'Quite correct,' said he. 'It is all in the old books. He has left
nothing out, not even the war-talk.'

'But I don't see how this stuff can upset a child, much less a
district,' I replied.

'Ah, you are too young,' said Dragomiroff. 'For another thing, you are
not a mamma. Please look at the mammas.'

Ten or fifteen women who remained had separated themselves from the
silent men, and were drawing in towards the prisoners. It reminded one
of the stealthy encircling, before the rush in at the quarry, of wolves
round musk-oxen in the North. The prisoners saw, and drew together more
closely. The Mayor covered his face with his hands for an instant. De
Forest, bareheaded, stepped forward between the prisoners, and the
slowly, stiffly moving line.

'That's all very interesting,' he said to the dry-lipped orator. 'But
the point seems that you've been making crowds and invading privacy.'

A woman stepped forward, and would have spoken, but there was a quick
assenting murmur from the men, who realised that De Forest was trying to
pull the situation down to ground-line.

'Yes! Yes!' they cried. 'We cut out because they made crowds and invaded
privacy! Stick to that! Keep on that switch! Lift the Serviles out of
this! The Board's in charge! Hsh!'

'Yes, the Board's in charge,' said De Forest. 'I'll take formal evidence