eople
any more pacific.'

'How d'you mean?' I ventured to ask.

'If you've ever been ground-circuited,' said the Mayor, 'you'll know it
don't improve any man's temper to be held up straining against nothing.
No, sir! Eight or nine hundred folk kept pawing and buzzing like flies
in treacle for two hours, while a pack of perfectly safe Serviles
invades their mental and spiritual privacy, may be amusing to watch, but
they are not pleasant to handle afterwards.'

Pirolo chuckled.

'Our folk own themselves. They were of opinion things were going too far
and too fiery. I warned the Serviles; but they're born house-dwellers.
Unless a fact hits 'em on the head they cannot see it. Would you believe
me, they went on to talk of what they called "popular government"? They
did! They wanted us to go back to the old Voodoo-business of voting with
papers and wooden boxes, and word-drunk people and printed formulas, and
news-sheets! They said they practised it among themselves about what
they'd have to eat in their flats and hotels. Yes, sir! They stood up
behind Bluthner's doubled ground-circuits, and they said that, in this
present year of grace, _to_ self-owning men and women, _on_ that very
spot! Then they finished'--he lowered his voice cautiously--'by talking
about "The People." And then Bluthner he had to sit up all night in
charge of the circuits because he couldn't trust his men to keep
'em shut.'

'It was trying 'em too high,' the Chief of Police broke in. 'But we
couldn't hold the Crowd ground-circuited for ever. I gathered in all the
Serviles on charge of Crowd-making, and put 'em in the water-tower, and
then I let things cut loose. I had to! The District lit like a sparked
gas-tank!'

'The news was out over seven degrees of country,' the Mayor continued;
'and when once it's a question of invasion of privacy, good-bye to right
and reason in Illinois! They began turning out traffic-lights and
locking up landing-towers on Thursday night. Friday, they stopped all
traffic and asked for the Board to take over. Then they wanted to clean
Chicago off the side of the Lake and rebuild elsewhere--just for a
souvenir of "The People" that the Serviles talked about. I suggested
that they should slag the Old Market where the meeting was held, while I
turned in a call to you all on the Board. That kept 'em quiet till you
came along. And--and now _you_ can take hold of the situation.'

'Any chance of their quieting down?' De Forest