FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167  
168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   >>  
ts, and saw that they were inflamed with uproar and tossing passions. "We arrive at a happy moment," said the man steering the ship. "The insurgents are bombarding the city, and a cannon-ball has just hit the cross. Many of the insurgents are simple people, and they naturally regard it as a happy omen." "Quite so," said Turnbull, in a rather colourless voice. "Yes," replied the other. "I thought you would be glad to see your prayer answered. Of course I apologize for the word prayer." "Don't mention it," said Turnbull. The flying ship had come down upon a sort of curve, and was now rising again. The higher and higher it rose the broader and broader became the scenes of flame and desolation underneath. Ludgate Hill indeed had been an uncaptured and comparatively quiet height, altered only by the startling coincidence of the cross fallen awry. All the other thoroughfares on all sides of that hill were full of the pulsation and the pain of battle, full of shaking torches and shouting faces. When at length they had risen high enough to have a bird's-eye view of the whole campaign, Turnbull was already intoxicated. He had smelt gunpowder, which was the incense of his own revolutionary religion. "Have the people really risen?" he asked, breathlessly. "What are they fighting about?" "The programme is rather elaborate," said his entertainer with some indifference. "I think Dr. Hertz drew it up." Turnbull wrinkled his forehead. "Are all the poor people with the Revolution?" he asked. The other shrugged his shoulders. "All the instructed and class-conscious part of them without exception," he replied. "There were certainly a few districts; in fact, we are passing over them just now----" Turnbull looked down and saw that the polished car was literally lit up from underneath by the far-flung fires from below. Underneath whole squares and solid districts were in flames, like prairies or forests on fire. "Dr. Hertz has convinced everybody," said Turnbull's cicerone in a smooth voice, "that nothing can really be done with the real slums. His celebrated maxim has been quite adopted. I mean the three celebrated sentences: 'No man should be unemployed. Employ the employables. Destroy the unemployables.'" There was a silence, and then Turnbull said in a rather strained voice: "And do I understand that this good work is going on under here?" "Going on splendidly," replied his companion in the heartiest voic
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167  
168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   >>  



Top keywords:
Turnbull
 

people

 

replied

 

higher

 

underneath

 

prayer

 

broader

 
celebrated
 

districts

 
insurgents

programme

 

fighting

 

literally

 

polished

 

looked

 
passing
 

entertainer

 
shrugged
 

shoulders

 

instructed


Revolution

 
wrinkled
 

indifference

 

forehead

 

elaborate

 

exception

 

conscious

 
prairies
 

Destroy

 

employables


companion
 

unemployables

 
silence
 

Employ

 

unemployed

 

sentences

 

heartiest

 

splendidly

 

strained

 

understand


adopted

 

flames

 

forests

 
squares
 
Underneath
 

convinced

 
cicerone
 

smooth

 

answered

 

apologize