The Four White Days | Page 6

and against a force like that the police would be perfectly
powerless. It was to be a bloodless revolution and a vindication of the
rights of men.
A constable stepped forward and touched Hampden on the shoulder.
Most of those near at hand knew what had happened. Hampden had
been arrested for inciting the mob to an illegal act. He smiled grimly.
After all, the law had to be respected. With not the slightest sign of
hostility the great mass of people began to pass away. With one accord
they turned their faces to the North. The North--Western district was to
be invaded.
"Case for bail, I suppose?" Hampden asked curtly.
"Under certain conditions, sir," the inspector said. "I shall have
formally to charge you, and you will have to promise to take no further
part in this matter."
Hampden promised that readily enough. He had done his part of the
work so that the rest did not signify. He was looking tired and haggard
now, as well he might, seeing that he had been sitting up all night with
some scores of labour representatives planning this thing out. He made
a remark about it to Fisher who was standing by, mentally
photographing the great event.
Then he fastened upon Hampden eagerly, "I want all the details," he
said. "I wasn't so foolish as to regard this thing as quite spontaneous.
You must have worked like a horse."
"So we have," Hampden admitted. "Fact is, perils that might beset
Londoners have long been a favourite speculative study of mine. And
when a thing like this--be it famine, flood, or an Arctic winter--comes
we are certain to be the mark of the greedy capitalist. And I knew that

the Government would be powerless. Fuel, or the want of it, was one of
the very early ideas that occurred to me. I found out where--the big
supplies were kept, and pretty well what the normal stock is. I
pigeon-holed those figures. You can imagine how useful they were last
night. There are some two hundred officials of Trades Unions with
yonder orderly mob, and every one of them knows exactly where to go.
There will be very little crowding or rioting or confusion. And before
dark everybody will have his coal."
Fisher followed with the deepest interest.
"Then you are going to leave the rest to your lieutenants?" he asked.
"I'm bound to. In a few minutes I shall be on my way to Bow Street.
Inciting to robbery, you know. No, there is no occasion to trouble--a
hundred men here will be willing to go bail for me. If I were you I
should have been somewhere in the neighbourhood of King's Cross by
this time."
Fisher nodded and winked as he drew his sheepskin about him. He
wore a pair of grotesque old cavalry boots, the tops of which were
stuffed with cotton wool. A large woollen hood, such as old Highland
women wear, covered his head and ears. There were many legislators
similarly attired, but nobody laughed and nobody seemed to be in the
least alive to the humours of the situation.
"Come along," Fisher said to Gough, who was trying to warm the end
of his nose with a large cigar. "Seems a pity to waste all this album of
copy upon a paper without any circulation."
"What would have a circulation in this frost?" Gough growled. "How
deserted the place is! Seems shuddering to think that a man might fall
down in Trafalgar Square in the broad daylight and die of exposure, but
there it is. Hang me if the solitude isn't getting on my nerves."
Gough shivered as he pulled his sheepskin closer around him.
"This is getting a nightmare," he said. "We shall find ourselves dodging

Polar bears presently. It isn't gregarious enough for me. Let's get along
in the direction where Hampden's friends are."

VI
Meanwhile the vast mob of London's workers was steadily pressing
north. There were hundreds of carts without wheels, which necessarily
hampered the rate of progression, but would save time in the long run,
for there were any number up to a dozen with each conveyance, seeing
that various neighbours were working upon the co-operation system.
Gradually the force began to break and turn in certain directions. It
became like an army marching upon given points by a score or more of
avenues. It was pretty well known that there were a couple of hundred
men amongst the multitude who knew exactly where to go and who had
instructions as to certain grimy goals.
They were breaking away in all directions now, quiet, steady, and
determined, covering a wide area from Caledonian Road to Euston, and
from Finsbury Park to King's Cross. They were so quiet and orderly
that only the