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232 and then crowded to the door. By the time they got in front of shop No. 1 of the foundry they were like a flood, but at last they all formed into one line and began to encircle the low one-storied building.

In another hour the long-awaited meeting about the efficiency committee was to be held. The procession gradually became wrought up, until the sound of revolutionary songs drowned their footsteps.

“Here, stop that, you’re not allowed to surround this place,” shouted the guards from a safe distance, but the workers did not stop until they had seen their representatives right inside the meeting-place.

As the procession went round, the representatives of the different shops disengaged themselves from it, and quickly filled up the chairs in the big room.

The works council was made up of forty-eight representatives from the employees and the same number from the company, including the heads of each shop and the chief clerk, and there was, in addition, a chairman with no vote.

Toyama was among the first to come and forced his way through until he captured a seat, second from the end in the front row. Then almost on the tick of seven, the set hour, Nagai’s lank form appeared at the back. The procession outside stopped, the singing died down and all became quiet. Minami, who had come as a representative of the Kanto Distict Council of Labour Unions, was standing in the procession, straining his eyes to see into the hall.

“What?” Toyama noticed with a shock the absence of two faces besides the vice-president’s,