onless figure in black and scarlet and the ivory face.

Then Oliver stood up. His face was as white as paper; his eyes bright
and dilated.

"Sir," he said, "I have no doubt that we are all of one mind. I need say
no more than that, so far as I am a representative of my colleagues, we
assent to the proposal, and leave all details in your Honour's hands."

The President lifted his eyes, and ran them swiftly along the rigid
faces turned to him.

Then, in the breathless hush, he spoke for the first time in his strange
voice, now as passionless as a frozen river.

"Is there any other proposal?"

There was a murmur of assent as the men rose to their feet.

"Thank you, gentlemen," said the secretary.

III

It was a little before seven o'clock on the morning of Saturday that
Oliver stepped out of the motor that had carried him to Wimbledon
Common, and began to go up the steps of the old volor-stage, abandoned
five years ago. It had been thought better, in view of the extreme
secrecy that was to be kept, that England's representative in the
expedition should start from a comparatively unknown point, and this old
stage, in disuse now, except for occasional trials of new Government
machines, had been selected. Even the lift had been removed, and it was
necessary to climb the hundred and fifty steps on foot.

It was with a certain unwillingness that he had accepted this post among
the four delegates, for nothing had been heard of his wife, and it was
terrible to him to leave London while her fate was as yet doubtful. On
the whole, he was less inclined than ever now to accept the Euthanasia
theory; he had spoken to one or two of her friends, all of whom declared
that she had never even hinted at such an end. And, again, although he
was well aware of the eight-day law in the matter, even if she had
determined on such a step there was nothing to show that she was yet in
England, and, in fact, it was more than likely that if she were bent on
such an act she would go abroad for it, where laxer conditions
prevailed. In short, it seemed that he could do no good by remaining in
England, and the temptation to be present at the final act of justice in
the East by which land, and, in fact, it was more than likely that if
she were to be wiped out, and Franklin, too, among them--Franklin, that
parody of the Lord of the World--this, added to the opinion of his
colleagues in the Government, and the curious sense, never absent from