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 behind to see to what goal the procession would lead.

It led to the City Hall, an imposing building of gray granite, its walls rising from the top of a solid terrace. For a moment the head of the line waivered. The solemnity and majesty that is part of government in a Republic filled them with an instinctive sense of awe. Then Praska saw the words chiseled out of the marble above the entrance: "THE PEOPLE RULE." That gave him courage, and he led the way into the building.

A wide stairway of stone led to the floors above. In front of the stairway was a great open space; but vast as was the foyer, the students filled it as the lines kept crowding in one upon another. Where to go was something of a problem. Praska looked about him helplessly. Now he wished that Mr. Banning or some of the teachers had come along; but Mr. Banning had told them that it would be best for them to carry the ball themselves.

"What do we do now?" Littlefield whispered hoarsely.

The tramp of sixteen hundred feet on the tiled floor had echoed through the building. City employees came crowding from offices marked "City Clerk," "Tax Collector" and "Department of