Van Emmon was afterward unable to recall any experience between his
entering the sublimial state and becoming tele-conscious. That is,
his only recollection was of a definite scene, experienced through
the eyes and ears of his agent.
The place was a large high-ceilinged room, its architecture
suggesting some public building. In the center, and directly in
front of Van Emmon's agent, stood a large, rectangular table, about
which sat a number of men. Van Emmon counted nine of them.
The whole atmosphere was solemn and important. Van Emmon was
reminded of old photographs of cabinet meetings in Washington, of
strategy boards during the great war. He listened intently for
something to be said.
Near the foot of the table--Van Emmon's agent sat at the head--a
tall man with an imposing, square-cut beard rose to his feet. He
gazed at each of the other eight in turn, significantly; and when he
spoke the geologist was so impressed with the deadly seriousness of
the scene that he forgot to be amazed at his ability to understand
what was said, forgot to marvel that these men were, undeniably,
human beings of exceptional character.
"Gentlemen," said the man who had risen, "I do not need to remind
you of the seriousness of this occasion. I only wish to congratulate
you, and myself, on the fact that we now have a chairman to whom we
can look with confidence. I say this without meaning any reflection
upon his predecessor."
He sat down, and immediately a white-haired man with a wide,
complacent type of face arose and declared: "No reflection is felt,
sir. On the contrary, I am exceedingly glad that Mr. Powart is to
take my place. I only wish that the commission felt free to discard
its rule of choosing by lots; I should like to present Mr. Powart
with the chair for as long a period as he would care to fill it."
He took his seat amid a general murmur of approval, while nine pair
of eyes were turned in unison upon the pair Van Emmon was sharing.
His agent, then, was chairman of some sort of a council, known as
"the commission."
Powart got to his feet. Even in this simple act his motions were
swift and sure; they harmonized perfectly with the way he talked.
"Thanks, both you. To be frank, I am glad, for the sake of the
association, that the youngest commissioner has come to its head at
this time. If there were a younger than myself, I would say the
same."
He paused and glanced at some memoranda in his hand. Van Emmon was
struck, first, by the smooth skin and perfect formation of the hand
and wrist; and, second, by the peculiar writing on the papers. He
had no idea what it meant, although his agent certainly did.
(Afterward the four concluded that, in the case of words written in
code or otherwise requiring an effort of the agent's conscious mind,
the people on the earth, being in touch only with the subconscious,
were never informed. But they never had any trouble in understanding
anything that was said aloud.)
"If there are any special matters which should be handled in general
session, now is the time to bring them up," said Powart, and
remained standing.
An undersized man with a remarkably large head of hair spoke up from
the righthand side of the table: "I want to suggest that it is high
time we sent another expedition to Alma."
"I agree," from the man who had been Powart's predecessor.
Apparently these ten men had nearly dispensed with parlimentary
rules. "What are the prospects, Powart?"
"First rate. Runled's old space-boat has been renovated recently,
and I understand that enough of the required materials have been
mined to insure one round trip."
"It is very fortunate that we shall be able to visit Alma again,
even though we use up our entire supply in the attempt. It seems
that we shall soon need, and need badly, certain chemical secrets
which they alone possess."
"When can the boat start?"
"Within a week. I shall keep in touch with the crew by wireless, and
advise you of their progress from time to time. Alma is a sort of a
hobby with me; I wouldn't mind taking the trip myself."
There was a long pause. Powart waited, as though in expectation of
further remarks, then gave another glance at his memoranda and
began:
"Of course, we are mainly concerned with the demonstration in
Calastia. As to its cause, I may mention that Eklan Norbith was in a
hospital at the time, having a substitution. Had he been on the
spot, the uprising would have been checked before any one heard of
it.
"But it now seems that Calastia, during the last few hours, has
become a seething hotbed of rebellion. Of course, we have isolated
the district, and a search for arms is now in progress.
"The head of the recalcitrants is a man named Ernol. He takes his
confinement as a matter of course, and no amount of pressure will
induce him to talk. Neither can we get anything from his companions,
nor from his son.
"It is up to us to decide what measures to adopt."
A large, pugnacious-looking man on the left put in the first
comment. "Would it not be a saving of time to provoke violence, in
one way or another, and thus form a pretext for disposing of the
entire lot?"
"I admire your bluntness," remarked the former chairman across the
table, "although I can't say as much for your philosophy. It is our
duty to keep everybody contented; we cannot do any public
weeding-out until the others are satisfied that the malcontents are
really weeds."
"That is clear enough," spoke the shock-headed man. "What are the
conditions, Powart?"
"Nearly normal. The percentage of overhead is only slightly higher
than average. Until Ernol moved into the locality every one seemed
contented with the regular arrangements."
"What is his contention?"
"The usual democratic nonsense. He claims that the commission is
autocratic, down to its last deputy. Denies that we have the right
to apportion one-half the earnings to the workers and the other half
to the owners. States that our system is wasteful, unjust, and
demoralizing."
"And what does he propose?"
"Democratic control of industry. You know--that old line of talk."
"Does he deny that the commission has abolished poverty and war?"
"No; but he points out that our present standard of living has not
changed for generations, and argues that degeneration must result.
Of course, he is right in his fact but wrong in his conclusion."
"Doesn't he admit the necessity of some sort of an international
governing body?"
"Yes; but he claims that the commission should be elected by direct
vote of the people!"
A general smile of derision greeted this. The only face that
remained serious was that of the shock-headed man. He said:
"There must be a slip somewhere, Powart. Isn't there a heavy fine
and imprisonment for teaching such stuff? How did Ernol ever get
hold of the notion?"
"Probably through tradition. We can't keep people from talking to
their own children; perhaps Ernol's great-grandparents told him of
the days when every one was allowed to vote."
The shock-headed man got another idea. "What has the man to say
against our system of voting in proportion to property interests?"
"Says it's all right in principle; but he claims that the earth
belongs to one and all, equally, and therefore each should have an
equal voice in its disposition and government."
This time there was no smiling. The pugnacious-looking man spoke for
the rest when he said:
"We cannot allow such ideas to gain headway, Powart! Have you a
plan?"
"We must keep a close watch upon Calastia, and allow no one to leave
its borders. As for Ernol, I have concluded that the best thing will
be--turn him loose!"
They looked at him in consternation. He explained:
"I have been reading up the experience of the past few centuries in
such cases; and if there is one thing that stands out clearer than
any other it is this: the surest way to make the public sympathize
with a radical is to persecute him. But disregard him and ridicule
him, and his philosophy doesn't last long.
"Instead of trying to make an example of this chap, by severely
punishing him, we shall let him go. It may be that he will object to
this; he may have discovered the same truths I have been reading,
and would like nothing better than to become a 'martyr.' But we
shall force him out, if need be."
"But suppose he continues his talking?"
"In that case we must simply watch our chance, and take him
secretly; if need be, arrest a thousand others at the same time. The
main thing is secrecy; so that the people cannot know, no matter
what they may suspect, what has become of him. His final dispostion
will be a question of mere exediency."
The former chairman approved heartily. "You've got the right idea,
Powart. Is there anything further on tap?"
Powart put his notes away. "Every national report is the same as
usual; all quiet, and people apparently well satisfied.
"If there is no further business, we may consider ourselves
adjourned."
The men got to their feet with the usual accompanying noises. The
tall man with the square-cut beard immediately came and offered
Powart his hand. Van Emmon noticed that they shook hands almost
exactly as Americans would.
"Things seem to be coming your way, my boy," said the bearded man,
his keen eyes softening slightly. "I saw the paper this morning.
Congratulations! She is one girl in millions. Has she fixed the
date?"
"No. Mona was rather taken by surprise--to be frank with you,
uncle."
As Powart spoke, he was eyeing the door and nodding permission for
an attendant to enter. The man stepped obsequiously forward and
presented a message, for all the world like any ordinary aerogram.
Powart opened it while his uncle signed.
The chairman gave a low whistle of surprise. "Mona had an accident
with her flier, a little while ago, and was rescued by "--he looked
closer at the aerogram--"a chap named Fort. She is now recuperating
on board the Cobulus."
The tall man took the message and read it himself, while Powart
glanced about the room. Van Emmon caught a glimpse of a clock, and
he noted the pendulum especially. But before he could learn anything
further, Dr. Kinney's hand jerked as before, and the gong rang. The
four awakened.
They had been "visiting" over an hour.