e reason of their absence from his own suite of apartments.
Asano stared. "I never thought," he said. "Ostrog must have had them
removed."

Graham stared. "How was I to know?" he exclaimed.

"Perhaps he thought they would annoy you," said Asano.

"They must be replaced directly I return," said Graham after an
interval.

He found a difficulty in understanding that this news room and the
dining hall were not great central places, that such establishments were
repeated almost beyond counting all over the city. But ever and again
during the night's expedition his ears, in some new quarter would pick
out from the tumult of the ways the peculiar hooting of the organ of
Boss Ostrog, "Galloop, Galloop!" or the shrill "Yahaha, Yaha, Yap!--Hear
a live paper yelp!" of its chief rival.

Repeated, too, everywhere, were such _creches_ as the one he now
entered. It was reached by a lift, and by a glass bridge that flung
across the dining hall and traversed the ways at a slight upward angle.
To enter the first section of the place necessitated the use of his
solvent signature under Asano's direction. They were immediately
attended to by a man in a violet robe and gold clasp, the insignia of
practising medical men. He perceived from this man's manner that his
identity was known, and proceeded to ask questions on the strange
arrangements of the place without reserve.

On either side of the passage, which was silent and padded, as if
to deaden the footfall, were narrow little doors, their size and
arrangement suggestive of the cells of a Victorian prison. But the upper
portion of each door was of the same greenish transparent stuff that
had enclosed him at his awakening, and within, dimly seen, lay, in every
case, a very young baby in a little nest of wadding. Elaborate apparatus
watched the atmosphere and rang a bell far away in the central office at
the slightest departure from the optimum of temperature and moisture. A
system of such _creches_ had almost entirely replaced the hazardous
adventures of the old-world nursing. The attendant presently called
Graham's attention to the wet nurses, a vista of mechanical figures,
with arms, shoulders and breasts of astonishingly realistic modelling,
articulation, and texture, but mere brass tripods below, and having in
the place of features a flat disc bearing advertisements likely to be of
interest to mothers.

Of all the strange things that Graham came upon that night, none jarred
mor