But Starbuck is but telling them that these inert millions represent a greater tyranny than my lord duke of York’s; and that the experiment of a republic has been tried for just a hundred years and failed. Starbuck is very bitter to-night and inclined to look upon things from their darkest side. “Why,” says he, “they have gone back like whipped curs to the very outward forms of the tyranny they broke away from.”--(Starbuck has been educating himself lately, hoping that he might be fit company for his sister; and he spoke at all times much better English than does Mr. Tamms.) “It is as if they said, ‘Yes, we have had our fling, and we broke away from lords and bishops and aristocracies and lords of the soil; and we were all wrong, and now we want again our powdered flunkies and our my lord this and that, and our coats-of-arms, and our daughters want to marry foreign princes, and our wives would like to be fast women of the court again, and our boys hunt foxes and have their poaching laws; and we ourselves would like to rule at Washington? Why, a man who owns a railroad is really a bigger, stronger lord than any feudal baron!’” “That’s all very pretty; but we’d like to see a little less talk from you, an’m suthin’ done,” said Simpson, who had been drinking almost more than usual. “Shut your mouth,” said James. “You’ll see something done before you’re much older. For one, I’m opposed to scarin’ people much, before we’re ready to really act and smash everything at once.” “That’s damned fine talk, but you ain’t boss, you know,” sneered Simpson. “Boss or not, I don’t know as I’ve got any more stomach for one kind of a mastery than another--whether they call ’emselves reds and internationalists, or employers of labor! What do you suppose the G. M. G. wants anyhow? Fireworks--nothin’ but fireworks.” “Well, but what’s the use o’ goin’ so far?” said another man, pacifically. “We can take a job where we like--we’ve liberty, anyhow.” “Liberty!” cried James. “So’s a horse his oats. They’ve got the mines, an’ the mills, an’ they fix the wages, an’ we’ve got to live in the company’s tenements, an’ pay the company’s rents, an’ get up to the whistle, an’ wash our daughters’ faces when we’re bid; and if we don’t like it, the company’ll import a lot of dirt-eating foreigners, but we’ve got to pay our rent, just the same. And all that these fellers, who ain’t no better than we are, can have a good time and drink champagne at breakfast. I’ve had enough of republics and democracies; an’ I tell you we don’t want any kind of ’ocracy but just nothin’ at all!” “H--l!” snarled Simpson, who had listened with impatience to Starbuck’s speech. “They ain’t no different from what we are; you were a boss yourself until a few weeks ago, and then you sang a different tune.” (It was true that Starbuck had lately been discharged, for his complicity in the mining strike.) “You’d like ter be a swell, like the rest of ’em, and your sister’s just the same.”