THE MESSIAH OF THE CYLINDER [Illustration: I put my feet inside and squeezed down to the bottom [_Page 28_] ] [Illustration: The Messiah of the Cylinder by Victor Rousseau Illustrated by Joseph Clement Coll ] CHICAGO A.C. McCLURG & CO. 1917 Copyright A. C. McClurg & Co. 1917 Published October, 1917 _Copyrighted in Great Britain_ _All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian._ W. F. HALL PRINTING COMPANY, CHICAGO CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I Over the Coffee Cups 1 II The Great Experiment 16 III In the Cellar 30 IV The Road to London 41 V London’s Welcome 53 VI The Strangers’ House 66 VII Hidden Things 79 VIII How the World Was Made Over 89 IX The Book 102 X The Domed Building 108 XI The Goddess of the Temple 122 XII The Lords of Misrule 137 XIII The Palace of Palms 151 XIV The House on the Wall 164 XV The Airscouts’ Fortress 174 XVI The Messiah’s Annunciation 186 XVII The Chapel Underground 198 XVIII Sanson 214 XIX The Story of the Cylinders 225 XX The Sweep of the Net 237 XXI Amaranth 247 XXII Esther 261 XXIII The Heart of the People 271 XXIV Lembken 280 XXV The Coming of the Cross 292 XXVI The Admiral of the Air 302 XXVII The New Order 312 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE I put my feet inside and squeezed down to the bottom _Frontispiece_ I made my difficult way toward the stairs 34 I glanced from one to another, and met hard, mirthless eyes, and mouths twisted in sneering mockery 50