Adventure, June 1911 — page 155: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Awakening we heard a terrific howling overhead, and the shouts of men, and a few women. The wolves had evidently gone up above; and the “wakers” had gone by another way and were pursuing them in force. ‘The fight for which the Chief Power had awakened some of the slumberers was beginning. Shots were fired, and we heard the blows of axes; the wolves seemed to be running along the corridor to the stairs. “Back to the room!” the Chief Physician cried. But as we reached the corridor the voice of the Chief Power rose above the others, and with one accord we fled down the next staircase. For we thought that she might come in the room to look again at Mr. Raynor. We feared her more than all the wolves. , We reached the main hall, breathless and staggering with our burden; and then the wolves overtook us. They were too terri- fied to do any harm, but swept on like a sea, knocking us down on the slippery tiled floor and running over us. The pursuers followed in the rear, smiting with their axes, till the. wolves were killed or had got through the doorway, running over one an- other, three, four, five high. Then we sat up, and the guards formed between us and the doorway, waiting for orders from the gray-haired woman. She stood at the foot of the white marble stairs, with little streams of red blood run- ning down them, and faced us. She was motionless, like ‘the statue of some evil deity. Mr. Raynor opened his eyes and moved his lips. The Chief Physician and I knelt, holding him between us. He smiled faintly at me, and I smiled at him, putting my arm round him and drawing him against me. “We live for a moment together,” I whis- pered; “and perhaps—afterward.” For I saw in her eyes that she would kill us. There was a long silence, and all waited with their eyes on her. She moved her lips silently before she spoke. She addressed the Chief Physician. “Traitor!” she said in a clear, stern voice. ‘Traitor to us all!’”? She turned to the rest. ““He cabled to Abrahams!” she told them, and there was a fierce murmur. “Yes,” the Chief Physician told her. “TI cabled to the Power of the World—your master and mine. It is you who are the traitor—traitor and murderess!” ‘Your Power of the World has not come,” 341 she taunted him. ‘He does not govern England, and you are a traitor to your country.” “You area traitor to mankind!” he answered. ‘‘ He will come, and then he will kill you!” z aia now,” she said very quietly, “I will kill you.” “T expected nothing else,” hesaid. ‘But, if there is a spark of womanhood or human- ity in you——” He was going to ask her to spare us, but she cut him short. “There is none,” she said, “‘for traitors! Kill them!”’ The crowd advanced upon us, but she made a quick motion with her hand. “Take them outside,” she commanded, passing her hands over her eyes. She sank on the mar- ble steps with her dress dabbling in the blood, and the men seized us and dragged us through the doors, Our arms were round one another, and they did not sepa- rate us. ‘All in vain,” the Chief Physician mut- tered; “your courage; and yours!”’ “And yours,” said Mr. Raynor, “old friend!” “No,” Isaid. ‘Not in vain, not in vain, my dears! There will be an awakening!” And I kissed my lover ene my friend, and they kissed me. IV Ce AND then we passed through the mS doorway, and the wolves rushed : upon us like a stormy sea. There were thousands of them—tens and tens of thousands, wolves that had once been dogs, all kinds, all sizes. ‘They covered the wide road and more, for they ran on top of one an- other. They came from both directions, and from each way a great army of men and women pursued them in serried ranks, axes in hand—axes dripping red. The guards dropped us and ran within the doors. The wolves knocked us down, as before, and swarmed over us; swarmed in heaps that crushed us and almost stifled us; rose like a great wave to the top of the door- way and fell in, one wave after another. I caught a glimpse of the marble stairway, and wolves were pouring down that, spring- ing at the throats of those who tried to pass up it. I saw the gray-haired woman fall with a dozen holding her. Shrieks and shrieks and shrieks came from inside. CORnTICLO© S (C@