"He won't let him go," said the old man.

"And the Sleeper. Are you sure he is not genuine? I have never heard--"

"So all the fools think. So they think. As if there wasn't a thousand
things that were never heard. I know Ostrog too well for that. Did I tell
you? In a way I'm a sort of relation of Ostrog's. A sort of relation.
Through my daughter-in-law."

"I suppose--"

"Well?"

"I suppose there's no chance of this Sleeper asserting himself. I suppose
he's certain to be a puppet--in Ostrog's hands or the Council's, as soon
as the struggle is over."

"In Ostrog's hands--certainly. Why shouldn't he be a puppet? Look at his
position. Everything done for him, every pleasure possible. Why should he
want to assert himself?"

"What are these Pleasure Cities?" said Graham, abruptly.

The old man made him repeat the question. When at last he was assured of
Graham's words, he nudged him violently. "That's _too_ much," said he.
"You're poking fun at an old man. I've been suspecting you know more than
you pretend."

"Perhaps I do," said Graham. "But no! why should I go on acting? No, I do