The melancholy brown eyes turned on him full.

“It was an illusion, of course, sir—­we know that.  But I, at any rate, dare to hope that it was not all wasted—­all our aspirations and penitence and praise.  We mistook our God, but none the less it reached Him—­it found its way to the Spirit of the World.  It taught us that the individual was nothing, and that He was all.  And now—–­”

“Yes, sir,” said the other softly.  He was really touched.

The sad brown eyes opened full.

“And now Mr. Felsenburgh is come.”  He swallowed in his throat.  “Julian Felsenburgh!” There was a world of sudden passion in his gentle voice, and Oliver’s own heart responded.

“I know, sir,” he said; “I know all that you mean.”

“Oh! to have a Saviour at last!” cried Francis.  “One that can be seen and handled and praised to His Face!  It is like a dream—­too good to be true!”

Oliver glanced at the clock, and rose abruptly, holding out his hand.

“Forgive me, sir.  I must not stay.  You have touched me very deeply....  I will speak to Snowford.  Your address is here, I understand?”

He pointed to the papers.

“Yes, Mr. Brand.  There is one more question.”

“I must not stay, sir,” said Oliver, shaking his head.

“One instant—­is it true that this worship will be compulsory?”

Oliver bowed as he gathered up his papers.

II

Mabel, seated in the gallery that evening behind the President’s chair, had already glanced at her watch half-a-dozen times in the last hour, hoping each time that twenty-one o’clock was nearer than she feared.  She knew well enough by now that the President of Europe would not be half-a-minute either before or after his time.  His supreme punctuality was famous all over the continent.  He had said Twenty-One, so it was to be twenty-one.

A sharp bell-note impinged from beneath, and in a moment the drawling voice of the speaker stopped.  Once more she lifted her wrist, saw that it wanted five minutes of the hour; then she leaned forward from her corner and stared down into the House.

A great change had passed over it at the metallic noise.  All down the long brown seats members were shifting and arranging themselves more decorously, uncrossing their legs, slipping their hats beneath the leather fringes.  As she looked, too, she saw the President of the House coming down the three steps from his chair, for Another would need it in a few moments.

The house was full from end to end; a late comer ran in from the twilight of the south door and looked distractedly about him in the full light before he saw his vacant place.  The galleries at the lower end were occupied too, down there, where she had failed to obtain a seat.  Yet from all the crowded interior there was no sound but a sibilant whispering; from the passages behind she could hear again the quick bell-note repeat itself as the lobbies were cleared; and from Parliament Square outside once more came the heavy murmur of the crowd that had been inaudible for the last twenty minutes.  When that ceased she would know that he was come.