'Yes, the Board's in charge,' said De Forest. 'I'll take formal evidence
of crowd-making if you like, but the Members of the Board can testify to
it. Will that do?'
The women had closed in another pace, with hands that clenched and
unclenched at their sides.
'Good! Good enough!' the men cried. 'We're content. Only take them away
quickly.'
'Come along up!' said De Forest to the captives, 'Breakfast is quite
ready.'
It appeared, however, that they did not wish to go. They intended to
remain in Chicago and make crowds. They pointed out that De Forest's
proposal was gross invasion of privacy.
'My dear fellow,' said Pirolo to the most voluble of the leaders, 'you
hurry, or your crowd that can't be wrong will kill you!'
'But that would be murder,' answered the believer in crowds; and there
was a roar of laughter from all sides that seemed to show the crisis
had broken.
A woman stepped forward from the line of women, laughing, I protest, as
merrily as any of the company. One hand, of course, shaded her eyes, the
other was at her throat.
'Oh, they needn't be afraid of being killed!' she called.
'Not in the least,' said De Forest. 'But don't you think that, now the
Board's in charge, you might go home while we get these people away?'
'I shall be home long before that. It--it has been rather a trying day.'
She stood up to her full height, dwarfing even De Forest's
six-foot-eight, and smiled, with eyes closed against the fierce light.
'Yes, rather,' said De Forest. 'I'm afraid you feel the glare a little.
We'll have the ship down.'
He motioned to the _Pirolo_ to drop between us and the sun, and at the
same time to loop-circuit the prisoners, who were a trifle unsteady. We
saw them stiffen to the current where they stood. The woman's voice went
on, sweet and deep and unshaken:
'I don't suppose you men realise how much this--this sort of thing means
to a woman. I've borne three. We women don't want our children given to
Crowds. It must be an inherited instinct. Crowds make trouble. They
bring back the Old Days. Hate, fear, blackmail, publicity, "The
People"--_That! That! That_!' She pointed to the Statue, and the crowd
growled once more.
'Yes, if they are allowed to go on,' said De Forest. 'But this little
affair--'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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