Evening star., 1939-01-23
BY HI. G. WELLS.
CHAPTER Xiv.
rhs~on

Chiffan Dismissed.
Chiffan found it more difficult
even than he had expected to get
an audience with Rud. He had to
apply, he had to wait, he was kept
waiting in an ante-chamber for
three-quarters of an hour. When
at last he was admitted to the pres
ence he found himself in a long
room, with a polished floor that
slanted upward to the dais that
carried Rud's desk. Halfway there
was flight of seven shallow steps,
too wide to be taken two at time
and only about inches high.
They would have reduced the most
confident stride to a totter. He
thought how much Rud had i'm
proved upon the crude methods of
Bohun's reception room and the
Renaissance served to sharpen the
blade of hard derision in his make
up, already whetted by his unneces-
sary wait outside. He was no
longer the affectionate and per-
suasive Chiffan he might have been.
Rud sat at the desk pretending
to be occupied by some papers and
peering under his shaded desk
lamp at the approach of his old
friend. Chiffan, entering and see
ing this pose of preoccupation, ad-
vanced at leisurely stroll, hands
in pockets. and realizing the diff
Guilty Of the shallow steps, halted
there, turned his profile to the die
tator and professed to consult some
memoranda, humming and-as Rud
seemed still occupied-producing
pocket pencil and making correc-
tions. Rud decided to conclude his
sham work with sigh and turned
his face toward his visitor.
Rud Stares in Silence.
Chiffan packed up his memo
randa, clicked his pencil together,
pocketed it and strolled up to the
desk.
Hope I don't interrupt your
annotations," he said.
Rud stood up. came to the corner
Of his bureau and stared at Chiffan
in silence.
Chiffan's first impression was
that the lop-sided scowl had be-
come intenser and then that Rud
looked overstrained and i'll. His
face was a deader white than ever
and his eyes burnt with an un-
wonted fever. It was going to be
harder to bring this Rud-like crea-
ture back to the Rud of the sum-
mer school and Camborne Square
than Chiffan had anticipated. But
there was no time now to alter what
he had in his mind to say.
Hello. Rud," he said. How goes
it with the Representative Common
Man?"
You wanted to talk to me?" said
Rud.
LAS one common man to another" {"
The malignity of the scowl in
creased. About what?"
About that idea of your being
the supreme embodiment OF the
common man and the effect that is
having upon the world"
well, what effect?" asked Rud.
Answer Spoils Approach.
Chiffan had meant his talk to de-
velop gradually, but this compact
answer spoiled his approach. He felt
himself blundering directly into the
gist of what he had to say. There
is feeling abroad" he said, that
your role of being a sort of incarna-
ton of humanity is being-to put it
bluntly, Rud-overplayed. It was,
you know, one of the greatest of
your inspirations to make our revo-
luton the revolution of the common
man. not to set up yourself or the
gang or anybody as the heaven
sent leader of mankind. It was a
great phrase to call you the world
trustee and make you, so to speak,
the commonest Of the common, in
the common interest. 80 You were
the common man, yes. The COM
mon man. On those terms we won
the world revolution. But now the
jobs done and finished, and 1 take
it you have to be a common man
again. Because if you don't, you
will come to be in a sort of way
new Caesar, new imperator, boss
OF the world, a tyrant, traitor to
the revolution"
WELL" said Rud. That is plain
enough anyhow"
Il didn't mean to begin as bluntly
as this with what I have to say"
But you meant to say it?"
Eyes"
"A sort of message, eh?" said Rud.
Telling me my times are at an end
and that I have to go. Meme, meme,
tekel, upharsin. Eth?
Don't make me feel like prophet
Of the Lord rebuking a wicked King
of Israel" said Chiffan.
Restoration Of Trust.
And what in the name of the
Lord" said Rud, "is this message
you bring me. if it is not that?"
Well" said Chiffan, ''if that is
the tone we are TO adopt, then let
us speak plainly. The time has come
for you yourself, as the last crown
ing service you can render to man.
kind. to prepare for the liquidation
Of your trust"
"The liquidation of my trust?"
The restoration of the world to
the heir"
who is?"
"The common man-the commons
sense of mankind"
Go on" said, Rud darkly. 60
on. Tell me more Of what you have
in mind"
Il came to tell you-plainly-as no
one else will dare to do-that you
are hanging on to power too long.
You know how to overthrow, Rud,
you know how to destroy and how to
grasp. but you don't know how to
guide and you don't know how to
let CO."
And you-on behalf of yourself
and friends-1 suppose you have
come to tell me to let co."
Il came of my own accord"
Rud tried to look penetrating, but
he merely looked cunningly skepti-
cal "ASSllminr that il tr,1e" he