The speech was over in three minutes; but twice that time passed before any answer came. I moved round to the front of the house, but the place from which O’Rane’s voice had issued was occupied by a single policeman. There was no more stone-throwing, but I could see nothing of the besieging army. Once I whistled a few bars of _Lilliburlero_, but they passed unacknowledged. Then I walked in a wider compass towards the battlefield on the Embankment. Everything was silent, every one was still; and each man suspected his neighbour. I could see neither policemen nor rioters until I was within a yard of them; then a face would leap at me out of the grey fog. Usually it was frightened, sometimes it was angry; always it seemed thin, hopeless and bewildered. The stench was oppressive; the sense of silent numbers suffocating. As I turned back towards the house, I felt a slight tremor among the men who surrounded me. Perhaps my own aimless movement had given them the lead they were awaiting. Those ahead of us were pushed forward; those behind hurried to catch up. Suspicion seemed to die down; and I heard a hoarse murmur of conversation. Finding myself alone, I tried _Lilliburlero_ again; and with an answering whistle O’Rane slipped like a snake through the intervening ranks and stationed himself at my side. “You all right?,” he whispered. “Yes, thanks. It’s over, Raney. What d’you want me to do now?” “Let’s be sure first that it _is_ over. . . . I don’t like the sound of _that_.” Taking my arm, he led me in the direction of a voice that seemed to be answering his own speech. I could not hear the words; and, if I suspected the voice to be Griffiths’, that was only because a curious snarl, passed from lip to lip, was taken up as a cry. “They’re saying it’s a trap,” I told O’Rane. “Trap . . . Trap . . . Trap . . .” came the snarl; and those who were nearest the house turned headlong till we were almost swept off our feet. “Trap be damned,” shouted a voice; and in place of the mutters and snarls came the roar of two opposing armies. 5 It was very much as I had foreseen; very much as I had predicted to Griffiths himself. His men were turning against him.