(III)
Two hours later the two ecclesiastics sat together, on eitherside of the large table in the Cardinal's room. The Cardinalpassed over the sheets one by one as he finished them. One setwas being brought straight up here from the little office at theend of the hall. Another set, they knew, was simultaneously beingread aloud by Lord Southminster in the hall below.
The guns had aroused even the most drowsy; and the wholepopulation, village as well as castle, had poured into thecourtyard to hear the news.
Monsignor sat and read sheet after sheet after his chief,hopelessly trying to notice and remember the principal points ofthe report. Everything was recorded there--the assembling of thecrowds, the difficulty that the later members found in gettingthrough into the House at all; the breakdown of the policearrangements; and the storming of the wireless station by anorganized mob, many of whom had been later put under arrest.
Then there was the Prime Minister's speech, recorded word by wordin the machines, and translated later, by machinery instead of byhuman labour, into terms of dots and dashes, themselvestransmitted again over miles of country, and retranslated againby mechanical devices into these actual printed sheets that thetwo were reading.
The speech was given in full, down to that tremendous scene whenhalf the House, distracted at last by the cries that grew nearerand nearer, and the messengers that appeared and reappeared fromoutside, had risen to its feet. And then----
The Cardinal leaned back suddenly, with a swift indrawing of hisbreath that was almost the first sign of emotion that he had shown.
Monsignor looked up. The last two sheets were still under theringed hand that lay upon the table.
"Well, it's done," said the Cardinal softly, almost as if talkingto himself. "But it needed his last card."
"Your Eminence?"
"The announcement as to the East," went on the other, with thesame air. "I thank God it came in time."
"Your Eminence, I don't understand."
The Cardinal looked at him full.
"Why," he said, "the Holy Father was accepted as Arbitrator of theEast by the united Powers this morning. The news was in the PrimeMinisters hands at six o'clock. But I'm sorry he had to use it; itwould have been stronger without. . . . Don't you understand,Monsignor? The House would have refused to vote otherwise."
"But it's finished--it's finished, isn't it, your Eminence?"
"Yes, yes, it's finished. Or had we better say it's begun. Nowthe last conflict begins. . . . Now, Monsignor, I'm afraid I mustbegin to dictate. Would you mind setting the phonographs?"
* * * * *
From the hall beneath rose a sudden confusion of cheering andstamping of feet.
PART III
CHAPTER I