od up to her full height, dwarfing even De Forest's
six-foot-eight, and smiled, with eyes closed against the fierce light.

'Yes, rather,' said De Forest. 'I'm afraid you feel the glare a little.
We'll have the ship down.'

He motioned to the _Pirolo_ to drop between us and the sun, and at the
same time to loop-circuit the prisoners, who were a trifle unsteady. We
saw them stiffen to the current where they stood. The woman's voice went
on, sweet and deep and unshaken:

'I don't suppose you men realise how much this--this sort of thing means
to a woman. I've borne three. We women don't want our children given to
Crowds. It must be an inherited instinct. Crowds make trouble. They
bring back the Old Days. Hate, fear, blackmail, publicity, "The
People"--_That! That! That_!' She pointed to the Statue, and the crowd
growled once more.

'Yes, if they are allowed to go on,' said De Forest. 'But this little
affair--'

'It means so much to us women that this--this little affair should never
happen again. Of course, never's a big word, but one feels so strongly
that it is important to stop crowds at the very beginning. Those
creatures'--she pointed with her left hand at the prisoners swaying like
seaweed in a tideway as the circuit pulled them--'those people have
friends and wives and children in the city and elsewhere. One doesn't
want anything done to _them_, you know. It's terrible to force a human
being out of fifty or sixty years of good life. I'm only forty myself.
_I_ know. But, at the same time, one feels that an example should be
made, because no price is too heavy to pay if--if these people and _all
that they imply_ can be put an end to. Do you quite understand, or would
you be kind enough to tell your men to take the casing off the Statue?
It's worth looking at.'

'I understand perfectly. But I don't think anybody here wants to see
the Statue on an empty stomach. Excuse me one moment.' De Forest called
up to the ship, 'A flying loop ready on the port side, if you please.'
Then to the woman he said with some crispness, 'You might leave us a
little discretion in the matter.'

'Oh, of course. Thank you for being so patient. I know my arguments are
silly, but--' She half turned away and went on in a changed voice,
'Perhaps this will help you to decide.'

She threw out her right arm with a knife in it. Before the blade could
be returned to her throat or her bosom it was twitched from her grip,
sparked as it flew ou