, and therein lay the great secret of the success 
 of the agitation. Humanity loves a mystery. A 
 pamphlet which touched the right cords, and yet did 
 not say too much, or reveal its author, took the 
 people's fancy. The mysterious bidding to bestir 
 themselves struck home like a well directed shot, 
 and as a consequence it quickly became the subject 
 of general, if stealthy, conversation. 
 
 Then there was another matter also that pro- 
 voked a good deal of comment. 
 
 In the Alliance Club appeared a notice to the 
 effect that James Ingleton had been proposed by 
 Arthur Caland as a representative of the Alliance 
 at the Convention, and that Mark Glimson had 
 been proposed by Baxter to fill a similar post. 
 
 On this eventful day — the 18th October — Mrs. 
 Ingleton, Nellie, and Miss Janette Smithers, were 
 seated in the room were Katie lay. 
 
 " My mother always told me," said Mrs. Ingleton, 
 " that it was dangerous to be anything more than a 
 simple citizen, and Heaven knows into what an 
 embroglio this will lead James." 
 
 " Well, James should not do it," said Miss 
 Smithers. " It is not the fashion to have ideas, and 
 when it is not the fashion he has no right to do it. 
 In this age everyone should retire into his own little 
 
226 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 territory ; like a snail, he should crawl back into his 
 shell, and then he can be natural ; that is, as natural 
 as it is possible under present circumstances. He 
 is a dreamer, a thinker — he thinks of everyone but 
 himself. I have no patience with him. Bah ! He 
 is a dreamer." 
 
 ** James is dissatisfied with the present State," 
 said Nell, quietly, " and since I have read the history 
 he got me I think he is right." 
 
 " Ah! child," said Mrs. Ingleton, "if you could 
 have heard the stories my mother used to tell me 
 about men who were dissatisfied, you would shudder 
 — indeed, you would," she repeated, as Nell shook 
 her head defiantly. 
 
 " Bah ! " exclaimed Miss Smith ers, moving about 
 restlessly in her chair, " James would be a reformer. 
 What right has he to be a reformer ? he should not 
 be a reformer. I never heard of such a thing. I 
 tell you what — it is all rubbish. James is hot- 
 headed. He is jumping headlong in a chasm ; the 
 novelty of it has turned his head. He will not find 
 anyone else follow such a foolish fashion. I really 
 cannot put up with such eccentricity." 
 
 " But, aunt," said Nell, taking up the cudgels for 
 her absent brother, " they must think well of him, 
 for I heard this morning that he and Mark Glimson 
 have been proposed as members of the Convention, 
 the highest honour it is possible to attain." 
 
 "Rubbish, child. Honours! — honours to assist 
 making a lot of stupid laws. Supposing there are a 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 227 
 
 lot of fools who want to create a revolt, why 
 should James lead them ? It is ridiculous." Miss 
 Smithers said this in a tone as if she had now com- 
 pletely settled the question. 
 
 " My mother always told me/' said Mr. Ingleton, 
 " that reformers never came to any good. 'Joe,' she 
 used to say — that was my father — ' Joe, when the 
 taxes rise there is trouble in' store, Joe ;' and my 
 father always agreed with her. For there never 
 was a new tax, or a tax raised or lowered, but some- 
 one grumbled, so there," and Mrs. Ingleton sat 
 triumphant, convinced that her statement was irre- 
 futable. 
 
 For a moment Miss Smithers shifted about in her 
 chair, and then she said — ** Taxes, or no taxes, it has 
 nothing to do with it. He should be a citizen and 
 nothing more. Of course, people grumble. When 
 do they not grumble ? I never yet knew a man that 
 did not grumble — the big straggling creatures — they 
 always grumble — they think it good taste." 
 
 " They, and we, have cause to grumble ; that is 
 undeniable," said Nell. 
 
 "But that has nothing to do with it," said Miss 
 Smithers. 
 
 Katie, who had been silent till now, said — 
 " Auntie, dear, don't be angry with James." 
 
 "Bless the child, who is angry," said Miss 
 Smithers, getting up and kissing the child. 
 
 " Then you are not angry?" said Katie slowly. 
 
 " No, dear, decidedly not," said her aunt hastily. 
 
228 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " I am sure auntie is not angry, Katie," said 
 Nellie. 
 
 When Miss Smithers returned to her seat, Mrs. 
 Ingleton whispered — " She is a little better just 
 now." 
 
 " Oh ! she will grow out of it," said Miss 
 Smithers. 
 
 A bell rang, and immediately afterwards Ingleton 
 entered, who approached his ailing sister and kissed 
 her. Then he greeted the others and sat down. 
 
 " Well, James, where ha^e you been ? " said his 
 aunt. 
 
 " At the Alliance," answered Ingleton, laconically. 
 
 " And what did you there? " said his aunt. 
 
 " I went to see about this proposal of making me 
 a member of the Convention," said Ingleton, care- 
 lessly. 
 
 " James, you are dreaming," intimated his aunt. 
 
 " I suppose I am," he replied, in the same abstract 
 manner, 
 
 "Your proposer is Arthur Caland ? " said his 
 aunt. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " He is also a dreamer," said his aunt. 
 
 "I don't know," raising his eyebrows, and then 
 lowering them. 
 
 "Look, now!" said his aunt, looking at him 
 sharply, " you are in a day dream, l^ou fancy you 
 are already elected " — James looked amazed — "you 
 are composing an inflammatory speech ; you fancy 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 229 
 
 yourself speaking ; you are watching the affect of 
 your words. You think yourself a second Cromwell. 
 You end by dismissing the Convention. You are a 
 dreamer." 
 
 Ingleton was amazed. He looked hard at his 
 aunt, and said — " You are a thought-reader — it is 
 true." 
 
 "Bosh! who is a thought-reader?" said his 
 aunt. 
 
 "You are," answered James, more at his ease. 
 
 "It requires no thought-reading," answered his 
 aunt. 
 
 " I can guess what was uppermost in your mind, 
 and put two and two together, that is all. Thought- 
 reading, faugh ! " 
 
 "Life constitutes a trance, pleasant or otherwise, 
 mostly the latter ; it does not seem a reality," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " That is your mistake. It is bitter enough and 
 hard enough, but you are a visionary, and that is 
 rubbish," said his aunt. 
 
 "Well, James, how about the election?" said 
 l^ell. 
 
 " As far as I am able to ascertain there is no 
 likelihood of an opposition," said James. 
 
 " Oh ! don't become a member of that Convention. 
 My mother always told me it was not good," said 
 Mrs. Ingleton. 
 
 " Why not, mother? " asked James. 
 
 " My mother always told me," answered she. 
 
230 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " that a member of a Convention, or a Senate, or 
 something of this kind, was imprisoned once, and 
 another was killed once. How horrible that would 
 be now." 
 
 "You always paint dark pictures," interposed 
 Miss Smithers. 
 
 " Of two conclusions, mother always chooses the 
 worst," said James, smiling. 
 
 " And in that she is not always wrong," said his 
 aunt. You, on the other hand, are too sanguine. 
 There never seems an obstacle in your path but it 
 is so small that you can push it aside. Life is not a 
 path strewed with flowers. You look upon events 
 through rose-coloured spectacles." 
 
 " True, except the present existence," answered 
 Ingleton. 
 
 For some time all sat silent, till Ingleton broke 
 the spell by saying, " There is a peculiar rumour 
 about." 
 
 " A fib, you mean," said his aunt. 
 
 "Just as you like to take it, but at all events it is 
 a serious matter. It is said that within another 
 month some great changes will be proposed in the 
 present Government." 
 
 " More trouble," said Mrs. Ingleton. " My mother 
 always told me that changes brought trouble." 
 
 " Why, it must refer to you," said Nell. 
 
 " To me ! " said James. " I have taken no action, 
 that is, no decisive action." 
 
 " Nell is right," said her aunt. " Who wrote that 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 231 
 
 pamphlet I found on my doorstep this morning? " 
 
 " In confidence," said James — " Mark Glimson." 
 
 " You don't say so ! " said his aunt= 
 
 "What?" said James. 
 
 " Why, of course, you don't see it, but someof those 
 who read this have concocted this tale." 
 
 "I do not think so," said James. 
 
 " You, dreaming in the future, are not alive to the 
 present," said his aunt. 
 
 "Well, I doubt whether it has anything to do 
 with me," reiterated Ingleton. 
 
 "James," said his aunt, " j'ou are soliliquising 
 unconsciously. Nothing is so bad, nothing so dis- 
 tressing. You conjecture uselessly. Conjectures are 
 like a ball bouncing on a hard surface : the further 
 you throw it, the more it rebounds. You are 
 plunged in reverie ; and you think, dream, and 
 imagine ; and any sound, any noise, will shatter your 
 ideas into a thousand fragments. Do you know 
 what that might lead to ?" 
 
 " I have never troubled myself about that," 
 answered Ingleton. 
 
 " Something terrible. A monologue ends in a 
 duologue between mind and matter, as it were," 
 said his aunt. 
 
 " True,"' rejoijj^ed Ingleton. 
 
 "In the continuance of thought there is danger, 
 as in floating reverie there is safety," continued his 
 aunt. " Darkness becomes partially visible ; the 
 profound and obscure seem pierced by a ray of 
 
232 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 light ; the future stands revealed for a moment, a 
 blurred picture, then all is darkness — oppressing 
 darkness." 
 
 "Yes," interposed Ingleton. Nell and her mother 
 were listening attentively. 
 
 " Beware of that darkness, James," continued his 
 aunt. 
 
 " Why ?" said Ingleton. 
 
 " Because it might end in oblivion," concluded 
 Miss Smithers. 
 
 " By oblivion, you mean " 
 
 But his aunt checked him saying, "You under- 
 stand, so heed my words." 
 
 " You know me better than I know myself," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 "I have experience, that is all," said his aunt 
 sadly. 
 
 " You recommend " said Ingleton. 
 
 "That you take plenty of exercise, spend your 
 time with your fellows in cheerfulness, and get a 
 (with a smile) certain . . . you know what I mean, 
 to banish the humour," said his aunt. 
 
 " I will attempt to follow your advice," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " Well, I must go," said Miss Smithers ; and she 
 hastily rose from her seat, went to Katie who was 
 sleeping, kissed her, and then bade them " Good 
 morning." 
 
 Ingleton following her to the door. As she departed, 
 she said, " James, whenever you are in difficulty, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 233 
 
 come to me, and see what a woman's wit can do for 
 you," and she kissed him affectionately. 
 
 With all her asperity, her stern looks, and 
 pecuHar methods of speech, she was fond of her 
 relatives. 
 
 Antony— for by no other name was he ever 
 known— was ugly. The contortions of his 
 features, created by that mass of wrinkles, were 
 almost repulsive. The two extremes manifest the 
 divine Creator. The beautiful is the good, the 
 noble the subhme, as representative of the great 
 power. The hideous unfolds the hideous, and 
 nothing else, that is everything. Such are the 
 impressions of the Maker's intent. Yet, through the 
 coalescent power given to man, the face is but a 
 mask, a mere nothing. Well did the heathen 
 know it. Minos and Minerva are stern and passive, 
 often harsh. Venus and Bacchus, a twin ideal, at 
 times put to base uses, are beautiful. Such are the 
 representative idols of the human passions. Jud^^e 
 not your brother by his face alone. Judge by the 
 action of the brain, the working of the passions, 
 and then pronounce your verdict. Be not hasty, for 
 hastiness is a too common vice. A crystal goblet is 
 a pleasant object, and a wooden barrel unattractive. 
 Yet the latter is the better of the two for preservino- 
 wine. Thus with the passions : hideousness need 
 not betoken evil. The equal balance of the scales 
 is the highest ideal. Thus far and no farther. 
 Neither montrosity, nor the pronouncedly beautiful, 
 
 Q 
 
234 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 form it. 'Tis not in the glaring sunshine, nor the 
 sullen clouds. Harmony alone is the ideal of all 
 good, the one supreme quality which eclipses all 
 surface blemishes. Thus with man : when the 
 obscurity of the face is equalised with good 
 intent, we are human — sufficient that man be 
 human. So with Antony, his features disappeared 
 when his thoughts took action. 
 
 Ingleton was seated by himself except for the 
 presence of Katie, when Antony entered the room 
 on tip-toe. 
 
 Ingleton greeted him, speaking slowly, as he knew 
 Antony's dimness of thought. 
 
 Antony, having shaken hands with him, walked 
 on tip-toe to the bed where Katie was sleeping 
 peacefully. 
 
 Tenderly he replaced the coverlet. The wrinkles 
 on his face smoothed themselves, and a look of 
 profound pity came into his eyes. It was but 
 rarely that Antony exercised the power of con- 
 trolling his features. But now his face was smooth, 
 and in his eyes, otherwise so dim, was a look of 
 earnest sympathy, as he gently laid his hand upon 
 that frail head. 
 
 Silently he remained by the bedside, watching 
 every movement of the sleeper. His face, distraught 
 with the power of his emotions, was a picture well 
 worthy the brush of an artist. He gazed on those 
 eyelids as though asking himself: " Were they ever 
 thus ? ' ' He removed his hand from the forehead, and 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 235 
 
 remained by the bedside without moving a muscle. 
 Herein Antony was beautiful. Herein he exhibited 
 the work of the Master hand as he stood there 
 watching the sleeping child. No nurse could have 
 been more attentive, for not a movement escaped 
 him. At length the wrinkles slowly returned 
 to their places, and his mouth closed with a snap ; 
 but down his cheeks two tears wended their troubled 
 course. He wiped them away, and turned softly 
 from the bed. He was Antony again — Antony the 
 wrinkled and deformed ! Has the human frame an 
 entity which we cannot penetrate, or not ? Where 
 is the scientist that can answer truthfully ? The 
 poet songster believes in its existence. Antony, in 
 dimness of sight and slowness of speech, had per- 
 ception. From the little hole, his existence he 
 perceived ; from the look he had taken at the kaledis- 
 cope of life, he had retained one colour — it was love. 
 It was the love of a faithful dog for its master ; 
 made up of admiration and fidelity, without the 
 taint of selfishness. Of that sick child he thought 
 himself the guardian and servant. Affection without 
 restraint. He would have offered his life to yield 
 her a moment's pleasure. He would have cried, 
 " She may not be ill." He was natural, and nature 
 is the mother of the soul. 
 
 He seated himself, and remained silent till Ingle ton 
 said to him, "What have you been doing lately?" 
 pausing between each word. 
 
 " Thinking," was the auswer. 
 
236 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 "What have you been thinking about ?" asked 
 Ingleton. 
 
 "Life I" answered Antony as he looked towards 
 the child. 
 
 " You mean death." 
 
 ** Both," answered Antony. 
 
 "Tell me what you thought," said Ingleton^ 
 curious to know Antony's ideas. 
 
 " Why has God created evil ? " said Antony^ 
 stuttering over each word. 
 
 " You would penetrate the mysteries of nature," 
 said Ingleton. 
 
 " I . . . would . . . like to know . . . why . . , 
 she is ill," said Antony, pointing to the child. 
 
 " Destiny," answered Ingleton moodily. 
 
 "Eh!" 
 
 "Fatality." 
 
 *' I do not understand." 
 
 " Nor I." 
 
 Antony looked at space, and pointed upwards. 
 Ingleton watched him closely, and said, " Yes, it is 
 the law of nature, the fixed rule from which there 
 is no departing. 
 
 " She suffers," said Antony. 
 
 "Yes," said Ingleton. 
 
 " Lord . . . Lord . . . why has thou done this 
 thing?" said Antony in his broken speech. 
 
 The tinkling of a bell, and the opening of a 
 turning box, announced Mark Glimson, who im- 
 mediately entered. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 237 
 
 Antony motioned him to tread softly. 
 
 Mark Glimson was an example of the diversity in 
 man's nature — the existence of individuality. 
 Antony knew only purity, of evil he had but a faint 
 instinct. Glimson understood cynicism. He knew 
 society was a step-mother of nature. He was aware 
 that the survival of the fittest meant the suppression 
 of the weakest ; and he acknowledged the existence 
 of these evils, and believed they had a reason. He 
 accepted, that the meeting of extremes produced a 
 something — a revolution, a massacre, or an unheaval ; 
 but he looked for the sunshine after the storm. He 
 had cynically observed that the increase of the 
 population was a mistake ; but he knew that the 
 divinity which shapes our ends was just, and that 
 the law of nature must be obeyed or a dire calamity 
 result. In this frame of mind he joined Antony. 
 
 "James, your sister is somewhat better," he 
 observed, seating himself near Ingleton; and turning 
 to the cliild, he knit his brows till they met. 
 
 " Yes, there seems a change," answered Ingleton. 
 
 " I would like to have a few minutes' conversation 
 with you," said Glimson, " and I would not disturb 
 you sister." 
 
 " Then come to my room," said Ingleton, rising 
 from his seat. 
 
 Antony watched them ; and Ingleton, motioning 
 him to follow, he said, "I stop here." They went 
 into the next room, where Ingleton lighted a stove, 
 and they seated themselves. 
 
238 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " What do yoiT think of the proposition of making 
 us members of the Convention?" said Glimson, 
 swinging his legs. 
 
 " That if we are elected we could further our 
 cause," said Ingleton. 
 
 " You are right. I have come to the same conclu- 
 sion," said Glimson. " Matters seem coming to a 
 crisis — time is hurrying onward. I did not antici- 
 pate this move ; we must hold our meeting immedi- 
 ately. Caland, who is with us, has acted with 
 precision. I did not think it right to come here, 
 but on second thoughts, I concluded it might disarm 
 suspicion." 
 
 "Let us act," said Ingleton, "openly and freely. 
 The accursed State under which we live necessitates 
 secrecy. It is repugnant to my soul. Therefore I 
 shall be glad to seize this opportunity, if I be 
 elected, to speak my mind openly — to charge the 
 Government with depriving man of his individual 
 rights, and thus misdirecting the Maker's pur- 
 pose." 
 
 "Not so loud," said Glimson, "the walls have 
 ears. Be careful." 
 
 " Life is a burden now, for free will is denounced. 
 But what is the use of declamation ? You know it as 
 well as I do," said Ingleton with a sigh. 
 
 " All the more reason for prompt and decisive 
 action," said Glimson. " The pernicious habits 
 man is accustomed to now, would eventually destroy 
 him if persisted in. I wrote so in my pamphlets. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 239 
 
 and I doubt not their effect. ^Tien will you let me 
 know the place of meeting ? " 
 
 " To night," answered Ingleton. " Antony shall 
 bring you word ; and under the present circumstances 
 the evening of the twenty-first will do as well as 
 any other." 
 
 "Good," said Glimson, " I have work to do — so 
 good day," and he departed immediately. 
 
 The same afternoon a notice was posted in the 
 Alliance, stating that James Ingleton and Mark 
 Glimson had accepted the candidature for member- 
 ship of the Convention, and trusted to receive the 
 votes of all the members. Not a word as to their 
 ]3olicy, not a syllable as to the Hne of conduct they 
 intended to pursue. And from the distance of 
 time we write — and we have carefully examined the 
 document in question — for it lies in the Eoyal 
 Museum — it seems strange that no question should 
 have been put directly afterwards, and that the 
 candidates issued no programme. The statement 
 of Buerlin, that the public mind had been agitated 
 for some time, must be accepted without hesitation, 
 although no proofs are extant, for it can but be 
 rightly concluded, if any conclusion is to be drawn 
 at all, that if no agitation had existed, these two 
 candidates would have had their opinions challenged 
 by their constituents. 
 
CHAPTEE XVI. 
 
 Beyond the outskirts of the city where are, or rather 
 were, the air pumps, the snow disintegrators, and 
 the aerial apparatus, lay a wide belt of even ground, 
 where once had stood thriving parishes. Here are 
 the remnants of old London. Dust, wind, rain, and 
 fog, have well nigh accomplished their fell work. 
 
 Few stroll this way, fewer explore it. This is 
 the churchyard of the past, where the tombstones 
 are the house walls, and the streets form the graves. 
 Here, on the very edge, is a mound of stones, 
 wood, and part of a cart, remains of a barricade 
 raised in civil strife. There a few houses, the 
 windows shattered, and great gaps where cannon 
 had done their work. As we penetrate the labyrinth 
 of streets, the dwelling houses grow fewer, until 
 little else than empty space remains. 
 
 On a board hangs a sign, creaking in the wind, 
 and with every movement a shower of rotten, 
 powdered wood falls to the ground— decay every- 
 where ! Onward, and we slip down. Was it a trench, 
 or a sinking of the ground. None can tell. Up again. 
 On the breeze comes a low cracked sound, weird 
 and uncanny. It is the wind shaking a bell in a 
 disused church. The ivy has covered its walls, and 
 the foliage hides the breaches. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 241 
 
 The grass grows in the streets, weeds in the 
 window sills, and moss covers the walls. 
 
 What a scene of desolation ! Fragments of charred 
 wood and scorched brick lie strewn across the 
 roadway, and we mutter— " A conflagration." 
 
 The wind stirs the mass, and for a moment life 
 seems to have entered the mouldering remains. They 
 move, they beckon us onward; but the wind subsides, 
 ■and they are again lifeless. We enter a house still in 
 fair condition. ... Dust everywhere. Dust ! We 
 would desperse it; but let no sacrilegious hand 
 touch it. Dust is life— a myriad microbes of evil, and 
 a trilHon evidences of life. Dust was the world, and 
 ■dust it is. Burnt, fired, and crystallized, it is every- 
 thing—humanity's brother— therefore, nothing ! 
 
 Awake ! awake ! you dust heaps. Where are 
 the men, the women, the children, the play- 
 things, the brains, the wills ? Dust, all dust. 
 
 Awake ! The wind is calling you. Speak ! tell 
 your history ; we will listen. 
 
 A flock of rooks, crowing and shrieking, fly out 
 of the house, circhng higher and higher. Here in 
 the midst of the past they live. 
 
 As we mount the stairs, creaking and groaning 
 under their unwonted weight, we are startled by a 
 sound which strikes strange upon our ears. A great 
 owl is sitting on the roof of a neighbouring thatch. 
 We ascend again, and the heavens are overcast. 
 Yet, forward! A great heavy pall comes rolling 
 towards us. The mist, like the billows of the 
 
242 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 troubled sea, is covering all ; the giant shadowy^ 
 hands of the fog are grasping the spires and house- 
 tops, and then slowly disappear. The sound of the 
 bell is no longer heard. 
 
 The pall covers all. Above, the hooting of the 
 owl, the shrieking of the rooks, and the flapping of 
 wings can be heard : fitting accompaniments to the 
 grimness of death and decay which reigns around. 
 
 Now and again re-echoes the tread of footsteps. 
 Shadows seem to be flitting past, disappearing as 
 soon as they come in sight. 
 
 Thus we find this old deserted part of London on 
 the evening of the twenty-first of October ; nor in 
 spite of its now total disappearance, should the 
 existence of this mass of decay be doubted, for 
 representations of the spot still exist. Although 
 science had persevered till fogs had been abated, yet 
 mists were ever with us ; and the marshy east being 
 the great fog land, a general move was made in a west- 
 ward direction, to avoid the nuisance as much as 
 possible. Till the end of the seventeenth century, 
 and somewhat later, London proper consisted of 
 about a mile radius round St. Paul's Cathedral, but 
 by the end of the nineteenth, it covered an area of 
 twelve squares miles. One generation more saw 
 this extended to over thirteen. 
 
 But at the commencement of the Social State, a 
 general migration westward took place, and London 
 ended at the eastern end of the old city boundaries. 
 
 In the old church, already mentioned, the secret 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 243 
 
 meeting of the Individualists was being held, so 
 let us repair hence, if not in the body, at least 
 in the spirit. 
 
 All that is visible to the eye is the uncertain light 
 of two small incandescent hand lamps. Decay above 
 all is there — the disused pews, the crumbling pulpit, 
 the dust covered statuary, the thousand cobwebs, and 
 the mouldering monumental stones, tell their own 
 tale. The lofty ceiling is hidden by the shadows ; 
 and the beautiful stained glass windows are either 
 broken, or their lustre is tarnished by the dirt. Hollow 
 are the echoes, as now and again some one enters and 
 approaches the circle of light. It requires but little 
 imagination to fancy this a meeting of the dead, or to 
 see the ghosts gliding upwards and along the pillars 
 that support the old clock tower. 
 
 Here then met those who prized Individuality 
 above life. On the tumble down steps of the pulpit sit 
 James Ingleton, Mark Glimson, Harry Bligow, 
 and Pelham Stocking. On the altar are the 
 two lamps, and with their arms leaning upon it, 
 stand Willie Heughin, Arthur Caland, and behind 
 them the trio, Frederick Baxter, William Perkins, 
 and John Burham. Jerrold Trevors is trying to 
 read the inscription on a stone. Andrew Streathan 
 is leaning against a pillar. Every now and then 
 the noise of Thompson (who is acting as doorkeeper), 
 doing an impromtu war dance on the flag stones,^ 
 can be heard. 
 
 On the ridges of the first row of pews are seated 
 
:244 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 four young men, whose acquaintance we now make 
 for the first time. They are John Dixon, Edward 
 Vickers, Paul Hardale, and Walter Wharham ; the 
 latter, an electrician ; the former three, gun operatives 
 io the National Army of Defence. 
 
 Dotted about here and there, seated or standing, 
 as best suited their inclination, were a score of 
 others. We will mention but a few. George 
 Cavendish, Augustus Beauclerc, Francis Fitz- 
 walter, Hugh Cholmley, and Herbert Hollis. 
 They came trooping in by twos and threes, till a 
 count was called, and each answering to his name, 
 they numbered forty-nine. 
 
 Then Ingleton ascended the pulpit, and said, 
 " Thompson, you can join us now," and that worthy 
 hastened forward to the circle of light. 
 
 " Friends, you are well aware why you are here," 
 said Ingleton from his coign of vantage. The con- 
 versation ceased, they were all attention. 
 
 " After a quarter of a century of Equality, 
 Fraternity, and so-called Liberty, it is found 
 necessary to rise against the State, and why ? The 
 cries are but empty sounds. Equality has proved 
 to be but ruthless levelling ; fraternity, a mere 
 phrase ; and liberty has been withheld. Individual- 
 ity has almost ceased — almost I say — but not quite, 
 or else you would not be here. Individuality, our 
 right, our birthright, has been abolished by the 
 Convention. This Js unjust, this is wrong. Does 
 not the bird seek food for itself ; does it not possess 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 245" 
 
 freewill ? Then I ask you why should not we. We- 
 are not allowed to exercise it ... we shall, 
 
 "Collectivism has attempted to destroy us, let us 
 destroy it, if our demands are not allowed. Never 
 within the history of the human race did such an 
 opportunity exist for the development of equality. 
 And what came of it ? Nothing ! Because the 
 system was opposed to all human instincts. Can 
 we place an artist on the same level as a husband- 
 man ? Is a farmer the intellectual equal of a novel- 
 ist, whose pen-pictures strike home to the heart 
 and mind? No! But I need not particularise. 
 Collectivism has been impartial it is true, but 
 sadly unsuccessful. 
 
 "Humanity is synonymous with individualism. 
 Personahty must exercise its powers after its own 
 individual lights, and follow its own course. Mark 
 Glimson and I have been proposed as members of 
 the Convention. We ask you to elect us, and we 
 will strike at the evil, root and branch. We 
 will proclaim the folly of the present State, and 
 demand its re-organization. Here, in this country — 
 our home, we shall again breathe the air of freedom, 
 and once more have full scope for individual action. 
 To all this we have a claim, a just claim, and we 
 mean eventually to obtain our rights." 
 
 A glow of enthusiasm overspread Ingleton's face 
 as he continued : — 
 
 "Friends, I have not put you on oath,"— 
 (Glimson was watching the audience with a look 
 
■246 JAMBS INGLETON, 
 
 of curiosity on his face ; Pelham Stocking was 
 doing the same with some anxiety) — " for that were 
 futile ; if anyone intended to betray us, he would do 
 so notwithstanding. If you are true to your honour, 
 you will not need an oath. In conclusion, I say 
 this : Let our aspirations be as high as the human 
 mind can soar. Let our duty to our fellowmen 
 be done, even at the cost of life ; and let our 
 motto be Individiiality. Let the banner be carried 
 proudly and honourably ; let every action of our lives 
 prove the good purpose of our individual aims. But 
 withal, action without precipitation, prudence with- 
 out timidity, and no retreat, is my counsel to you 
 all, in the great strife that will soon come." 
 He descended from the pulpit. 
 Glimson immediately mounted. 
 " Friends," he said, " this is no place for us to 
 stay in. For more than one reason, my words 
 shall be few. Collectivism and corruption are 
 synonymous. What we require is Individualism 
 and Liberty ; bastard liberty it has been called ; 
 but it is a more legitimate offspring of man's 
 brain than that unification such as we under- 
 stand it at the present day. What you must do, 
 what I must do, what we must all do, is to dissem- 
 inate our opinions, and form a great party, with 
 whom action shall be of more import than speech. 
 To this end we must be willing to sacrifice our lives. 
 Progress is the ultimate aim of man's existence. 
 We have made no progress these twenty-five years. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 247 
 
 Why not ? The poHcy of our times has prevented 
 it. Well, let us build up a new polity, let us search 
 the paofes of history for the best constitution, and 
 the best pohcy for humanity. But above all, let us 
 act decisively and with precision. If necessary, let 
 us make forced marches hke Napoleon, or map out 
 our course hke Moltke. Indecision would mean our 
 downfall. If anyone wavers let him retreat at 
 once." 
 
 They all remained silent. 
 
 "Good," continued Glimson, "you have now 
 thrown your lot in with ours. Disseminate our ideas ; 
 and of every friend you make keep us informed. I 
 propose that James Ingleton be our accepted leader. 
 
 All who agree thus, let them hold up their hands." 
 All hands went up. " If anyone wish to address the 
 
 assembly, let him do so." Then GHmson descended. 
 Arthur C aland took the place which Glimson had 
 
 vacated. In his quiet, yet impassioned manner, he 
 
 said, — 
 
 "Friends— we are all friends here— as the stars 
 shine in spite of the mist which now hides them, so 
 there exists the power of individuality. What is life 
 without freedom? What is this existence— being 
 driven Hke a flock of sheep, thus far, and by such a 
 road, and no questions to be asked ? Our manhood 
 has been undermined in this soul-killing vacuum 
 whicli is called the Social State. Who then cares for 
 life such as this, for the mere existence of the brute 
 beast. The time has not yet arrived, but it will, 
 
248 JAMES INGLE TOIT. 
 
 and sooner than most people think, when we shall 
 build a new England, leaving the old one to rot 
 and decay, as the very church in which we now 
 stand. Friends, before all, remember the number — 
 one, that is the unit. Collectivism possesses no 
 conscience, man does. If you think you are doing 
 wrong, ask your consciences, and be guided by the 
 answer. The near future will not be one we can 
 paint with roseate hues. It looms black and gloomy 
 as the grave. No matter ; those who emerge 
 from this struggle shall have glorious victory. Who- 
 ever distributed those pamphlets did well. They 
 have been read, and well read. I propose that 
 Mark Glimson be accepted as second in com- 
 mand." 
 
 A show of hands decided in favour of Glimson. 
 
 C aland was about to descend when some persons 
 were heard to enter the building. In a moment all 
 were on their feet, and the word " Discovered " 
 passed round. Heughin hastily turned the lights 
 out, leaving all in total darkness. 
 
 " Who is there ?" shouted Glimson. 
 
 " A friend," was the answer. 
 
 " What name ?" asked Glimson. 
 
 " Martin Hampden," came the answer. 
 
 " Who else?" said Glimson. 
 
 "Norris Buerlin," came from another voice. 
 
 " Good ! turn on the light," said Glimson ; and this, 
 being done, the two entered the circle of light, 
 taking up their stand near a column. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 249 
 
 " You are both welcome," said Ingleton, as Caland 
 •descended the pulpit. " What brings you so late ?" 
 
 "I come from Manchester," said Buerlin. 
 
 " And I from Birmingham," said Hampden. 
 
 Bligow now ascended the pulpit. 
 
 " Friends, he said, " I am no speaker, so I will 
 bring my proposals forward at once. We require a 
 watchword ; a future duty to perform ; and a place of 
 meeting. Then we want a secretary ; and above 
 all, we must return Ingleton and Glimson as mem- 
 bers of the Convention." 
 
 His place was immediately taken by Buerlin, who 
 said, " I am willing to act as secretary." 
 
 " Agreed," they murmured, and he stepped down. 
 
 A dozen watchwords were proposed, but ulti- 
 mately " Honour," suggested by Pelham Stocking 
 was accepted. 
 
 Ingleton again ascended the pulpit. 
 
 "We have a duty to fulfil," he said. "The 
 first is to gain members to our cause. Can we 
 count upon fifty for each man present now ?" 
 
 " Send one man to assist me and you can rely 
 upon a thousand, in Birmingham, in forty-eight 
 hours," said Hampden, with a decision which was 
 convincing. 
 
 " Manchester will respond with as many in a 
 week," said Buerlin. "I and others there will 
 spread the dissatisfaction." 
 
 "You can command fifty telephone operatives 
 through me," said Streathan. 
 
 R 
 
250 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 "I could find as many men, and a dozen cars,"' 
 said Heughin. 
 
 " Enough," said Ingleton. " I see you are in 
 earnest." 
 
 "Deadly earnest," interposed Glimson; "yes, 
 deadly earnest." 
 
 " Will you assist at making us members of the 
 Convention?" Ingleton resumed. 
 
 '* Yes," came the answer, loud and unmis- 
 takable. 
 
 " In eleven days the election takes place," con- 
 tinued Ingleton. " Much will have occurred by then. 
 Eouse your friends. You have done me great 
 honour by choosing me as leader, I shall strive to be 
 worthy of the position." 
 
 Glimson rose, and from the steps he said, ** As- 
 you have made me second in command, I do not feel 
 strong enough to uphold such an appointment with- 
 out the assistance of every one present. I bid you 
 follow our leader through thick and thin. I am an 
 opportunist in ideas. If the cloak of the mist can 
 assist us, let us take advantage of it ; let us take 
 advantage of the first opportunity which presents 
 itself. On the first occasion, whenever and how- 
 ever it may be, if the high and mighty, the ridicu- 
 lous Government, order us about, let us refuse to 
 obey ; whoever it may be, let him refuse, and then 
 we shall rise and second him. Some one must 
 prove a martyr to the cause : as lief myself as any- 
 one. But remember we must be prepared at any 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 251 
 
 moment. A general rising of the members of tlie 
 Alliance will destroy the Government." 
 
 Pelham Stocking rose for the first time, and 
 addressed the conspirators. In the blandest tones he 
 said, "Friends,! wish to say but a few words, and 
 they are well meant. Oar cause is just, our cause is 
 honourable : it is the enfranchisement of the nation 
 from a slavery ; but — and remember I mean well — 
 the military and the police are very powerful ; it is 
 useless to jump into the lion's mouth all unarmed 
 as we are." 
 
 George Cavendish, without moving from his seat, 
 said, " Many of my friends are in the army. Numer- 
 ous cases of dissatisfaction have already been re- 
 ported. We do not fear the army." 
 
 Herbert Hollis said, " In open resistance the 
 police are powerless. 
 
 " ^Ve," said Perkins, speaking for his two friends, 
 " could loosen the roof of London, and destroy an 
 army with the pieces." 
 
 " An aerial car loaded with iglio-powder would 
 destroy London," said Willie Heughin. 
 
 " A hundred gallons of water and the possession 
 of one electric storage house, could resist the world," 
 said William Wharham. 
 
 " With the possession of an engine-shop, and an 
 electrician who could make the bullets, we could 
 turnout a thousand guns a day; could we not?" 
 said Edward Vickers, addressing the question to his 
 friends. 
 
252 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Yes," answered Dixon and Hardale. 
 
 " Leave the leyden jars for me," said Wharham. 
 
 " If we brought the nozzle of an air pump into the 
 city we could disperse ten thousand men in ten 
 minutes," said Fitz waiter, who belonged to that 
 department. 
 
 " I am sufficiently answered," said Stocking, 
 seating himself. 
 
 " "We have forgotten our elders," said Ingleton. 
 
 " They must join us," said Glimson. 
 
 " They will join us," said Bligow. 
 
 " Now as to a future policy," said Ingleton. " I 
 propose a constitutional monarchy on the best 
 lines." 
 
 " Who is to be king ? " asked Buerlin. 
 
 " A scion of the Guelphs," answered Ingleton. 
 
 " I have no objection," said Glimson. 
 
 " Nor I," said Bligow. 
 
 " Nor I," said Heughin ; and the rest followed. 
 
 " Whenever you find a communication signed 
 ' Honour,' it is from us," said Glimson, with 
 emphasis. 
 
 "Is there any proposal to be made?" said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 No one wishing to do so, he took a small book 
 from his pocket, and a pen and ink bottle, and 
 offering then to Baerlin, said — " Let all record 
 their names and addresses." 
 
 Buerlin took the names of all present, and then 
 they made their preparations for departure. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 253 
 
 " Those who live at the further end of the town 
 had better accompany me ; I have a car in readiness 
 that will hold a dozen," said Heughin. 
 
 This invitation was accepted ; while others, first 
 shaking hands with Ingleton and Glimson, slowly 
 departed. The echoing footsteps resounded as, one 
 by one, they left the church. 
 
 " A most successful meeting," said Glimson to 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " Yes," answered he, as Glimson, Bligow, Stock- 
 ing, and he, left together, bidding Heughin good 
 night. 
 
 Heughin took the two lamps in his hands, and 
 turning round they lit up the corners of the old 
 church. " This way," he said, motioning to a door, 
 which was opened with difficulty. " This leads to 
 the turret where the car waits." Leading them, 
 they slowly ascended the mouldering and moss- 
 grown stairs, awaking the spiders who had lived 
 there many years undisturbed, and crushing the 
 creeping insects with every footstep. 
 
 The weird sound of the bell re-echoed on the 
 winding stairs. At last they reached the summit, 
 and then Heughin, handing the lamps to someone, 
 forced open a window and gave a shrill whistle. In 
 a moment it was answered, and the noise of a 
 descending car was heard. Wilkins was standing 
 with a door open. " Throw out a gangboard," said 
 Heughin. 
 
 Wilkins pushed a board to the ledge of the 
 
254 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 window and then threw two ropes to Heughin, who 
 fixed them at each side casement. " Now, come ; 
 walk over and hold the ropes, but don't look down- 
 wards." 
 
 This uninviting pathway was accepted with some 
 temerity ; but all fear was assuaged when AVilkins, 
 getting out, walked forward and backward to the 
 car. He having re-entered, the others crossed in 
 safety. 
 
 Heughin passed the board back ; knotting the 
 ropes together, and forming a loop with them, he 
 sat himself in this cradle and shouted, *' Clear ! 
 Throw a ladder down." The car shot away with 
 Heughin swinging underneath. For a moment it 
 seemed as though he must lose his balance and 
 fall shattered to pieces, as a reward for this act of 
 daring. But a rope ladder falling in front of him, 
 he caught it with his teeth, and so steadied himself. 
 With a grip of iron he grasped the ladder. He was 
 trying to find a foothold. This done, he climbed as 
 nimbly as a monkey, and entered the car, pulling 
 the rope and ladder behind him, closed the door, 
 and then the car sped away. 
 
 Below, in the church, the rats and the mice, and 
 a hundred things that infest old buildings, held their 
 midnight revelry, to the clanging of the cracked bell 
 in the turret. 
 
CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 In the blindness of his hatred, Pelham Stocking 
 had spread the net — very finely spun, so he though 
 — for his enemies. But to his great dismay he 
 found himself entangled in its meshes, instead of 
 those on whose destruction he had so long gloated 
 in anticipation. The truth of this came home to 
 him as he was on his way back from the secret 
 meeting. He cursed the luck that had caused Mark 
 Olimson to find him in a swoon, and he trembled at 
 the thought of what his waking words may have 
 been. He had written many pamphlets at Glimson's 
 dictation, and realized that he was in his enemies' 
 power. He had spoken at the meeting, trusting to 
 discourage them, but the overwhelming assurances 
 had overpowered him. 
 
 He had taken leave of the others, ostensibly to 
 go home. Home ! It was but a mockery, for he 
 could find no rest. So he walked on, fate leading 
 him to the river side. He watched the current 
 flowing placidly along, but its peacefulness brought 
 no rest to his mind. He was irreHgious. He said, 
 ^'I do not believe," which was illogical, for it 
 acknowledged that there was something to be dis- 
 believed. At the same time he was superstitious — 
 a sign of weakness. He shrugged his shoulders at 
 
256 JAMES INGLETGN. 
 
 the All-powerful, and trembled at the wind blowing" 
 through the trees. He had had three strokes of ill 
 luck, and half feared the time was no longer 
 propitious for him to commit further mischief. 
 But the idea of ultimate triumph led him on. He 
 sat down on a parapet and glanced into the stream. 
 In his egoism he sneered at nature. He conned over 
 in his mind the past night's proceedings. Not a flaw 
 could he find which he could turn to account. To 
 betray others would be to betray himself He felt 
 like a man who has attempted to draw others in a 
 trap, and hears its doors close upon himself. He 
 anathematized everything, above and below. He 
 would have liked to give a stab in the dark, 
 and to hurry off ere the hue and cry could be raised^ 
 but he felt that he was powerless to act. In this 
 incapacity he cried with spite and mortification. 
 Again he rehearsed the meeting. Was there not 
 some point of which he could reap advantage. He 
 wiped the tears from his eyes, and sprang to his feet, 
 his eyes gleaming with malice. He had found it ! 
 Glimson had said, " Let them resist the State on 
 the earliest opportunity." That was the trum^Det 
 sound which seemed to beckon him on. 
 
 If he could get Ingleton and Glimson incarcerated 
 before they had time to marshal their forces, they 
 would be destroyed. His paroxysm of rage was 
 over. He felt he had them in his power. In his 
 mind he prepared for them a yawning chasm, and 
 he already saw them fall headlong into it. The 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 257 
 
 sardonic smile returned to his face, and he gave 
 vent to a maHcious laugh. The emotions cause a 
 diversity of expression. From the depths of despair 
 Stocking found himself lifted up until he viewed 
 humanity from the mountain tops. The men below 
 seemed but a mere set of playthings ; and again he 
 laughed. 
 
 Thus recovered, he strolled along the river bank 
 till he came to a piece of statuary supported by 
 four Caryatides and four Atlantes. Between two of 
 these supports sat a man. Stocking addressed 
 him. 
 
 " What are you doing here ?" 
 
 " That is my concern," was the answer in gruff 
 tones. 
 
 " You are very impolite," said Stocking. 
 
 " Eh ! " was the answer. 
 
 "Don't you think it unhealthy to sit here ?" said 
 Stocking. 
 
 "Do you ?" answered the man. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 '^ You did the same." 
 
 " It is of no use talking to you," said Stocking as 
 he turned away. Twice he faced homewards ; but 
 the tide was running out to sea ; the sight seemed 
 to fascinate him ; he continued walking. 
 
 The man who was seated between the priestesses 
 of Eg3^pt got up, and muttered, "My name isn't 
 Jenkins if I didn't see you here before to-night," 
 and walked home. 
 
258 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 We have met him before by dayhght as an officer 
 of the Court of Justice. 
 
 Stocking continued walking till he arrived at a 
 series of broad steps which led to the water's edge. 
 He descended slowly, and knocked his shoulders 
 against a statue of Pollux, whose companion. Castor, 
 stood opposite. ** Curse it," muttered Stocking, 
 " the same bad luck as that night." As he touched 
 the water with his foot, he stared at it, as though 
 he would mesmerize it, but the opposite took 
 place. Two stones around which the eddies flowed, 
 became transformed into eyes. Slowly the current 
 assumed a bodily form. He would have fallen but 
 for the support of a rail. He was transfixed. His 
 eyes sank and his eyelids closed. In this attitude 
 he remained for a moment, then bis eyes reopened — 
 they had an unearthly glitter. Walking backwards' 
 but without the slightest indecision, he re-ascended 
 the steps, and then re -descended them, his eyes still 
 fixed on the water. As he touched the lowest step 
 he put his arms out as if he pushed something in 
 the stream. To his ears, the lapping of the water 
 against the step resembled the splash created by a 
 falling body. 
 
 For a moment he remained staring at the water, 
 the tide seeming to carry something out. Then he 
 turned round, shuddered, and cautiously retraced his 
 steps and walked home in a sort of somnambulic 
 sleep, stopping every nowand then tolookbehindhim. 
 Once in his room, he directly went to bed and 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 259 
 
 dreamed again the dreams we have already related. 
 
 The attractive power of a spot where some foul deed 
 has occurred, both to the active participators in the 
 scene, and to man in general, seems an inexplicable 
 quantity with which it is impossible to deal. 
 
 So to the student of mankind, moribund curiosity, 
 the wish to see evil, if not to perform it, seems an 
 entity too difficult to explain, and j'et always existed. 
 Thus the asons of the past, the fleeting moments of 
 present, prove that mankind has never changed; and, 
 as a like result, that man will never change. From 
 the first blood-deed of Cain, to the last murder that 
 the newspapers chronicle, man has remained the 
 same. When the human vices are given free vent, 
 a reign of terror results. Keason is destroyed, and 
 pandemonium let loose. If the evil natures of some 
 were allowed free scope, the quintessence of their 
 aspiration would be a tempest of blood, with the 
 dying gasp of humanity as the sighing wind. They 
 who preach virtue as the narrow winding path, 
 and vice as the broad paved way, are mistaken. 
 The inert germ of evil is a part of the brute creation, 
 and when found in man, presents a maze of fiendish 
 cruelty combined with tortuous paths of cunning, 
 proving that there are as many obstacles in the 
 path of vice as in that of virtue. 
 
 When Pandoras' box was opened, evil in all forms 
 and shapes entered the world. Thus taught the 
 heathen mythologist. Hope alone remained at the 
 bottom ; aye, hope ! and that was all. Hope on, it is 
 
260 JAMES II^GLETON. 
 
 well ; but for that gift, the philosophers would have 
 despaired of the regeneration of mankind. Eosy 
 cheeked, blithsome hope. Hope on, hope for the 
 redemption of the human race, hope for the eradica- 
 tion of the evil spirit in man. Hope on — that is all. 
 
 From the evening of the lecture to the date of 
 of the election was a matter of eleven days, each 
 full of interest to the student of history. Not 
 wishing to present the reader with a quotation from 
 Buerlin's Chronicle, we will instead give that 
 celebrated historian's diary of those iew days. 
 This diary was found a few years ago in the ruins 
 of a house at Manchester ; but now charred and 
 blackened, it fills an honourable position in the 
 Royal Library. 
 
 "October 22. Returned from London last night. 
 Meeting most successful. Shall set to work at once- 
 Alfred Egan and Thomas Stovell will assist. Elec- 
 tions on first. Glimson and Ingleton should get in. 
 Saw our candidate ; speak at to-morrow's meeting 
 for him. Was in Birmingham at two o'clock. 
 Hampden hard at it ; got a committee. Paper, first 
 edition, notes that at 7.48 Stamkoff, President of 
 Russian Republic, died. (There will be trouble there). 
 Nothing else aJl day, except the labour and impost 
 questions. Dined with Dr. Shiudle — here on special 
 obesity case — reports city quiet. Rumour cf mutiny 
 in regiment in Newcastle (more trouble for Govern- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 261 
 
 * 
 
 inent). At labour bureau, hundreds waiting for 
 work. 
 
 "October 23. Spoke at meeting ; put my head in 
 lion's mouth ; our candidate joins cause. Had long 
 talk with Egan and Stovell. Will have a hundred 
 pamphlets out by to-morrow — photographic process. 
 Have written to Ingleton ; proposed secret cypher, 
 too simple to find out for use, in telephone. Glimson 
 writes, 'Hard at work, more pamphlets out in 
 London.' Met Mr. Bostwell, is here on circuit ; 
 evidently is with us ; must write to Glimson about 
 it. Was at Bristol and Plymouth; a few adherents 
 in each town ; w^ork progresses. France is dis- 
 turbed ; civil war feared ; royalty again fled. 
 Oovinni new Prime Minister of Italy. Great storms 
 in America. The impost question will evidently 
 come before the Convention when it meets. The 
 result will be a cataclysm. 
 
 " October 24. Last night I wrote * the result will 
 be a cataclysm,' and it is impossible to foresee how 
 soon it will happen. Arthur Caland was arrested 
 on a charge of insubordination. Half London ceased 
 work, such a stir it created. He spoke disrespect- 
 fully of his overseer ; was discharged with a caution, 
 and taken home in a grand procession by a thousand 
 members of the Alliance — this was four o'clock. At 
 six, two hundred fresh pamphlets were blown by the 
 wind in the streets of London. (I already hear the 
 people destroying the State). Glimson sent me a 
 copy ; it is very strong language. I'll have had it 
 
262 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 reproduced immediately. Hampden got my cypher, 
 and has five hundred with him already. I, with 
 Egan and Stovell, count on three hundred now. They 
 both spcke at the Mliance with closed doors (it may 
 lead to trouble). Have been travelling all over the 
 country ; credit card will soon be exhausted ; must 
 write to Ingleton to see how to obtain fresh when 
 it is used up. There is something in the air every- 
 where. The Chinese are again in revolt. In France 
 the palaces and official residences have been blown 
 up, and Brantine is at the head of affairs. The 
 provision committee will not last long. . . . To- 
 morrow's paper will be of interest, for Glimson will 
 get an actor to speak some lines on Collectivism." 
 
 Between the leaves we found the copy of a 
 pamphlet in the broad handwriting of Mark Glimson ; 
 we append it here : — " Men and Women, how long 
 shall you be trampled in the dust ? How long shall 
 your liberty be denied by an illogical hateful govern- 
 ment ? To-day, an example of the cursed system 
 under which you live — not thrive — has been brought 
 home to you. Do you realise that you are an army, 
 not of men and women — living useful beings, but of 
 automatic toys ? Do you realise that a fellow being 
 has been almost deprived of his freedom because of 
 his openness of speech ? Do you intend to uphold this 
 degrading and wretched life? Lying and deceit- 
 ful statements will be made to palliate the evil that 
 has been done. Do not believe them, do not trust them. 
 Do not be pacified by vain assurances, but destroy 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 263 
 
 the curse, root and branch. Truth will out, and 
 liberty cries from the bowels of the earth to the 
 heights of heaven. Awake ! Awake ! Watch and 
 wait," 
 
 " October 25. Glimson's moves have decidely irri- 
 tated the Government. . . . The Half Hour has a 
 column on the gag in ' Family Feuds.' Strange that 
 no comment is made about the pamphlets. We are 
 progressing. Manchester 600, Birmingham 700. 
 Bligow went to Plymouth and Bristol this mornings 
 Reported about 300 in each town. ... In analysing 
 public feeling, I conclude that the majority are with 
 us, London especially. The fifty telephone opera- 
 tors are with us as promised. We could disconnect 
 communication at any moment. No opposition 
 has yet been offered to Ingleton's and Glimson's 
 election. We are making history rapidly. Discon- 
 tent is everywhere. The cotton operators are 
 rising. . . . 
 
 " October 26. Sunday being a day of rest, there is 
 little to chronicle. The twenty four editions of the 
 Half Hour are read eagerly. We are still in the 
 van. . . . The situation in the north speaks well 
 for us. . . . Ireland presents the spectacle of 
 another famine. The Iberian Peninsula is in 
 straitened circumstances (for once in the way). 
 Professor Holmes has completed his survey of the 
 sub-oceanic globe. The monsters of the deep stand 
 revealed, so it is presumed. The last letter from 
 Hemsrik is headed one degree from the pole. (Will 
 
264 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 he reach it?) Labour disputes are disturbing 
 BerHn. Are we to expect another 1848 ?" 
 
 The twenty-seventh was evidently one of much 
 work for it is headed 3 a.m., October 27 : — " Science 
 has not yet enslaved the elements. A cyclone has 
 swept half the hemisphere. The aerial cars ascended 
 to three miles above the storm; the scene was 
 stupendous. Travelled to Glasgow and back; 
 addressed a meeting. Ingleton was there. The 
 old Canongate served a good purpose. Heughin 
 undertakes to provide a dozen cars, and men to 
 steer them, at any moment. (Awfully tired.) Have 
 now 600 with us. Hampden has got his 1,000. 
 Altogether our numerical strength is about 10,000. 
 (The secretarial duties lax my powers. No less than 
 fifty letters came.) Have had them addressed to 
 different persons to allay suspicion. Elections are 
 now in sight, canvassing in full swing; Glimson 
 concludes his letters with ' Messieurs, beware ! ' 
 No time to examine newspapers: 
 
 " October 28. More progress. London has set a 
 brave example. When the blow falls it will shatter 
 the idol, which has been worshipped for a century 
 and more: Glimson grows bolder every moment. 
 Bligow is more energetic than ever. A new creed 
 was preached to-day, that of the Crystal feeders 
 as they call themselves. The theory is peculiar. 
 To live on vapours does not satisfy the stomach, 
 at least not mine. . . . The London secretary 
 of the Alliance has demanded the policies of all 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 265 
 
 candidates. Is the Alliance going to officially 
 recommend members? Somewhat late in the 
 day. Shall wait the result. Wholesale emigration 
 is again proposed as a remedy for the bad times. 
 {Half Hour is rubbish.) Emigration as a panacea 
 has never been so successful as to deserve recom- 
 mendation. The Congo State has entered upon a 
 fresh session — a new lease of life. . . . The arid 
 regions of Peru have been successfully watered by 
 the establishment of electric pressure stations. The 
 proposal of bridging the Atlantic strikes me as a 
 useless work. We can get across quickly enough. 
 The plan comes from the west. The idea is certainly 
 unique. A tube resting on air balls ! Seems the 
 height of extravagance. Besides, travelling by 
 pneumatic pressure has been tried before. Foreign 
 affairs show no sign of improvement. 
 
 " October 29. Ingleton and Glimson's election is 
 now assured — 12 out of 184 will support them if 
 they are returned. The work is increasing. Two 
 meetings were held in London to-day. The Senate 
 met this morning. Business not disclosed. A most 
 remarkable incident is the publication of Ocken's 
 travels in Central Africa. Albert Guelph it seems 
 lives on the Zambesi. His family appears not to 
 be recognized by the Half Hour, or by Ocken, who 
 is a Dane. Ocken speaks highly of Guelph and 
 his Government. This information will come use- 
 ful. ... In France, matters are still serious ; 
 should not be surprised if the king were recalled. 
 
 s 
 
266 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 The troubles have come to an end in Eussia, PolancI 
 has been reconstituted a kingdom under Leczinsky, 
 said to be a descendant of John Sobieski. Eussia 
 proper has been dissected. Finland has joined the 
 Scandinavian Kingdom ; and southern Eussia has 
 become a distinct Empire under Louis, Prince of 
 Sebastopol, If Said- Ami had had his eyes open,^ 
 he would have taken a slice off this part of Europe, 
 ... I should not be surprised if the Hebrews were 
 ere long to declare for a distinct autonomy, for 
 according to the Half Hour they are grumbling, 
 Palestine has already revived some of its ancient 
 glories." 
 
 We find that the page headed October 30th ha» 
 been carefully torn in halves ; the upper half we 
 reproduce ; evidently the lower contained something 
 compromising. This is what it says : " October 30, 
 Too tired to write much, but shall preserve news- 
 papers every day. G and B hard at work. H in 
 B works very hard ; we can get plenty of tools. It 
 is almost time to write to A G. Have got Ocken's 
 book. "War is declared in Afghanistan. Wonder 
 why." (Here the page is torn.) 
 
 "October 31. Another twelve hours will decide 
 matters, (sorry must remain here). Dissatisfaction 
 increases. In France, Committee of Public Safety- 
 has declared for the return of king, who is in Madrid 
 (thought so). Eumoured that Said-x4.mi is dead ; if 
 so, Mahommedan kingdom will split. Eussia — the 
 last member of the Eomanoff dynasty died at 9.43, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 267 
 
 An attempt will be made, according to the American • 
 statements, to melt the pole. Kidiculous ! Proposed 
 to erect series of sun glasses at angles from the 
 equator to pole. Will the transmitted heat travel 
 quickly enough? (The next thing will be a tunnel 
 through the globe I suppose). Another princeling 
 born in Austria. Govinni made great speech in 
 ItaUan Parliament. What will to-morrow bring ? 
 I am anxious." 
 
 Age and smoke had blackened the entries for 
 November 1st. to that extent, that but a few dis- 
 joined sentences can be read, which it would be 
 futile to reproduce. 
 
 As we copied these entries, the present obliterated 
 itself, and the past is re-enacted before us in the 
 scenes in the kinteograph. The pen trembled as 
 we wrote the words, for the shades of the great men 
 whose history is so briefly written here, seem to 
 surround us. For a moment they apparently Hve 
 again, speaking and doing as was their wont in life. 
 But the hours are numbered, and the days draw 
 rapidly to a close. Forward ! then, forward ! before 
 the sands of time run out. 
 
CHAPTEE XVIII. 
 
 It was the first production of " Cottonopolis," and 
 the Thaha Theatre was crowded with an eagerly 
 expectant audience. As the nearest phono-chrono- 
 meter bawled forth eight, the curtain rose, and the 
 first scene in the new play, depicting an old English 
 homestead, was presented to view. That, and the 
 subsequent tableaux, illustrating various incidents 
 in nineteenth century life, had been re-produced 
 with an artistic finish, and a faithful attention to 
 the nearest detail that quite equalled the consum- 
 mate realism of the Victorian stage. But the acting 
 did not rise to such a high standard of perfection. 
 The piece was a studied, a clever, facile performance, 
 but it lacked the fire of the great actors of bygone 
 times. 
 
 Like the work done in other branches of art, the 
 acting seemed more the unconscious fruit of sys- 
 tematic drilling, than the outcome of individual 
 genius. And it was but natural that it should be so. 
 The drama, like its sister arts of music and paint- 
 ing, has ever found its noblest exponents in those 
 whom the necessities of the hour have spurred on 
 to exert their individual gifts to the utmost. But in 
 the social state everyone had his toast so kindly 
 buttered by the all-protecting Government, that the 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 269 
 
 temptation proved too much for weak human nature. 
 Artists, like other men, succumbed to the all 
 prevading Nirwana into which every section of the 
 people had been plunged. What they produced was 
 done in the calm, methodical, listless sort of way of 
 men who worked, but as it were for pastime, well 
 knowing that, however little they produced, the 
 State was bound to support them. Not theirs — the 
 fire of a Kemble or a Keane, the godlike enthusiasm 
 of a Wagner, the poetic fervour of a Goethe or a 
 Burns. In the age of monotony it was but meet 
 that even the sacred fire of the muses should burn 
 with a dulled, subdued, radiance. 
 
 The play over, the audience, painfully calm, 
 excruciatingly sedate and respectable, filed out 
 along the corridors — the walls of which had been 
 thoughtfully extended immediately on the descent 
 of the curtain. 
 
 Above the mingled din, and scraps of conversation, 
 and the shuffling of feet on the terraced steps of the 
 theatre, there came suddenly the piercing shrill notes 
 of a child's voice. It was little Georgie Berthon, 
 who, accompanied by her mother and Blanche, had, 
 with her quick young eyes, espied James Ingleton in 
 the crowd. 
 
 "Oh, Auntie," cried she, with childish excite- 
 ment, " there is that nice man, do let us speak to 
 him." 
 
 Fortunately Ingleton happened to turn his face 
 at that moment in the direction of the ladies, and 
 
270 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 recognising them, he threaded his way through the 
 crowd, followed by his sister Nelhe. 
 
 The latter and Blanche were soon on the most 
 friendly terms together. Indeed, they felt towards 
 one another that mutual attraction which frequently 
 proves an enduring bond of union between two 
 kindred natures, for such they were, and both equally 
 sympathetic, lovable, refined, and womanly in the 
 highest meaning of the word. 
 
 But the terrace of a theatre, within an hour of 
 midnight, is scarcely the best adapted spot for 
 prolonged conversation. So, after an interchange 
 of greetings, Ingleton and his sister took leave of 
 the two ladies and Georgie, and entering the 
 electric transports, all were soon again at ease at 
 home. 
 
 A few days after the production of" Cottonopolis," 
 at the ThaHa, Ingleton called upon Blanche with a 
 message from his sister, who wished her to spend 
 the evening with her. He found Blanche in the 
 sitting room reading " All sorts and conditions oj 
 men" 
 
 " You like Besant's works,' said Ingleton. 
 
 "Very much," she replied. "Those pictures of 
 old London life are so fascinating. I often think there 
 must have been much more picturesqueness in those 
 days than now. 
 
 " You are right," he answered. " There certainly 
 was. True, there was also a good deal of wretched- 
 ness and misery. But such as there were, were all 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 271 
 
 born of ignorance, for none had need to exist. With 
 a thorough education, provided free for every person 
 in the land, with one equal chance to all to raise 
 themselves to higher spheres by their earnest work ; 
 with adequate provision made for those who, through 
 age or infirmity, could not toil, and due punishment 
 meted out to those who would not, poverty and degra- 
 dation would have been minimised, without having to 
 go to such lengths in levelhng as has been done in 
 our days. 'Tis that that has killed poetry ; the chill 
 breath of Collectivism has done it.'' 
 
 After that both were silent for a brief space, as 
 though equally at a loss how to continue the thread 
 of their conversation. 
 
 Then he lifted his eyes from the open book on the 
 settee before him, and fixing them upon her, he 
 resumed in a voice that shook with a very unusual 
 tremour — " But, still, all poetry has not been 
 destroyed, the poetry of love is still with us as it 
 was with those who lived before us ; and . . . and 
 . . . Miss Collingwood . . . Blanche . . . 
 
 The halting words ceased suddenly, for with his 
 «yes still fixed on her features, he noticed her 
 turning deathly pale ; so completely had all the 
 colour left her that he felt terribly alarmed ; and 
 springing to his feet he felt her hands. They were 
 cold as ice ; and then, quickly glancing up at her, he 
 saw she had swooned. He looked about him, and 
 on the little walnut table he noticed a tiny flask. 
 Quickly he took it up, and removing the stopper, 
 
272 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 found it was filled with a pungent liquid scent. 
 Kneeling down by her side he poured some of its 
 contents on his hand, and with it proceeded 
 vigorously to chafe Blanche's temple and wrists. 
 
 It was several minutes — a period which to him 
 seemed endless — ere she once more regained con- 
 sciousness. Slowly the colour returned to her 
 cheeks, and her eyes met his with a questioning look. 
 
 "How you did alarm me. I am glad you have 
 come to, at last," he began. 
 
 " I fainted then, did I?" she asked, with some 
 confusion. 
 
 "Indeed you did. Fortunately I found some- 
 thing in that flagon which must have helped to 
 restore you? " 
 
 " Ah ! yes, that is toilet vinegar. It is an excellent 
 restorative. But really I must have given you a 
 deal of trouble. I am so sorry." 
 
 "Pray don't,'' he quickly interposed. "Say 
 nothing about the trouble ; I only hope you are 
 quite yourself again." 
 
 " Oh, yes," she answered reassuringly. I am 
 not at all subject to such attacks. I have quite 
 recovered now." 
 
 " If you have, but only on that condition, I have 
 to ask you, for my sister Nell, if you will spend 
 the evening with her. I shall be most happy to be 
 your escort home." 
 
 •* Oh, yes, I shall be very glad to go, if you will 
 kindly wait here while I change my dress." 
 
JAMES INGLE TON. 273 
 
 With this she rose, and once more assuring him 
 that she would not let him wait long, she left the 
 room, he holding the door open for her to pass out. 
 
 Left to himself, Ingleton began to muse, and 
 asked himself wonderingly what he could have said 
 to have caused Blanche to faint. He failed to find 
 the slightest clue, and was still pondering when 
 Blanche returned to the room ready to accompany 
 him home. 
 
 Before long they both left the house, and were 
 soon on their way to Utopia Terrace. But whether 
 it was that she had not fully recovered from her 
 recent swoon, or that she was ill, they had not 
 proceeded very far before she felt herself too 
 exhausted to continue the walk, and she told 
 Ingleton so. But as she would not hear of return- 
 ing to her home, the thought struck him to hail a 
 transport and ride to the park, where, it being a fine 
 afternoon, Blanche could rest awhile. 
 
 They entered the car, and within another quarter 
 of an hour they were seated on a bench in a secluded 
 part of the park. 
 
 Both had been s ilent awhile, when Ingleton asked 
 her if she was feeling better. 
 
 "Yes," she replied, " I feel stronger again. An- 
 other ten minutes rest and I shall no doubt be quite 
 able to walk to your house. Perhaps the walk will 
 even invigorate me. 'Twas but a passing weakness, 
 that is all." 
 
 Ingleton again pondered, and asked himself 
 
■214: JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 whether any words of his could have so disturbed 
 her. But again his memory failed to account for it 
 in any way whatever. Then he made up his mind 
 to ask her to assure him on that point, and 
 commenced : 
 
 " My dear Miss Collingwood, I am sure I need 
 not tell you that I feel very uneasy at seeing you so 
 unwell, and I cannot help fearing that something I 
 may have said to you this afternoon has been the 
 indirect cause of it. If that is so, I am really 
 sorry." 
 
 "Not at all, Mr. Ingleton," she answered assur- 
 ingly. " I can scarcely account for it myself." 
 
 He felt somewhat more at his ease. But still he 
 could not for a moment find words to give shape to 
 the thoughts that were in him. 
 
 After a pause beseemed to make an effort, and then 
 he remarked : — " If, as you assure me, my words of 
 this afternoon did not have any disturbing effect 
 upon you, will you permit me to finish what I was 
 "then about to say. Miss Collingwood," he continued, 
 again in halting, broken sentences, " Miss Colling- 
 wood . . . 'tis true, it is . . . but a very short time 
 that ... I have had the pleasure . . . of . . . 
 your acquaintance, and therefore . . . what I am 
 about ... to say . . . may appear to you . . . 
 very much ... of a hberty on my part. But 
 short as the time . . . has been . . ; it . . . has 
 amply suf&ced ... for me ... to be deeply . . . 
 sensible of the charm of you presence. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 275 
 
 " Miss Collingwood," he continued — and now his 
 voice was steadier, the halting tones grew firmer, 
 and with flushed cheeks and kindled eyes he added 
 — " I am not an adept at neat phrases, or in saying 
 complimentary nothings. I have associated most 
 of my time with my own sex, and my thoughts have 
 hitherto dwelt on sterner subjects than the gentle 
 theme of love. But yet. Miss Collingwood . . . 
 Blanche ... I am not invulnerable ; you have 
 conquered me, I place a life's devotion at your 
 feet. Do with it what you will." 
 
 He ceased, and waited for her to reply. 
 
 Blanche was overcome completely with what she 
 had heard. It was all so sudden, so unexpected, 
 and some moments elapsed ere she could sufficiently 
 recover herself to speak. Then, with heaving 
 bosom, flushed cheeks, and eyes aglow with feeling, 
 she spoke : 
 
 "Mr. Ingleton, what you have said, has, you 
 may believe me, caused me very great surprise. 
 ■'TIS true, as you say, we have known one another 
 but a brief time. Yet, I, too, can sufficiently under- 
 stand and appreciate your character to be well aware 
 that you do not care for hollow platitudes, and there- 
 fore I need not tell you that you have paid me a 
 great compliment. For in that light a girl must 
 always look upon the avowal of a man's honourable 
 devotion. But upon this I will not dwell, although 
 I am deeply sensible of it. I may however say this 
 much, that on my part, I have observed that yours 
 
276 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 is not an ordinary nature, and one that must 
 impress a woman who thinks. Mr. Ingleton, I will 
 not, I cannot, say more at present. Do not expect 
 it of me in this moment. But I do promise 
 you," in a voice that sounded to Ingleton's ears as 
 singularly sweet and gentle, ** that I will give you 
 my whole mind, my every attention, to that which 
 you have said to me, and on a future occasion you 
 may have my answer." 
 
 Ingleton felt somewhat disappointed. He had 
 expected a more decisive answer. He disliked 
 vacillation and hesitation in anything ; but although 
 with some awkwardness, he could not help returning 
 to the subject. 
 
 " Miss Collingwood . . . Blanche, I do not wish 
 to be too importunate, but one certainty I would 
 fain have. Have I a rival ? " 
 
 The question seemed to affect her in an extra- 
 ordinary way. For again she turned very pale, and 
 in a tremulous voice she answered, — 
 
 " Your question recalls to my mind bitter 
 memories, and I hardly know how to answer you." 
 
 ** Then I fear that it is as I thought, that I am 
 not your first suitor. Perhaps you have already 
 pledged yourself," he added in a dejected tone. 
 
 She hung her head in silence ; and after a pause, 
 when Ingleton furtively glanced at her, he noticed 
 that her eyes were moist with gathering tears. He 
 could not resist the impulse, and gently took her 
 hand in his. She did not withdraw it, and he felt 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 277 
 
 it trembling violently within his own. Her agita- 
 tion made him feel very ill at ease, and with a 
 diffident eagerness he hastened to ask her to forgive 
 him if may be he had unconsciously hurt her. 
 
 She did not reply at once, but after a while, 
 gently vdthdrawing her hand, she said : 
 
 " You said nothing that could have hurt me, and 
 there is no need for you to ask my pardon. 'Tis 
 not your fault that your words did bring back to my 
 mind a passage from my past life, which, if I but 
 could, I would gladly forget. But," she continued, 
 with a sudden return of her usual bright vivacious 
 manner, " I will not play with your feelings. That 
 is always unfitting in a woman, and much more 
 so would it be for me to do so in the present case, well 
 knowing as I do, and appreciating yourdeeply thought- 
 ful and earnest nature . Mr. Ingleton . . . James," 
 . . . she continued, and her voice was soft and low, 
 " James, as I have already said, the past, with its 
 ever recurring memories, weighs heavily on my 
 mind. Do not, I pray you, at this moment ask me 
 to reveal it to you. I cannot, I may not now. I 
 can only hope that the day may not be distant when 
 I can speak. And then you shall be the first, the 
 only one whom I will take into my confidence. 
 Let it be sufficient for you to know that I have 
 made a great effort, so that at least, for the present, 
 I can draw a veil over the scenes and memories 
 which I would fain thrust away from me for ever. 
 And . . . you will pardon my agitation . . . I . . . 
 
278 JAMES INGLETON 
 
 yes, I consent . . . I . . . will think of you as my 
 future husband. 
 
 Ingleton felt a thrill of intense joy ; and he glanced 
 up at her blushing face with eyes beaming with 
 happiness. For Ingleton, though in every sense 
 a noble type of intellectual manhood — albeit, his 
 mind was ever full of the loftiest aspirations — 
 was not less than so many noble minds, at 
 other times keenly susceptible to the gentle 
 influences of a true hearted, womanly girl, and felt 
 that no mightier impetus could be given to his- 
 noble, unselfish ambition then the inspirating 
 encouragement of so lovable a being as Blanche. 
 
 Once again he took her hand in his, and drawing 
 her towards him, kissed her tenderly as he whisp- 
 ered, "Dearest, henceforth, every hour of my 
 existence, every deed I may undertake, shall be 
 sanctified by the gentle influence of my love for 
 you." 
 
 For a brief while they remained seated, hand 
 -in-hand, in that silence which, to those who truly 
 love, is more eloquent, more expressive, than any 
 speech. 
 
 Then Blanche reminded him of her promise to 
 visit his sister, and feared the time was speeding on. 
 
 They rose from the seat, and walked on together 
 silently until they had reached the park gates. 
 There they entered a transport, and it was not 
 long before they found themselves at Utopia 
 Terrace. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 279^ 
 
 Nellie Ingleton received Blanche "with a genial 
 warmth which well became her generous character^. 
 and as might be expected, in a very short time the 
 events of the afternoon in the park formed the 
 subject of their girlish conversation, and Blanche 
 received the cordial felicitations of her new found 
 friend and future sister. 
 
 Meanwhile, Mrs. Ingleton, who with all her 
 eccentricity and queer old-world notions, was 
 possessed, in a marked degree, of those acute 
 powers of perception which usually grow together 
 with the instincts of maternity, in so far as the 
 interests of its offspring are concerned, had not 
 failed to observe that something unusual had 
 occurred to her son, or else, why those flushed 
 cheeks and sparkling eyes ? 
 
 Moved by her affectionate impulses, she 
 approached Ingleton, and drawing him aside, asked 
 him what it was that gave him such an animated 
 appearance. 
 
 Ingleton, who in his devoted love for his mother, 
 entirely forgot her narrow-minded prejudices and 
 perscribed mental vision, did not hesitate for a 
 moment, but poured forth into her willing ears the 
 whole story of his love for Blanche and her accept- 
 ance of his devotion. When he had finished, she 
 kissed him tenderly, and then making her way to 
 where Blanche was seated talking to Nellie, affec- 
 tionately embraced her future daughter. 
 
 All at once the tremulous, weary tones of Katie's 
 
280 JAMES INGLETON, 
 
 voice was heard, as she asked who it was that had 
 just been speaking. 
 
 " 'Tis your new sister, Blanche, dearie," said 
 Nellie, as she gently smoothered the pillow on 
 which the poor little sufferer's head was resting. 
 
 " Let me talk to my new sjster then, "Nellie dear," 
 she replied in tones of petulant eagerness. 
 
 Blanche, who had overheard the words, quickly 
 approached the couch, and taking the child's thin 
 little hand in hers, kissed it tenderly, as she 
 whispered, " I am your new sister, dear." 
 
 " Let me kiss you then, will you," Katie answered, 
 and her words sounded pleading and affectionate. 
 
 Blanche bent down over her, and the well-nigh 
 colourless lips, the youthful, yet careworn little 
 mouth, met Blanche's cheeks in a tender, loving 
 kiss, that showed how much latent affection there 
 was hidden within that frail suffering little 
 frame. 
 
 " Your voice sounds sweet and gentle. I think 
 you will be a dear, good sister to me," she said ; 
 then, after a moment, taking Blanche's hand in hers, 
 she added in a voice of unconscious pathos, " But I 
 fear you will have to bear with a deal of bother 
 from me, for I am very troublesome at times, and 
 not always good." 
 
 "Never fear, dear," answered Blanche, as the 
 tears gathered in her eyes, '* you shall always find 
 in me a dear, loving sister, ever ready to talk to you 
 and amuse you." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 281 
 
 For awhile longer Blanche sat by the side of 
 Katie's couch, then she took an affectionate farewell 
 of her ; and after exchanging a few words of greeting 
 with Nell and Mrs. Ingleton, she left, her fiance 
 escorting her home. 
 
CHAPTEE XIX. 
 
 The day of the elections dawned with hoar frost 
 and sullen sky. In London, nothing unusual pre- 
 sented itself by reason of there being but two 
 candidates and only two offices to fill. At the dining 
 hall, surnamed the " Epicurian," (and we may note 
 the common use of Latin and Greek titles at this 
 period as a peculiarity), the fountain was playing 
 with its accustomed regularity, accompanied by the 
 drip, drip, as the tiny drops fell on the plants which 
 surrounded the basin. At a table, upon which the 
 usual white cloth, cruet and glasses, offered an 
 interesting view to the hungry, sat Herbert Hollis, 
 George Cavendish, August Beauclerc, and Francis 
 Fitzwalter. A waiter came, and they ordered their 
 dinners. 
 
 "It's a pity it is not livelier to-day," said Hollis, 
 playing with his knife and fork. 
 
 " Well, last Friday was warm enough," said 
 Cavendish," with that peculiar contraction of the 
 eyelids known as winking. 
 
 '* M' yes," answered Hollis. 
 
 " It was a glorious day," said Fitzwalter, " one 
 long to be remembered." 
 
 " I wonder how we are getting on in the prov- 
 inces," said Beauclerc. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 283 
 
 "1 saw Glimson last night," said Hollis ; "he 
 assured me we could count on a good number." 
 
 " Well, we all knew that from the last edition," 
 said Fitzwalter with a yawn. 
 
 ** I am awfully hungry," said Cavendish. 
 
 " The cravings of the inner man will soon be 
 satisfied," said Hollis, striking his knife on a glass, 
 and producing a ringing sound. 
 
 " I did not think Caland would get off so easily," 
 saidBeauclerc. " The general stir evidently frightened 
 those in office. I saw Hedgeco in his office, pen in 
 hand ; and when the news of public feeling came to 
 him, his hand trembled so that he dropped his pen. 
 He noticed I watched him, and made a lame apology 
 that he was subject to nervous tremors. 
 
 The three others laughed. 
 
 " They are as scared as a lot of crows," said 
 Fitzwalter; " they are not worth a snap of the 
 fingers." 
 
 " By-the-bye," said Cavendish, looking impatiently 
 round for the waiter who had not yet put in an 
 appearance, " I have been going over the defence 
 list. We possess fifty thousand men for purposes of 
 national defence, divided into twenty regiments, 
 that is, five hundred in a regiment, subdivided into 
 five companies. How long would it take to mobilize 
 the whole body, say in London ? " 
 
 " Well, say twenty-four hours," answered HolHs, 
 almost directly. 
 
 "I know what you are thinking about," said 
 
2Si JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Beauclerc. " It would never be attempted, that is, 
 if the movement were at all general." 
 
 ** In time of invasion we could all be called upon 
 to defend the state," said Fitzwalter. 
 
 ** You mean the country," said Cavendish. 
 
 "Yes," replied Fitzwalter. 
 
 " Oh, there would be little fear. At the moment 
 of open rebellion we could find many regiments to 
 join our ranks," and he caused the glasses to ring 
 from the violence of the blow he gave the table. 
 The stomach again asserted itself, for he concluded 
 his remark with, ** When will that waiter come?" 
 
 As fortune would have it the waiter immediately 
 came to the table, laden with eatables ; and the four 
 set to with such gusto that they soon disappeared. 
 The meal was eaten in silence, as is the wont of 
 Englishmen. Empires may flourish, Empires may 
 cease. Republics may rise or succumb, ideal States 
 may bring about changes, but all that will not 
 destroy certain characteristics common to a class, 
 or to the nation. The meal over, the conversation 
 was renewed in the same low tones as before. 
 
 " The Convention meets on the 11th inst.," said 
 Fitzwalter; " I am anxious to hear the proposal of 
 the Senate." 
 
 " It is impossible to propose anything fresh in 
 such a beautiful state as the one we live in," said 
 Beauclerc with a sneer. 
 
 " The draft of Ingleton's bill will put them out of 
 countenance," said Hollis. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 285 
 
 " Yes, no doubt it will," said Cavendish. 
 
 " I hope he will be able to bring it in early," said 
 Beauclerc. 
 
 " Most desirable," said Fitzwalter. 
 
 "Even if the Convention accepts it, the Senate 
 can throw it out," said Cavendish. 
 
 " Oh, just let them do it," said Hollis. 
 
 " It will prove a crisis, an epoch in history," said 
 Beauclerc. 
 
 " The position of affairs was never properly 
 gauged when the social system was first introduced," 
 said Hollis. 
 
 "No, but it is not due so much to want of that," 
 said Fitzwalter, " as to the fact that people were 
 absolutely tired of continual strife." 
 
 "It is very strange that, at the end of every 
 century, there seems to set in a tide of restlessness," 
 said Hollis. 
 
 "It is due to the superstition inherent to 
 humanity towards the close of every century. 
 People then are wont to believe that the end is 
 drawing near," said Fitzwalter, with a shrug of the 
 shoulders. 
 
 " Turning to other matters," said Beauclerc : 
 " The cotton spinners are very much dissatisfied at 
 the present moment." 
 
 " Buerlin has taken advantage of the agitation, 
 I know," said Hollis. 
 
 "All due to Collectivism," said Calaod, who, 
 .unseen till now, approached the table. 
 
286 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Well, Arthur, how are you getting on ?" said 
 Cavendish, giving Caland his hand. 
 
 " As right as possible," he answered, shaking 
 hands with the others, and seating himself. 
 
 " Anything fresh ? " asked Hollis of him. 
 
 "Very little, except that you meet in the smoking, 
 room of the Alliance to-night," said Caland, speak- 
 ing very softly. 
 
 " Kather bold, that," said Beauclerc. 
 
 " They did it in Manchester the other night," 
 said Caland ; adding, " and successfully." 
 
 " This is no place to talk in. I shall be there," 
 said Cavendish, getting up from his seat. The 
 others followed suit. 
 
 Once outside, Caland said, ** We must remain 
 inactive till the meeting of the Convention." They 
 then bade him good day, and he hurried away with 
 his usual long strides, and hands in pockets, over- 
 taking Glimson on the way, who was critically 
 surveying the passers by. " Hallo ! Glimson," said 
 Caland. 
 
 " Ha ! " rejoined that worthy ; " where do you, 
 come from ?" 
 
 " The Epicurian," answered Caland. 
 
 " Anyone there? " 
 
 " Yes, Fitzwalter, Hollis, Beauclerc, and Caven- 
 dish." 
 
 " Look ! I received this message this morning, 
 through Streathan, from Buerlin," said Glimson, 
 taking a note from his pocket and handing it to- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 287 
 
 Caland, who read it over, but could make no mean- 
 ing out of it. 
 
 "What do you make of it?" said Glimson, 
 laughing. 
 
 " Nothing, — a lot of letters," said Caland, " a 
 cypher I suppose." 
 
 " Yes ! ' Cptceoiussvaie.' You have not got an idea 
 of it ? " said Glimson. 
 
 " No," answered Caland. 
 
 " Well," said Glimson, speaking very low, and 
 looking behind him, "it means, 'success posi- 
 tive.' " 
 
 " Very ingenious. Would take me an hour to solve 
 it, if I solved it at all," said Caland. 
 
 By this time they had reached the Parade, and 
 were facing the Alliance, when Antony came upon 
 them breathless, and handed Glimson a note, which 
 he hurriedly perused, and then told Caland to 
 telephone and give a message. " At once ! " said 
 Glimson. 
 
 " What am I to say ? " said Caland. 
 
 " Streathan will give you some names ; or, better 
 still." said Glimson, " speak only to Buerlin ; 
 say, ' Prepare at once without delay. Honour.' 
 Reverse the sentence, then form a square of it, and 
 repeat it letter for letter, beginning at the end. Do 
 you understand ? " 
 
 "Yes, that is the cypher. All right," said Caland, 
 hurrying with his long strides to the telephone 
 apparatus in the Alliance ; and Glimson making for 
 
288 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Ingleton's abode with all speed possible. Antony 
 had already disappeared. 
 
 Meanwhile, Blanche Collingwood was seated in 
 James Ingleton's abode, he one side of the stove, 
 and she and Nellie on the other, while little Georgia 
 was playing with Katie, who was somewhat better, 
 and was propped up with pillows on her couch. 
 While the prattle of the children went on, the 
 others continued their conversation,which concerned 
 two notes on blue paper, with the national heading 
 upon them, which were lying on the table near by. 
 
 *' It is a strange fatuity," said Ingleton, " that 
 these (pointing to the notes,) should have come 
 this morning. I thought that a measure of triumph 
 was mine, but it is dashed from my lips by these 
 commands." 
 
 " We are compelled," said Blanche, pressing her 
 lips together, " to go to work on Monday morning ; 
 I, who am no more fit to perform manual labour 
 than a child. Oh ! James, what shall we do." 
 
 Ingleton sat with brows knit, and answered, " I 
 have sent for Mark Glimson. You will see that he 
 will concur with me. Under the present circum- 
 stances it would be impossible to rise against the 
 State, as all my plans are arranged for the bill for 
 free speech, so you will have perforce to attend to 
 the order. I see no way out of it." 
 
 "It's odious," said Nellie, stamping her little 
 foot on the ground. 
 
 "It is disgraceful," said Blanche, with a pout. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 289 
 
 "My dear," said Ingleton, "I never before felt 
 my helplessness as I do at this moment. This is 
 equahty ! " — the words came slowly and bitterly — 
 " Equality with a vengeance. This is the dream of 
 the ideal, to become a laundry maid. They shall 
 have a just retribution, I swear it." 
 
 Katie ceased her prattle, and, through blind, 
 turned her face towards Ingleton with a reproachful 
 look. 
 
 Nellie caught the look, and said, " We must take 
 things more calmly, it is foolish to be passionate 
 over it." 
 
 " After all it will be only for a month or so," said 
 Ingleton : " one month will either end or mend all." 
 
 " Oh ! James, do nothing rash," said Blanche, 
 terrified by Ingleton's determined tone. 
 
 " How true I spoke," continued Ingleton, not 
 heeding the interruption, "when I said equality 
 meant lowering, not raising. So this is the height 
 of human aspiration, the result of ages of philosphy — 
 the washtub. Why should I delay. Let the end come 
 to-day, to-night, as well as a month hence." 
 
 " Blanche, still more moved by Ingleton's utter- 
 ance, crossed to him, and gently pacified him, as 
 only she could, and said, " Well, after all it will 
 not last long, it will not permantly injure us." 
 
 Nellie, watching the effect of these words, chimed 
 in, "I know what : we shall accept ; and we shall 
 take our place among the women, and then stir 
 them as j'ou have done the men." 
 
290 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Well, James, we could do it," said Blanche, 
 pleased with the suggestion. We could speak if we 
 tried." 
 
 Ingleton, now somewhat calmer, saw the force 
 of the argument, and said, " Yes, that would he- 
 giving a Eoland for an Oliver. It is a very good 
 suggestion. We shall hear what Glimson has to 
 say when he comes in." They then remained silent 
 for a time ; while the children, now that Katie was 
 more at her ease, continued their talk. 
 
 Georgie, who was watching her companion with 
 something more than childish curiosity, said, "You 
 cannot see." 
 
 " No," answered Katie with a sigh. 
 
 *' You can't see my hands?" said Georgie, some- 
 what perplexed, putting her hands near Katie's eyes. 
 
 " No," answered Katie; "it is no use, however near 
 you put your hands to me, I cannot see them." 
 
 This contention was more than Georgie could 
 stand ; so, first taking a deep look at those sightless 
 orbs, she crossed to Blanche, and clinging to her 
 in childish fondness, said, " How is it Katie 
 cannot see me ? " 
 
 Without venturing an answer, Blanche simply 
 said, " Hush ! be quiet." 
 
 At this moment the turning box opened, and a 
 card announced Mark Glimson, who immediately 
 after entered the room, glowing from his rapid 
 exercise. Having greeted them, and asked after 
 Katie's welfare, he sat down. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 291 
 
 " I have jnst received your note," said he ; " but 
 please explain matters." 
 
 " This morning," said Ingleton, " this young lady, 
 whom you are acquainted with, and my sister Nell, 
 received orders from the labour bureau to join the 
 laundresses on Monday." 
 
 Glimson surveyed the young ladies in question 
 with some show of critical inspection, and with 
 a merry twinkle in his eye, said, " Well, its beauti- 
 ful ! They are just made for that occupation." 
 
 " Oh ! Mr. Glimson," said Nell, this is really 
 serious, please don't jest." 
 
 *' So far from jesting am I," said Glimson, " that 
 I have already mobilized our forces ; so you have 
 but to resist — force against force — we must triumph." 
 
 " "What ! " exclaimed Ingleton, springing from his 
 chair. 
 
 "Yes," continued Ghmson, giving his arms a swing. 
 " I was with Arthur C aland in the parade ; Antony 
 came breathless upon me ; I read your note, and 
 immediately told Caland to telephone to Buerlin to 
 prepare for any emergency, or words to that effect." 
 
 " I have thought better of it," said Ingleton, 
 re-seating himself. " I have taken all into consider- 
 ation, and think it would be unwise to refuse to obey 
 the commands." 
 
 Glimson went to the table and picked up the 
 notes, and glanced curiously at them, and then said, 
 as if reading from the notes, " Blanche Collingwood 
 and Nellie Ingleton must join the laundresses on 
 
292 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Monday, November 3rd." Then looking up he 
 said, " Has anyone else been summoned in this 
 ward?" 
 
 " Yes," said Blanche, " my cousin Antony." 
 
 " What to do ? " asked Glimson. 
 
 " A prison warder," answered Blanche. 
 
 " The walls will re-echo with the cry of Robin 
 Hood," said Glimson. 
 
 " But Mr. Glimson," said Nell, " what do you 
 advise us to do ? " 
 
 " In theory," said Glimson, " it would be correct 
 to oppose the State and provoke their anger, and 
 take the consequences. It was on theory that I 
 ordered the marshalling of our forces, which I shall 
 immediately countermand; but in practice, and 
 after mature consideration, I counsel you, with all 
 reserve, to give obedience to the State, for I take it 
 that you (he nodded at Ingleton,) think we might, 
 or rather we must, try peaceful measures before 
 resorting to force." With this he rose, and going to 
 the telephone hidden behind the panelling of the 
 wall, he opened the apparatus, and requested to be 
 put in communication with Buerlin, which being 
 done, he muttered a series of letters for that worthy's 
 information and guidance, and closing the receiver 
 and panel with care, he reseated himself. 
 
 "Yes," said Ingleton, "I have thought that it 
 would be wrong to rise upon a simple provocation. 
 I would rather wish to offer a proper alternative to 
 the State." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 293 
 
 " That we can do at an early sitting," interposed 
 Glimson. 
 
 "Yes," continued Ingleton, "such weighty 
 matters as the reformation or reorganization of a 
 State should not be attempted as a mere outburst 
 of insubordination, but rather as a result of an 
 appeal to reason. I doubt not that any rising 
 would materially result in a victory for Individualism. 
 But I do not wish to be a demagogue, or appear as 
 a mere agitator, who is willing for his personal ends 
 to try and make capital of private wrongs. When 
 private wrongs become general wrongs it is time to 
 act." 
 
 " But," said Blanche, who had followed Ingleton's 
 line of reasoning, " everybody suffers from the yoke 
 of tyranny." 
 
 " Of course," said Nell ; " here is James calling 
 heaven and earth to witness the nation's wroner. 
 and now he falters." 
 
 Both Ingleton and Glimson were surprised at the 
 sharpness of this attack ; and the former, speaking 
 with deliberate care, said, " Listen, I and others 
 count the cost ; this is no child's play ; this cleansing 
 of the Augean stables will make homes desolate, 
 wives widows, and children orphans " — the girls 
 shrank at the words. " "When the day dawns, blood 
 will flow like water, and death will have a gour- 
 mand's feast. This cost we must reckon with ; and 
 would you have us attempt a task so weighty, so 
 long as victory seems not positive ?" 
 
•294 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " I did not mean ill," said Nellie. 
 
 " You terrify me with your words, James," said 
 Blanche, in a tone of alarm. 
 
 " I, myself," said Glimson, " have always been so 
 impetuous, and never calculated the cost. Although 
 second in command, I now accuse myself of rashness. 
 How lightly we can blast a thousand lives when we 
 are in earnest, terribly in earnest." 
 
 Antony now entered the room and walked to 
 Katie, who fondly embraced him, and smoothed the 
 •wrinkles from his face. 
 
 Georgie now stood near the couch, and watched 
 the various actors of this scene with the innocent look 
 of childhood. At first her eyes followed Glimson, 
 from him they travelled to Ingletou, then to Nellie, 
 and when bent on Blanche they seemed to count 
 the folds of her dress. Her eyes opened wider as 
 she watched Katie with her hand on Antony's 
 visage. 
 
 For a few moments there was silence : Georgie 
 still regarding Katie in amazement, whilst the 
 others were conning over Glimson's remarks, 
 acknowledging the truth of his words, and thus 
 finding a necessity to act with caution. 
 
 " I have'proposed," said NeUie, turning to Glimson, 
 " to go to work, and assist you by laying your 
 proposals before my own sex." 
 
 " That indeed would be returning good for evil," 
 replied Glimson. " You know I believe we owe this 
 to someone's promptings, not so much to the State. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 295 
 
 Private influence has done this," knitting his 
 brows. 
 
 " Eh ! " exclaimed Ingleton and his sister 
 together, while Blanche turned white and bit her 
 lips. 
 
 ** Yes, I doubt not that I can find the person who 
 has set this in motion," said Glimsou, speaking very 
 slowly. 
 
 " Whom are you thinking of?" said Ingleton. 
 
 " You must clearly understand that I only 
 surmise," said Glimson, moving his head towards 
 each in turn. " But I believe my suspicions would 
 require but little confirmation. Let us see what 
 Antony thinks, he has more instinct." The others, 
 perplexed, agreed to the proposal, and Ghmson said 
 slowly, "Antony." 
 
 That worthy turned round and faced the others. 
 
 "Now, Antony," continued Glimson, dwelling on 
 each word, "you have got to go to work on 
 Monday?" 
 
 "Ye — es," answered Antony. 
 
 " Who has done it ? " said Glimson, as slowly as 
 before. 
 
 Antony looked askance at Blanche, and then at 
 Ingleton, who motioned him to speak, when he said, 
 "Pel— ham Stocking." 
 
 All except Glimson were taken aback at the sound 
 ■of the name. 
 
 "It agrees with my thoughts," said Ghmson. 
 
 " How comes that about ? " said Ingleton. " I 
 
296 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 looked upon Pelham Stocking as a friend, yet by all 
 accounts he is a traitor." 
 
 " By mere accident," said Glimson. " Harry 
 Bligow caught sight of Stocking coming from Mr. 
 Slowun's room with a look of exultation upon his 
 face that boded no good. He, (Bligow,) informed 
 me of it this morning ; and I thought there was 
 something in the air, though I did not realise this." 
 
 Ingleton had during this recital become some- 
 what passionate, and said, " We must see to this at 
 once, traitors are dangerous." 
 
 " It is absurd to talk of taking action ; the whole 
 is a matter of surmise ; and we must let it rest till 
 we can get absolute proof against him," said 
 Glimson. " I am extremely sorry I spoke about it, 
 because it will make you restless." 
 
 " No, no !" said Ingleton, " prevention is better 
 than cure. We will take caution, but drop the matter 
 for a while. 
 
 Blanche had recovered herself, and Antony was 
 again playing with the child. Suddenly the sharp 
 ring of the telephone bell was heard, and Ingleton, 
 opening the panel, called out a series of letters 
 which Glimson wrote down as they were received. 
 The message ended, he closed the panel. Glimson 
 compiled the letters with regard to the cypher, and 
 at length read out, " Was prepared. Manchester 
 won. Honour." 
 
 Ingleton and Glimson left the room and entered 
 the adjoining one, their faces beaming with joy. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 297 
 
 " At the end of every century, at the date marked 
 with two noughts," said Ingleton, " signifying 
 nothing, the vista of futurity seems to be eagerly 
 watched for. At every epoch the end of the world 
 was foretold, but the prediction has never been 
 fulfilled. At such a period a restlessness has come 
 over humanity. Reason, religion, government, 
 politics, have in turn suffered from the periodical 
 ebb and flow of the human mind. Now, with the 
 dawn of another century, I think we will return to 
 an old order of things." 
 
 Glimson had listened to this, and said, " It is 
 already late ; our election must be confirmed at four 
 o'clock, so come on." 
 
 Immediately afterwards they departed. 
 
 u 
 
CHAPTEK XX. 
 
 "At half-past four on the 11th November of this year, 
 a session of the Convention began. The weather 
 had been murky, and towards that hour snow began 
 to fall. From all parts of the country members 
 came, arriving at a very early hour to secure a good 
 seat. A huge crowd had collected at about nine 
 o'clock in the morning, mostly composed of members 
 of the Alliance ; and despite the weather, they held 
 their ground, and cheered such members as were 
 best known." Thus writes Buerlin in the second 
 chapter of his justly celebrated history. 
 
 At this date, Blanche Collingwood and Nellie Ingle- 
 ton were already at the wash-house, with their hands 
 steeped in soapsuds, to the disgust of Ingleton and 
 Glimson, and the infinite delight of Pelham Stocking, 
 and his mentor, Mr. Slowun, who had ably seconded 
 his proposals for injuring Ingleton indirectly, when 
 direct injury could not be done. At the same time, 
 the delight was somewhat marred by the fact that 
 no direct result had been achieved ; for Stocking had 
 judged that Ingleton would cause his sister and 
 Hancee to refuse, and create a rising ; and Stocking 
 had so calculated upon this, that the Chief Constable 
 had been forewarned to prepared for an arrest of the 
 ringleaders. As the reader is alreadv aware this 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 299 
 
 did not occur ; and although at the moment he con- 
 sidered this spoilt sport, yet he was overjoyed to see 
 Miss Collingwood and Nellie Ingleton return home 
 exhausted from their labours, which included, un- 
 beknown to him, the careful distribution of pamph- 
 lets which Ingleton and Glimson had written for the 
 occasion. Bligow and the others had shown un- 
 wearied energy in continually bringing members to 
 the cause, to the pleasure of Buerlin, who was every- 
 where to be found, and who was now ably assisted 
 in the secretarial duties by Fitz waiter. A bill was 
 already prepared, with the assistance of Buerlin, 
 Ingleton, Glimson and Bligow, for power of free 
 speech ; and this was to be put on the list as early as 
 possible to obtain a hearing. Thus, for a while, they 
 rested upon their oars, depending upon this Bill to 
 make the day, whether it was lost or carried. The 
 industrial problem was at that moment more com- 
 plicated than ever, for the ideal form had been 
 reached, and weighed in the balance, and found 
 wanting, to the dire perplexity of the Upper Cham- 
 ber or Senate, which was at its wits' ends how to 
 cope with the matter, and whose proposals were 
 awaited with some anxiety that very evening. 
 
 The Anarchical solution, or the principle of " leave 
 everything to take care of itself," was the original 
 pohcy of industry upon wjiich all systems and 
 regulations had been built, running directly counter 
 to the Socialistic ideals. The hierocratic solution 
 could not with any show of reason be utilized, 
 
300 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 however pleasing it might be to the priesthood., 
 who formulated it. The regulation of industry 
 by government had been carried to extremes. In 
 fact, the socialistic solution, the panacea for all 
 industrial problems, was in possession of the field. 
 In this utilitarian age, the natural test of all 
 industries was its usefulness and necessity. . Such 
 trades as could not pass this- standard were ruth- 
 lessly cast aside. At once rises the question. What 
 was wanting ? It was individuality. Collectivism 
 created no wants, and allowed no competition and 
 liberty of contracts. But, as is perfectly clear, to 
 create freedom of action was to destroy Collectivism 
 at one blow. This then was a point which could 
 not have the slightest consideration, and yet the 
 doctrine of unlimited State control came no nearer 
 to provide a satisfactory solution than the proposals 
 made by an Egyptian monarch to his workmen, 
 when the earliest strike of which any record exists 
 occurred. Thus industrial problems once more 
 entered the field of politics to the bewilderment of 
 those who had to solve them. 
 
 The Hall of Legislation was built in the Renais- 
 sance style, with handsome parterres and terraces. 
 Inside, it was divided into two halls, one for the 
 Convention, and the other, the smaller of the two, 
 for the Senate (the senators being members for a 
 term of seven years, and chosen from the last Con- 
 vention prior to a re-election). The former, with 
 which we will deal at present, had the seats arranged 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 301 
 
 in horse-shoe shape (one side for the AUiance and 
 the other for the adults). At the centre at one end 
 stood the president's chair, and the tribune from 
 which the speeches were made. Below, there was a 
 long table at which sat four clerks — the clerk of the 
 President, the clerk of the House, the clerk of the 
 Records, and he of the State. On a large frame 
 were suspended a heap of green silk sashes, the 
 insignise of office. At the time we write the 1st 
 Corps of the London Defence Regiment kept guard 
 in the corridors and at the entrances. 
 
 Around the hall ran a gallery for visitors, and 
 behind the tribune, on a dais, were a double set of 
 kinteographs, telephones, phonographs, and photo- 
 phones, one set for the House, and the other for the 
 Half Hour. 
 
 At 9.80 the Chamber was full, the 184 adults 
 being seated with their sashes on, and the new 
 members standing here and there in conversation. 
 Suddenly a voice cried, " The President ! the Presi- 
 dent ! Make room," and that worthy, a black cloaked 
 man of mature years, proceeded by two attendants, 
 advanced slowly into the chamber, and made a bow 
 in diverse directions. The clerk of the State then, 
 with becoming dignity, handed him a green sash as 
 member of the Chamber, and a blue one as President. 
 Having put these on vtdth the deliberation the occa- 
 sion demanded, he walked on towards the chair, 
 ascended it with deportment and grace, and engaged 
 in conversation with his clerk for a few minutes. 
 
302 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Meanwhile the visitors rapidly filled the galleiy. 
 The new members, advancing from their places in 
 obedience to a signal of the President's clerk, formed 
 in line, approached the clerk's table, with Ingleton 
 and Glimson at their head. Here the clerks were 
 already busy with huge tomes. 
 
 Ingleton, having given his name, made the affirma- 
 tion, " in the best interests of the country," as 
 prescribed by the Clerk of the House, took a pen 
 offered by the Clerk of Eecords, and signed his 
 name, and was then invested with the insignia of 
 office by the Clerk of State. This performance was 
 repeated with wearisome monotony with all the 
 new members. 
 
 At length the ceremony came to an end, and an 
 usher announced, " The representative of the 
 Senate." This person, dressed in a plush violet cloak 
 and red sash, was accompanied by an official who 
 carried the staff of State, marched majestically to 
 the Tribune, ascended it, and produced a roll 
 of ponderous length, and amid deepest silence 
 addressed the assembly. Slowly be read through 
 his document in a cracked and feeble voice to the 
 amusement of Glimson, who was passing cynical 
 remarks to those near him during the recital. When 
 he had concluded, the assembly drew a sigh of relief 
 as the representative descended the Tribune and 
 majestically retired. 
 
 What proposals had been made ! What next ? 
 had been the anxious question, and it remained 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 303 
 
 unanswered. The ponderous document contained 
 nothing new; the usual tittle-tattle of the relationship 
 abroad, the consideration of the impost, and expendi- 
 ture for the year, and the promise — that was all, a 
 bare promise — to introduce legislation for the better 
 solution of the industrial problem at an early date. 
 Disgust was visible on many faces, for hopes 
 had been great that remedies would be introduced. 
 But " the knowledge box is empty," remarked 
 Heughin to Buerlin, in the gallery. 
 
 The usher then cried, " New Bills !" and Ingleton 
 made for the table and presented a preamble of his 
 bill, hurrying away again, delighted that he was the 
 first on the list of Member's bills. In all, some twenty 
 of these drafts were presented. After an hour spent 
 in voting orders of the day for the better regulation 
 of the business of the Convention, the assembly 
 dispersed. 
 
 The last edition of the Half Hour contained a full 
 account of the proceedings and the order of Members' 
 bills, headed by Ingleton's. These, it was stated, would 
 be dealt with in order of precedence as soon as supply 
 had been voted, and standing orders considered. 
 Amongst the curious parapraphs was this : — 
 
 " Their oracles are broken, their voices are dumb, 
 their images are destroyed, and all is mute. Where 
 is the voice of thunder ? Where is the roar of the 
 the lion, or the shriek of the eagle? Silent as the 
 tomb. Keturn to your tents, for desolation is among 
 you ; for the signs are no more, and the voice is 
 
304 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 unheeded. Come ! chirping httle sparrow, yon were 
 born late in the season, and your measure is run out, 
 for the blast of winter has hastened your end. All 
 is for a time, for a season, and a day." 
 
 " Well," said Pelham Stocking, in the office of Mr. 
 Slowun ; for, although it was late, he was still there ; 
 " what do you think of it ?" handing him the news- 
 paper from which he had read the paragraph. 
 
 " Very good, very good," whined Mr. Slowun ; 
 " you know it is artistic." 
 
 " Might not a strong leader against the bill have 
 been more effective?" said Stocking. 
 
 " No ! no ! Rubbish ! Strong leader ! Nonsense !" 
 answered Mr. Slowun, who was never strong in 
 anything. 
 
 " After all, you are right," said Stocking ; " an 
 article might have called forth an answer. It is better 
 to stab in the dark." Here was Stocking himself, 
 the feeling betrayed him. 
 
 " My child, you know I always advise for the 
 best," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " But how will we manage when the Bill comes 
 on ? it might pass the Convention by a fluke," said 
 Stocking. 
 
 " What Bill ? " asked Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Oh, this one," said Stocking, pointing to the first 
 Bill on the list. 
 
 " The first one," said Mr. Slowun, adjusting his 
 glasses, which repeatedly fell off to the tune of 
 several " Bother it's." Having, after some vain 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 305 
 
 ■attempts, adjusted them to his satisfaction ; and 
 beginning from the bottom of the list he at last found 
 the one Stocking had indicated. He read the name, 
 and simply ejaculated, " Kubbish." 
 
 " Oh, it is more than that," said Stocking. 
 
 " Nonsense ! my child. What does he mean by 
 free speech ? That Ingleton is a fool. Nonsense ! 
 Eubbish ! " said Mr. Slowun, dropping the paper and 
 bis glasses at the same time. 
 
 Stocking evidently agreed with the sentiment, 
 but said, " Why, freedom of public debate and speech, 
 I should say, whenever anyone willed," 
 
 "Oh! that is all nonsense," said Mr. Slowun. 
 ^' Now don't you answer me," continued he, seeing 
 that Stocking wished to speak. " I won't have it 
 at all Nonsense." 
 
 With this he rose from his seat, gave his neck one 
 of his peculiar cricks, and went through the usual per- 
 formance with his hands. Then, going into a corner 
 and turning suddenly round to see that Stocking did 
 not watch him, he buried his head in his coat,' which 
 was extremely loose, and in a miserly gloating 
 fashion put his hand in his breast pocket and pro- 
 duced two cigars therefrom. Thereupon he rapidly 
 buttoned his coat, peering round at Stocliing, who 
 was intently watching the stove, then turned and 
 -went over to that worthy, saying, " Here, my child," 
 and presented him with a cigar. This was re- 
 ceived with an " Oh ! thank you." 
 
 The cigars Hghted, Mr. Slowun opened several 
 
306 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 drawers with keys from a bunch, produced a dark 
 brown Hquid, some sugar, lemon and glasses, and 
 with the assistance of Stocking and some hot water, 
 brewed a liquid which, steaming hot, gave forth an 
 aroma, the characteristics of which were not fit odour 
 for the gods. This Mr. Slowun seemed to recognise, 
 for he plentifully besprinkled himself with musty 
 smelling scent, which did not add to the sweetness 
 of the room. The whole of the foregoing perform- 
 ance was gone through without any unnecessary or 
 undue haste. 
 
 These two congenial spirits then imbibed, and 
 during the process, every now and again Mr. Slowun 
 muttered " Bother it." Whether the grog was too 
 hot, or too sweet, or the lemon bitter, or whatever 
 gave rise to the murmurs, history does not relate. 
 The grog consumed, a fresh supply was made, of 
 which Stocking partook somewhat freely. 
 
 "Ingleton's Bill will come on soon," said Stocking. 
 
 "Bother it," muttered Mr. Slowun. " Yes, there 
 will be ahttle business." 
 
 " That would be the occasion for a decisive stroke," 
 said Stocking, refilling his glass. 
 
 " Yes, bother it. You know it is so much work, I 
 can't find the time to do anything. I have got such 
 a lot of work to do." 
 
 ** Oh ! I will write a strong article, or you could 
 give such information as would cause the Half Hour 
 people to do it themselves," said Stocking. 
 
 " Nonsense, nonsense," said Mr. Slowun, slightly 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 307 
 
 nodding his head, and causing his hat to fall off. 
 This with a Httle difficulty he replaced. 
 
 " You do not know anything yet," said Stocking. 
 
 " Eh ! Nonsense." 
 
 " But you do not," continued Stocking, " you have- 
 not read any of the pamphlets which have been dis- 
 tributed." 
 
 "Bad boy," said Mr. Slowun, "not to have told 
 me." 
 
 " I thought it was quite unnecessary," said 
 Stocking. 
 
 " You have no right to think, you should have 
 told me at once. Now don't you answer me, for I 
 will not have it," said Mr Slowun. 
 
 Although Stocking was used to this style of 
 arguing, he did not vouchsafe an answer, but sat 
 silently tracing in his mind the carving of the wood- 
 work. 
 
 " You know I am not angry," said Mr. Slowun 
 suddenly, as if the sentence were the immediate 
 result of some inner cogitation. 
 
 " Nor am I," said Stocking. 
 
 " Then don't lookhke that," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Like what ? " queried Stocking. 
 
 " That," said Mr. Slowun, as he cricked his 
 neck. 
 
 "My credit will be exhausted in a day or two," 
 said Stocking. 
 
 " Well, get an advance on next year," said Mr. 
 Slowun. 
 
.308 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " I have had that long ago," said Stocking. 
 
 " You are a bad boy," said Mr. Slowun. " What do 
 you do, to get rid of all your credit ? " 
 
 " Don't ask foolish questions," said Stocking 
 angrily. 
 
 '* You are petulant," said Mr. Slowun." I meant 
 no harm." 
 
 "I want a year's credit," said Stocking in a sulky 
 tone." 
 
 "All right, my child, you shall have it; but you 
 must wait a day or two," said Mr. Slowun, " you 
 will get me into trouble." 
 
 *' Bah ! " said Stocking. " I dare say you have had 
 six year's credit in one, if not more." 
 
 " Nonsense, nonsense," muttered Mr. Slowun. 
 
 "But it's true," said Stocking, " perhaps more." 
 
 " Supposing I have," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Well, then a little more or a little less will make 
 no difference to you. I must have it," said Stocking, 
 laying emphases on the last sentence. 
 
 " I wont have it," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 "Wont have what?" asked Stocking. 
 
 " You must not mention the matter again," said 
 Mr. Slowun impatiently. 
 
 " Oh ! all right. You get me a fresh allowance ; I 
 don't ask you how you get it, but get it for me," 
 said Stocking. 
 
 " All right. Bother it, bother it," muttered Mr. 
 Slowun for the next five minutes. At the end of 
 another period of silence, Mr. Slowun reluctantly 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 309 
 
 proposed to go home, muttering some incoherent 
 sentences, of which Stocking caught the words, 
 "Nonsense. Bother it. Rubbish. I am tired. Too 
 much work; will have to give it up." By this time 
 he was carefully and well wrapped up ; and accom- 
 panied by Stocking, who also took good care of his 
 person, and carried his chief's inevitable black bag, 
 the former wended his way home, in his usual slouch 
 and turn-and-turn method. At his door, Stocking 
 left him and hurried home without a pause. 
 
 Early on the morning of the thirteenth — that is, 
 early for Mr. Slowun — viz., twelve o'clock, he was 
 seated in his office talking to Mr. Garford, the 
 Secretary of the Alliance, when Thompson entered 
 and announced Mr. Hedgeco, Secretary of State. 
 
 Mr. Slowun, all of a flutter, rose from his seat, 
 divested himself of his coat, and assisted by 
 Thompson, robed himself in a better garment, which 
 he brought forth from a cupboard, where this useful 
 article was kept for state occasions. 
 
 Mr. Hedgeco, with a merry twinkle in his eye, 
 entered the room directly afterwards, andbade " Good 
 morning " to both Mr. Slowun and Mr. Garford. 
 
 Mr. Slowun, still flurried, muttered something 
 between a "good morning" and "rubbish," then 
 said, " To what do I owe the pleasure of this 
 visit ?" 
 
 " Bather important ! " said Mr. Hedgeco, whose 
 voice did not now ring with the stentorian tones in 
 which we heard him speak through the telephone on 
 
310 JAMES INGLETON, 
 
 a memorable occasion. Thompson had left the room. 
 Mr. Garford rose as if to go out, but Mr. Hedgeco 
 asked him to remain, as he seated himself saying, 
 " We want your assistance ! " and then continued, 
 turning towards Mr. Slowun, " James Ingleton is still 
 a member of the Alliance ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 " Do the members, speaking broadly, follow his 
 example?" 
 
 "I am sure I do not know," said Mr. Slowun ; and 
 then, as if to cover his answer, said, " I should say 
 not." 
 
 " I am rather inclined to say they do," said Mr. 
 ■Garford, in a slow methodical manner. 
 
 " Nonsense," said Mr. Slowun. 
 
 Mr. Hedgeco, who was regarding him critically, 
 said, " How am I to take it ?" 
 
 "You have heard my opinion," said Mr. Garford. 
 
 " Well, leave the answer as such," said Mr. Slowun, 
 in a grumbling, dilatory way. 
 
 "Well, as President of the Alliance," said Mr. 
 Hedgeco, laying stress upon the word President, 
 " do you know, are the provincial members following 
 the same policy ?" 
 
 ** It is impossible to say," said Mr. Slowun, 
 nodding his head. 
 
 " And your reports go to show ? " asked Mr. 
 
 Hedgeco of Mr. Garford, who replied, 
 
 " Very little. When, in obedience to your wishes, 
 as you are aware, I requested to know the policy of 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 311 
 
 all candidates, the answers were as vague as usual. 
 It was impossible to foreshadow the tactics that 
 Ingleton would adopt, and therefore I could not ask 
 if any intended to follow his course." 
 ' " No, that would have been undiplomatic," said 
 Mr. Hedgeco. " The fact is, a general unrest is abroad 
 in London, and we, meaning the Senate, fear the same 
 for Great Britain. The demands for free speech might 
 easily be granted, if we but knew to what lengths 
 Ingleton and his friends — if he has any, and to my 
 thinking he has them — intend to go." 
 
 " In my opinion the general body of the Alliance 
 is with Ingleton and Glimson," said Mr. Garford. 
 
 " Ah, I forgot Glimson for the moment," said 
 Mr. Hedgeco. 
 
 " You know they are a lot of fools," said Mr. 
 Slowun pettishly. 
 
 " If they are," said Mr. Hedgeco, " there seems to 
 be an amount of sense in their folly, not generally 
 met with." 
 
 " If you assist them, or remain passive, when the 
 "bill for free speech comes on, they will undoubtedly 
 take advantage of it," remarked Mr. Garford. 
 
 " I know that," said Mr, Hedgeco, " but if we 
 resist it, will they not reap the same advantage ? " 
 
 " Bother it," muttered Mr. Slowun. 
 
 Mr. Hedgeco continued, taking no notice of the 
 interruption : " I must say, we are on the horns of 
 a dilemma. We do not know with what power we 
 have to cope. To fight in the dark is certainly not 
 
312 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 my purpose. Is there no raeans of gauging the 
 strength of Ingleton's party ?" 
 
 " No," said Mr. Slowun decisively. 
 
 " I don't see my way clear," said Mr. Garford. " It 
 is mere supposition ; they may count thousands^ 
 though I do not see how they can ; and they may be 
 a mere handful." 
 
 " This is very unfortunate circumstances," said 
 Mr. Hedgeco, rising. " You will greatly oblige me 
 if you try to ascertain as much as possible about 
 them, so that the Senate can regulate their action." 
 
 ** We shall do our best," said Mr. Slowun, rising 
 and following Mr. Hedgeco ; and as that party left the 
 room, Mr. Slowun muttered something in his ear 
 which made him frown. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Bligow, as jovial as ever, in spite of the burden of 
 work which now fell to his share, found time to visit 
 Willie Heughin daily, and assist in an enterprise 
 which for a time was kept in strictest secrecy, 
 Glimson, whose long arms were swung at twice their 
 usual rate, was still hard at the history ; and the 
 excitement of the time, the meetings, the hurrying 
 hither and thither, keeping a watchful eye on 
 Pelham Stocking, writing pamphlets and letters for 
 hours at a stretch, seemed but to lend fresh energy 
 to him, where others would have been exhausted. 
 Antony was at Katie's bedside in all his leisure time, 
 for she had had a relapse ; and he, in the greatness of 
 his affection, would, if it had been possible, neves 
 have left her. Meanwhile Nellie and Blanche held 
 steadily to their course, distributing or leaving 
 pamphlets with assiduous care whereever they 
 could, and with the result that a general strike in 
 the laundries seemed imminent. As the days grew 
 shorter the cause strengthened. Now there were 
 murmurings in London, and the Half Hour would 
 almost daily record a disturbance in various pro- 
 vincial towns. Arthur Caland would walk to his 
 work with long and almost fierce strides, and sit 
 defiantly at his desk to the imminent risk of his 
 
314 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 personal freedom, for the overseer Burrows waited 
 but for the occasion to provoke his anger. The trio — 
 Burham, Perkins and Baxter, would greet the entry 
 of this party into their room with a prolonged yet 
 disdainful whistle. 
 
 Buerlin, who had drawn upon his next year's 
 credit, was daily at work establishing fresh centres 
 of discontent with quiet satisfaction, and nightly 
 recording the day's events. 
 
 Pelham Stocking, running in continual fear of en- 
 dangering himself to two sides at once, and being 
 repudiated by either, spent his time rather un- 
 pleasantly, though a fresh credit allowance had been 
 made to him, thanks to the offices of his mentor, 
 who could not find time to do anything in particular 
 while doing nothing. But Stocking, besides these 
 daily embarrassments, had bad nights in the shape 
 of troubled dreams, which were occasionally brought 
 on by the repulses he met with at the hands of 
 Blanche, at whose house he now never met Antony. 
 
 The Convention held daily meetings for the 
 purpose of voting supplies and considering the 
 imposts, upon which vexed questions both Ingleton 
 and Glimson, who attended every meeting, remained 
 discreetly silent. Thus dragged on a fortnight, 
 during which Ingleton frequently visited Miss 
 Collingwood, to the delight of Georgie and the benefit 
 of Mrs. Berthon, who vented her ultra politeness on 
 Ingleton, who gave little heed to her, while dis- 
 cussing the situation with Blanche. On the 22Qd, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 315 
 
 notice was given that the members' Bills would be 
 taken in hand on the 25th. All were now agog with 
 anxiety; and the secret meetings, while introducing 
 nothing new, helped but the more to swell the dis- 
 content. 
 
 " Ah ! " muttered Ingleton to himself on the 
 morning of the 24th, " to-morrow will decide— decide 
 what ? " A moment later he had lapsed into a day 
 dream, from which he roused himself with a strong 
 effort ; and putting on his outer garments, hurried to 
 his aunt, who hved in Science Terrace. This lady 
 was sitting in her private room, when Ingleton, 
 previously announced through the taming box, 
 entered. 
 
 After the usual greeting, a conversation ensued, of 
 which Miss Smithers took the lion's share. 
 
 " You have advanced so far in the cause you call 
 your own, that you must not— no, you cannot— 
 retreat," said Miss Smithers. 
 
 " I had no such idea," answered Ingleton. 
 
 " Now is the time for action," said Miss Smithers. 
 " James, you must cease dreaming, you must act." 
 
 " Such is my intention," said Ingleton. 
 
 "To-morrow your Bill comes before the Con- 
 vention," said Miss Smithers. 
 
 " Yes," rephed Ingleton. 
 
 "Every member of the House is in possession of a 
 ■copy of its contents ? " 
 
 " Yes, the House sees to that." 
 
 " So they all know what you ask for ? " 
 
316 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 "Yes.' 
 
 •" You have to move the Bill, and speak in its 
 defence?" 
 
 " That is the order of procedure." 
 
 " Then it is seconded or spoken against, and 
 finally the Bill will be discussed section by 
 section." 
 
 " You are well acquainted with the method." 
 
 " Have you prepared your speech ? " 
 
 ** No," answered Ingleton in a decisive tone. 
 
 " Then what do you propose doing ? " asked hi& 
 aunt. 
 
 " Say that which comes uppermost in my mind," 
 was the answer. 
 
 " Let the mind run riot ! James, you are acting 
 fooHshly." 
 
 " I cannot prepare a speech." 
 
 "Your bill is a direct blow at the Constitution, 
 You have a splendid subject ; and if you speak at 
 random, you will spoil it." 
 
 " No, no," said Ingleton, shaking his head. 
 
 " You do not think so ; yet you know that all good 
 speakers, in a similar position, prepare their 
 speeches." 
 
 " No doubt. But if my tongue found utterance for 
 my thoughts, I could speak for hours." 
 
 " But it would be full of wrongly turned sentences ; 
 it would be rambling ; and you would jump from 
 subject to subject." 
 
 " I know that." 
 
 1 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 317 
 
 " Sucli a speech may be effective at the moment, 
 but it would not bear reading." 
 
 " I do not consider its readableness of such great 
 importance as its effectiveness." 
 
 " I hope you will not allow your passions to 
 master you." 
 
 "It is impossible to say what may occur." 
 
 " Do not utter anything treasonable, it will do you 
 injury." 
 
 " You mean to say they will imprison me. I am 
 prepared for that." 
 
 " James, I know you are cautious ; but do be 
 prudent, for terrible results may ensue." 
 
 " I have gauged the cost. I refuse to retreat what- 
 ever may occur." 
 
 " Far be it from me, who despise the Conven- 
 tionalists ; the inanit}', the monotony, of this exist- 
 ence, to advise you so." 
 
 "Ingleton looked surprised at the words, and said, 
 " Aunt, you never said so before." 
 
 " Why should I ? What use would it have been ?" 
 answered Miss Smithers. 
 
 " Surely you did not think that universal suicide 
 would be the wisest course for the nation." 
 
 " No, I did not ; but from the first meeting of the 
 Convention, which I distinctly remember, I felt that 
 we would slowly lose our personality." 
 
 " I consider it my duty — I know not how, but so 
 I consider it — to attract universal attention to the 
 deplorable system under which we live." 
 
318 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 ** How many others consider the present system 
 .deplorable, as you term it ? " 
 
 " I should say about fifteen thousand." 
 
 " As many as that ? " 
 
 " Yes, perhaps a few more ; perhaps thousands 
 whom we have not sounded." 
 
 " How many members of the Convention are 
 partizans ? " 
 
 '• Till last night, fifteen." 
 
 '• That is not many." 
 
 " Quite sufficient for my needs." 
 
 " But you ought, say the Senate, to be satisfied 
 with the present freedom." 
 
 " M' yes, Do you remember — 
 
 " "Whose freedom is suffrance and at will, 
 Of a superior he is never free ; 
 "Who lives, and is not weary of a life, 
 Exposed to manacles, deserves them well ? " 
 
 " Yes, but that refers to tyrants." 
 "Well, the Senate consists of tyrants, and therefore 
 I can continue the verse — 
 
 " The State that strives for liberty, though foil'd, 
 And forced t' abandon what she bravely sought. 
 Deserves at least applause for her attempt. 
 And pity for her love. But that's a cause 
 Not often imsuccessful." 
 
 " I never knew you could recite from memory." 
 " Not I ; but I have read a deal, and sometimes 
 the old world songs come home to me." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 319 
 
 " But in the present day such thoughts are con- 
 sidered empty declamations." 
 
 " Who considers them such ? " 
 
 "The Senate." 
 
 " The greater proof of the rights of Uberty." 
 
 " We have wandered from our original conversa- 
 tion. Are any members of the Senate with you ?" 
 
 " I have not troubled to see any except Mr. Bost- 
 well, who will no doubt support us, though, being 
 a conscientious man, he advised me to be cautious." 
 
 " How does Blanche view the matter ? " 
 
 " She sympathises with me to that extent that 
 she is materially assisting me."' 
 
 For some time the conversation was kept on in 
 the same manner ; and when Ingleton rose to go, 
 Miss Smithers said, " James, I will protect your 
 sisters and mother if anything occurs. Be firm 
 and prudent. Good morning." 
 
 On the evening of the same day, Ingleton saw 
 Blanche, and they sat awhile in tender confidences, 
 which were soon dispelled by Mrs. Berthon ; and 
 when Ingleton left that night, his mind was full of 
 two conflicting emotions : his regard for Blanche, 
 and if we may so put it, his disregard for her aunt, 
 with whom he had nothing in common. For she, 
 despite the acknowledged engagement of Ingleton 
 and Blanche, was still, prompted by Pelham Stocking, 
 working upon the girl's fear in that unworthy party's 
 behalf 
 
320 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 When a man is possessed of one all-powerful and 
 absorbing idea, he lives in the ideal. Sometimes he 
 is a bore, sometimes otherwise. He who thinks 
 much, speaks little, j^et when the time for action 
 and the affairs of the moment require it, his mute 
 anxiety disappears, and the oppressing silence 
 becomes a vapour, which dispelled, reveals the man — 
 the inner man — exposed, to fall or stand by the actions 
 of the day. What ensues it is difficult to say ; 
 acceptance might mean bewilderment, opposition 
 might be suppression for ever. 
 
 This Ingleton knew, as he walked to the Hall of 
 Legislation on the evening of the twenty-fifth, accom- 
 panied by Glimson. He observed a moody silence. 
 None the less, however, the mind was speaking 
 inwardly ; unheard he said, "The silence of the nation 
 shall disperse, the stillness of a quarter of a century 
 now finds voice." Accepting the duty which fell upon 
 him like fire from the firmament, he continued : — 
 '■■ The dumb shall speak, and the words re-echo over 
 the world. He, one who is in his own design, willed 
 that this should be ; let none oppose him, for they are 
 doomed." 
 
 This train of thought was stopped by their arrival 
 at the Hall, where they were greeted by repeated 
 ** Hurrahs ! " Glimson noticed that a large body of 
 police was in evidence. When he entered he remarked 
 to Ingleton, on looking round, " that the guard was 
 increased." " It matters little," answered Ingleton, 
 making for a seat. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 321 
 
 A few moments later the Chamber was full, and 
 the President arrived. The minor details were 
 immediately gone through, and a look of anxiety 
 became visible on all faces. Ingleton now for the 
 first time noticed that the gallery was crowded. 
 
 The Clerk of the House, without rising, said, 
 " The Members' Bills will be dealt with in their 
 order of procedure." 
 
 The Clerk of Eecords, in the same manner said, 
 " A Bill for the right and liberty of speech takes 
 precedence." 
 
 " Let it be so," said the President. 
 The Clerk of State, rising and bowing to the 
 President, read the bill through, which all present 
 followed from the copies they held in their hands ; 
 and when he had concluded the reading, said, " The 
 members of the Convention are required in due time 
 to record their votes." 
 
 Glimson, rising in his seat, said, ** Is this within 
 the limits of the ordinary rules of the Chamber ? " 
 " Yes," answered the Clerk of the State. 
 James Ingleton then deliberately ascended the 
 tribune, and taking a copy of the Bill from his 
 pocket, laid it by his side ; and then standing 
 erect, said, — 
 
 " Mr. President and Members of the Convention, 
 — There is now before you a Bill which I have had 
 the honour of formulating; for it I ask your earnest 
 consideration. I entreat you not to oppose it hastily. 
 What do I ask for ? The freedom of speech under 
 
322 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 a better condition of things. We should have 
 possessed it long ago." (Cries of order.) 
 
 Glimson, who was noting carefully every word, 
 muttered, " A point." 
 
 Ingleton continued : " For twenty years, or there- 
 abouts, have we been dumb. Why ? Because we 
 have elected to be fools, to be puppets, to be played 
 with by the Senate." 
 
 *' Order ! order ! " came from many voices ; and 
 someone shouted, " Question." 
 
 Glimson smiled ; and Buerlin and Bligow, in the 
 gallery, enjoyed the momentary confusion. 
 
 The President said, " Mr. Ingleton will keep to 
 the question." 
 
 " I do," answered Ingleton ; and continuing said, 
 " I demand, in the name of thousands, in the name 
 of the whole commonwealth, that liberty of speech 
 be granted. This, the sacred right of Englishmen, . 
 we were deprived of by those ignoramuses, the 
 Levellers, at the commencement of the Social State." 
 
 " Order ! order ! " came from the further end of 
 the Chamber. 
 
 " Some time ago I chose to deliver a lecture on a 
 subject which I thought of interest to my fellows. 
 Originally it was intended to be a debate. What 
 occurred ? I was summoned before a Senator, and 
 had to abandon my idea. Was this not odious ? On 
 the night of the lecture I was suddenly ordered to 
 stop by the Secretary of State. I did so. Those 
 present thought it right to obey. Is this right ; is 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 323 
 
 this just ; should this occur again ? No ! a thousand 
 times no ! The voice of the nation re-echoes my voice, 
 and it must be obeyed." (" Order! order!" was again 
 shouted.) " He who shouts means I should be silent. 
 I demand to be heard, and you shall hear me. If 
 to-morrow I or anyone else wishes to speak, he 
 should be allowed to do so — he has a right to do so. 
 If you can control a man's thoughts as you do his 
 actions— (order) — then you may limit his speech. 
 I think ; therefore, I wish to speak, and I will not 
 recognize any limit to my words. No one has a 
 right to deny me this privilege." 
 
 Those in opposition to the Bill suddenly rose and 
 gave a thundering cry of " Order." Those in the 
 gallery, also fired with speech, shouted according 
 to their ideas. The cry of order was answered by 
 those of "Go-on! go-on!" The President rose as 
 if to leave his chair, and suspend the sitting. 
 
 This produced silence for a moment ; and Phillip 
 Hardson, senior member for Newcastle, shouted, 
 " Let the boy chatter, we need not notice him." 
 
 Ingleton, who was silent during the commotion, 
 began speaking at the insult ; and Glimson ran up to 
 the tribune ; but the intervention of the President 
 once more restored order, and Hardson received a 
 caution. Glimson returned to his seat, and Ingleton 
 continued : 
 
 " There are those who would gag me, those who 
 wish to bring discredit upon me, and those who think 
 with me. To those I say, they must hear me, they 
 
324 JAMBS INGLETON. 
 
 shall hear me. If the Social State is opposed to 
 liberty, then the Social State must be proscribed." 
 
 " James is getting warm," muttered Glimson as 
 the shout of " Question ! " again resounded. 
 
 " I say," continued Ingleton, " I repeat, that if I 
 am out of order, the State is in the wrong, not I. 
 That with which the fault lies, let it be corrected. 
 They who wish to defend the State can do so in 
 their turn" (Q aestion.) " Speaking for liberty of speech, 
 yon deny me the right even now. AVhy, after a cen- 
 tury of this liberty, did you take it away, you who 
 represent the State? "Why! because you knew the 
 rottenness of your structure, and were afraid of 
 comments." 
 
 Once more arose the cries of " order " and "go on." 
 At last, however, silence again being restored, the 
 Clerk of State rose and said, " Mr. Ingleton, you are 
 speaking treason." 
 
 "I am speaking truth," answered Ingleton. 
 
 " It is treason," said the Clerk, " and as such 
 it is amenable to law." 
 
 " What do you define as treason ? " asked Ingleton. 
 
 " Speaking as you are against law and order," 
 said the Clerk, sitting down. 
 
 Ingleton continued : " My Bill is but just in time, 
 speech is treasonable, so says the Clerk of State, 
 expecting my obedience. Criticism is dangerous ; 
 then how weak is the State that is afraid of it. The 
 commonweal is afraid of the feeble utterances of one 
 individual" (" Bravo, they are feeble," shouted Hard- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 325 
 
 sod), " yet feeble though they be, you like them not. 
 This ideal State as you call it, is monstrous, it is 
 infamous, it is odious." 
 
 His voice was once more drowned by the cries. 
 Glimson, who could not bear to take a passive 
 part amid this excitement, ascended the tribune and 
 shouted above the din, — 
 
 " Let Ingleton go on, answer him afterwards. 
 Shame on you for a lot of cowards. You do not like 
 truths, but you shall hear them though they strike 
 home." 
 
 After an interval of hisses, silence was restored, 
 and Glimson was ordered from the tribune. 
 
 ^ " Have a care," continued Ingleton. " At this 
 moment I stand higher than you, and in reality I am 
 above you. This is not boastful. I demand liberty 
 of speech and, and as you rightly fear, liberty of 
 action. Thought — that is conscience — creates speech, 
 which causes action. I demand these — I, the mouth- 
 piece of that individuality, which is so nauseous to 
 you. I, as the voice, ask for their individuality and 
 freedom ; and you, if you wish to preserve yourselves, 
 must give it. You are in unlimited power as judge 
 and accuser ; you are at the summit, and in your 
 power you would forget others. You forget the 
 potency of individualism, but you will have to reckon 
 with it. Experience, the bitter teacher, taught me 
 and educated me. I look upon your divinities — law 
 and order, as grimalkins disguised. Your justice 
 presents a potent drink, which retards progress 
 
326 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 instead of hastening it. Did I expect to say this ? 
 No. Did you expect to hear this? No. Then why 
 am I here ? It is ordained. Then listed to the inevit- 
 able. Supressme if you like, yet you cannot supress 
 individuality " (Question was again called.) "You 
 cry question. I question whether you have fulfilled 
 your duty. Have you allowed reason to flow ? No ! 
 for you are unreason itself. You would retard us, 
 but you shall not. I speak treason, speaking truth. 
 Therein lies a fault. Who is in fault — truth or the 
 State ? " (Question. Question.) "You are right with 
 your question, I should come to the point. I have 
 come to the point. I have my head in the lion's 
 mouth. I must begin where the question is greatest. 
 So many are the wrongs that we have to bear with 
 that I know not where to begin." 
 
 Lawrence Campbell, senior member for Birming- 
 ham, here rose and shoated, " Mr. President, adjourn 
 the sitting." 
 
 A host of others shouted, " Enough, enough !" and 
 the voices of the young Alliance members sounded 
 like a roar — " Go on." 
 
 " Yes, go on," shouted Hardson. " He is amusing, 
 this is better than a comedy." 
 
 The President, having obtained a little silence, 
 said, " Mr. Ingleton, you are speaking treason, you 
 must cease that. If you will keep to your question 
 you can go on." Then he seated himself and 
 hurriedly scribbled a note which he handed to his 
 Olerk, who in turn showed it to the Clerks of State, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 327 
 
 Eecord, and the House, and then handed it to an 
 usher, who left the Chamber with it. 
 
 Glimson noted this, rose from his seat, hurriedly- 
 left the Chamber and ascended the visitors' gallery, 
 where he had an interview with Bligow and Buerlin. 
 
 Meanwhile Ingleton resumed, " This is a comedy 
 you say, I fear with a tragic ending. The country 
 is dissatisfied, the industrial problems are more 
 entangled than ever. This you term insubordina- 
 tion ; this I call Individualism crying for its rights. 
 The whole constitution requires reforming. We 
 require a new constitution, a new organization. 
 Down with the constitution and all its hateful 
 environments." 
 
 In the excitement of the moment he had uttered 
 these words, and seeing he had gone thus far, he 
 knew it was too late to withdraw even if he had 
 wished to. 
 
 The ominous ring of the President's bell was 
 heard. Again Ingleton spoke, " I demand that this 
 Convention be dissolved." (" Hear, hear," shouted 
 the members of the young Alliance, while the 
 seniors were deadly white from the bold words.) " I 
 demand that a new Government be organized under 
 which humanity may be elevated instead of 
 degraded." 
 
 " Down with the Convention. Down with the 
 Senate," came from a hundred throats. Then six 
 men and a sergeant of the guard on duty were seen 
 advancing into the room. 
 
328 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Ingleton, with his arms folded, watched theiit 
 approach. 
 
 GHmson ran for the tribune and ascended, and 
 shouted, but his voice was drowned in the 
 tumult. 
 
 Ingleton was buried in thought. Did he expect 
 this? Yes, and no. He was prepared for this 
 emergency, yet did not expect it. 
 
 The Clerk of State, rising, said, " Mr. Ingleton, I 
 hold a warrant for your arrest ; you have spoken 
 treason.'' 
 
 A sound as of a wounded animal came from those 
 ~ in the gallery. 
 
 Glimson shouted, " Down with the State," and 
 the cry was quickly re-echoed by those seated 
 above. 
 
 The police advanced towards the tribune, and an 
 altercation took place between the sergeant, Ingleton, 
 and Glimson. 
 
 *'You are under arrest," said the sergeant to 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " Mind your own business," said Glimson. 
 
 " Do not be obdurate," said the sergeant. 
 
 Ingleton turned as if to descend. Glimson held 
 him back, and said to the sergeant, " Go home." 
 
 " I shall pull you down," said the sergeant. 
 
 " Try it," answered Glimson. 
 
 " Well, it is useless to resist," said Ingleton. 
 
 " We want a little time," whispered Glimson tO' 
 Ingleton ; "let the news spread." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 329 
 
 *' I sliall not remain here all day," said the 
 sergeant. 
 
 Perkins, who was in the gallery holding on to the 
 railing, jumped over it, slid down the pillar, and 
 strode up to the tribune. Such was the tumult 
 that this was not noticed. 
 
 " Pull him down," said the sergeant, turning to his 
 men. They advanced to the steps. 
 
 Perkins, without stopping, sprang on to the 
 Presidential chair (to the horror of its occupant), 
 and clinging to it with his long arms he vaulted on to 
 the tribune. Still the tumult grew. 
 
 Two soldiers ascended the tribune. Glimson 
 struck the foremost soldier on the chest, and 
 knocked him down. Meanwhile, in the sacred 
 precincts of the Chamber, blows were dealt on 
 many sides. 
 
 The second soldier, seeing the fate of his com- 
 rade, wished to retreat ; but Perkins, reaching his 
 long arms to good purpose, caught him by the throat, 
 and lifting him up from the ground, threw him 
 bodily on to the table where the clerks sat, knock- 
 ing the Clerk of State out of his chair. 
 
 The President rose from his seat and made a 
 vain attempt to dissolve the sitting, for no one 
 could hear him. His progress was cut short by 
 the third soldier — of the stout, bully type — fall- 
 ing on him. Glimson and Perkins had caught 
 him and thrown him across the Chamber, and 
 he fell on the President, and the two lay pros- 
 
 w 
 
330 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 trate on the ground. The sergeant, perplexed,, 
 ascended the tribune with his remaining three 
 men. He found himself a moment later in the 
 President's chair. 
 
 Suddenly the tumult increased, and cries were 
 heard coming from the street. 
 
 The three soldiers were pushed from the tribune. 
 Then Glimson and Perkins, catching hold of Ingleton,. 
 ran down the stairs, walked over the soldiers, and 
 pressed through the tumult, kicking and cuffing every- 
 one who prevented their passage. But all this was of 
 little avail, the throng was too great. Hardson, of 
 Newcastle, suddenly caught hold of Ingleton behind,, 
 who turned round, released himself from his friends, 
 and felled Hardson. 
 
 The cries grew louder and louder ; and through 
 the now broken windows came the sound of 
 " Hurrah for Ingleton and liberty." 
 
 In this manner they made for the door, when 
 Ingleton whispered to Perkins — " Go." 
 
 Perkins, shaking hands, made his way to the 
 centre of the hall, and jumping on the seats clam- 
 bered up a support of the gallery, then on to it, and 
 for a moment viewing the scene from the deserted 
 gallery, he took himself off. 
 
 At the door a large force was in waiting; and 
 Glimson, seeing the folly of further resistance, allowed 
 Ingleton to give himself over to an officer. 
 
 " Stick to the cause, and give my farewell to my 
 friends," said Ingleton, shaking hands ; but Glimson's 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 331 
 
 progress was prevented by the officer, showing him 
 
 a warrant for his arrest, 
 
 ** Good," said Glimson, "this won't last long." 
 Then, between defiles of troops, Glimson and 
 
 Ingleton were removed from the scene, arrested on 
 
 a charge of treason. 
 
CHAPTEE XXII. 
 
 Between the defiles, Ingleton and Glimson de- 
 scended the steps of the Hall of Legislation, and 
 were led through the most unfrequented passages 
 into the street at the back of the building ; but even 
 here a number of people were collected, who im- 
 mediately fell back on the appearance of the squad 
 of troops. 
 
 Here the procession was augmented by another 
 company of soldiers ; and so they made their way 
 through streets lined by the populace. As they 
 walked along, Ingleton looked up but once, and that 
 was in order to notice the contents of the Half Hour 
 placard, which, at three o'clock that afternoon, had 
 an article condemning the Individualists and the 
 pamphlets, pointing the finger of scorn at them. 
 Now the contents bills exhibited the words, " Arrest 
 of Ingleton and Glimson on a charge of treason. 
 Scenes in the Chamber." As he noted these words 
 he drew Glimson's attention to them, and whispered 
 to him, " This has been cut and dried for us." 
 
 " I am aware of that," answered Glimson ; and 
 then they lapsed into a moody silence. 
 
 At last the steady tramp of the soldiers ceased. 
 They were before the State prison, the doors of 
 which swung open. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 333 
 
 The troops formed into two files ; and with two 
 men leading, and two behind, they entered the 
 prison with a firm step, without even once looking 
 at the starlit sky which, perhaps, they might never 
 behold again. 
 
 Inside they were met by a warder and an officer, 
 who again read the charge over to them, and then 
 said, " Have yon anything to remark ? " 
 
 " If truth is treason, then I have spoken treason- 
 ably," answered Ingleton. 
 
 " You know your business," said Glimson to the 
 officer. 
 
 They were then conducted to an apartment (for, as 
 prisoners of State, they could not be placed in cells,) 
 by a warder who kindly informed them " That there 
 was something nice in store for them," and then 
 went out, locked the door, and removed a piece of 
 panelhng, so that he could if he thought necessary 
 observe them. 
 
 The room was furnished with chairs and a table, 
 a writing desk and other necessaries. In a comer 
 stood two low truckle beds. Light came from an 
 incandescent lamp. 
 
 Glimson surveyed the room in a slow deliberate 
 manner, and turning to Ingleton said, " This has 
 been arranged for hours." 
 
 Ingleton, who was seated, answered, " I suppose 
 so. 
 
 Glimson continued the survey ; and catching sight 
 of the opening in the panelling of the door, walked 
 
3"d4 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 up to it, closely examined it, and turning to Ingleton 
 said, " See this." 
 
 Ingleton rose from his seat, noted the aperture 
 and said, '* We are under observation." 
 
 " Can we close the aperture? " said Glimson. 
 
 " It would be useless," answered Ingleton. 
 
 " Well, the best thing will be to get clear from ob- 
 servation. Let us remove our chairs out of the range 
 of vision," said Glimson. In a moment this was 
 done. 
 
 Ingleton pressed a bell. A moment later the 
 warder appeared. To him Ingleton said, " Here is a 
 writing desk ; I require pen, ink, and paper." The 
 warder was about to retire. Ingleton recalled him, 
 and taking his sash off (it was a little torn), said, 
 •' Here, give this to the governor." The warder 
 accepted it. " Now I am no longer a member of 
 the Convention ; I am a private individual." 
 
 Glimson, who had watched the proceeding, did 
 likewise, telling the warder to "be off." 
 
 That worthy left the room, closing it with a slam 
 that woke the echoes in the corridors. 
 
 A few minutes later the warder returned with the 
 writing material and sashes, and laying the latter on 
 the table said, " The governor refuses them," and 
 left the room. 
 
 " I see ! we are to be tried as members of the Con- 
 vention," said Glimson in a low voice. 
 
 " Yes," answered Ingleton. " I sent my sash with 
 a motive." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 335 
 
 "I knew that," said Glimson. 
 
 "It is evident we shall not be left together for 
 longer than to-night, let us try and complete our 
 work if possible. Our removal will not ruin the 
 cause," said Ingleton, turning to the writing table. 
 
 " You are right," said Glimson. " I prepared for 
 this, but what is the use of writing ? How can we 
 convey it?" 
 
 "If we cannot send this off, eventually we must 
 destroy it, though we shall find ways and means." 
 
 "Is communication with our friends cut off?" 
 said Glimson. 
 
 " What I intend to write would never leave this 
 place if the authorities knew it," answered Ingleton 
 with a smile. 
 
 "What are you going to do?" asked Glimson, 
 rising from his seat and going over to Ingleton. 
 
 " Help me to formulate the nucleus of a new con- 
 stitution, and directions for the guidance of our 
 friends," said Ingleton. 
 
 Glimson then crossed the room and peered through 
 the aperture in the door. " It is all right," said he, 
 going back to the desk. 
 
 Ingleton took several sheets from the heap and 
 gave them to Glimson. 
 
 " They are headed," said that worthy, referring to 
 the address heading on the paper. 
 
 Ingleton took a sheet and began writing, but 
 feeUng something between the paper, opened it, and 
 found a small piece of paper on which was written in 
 
336 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Eoman Characters, " There are friends here, 
 Honour." He was surprised at this declaration, 
 and handed it to GHmson, who, reading, shouted, 
 "Bravo!" 
 
 " Shut up," said Ingleton, " and get to work." 
 He tore the paper into pieces and hid them between 
 the mattress of the bed. " This will do till the morn- 
 ing. They must be destroyed," said he ; and he sat 
 to work. 
 
 * * * >:: * 
 
 To return to the Hall of Legislation. From the 
 moment Ingleton and Glimson had been taken 
 prisoners the tumult began to subside. The police,- 
 having no instructions, or being afraid to act upon 
 them, allowed every one to depart ; and this was 
 affected in such haste that the members walked 
 home with their sashes on, to the amusement of the 
 small boy, who is everywhere. 
 
 Buerlin and Bligow, who had left the Hall of 
 Legislation soon after their interview with Glimson, 
 repaired to that worthy's house, and found on a table 
 in his room some placards, which he had prepared. 
 These they took away with them, and pinned to the 
 nearest contents bill of the Half Hour. The 
 wording which was short, was very much to the 
 point. Glimson had foreseen the result of the day's 
 action and had prepared for it. A meeting was to 
 be held in the Hall of the Alliance Club. This bill 
 posting done, Bligow hurried to the Alliance, while 
 Buerlin made for the telephone office and immedi- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 337 
 
 ately gave information to his friends in different 
 towns, as to the course the day had taken. Then he 
 returned to the Alliance, where Bligow and Fitz- 
 walter were in waiting. In a short space of time a 
 crowd collected ; and without any parley the door 
 was forced and admission gained to the Hall. Arthur 
 Caland, who was among the crowd, sprang upon the 
 platform, and so did Bligow and BuerUn. Fitz- 
 walter was already there, and taking a wrench from 
 his pocket, quickly put the aural instruments out of 
 working order. A guard was then arranged, that they 
 might not be surprised ; and Caland delivered an im- 
 petuous speech, every word breathing enmity to the 
 State ; and it was received by the mixed audience 
 with many cheers. 
 
 Buerlin, in the name of the leaders of the move- 
 ment, then addressed those present. He made a 
 statement guiding their future conduct, and told 
 them how he had acted. 
 
 Bligow succeeded him. The first words he spoke 
 were, " We must not stop here long ; " and then he 
 told them what GUmson's last words were that day : 
 " Individuality to the fore." Did they agree to this? 
 A deafening shout of " Yes " was the answer. 
 
 Caland whispered to Perkins, " If theij were only 
 here." 
 
 " Then we should not be here," answered he ; and 
 then recounted his share in the final scene in the 
 Chamber. 
 
 Bligow spoke for a few minutes longer, admonish- 
 
338 ■ JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 ing them to be cautious for the sake of those in 
 prison. 
 
 George Cavendish, till now unobserved, proposed 
 Bligow as provisional leader. The enviable, but 
 decidedly dangerous position, was accorded him 
 without demur, and he accepted it. 
 
 Caland undertook to assist him. Every now and 
 then was heard a shout, " Down with the State." 
 Buerlin rubbed his hands. 
 
 Fitzwalter was the next to address the people. He 
 spoke in a quiet and moderate tone. This did not suit 
 the excited audience, so he soon gave over. 
 
 Caland once more addressed them, and every 
 sentence was interrupted with, " Individualism to 
 the fore ! " 
 
 " The cause gains," whispered Baxter to Burham, 
 who was in attendance as become a member of the 
 trio. 
 
 " Forget not the leaders," answered Burham. 
 
 Bligow, who closed the meeting, promised to take 
 immediate action. They could find his instructions 
 in the pamphlets and placards signed ** Honour." 
 Would they obey him ? 
 
 "Yes," came the shout, "yes!" They would 
 perhaps find them dangerous to themselves : they 
 might cause them to come into contact with the 
 Government. Did they fear ? " No, no." 
 
 " They are willing," muttered Cavendish to 
 Holhs. 
 
 "Prepared," was the rejoinder. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 339 
 
 " Three cheers for Ingleton and Glimson," cried 
 Bligow ; and they were responded to in lusty English 
 fashion. Then the meeting dispersed. 
 
 Where was Pelham Stocking — where ? We find 
 him in Mr. Slowun's abode. The latter, contrary 
 to his usual rule, but in accordance with the advice 
 of Stocking, had gone home early. Stocking accom- 
 panied him, and was now seated by his side. 
 
 " That article has upset him," said he. 
 
 "Yes," answered Mr. Slowun, who was shaking 
 from fear as though he had the ague. 
 
 "Ingleton and Glimson are settled for ever by this 
 time," said Stocking. It was 7.30. 
 
 " I hope nothing will occur," said Mr, Slowun in 
 trembling tones. 
 
 " Something will occur; something has occurred," 
 said Stocking. 
 
 " Oh ! oh ! Bother it," muttered Mr. Slowun. 
 
 "You are afraid," said Stocking, in a contemp- 
 tuous tone. 
 
 "Nonsense," answered Mr. Slowun; but he 
 clutched at his chair for support. 
 
 " You are," said Stocking. " I will get you some- 
 thing to drink." He rose and pressed a button. The 
 summons was answered, and soon afterwards the 
 necessaries for a glass of grog were brought. 
 Stocking mixed the liquor, poured out two glasses, 
 and handed one to Mr. Slowun, who spilled some of 
 his liquor in his trembling. 
 
 "A toast," said Stocking, glancing at the liquid 
 
340 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 with the eye of a connoisseur. Mr. Slowurt 
 acquiesced. 
 
 " Then, here's to Ingleton's death feast," said 
 Stocking, with a triumphant smile on his face. 
 
 " Yes. Bother it," muttered Mr. Slowun ; and he 
 imbibed. For some time they remained silent — till 
 the Half Hour was brought in. Stocking snatched 
 it up and read it with avidity, and then said to his 
 mentor, " Ingleton and Glimson have been arrested." 
 
 Mr. Slowun dropped his glass, and it broke to 
 atoms. Stocking then read aloud the scene in the 
 Chamber ; and every sentence caused Mr. Slowun to 
 cringe more and more in his chair. Stocking 
 watched him with a sneer; and obtaining a fresh 
 glass, plied him with more grog. 
 
 " Who is cleverer," said Stocking, " I or they ?" 
 The sneer was even more pronounced. 
 
 " You are a good boy," was the answer. 
 
 "Ingleton, you have played a losing game," 
 muttered Stocking to himself; adding, " Blanche 
 Colling wood, I triumph." He enjoyed his own 
 voice, and laughed. There was a world in that laugh. 
 
 Mr. Slowun did not catch those words, and ex- 
 claimed, "Eh?" 
 
 "Nothing," answered Stocking. 
 
 " Nonsense," muttered Mr. Slowun, from habit. 
 
 " They will be tried in a day or two," said 
 Stocking. 
 
 "I shall know to-morrow morning," answered 
 Mr. Slowun. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 341 
 
 " The evidence will be conclusive. They v^ould 
 have been arrested under any circumstances, thanks 
 to your assistance," said Stocking. 
 
 " Yes. I hope I will not have to appear." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Because I do not want to," answered Mr. 
 Slowun, trembling at the idea. 
 
 " There is Httle fear of that." 
 
 They relapsed into silence, during which each 
 held communion with himself. Did conscience ac- 
 cuse them of evil ? Did their mind awaken to the 
 sense of right or wrong ? The sneer on Stocking's 
 features was a negative sign ; the trembling of Mr. 
 Slowun answered "Yes." 
 
 Once more let us patrol the streets of London. 
 The moon shone brightly, and the stars shimmered 
 overhead. Sometimes the night speaks ; sometimes 
 the atmosphere, being in accord with our feelings, 
 finds a voice, but not to-night. We find ourselves 
 in Liberation Square. Little spars of ice are 
 forming in the basin of the fountain ; the phono- 
 -chronometer — its voice resounding in the cold — bawls 
 half-past eight. 
 
 Blanche Collingwood was seated in the room in 
 which we have met her before. On the floor lay 
 the last edition of the newspaper. Her eyes were 
 red and her cheeks pale. Evidently she had been 
 crying. 
 
 Her aunt entered the room , and seated herself. 
 
 " You have been crying," she said. 
 
342 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Blanche picked up the paper and handed it to her 
 aunt. This was her answer. 
 
 Mrs. Berthon smoothed the crumbled paper in a 
 dignified manner. She had not heard the news, but 
 had an inkling of the truth. She was anxious to read 
 it, but did not. Above all she wished to be self- 
 possessed and calm on all occasions. She prided 
 herself on her dignity. To be eager, was to show ill- 
 breeding. With that calmness, which comes from 
 restraint upon the feelings , she read the news ; 
 stopping every now and then, as if in thought. 
 
 " So you have been crying about this," said she, 
 laying the newspaper on a table. 
 
 " Yes," answered Blanche, blushing. 
 
 Her aunt brought her two eyes to bear upon 
 Blanche as if to search her mind. " I am surprised 
 at you, crying over a lover," she said in icy tones. 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Because it is undignified," she answered with 
 hauteur, with a toss of her head. 
 
 " I do not understand you," said Blanche. 
 
 " Nor I you," said Mrs. Berthon, with a reproach- 
 ful look. 
 
 Blanche put her hands to her head ; the tears 
 trickled unheeded down her face. Mrs. Berthon 
 held her peace till Blanche recovered herself ; then 
 she said, " Wipe those tears away." Blanche did 
 so with a sigh. 
 
 Her aunt continued, " James Ingleton is in prison. 
 This I foresaw. You are crying for him ; you have 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 343 
 
 allied yourself to a revolutionist; and estranged your- 
 self from one who meant well. Pelham Stocking 
 would not have caused those tears." 
 
 " This is beside the question," rejoined Blanche. 
 " I must see Nellie and her mother." 
 
 " You are unmaidenly," said her aunt. 
 
 " What would you have me do ? " asked Blanche. 
 
 "Nothing," was the answer. 
 
 " What ! when others are in danger." 
 
 " That is their concern." 
 
 " And mine." 
 
 "You are wrong; your first duty is to take my 
 advice; besides, you can do nothing." 
 
 " I must ! I will ! " exclaimed Blanche. 
 
 "This is ridiculous. You are making a scene. In 
 calmer moments you will see the folly of this." 
 
 " I shall not regret it." 
 
 " We shall see." The words were uttered de- 
 cisively. 
 
 " Oh ! what will they do with him ? " 
 
 " I do not know, but I suppose execute them 
 both." The words were spoken in calm, smooth 
 tones, with not a ruffle on Mrs. Berthon's featuers. 
 
 Blanche again began crying, but, checking herself^ 
 she wiped the tears away and rose from her chair. 
 
 " Where are you going to ? " asked Mrs. Berthon. 
 
 " To Mrs. Ingleton," answered Blanche. 
 
 " I shall not go with you," said her aunt. 
 
 " I intend to go, and that now. If you will not 
 accompany me I'll go by myself," said Blanche. 
 
344 JAMES INGLETON, 
 
 "You are responsible for your own actions," said 
 her aunt. 
 
 "I accept the responsibility," said Blanche, 
 leaving the room. She returned dressed for going 
 out. 
 
 " You are the most unreasonable being I ever 
 came across," said Mrs. Berthon, without deigning 
 to look at her niece. 
 
 Blanche, without vouchsafing an answer, left 
 the room ; and a moment later the street door 
 inform Mrs. Berthon that Blanche had been as good 
 as her word. Henceforth they were estranged. 
 
 When Blanche arrived at the abode of the 
 Ingleton family, she was received with unusual 
 warmth by Nellie, who, despite the rubbing she 
 had given her eyes, told the tale of her womanly 
 weakness. 
 
 Mrs. Ingleton sat nursing herself, if the term 
 may be used, in her chair, muttering, *' I said so, 
 I said so." 
 
 The entrance of Blanche recalled her motherly in- 
 stinct, for she greeted her with, " My poor Blanche," 
 and then, " I said so." 
 
 "You said so," said Nell, seating herself. Blanche 
 did likewise. " True enough, but this will not help 
 James." 
 
 "My mother always told me," said Mrs. Ingleton, 
 "how these matters ended. Oh, my poor James !" 
 She rocked herself in her chair, and the three women 
 could not repress their tears. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 345 
 
 Blanche was the first to recover herself. ** What 
 is to be done *? " she said. 
 
 " I don't know," answered Mrs. Ingleton, still 
 rocking herself. Evidently the shock had momentarily 
 bewildered her. 
 
 " Something must be done," said Nell. 
 " Something shall be done," said Blanche. 
 " Oh, my poor children ! whatever shall I do. Oh, 
 James, James, this is too hard. My mother always 
 told me the fate of revolutionists," sobbed Mrs. 
 Ingleton, sobbing and rocking herself continuously. 
 " Have any of James's friends been here ? " asked 
 Blanche of Nell. 
 
 " No," answered she. "But I had a note from 
 Harry Bligow promising he would come to-night." 
 " I wish he were here," said Blanche. 
 " No use, no use," sobbed Mrs. Ingleton ; " no 
 use. Oh, my poor James." 
 
 " Mother, do not take it to heart so much," said 
 Nell, "it will come all right in the end." 
 
 " Yes, so it will," said Blanche ; but her tone and 
 her features spoke otherwise. 
 
 Mrs. Ingleton took no heed of them, but continued 
 rocking herself. 
 
 " Does Katie know it ? " queried Blanche. 
 " No, I dare not tell her," said Nell. 
 " Oh, what can we do ?" said Blanche, clasping 
 her hands in agony, not knowing how to act. 
 
 Nell sat pondering, her eyes cast on the ground. 
 Her tongue refused an answer. What could they do ? 
 
. 346 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 The question seemed the bitterness of despair. They 
 racked their brains ; and their hearts were full. What 
 agony to be helpless. 
 
 "Will Bligow never come?" asked Nellie; but 
 silence was the only answer. 
 
 The only sound was the mumbling of Mrs. 
 Ingleton. 
 
 Hours passed in this fashion, when the sound of 
 a bell brought hope to their hearts. Here then was 
 Bligow. They were not mistaken, for a moment 
 later he entered — his face, usually jovial, now flushed 
 with excitement ; but as he looked at Mrs Ingleton 
 his features constrained to a look of sympathy. He 
 had but little consolation to offer. 
 
 " Well, what news have you ? " asked Blanche. 
 She knew him better by repute than person. 
 
 " Very little," answered he. 
 
 Mrs. Ingleton looked up for a moment at Bligow 
 and murmured, " No use, no use." 
 
 "We are in despair," said Nell ; " what shall we 
 do?" 
 
 Have a little patience," said Bligow, ** and all will 
 be right. We have had a meeting this evening, and 
 our friends are with us. This made me so late. To- 
 night we have a consultation — I mean the leaders — 
 and then we shall decide what to do. I intend to 
 petition the Senate, backed by ten thousand signa- 
 tures of those who will respond to my call." 
 
 " What will the Senate do ? " asked Nell. 
 
 **Your brother and Glimson will be tried for 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 347 
 
 treason and " He stopped; how could he say 
 
 the words. 
 
 Nell bowed her head — she understood. 
 
 Blanche covered her face in despair. 
 
 " But it will never come to that," said BHgow in 
 heavy accents — there was something in his throat — 
 " I pledge my life to you that they shall be rescued." 
 
 These words slightly reassured the girls. 
 
 Bligow continued, "Two days must elapse before 
 the trial, at least, though the Government will take 
 action as soon as possible. Two days are sufficient 
 for me to work out my designs." 
 
 " Antony is a warder," said Blanche, wiping the 
 tears from her eyes. 
 
 " I shall find means to communicate with James 
 to-morrow," said Bligow. 
 
 " May we not see him ? " said Blanche." 
 
 '! Yes," answered Bligow, " but in the presence of 
 a warder. I wish to act independently of them, 
 unless I can get Antony's assistance. You can see 
 him to-morrow ; go if you wish ; but for God's sake 
 say nothing compromising." 
 
 " How will you be able to communicate with 
 James?" asked Nell. 
 
 ** My plan is hardly formed, but I will find means, 
 I promise you I will," said BHgow, " have no fears 
 
 yet." 
 
 Nell went to her mother, and touching her on her 
 arm, said, " Mother, you can see James to-morrow." 
 •' Eh ! " exclaimed Mrs. Ingleton. " Here ? " 
 
848 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 *' No," answered Bligow, in a voice of sorrow, " in 
 the prison." 
 
 "No use, no use," murmured Mrs. Ingleton, again 
 rocking herself. 
 
 " "What say your friends ? " asked Blanche. 
 
 "They fall or stand by James," was BHgow's 
 answer. 
 
 " "When will you let us know ? " asked Nell. 
 
 " To-morrow ; what time I cannot say, but you 
 shall hear from me," answered Bligow. 
 
 Meanwhile we must wait patiently," said Blanche, 
 now more resigned to the situation. 
 
 "I must go; I have a night's work before me," 
 said Bhgow. " I shall be pleased to escort you home. 
 Miss CoUingwood." 
 
 Blanche accepted the offer ; and having greeted 
 Nell, again tried to soothe Mrs. Ingleton, but in vain ; 
 then she departed, escorted by Bligow. 
 
CHAPTEE XXIII. 
 
 The streets are still deserted, except for the occa- 
 sional tramp, tramp, of cooks and scuUions hurrying 
 to their work at the food kitchens. It is but six 
 ©"clock, and a ghostly darkness ushers the coming 
 day. 
 
 Out of Bligow's abode walked six persons ; thej^ 
 are himself, accompanied by Caland, Fitzwalter, 
 Cavendish, Perkins, and Buerlin. Their eyes are 
 heavy, and they have the general appearance of 
 men who have been up and doing during the night, 
 instead of lying in bed dreaming the hours away. 
 
 " It is cold," said Fitzwalter, turning up the collar 
 of his ulster. 
 
 "Yes, but we will get warm before the day is 
 over," said Caland, looking at the waning night. 
 
 " Come ! each to his work," said Bligow. " Have 
 you got your pamphlets, Cavendish ? " 
 
 "Yes," answered he, tapping his breast. 
 
 "You, the placards'? " turning to Perkins. 
 
 "Yes." The bulging aspect of his chest was 
 sufficient. 
 
 " Nine o'clock sharp, at the AlHance," said Bligow, 
 and away he went. The others hurried to their 
 respective destinations. 
 
 Bhgow went in the direction of the prison, and 
 
350 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 walked along the high wall of that sombre looking 
 building till he came to a common dining establish- 
 ment, named " The State." Here he stopped and gave 
 a prolonged whistle. In a moment or two an answer 
 was given ; and a man, dressed as a cook, emerged 
 from the dining hall and looked about him. Bligow 
 approached him and said, " Honour ! " 
 
 The man answered, " Bright ! " 
 
 " The breakfasts for all prisoners are prepared 
 here ? " asked Bligow. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 ** Have they been ordered already ? " asked Bligow, 
 in a very low tone. 
 
 " No, not before seven o'clock," said the man. 
 
 " Are they prepared separately ? " 
 
 " Only for first-class cases." 
 
 ** Do you receive names, or numbers ? " 
 
 *' In untried cases we have the names with orders, 
 as they are allowed to have whatever they wish." 
 
 Bligow speaking still more softly, and drawing the 
 man towards him said, " Can you manage to get 
 a few slips of paper in the food of Ingleton and 
 Glimson?" 
 
 " To be free from observation, of course ? " 
 
 "Decidedly!" 
 
 " I will manage it." 
 
 " Upon your word ? " 
 
 " Honour ! " was the answer. 
 
 " Good ! here they are," said Bligow, handing the 
 man four sHps one-eight of an inch wide, covered 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 351 
 
 with microscopic characters. He rolled the little 
 notes tightly between his thumb and forefinger. 
 
 The man took the little rolls, and said, " Do you 
 expect an answer?" 
 
 " No/' answered Bligow. 
 
 "Time is up, 1 must go," said the man; and he 
 went into the building. Bligow walked away. 
 
 Ingleton and Glimson rose with the first ring of 
 the prison bell, and hurriedly performed their ablu- 
 tions. When finished, Glimson having first seen 
 that the manuscript, the result of their evening's 
 work, was safe, summoned a warder, and said to him, 
 " Can we order what we Hke for breakfast?" 
 
 " Yes, on your credit card," replied the warder. 
 
 '* I am used to a matutinal smoke," said Glimson, 
 taking his pipe and tobacco pouch from his pocket. 
 " Will you get me a light." 
 
 The warder soon returned with a small electric 
 apparatus. 
 
 " Good," said Glimson. " Now for breakfast. 
 What is yours, James ? " 
 
 " Coflee and eggs on toast," replied Ingleton. " I 
 am not particularly hungry." 
 
 " Coffee and some fish will do for me," said 
 Glimson. 
 
 " What fish ? " asked the warder. 
 
 " Oh, any will do, I am not particular," said 
 Glimson. 
 
 The warder left the room." 
 
 Ghmson then approached Ingleton's bed and took 
 
352 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 some of the torn shreds of paper and put them in 
 his pipe, covering them with a Httle tobacco. 
 
 ** Anice smoke," said Ingleton, with a smile. 
 
 *' A good one at any rate," said GHmson, lighting 
 his pipe. He puffed at it for a few minutes, making 
 grimaces all the while. 
 
 " There is a nicer way than that to get rid of these 
 scraps," said Ingleton. Getting a few more strips 
 from the mattress, and sticking them on a pin, he 
 applied pressure to the small battery. The sparks 
 consumed the paper, but gave him a slight shock. 
 
 " Well, which is the best," said Glimson with a 
 laugh. 
 
 " One hurts and the other is abominable," 
 answered Ingleton. 
 
 This time he took the remaining scraps, and 
 lighting one, put it among the others on the table 
 and left them to consume thus. Glimson mixed the 
 ashes with those from his pipe, and then threw them 
 on the floor and stamped them out. 
 
 " I wonder what Bligow is doing," he said. 
 
 " We shall soon know," said Ingleton. 
 
 " How ? " asked Glimson. 
 
 " I leave that for him," said Ingleton. " I should 
 like to know how my mother and Katie are ; how they 
 have taken the news of my imprisonment." 
 
 " Perhaps they will come to see you to day," said 
 Glimson. " My people, the few I have, were pre- 
 pared for this, and I gave them strict injunctions 
 not to come here." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 353 
 
 " There is nothing but to take matters easily," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " Like me, you are pretty sanguine," said Glimson. 
 
 " Yes. May our hopes be justified," rejoined 
 Ingleton, with some emotion. " For myself I am 
 indifferent, it is for others that I am at present in 
 torment." 
 
 "Are your papers safe?" said Glimson, turning 
 the conversation. 
 
 "Yes," was the answer. 
 
 " I wonder who wrote that note," said Glimson. 
 
 " I do not know ; it is hard to tell," replied 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " Is not Antony a warder ? " 
 
 " Oh ! yes, I forgot him. Antony is here ; he will 
 be able to assist us," said Ingleton. 
 
 " But how came he to write * Honour ' ? " 
 
 " He is not a member, but no doubt he has seen 
 some of our pamphlets, and guessed the rest." 
 
 " Instinct," said Glimson. 
 
 After some time, during which a somewhat de- 
 sultory conversation was pursued, the warder came 
 in, followed by another, with the breakfast. These 
 were placed upon a table. The warders left the room. 
 Ingleton and Glimson fell to. The latter had hardly 
 sipped at his coffee ere he sprang from his chair, 
 crossed the room, looked through the aperture in 
 the door, and returned to his seat. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " asked Ingleton. 
 
 "I had a notion that we were being watched," 
 
354 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 said Glimson, "using his fork at the fish, which was 
 a piece of grilled cod. As he divided the fish, he 
 caught sight t)f a little roll of paper. He started, 
 but picked it up. 
 
 "Look here, James," he said, undoing the roll. 
 
 " Where did that come from? " asked Ingleton. 
 
 " It was in the fish," answered Glimson, spreading 
 it on the table and speaking in low tones. 
 
 " Bligow's work," said Ingleton. " Are there any 
 more slips ? " They both began pulling their food to 
 pieces. Ingleton found two between the eggs and 
 the toast, and Glimson found another in his fish. 
 They opened the rolls and spread them on the 
 table. 
 
 Ingleton put the four slips together after some 
 trouble and read in a low voice : 
 
 " Friends, — Be patient. We had a meeting last 
 night. Be firm till death. We demand your release 
 to-day. Trial, perhaps, to-morrow. Write through 
 Antony if any instructions. Prepare for a rescue. 
 Mrs. Ingleton, Miss Nell, and Miss Collingwood 
 may come to-day to see you. Yours, H." 
 
 ** Bligow is a brick," said Glimson. 
 
 "Yes, a true friend," said Ingleton, folding the 
 slips and placing them in his pocket ; and not a 
 moment too soon, for the warder entered to take 
 the crockery away. 
 
 "Let me have the Half Howr, said Glimson to 
 him. 
 
 " All right," said he as he went out with the trays. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 355 
 
 On his return Ingleton said, "Are we allowed to 
 go in the open air? " 
 
 " It is very cold," answered the warder. 
 
 " That is not the question. Please attend to me," 
 said Ingleton, with a slight ring of anger in his 
 voice. 
 
 " The Governor attends you in half an hour, you 
 can ask him," said the warder, and he slammed the 
 door. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Pelham Stocking rose that morning somewhat 
 earlier than usual. He intended to breakfast with 
 Mr. Slowun ; and on his way to that worthy's abode 
 he saw some pamphlets lying in the street. Picking 
 one up he read it through, his teeth chattering with 
 cold. He put the pamphlet in his pocket. A moment 
 later he noticed a placard over the contents bill of 
 the Half Hour. He stopped and perused it aloud : 
 "A petition for the immediate release of James 
 Ingleton and Mark Glimson lies at the Dining Hall, 
 and in the Alliance Club Smoking Koom. Sign at 
 once. Individualism to the fore. ' Honour.' " 
 
 " H'm," muttered Stocking, "this is bold, but an 
 unwise course. I shall give information against you. 
 Let me see, Harry Bligow and Arthur Caland to 
 commence with." He paused and gnashed his teeth. 
 In the course of his thought something had entered 
 his mind. " No, I cannot ; information would lead to 
 evidence," muttered he, " and I would be altogether 
 dead to Blanche Collingwood. I must work by other 
 
356 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 methods. Slowun must assist me for a moment 
 longer." He gazed at the notice and then hurried 
 away, but was met by Harry Bhgow who addressed 
 him with, " Where were you last night ? " 
 
 "111 at home," answered Stocking. 
 
 " Sorry to hear that," said Bligow, with an in- 
 credulous look. 
 
 Stocking took no notice and said, " Anything par- 
 ticular happened? " 
 
 Bligow debated for a moment whether to tell any- 
 thing, and said, " We had a meeting." 
 
 " Oh ! " exclaimed Stocking in surprise. 
 
 " Yes," continued Bligow, " a big and enthusiastic 
 meeting. We hold the reins ; betrayal could not harm 
 us." 
 
 Stocking winced at the thrust, and said, " Surely 
 you do not infer that I would betray you ? " 
 
 " I made a general statement," said Bligow, 
 keeping his ground, " if the cap fits you can wear it." 
 
 Pretending not to notice the remark, Stocking 
 said, " Is there anything I can do to aid the cause ?" 
 
 " Sign the petition," answered Bligow ; adding, " I 
 suppose you have seen the notice ? " 
 
 " Yes ! I would do so with pleasure, but I mean 
 anything besides that. Who is in command at 
 present ? ' ' 
 
 " Caland and I are acting as provisional leaders," 
 answered Bligow. " Come to the AUiance at twelve 
 o'clock sharp, there will be a meeting then ; better 
 still, be there at nine and meet me. Can you ? " 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 357 
 
 " I will — I consider it a command," answered 
 Stocking. 
 
 '•' Consider it how you will, only come, it is import- 
 ant. Counsel is necessary and your advice will assist." 
 
 "Well, I shall be there. I must go now, I have 
 something to do. "Good morning," said Stocking, 
 and he hurried away. 
 
 Bligow looked after Stocking for a time, and 
 muttered, " I shall keep you in my sight, for I do not 
 trust you over much. Be careful, my quondam friend, 
 if you dare attempt to fail us I will teach you the 
 gains of double dealing." Then he continued walk- 
 ing in the direction of the Alliance. 
 
 In the course of the earlier part of the day the 
 petition was signed by thousands ; although, in 
 fact, it was more than a petition, it was a demand 
 for the release of the leaders of the Individualists, 
 as the Half Hour termed them. A sort of feverish 
 restlessness seized everybody. At two o'clock a 
 meeting of the Senate was held. It was now 
 obvious that some steps must be taken to cope with 
 the movement. All pamphlets and placards had 
 be'en seized by the police, and were laid on the table 
 of State by the Chief Constable. Mr. Slowun, much 
 against his will, was compelled to appear in the 
 Senate Chamber. 
 
 While the sitting, which was a very protracted 
 one, was being held, a mass meeting took place in 
 the park, causing a scnfHe with the police, who 
 attempted to prevent the entrance of the body of 
 
358 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 people. The meeting lasted but a few minutes, 
 when a procession was make, headed by Bligow and 
 Caland. The others, following ten abreast, and most 
 of them armed with sticks, marched in the direction 
 of the Hall of Legislation. Thousands lined the 
 streets, and many were seen looking from the 
 windows, watching in fear for the result. Bligow 
 suddenly altered his mind ; and the procession, 
 following him, without guessing the reason for his 
 erratic movements, turned towards the prison where 
 Ingleton and Glimson were. Here a halt was called. 
 Bligow shouted, ** Cheers for our leaders — the In- 
 dividualists." A sound as of thunder was the 
 answer — a noise, which might have been mistaken 
 for the battle of the elements, showed the spirit of 
 the people, as with one accord all those possessed 
 of sticks began rattling them on the stones. 
 
 This sound seemed ominous of coming strife. The 
 mere onlookers hurried away as though they heard 
 the rattle of fire arms in answer. 
 
 The procession re-formed, and then, choosing the 
 broadest streets, the men marched to the Hall of 
 Legislation. Here they were met by two companies 
 of the London Defence Kegiment, drawn up across 
 the road to bar their passage. 
 
 When this mere handful, in comparison to the 
 multitude, was seen, a general laughter ensued. 
 
 Evidently till now the people were good humoured. 
 An officer with drawn sword stepped from the rank, 
 and walking up to Bligow, who with his party was 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 359 
 
 twenty paces away, said, " Where are you going? " 
 
 " To the Hall of Legislation," answered Bligow. 
 
 " This crowd is not allowed beyond here," said 
 the officer. 
 
 "Who says so?" asked Bligow with some im- 
 patience. 
 
 " I have my orders. If you advance, we fire," said 
 the officer. 
 
 " I have thousands at my back ; you have two 
 hundred; do you not see the folly of this?" said 
 Bligow. 
 
 " I must obey," answered the officer, turning as if 
 to go. 
 
 " Is no one allowed to pass ? " asked Bligow. 
 
 " Oh, yes, two or three, but not this crowd ; they 
 approach at their peril," said the officer, and he 
 retired. 
 
 For a moment Bligow hesitated. The crowd was 
 surging from side to side like the billows of the sea, 
 but they were unarmed. This was what caused 
 BHgow to hesitate. He turned round and shouted, 
 " Friends, stay here while I and BuerHn go to the 
 Senate. Caland and Cavendish will remain in 
 command. If you hear a whistle, our friends are free ; 
 but should you hear the whistle a second time, we 
 are refused our just demands — then, obey your 
 leaders." 
 
 Taking a large roll of signatures with him, ac- 
 companied by Buerlin, who carried a similar roll, he 
 walked to the Hall, passing through the cordon of 
 
360 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 soldiers, up the steps to the Senate. Here his 
 passage was barred ; and an altercation took place, 
 which was soon stopped, a messenger of the Senate, 
 sent by the President, conducting them to the Bar 
 of the Chamber. 
 
 This Hall was built in similar style to the 
 Chamber of Convention, but smaller. At the moment 
 Bligow and Buerlin entered, a scene of unwonted 
 animation presented itself. All were standing ex- 
 cept the President and the secretaries. 
 
 Mr. Slowun, his face deadly white with fear, 
 supported himself by clutching the table. 
 
 Mr. Hedgeco, the Secretary of State, rose from 
 his seat, and addressing the two bold intruders, 
 said, " What want you here ? " 
 
 "An answer to this," said Bligow, laying his roll 
 of papers on the bar. Buerlin did likewise. 
 
 "What is that ? " asked the Secretary of the 
 Eecords. 
 
 " Am I allowed to read it ? " asked Bligow. 
 
 " Will it take long ? " queried the Secretary of 
 the Chamber, with a quizzical look. 
 
 "Not very," said Bligow drily. 
 
 " Then read it, and quickly," said the President. 
 
 Bhgow motioned to Buerlin, and he, unrolling 
 one of the sheets, read, " We, the undersigned, 
 demand " 
 
 " You cannot demand," said the President. 
 
 Buerlin repeated the word — " Demand in the name 
 of justice that James Ingleton and Mark Glimson, 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 361 
 
 now imprisoned for having uttered certain terms 
 of speech considered treasonable, be immediately 
 released. We further state that the aforesaid per- 
 sons were provoked to make such utterances. We 
 pray that the members of the Senate will at once 
 consider our demand, which is made in the interest 
 of the Commonweal. 
 
 " I repeat, you cannot demand," said the President, 
 
 " This bears at least twenty thousand signatures," 
 said BUgow, as drily as before. 
 
 Mr. Slowun muttered, "Bother it." 
 
 " Were your demand signed by half the nation, we 
 would not recognize it," said the President. 
 
 Bligow looked round the Chamber with slow 
 deliberation. The proverbial pin might have been 
 heard. 
 
 "This petition, our demand," said he, in a slow 
 and thoughtful manner, " is signed by, as I said, at 
 least twenty thousand persons outside ; you can hear 
 them ; there are some fifteen thousand who await 
 your answer. Opposed to them are two companies 
 of the London Defence Regiment. What will you 
 have ? We demand, will you agree or not ? " 
 
 All were awed by the almost solemn tones. No 
 one spoke. Who would decide the momentous 
 question ; who would be answerable for the results ? 
 The silence was oppressive. All appeared to breathe 
 with difficulty ; even the usher stopped short in his 
 walk. 
 
 Would no one break the silence ; would no one 
 
 Y 
 
362 JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 speak? The stillness of an assembly is more awe- 
 inspiring than a death scene. The sight alone, of 
 the Senators standing there mute as death itself, 
 was sufficient to overawe all present ; certainly it 
 terrified them. 
 
 The cries of the people, which penetrated into the 
 Chamber, came as a relief. 
 
 Bligow said, " For the last time — your de- 
 cision." 
 
 " The Chamber must meet in Committee ; we will 
 give you an answer to-morrow, if you alter this to a 
 petition," said Mr Hedgeco. 
 
 Mr. Slowun suddenly fell to the ground all of a 
 heap. No one heeded him. 
 
 " We require your answer now ! If I have to go 
 away without it, I look upon it as a refusal," said 
 Bligow, defiantly. 
 
 "Arrest these men," suddenly shouted the 
 President. 
 
 The usher hurried to call the guard. 
 
 " Your blood be upon your head," shouted Bligow, 
 producing a whistle from his pocket. He heard 
 the tramp of the guard, and motioned Buerlin to 
 stand a little aside ; then two ear-piercing shrill 
 whistles were heard, A great commotion resulted, 
 and a shout which startled everyone — " Individualism 
 to the fore ! Individualism to the fore ! " Again came 
 the swell, filling the hall, the corridors, the chambers, 
 with the cry — " Individualism to the fore ! " 
 
 The guard entered, headed by an officer. 
 
jam;es ingleton. 363 
 
 " Arrest them," screamed the President, white 
 with anger. 
 
 "You have no warrant," said Buerhn,with a con- 
 temptuous smile. 
 
 Mr. Hedgeco came from the table towards the bar. 
 *' The order of the President is equal to a warrant. 
 Arrest them ! " he said. 
 
 The officer wavered. 
 
 "Do your daty!" shrieked the President, livid 
 with rage. 
 
 The officer threw his sword upon the ground. 
 
 " I refuse," he said, in decisive tones." 
 
 " What ! " said Hedgeco, trembling from mingled 
 terror and anger. 
 
 " Individualism to the fore," answered the officer. 
 
 "The army is tampered with," came from many 
 lips. 
 
 " Men, do your duty," said Hedgeco ; " arrest 
 these rebels." 
 
 The men — there were six of them — looked at each 
 other, and then at the officer. 
 
 BHgow,till now grave, burst out laughing, and said, 
 " Do you see the result of your refusal?" 
 
 Hedgeco sent for another ^osse. They entered with 
 their guns at the shoulder. "Arrest them all," 
 shouted Hedgeco. " The President demands it." 
 
 The officer, a subaltern, drew his men into single 
 file, and said, to the surprise of Hedgeco, " We could 
 not remove them, the gates are being battered in." 
 
 The surging crowd stood waiting impatiently for 
 
364 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Bligow's return ; and when once the cry, " Individ- 
 uahsm to the fore," had been raised, it was repeated 
 times out of nuraber, increasing in strength and 
 volume with each repetition. Caland and Cavendish 
 stood a few paces away, watching the scene in 
 calm contemplation. 
 
 Cavendish whispered to Caland, " Let us give them 
 something to do. Let us surround the building, and 
 have the troops in our power ; though I know that 
 fifty of them belong to our party." 
 
 Caland agreeing to this, Cavendish made his way 
 to the rear of the multitude, and directing them, the 
 throng surrounded the building, keeping some twenty 
 paces behind the troops. These at once turned 
 round and faced this portion of the people. They were 
 between two fires ; they saw their peril. Those 
 among them who belonged to the Individualists were 
 debating how to act. 
 
 Suddenly a commotion was observed in the ranks. 
 All eyes were fixed upon the soldiers. Those among 
 them— Individualists, gavethe well-known watchword 
 which was answered by their friends ; and before the 
 others had time to recover from their surprise, ran 
 pell-mell to the opposing party. 
 
 The commotion had hardly ceased when the two 
 shrill whistles of Bligow were heard. A tremor of 
 excitement seized all. Caland had trouble to make 
 his voice heard. Cavendish, with some difficulty, got 
 the people to stand clear of the gates. He took two 
 glass globes from his pockets — they were filled with 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 365 
 
 a bluish powder. — " Stand away " he shouted, 
 " Stand away !" The officer watched him with a 
 frown ; and as he saw Cavendish hurl the first pellet 
 at the gate, he ordered his men to fire. A switch, 
 switch ; the sharp sound of rushing air was heard ; but 
 the rifles were empty. The officer gnashed his teeth. 
 The globe had fallen against the stone coping of the 
 rails. Half a dozen sparks were seen, then the hissing 
 sound of escaping gas. Crash ! crash ! — a part of the 
 railing and the stonework fell. A general rush was 
 made for the breach. 
 
 " Load and fire," shouted the officer, waving his 
 sword above his head, his eyes aflame and his mouth 
 foaming with rage. But the pressure was too great. 
 There was no elbow room, firing was impossible ; 
 the soldiers were wedged between the great mass. 
 On they rushed over the frosted grass across the 
 parterres, stamping aud treading on everything, till 
 it was beyond recognition. 
 
 Caland and Cavendish were at their head, armed 
 with parts of the railings. " Down with the State ! " 
 was the cry, " Down with the Senate ! " Sticks were 
 waved on high. " Down with the State ! " shouted 
 Caland, his eyes flashing with the enthusiasm and 
 excitement that possessed him. " Individualism to 
 the fore !" was the rallying cry. Onward rushed the 
 crowd, dragging the soldiers with them. The officials 
 of the Hall scurried away pell-mell up the steps, 
 through the entrance hall. They seemed possessed. 
 They did not pause : up the stairs — they did not walk, 
 
366 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 they did not run — they were pushed up. Once m 
 the corridor they paused for breath. Then, amid 
 a last cry, a cry of passion and hatred, a mighty 
 shout of triumph, they burst into the Senate 
 Chamber. 
 
 Bligow and Buerlin were standing with folded 
 arms, a defiant and disdainful look upon their faces. 
 The ofiicer, who had thrown down his sword, (his^ 
 name was Serle,) was leaning on the bar, the others 
 grouped around him. Mr. Hedgeco, with hands 
 clenched, and his lips white with rage, was staring 
 at them. The President rose from his chair trem- 
 bling, and attempted to speak, but the din drowned 
 his voice. The secretaries rose, dropping their pens 
 and upsetting the ink. 
 
 Mr. Slowun attempted to get to his feet, but 
 tottered. Clutching at the table for support, he gave 
 one last look at the mass that was entering, and with 
 a final " Bother it," the accents broken by the death 
 rattle in his throat, he fell on his face. Not a muscle 
 moved — not another sound escaped him — he was 
 dead. The terrors of the day had been too much 
 for him. 
 
 " Here," shouted Bligow, as Caland and Cavendish, 
 hot and perspiring, entered waving their iron staves. 
 Hedgeco essayed to speak, but rage prevented him. 
 With a single stroke Caland smashed the Bar, then 
 all, carried forward by the throng, found themselves 
 a moment later at the end of the Chamber. The 
 paralysis which had seized the Senators at th© 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 367 
 
 entrance of the people was dispelled. They rushed 
 for the corridors — the people were upon them. Crash 
 went the benches ; smash went the windows — pande- 
 monium let loose. A few heads were broken. Mr. 
 Hedgeco was trampled in the crush. Down came 
 the tribune with a yell from the people. The corpse 
 of Mr. Slownn was ruthlessly thrown aside. 
 Splashes of blood were on the sticks, and bruises on 
 the heads of the Senators. At length Bligow 
 managed to mount the secretarial table ; but he was 
 hoarse before he could make himself heard. 
 
 "Don't touch the books," he shouted. '' This 
 will do here." 
 
 The last senator escaped severely mauled. 
 
 "Silence!" shouted Caland, wiping the perspir- 
 ation from his brow. 
 
 " Listen," said Bligow. " You have acted properly ; 
 this is a nail in the coffin of the State. Go, now, as 
 you are directed : Cavendish, command the soldiers. 
 Caland will erect barricades. Heughin, seize the 
 cars. Those who are gunsmiths, capture your work- 
 shops. Electricians, take a storage house for us. 
 Go ! go ! do as I say. Be near the prison in an hour." 
 
 Away they went, slipping, sliding down the stairs, 
 hurrying to their respective tasks. A few minutes, and 
 the last tramp of feet was heard. 
 
 Bhgow stood for a moment surveying the scene : 
 the disordered room, the up-torn seats, the shattered 
 tribune, the broken windows, the floor covered with 
 mire and strewn with the wounded. What a trans- 
 
368 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 formation ! But an hour ago so replete with comfort 
 — one hour — one short hour — and now all was de- 
 solation. For the first time he noticed the dead Mr. 
 Slowun. He sprang from the table and examined 
 the body. He turned it over ; the expressionless eyes 
 were opened as in life, the mouth gaping, the fingers 
 twisted in the agony of fear. For a moment he 
 gazed at the dead man ; his features softening in the 
 presence of death — the unknown. Then he turned 
 away. 
 
 Hatless, and with torn garments, he walked from 
 the Chamber, meeting Buerlin at the door. 
 
 " Mr. Slowun is dead," said Bhgow to him. 
 
 " Have you saved the books? " asked Buerlin. 
 
 " Yes," was the answer. 
 
 Except for the groans of the wounded, the 
 silence of death prevailed in the Hall of Legislation. 
 
CHAPTEE XXIV. 
 
 Ingleton sat meditating in his prison. Glimson 
 was out in the courtyard. A sudden, and, at first, 
 indistinct sound penetrated the room. He recognized 
 it, it was the cry of the populace, " IndividuaHsm to 
 the fore." A glow rose to his face ; he stood up and 
 listened ; it came repeatedly ; then the rattling of 
 the sticks, which sounded like falling rain. 
 
 Glimson entered. " Do you. hear? " he said. 
 
 " Yes," said Ingleton. 
 
 " It is the people going to the Senate demanding 
 -our release." 
 
 '* Will they effect it?" 
 
 " Yes ! Eemember Bligow's words, ' Prepare for 
 a rescue.' " 
 
 A warder entered, and turning to Glimson, 
 beckoned him. Glimson followed ; the door slammed ; 
 Ingleton was alone. 
 
 He seated himself, and for a time remained un- 
 moved, with his legs crossed, his hands laying idly 
 on his knees, his eyes staring far beyond the con- 
 fines of the room. He began musing, thinking half 
 aloud. 
 
 " Am I right ? Yes, a thousand times, yes ! " He 
 sat up and clenched his hands, the nails digging deep 
 into the flesh. " Men have been tyrants ; now the 
 
370 JAMES INGLETON, 
 
 nation's guardians are tyrants. These tyrants have 
 been removed before nov7; they shall be removed 
 again ; they are being removed at this moment. 
 But am I right? Conscience, answer me." He 
 closed his eyes and sat silent for a moment. " Yes," 
 he muttered, after a pause, " I am right ! Individ- 
 uality prompts me. Conscience approves. God 
 has given to each man a free will ; who dares deny 
 him the right to exercise it ? They," — he buried his 
 nails deeper into his palms — " they must disappear : 
 they who would stop it. Conscience approves. I do 
 not reproach myself . . . Do I not ? " He spoke louder, 
 as if he expected the walls to answer. " No ! Yes ;. 
 if my deeds add one grey hair to my mother's 
 head, or a tear to Nellie's eyes " — he shud- 
 dered — " a look of anguish to Katie's face, or bring 
 a reproach from Blanche" — he trembled — " then — 
 then, indeed, I reprove myself. If to-morrow were 
 never to come ; if yesterday were now ; a month 
 hence ; a month ago ; if time had ceased to mark the 
 days ; would I recall the past — would I ? " He got up 
 and paced the room. " No, I would not ; I should 
 not — blood before me ; death behind me." 
 
 He shuddered at the scene his mind called up as 
 in a fatamorgana. He saw it all. The confines of 
 the room vanished as the picture grew more vivid. 
 Unconsciously he sat down. In his mind he heard the 
 shrieks of the dying, the groaning of the wounded ; 
 he saw the blood in the streets, and the stiff corpses 
 strewn about. In the presence of this vista of the 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 371 
 
 future he trembled ; the perspiration ran in great 
 beads down his face. Suddenly he cried out, " The 
 picture blurs — it's gone ! " He became silent, and 
 somewhat recovered himself. "Bah," he muttered, 
 "the struggle will be great, it will be terrible, yet 
 with an air gun, one puff of wind, and I shall be 
 launched into eternity. It requires courage to do it. 
 No, no, it requires courage to live, to struggle, to 
 fight. Ah, fight to the bitter end" — and he sat bold 
 upright — " to triumph ! If those who call me their 
 leader," he continued, " saw me now, how puny I 
 should be ; how little they know me. Uo I know 
 myself? Who does know himself ? No one ! It is 
 good that it is so." Then he fell into a reverie, with 
 eyes closed, and hands outstretched as if to grasp the 
 imagery that his brain created. After a time he 
 continued, " I let loose the dogs of war — I must, I 
 have. Can I recall them? Can I pacify their 
 cravings when once the nostrils have smelt the 
 blood ? Unbound the leash, they fly out, for me. 
 What if agaiyist me ? " His eyes opened to the fullest 
 extent. "It is too much. Stop ! I will stop all. 
 My individuality shall cease." He sprang from 
 his chair. " What ! stop at this moment, now, 
 when they are knocking at the Hall of Legislation ? 
 Back, my thought; disperse, my reveries. In prison 
 — in danger — expecting my rescue — thousands at 
 my caU — I give way to idle thoughts when I should 
 be full of action. The die is cast and is irrevocable. 
 I would not have it otherwise. I must concentrate 
 
372 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 my thoughts to actions, turn my actions for good ; 
 and with God's will, I will triumph. I shall triumph 
 — I must — I will triumph ! " 
 
 The entrance of a warder with tea (previously 
 ordered), arrested his attention ; and in the course of 
 a few minutes he had completely recovered himself. 
 As the warder, after having arranged the repast 
 — which was for one only — was about to leave the 
 room, Ingletonsaid to him, " Where is my friend ?" 
 
 " He has been removed to room 19," answered 
 the warder. 
 
 " What number is this room ? " queried Ingleton. 
 
 " Six." 
 
 " Is 19 on this corridor ? " 
 
 ** Yes, the last room." 
 
 "Please bring me the Half Hour,'' said Ingleton, 
 seating himself at the tea-table. 
 
 "I can only let you have the 3 o'clock one," said 
 the warder. 
 
 "How is that?" 
 
 "I don't know," was the rejoinder, as he hastily 
 left the room. 
 
 Ingleton heard the double click of the lock, and 
 looked up. " Extra precautions," he muttered as he 
 began his repast. About an hour afterwards he 
 heard the steady tramp of soldiery in the corridor. 
 A guard was being placed in the passages. A feel- 
 ing of uneasiness came over him. What could this 
 mean ? He summoned a warder ; but all his enquiries 
 were futile ; the attendant seemed dumb ; he removed 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 375- 
 
 the tea things noiselessly, and left the room. All 
 was again silent ; the tread of the sentries could no 
 longer be heard. He lit a cigar and smoked it, reading 
 over the manuscrips of his new ideal constitution. 
 So we leave him for the present. 
 
 In the streets, within a radius of a quarter of a 
 mile of the prison, the scene was one of unwonted 
 animation. Men were hard at it with pickaxe and 
 crowbar, breaking the roadway. Hundreds were 
 working, under the direction of Caland. Suddenly 
 an electric transport hove in sight. Caland ordered 
 the driver to stop, and a hundred threatening 
 crowbars were lifted to enforce the order. 
 
 The passengers alighted and decamped ; the driver, 
 crestfallen, took his departure, amidst the jeering of 
 the people, 
 
 Baxter, who was among them, entered the car, 
 and taking a wrench from his pocket, unscrewed 
 the bolts which held the accumulator in position. 
 
 No sooner had he done this, than some zealous 
 individual smashed the gear of the transport with a 
 blow from a crowbar. Baxter got out ; a moment 
 later the car lay on its side across the roadway. Thus 
 the first barricade was formed. Every car that 
 arrived was treated in similar fashion. Boards were 
 obtained from the factories, and nailed across. 
 Loose mould, stones, anything that came handy, 
 were piled in front, behind, and dropped inside the 
 cars. What a commotion, what a turmoil, what 
 noise ! Some were shouting, others were active. 
 
374 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Hammers, chisels, crowbars, pickaxes, were at work, 
 producing a mighty din. In three other streets 
 the same was gone through, till four barricades 
 were erected. Tidings arrived that' a party, under 
 Walter Wharham, had seized an electric storage 
 house. Dixon, Vickers, and Hardale, accompanied 
 by a few choice spirits, ransacked a gun factory. In 
 the street, by the aid of the electric light, these 
 were fitted together; benches were dragged into 
 the open air ; hammering and filing went on ; and as 
 the guns were fitted, they were despatched to those 
 at the barricades. Electric bullets were made with 
 great rapidity. These tiny leyden jars were soon 
 constructed. Away they went ; everyone was in a 
 hurry, everyone was excited, enthusiastic, and busy. 
 
 In the midst of the greatest confusion stood a 
 solitary woman, talking loudly, gesticulating, direct- 
 ing, and imparting part of her enthusiasm to those 
 around her. It was the peaceful Miss Smithers. 
 None so bold as she : first in the melee and in the 
 ransacking, last to leave the shops ; the weight of 
 her years disappearing entirely. 
 
 Outside the prison, Bligow and Buerlin arrived, 
 having first made a round of the scene of action. 
 Miss Smithers hurried to them. Jerrold Trevors 
 and Perkins completed the group. 
 
 " What news ? " queried Bligow of Buerlin. 
 
 " I have telephoned everywhere ; in an hour all 
 will be astir," answered Buerlin. 
 
 " How about the soldiers? " asked Bligow. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 375 
 
 " Ten regiments on their way to London," 
 answered Perkins. 
 
 Burham, staggering under the weight of a table, 
 came up ; behind him was Vickers, with half-a-dozen 
 guns at his shoulder, which he distributed. Miss 
 Smithers took one from him, saying, ** Is it loaded ?" 
 
 "Yes," answered Vickers, taking some bullets 
 from his pocket, and laying them gingerly on the 
 table. 
 
 "What's this for? " asked Bligow, pointing to a 
 sheet of paper that Burham laid down. 
 
 " Plans," answered he, drawing a map of the city 
 from his pocket. 
 
 " Jerry, draw a plan of the streets that are barri- 
 •caded. Perkins, go and get me a dozen iglio bullets," 
 said Bhgow. All this did not take a minute. 
 
 "Now for the prison," said Buerlin, going to the 
 door and kicking at it. " Open in the name of the 
 people," he shouted. 
 
 Through the grating of the door came the muzzle 
 •of a gun. Buerlin drew aside. Away went the bullet, 
 striking the wall opposite. This was the answer. 
 
 Buerlin came back to his partizans. " We must 
 break into the prison," he said. 
 
 Bligow nodded. Perkins just then returned and 
 handed him the glass bullets. 
 
 " Leave a guard at the barricade and draw a cordon 
 round the streets," said Bligow, handing the plan 
 Trevors had drawn ; " and tell the people to come to 
 me." Away sped Perkins and Vickers. Breathless 
 
376 JAMES INCJLETON. 
 
 they returned with the rabble at their backs, armed 
 with guns and crowbars, swords, sticks, and what 
 not. 
 
 The bullets were taken from the table. Bligow 
 sprang on it and delivered a peroration, which was 
 answered by a dozen hurrahs ! 
 
 Bligow then, taking two of the glass bullets as 
 Cavendish had done, aimed them at the door. 
 "Without waiting for the result the crowd rushed 
 forward, Miss Smithers and Perkins at their head. 
 Cries filled the air. The door gave way with a crash. 
 In they went, firing at those in front of them. Up 
 went the crowbars, making hideous music on the 
 wall. Bligow made for the front ; he pushed 
 through the tumult and obtained first place. 
 
 Another iglio pellet, and down came a partition. 
 The firing was now fast and furious. The warders 
 made a stand at the end of the passage, assisted by 
 the guard. Call answered call ; shriek echoed shriek. 
 The bullets found their billets on both sides. In the 
 narrow passage the contending parties faced one 
 another. 
 
 Suddenly the light went out — all was in darkness. 
 A general stampede was made on both sides. 
 Groping their way in the dark, each party rushed 
 back. Some were trampled under foot never to 
 rise again. The bullets, whizzing past, gave many 
 a sad termination to many a young life. The scene 
 might have been a picture from the Inferno. Some- 
 one arrived with a hand incandescent lamp. Light ! 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 377 
 
 — thank God — light ! The firing then recommenced 
 with fierceness ; the walls rang with the echoes ; the 
 dead lay stark and rigid on the ground. Miss 
 Smithers was wounded by a bullet passing through 
 her hand. Bligow caught hold of her under the heavy 
 fire, and bound her hand with a handkerchief. 
 The ranks of the warders were thinning. Unflinch- 
 ingly they held their ground. A rush was made ; 
 down fell the warders ; headlong they ran to a further 
 corridor. 
 
 Onward rushed Bligow, firing as he went. Where 
 were Ingleton and Glimson ? As they ran along, room 
 after room was forcibly entered, and everything 
 smashed in wanton mischief. The ammunition 
 was giving out when they reached Ingleton's room. 
 A crowbar settled the question. Ingleton heard the 
 din, and called out. The news passed from mouth to 
 mouth — the leaders were discovered. In went the 
 door. Miss Smithers, covered with blood, fainted 
 at the first sight of her nephew. Not a moment was 
 lost. A gun was handed him ; and out he came, direct- 
 ing them to Glimson's room, and carrying his aunt 
 with him. Just as they arrived there, Antony was 
 unlocking the door. Abullet grazed his left ear, but he 
 did not notice it. As the door opened Glimson 
 rushed out with the cry, "Down with the State." 
 
 "Leave the prison," shouted Ingleton. Out they 
 went with the spoils of battle, carrying the dead and 
 dying with them. 
 
 Once in the street the strife ceased. Ingleton and 
 
 z 
 
378 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Glimson were cheered, and so was Antony. Amid 
 continuous hurrahs they were carried through the 
 streets. 
 
 Pelham Stocking, armed with a gun, was at one of 
 the barricades. He felt himself drawn by the cries of 
 those who formed the procession. He stationed himself 
 at the corner of a street where he was told the people 
 would pass. He shouldered his gun as he heard 
 it near him. He cared not what became of him : he 
 had lost in the struggle. Yet even at this moment, the 
 conviction that all was not lost came over him. He 
 smiled bitterly and grimly. He did not believe it. 
 What could he do? Something murmured, "Kill 
 him." He looked round ; the crowd was increasing. 
 He felt the gun at his shoulder. Who put it there ? 
 He pondered over the subject. He did not know — his 
 brain, at other times so clear, was muddled. Now 
 he stood there like a mere automaton. 
 
 The front of the procession turned the corner. 
 He glanced up. Ingleton came in sight. A look of 
 terror and anger came into his eyes. He pressed the 
 trigger of his gun. Swish! The bullet fell some distance 
 from Ingleton. A rush was made for him. Uncon- 
 sciously he stood stock still, the gun at his shoulder, 
 his forefinger at the trigger. His gaze riveted on 
 Ingleton. They caught hold of him, and dragged 
 him towards Ingleton, he offering no resistance. 
 
 Glimson, Antony, and the others, came up. Ingle- 
 ton sprang from the seat on which he was being 
 carried, Glimson and Antony did likewise. Stocking 
 
JAMES INGLETON, 379 
 
 iurned slowly round; he caught sight of Antony; his 
 face blanched, his lips fell, his eyes fixed in terror. 
 As one mesmerised he stared at Antony. One wild 
 shriek, one cry of terror, of baffled hatred, and then 
 a horrible convulsive laugh — a hideous mirth. The 
 crowd drew back, peering in his face. Those who 
 held him were so terror-stricken that they let go their 
 hold. He would have fallen had not Ingleton caught 
 him. That laughter continued. Ingleton looked 
 him in the face with a stern expression. It affected 
 nothing. He laughed — it was the laugh of madness, 
 the mockery of the senses — worse than death itself : 
 Stocking was mad ! 
 
 During this scene the regiments had arrived, and 
 were already on their way to the neighbourhood of 
 the riots. The escaped senators held a consultation 
 in the Hall of Justice, and ordered the regiments 
 from the western counties to London. Two regi- 
 ments were ordered to tackle the first barricade, 
 and give no quarter. Arrived there, the first pitched 
 battle took place. The soldiers stopped within 
 eighty paces of the barricade, and called for sur- 
 render. A defiant yell was the answer. The 
 windows of the nearest houses were thrown open. 
 In the gleam of the electric lights the barrels of. the 
 guns were seen. 
 
 " Halt ! " cried the offlcer. " Load ! " 
 Caland, hot and perspiring, in his shirt sleeves, 
 mounted the barricade, with a gun in his right 
 hand. 
 
380 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Friends," he shouted, " now is the hour, now is 
 the time ! The conscience of the people is awakened. 
 Friends, you must do your duty. Soldiers, will you 
 shoot your brothers ? Do not, I pray you ! If you 
 fire, it will be answered a thousand-fold." He 
 looked at the soldiers. A thousand guns were levelled 
 at him. Moved by a sudden impulse, he shouted, 
 " Wait one minute — one minute for prayer ; and then 
 for death. We ask no quarter, we give none." With 
 his eyes closed steady, as if in his name, he said, 
 " Eternal God, forgive the sins that are committed 
 this night ; let the grave absolve all trespassing. 
 Guard the widows and orphans, whose husbands 
 and fathers will die this night." At this moment all 
 was silent. 
 
 Then the fire began: one long continuous swish 
 from the windows, from the soldiers, from the 
 people, who clambered to the edge of the barricade. 
 Caland seemed to bear a charmed life. He sent a 
 messenger to Ingleton, bidding him good-bye. As he 
 turned once more to fire his gun with his usual cool- 
 ness, he noticed the ranks of the soldiers were 
 thining. The officer was the same as the one who 
 had held the entrance to the Hall of Legislation 
 that afternoon. Caland picked him out as he was 
 giving orders for storming the barricade. On the 
 soldiers came at the double, under the heavy fire 
 from the windows and the roofs. Caland adjusted 
 his gun. Swish ! The ofiicer was down. Caland 
 followed him with his eyes. A moment later he was 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 381 
 
 seen to throw up his arms and stagger. Backward 
 he fell, caught by a dozen willing arms. Tenderly 
 they laid him down, and administered some liquid. 
 But to no use ; the pallor and clamminess of death was 
 over him — not a breath, not a move — the electric 
 bullet had done its work. Thus fell the first of the 
 leaders in the struggle for individualism. 
 
 The battle continued, the men grew bolder, and 
 the firing grew fiercer. George Cavendish arrived 
 with a hundred soldiers under his leadership. They 
 made a sortie. The struggle was terrible ; both 
 parties made a gallant stand. At last the guardians 
 of the State made off in flight. 
 
 To return to Ingleton. After the scene already re- 
 lated, he had Stocking conveyed to a place of safety ; 
 and hastily made a round of the barricades, which 
 now numbered six. The sight of Caland, lay- 
 ing on a hurriedly constructed bier, brought tears 
 to his eyes. Turning to Glimson (who was with him) 
 he said, m tones full of anguish, " Where is all his 
 enthusiasm ; where are the happy dreams ? Gone 
 for ever!" 
 
 Glimson hurried him away to the neighbourhood 
 of the prison, where a tent had been hastily pitched, 
 a store having been wrecked for the purpose. In it 
 were a table, a few chairs, and a mattress. On the 
 table were pen, ink and paper, a gun, and a dozen 
 or more bullets. Ingleton seated himself, and 
 calling the others to him, gave half-a-dozen orders 
 one after another. 
 
382 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " The people are hungry ; where is the nearest 
 dining hall ? " 
 
 " Just across the road," answered Vickers. 
 
 ** Have food prepared, and rations served to every- 
 one," answered Ingleton. 
 
 Vickers hurried away on this urgent matter. 
 
 " Have a barricade erected at the end of the 
 Avenue ; we must not he surprised." 
 
 Hardale understood the work. 
 
 " Glimson, you had better handle the soldiers 
 now. Tell Cavendish to go to bed, he has been up 
 all night. Will you send him here first ? " 
 
 " Yes," answered Glimson, picking up a gun and 
 going out of the tent. 
 
 ** Where is my aunt ?" asked Ingleton. 
 
 **Sheis all right now ; Dr. Shindle is attending 
 her," answered Bligow. 
 
 " My friend, all my thanks I give to you ; yoa have 
 been about all night, so you h-ad better take some 
 rest now. The battle is only just beginning. Who 
 will undertake to collect a band of doctors ? Surely 
 there are some medical students with us." 
 
 " Yes, I will get them," answered Bligow. 
 
 "Let them wear a white band on the left arm," 
 said Ingleton ; and turning to Perkins, " Perkins, 
 you give orders that a search be made for the dead." 
 
 " Someone get me a dozen iglio bullets and a 
 mortar, I am going to demolish the prison." 
 
 Antony entered the tent, and walking up to 
 Ingleton tapped him on the arm. Ingleton looked 
 
JAilES INGLETON. 333 
 
 up and nodded. Taking a pen he hastily wrote two 
 notes to his mother and Blanche ; folding them, he 
 wrote the superscriptions— two words— "Mother" and 
 •' Blanche," then turning to Antony he said slowlyand 
 softly, " Take these for me, no one will harm you." 
 
 Antony nodded, and taking the notes and two 
 bullets, he strapped a gun on his shoulder. 
 
 A moment after he was speeding on his message 
 of love. When he arrived at Mrs. Ingle ton's he 
 found Katie ill. The absence of James had aroused 
 her suspicions. To allay her distress the truth was 
 told her. The child shed no tears, but from that 
 moment the pallor on her face increased ; the little 
 form, so thin, so feeble, became more emaciated than 
 before. Ever and anon the word " James " rose to her 
 feeble lips. Her dulled eyes were raised in question- 
 ing appeal to the All Kuler, which gave cause for many 
 a tear to the silent watchers at the bedside. Antony 
 found her so ; and ever gentle end loving, fcold in his 
 broken, stuttering accents, a tale of hope. The 
 child hstened eagerly, but not a sign did she make ; 
 and when xintony sat himself, gun at his feet, in 
 silent meditation, watching every move of the body, 
 it drew from his eyes a silent tear, and caused him 
 to murmur once, " Lord, why is this so ? " 
 
 Once more we are in the streets. The rations are 
 bemg served out; the dead gathered together; a 
 watch set ; and a continual hammering and fiUna 
 where the arms are being forged. 
 
 Ingleton entered the prison, and hastily released 
 
384 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 all the prisoners. Among them was a man, tall and 
 bearded, but on his face was a look of despair, which 
 did not totally disappear when Ingleton said, " You 
 are free." The prisoners gone, Ingleton set the 
 mortar in position, loaded, and applying pressure, the 
 charge sped on its course, passing into the prison 
 and exploding with a shower of sparks and a fizz- 
 fizz. Down came the supports of the building; in 
 fell the roof amid a shower of bricks, stones, morter, 
 dust, and beams. Then the people fell to work with 
 pickaxes, crowbars, hatchets, and hundreds of tools. 
 The prison was razed to the ground. Then it was 
 set alight, and a fire which lit up the town in a 
 fierce lurid glare, and heated the glass roof of the 
 town, to the imminent danger of everybody, con 
 tinned to rage till the morning. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 It is morning, the morning following the evening 
 referred to in the foregoing chapter. Events come 
 and go, crowding each other out of the view in such 
 rapid succession that a lifetime seems to have sped in 
 four and twenty hours. Yesterday morning England 
 rose with a certain amount of anxiety, watching 
 eagerly for events. Now there were events enough 
 in all conscience. It is still bitterly cold, yet 
 thousands have slept in the streets, leaning on their 
 guns and nodding on the barricades, while the guards 
 do their sentry go. To the surprise of Ingleton, 
 who had been hard at work during the watches of 
 the night, no attack was made. 
 
 As already stated, an electric storage house had 
 been seized. Here were found tons of coals. They 
 were brought into the streets and huge fires lit, 
 around which the people are taking their morning 
 meal. Great cans of coffee, tea, cocoa, and other 
 liquids are handed round; and the people, seated 
 beside the fire, take the drink with a gusto as if 
 they had spent all their lives round camp fires, and 
 were perfectly used to it. Hardly has the last 
 mouthful been eaten, when the word is passed round. 
 In a moment all are on their feet. Heughin arrives 
 at Ingleton's tent with the information that he has 
 
386 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 twenty cars under his command, besides "my own." 
 Will Ingleton give him command of them all ? 
 
 "Yes," says Ingleton, "you have taken them, 
 command them." 
 
 Streathan arrives next. " I have intercepted all 
 communications, except for ourselves," he says. 
 
 Glimson, who is laying full length on the ground, 
 shouts, " You're a brick." 
 
 Miss Smithers, with her hand bandaged, enters the 
 tent with decisive steps, and seats herself on a stool.. 
 
 " How are you getting on ? " she says. 
 
 ** Famously," answered Ingleton. " We have got 
 them in our power." 
 
 A moment later, and a messenger arrives with a 
 letter from Buerlin, who had returned to Manchester. 
 
 Ingleton breaks it open quickly- Glimson jumps 
 to his feet as Ingleton reads, 
 
 " Friends, — 
 
 " This is the first moment I have found to write. 
 Here all is in open revolt — four barricades up. In 
 Birmingham the same. We will prevent any troops 
 coming to London. Are in possession of the Central 
 Station. This remains my headquarters. Had one 
 encounter with troops ; number of dead not counted 
 Telephone orders. You will receive messages from 
 Birmingham, Glasgow, and Newcastle in a few 
 hours. Have no fears for result. Will the Half 
 Hour come out ? 
 
 "Yours to the end, 
 
 "Buerlin." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 387 
 
 Ingleton turns round. " We must seize the Half 
 Hour offices to-day." 
 
 " We must issue some proclamation," said Glim- 
 son. 
 
 Perkins entered. " The troops are coming with 
 mortars to attack barrier 2," he said. 
 
 " Good," replied Ingleton, shaking his gun. " Glim- 
 son, Bligow, Cavendish, Hardale, Hollis, Beauclerc, 
 command the other barriers. Fitzwalter, I leave 
 you here, protect my aunt." 
 
 Perkins turns to him. " We will break the roof," 
 he said. 
 
 " All right," remarked Ingleton, preparing to leave 
 the tent. 
 
 '* Lend me a car," said Perkins. 
 
 "Away to the barricades," shouted Ingleton, as 
 he left the tent. 
 
 A sudden thaw set in . . . 
 
 We are in the thick of the fight now. Crash ! crash ! 
 crash ! What a splintering of wood, and a cracking 
 of glass. Still the fight goes on unceasingly. Swish, 
 swish, go the bullets, as they fly hither and thither. 
 Cries ! screams ! groans ! What a tumult is this 
 battle in the streets. Still that crash, and a sound 
 of breaking iron. Ha ! run, run for your lives ! Fly 
 from the barricades ! fly from the streets ! fly for your 
 lives ! all you who value them. 
 
 Has the last day come ? Will the continual whirl 
 cease ? No ! no ! The great glass roof is being dis- 
 lodged. What a shivering of glass. How the splinters 
 
388 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 fly. Oh ! what wails go up to the heavens, as it 
 falls piece by piece on those below. Eun ! What use ? 
 for it falls indiscriminately on friend and foe alike. 
 The firing ceases. Each seeks the best shelter avail- 
 able. Ah ! those groans, those shrieks. Oh, that 
 blood, flowing everywhere — the life fluid running 
 into the gutters. 
 
 Look! yonder man dodges the falling splinters 
 before him. Steady ! How cautious that eye, how 
 calculating his movements, as those spars fall in 
 front of him. Oh ! he throws up his arms and falls 
 — falls. He has solved the future. A beam from 
 behind has crushed his skull. Kismet ! Fate ! 
 Too late ! Futile to dodge the pre-ordained ; for it 
 was the last piece that fell in that street. Death 
 was more cunning than he. How horrible the car- 
 nage. Cruel, miserable, unhappy individualism, to 
 cause such havoc . . . 
 
 Drip ! drip ! Large drops of melted snow are falling 
 on the faces of the wounded and dying, as they 
 lie huddled about. The wounded are refreshed ; 
 and those strong enough open their mouths to catch 
 the falling drops. The rain mingles with the blood ; 
 and a thin stream of the red fluid trickles down the 
 faces of all lying there. 
 
 Bye-and-bye the rain falls heavier, fiercer ; and the 
 wind blows and howls. How hideous ! like the jackal 
 crying for its prey. How black looks yonder sky. 
 Now to the left, now to the right, rushes the wind, 
 moaning and shrieking. Ah ! ah ! ah ! What is that 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 389 
 
 laughing? Nothing; only the wind. Whence 
 comes ; where to goes it ; who knows ? 
 
 Still the sleet-rain falls, still the wind howls, still 
 more sombre is the hue of heaven. Ah ! the rain is 
 washing the blood away, the wind disperses the 
 fragments that did the evil work. The black scowl 
 of heaven will give way to brighter looks, when the 
 last stains of the battle between man and man shall 
 have been washed away. 
 
 How many, yet alive, remember that damp cold 
 morning : The sleet falling steadily ; the people tired, 
 wet, and shivering; the dead strewn across the 
 barricades, receiving death's lavations from the 
 storm ; the corps of doctors, with the white bands 
 on their left arms, hurrying from corpse to corpse, 
 pronouncing that ominous word, "Dead"; the 
 bandaging of the wounded ; the wiping of the blood 
 from the streaming faces. There are yet those alive 
 who performed yeoman's work on that dreary, forlorn 
 morning. 
 
 But to return to it. When the rain ceased 
 the people returned to the barricades. The one at 
 which the hardest fighting had taken place was 
 so damaged by the igho bullets as to be rendered 
 useless. Ingleton ordered a fresh one to be erected. 
 He, himself, helped to carry the heaviest loads, to 
 drag the beams, and to hammer then in position. 
 This barrier promised to be more substantial, for it 
 mainly consisted of pieces of the fallen roof. Hardly 
 had they finished when the troops came up to renew 
 
390 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 the attack. They were received by a shower of bullets 
 which destroyed their first line. They wavered. 
 " The first position in England for the man who 
 brings Ingleton's body, dead or alive," shouted the 
 ofiicer. 
 
 The troops re-formed at the double, pouring in 
 volley after volley as they neared the barrier. On they 
 came,replacing those who fell. They were seen to load 
 with iglio bullets. Swish ! They poured their volley 
 into the embattlement, the sparks fell in showers. 
 A rumbling sound was heard. A great iron girder 
 began tottering. Down it came with the sound of an 
 earthquake. Ingleton, on the top, assays to retreat 
 from the falling structure. A whole volley is fired at 
 him. He falls. The man with the beard, and that 
 look of despair, clutches hold of him. Is he dead ? 
 No ! not even wounded, except for a bruise from the 
 fall, which saved his life. In a moment he is on his 
 feet surveying the conflict. The nearest soldier is 
 yet five paces away from the barricade. Ingleton 
 springs on the tottering edifice, and loads his gun. 
 Swish ! The man will never reach it. 
 
 Sheltering himself from the volleys that are aimed 
 at him, he dispatches a message to Cavendish to 
 bring all the soldiers he has out of a barricade into 
 the streets. His object is to turn his opponents' 
 flank. The soldiers are now scrambling on to the 
 barricades. Inch by inch the position is contested. 
 The men are at too short a distance to fire. Clutching 
 their guns by the muzzle they start clubbing and brain- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 391 
 
 ing. Ahandtohandencounterensues. A hundred times 
 the soldiers are driven from the barricade. A hundred 
 times they boldly mount it. The minutes fly. Many 
 bite the dust, and yet the position remains unaltered. 
 Ingleton is everywhere, cheering the men on, wield- 
 ing his gun with redoubled fury ; striking, firing, 
 loading, in constant succession. Shouts are heard 
 in the distance. The soldiers turn to see. Cavendish 
 is coming with five hundred men. With a cry as of 
 an animal at bay, the soldiers turn to the fresh 
 onslaught. With a cheer from Ingleton, those at the 
 barricade scramble to the top and pour a deadly 
 volley into the soldiers ; then over, led by Ingleton, 
 firing as they go. It is now their turn to attack Fast 
 and furious is the battle. Now they scamper to the 
 rear, now they rush forward ; for one that falls a 
 dozen take his place. 
 
 ^ The air is darkened. A dozen aerial cars appear in 
 sight. Slowly they descend to within two hundred 
 yards of the ground. Heugbin's voice can be heard 
 issuing a command. A volley is poured from the air. 
 Now the battle is more grim than ever. Ingleton, 
 with his men, retreat to the barricade as the shower 
 of bullets descends on the soldiers. What a carnage ! 
 It is raining death ! From the aerial cars, from the 
 barricade, from the further end of the street, come 
 the bullets, making hideous noise as they fly. At 
 length the few remaining soldiers are in full flight. 
 With a ringing cheer, once more Ingleton scrambles 
 over the barricade, thousands following him. How^ 
 
392 JAMES INQLETON. 
 
 they run — like a pack of wolves in full cry. A few 
 minutes and the sternly contested struggle is won. 
 
 The soldiers are gone. Cavendish comes up with 
 his remaining men, many of whom are wounded. 
 Cavendish, himself, has evidences of the struggle. 
 His clothes are torn, his musket broken, and a thin 
 stream of blood is running from his right hand. His 
 little finger has been shot off. The cars descend ; 
 and Heughin, Wilkins, Perkins, Burham, and 
 Baxter alight. All shake hands. 
 
 "Have a barrier erected lower down," says 
 Ingleton. 
 
 Perkins goes to fulfil the order. 
 
 At the other barriers the struggle has been severe ; 
 and when the leaders meet in Ingleton's tent they 
 present a sorry, tattered, spectacle, all torn and 
 dishevelled, covered with blood and dust. 
 
 An hour afterwards despatches came from the 
 provinces, all full of good tidings. Then some one 
 comes in with a copy of the Half Hour, and a pro- 
 clamation. A price is set on Ingleton's head. Mr. 
 Hedgeco, Secretary of State, has signed the pro- 
 clamation. 
 
 The rations are again served out : the people, 
 sitting, standing, smoking, and recounting their share 
 in the morning's work. The wounded are carted 
 away to a huge tent that has been erected for their re- 
 ception. The dead are gathered. It is decided to 
 give Caland a public funeral. Ingleton issues the 
 first proclamation, and signs it with his name. It is 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 393 
 
 posted everywhere ; it is despatched to the provinces. 
 Not a moment's rest — continual work. The pro- 
 ■clamation is read by thousands. Here it is : — 
 
 " (1) The Social State is hereby declared annulled. 
 
 " (2) None of its commands are to be obeyed. 
 
 " (3) A committee of public safety v^^ill be ap- 
 pointed, and a new form of Government ordained. 
 
 (Signed,) 
 
 "James Ingleton." 
 
 At three o'clock, the last edition of the Half Hour 
 ■comes out. Then the offices are stormed, and the 
 Individualists take possession. The offices are al- 
 most intact. The compositors are set to work ; and 
 a four paged paper is issued. Across its pages, in 
 large letters, the proclamation is printed. 
 
 The day is full of incidents. The houses are fired, 
 the stores rifled, the barricade war is continued. 
 Ingleton can be found everywhere. Glimson finds 
 no time to give his arms the habitual swing. How he 
 fights, how he brandishes his weapon. Antony 
 comes to headquarters ; he tells Ingleton that Katie 
 is worse. 
 
 Walter Wharham, having obtained leave from 
 Ingleton, now prepared to fulfil a desire of his. 
 With the aid of his men, he rifled one of the large 
 factories, where iron piping, for the sewers and 
 water-conduits, were made. Having obtained about 
 •a mile of piping, he had it fixed together, laying it 
 towards barricade 3, the nearest to his electric 
 
 AA 
 
394 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 storage house. Then, by the aid of elbows and 
 other joints, he fixed it to three other barricades. 
 This occasioned several hours' work, despite that 
 hundreds of men, with all the machinery available, 
 assisted at the enterprise. He had some of the 
 masonry of the fountains broken, and the water 
 brought to his pipes ; the caps screwed down ; and 
 then water commenced flowing through the pipes, 
 which were raised on trestles over the barricades. 
 Through one of the traps in the pipe, Wharham 
 conducted several wires, which at a given signal 
 were charged with electricity. This, in Wharham's 
 opinion, would resist an army. 
 
 The globes of the arc lamps having been shattered 
 by the fallen roof, there was no light, save for the 
 glare of the great fires, lit at frequent points along 
 the streets, to dispel the all-prevaiUng gloom. 
 
 At nine o'clock a message arrived at Ingleton's 
 tent, that a meeting of the Senate was being held, in 
 secret, in the Hall of Justice. 
 
 Ingleton, now having the printing press at his 
 disposal, ordered that no papers or books should 
 be destroyed ; and then, followed by three thousand 
 armed men, made a sally, and marched to the Hall 
 of Justice. The Senate was still sitting. The people 
 stopped, and set up a terrific shouting. Ingleton 
 sent a messenger to the Senators, requesting them 
 to come out. They refused. 
 
 "What shall we do?" asked Ingleton of 
 Glimson. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 395 
 
 " Shoot them," answered he laconically, at the 
 same time loading his gun. 
 
 " Yes, we shall settle them now," rejoined Ingleton, 
 entering the building. 
 
 A rush was made, " Down with the State," was 
 the cry. 
 
 Smash went the windows. A volley broke them. 
 In they scampered, up the stairs, down the stairs, 
 breaking windows, tables, chairs, everything that 
 was breakable ; along the corridors, firing every- 
 where. The Senators had gone. Away went the 
 mob in search of them, looting everything. The 
 Senators were not found ; but the mob did execution. 
 A large force of police, armed with guns, met them. 
 A fight took place. Twice Ingleton was captured ; 
 twice he was released. 
 
 They yelled like beings possessed. They turned 
 the flank of police, putting them to flight. Onward 
 they went, in full cry, giving no heed to the dead 
 or dying. Behind them, a lurid glare, and a volume 
 of smoke, told that the Hall of Legislation was 
 burning. The books (or some hundred of them) had 
 been saved. Onward they went, to be met by a 
 regiment of soldiers. Fierce and furious was the 
 struggle. The people broke into the houses, smashing 
 the windows ; and finding their way to the roofs, 
 fired on the soldiery. Whole divisions fell, to enter 
 Eternity. 
 
 Glimson, next to Ingleton in the thick of the 
 battle, shot the chief officer dead, and then called 
 
396 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 for a rush. A stampede was made ; over the dead 
 and dying they ran. Suddenly they neared a 
 barricade. A battle was going on there with 
 another regiment. The people again fled to the 
 houses. Short canon or mortars were loaded with 
 iglio bullets. The execution was terrible. Houses 
 came down, crushing those inside. Suddenly was 
 heard the sound of rushing water. Walter Wharham 
 was bringing his apparatus into play. A moment 
 later the streets were flooded with the water charged 
 with electricity. The soldiers, who received the 
 charge, felt their legs gripped, then a terrific shock, 
 and they fell to the ground. Ingleton, who knew 
 what caused this, retreated with his men, first con- 
 structing a rude dam with the fallen masonry. 
 The soldiers, panic stricken by this unknown 
 force, rushed hither and thither, as they saw their 
 companions fall. Still the water kept sweeping 
 them down. At length it ceased, and they made off, 
 their uniforms covered with mire, and carrying their 
 dead with them. 
 
 The rest of the night was given to looting and 
 burning the town. A dozen fires were lighted at 
 once, and round the flames the people sat, taking 
 their meal. 
 
 It was a curious scene, as one by one, tired with 
 the day's exertion, they fell asleep round these watch 
 fires. The flickering shadows, the smoke, the smell, 
 the sudden glare of the flame, the burst of light and 
 then darkness, the dead cast about, on all sides the 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 397 
 
 moaning of the wounded ; in the shadows or in the 
 light, the scene was unearthly. The watch, doing 
 its silent guard ; the guns piled up ; the dismantled 
 houses ; the dying embers ; the smouldering ruins ; 
 the moon's rays penetrating through the darkening 
 clouds — all seemed unreal. Now and then, cries 
 were heard coming from those asleep. In their 
 dreams they evidently re-enacted their day's doings. 
 The cries awakening the echoes of the night, caused 
 many to rise from their slumber and reach for their 
 guns. The silence reassured them. Slowly the 
 night wears on ; the stars come and go with their 
 flickering light, and the pale moonbeams tell the 
 tale of the waning hours. The dogs are barking 
 in the stillness. Thus that awful night passed 
 away. 
 
 In Ingleton's tent, around which are clustered 
 a dozen men, a light is burning. He is sitting at a 
 table writing rapidly. On the mattress, stretched 
 full length, hes GHmson, fast asleep, a gun at his 
 feet. Tired nature has given out. In a corner, with 
 his feet on the ground and his head on a box, sleeps 
 Bligow. In front of the tent a coal fire is burning 
 right merrily. 
 
 In the large tent, where the wounded lie, the 
 medical students and doctors, conspicuous by the 
 bands on their left arms, walk noiselessly up and 
 down. The patients, lying on rudely constructed beds, 
 lie tossing in the dehrium of fever. On a table 
 stand phials, glasses, and surgical apparatus. Miss 
 
398 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Smithers, whose hand is healing, holds watch with 
 the doctors. As we rapidly glance at her, we notice 
 her eyes are softer than is their wont, and she has 
 lost some of her rotundity. 
 
CHAPTEE XXVI. 
 
 The morning dawns with a clear blue sky ; and as 
 the hours advance, the wintry sun shines with 
 unusual warmth. With the break of day all is astir. 
 The barricades are repaired, the streets cleansed, 
 . and a truce is declared in order to bury the dead. 
 
 Preparations are made for the funerals. Coffins 
 are rudely constructed. Messages are brought to 
 Ingleton of his sister's illness ; and letters from Nell 
 and Blanche : letters of love, which cause tears to 
 rise to his eyes. But he has Httle time for emotion ; 
 the funerals will commence. 
 
 Tens of thousands line the streets ; and the wind 
 fans the cheeks of the crowd. How grave each face ; 
 how gloomy the tones of greeting ; what stern lines 
 on all countenances. The very urchins stop still 
 amid the throng. The sparrows cease their chirp- 
 ing, giving over to the overpressing dull murmur, 
 which alone signifies the enormous concourse of 
 people. 
 
 Youth, with smiles upon its cheeks, or its sneers 
 of scepticism, has a drawn face. Giddy girls and 
 women forget their coquetry and blandishments. 
 Old men, leaning on their sticks, nod slowly and 
 stiffly, and greet each other with mute and scared 
 expressions. 
 
400 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 The sun disappears behind a cloud ; the breeze 
 gives over, and even the humming sound of the con- 
 course dies away. The measured tread of thousands 
 are heard. The funeral processions are making 
 their V7ay — plain deal coffins, each borne by six men. 
 The first approaches ; it is here ; it passes along. 
 There lies the body of Arthur Caland. Slowly the 
 mournful procession passes — slowly : an awe striken 
 scene, a terrible one. Sobs are heard as the cortege 
 winds its way. Sorrowfully, with moistened eyes all 
 glance upward, for the angel of death is hovering 
 nigh. 
 
 Bareheaded all stand, with reverence and fear. 
 Here is sadness, desolation, grief, here where In- 
 dividuality ends ! 
 
 We are at the grave. Enormous pits are dug. 
 The tomb ! What a bitter thought ; what a thud in 
 the very sound of the word as we utter it, striking 
 on the ears like the falling coffin. Over the bleak 
 fields the wind blows harsh and stern. Cries are 
 heard ; tears course down the cheeks ; sobs rise ; there 
 is a night wail of anguish and of woe ; and strong 
 men, overpowered by their emotions, shed tears 
 of bitter anguish at the grave, men who saw 
 their friends fall by their side without a murmur ; 
 men, with eyes dim, who not many hours ago 
 were thirsting for blood. What pathos is there 
 in humanity ! Hear the dull thud of the falling 
 earth. See the graves slowly fill. The distance 
 between those who live, and the departed loved 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 401 
 
 ones, slowly •widens, as grave after grave is filled. 
 Would you only say, 
 
 " Life is 
 A painful passage o'er a restless flood, 
 A vain pursuit of fugitive falsehood, 
 A scene of fancied bliss and heart-felt care. 
 Closing, at last, in darkness and despair "? 
 
 The funerals are over. It is dusk, and the people 
 return to their homes, the barricades, and camp fires. 
 In a deserted street, at a httle distance from the crowd,, 
 James Ingleton is walking. He has made a detour 
 alone, for the first time since the outbreak of the 
 revolt. The stillness suits him, for he is puzzling 
 his mind how to bring matters to a decisive crisis. 
 Had he looked above, to the walls of the gardens on 
 his left hand, he might have seen a black object 
 crawHng along the coping. But the perturbation of 
 his mind does not permit him to do so. He strolls 
 along ; the object continues its cat-like movements 
 till, coming directly opposite Ingleton, it throws 
 itself over the edge and drops to the ground. The 
 actions betray it to be a man. Stealthily and care- 
 fully he hides in the deep shadow. 
 
 Ingleton gives no heed to the strange conduct of 
 this person. He passed him, still in meditation. The 
 climber gets up, turns stealthily round, looks up and 
 down the street, and with noiseless tread follows 
 Ingleton. When right behind him, he clutches the 
 leader of the Individualists at the neck, with a 
 terrible outburst of laughter. 
 
402 JAMES INGLETON, ' 
 
 " He ! he ! he ! " The fingers close round the throat. 
 It is Pelham Stocking, escaped from confinement. 
 Ingleton, feeling the grip, attempts to turn. The 
 hands of Stocking tighten as if to strangle him. 
 In the madman's eyes is a fierce, fiendish light ; his 
 lips quiver, and his whole body shakes with the 
 derisive laughter. Ingleton essays to speak, but the 
 words gurgle in his throat from the pressure. Already 
 the veins of the forehead stand out hke whipcords, 
 and the mouth is gasping for breath. Ingleton 
 guesses with whom he is dealing. He puts his hands 
 behind him, grasps Stocking's legs, and with an 
 effort he tugs at them till Stocking loses his footing. 
 Both men fall with a thud ; Stocking, underneath, 
 looses his hold. Ingleton is on his feet in a moment, 
 facing his adversary, still prostrate on his back. He 
 looks at Stocking with an unwavering gaze. In 
 his mind he asks himself : Is it the man or the 
 lunatic who would throttle him ? He is unarmed, in 
 a deserted street, alone with a lunatic, who is lying 
 on the ground. What shall he do ? 
 
 He steps back, still regarding Stocking unflinch- 
 ingly, so that the madman cannot grasp his feet. 
 Still on the ground. Stocking gives a convulsive, 
 hideous laugh, which echoes through the street; 
 his fingers twitch ; his eyes are rolling ; his hair, 
 matted, covers his forehead. Again he laughs, " He i 
 he ! he ! " He attempts to rise, but sinks back to the 
 earth. He laughs and sobs by turn — he is raving ! 
 Ingleton continues to regard him sternly. The sobs 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 403 
 
 grow frequent, the laughter fainter. Still he remains in 
 the same position. A violent shudder seizes Stock- 
 ing. He springs up clutching the air. Down he falls 
 with a thud. Now it is all sobs ; the eyes stop 
 roUing, transfixed to a glassy stare ; the hands fall 
 listless to his side. Slowly he seems to sink away. 
 The eyelids close, the limbs appear lifeless, and he 
 breathes slowly. Ingleton remains immoveable on 
 the spot. Ingleton has subdued Stocking ; the effect, 
 the scene, has mesmerised him. 
 
 Footsteps are heard ; several persons approach, 
 among them is Antony, the man who saved Ingleton's 
 life at the barricade, and the guards who are in 
 search of the escaped lunatic. Surprised at the 
 spectacle, the antithesis of what they expected, they 
 grasp Ingleton, who with an effort turns from the 
 prostrate man and says : 
 
 ** For God's sake remove him." 
 
 They recognise him now ; and the guards take 
 hold of Stocking, who to aU appearances is lifeless, 
 and carry him away. 
 
 Ingleton looks once more at the departing figures. 
 His throat hurts him, he still feels the fingers at his 
 neck, and he speaks huskily. Then, accompanied 
 by the other two, he makes his way to his tent. The 
 revolt has been forgotten ; in his mind are two ques- 
 tions : Who was it that wished to kill him, the man 
 or the lunatic ? The queries are unanswerable. 
 
 Arrived at the tent, which was deserted except for 
 a sentry who kept guard, Ingleton threw himself on 
 
404 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 the mattress, the question still in his mind. After a 
 time he fell asleep. 
 
 At midnight, a meeting of the leaders was held in 
 the tent. Ingleton was seated at the table, a map of 
 London before him ; opposite him sat Fitzwalter, 
 with a pile of correspondence in front of him. 
 Glimson has a plan of the barricaded streets in his 
 left hand, and a pencil in his right. He swings his 
 arms ; evidently he is thinking. Bligow and Heughin 
 sit together, further to the left of Ingleton. Beau- 
 clerc, Cavendish, HoUis and Wharham are seated 
 on a box. Perkins, Baxter and Burham occupy 
 another. Thompson, who no longer performs his 
 war dance, was on guard. 
 
 Ingleton looked up from the map, and said, ** We 
 have now to consider what steps to take. The day 
 after to-morrow the truce ends ; we have then to 
 cope with the Government, and effect a crushing 
 defeat. Here (pointing to the letters) we have re- 
 ceived numerous correspondence from every centre. 
 All along the line we have won, except in North- 
 ampton, where both parties are equal. Buerlin, 
 who seems a dozen persons rolled into one, writes 
 that six regiments are making forced marches to 
 London. They will soon be here. Now we must 
 take action." 
 
 " We have seven thousand soldiers with us," said 
 Cavendish. 
 
 " Let them wear a red band on their left arm, to 
 distinguish them," rejoined Ingleton. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 405 
 
 "We must arrange a plan, that all sections act 
 together," said Glimson, with a swing of his arms. 
 
 Jerrold Trevors entered, tugging at his moustache. 
 He seated himself on the mattress. 
 
 "That is exactly what I have in view," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 " Have we sufficient ammunition ?" asked Hollis. 
 
 " They have been casting the electric bullets 
 night and day since the commencement," said 
 Bligow. 
 
 " How about the iglio powder? " said Beauclerc. 
 
 " Any amount," rejoined Bligow. 
 
 " We have plenty of arms, bullets, and powder," 
 said Ingleton. " We have thousands of men, but 
 all this will avail nothing without concerted action. 
 Here is a map of London ; let us transfer the plan of 
 the barricades to it first, then we have something 
 definite." 
 
 Glimson called out the streets that were 
 barricaded, and Ingleton marked the spots on the 
 map. 
 
 When finished, Ingleton said, looking at the map, 
 "We have sixteen barricades, with the spot we now 
 occupy as a fair centre ; and the Hall of Justice as 
 our most distant position." 
 
 Glimson nodded. 
 
 " Now, what I propose is, that we capture the 
 €ity Hall, the Hall of Antiquites, and that of Legis- 
 lation." 
 
 The others looked up at the bold proposals. 
 
406 JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 Glimson, with a swings of the arms, said, " And. 
 the Aerial Station." 
 
 " And the park," said BHgow. 
 
 " And the air pumps," said Fitzwaiter. 
 
 " And the Water Works, and the Central Storage 
 Station," said Wharham. 
 
 Trevors, rising, said, '* That would form four sides 
 of a hexagon." 
 
 Ingleton turned, and said, " You are clever with 
 your pencil, draw a fresh plan for us." 
 
 Perkins obtained some paper, and Trevors sat 
 down. Taking a compass and a rule from his pocket 
 (he was an architect by profession), divided the 
 sheet into squares, and by the aid of the map, drew 
 a plan of London, while the others conversed in low 
 tones. 
 
 " Have you heard from Hampden? " said Caven- 
 dish to Glimson. 
 
 *' Yes," answersd he. '* I should not be surprised 
 if he came to-night." 
 
 Hampden just then came in. 
 
 " * Talking of angels,' etc.," said Cavendish. 
 
 " Well, here I am," said Hampden. " Thanks for 
 that car," turning to Heughin. 
 
 " How are you getting on ? " said Hollis. 
 
 " Warm work," rejoined Hampden, showing his 
 left hand, which was bandaged : two fingers were 
 missing. " Lucky it was not the right hand." 
 
 "When did it occur?" said Ingleton, looking up. 
 He had been following Trevors drawing his plan. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 40T 
 
 " The first night," answered Hampden. " As soon 
 as we got news from Buerlin, I collected all the 
 members to our Alliance, and held a meeting; then 
 I made for the gun works, and erected a barricade, 
 which fell. While we were trying to re-erect it, a 
 company came upon us. My men stood the fire 
 bravely ; we made a rush, and I had my fingers 
 blown off by an iglio bullet." 
 
 " You came off lucky," rejoined Glimson. 
 
 Trevors had finished, and held up his plan. The 
 streets already barricaded were blacked in, and the 
 positions it was proposed to take were marked in 
 thick black lines. (This plan lies at the Eoyal 
 Museum, a memento of the strife.) As Trevors had 
 said, the plans embraced four sides of a hexagon, 
 with the Hall of Legislation as headquarters. 
 
 Ingleton, having closely examined it, said, '* I 
 propose that the plan be accepted in its entire form. 
 Practically it embraces three quarters of London. 
 From it, I say, it would be possible, supposing the 
 soldiers attacked all or any six posts at a given 
 time, we could by pre-arranged signal completely 
 surround them. 
 
 " With a dozen cars over them," said Heughin. 
 
 "Yes," rejoined Ingleton, "they stood us in good 
 service. 
 
 " I have four electric water apperatus laid on," said 
 Wharham. ** I propose to lay down one, more 
 powerful than any of the others, in the park." 
 
 "Not a bad idea," said Glimson. 
 
408 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Mark that on the plan," said Ingleton to Trevors, 
 who did so. 
 
 " There are the bridges that cross the river," said 
 Burham. 
 
 ** They are embraced in the plan," answered 
 Ingleton. " To secure the Hall of Legislation, and 
 the different water works, and electric storage houses, 
 we must necessarily secure all bridges." 
 
 " And retain them by a strong force," said 
 Olimson. 
 
 " Decidedly," rejoined Ingleton. 
 
 " Messieurs, beware !" muttered Glimson, with a 
 swing of his arms. 
 
 " It would not be a bad idea if, as soon as we 
 become master of any point, to connect it by tele- 
 phone with headquarters," said Cavendish. 
 
 " There would be a great difficulty in carrying this 
 out," said Ingleton. 
 
 "^ Not at all," answered Cavendish. " Streathen 
 is in the Central office. We can obtain the wire and 
 the other necessary appliances ; and carry the 
 wires over the houses ; then it's done." 
 
 " Then it's done," echoed Glimson with a laugh, 
 "'but still it is practicable." 
 
 " "Well, we shall agree to this," said Ingleton. 
 
 "Now let us get on," said Bligow, "it is getting 
 late." 
 
 For a few minutes all were silent, then Ingle- 
 ton said, " I will take possession of the Hall of 
 Legislation, and establish my headquarters there. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 409 
 
 Olimson shall attack the City Hall ; Bligow, the Hall 
 of Antiquities ; Heughin, the Aerial Station, assisted 
 byHollis; Beauclerc can occupy his time in the attack 
 of the Park, and fortifying it ; Wharham, the Storage 
 Houses ; Fitzwalter, the air pumps ; Perkins, 
 Baxter, and Burham, the Water Works. Cavendish, 
 take command of the soldiers, and Trevors hold a 
 reserve in the present situation. I will suppose that 
 we have only 400,000 with us in London. Well 
 then, each of us take 20,000 men under his command, 
 that combined means 260,000. Then there are the 
 soldiers under Cavendish (whom Serle can assist), 
 7,000, 50 surgeons, and 500 assistants." The 
 others smiled at the totaling of the figures. " We 
 must leave 5,000 to do the cooking. We cannot 
 starve." 
 
 " As many as that ? " queried Bligow. 
 
 " I am making a rough calculation. 'A hundred 
 meals to be prepared by each cook. These would 
 include assistants. I think they would require all 
 their time to do it." 
 
 " So they would," interposed Glimson. 
 
 " So far we have disposed of 272,550, and as we 
 have sufficient men I intend to do everything properly. 
 The telephone station shall have a guard of a 1,000. 
 Who shall take command ?" 
 
 " Hardale," said Glimson. 
 
 " Good," continued Ingleton, '* Hardale shall 
 command them. There will be several thousand of 
 ammunition makers, gunsmiths, and such-like, who 
 
 BB 
 
410 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 must continue their work ; so must the electricans 
 and engineers, who attend the lighting of the City. 
 That would turn into 300,000. Now Trevors can 
 hold in reserve 60,000, and the remainder will have 
 their time fully occupied in assisting at the multi- 
 farious work, which will have to be undertaken on 
 the spur of the moment. 
 
 " You have forgotten the Half Hour offices, the 
 Kinteograph Station, the Photophone Station, the 
 Gramophone House, and the Central Music House, "^ 
 said Glimson, in rapid speech. 
 
 " Yes," answered Ingleton. *' The Kinteograph 
 and the Photophone offices will be useful ; we must 
 capture them. As for the Half Hour office, the 
 present guard will suffice." 
 
 " These are final commands ? " asked Caven- 
 dish. 
 
 " Yes, they will not require any alteration. The 
 day after to-morrow we rise with day-break, and 
 marshall our forces. Separately I will address the 
 people, then each must march to his respective posi- 
 tions, which must be taken. As Cavendish has pro- 
 posed, telephone communication must be established- 
 Hampden can communicate our plans, and establish 
 similar ones wherever the opportunity offers." 
 
 "I propose that movable barricades be built to- 
 morrow, and carried away the next morning," said 
 Glimson, with another swing of his arms. 
 
 " How can we do that ? " queried Ingleton. 
 
 " Well, I suppose sheets of iron, rivetted together. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 411 
 
 would form a good frontage for a barricade, and that 
 is what I allude to." 
 
 " Yes, that would be very useful," said Bligow. 
 
 "We accept the proposition," answered Ingleton. 
 " We had better issue a proclamation. I intended 
 to appoint a committee of Public Safety, but as 
 matters are yet undecided, we had better not move 
 till after a decisive success." 
 
 " A proclamation — a stirring one," muttered Glim- 
 son, but loud enough for all to hear him. 
 
 "You had better write it," said Ingleton with a 
 laugh. 
 
 A few minutes after, and all took their departure, 
 except Ingleton, who threw himself on the mattress ; 
 muttering, as sleep overpowered him, " God, in whose 
 hand is the destiny of the human race, guard and 
 preserve the aiUng and the weak." Then he slum- 
 bered. 
 
 Glimson, who was writing his proclamation, 
 heard the mumbled words, and turning round, looked 
 at the sleeper, and then rose and noiselessly left the 
 tent. The guard, who had been changed, was on 
 duty. The moon was shining in silvery brilliance, 
 and the heavens glistened out with flickering stars. 
 Bathed in moonlight, Glimson surveyed the scene. 
 He gazed at the tents, the distant barrier, and the 
 houses. The aspect seemed to thrill him. Standing 
 still, he murmured, " How many shall have solved 
 the great mystery before two more suns have run 
 their course. Still, it is the result that I look to. 
 
412 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 The end must justify the means. The result 
 be — autiful. The course of Hfe is pecuhar. The 
 history — where shall I continue it — when the story 
 of these times shall tell the world a tale. Moon, I 
 greet thee as a good omen for the future. What 
 shall it bring ? Individuality is everything : who 
 shall attempt to efface it in the future, will have to 
 pay the penalty with his life. Be — autiful. Heigho ! 
 this will not finish that proclamation." He re- 
 entered the tent, and seated himself. He heard 
 Ingleton turn round in his sleep, and cry, " Was it 
 the man or the lunatic ? " It caused him to spring to 
 his feet. He looked at the sleeping leader, and 
 muttered, " Stocking, you shall pay for this troubled 
 dream." 
 
CHAPTEE XXVII. 
 
 It was scarce daybreak. The great encampment 
 is astir, now swollen in numbers by thousands who 
 have joined the Individuahsts during the truce. 
 The dining halls are the centre of the greatest 
 activity. Men come and go, carrying large baskets 
 and cans, with eatables and drinkables. The rations 
 are being served out, and are eaten with avidity and 
 haste. There is no time to eat. As for speaking, 
 but the thinnest of conversation goes on round the 
 camp fires. Look at the faces of the men. Every visage 
 is stern and harsh, every Up drawn, in every eye is a 
 cold, hard look, reflected, perhaps, from the steel of the 
 guns, that are lying about. The breakfast is over, 
 and the real labour of the day commences. Guns 
 are cleaned, bullets distributed, broken weapons re- 
 placed by new ones. The ambulance corps, with a 
 dozen electric cars, and piles of bandages, are drawn 
 into a square. Engineers, with wrenches, crowbars, 
 hammers, screws and screw-drivers, and other neces- 
 sary tools, form into a company. 
 
 Cavendish marsh alls his soldiers, all well armed, 
 near the cars. Calls and answers fill the air. Slowly 
 the men are brought together, excepting those 
 left in charge of the various barricades and offices. 
 During the night a row of houses had been blown 
 
414 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 down (the debris being used to fill the gaps in the 
 barricades), to make room for the concourse of 
 people, who fill the immediate neighbourhood of the 
 now destroyed prison. 
 
 Ingleton, accompanied by Bligow and Glimson, 
 mounted an ambulance car. The multitude thickens, 
 thronging closer to the improvised platform. Drop- 
 ping the gun he carried, he said, in a voice loud and 
 passionate : " Friends, through long nights and 
 gloomy days, our ears filled with groans of the 
 wounded, and our eyes dim with tears for the dead, 
 we have struggled for mastery — not for tyranny. 
 Peacefully and honourably the true ends of man's 
 life, his sacred and just rights, were laid before the 
 Government ; who, in their greed and avarice, re- 
 fused them. If our cause is a just one, we had but 
 one course open to us : To take by force what we 
 could not obtain in peace. We accepted the alter- 
 native. For this none need reproach themselves. 
 A higher power has destined it all. "We, His mere 
 instruments in the cause of humanity, must fulfil 
 our allotted tasks, and sink or swim with the tide 
 that is with or against us. Till now, we have 
 been successful. The instinct of Individuality, 
 bestowed upon man by the Allwise, has asserted 
 itself, as was foreseen, successfully. So far, we 
 have done our duty. Now the decisive moment 
 awaits us. Before the sun, which has hardly risen, 
 shall have set, the fate of the nation will, no doubt, 
 be decided. I do not mean to infer that we can 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 415 
 
 altogether reform those who, hving in idleness, fear 
 for the personal labour they will have to undertake 
 in the future State. But we shall inflict a lasting 
 defeat upon them to-day, if it be God's will, that 
 shall prove to them their own weakness. Now do 
 your duty. Obey your leaders implicitly, and do not 
 hesitate, whether you are told to lay down your arms 
 or raise them in defence of your liberties. One 
 word more. Do not attack the weak; injure no woman 
 or child ; do nothing wantonly. Let not the present 
 be characterized by the evil deeds of former re- 
 volutions." 
 
 Cheers filled the air. 
 
 Glimson murmured to himself, " The beginning of 
 the end is passed, the end itself is here. Messieurs, 
 to say beware, is futile ; every cheer is a nail in your 
 coffins." 
 
 Ingleton and his companions descended from the 
 car. Then a commotion began. Twenty-five abreast 
 they defiled till the whole body was marshalled into 
 serried ranks ; behind them came the engineers, then 
 the men carrying portions of the barricades ; after 
 them the ambulance corps, and the men with coils 
 of wire for the telephone. The various leaders took 
 up their station in the direction they intended going, 
 and the men formed into fresh companies of five 
 hundred, headed by an officer and subalterns, who had 
 been appointed. With each party went the men 
 with the movable barricades and wire. The 
 engineer-sappers followed Wharham. 
 
416 JAMES INGLE TON. 
 
 Away they marched in silence, leaving Trevors 
 with his reserve, and Cavendish with his soldiers. 
 
 The streets through which they marched were 
 deserted, and the city was hushed in silence. Ingle- 
 ton and his men marched in the direction of the 
 Hall of Legislation. Until they came in sight of the 
 Hall, no opposition was offered. But as they neared, 
 the gleam of the soldiers' helmets became visible. 
 
 " Halt ! " shouted Ingleton. The whole company 
 stood still. At two hundred paces were the soldiers. 
 Ingleton examined the assembly intently. He 
 would not fall upon them. 
 
 *' Bring two iglio cannons forward," he shouted. 
 
 The two were planted in the ceutre of the road- 
 way ; which being much wider here, Ingleton 
 marshalled his men till they stood more than a 
 hundred abreast. "Fire the cannon," he shouted. 
 
 Hastily they were loaded and fired. Away sped 
 the bullets with hissing sound. Then the battle 
 began. Against Ingleton's force were opposed six 
 thousand well trained soldiers. The havoc wrought 
 was awful. Swish went the bullets, falling like 
 hailstones in number. 
 
 The Individualists remained firmly in possession. 
 
 "Double!" shouted Ingleton, waving his sword. 
 On they rushed, firing as they went, death making 
 furrows in the ranks of the people. At fifty paces 
 Ingleton halted and divided his men into two parties, 
 one to charge and the other to hold themselves in 
 readiness to follow at the command. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 417 
 
 The storm of bullets continued. The swish ! swish ! 
 the puff ! puff ! and the hissing of the iglio balls was 
 terrible. The rush began again. Ingleton was 
 determined to storm the position. On they ran, 
 over the fallen corpses, till they faced each other. 
 A hand to hand conflict ensued ; blow answered blow, 
 thrust met thrust, amid a continued shower of 
 bullets. From the higher terraces of the Hall of 
 Legislation cannon were now brought into play. 
 Whole lines were swept down. Determined and 
 dogged they held their course ; unwavering they 
 attacked the soldiery. Ingleton ordered the second 
 company to cross the open space and take the 
 cannon. 
 
 On they came, inch for inch was contested ; the 
 dead lay in piled heaps, as they fell. On the 
 terraces, slippery and wet (the gates were gone), 
 they charged, up, and captured ; twice lost, twice 
 regained. The shrieks of the wounded and those 
 trampled on in the struggle were heart-rendering. 
 Ingleton once more charged the soldiery : they 
 wavered. With redoubled fury the peox3le fought ; 
 regiment after regiment were mowed down. The 
 cannon on the terraces were captured and hastily 
 turned on the retreating soldiery. Then Ingleton 
 brought his troops together. The soldiery were 
 annihilated in the charges. 
 
 Suddenly, from the rear of them, fresh firing was 
 heard. Wharham, with his men, were contesting 
 the Park, carrying their water pipes with them. 
 
418 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Ingleton now thought it best to adopt a strategic 
 move. He ordered a retreat. Back turned his men. 
 The soldiers were hastily reformed in square. Can- 
 non were planted in the roadway. A rapid fussilade 
 began. Ingleton ordered his men to possess them- 
 selves of the Hall of Legislation. In they marched ; 
 every corridor, every flight of stairs, was transformed 
 into a miniature battle. From the windows, now in 
 possession of the Individualists, the battle cries 
 were shrieked and shouted in voices of triumph. 
 Ingleton retreated still further with his men. The 
 trap was well baited. The soldiery followed ; and 
 under the fire of the marksmen in the windows, the 
 cannonade from the terraces, the firing in the street, 
 they were utterly routed. One side of the square 
 gone, Wharham now brought his electric fluid 
 into play. Thousands of gallons of water, charged 
 with electricity, swept the soldiery from their feet. 
 The retreat of the troops was cut off, and the heavy 
 fusilade continued, while the strength of the electric 
 current was materially increased, till the power of 
 the shock killed, instead of merely felling the men to 
 the ground. Panic stricken by the terrible deaths that 
 were taking place around them, the soldiers 
 attempted to charge those in front, and thus make 
 their escape ; but in vain, death awaited them at 
 every turn. A yell of exultation came from the 
 people. Wharham at length turned the water off, 
 and the firing ceased. The Park and the Hall of 
 Legislation were gained. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 419 
 
 To return to Fitz waiter. With the aid of his party, 
 lie possessed himself of the air pumps at the north 
 end of the town, while Hollis captured those on the 
 west. Fitzwalter immediately on possession tested 
 all the apparatus. Meanwhile, direct telephone 
 communication was established between the 
 pumps and Streathan's office, with whom Ingle- 
 ton had already been able to open communi- 
 cation. Fitzwalter having ordered a strong body 
 of men to guard the air pumps, sent the remainder 
 to Glimson's assistance, who had met with a check in 
 the capture of the City Hall. 
 
 Heughin, with his cars, was high in the clouds ; he, 
 alone, was some hundred yards away from the rest, and 
 on the look out. The car which he occupied was of 
 entirely different model to those in ordinary use, 
 -altogether presenting a smaller frontage ; it had a 
 larger surface for attack, by reason of two great 
 wings which were propelled by electricity. 
 
 In all directions the battle was now raging fast and 
 furious. From all points of the compass the tramp of 
 men, the cries, and noise of the bullets, could be 
 heard. At the City Hall the fates seemed against 
 Glimson, to whom was opposed a large force of 
 soldiers under the command of the Senators and 
 members of the Convention. Glimson, cool under 
 a heavy fire which shot his hat from his head, and a 
 bullet which carried away a piece of his left ear, 
 stood, gun in hand, picking the victims off with 
 wonderful precision. Hardale, the senior member 
 
420 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 for Newcastle, was one of his first victims. Buty 
 despite this, and that GHmson never budged an 
 inch during the struggle, his men began to waver 
 under the heavy cannonade which assailed them 
 from the windows. The lines thinning minute hj 
 minute, dismay spread among the Individualists. 
 They drew back from the fire. Glimson again ralHed 
 them, and, with a cry of " Down with the State !" 
 charged the soldiers. His impetuous manner 
 inspired his men with courage ; they followed him ; 
 but the charge was ineffectual. Glimson, dogged 
 as ever, retreated for a hundred paces, and hastily 
 had a barricade erected to protect his men from the 
 heavy fire. He now sent for Cavendish and his 
 soldiers, meanwhile holding his position under the 
 whizzing bullets. 
 
 To his delight, Fitzwalter's men now arrived. 
 The movable barricade taken down, a fresh onslaught 
 was made. Glimson fell upon the soldiery with re- 
 doubled fury. How grim was the fight ; how stern 
 the reality of battle ; how puny its glory ! This 
 charge had a better result than the previous one. 
 Glimson planted his guns, but was obliged to 
 desert them, because of the continuous fussilade 
 from the windows. Cavendish arrived with his 
 fresh men. He examined the situation intently, 
 and noting the exact line of range of the battery in 
 the windows of the Hall, drew his men to the left, 
 charged at a battery under the command of 
 Mr. Hedgeco, who had erected it at an acute 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 421 
 
 angle in the roadway. Cavendish advanced slowly 
 at first, then rushed the range of the upper battery, 
 and charged at the lower. Steady and true bis men 
 stood the fire. Mr. Hedgeco, exasperated at the 
 deadly onslaught made upon his position, hastily 
 sent for aid, but nowhere could the men be spared. 
 Cavendish continued his attack. Mr. Hedgeco, 
 leaving his battery, charged at Cavendish, who, 
 taking advantage of the opportunity, pressed his 
 opponents hotly, until he gained the battery, then, 
 bringing his men on, took possession of them, and 
 turned them on his foes. Glimson, noting the turn of 
 the tide, sent part of Fitzwalter's men to Cavendish, 
 who gave them a chance to display their courage, 
 by ordering them to assail the building itself. 
 
 The contest grew hotter and hotter as the 
 soldiery gave way. The phono-chronometer, giving 
 no heed to the deadly strife that took place below it, 
 bawled the third hour of the afternoon, before the 
 Individualists had taken complete possession of the 
 City Hall, and telephonic communication was ren- 
 dered possible with Ingleton at headquarters. 
 
 By this time the Individualists had possessed 
 themselves of all the positions arraigned in their 
 plan, except the Hall of Antiquities, at which the 
 strife seemed endless. From the position of this 
 establishment, the soldiery had a great advantage, 
 preventing Bligow from coming within a hundred 
 paces of the Hall, by establishing strong batteries at 
 the angles of the streets. 
 
422 JAMES INGLETON, 
 
 In fact, from the early morning till this hour, the 
 situation seemed unchanged ; and Bligow, wearied 
 by such unsuccessful work, determined to entrench 
 himself in the position, and by barricading the 
 streets facing the batteries, compel a surrender by 
 surrounding the troops. Already some houses were 
 blown down, and the erection of a barricade com- 
 menced. Then, from the semi-obscurity of the 
 darkening heavens, there suddenly came a great 
 flash of blue light. 
 
 High above in the air a battle was taking place — 
 Heughin's company of cars against a host of cars of 
 the State. Higher and higher Heughin ascended,, 
 the others following slower; Now and again the 
 blue flash was repeated — it was Heughin's signal to 
 his men. Seeing that a larger force was opposed to 
 him, Heughin determined to defeat them by rising 
 above them, and take advantage of the superior 
 range. The opposing cars sailed majestically by, 
 unheeding those overhead. Heughin, in his little 
 car, made for the attack. Closing the wings of his 
 car, he descended with incredible swiftness on a car 
 below him, at the same time pressing a sharp-pointed 
 ram from the bottom of his conveyance. Down he 
 came on his opponents, the point bursting through 
 the roof. It had pierced the gas cistern, and the car 
 was rapidly descending. Keleasing his ram, and 
 extending his wings, away went Heughin, his cars 
 joining him. A heavy fire was now opened on those 
 below. Seeing their disadvantage, for the rattling 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 423 
 
 bullets were rapidly succeeded by igiio charges, 
 which wrought heavy damage on them, they attempted 
 to rise ; but Heughin, knowing the advantage he 
 held, and having a lighter car than any other, 
 ascended into the clouds, descending again with 
 an eagle swoop, and this time breaking the steering 
 gear of the car he attacked. 
 
 This struggle in the air was continued until the 
 darkness prevented further attack. Those below, in 
 the streets, did not know the result, but guessed by 
 the falling cars, which crushed their occupants in 
 their rapid descent, that Heughin still held the 
 mastery. Meanwhile, news having reached Ingleton 
 of Bligow's position, he ordered him to withdraw 
 while under the cover of darkness. 
 
 Wharham laid a mile of hose-pipe, and attacked 
 the soldiery with his electric-charged water. In the 
 darkness the soldiery fell dead one by one as the 
 fluid caught them, and the officers in charge were 
 compelled to withdraw from the position they had 
 so boldly held. Bligow began a fresh attack in the 
 dark. The soldiery, discouraged by the death of 
 those of their comrades, killed by an unseen hand, 
 grew alarmed ; and the blue flashes which continued 
 at intervals, increasing the uncertainty of their fate, 
 they fled, leaving their arms and accoutrements on 
 the scene of battle. 
 
 Ingleton now established his headquarters in the 
 Hall of Legislation ; and on learning that the Hall of 
 Antiquities was in the possession of Bligow's troops, 
 
424 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 issued orders that great fires be lit to dispel the 
 darkness. Hardly had this order been issued, when 
 some one claimed admittance to the chambers 
 Ingleton occupied. It was the dark-bearded man 
 who had saved his life at the barricade. He now 
 introduced himself as Eoger Collingwood. 
 
 Ingleton looked at him as he uttered the surname, 
 so well known to him. His face no longer wore its 
 old look of despair. 
 
 "You have rendered me a great service," said 
 Ingleton. 
 
 "A matter of little importance," answered Mr. 
 Collingwood. " What I wish to see you about is 
 this, — I am informed that you are acquainted with 
 a young lady, Blanche Collingwood by name." 
 
 Ingleton nodded, blushing to the roots of his 
 hair. 
 
 " "Will you tell me where she lives," continued 
 Mr. Collingwood. " I suspect she is my daughter." 
 The words came slowly, and a tremor seized his frame. 
 ** For years I have not seen her. I fear that at any 
 moment I may be killed, and before that occurs I 
 wish to see my child." Tears stood in his eyes ; he 
 was greatly agitated. 
 
 Ingleton remained silent for a moment. It was 
 time to see his mother, sisters, and Blanche. The 
 thought overpowered him. 
 
 " You suspect that the Miss Collingwood in 
 question is your daughter. No doubt this may be so. 
 Does she know you ?" 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 425 
 
 ** I hardly think so. She was a mere child when 
 she saw me last," continued Mr. CoUingwood. 
 
 " Well, I shall be going to my home in a few 
 minutes," said Ingleton ; " perhaps she is there ; if 
 not, I will see her later on, and ascertain your po- 
 sition. If I find she is related to you, I will prepare 
 her for your reception, and send for you ; will not 
 that be better than taking the girl by surprise ?" 
 
 " Yes ; so it would," rejoined Mr. CoUingwood. 
 
 "Well then, seat yourself here. I have some 
 work to do, and I must see several of my friends 
 before I can leave here," said Ingleton. 
 
 Mr. CoUingwood seated himself, burying his face 
 in his hands. 
 
 Ingleton continued writing ; while every few min- 
 utes the ring of the telephone bell brought fresh 
 news from all directions. 
 
 cc 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 When at length Ingleton made his way homeward, 
 fires were Ht, and in the glare his face exhibited the 
 workings of his passions. He, who had so bravely 
 fought for the people's welfare, feared the home- 
 coming. Throughout the weary days it had been 
 his greatest longing, and many times the home- 
 sickness possessed him so strong that he fain would 
 have left all to return to his relatives. 
 
 Now, as he walked, a great fear came over him, 
 not that he doubted the welcome, but into his throat 
 came a Jump, and into his eyes sprang the tears, he 
 knew not why. 
 
 Once at home, the mist was dispelled. His 
 mother fondled and caressed him as if he were a 
 child, and Nell could not find utterance for the joy at 
 her brother's return. 
 
 Seated by the stove, he recounted the history of 
 the battles ; the days in prison ; his thoughts ; his 
 anxieties ; his fears ; and the sympathetic listeners 
 laughed and wept as the tale proceeded. Still Ingle- 
 ton feared to ask about Blanche and Katie. 
 
 The hours flew quickly ; and Blanche, accompanied 
 by Mrs. Berthon, arrived. 
 
 Blanche, somewhat pale, threw herself in her 
 lover's arms. Words, mere words, were useless. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 427 
 
 out of place for two souls knit together by the great 
 hond of love. Again Ingleton recounted his tale of 
 the absent days ; and during the recital Mrs. Ber- 
 thon grew more and more polite ; and when 
 Ingleton told her of Pelham Stocking's mad- 
 ness, her eyes grew larger, and the harsh 
 colour seemed to flicker, and she murmured, " It is 
 enough." 
 
 Remembering his strange acquaintance, waiting 
 for news, Ingleton remarked, — 
 
 "Among the men who were at my side in the 
 battle, was a tall, bearded man, bearing some re- 
 semblance to Blanche." 
 
 Mrs. Berthon looked up, and said, " Strange." 
 
 " Yes ! there was a striking resemblance ; and he 
 saved my life," said Ingleton. 
 
 " When will the strife end ?" queried Mrs. Berthon, 
 attempting to change the subject. 
 
 But Ingleton, seeing the impression his words 
 had produced upon Mrs. Berthon, continued — " His 
 name is Roger." 
 
 " Roger, Roger," murmured Blanche ; " that was 
 my father's name." 
 
 " Not a common name either," said Nell, under- 
 standing that her brother did not hold to the subject 
 without reason. 
 
 " Strange," said Ingleton, " I have not got his 
 name complete, but his surname began Col " 
 
 Blanche, understanding the drift of the speech, 
 said, " Hold me no longer in suspense. My father !" 
 
428 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 In broken accents she uttered the last "word, and 
 then commenced crying. 
 
 " My brother Koger," said Mrs. Berthon. 
 
 At this moment a turning box opened, and an- 
 nounced Miss Smithers. She was accompanied by 
 a stranger, who was known to her. 
 
 Into the room she came, introducing her compan- 
 ion. Blanche rose from her chair, Eoger Colling- 
 wood identified her, and said, — 
 
 "Blanche — my daughter." 
 
 " Father," was the monosyllabic answer, and she 
 flung her arms round his neck. " Where have you 
 been all these years ?" she asked between her sobs. 
 
 The others now left the room, father and daughter 
 remaining together. As Mrs. Ingleton left, sh& 
 murmured, " My mother always told me how things 
 would happen. It is bound to come right, or 
 wrong." 
 
 " You ask me where I have been, my child. Mine 
 is a sad and weary story to relate," he replied, with 
 a long-drawn sigh. " Fourteen long dark years I 
 have been pent up amidst criminals. Had it lasted 
 longer, I fear I should have lost my reason ; and 
 yet, now I know it, I committed no crime to merit 
 such a fate as that. 
 
 ** Tell me, father," she asked beseechingly, as she 
 clung close to him, " how was it that such a dread- 
 ful fate o'ertook you ? Ah ! ah ! " she added, 
 putting her hand to her forehead in her effort to 
 recall the past, " Oh, now the mystery of these 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 429 
 
 ■strange, fugitive notes that came to me by Antony's 
 hand is clearing. For days and days did I ponder, 
 endeavouring to find a means of identifying the 
 writer of those lines, but I could not from Antony. 
 I failed to gather anything like a reliable clue ; and, 
 at last, in sheer despair, I began to believe you 
 dead." 
 
 "Oh, Antony, poor fellow, his heart is of gold. 
 He essayed to serve me to the best of his powers, 
 such as they were ; but my imprisonment seemed to 
 have killed his perception altogether. For weeks 
 running he was the bearer to you of those cypher 
 notes. I sent them, thinking yon might succeed, 
 with Antony's assistance, in deciphering them, and 
 thus assure yourself, at least, that I was not dead." 
 
 " Ah ! many a time I thought the mysterious 
 cyphers bore reference to your sudden disappearance. 
 Something, some indiscernible feeling that told me 
 •so ; but it was all so strange, so sudden, and I was 
 then so young. I had none to aid me, or advise me ; 
 and Aunt Berthon, to whom once or twice I 
 appealed to in my anxiety, could give me no clue. 
 Then, too, Pelham Stocking would continually hold 
 up before my terrified mind the dismal picture of 
 3'our alleged misdeeds, dear father — misdeeds of 
 which he alone, he said, held the secret, and the 
 reflection from which would ever embitter my exis- 
 tence, and fall like a darkening shadow across my 
 path, unless I chose to purchase his silence by 
 a,ccepting him as my husband. Oh, the torture of 
 
430 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 it ! The weeks of agony that man has caused me I 
 And to none could I confine my feelings. Aunt "was 
 always so cold and distant ! " 
 
 Mr. Collingwood frowned ; his eyes darkened at 
 the mention of his sister's name. " Your aunt," he 
 said, in sullen tones, " was no true friend to you ; 
 do not deceive yourself, dear, by thinking she is. 
 'Tis all simulation. She aided and abetted Pelham 
 Stocking in his diabolical plot against me, for she 
 bore me a grudge she could never forget, because I 
 could not forgive her cold, almost brutal treatment 
 of her ailing husband, and her revengeful spirit. 
 She eagerly availed herself of the opportunity offered 
 by Pelham Stocking, in distorting the circumstance 
 in such a way that general suspicion fell upon me 
 instead of upon him — the real culprit — as the person 
 who had fqrged your poor uncle's name, in order to 
 swindle the Government out of an extra allowance 
 of credit. After procuring, in his own crafty way, 
 and with the aid of your aunt, as I have since learnt, 
 my conviction, Stocking completed his despicable 
 scheme by getting me incarcerated in the State 
 prison. All this I now know from papers found at 
 Stocking's house. 
 
 *' And now, after these terrible years of separation," 
 continued he, with increasing emotion, " what life 
 there is left me I shall spend by the side of you, my 
 darling child, under the hospitable roof of your 
 future husband, who is, indeed, a prince among 
 men." 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 431 
 
 Stooping, he pressed an ardent, affectionate kiss 
 upon his daughter's lips, and seating himself on the 
 couch, he drew Blanche towards him. 
 
 Nell and her brother had repaired to the room where 
 Katie lay. His worst fears were confirmed as he 
 saw the child laying in her delirious sleep. Has she 
 been like this ever since I have been away ? " 
 
 ** Yes," answered Nell. 
 
 The child gave utterance to the word " James, 
 James." She repeated it. 
 
 Ingleton softly answered, " Yes, dear, I am here." 
 
 The child continued to toss about the bed, and 
 repeated the name at every turn. 
 
 "What says the doctor?" queried Ingleton, 
 drawing away from the bedside. 
 
 *' He hopes for the best," answered Nell. 
 
 The hope was so bitter, it was such a tone of 
 anguish, it meant so much, this key-note of despair. 
 
 A few minutes more were spent at the bedside, 
 and Ingleton had to return to headquarters. 
 
 =::* + * 
 
 For a week after this the strife was continued in 
 the provinces, and Ingleton sent detachments to the 
 north, till the guardians of the State were entirely 
 routed. Near the old town of Warwick the last 
 battle was fought. A gallant stand was made, but 
 before the overpowering numbers the soldiery gave 
 way. Mr. Hedgeco was killed, and so were many 
 other members of the Senate. Crestfallen and cut 
 off from all help, the army surrendered. 
 
432 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Meanwhile, a Committee of Public Safety was 
 appointed, which directed the affairs of the nation, 
 until a general concensus of opinion would decide the 
 new form of government. 
 
 The Voice of the People, the new newspaper, was 
 issued, and all slowly began to settle down to their 
 usual habits. 
 
 The last barricade being cleared away, and the last 
 shot fired, it was time for the Committee to bring 
 their proposals before the people. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 "The thoroughfares leading to the park were thronged 
 with eager crowds of men and women — aye, children, 
 too — wending in unbroken streams along the high- 
 ways and byeways, until the park gates were reached. 
 
 At that point, a score of men bearing rods of office 
 were stationed; and as the throngs of people 
 approached, they marshalled them to the wooden 
 benches grouped for their accommodation around 
 the large central enclosure, in which a raised plat- 
 form had been arranged for the speakers. 
 
 For more than two hours the human stream con- 
 tinued to pour through the open gates to their allotted 
 places, without noise, without confusion, but with a 
 concentrated eagerness depicted on every face, that 
 amply made Up for the absence of cheers and 
 hurrahs ! The echo of the mid-day hour, as it boomed 
 from the phono-chronometer, had scarce died away 
 when, amid the breathless, almost solemn silence of 
 the immense multitude, Ingleton, escorted by a group 
 of men who had taken a prominent part in the late 
 struggles, ascended the central platform. Then it 
 was that the storm broke loose. 
 
 At the sight of their plucky, unselfish young 
 leader, the pent-up feelings of the people burst into 
 one great roar of cheering, that rang away in a 
 
434 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 thousand echoes through the leafless boughs of the 
 venerable oaks which, during the last century, had 
 been the silent witnesses of so many popular demon- 
 strations. 
 
 The cheering subdued, Ingleton, in a voice 
 strikingly impressive and calm, addressed the 
 assemblage. 
 
 " EngHshmen and women — With much hesitation 
 and dif&dence do I stand before you to-day to address 
 you. The occasion is so great, so all-important, the 
 issues which it involves so portentous, that I may 
 well ask you to pardon me — a man of comparative 
 youth — in presuming to address you, many of whom 
 must be by many years my seniors. But I trust 
 that your opinion may be that what I lack in years, 
 I may make up in earnestness of purpose. Fellow 
 citizens ! For nearly a quarter of a century our 
 beloved country has been governed on the system — 
 so much advocated in the latter days of a previous 
 era — of social equaUty ! That was the battle cry of 
 the men who, in all honesty of purpose, thought 
 they had discovered the panacea for all the ills of 
 humanity. Well, they found their followers, — dema- 
 gogues, who had nothing to lose and all to gain by 
 the change ; and so the loud-voiced theories of the 
 universal levellers were at length put into practice. 
 And they lost no time, those brave theorists, nor did 
 they stick at trifles. They smoothed down all and 
 everything to one dull level, and behold, now, after 
 25 years' trial, what has it produced ! Universal dis- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 435- 
 
 content, mutiny, and the complete subversal of the 
 State. The individual intellect and power of the 
 nation has proved too strong, too irresistible, and 
 now the levellers are crushed. They have had their 
 day ; and now that we stand at the threshold of a 
 new, may it prove, a glorious epoch, it behoves us 
 all to act as men and women of intelligence and 
 principle, and to think no sacrifice too great, if it 
 helps to place the State on a firm and broad basis. 
 To do this, all of us must be prepared to place at 
 the service of our country all the energies of which 
 they are possessed. Every one of us must feel that 
 he or she is an important and indispensable com- 
 ponent part of the commonwealth; and let our 
 watchword be individuahsm ! Let us glance for a 
 moment down the centuries that have gone before, 
 and what do we see ? That all that has been 
 achieved in the world, all that is great and glorious, 
 has been effected by the power of individualism, by 
 individual might and individual intellect, and where- 
 ever the free bent of human individuality has been 
 left unchecked and untrammelled, the many have 
 benefited by the genius of the few. Inequality 
 there must be always. Nature, the all-wise, the 
 omniscient power that sustains the universe, has 
 not created us all in one mould, or cast us in one 
 uniform character, either mental, moral, or physical. 
 But each of its multifarious forms of beings, each 
 and all, even the lowest, has its place, its work, its 
 objects assigned to it ; and for us, the representatives 
 
436 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 of the highest form of creation, it is meet to acquit 
 ourselves without murmuring, with goodwill and 
 cheerfulness, of the duties which we may find appro- 
 priate to our individual capacities. And as oil 
 remains visible on the surface of the waters, so the 
 power of individual character will ever lift talent, 
 capacity, genius, above the heads of their fellows, 
 and all attempts at levelling, at equalising the nation, 
 must end as ignominiously as has the Social State in 
 this dear Britain of ours. 
 
 *' Yet, with the spirit of Individualism left free 
 and untrammelled, there are duties great and impor- 
 tant which the State, as a collective body, must 
 undertake to carry out on behalf of the citizens. Of 
 these, the duty of providing education broad and 
 unstinted stands first and foremost. Our schools 
 must be national, and free to all those who are un- 
 able to pay for their children's education ; and every 
 one of us, in proportion to his income, must be called 
 upon to contribute towards the education of his own 
 children on this basis. And in whatever bent the 
 individual minds of our children may be formed, in 
 that direction must they be developed, so that the 
 result to the State shall be satisfactory in the highest 
 degree. In education, as in everything else, there 
 shall not be any more levelling. As Nature has so 
 ordained it that the very young and the very old, 
 who cannot maintain themselves, shall be dependent 
 on those of us that are still in the full powers of 
 middle Hfe, so the State shall take under its control 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 437 
 
 and protection these two classes amongst us, the 
 aged infirm, and the young. And now, fellow 
 citizens, I call upon any of you who choose to address 
 us, and thank you for the hearing you have given 
 me. 
 
 Amid ringing applause, Ingleton then stepped 
 back on the platform, and Glimson came forward to 
 harangue the assembly, he being followed by several 
 others of the prominent leaders in the revolution ; 
 and in another hour the vast, imposing concourse 
 had dispersed in as orderly a manner as it had 
 assembled, and the beautiful park was once more 
 left to its peaceful seclusion. 
 
 The 20th of December was the day fixed by the 
 Committee of Public Safety for a plebiscite for or 
 against a Constitutional Monarchy ; and the Hall 
 of Legislation was crowded, from mid-day to mid- 
 night, by throngs who eagerly availed themselves of 
 the privileges of Universal Suffrage, similar scenes 
 taking place simultaneously in every part of th© 
 country. 
 
 The next day the ballot was declared ; and the 
 result, which was an overpowering vote in favour of 
 the Monarchy, was proclaimed by James Ingleton 
 from the terraced steps of the great building, and 
 was received with vociferous enthusiasm by the 
 dense crowds that filled the wide open space in front 
 of the edifice. 
 
 The following day a special edition of the Voice 
 of the People was issued, containing the proclama- 
 
438 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 tion of the Committee of Public Safety. Its terms 
 read thus : — 
 
 " Citizens of the British Islands ! 
 
 " We, the members of the Committee of Public 
 Safety, in conclave assembled, do hereinafter set 
 forth the principal Laws by which this country will 
 be governed, in accordance with your votes as regis- 
 tered at the Hall of Legislation. 
 
 " 1. The form of government of the territories of 
 Great Britain and Ireland shall be that of a Consti- 
 tutional Monarchy. 
 
 " 2. The Sovereign shall receive a fixed Civil 
 List, as determined by majority of votes in the 
 Houses of Parliament. 
 
 " 3. The members of Parliament shall be re- 
 turned to the two Houses by their respective constitu- 
 encies for a period of three years, after which they 
 shall again be eligible for election. 
 
 "4. Constituencies consisting of over 100,000 
 inhabitants, shall send two representatives to Parlia- 
 ment. Those numbering less, one each. 
 
 " 5. Deputies shall be paid a yearly allowance 
 by their respective constituents, at a rate to be 
 hereinafter determined, if the ratepayers decide so. 
 
 " 6. The local interests of the county shall be 
 vested in the assemblies of the County Parliament, 
 to which every county shall send a deputy, or depu- 
 ties, in proportion to its population. The decisions 
 arrived at by such County Parliament shall be sub- 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 439 
 
 mitted for final sanction to the Houses of the Legis- 
 lature (which otherwise shall deal with the general 
 affairs of the Kingdom), to be subject, in the last 
 resort, to the Boyal Veto. 
 
 " 7. Against the decisions of the Houses of Par- 
 liament, or against their acts, there shall be no 
 appeal. 
 
 " 8. Parliament shall, at the beginning and end 
 of each session, be opened and closed by the 
 Sovereign in person, unless he be prevented hy force 
 majeure. 
 
 " 9. Under the newly constituted Monarchy, 
 education shall be entirely free in all its branches, 
 including the higher sciences, arts, music, and liter- 
 ature, to those who cannot pay for same. 
 
 " 10. All persons on arriving at the age of sixty- 
 five, who are British subjects, and all others who 
 shall have resided for twenty-five years in the coun- 
 try, shall be entitled, in consideration of the rates 
 and taxes which he or she shall have contributed, 
 directly or indirectly, to receive an annual pension at 
 a rate to be hereafter determined, and which shall 
 suffice to support him or her in comfort, always 
 provided they have no personal means of support. 
 
 " 11. Those persons, who on reaching the age of 
 sixty-five, shall be found possessed of the means of 
 living, shall not be entitled to receive the pensions 
 aforesaid. 
 
 " 12. Free grants of land for agricultural pur- 
 poses shall be made to such as shall satisfy the 
 
440 JAMES INQLETON. 
 
 authorities that they possess adequate knowledge of 
 husbandry, and means of working the same. The 
 government shall stipulate the sum to be paid it by 
 such persons on the land granted to them becoming 
 productive. 
 
 "13. Persons who cannot find employment 
 shall be supplied with temporary work of miscel- 
 laneous nature, and suited to their capacities, by 
 Government. 
 
 " 14. All persons unwilling to perform the work 
 so allotted to them, or who shall misconduct them- 
 selves, or act in any way that may be considered 
 injurious to the State, shall be imprisoned during 
 the pleasure of Parliament. 
 
 •* 15. All churches and denominations shall have 
 absolute freedom of public worship, which shall, in 
 all cases, be conducted within enclosed walls. 
 
 ** 16. No rehgious procession of any kind shall 
 be allowed in the public streets. 
 
 " 17. There shall be no State church. 
 
 " 18. The monetary currency is re-established on 
 the decimal system, and the Government shall be 
 the sole issuer of the specie. 
 
 *' In the name of the Committee of Public Safety." 
 (Here followed the signatures.) 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Thebe is an interregnum, and the Committee of 
 Public Safety still issues its orders. 
 
 But it is to Ingleton's little sister we must now 
 turn. 
 
 Wan grow her cheeks, while the hectic tints grow 
 fainter. The shadows come and go in the wintry 
 sun. Look, they rise from behind the child's head ; 
 they glide, glide upwards, till they disappear. But 
 by Katie they are unseen, these visitors of the 
 far off. 
 
 How the little thin lips tremble — how the clammy^ 
 pallid hands, damp with death's dews, twitch 
 with nervous convulsion. 
 
 Yet the shadows recur. They lengthen as the 
 days draw out, and that corner grows darker by 
 contrast. Yet the tenacious life holds out. 
 
 One morning, a wild shriek rends the air. The 
 child springs up in terror, hurls the bed-clothes from 
 her, and then falls back foaming at the mouth, and 
 with her sightless eyes wide open. The watchers at 
 the bedside rush forward, fearing the end has come. 
 Ingleton is hastily summoned from the Council 
 Chamber. It is but a momentary flicker in which life 
 comes, and glides away, to leave the form prostrate and 
 apparently dead. Silently they stand as the doctor 
 
 DD 
 
442 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 (with whom special cases seem no longer a desidera- 
 tum) tenderly lifts the pulse, and feels its feeBle 
 beating. They moisten the lips, and slowly life 
 returns ; slowly and weakly the body heaves, and 
 the fingers unclasp. The convulsion is over. Antony 
 — the mist before his eyes increasing as the tears 
 fall — vows not to leave the bedside. 
 
 Again the shadows flit away into the eternity of 
 the unknown. The pallid lips move, and the words 
 "James, James," is constantly heard. 
 
 Then comes the delirium, in which the past 
 mingles with the present, and the mind runs riot. 
 The child shrieks and groans, and tosses in the bed 
 like a storm beaten ship. 
 
 The lucid intervals serve but the more to sharpen 
 the contrast. Yet the days grow brighter, and the 
 occasional glimpse of sunlight is so cheering that the 
 fancy of the May blossoms' gratefully fragrant bloom 
 comes to the senses. But the child knows it not, 
 and the doctor's composing draughts are of little avail. 
 
 At length, one morning, the sun shines not, 
 and a grey mist is in the air. A quietness per- 
 vades all nature, as though she were bidding 
 wearied life to be at rest. 
 
 Ingleton remains by the bedside with Nell and 
 Antony. In the adjoining room, Blanche is com- 
 forting Mrs. Ingleton, whose sobbing can be heard 
 at frequent intervals. 
 
 Miss Smithers and Dr. Shindle enter the sick- 
 chamber. The doctor examines his patient. 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 443 
 
 " The delirium is over," he says mournfully, and 
 looking through the casement, he sees the falling 
 snow. " Yes, it snows ; the ground is covered with 
 the white pall. When this snow-storm ceases, the 
 soul will have fled," and he left the room quickly, 
 to hide his emotion. 
 
 The day is waning. The hectic flush on the child's 
 face deepens; the cold, clammy perspiration increases. 
 
 The watchers stand near the bedside. Antony, 
 controlling his features, heaves a sigh, as he holds 
 the child's hand. 
 
 Suddenly, Katie springs up. " I see ! I see !" she 
 cries, and falls back — dead. 
 
 Draw the curtain ; tread softly, and speak quietly^ 
 for the spirit has fled — fled whither ? 
 
 Antony's eyes grow dimmer ; he is silent.. 
 
 A week passes by quickly ; and the events of the 
 hour are a consolation for the mourner, James 
 Ingleton. Dispatches are received that the emis- 
 saries have been successful in their errand, and that 
 Edward Guelph will accept the throne upon the con- 
 ditions proposed. Preparations are immediately 
 made, and the City re-echoes with noise of tools, 
 now on peaceful mission bent. 
 
 On the last day of that week, Glimson met 
 Ingleton outside the Hall of Legislation ; with him 
 was a coarse-looking man, Jenkins, late officer of the 
 Hall of Justice. 
 
 "Let us go to Pelham Stocking," said Glimson ; 
 " he wishes to see you." 
 
444 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 " Yes," said Jenkins, " come." 
 
 " Upon my word, you are quite voluble," re- 
 marked Glimson to Jenkins. 
 
 "He wants to see me, does he?" said Ingleton. 
 " Here, go to 54, Liberation Square, and tell Mr. 
 Collingwood to repair to where Stocking is at pre- 
 sent." 
 
 " Eight," answered Jenkins in his gruff voice ; and 
 he sped away. 
 
 " What does he want ?" queried Ingleton. 
 
 " He is going to confess — kneel down — be-autiful — 
 ask forgiveness. You give it — beautiful," rejoined 
 Glimson cynically. 
 
 " Come along then," said Ingleton. 
 
 When they arrived at the asylum, Mr. Colling- 
 wood, Antony, and Jenkins were there. 
 
 They were shown into a room by a warder. 
 Directly after. Stocking appeared : his hair matted ; 
 his eyes having a cold, nervous look ; his face bear- 
 ing evidence of the struggle he had lately undergone. 
 Thin and cadaverous, no longer the familiar smile 
 upon his countenance, he bore but slight resemblance 
 to the Pelham Stocking of former days. 
 
 As he looked round, he shuddered ; and, tottering 
 to a seat, exclaimed, "Forgive." 
 
 " Come, let us have some little explanation," said 
 Glimson. " The first man you injured was Mr. 
 Collingwood." 
 
 That party stepped forward, and, speaking in 
 indignant tones, said, — 
 
JAMBS INGLETON. 445 
 
 ** Ten years I suffered imprisonment because of 
 you — viper that you are !" 
 
 ** True," answered Stocking. " I committed a 
 forgery, and cast the blame on you. I did it. Yes ; 
 I know I did it." 
 
 "And for that / suffered !" The tone was percep- 
 tively warmer. 
 
 " You suffered ! How I suffered." Stocking 
 clenched his hands. " I suffered." 
 
 " What else have you done ?" queried Ingleton. 
 
 "I thought him dead," answered Stocking. 
 *' Him — yes, him," pointing to Antony. "One 
 night — oh ! that night !" (he trembled violently,) — 
 '* I followed him, and— I strangled him — strangled — 
 dead — and threw him in the river " — (the eyes grew 
 wilder as he shook his head) — " threw him in the 
 river — the tide carried him away — dead ! What 
 agony I have suffered ! " 
 
 " Yes ; I saw you carry something, and heard a 
 splash," growled Jenkins. 
 
 ** Splash ! " splash ! " but he is not dead ; he 
 is here," continued Stocking. " Antony," the voice 
 rang with terror, " I was mad." 
 
 Ingleton turned to him again and said, *' What 
 more misdeeds? " 
 
 " More than once I tried to kill you, and get rid 
 of you — kill you, do you hear," came from Stocking's 
 lips. " I fired at you, laid traps for you ; was a 
 traitor to your cause — traps. Ah! ah! ah!" — the 
 laugh echoed through the room — " I love Blanche 
 
446 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 Collingwood. I set Mrs. Berthon against you." He 
 stopped and began laughing — " Where is old Slowun, 
 eh ! where is he ?" 
 
 ** Dead," answered Glimson." 
 
 " Dead ! you say — dead ! Ah ! ah ! ah ! dead !" 
 ejaculated Stocking. " Dead ! — who is dead ?" Then, 
 as if mocking himself, " Dead ! Slowun is dead ! 
 Ah ! ah ! ah ! " He sprang from his chair and fell 
 back. " Antony is not — dead ! Ah ! ah ! ah ! Curse 
 them ! Curse them all ! " he began mumbling ; and 
 his eyes shone with a fitful glare. 
 
 It was time to end the scene. Glimson rang a 
 bell. Stocking watched him, and sprang up. The 
 demoniacal laugh rang out once more. He com- 
 menced raving and shouting as the keepers bore 
 him away — " Dead ! dead ! dead ! " 
 
 Forty-eight hours before the arrival of Edward 
 Guelph, future king of England, James Ingleton 
 and Blanche Collingwood were united quietly, by 
 reason of the recent death. Their courtship, inter- 
 spersed by a civil war, was consummated amid the 
 cheerful hope of better days. 
 
 His Majesty, Edward VH., landed from an aerial 
 car at Dover ; and from the old Castle a royal salute 
 was once more fired. On his way from Dover to 
 London, he was escorted by a mighty host, which 
 continued increasing till the Metropolis was reached. 
 Huge bonfires were lit, the bells rang out, and a 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 447 
 
 general rejoicing was the order of the hour on the 
 evening of his arrival. 
 
 He was a tall, handsome man, browned by the 
 sun, with a kind and dignified look, and seemed 
 very much at his ease amid this display, so novel to 
 him. 
 
 Ingleton, accompanied by the Members of the 
 Committee of Public Safety, welcomed him, and 
 escorted him with a guard of honour to the centre of 
 the Park, where a grand dais, resplendent with 
 gorgeous tints, had been erected. As His Majesty 
 ascended the dais, the park became transformed into 
 one sea of colour, by the aid of a bright array of 
 electric lamps. The people came trooping in their 
 thousands to welcome the kino- 
 
 Ingleton having presented the sovereign with the 
 necessary papers of State, which he signed, then 
 spoke : " I have a few words to say to your Majesty 
 and the people. The Social State is now a thing of 
 the past, a bad dream to look back upon, and from 
 which we can learn a great lesson. Now, each man 
 has obtained his individual freedom and rights ; now 
 that we are no longer serfs to great or httle tyrants, 
 it behoves us to strive in the future to act as men 
 and women who wish for the best, and who mean to 
 have it. I know that there will ever be those who 
 will attempt to pervert all God's gifts to evil purposes. 
 But the future looks bright ; the weary hours are 
 over. Let us look forward to the roseate dawn." 
 Then the king addressed the multitude. 
 
448 JAMES INGLETON. 
 
 "With feelings of inmost emotion," he said, "I 
 accept the throne — to return to the home of my ances- 
 tors, after a long absence. A heavy task awaits me. 
 Yet I accept it, trusting to receive the help of all 
 England in the maintenance of peace. Not a few 
 proposals and conditions were laid before me by 
 those who have acted as the guides of the English 
 people. All those I cheerfully agreed to, seeing they 
 were intended for the nation's good. Acknowledging 
 the great and all-powerful principle of Individualism, 
 I trust it will ever be maintained. On this principle 
 I accept this throne, so that its influence may spread 
 far and wide. Further, I declare that I will hearken 
 to all counsel given to me, and that James Ingleton 
 — the man who has done more for this country than 
 ever I shall h& able to do — shall remain my right 
 hand. Thank Heaven the Constitutional Monarchy 
 is re-established in a country where it had its first 
 home." 
 
 The crowd burst out into loud and repeated cheer- 
 ing. From end to end of the park the joyful sound 
 was carried through the streets, and a general 
 acclamation resounded through the city. In a voice, 
 loud and unmistakable, the nation shouted, " Long 
 live the King !" 
 
 Some months have passed since the King's entry 
 into London. James Ingleton, beloved by the 
 nation, admired by his friends, happy in the bright- 
 ness of his married life, has been elected Prime 
 Minister of the Kingdom. Mark Glimson, who, it 
 
JAMES INGLETON. 449 
 
 is rumoured, is enamoured of Ingleton's sister 
 Nell, can be found any afternoon in his office as 
 Secretary of the Home Department. The history 
 of the past is forgotten in the pressure of his new 
 duties. 
 
 BuerUn, who has been entrusted with the 
 Secretaryship of Foreign Affairs, shows marked 
 ability. Those who would know his opinions on 
 current affairs, should consult his diary. 
 
 Bligow, jovial as ever, received a good appoint- 
 ment, and so did Fitz waiter. Cavendish was promoted 
 from a private citizen to a superior officer in the 
 army, Walter Wharham is chief engineer to 
 the Government, and his words are listened to 
 eagerly. WilKam Heughin, priding himself on his 
 Saxon descent (witness his flaxen hair and his light 
 blue eyes), is working at an invention of his, although 
 he has not yet circumvented the globe in four and 
 twenty hours. The celebrated trio — Perkins, Bur- 
 ham, and Baxter, occasionally come across Burrows, 
 their quondam overseer, and greet him with a con- 
 temptuous whistle. Dixon, Hardale, and Vickers, 
 will soon reach the goal of their ambition, and be 
 men of means. Miss Smithers visits her relatives 
 very often, and in her brusque manner generally 
 manages to impress all with whom she comes in 
 contact. Mrs. Berthon rapidly falls into her new 
 groove. As for Mr. Collingwood, he is happy and 
 contented now ; and occasionally he visits Pelham 
 Stocking, who is still mad. Little Georgie, in her 
 
 £E 
 
450 JAMBS INGLETON. 
 
 childish innocence, finds it rather difficult to call 
 " that nice man," James Ingleton, " uncle," although 
 it is not the real relationship between them. 
 
 To three more who have assisted to fill these pages 
 we must refer. Thompson, blithe and gay, once or 
 twice mourns the loss of Mr. B. M. Slowuu, and 
 occasionally finds a gloomy satisfaction in recounting 
 to his boon companions the eccentricities of the late 
 President of the Young Alliance. Sometimes he 
 will even go through a performance, which always 
 concludes with one of his celebrated war dances. 
 
 Yonder comes a lady, who, since we first met her, 
 has grown white haired. The hands of time are 
 upon her, the joy of her son's great position mingles 
 with the sorrow of her recent loss, and she mutters 
 to herself, " My mother always told me things would 
 come right in the end." AVho would deny it ? 
 
 Once more we look around. Antony comes 
 towards us, his face more wrinkled and crabbed than 
 ever. His eyes peer through the mist that nature 
 has cast around him, and he shouts, — 
 
 "HUEEAH FOE MEEEY ENGLAND." 
 
 Finis. 
 
James Blackwood Or Co., Publiskers, 
 
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