"Man of toil, awake from slumber!
Recognize thy growing might!
All the wheels will lose their motion
Without thy strong arm's devotion.
"Down with the war! Down with the Government! Peace! Freedom! Bread!"
It was the sincerity of the man more than what he said that impressed her. He finished amid loud handclaps and calls, followed by the hum and buzz of excitement. From this moment Tanya was one of them. Rough as it was, here was the leaven to permeate the mass and set the nation free.
Senf with a glance at his watch and an anxious look toward the door, next introduced Herr Liederman, who rose, swaying from side to side, his deep bass rumbling to the deeper accompaniment of the storm outside. Tanya, from her sheltered position searched for and found Zoya Rochal, near the speaker's table, her modish hat, rakishly on one side, somewhat out of place, it seemed, in this motley gathering. Herr Hochwald was near the speaker's table too, her companion whispered, but there was no cause for alarm. So Tanya crouched lower, hiding behind the broad back of the man in front of her, aware of the impending crisis, but no longer timid or uncertain. The words of the speaker had given her new courage. Even death, he had said, was a privilege in so great a cause, and she had believed him,--even death--if this was required of her.
Liederman was much in earnest and after a brief peroration, announcing his own stand upon the floor of the Reichstag, a position which he said had carried the cause as far as he dared, he spoke of the work of the Society of Nemi, in the past five years in sending speakers to America, to England, France and Italy, in spreading reading matter in Russia, Austria and Germany. Russia had already cast off her shackles--which other Monarchy would be next to follow? He belonged to the Council of this great international society, had gone to Nemi, the headquarters in Switzerland, to vote the appropriation of a large sum of money from the treasury of the society which was to be used in aiding to restore order among the Slavic people under a form of government which would be acceptable to all Socialists throughout the world. But Herr Kirylo Ivanitch, the wise and prudent leader of the order, had died, even while the Council was meeting, and another leader had been elected in his place--one Herr Rowland, an American of New York, a young man of extraordinary sagacity and will, deeply committed to the cause, an enemy only of the military caste, the war wastrels, and profiteers, of whom Herr Fenner had spoken, who were also the enemies of all Socialists the world over.
Here Liederman found a moment to glance at Zoya Rochal whose rakish hat bobbed quickly in approval.
"But a disaster has befallen the Order of Nemi, my friends," he went on more quickly. "Its vault containing money in bank-notes of various denominations to the amount of twenty-five millions of francs three days ago was entered and robbed and the money carried away--and into Germany."
A tremendous commotion ran in waves from one end of the assemblage to another. But when Senf rose, rapping for order, a hush fell over the room and utter silence followed.
"I will tell you the facts," Liederman went on. "It is your right to know them, as it was your money and that of others even poorer than yourselves which was given to this cause. Herr Rowland had reason to believe that an attempt would be made to break into the vault during the night after the day in which he came into office. And so he and Fräulein Korasov, who had been the Secretary of Kirylo Ivanitch, decided to remove the money secretly to a place of safety----"
A man in the assemblage had risen and stood quite calmly face to face with Max Liederman. It was Gregory Hochwald. The incisiveness of his voice no less than the words he uttered, startled the room into sudden excitement.