the air. Some shouted as they danced, jests and odd allusions Graham
did not understand. Once someone began whistling the refrain of the
revolutionary song, but it seemed as though that beginning was promptly
suppressed. The corner was dark and Graham could not see. He turned to
the hall again. Above the caryatidae were marble busts of men whom that
age esteemed great moral emancipators and pioneers; for the most part
their names were strange to Graham, though he recognised Grant Allen,
Le Gallienne, Nietzsche, Shelley and Goodwin. Great black festoons
and eloquent sentiments reinforced the huge inscription that partially
defaced the upper end of the dancing place, and asserted that "The
Festival of the Awakening" was in progress.

"Myriads are taking holiday or staying from work because of that, quite
apart from the labourers who refuse to go back," said Asano. "These
people are always ready for holidays."

Graham walked to the parapet and stood leaning over, looking down at the
dancers. Save for two or three remote whispering couples, who had stolen
apart, he and his guide had the gallery to themselves. A warm breath of
scent and vitality came up to him. Both men and women below were lightly
clad, bare-armed, open-necked, as the universal warmth of the city
permitted. The hair of the men was often a mass of effeminate curls,
their chins were always shaven, and many of them had flushed or coloured
cheeks. Many of the women were very pretty, and all were dressed with
elaborate coquetry. As they swept by beneath, he saw ecstatic faces with
eyes half closed in pleasure.

"What sort of people are these?" he asked abruptly.

"Workers--prosperous workers. What you would have called the middle
class. Independent tradesmen with little separate businesses have
vanished long ago, but there are store servers, managers, engineers of
a hundred sorts. Tonight is a holiday of course, and every dancing place
in the city will be crowded, and every place of worship."

"But--the women?"

"The same. There's a thousand forms of work for women now. But you had
the beginning of the independent working-woman in your days. Most women
are independent now. Most of these are married more or less--there are
a number of methods of contract--and that gives them more money, and
enables them to enjoy themselves."

"I see," said Graham looking at the flushed faces, the flash and swirl
of movement, and still thinking of that nightmare of pink hel