The gathering was too old and seasoned and miscellaneous for any great displays of enthusiasm, but that was its tone, and with an astonishment that somehow became exhilarating it began to resign, repudiate, and declare its intentions.  Firmin, taking notes behind his master, heard everything that had been foretold among the yellow broom, come true.  With a queer feeling that he was dreaming, he assisted at the proclamation of the World State, and saw the message taken out to the wireless operators to be throbbed all round the habitable globe.  ’And next,’ said King Egbert, with a cheerful excitement in his voice, ’we have to get every atom of Carolinum and all the plant for making it, into our control....’

Firman was not alone in his incredulity.  Not a man there who was not a very amiable, reasonable, benevolent creature at bottom; some had been born to power and some had happened upon it, some had struggled to get it, not clearly knowing what it was and what it implied, but none was irreconcilably set upon its retention at the price of cosmic disaster.  Their minds had been prepared by circumstances and sedulously cultivated by Leblanc; and now they took the broad obvious road along which King Egbert was leading them, with a mingled conviction of strangeness and necessity.  Things went very smoothly; the King of Italy explained the arrangements that had been made for the protection of the camp from any fantastic attack; a couple of thousand of aeroplanes, each carrying a sharpshooter, guarded them, and there was an excellent system of relays, and at night all the sky would be searched by scores of lights, and the admirable Leblanc gave luminous reasons for their camping just where they were and going on with their administrative duties forthwith.  He knew of this place, because he had happened upon it when holiday-making with Madame Leblanc twenty years and more ago.  ’There is very simple fare at present,’ he explained, ’on account of the disturbed state of the countries about us.  But we have excellent fresh milk, good red wine, beef, bread, salad, and lemons. . . .  In a few days I hope to place things in the hands of a more efficient caterer....’

The members of the new world government dined at three long tables on trestles, and down the middle of these tables Leblanc, in spite of the barrenness of his menu, had contrived to have a great multitude of beautiful roses.  There was similar accommodation for the secretaries and attendants at a lower level down the mountain.  The assembly dined as it had debated, in the open air, and over the dark crags to the west the glowing June sunset shone upon the banquet.  There was no precedency now among the ninety-three, and King Egbert found himself between a pleasant little Japanese stranger in spectacles and his cousin of Central Europe, and opposite a great Bengali leader and the President of the United States of America.  Beyond the Japanese was Holsten, the old chemist, and Leblanc was a little way down the other side.