The colors were draining out of the world. Something white and fluffy came into view near Jeffreys's face: a hand surrounded by a lace cuff. Jeffreys had grasped one of the hooks projecting up from Daniel's collar. 'You say that your revolution does not have to involve any violence,' he said. 'I say you must think harder about the nature of revolution. For as you can see, this hook is on top now. A different one is on the bottom. True, we can raise the low one up by a simple revolution – ' Jeffreys wrenched the collar around, its entire weight bearing on Daniel's adam's apple – giving Daniel every reason to scream. But he made no sound other than a pitiable attempt to suck in some air. 'Ah, but observe! The one that was high is now low ! Let us raise it up then, for it does not love to be low.' Jeffreys wrenched it back up. 'Alas, we are back to where we started; the high is high, the low is low, and what's the point of having a revolution at all?' Jeffreys now repeated the demonstration, laughing at Daniel's struggle for air. 'Who could ask for a better career!' he exclaimed. 'Slowly decapitating the men I went to college with! We made Monmouth last as long as 'twas possible, but the axe is imprecise, Jack Ketch is a butcher, and it ended all too soon. But this collar is an excellent device for a gradual sawing-off, I could make him last for days !' Jeffreys sighed with delight. Daniel could not see any more, other than a few pale violet blotches swimming in turbulent gray. But Jeffreys must have signalled the bailiffs to right the chair, for suddenly the weight of the collar was on his collarbones and his efforts to breathe were working. 'I trust I have disabused you of any ludicrous ideas concerning the true nature of revolutions. If the low are to be made high, Daniel, then the high must be made low – but the high like to be high – and they have an army and a navy. ‘Twill never occur without violence. And ‘twill fail given enough time, as your father's failed. Have you quite learnt the lesson? Or shall I repeat the demonstration?'