"We will all gain by being direct," the huge cripple continued in his quick, curt way. "We have on hand a tremendous project. Everything I am now to tell you, as well as the matters you already know—such as the killing of four flyers—must be held in your mind in proper perspective. When you grasp the immensity and dignity of our plan, you will feel that the incidents which seem to have shocked you are matters of the smallest weight. You will see that we are not cruel; we are, in fact, most merciful. We are going to substitute strength for feebleness in the administration of affairs in the swiftest and most merciful way. We estimate that we will have to kill, probably, less than ten thousand people and destroy less than two hundred millions in property to put ourselves 'in.' It will be, relative to the results we are certain to achieve, the cheapest coup d'etat in history."
He pulled himself forward on his hands, in
