‘But, sir!’ cried Firmin, suddenly enlightened.  ’Has this been arranged already?’

’My dear Firmin, do you think we have come here, all of us, to talk at large?  The talking has been done for half a century.  Talking and writing.  We are here to set the new thing, the simple, obvious, necessary thing, going.’

He stood up.

Firmin, forgetting the habits of a score of years, remained seated.

‘Well,’ he said at last.  ‘And I have known nothing!’

The king smiled very cheerfully.  He liked these talks with Firmin.

Section 3

That conference upon the Brissago meadows was one of the most heterogeneous collections of prominent people that has ever met together.  Principalities and powers, stripped and shattered until all their pride and mystery were gone, met in a marvellous new humility.  Here were kings and emperors whose capitals were lakes of flaming destruction, statesmen whose countries had become chaos, scared politicians and financial potentates.  Here were leaders of thought and learned investigators dragged reluctantly to the control of affairs.  Altogether there were ninety-three of them, Leblanc’s conception of the head men of the world.  They had all come to the realisation of the simple truths that the indefatigable Leblanc had hammered into them; and, drawing his resources from the King of Italy, he had provisioned his conference with a generous simplicity quite in accordance with the rest of his character, and so at last was able to make his astonishing and entirely rational appeal.  He had appointed King Egbert the president, he believed in this young man so firmly that he completely dominated him, and he spoke himself as a secretary might speak from the president’s left hand, and evidently did not realise himself that he was telling them all exactly what they had to do.  He imagined he was merely recapitulating the obvious features of the situation for their convenience.  He was dressed in ill-fitting white silk clothes, and he consulted a dingy little packet of notes as he spoke.  They put him out.  He explained that he had never spoken from notes before, but that this occasion was exceptional.

And then King Egbert spoke as he was expected to speak, and Leblanc’s spectacles moistened at that flow of generous sentiment, most amiably and lightly expressed.  ‘We haven’t to stand on ceremony,’ said the king, ’we have to govern the world.  We have always pretended to govern the world and here is our opportunity.’

‘Of course,’ whispered Leblanc, nodding his head rapidly, ‘of course.’

’The world has been smashed up, and we have to put it on its wheels again,’ said King Egbert.  ’And it is the simple common sense of this crisis for all to help and none to seek advantage.  Is that our tone or not?’