CHAPTER V.
THE INNER CIRCLE.
As soon as Arnold's eyes got accustomed to the light, he saw that hewas in a large, lofty room with panelled walls adorned with a numberof fine paintings. As he looked at these his gaze was fascinated bythem, even more than by the strange company which was assembled roundthe long table that occupied the middle of the room.
Though they were all manifestly the products of the highest form ofart, their subjects were dreary and repulsive beyond description.There was a horrible realism about them which reminded himirresistibly of the awful collection of pictorial horrors in theMusee Wiertz, in Brussels--those works of the brilliant but unhappygenius who was driven into insanity by the sheer exuberance of hisown morbid imagination.
Here was a long line of men and women in chains staggering across awilderness of snow that melted away into the horizon without a break.Beside them rode Cossacks armed with long whips that they used on menand women alike when their fainting limbs gave way beneath them, andthey were like to fall by the wayside to seek the welcome rest thatonly death could give them.
There was a picture of a woman naked to the waist, and tied up to atriangle in a prison yard, being flogged by a soldier with willowwands, while a group of officers stood by, apparently greatlyinterested in the performance. Another painting showed a poor wretchbeing knouted to death in the market-place of a Russian town, and yetanother showed a young and beautiful woman in a prison cell with herface distorted by the horrible leer of madness, and her little whitehands clawing nervously at her long dishevelled hair.
Arnold stood for several minutes fascinated by the hideous realism ofthe pictures, and burning with rage and shame at the thought thatthey were all too terribly true to life, when he was startled out ofhis reverie by the same voice that had called them from the dark roomsaying to him in English--
"Well, Richard Arnold, what do you think of our little picturegallery? The paintings are good in themselves, but it may make themmore interesting to you if you know that they are all faithfulreproductions of scenes that have really taken place within thelimits of the so-called civilised and Christian world. There are somehere in this room now who have suffered the torments depicted onthose canvases, and who could tell of worse horrors than even theyportray. We should like to know what you think of our paintings?"
Arnold glanced towards the table in search of Colston, but he hadvanished. Around the long table sat fourteen masked and shroudedforms that were absolutely indistinguishable one from the other. Hecould not even tell whether they were men or women, so closely weretheir forms and faces concealed. Seeing that he was left to his owndiscretion, he laid the case containing the model, which he had sofar kept under his arm, down on the floor, and, facing the strangeassembly, said as steadily as he could--
"My own reading tells me that they are only too true to the dreadfulreality. I think that the civilised and Christian Society whichpermits such crimes to be committed against humanity, when it has thepower to stop them by force of arms, is neither truly civilised nortruly Christian."
"And would _you_ stop them if you could?"
"Yes, if it cost the lives of millions to do it! They would be betterspent than the thirty million lives that were lost last century overa few bits of territory."
"That is true, and augurs well for our future agreement. Be kindenough to come to the table and take a seat."
The masked man who spoke was sitting in the chair at the foot of thetable, and as he said this one of those sitting at the side got upand motioned to Arnold to take his place. As soon as he had done sothe speaker continued--
"We are glad to see that your sentiments are so far in accord withour own, for that fact will make our negotiations all the easier.
"As you are aware, you are now in the Inner Circle of the Terrorists.Yonder empty chair at the head of the table is that of our Chief,who, though not with us in person, is ever present as a guidinginfluence in our councils. We act as he directs, and it was from himthat we received news of you and your marvellous invention. It isalso by his direction that you have been invited here to-night withan object that you are already aware of.
"I see from your face that you are about to ask how this can be,seeing that you have never confided your secret to any one until lastnight. It will be useless to ask me, for I myself do not know. We whosit here simply execute the Master's will. We ask no questions, andtherefore we can answer none concerning him."
"I have none to ask," said Arnold, seeing that the speaker paused asthough expecting him to say something. "I came at the invitation ofone of your Brotherhood to lay certain terms before you, for you toaccept or reject as seems good to you. How you got to know of me andmy invention is, after all, a matter of indifference to me. With yourperfect system of espionage you might well find out more secretthings than that."
"Quite so," was the reply. "And the question that we have to settlewith you is how far you will consent to assist the work of theBrotherhood with this invention of yours, and on what conditions youwill do so."
"I must first know as exactly as possible what the work of theBrotherhood is."
"Under the circumstances there is no objection to your knowing that.In the first place, that which is known to the outside world as theTerror is an international secret society underlying and directingthe operations of the various bodies known as Nihilists, Anarchists,Socialists--in fact, all those organisations which have for theirobject the reform or destruction, by peaceful or violent means, ofSociety as it is at present constituted.
"Its influence reaches beyond these into the various trade unions andpolitical clubs, the moving spirits of which are all members of ourOuter Circle. On the other side of Society we have agents andadherents in all the Courts of Europe, all the diplomatic bodies, andall the parliamentary assemblies throughout the world.
"We believe that Society as at present constituted is hopeless forany good thing. All kinds of nameless brutalities are practisedwithout reproof in the names of law and order, and commercialeconomics. On one side human life is a splendid fabric of cloth ofgold embroidered with priceless gems, and on the other it is a massof filthy, festering rags, swarming with vermin.
"We think that such a Society--a Society which permits considerablymore than the half of humanity to be sunk in poverty and misery whilea very small portion of it fools away its life in perfectlyridiculous luxury--does not deserve to exist, and ought to bedestroyed.
"We also know that sooner or later it will destroy itself, as everysimilar Society has done before it. For nearly forty years there hasnow been almost perfect peace in Europe. At the same time, overtwenty millions of men are standing ready to take the field in aweek.
"War--universal war that will shake the world to its foundations--isonly a matter of a little more delay and a few diplomatic hitches.Russia and England are within rifleshot of each other in Afghanistan,and France and Germany are flinging defiances at each other acrossthe Rhine.
"Some one must soon fire the shot that will set the world in a blaze,and meanwhile the toilers of the earth are weary of these dreadfulmilitary and naval burdens, and would care very little if theinevitable happened to-morrow.
"It is in the power of the Terrorists to delay or precipitate thatwar to a certain extent. Hitherto all our efforts have been devotedto the preservation of peace, and many of the so-called outrageswhich have taken place in different parts of Europe, and especiallyin Russia, during the last few years, have been accomplished simplyfor the purpose of forcing the attention of the administrations tointernal affairs for the time, and so putting off what would have ledto a declaration of war.
"This policy has not been dictated by any hope of avoiding waraltogether, for that would have been sheer insanity. We have simplydelayed war as long as possible, because we have not felt that wehave been strong enough to turn the tide of battle at the rightmoment in favour of the oppressed ones of the earth and against theiroppressors.
"But this invention of yours pu
ts a completely different aspect onthe European situation. Armed with such a tremendous engine ofdestruction as a navigable air-ship must necessarily be, when used inconjunction with the explosives already at our disposal, we couldmake war impossible to our enemies by bringing into the field a forcewith which no army or fleet could contend without the certainty ofdestruction. By these means we should ultimately compel peace andenforce a general disarmament on land and sea.
"The vast majority of those who make the wealth of the world are sickof seeing that wealth wasted in the destruction of human life, andthe ruin of peaceful industries. As soon, therefore, as we are in aposition to dictate terms under such tremendous penalties, all theinnumerable organisations with which we are in touch all over theworld will rise in arms and enforce them at all costs.
"Of course, it goes without saying that the powers that are nowenthroned in the high places of the world will fight bitterly anddesperately to retain the rule that they have held for so long, butin the end we shall be victorious, and then on the ruins of thiscivilisation a new and a better shall arise.
"That is a rough, brief outline of the policy of the Brotherhood,which we are going to ask you to-night to join. Of course, in theeyes of the world we are only a set of fiends, whose sole object isthe destruction of Society, and the inauguration of a state ofuniversal anarchy. That, however, has no concern for us. What iscalled popular opinion is merely manufactured by the Press accordingto order, and does not count in serious concerns. What I havedescribed to you are the true objects of the Brotherhood; and now itremains for you to say, yes or no, whether you will devote yourselfand your invention to carrying them out or not."
For two or three minutes after the masked spokesman of the InnerCircle had ceased speaking, there was absolute silence in the room.The calmly spoken words which deliberately sketched out the ruin of acivilisation and the establishment of a new order of things made adeep impression on Arnold's mind. He saw clearly that he was standingat the parting of the ways, and facing the most tremendous crisisthat could occur in the life of a human being.
It was only natural that he should look back, as he did, to the lifefrom which a single step would now part him for ever, without thepossibility of going back. He knew that if he once put his hands tothe plough, and looked back, death, swift and inevitable, would bethe penalty of his wavering. This, however, he had already weighedand decided.
Most of what he had heard had found an echo in his own convictions.Moreover, the life that he had left had no charms for him, while tobe one of the chief factors in a world-revolution was a destinyworthy both of himself and his invention. So the fatal resolution wastaken, and he spoke the words that bound him for ever to theBrotherhood.
"As I have already told Mr. Colston," he began by saying, "I willjoin and faithfully serve the Brotherhood if the conditions that Ifeel compelled to make are granted"--
"We know them already," interrupted the spokesman, "and they arefreely granted. Indeed, you can hardly fail to see that we aretrusting you to a far greater extent than it is possible for us tomake you trust us, unless you choose to do so. The air-ship oncebuilt and afloat under your command, the game of war would to a greatextent be in your own hands. True, you would not survive treacheryvery long; but, on the other hand, if it became necessary to killyou, the air-ship would be useless, that is, if you took your secretof the motive power with you into the next world."
"As I undoubtedly should," added Arnold quietly.
"We have no doubt that you would," was the equally quiet rejoinder."And now I will read to you the oath of membership that you will berequired to sign. Even when you have heard it, if you feel anyhesitation in subscribing to it, there will still be time towithdraw, for we tolerate no unwilling or half-hearted recruits."
Arnold bowed his acquiescence, and the spokesman took a piece ofpaper from the table and read aloud--
"_I, Richard Arnold, sign this paper in the full knowledge that indoing so I devote myself absolutely for the rest of my life to theservice of the Brotherhood of Freedom, known to the world as theTerrorists. As long as I live its ends shall be my ends, and no humanconsiderations shall weigh with me where those ends are concerned. Iwill take life without mercy, and yield my own without hesitation atits bidding. I will break all other laws to obey those which itobeys, and if I disobey these I shall expect death as the justpenalty of my perjury._"
As he finished reading the oath, he handed the paper to Arnold,saying as he did so--
"There are no theatrical formalities to be gone through. Simply signthe paper and give it back to me, or else tear it up and go inpeace."
Arnold read it through slowly, and then glanced round the table. Hesaw the eyes of the silent figures sitting about him shining at himthrough the holes in their masks. He laid the paper down on the tablein front of him, dipped a pen in an inkstand that stood near, andsigned the oath in a firm, unfaltering hand. Then--committed forever, for good or evil, to the new life that he had adopted--he gavethe paper back again.
The President took it and read it, and then passed it to the mask onhis right hand. It went from one to the other round the table, eachone reading it before passing it on, until it got back to thePresident. When it reached him he rose from his seat, and, going tothe fireplace, dropped it into the flames, and watched it until itwas consumed to ashes. Then, crossing the room to where Arnold wassitting, he removed his mask with one hand, and held the other out tohim in greeting, saying as he did so--
"Welcome to the Brotherhood! Thrice welcome! for your coming hasbrought the day of redemption nearer!"