She stared at him, a hard look in her green eyes.
"The Masters of the City," she retorted briefly. "It is not suitable that we discuss them here and now. Wait until to-morrow. Then you yourself will become, I hope, a Superlative, and as such will receive all the necessary information."
The ex-lawyer accepted the snub meekly, but dared one further question.
"Are Mercy and Judge Virtue Servants of Penn?"
"Mr. Mercy and Mr. Virtue are both of the Inner Order. You will do very well not to cross their path-er-Drayton."
He made no further comment, but determined to use every opportunity to get at the true inwardness of this singular system and the toleration of it by the so-called "Numbers." Were all other cities like this? They must be, he thought, or no one would choose this one to live in.
The Loveliest herself seemed strangely devoid of curiosity regarding her proteges' past lives and histories. Indeed, twice she checked Trenmore when he would have volunteered information along this line. "You must not tell me these things," she declared. "Even we Superlatives are not permitted to learn of other places and customs-are not supposed to know that such exist!"
At this preposterous statement Bertram, who had been going about with an air of pained boredom, became interested.
"Say, lady, don't you folks ever go traveling anywheres?"
Had he suggested something indelicate, she could have looked no more horrified.
"Traveling outside of Philadelphia? I should hope not! Besides, such an outrage would never be permitted, I assure you."
"But you must have some communication with the outer world?" puzzled Viola. "We saw the trains and the passengers at the ferry. And where do all these things come from that we see in the stores?"
"My dear, we have many local trains, of course, but the interstate commerce is entirely in the hands of Penn Service. Our laborers here manufacture certain articles; our farmers raise certain produce. These things are turned over to the Service who reserve a share to themselves for expense. Then they exchange it outside the boundaries; but it is all done by the secret agents and I have never bothered my head about it. The matter is outside the province of my administration."
"How long has this sort of thing gone on?" persisted Drayton.
"My dear sir, and all of you, why will you ask such absurd and impossible questions? Can't you understand that we Philadelphians have no concern either with the past or with anything outside our own boundaries? The law says, let every good citizen live his own life. It is forbidden that he should do more than that."
"Do you mean to tell us," gasped the lawyer, "that you know nothing of this city's history?"
"Certainly I mean that. Most of these people that you see would not understand your meaning should you ask them such a question. I was educated privately by one of the Servants of Penn." She said it as one might boast of having been brought up by the King of England in person. "I am able to converse intelligently, I hope, on any reasonable subject. But even I never received such absurdly needless instruction as that."
"But what are the children taught in your schools?"
"The natural, useful things. Cooking, carpentry, weaving-all the necessary trades. What use would any more be to them? It would only make them dissatisfied, and goodness knows they are already dissatisfied and ungrateful enough!"
"Well," sighed Trenmore, "whoever has done these things to your people has certainly hit a new low in autocratic government."
Half playfully, she shook her head at him.
"Big man," she rebuked, "I don't altogether understand you, but take care of your words. I like you too well to wish to see you die! Penn Service is sacred. Never speak against it, even when you believe yourself alone or in the safest company. It has a million eyes and a million ears, and they are everywhere. And now, let me take you back to the Belleclaire. After to-morrow I will see you more suitably lodged. To-night, however, you must put up as best you may with its inconvenience and bareness."
Its "inconvenience and bareness," however, amounted to luxury in the eyes of these benighted wanderers from another age. They were very well content to have one more evening alone together. The Loveliest, it seemed, was attending an important social function to which, until they had actually claimed their laurels in the approaching competition, she could not take them.
"Nobody is anybody here," she said, "except the Servants themselves, the Superlatives and the family connections of each. There are only three or four hundred of us, all told, but we manage to keep the social ball rolling. I can promise you a gay winter. Now, don't attempt to go out on the streets."
Trenmore frowned. He had a secret desire to visit a certain house on Walnut Street and of course he wouldn't find the place unchanged, and the dust still lying there on the library floor. But he wished to look, at least. "Why not?" he inquired.
"Because I am responsible for your appearance at the contests to-morrow. Don't be offended. Should anything happen to you it would not only make me very unhappy, but might cause me serious trouble. The competitions are held in the Temple to-morrow at high noon. I'll call for you early and see to it that everything goes through just right. You've no idea what a pleasant future lies in store for you, big man!"
"Oh, haven't I, though?" muttered Trenmore as he stood with the others in the lobby and watched her retreating back. "Madam Green-eyes, it's yourself has a pleasant surprise on its way to you, and I'm the sorry man to see trouble come to any woman, but it's yourself deserves it, I'm thinking-and anyway, I couldn't let my little sister Viola be made the slave you'd gladly see her, or I've misread the green eyes of you!"
"What's that you're saying, Terry?" queried Drayton.
"Just a benediction on the kind-hearted lady, Bobby. Bertram, where are you off to? Didn't you hear herself saying we are all to stop inside?"
"Aw, say, boss, I'm fair smothered. That doll would talk the hind wheel off a street car. It wasn't me she went bail for and I won't get into trouble."
"See that you don't, then," counseled Trenmore, and let him go.
CHAPTER 13: PENN SERVICE
THEIR day had been so fully occupied that none of the three had found time to seek that purveyor of plentiful information, the newspaper. Indeed, now that he thought of it, Drayton could not recall having seen any newsboy or news stands, and on consulting his friends they, too, denied any such memory. Yet that papers were still published in the city was certain. Mercy had carried one in the golden Court of Justice. Bertram had accounted for his knowledge of the date by reference to a "borrowed" newspaper.
Drayton went to the house phone and made his request. Something seemed wrong with the wire. While he could perfectly hear the girl at the other end, that young lady appeared unable to catch his meaning. Suddenly she cut him off, and though he snapped the receiver hook impatiently, it produced no further response.
"Ring for a boy, Bobby," suggested Trenmore. As he said it, however, there came a rapping at the door. Trenmore opened it and there stood a dignified gentleman who bowed courteously and stepped inside.
"I am the assistant manager," he explained. "There was some trouble over the phone just now. The management desires, of course, that guests of Penn Service shall receive every attention. What were you trying to make that stupid operator understand?"
"Nothing very difficult," smiled Drayton. "I asked for an evening paper."
"I beg your pardon. A-what?"
"A paper-a newspaper," retorted the lawyer impatiently. "But, my dear sir! Surely you can't mean to make such an extraordinary request! Or-perhaps you have a special permit?"