‘Do you want to see one, Cassandra?’
But Cassandra had already fallen asleep.
CHAPTER XII
MECHANA
The next afternoon the Sorcerer told Raphael and Cassandra that he would show them the wonders of his city.
‘Then you will observe,’ he said pleasantly, ‘how much more cheaply we can live than man. When you have seen my wonderful mechanicos, you will never want to return to Uniontown.’
They left the tower and walked slowly through the city. Cassandra skipped gayly along beside Raphael, who tried to keep step with Mechanus. They soon became accustomed to the noise of the automobiles and trucks which rushed up and down the streets, the screaming brake bands, and the racing motors. With the high buildings leaning above them, it was like walking in the bottom of a deep river canyon.
At last they came to a skyscraper, taller than the rest, which had carved in stone over its mammoth doors, Big Business Building. Into this the Sorcerer turned followed by Raphael and Cassandra. The great marble hallway was decorated with colored pictures of lumps of coal and tins of oil, while over the elevator shafts which faced the door there hung a life-size portrait of the Sorcerer himself done in oils. They walked to one of the elevators and stepped in. A mechanico sat on a stool in one corner, his hand on the starting lever.
‘Go-Getter or Will-to-Power, sales or production?’ he asked.
‘What does that mean?’ asked Raphael.