Olga Romanoff

scendants of the Terrorists who had colonised the mountain-walled valley of Aeria, in Central Africa, were now called; since the man, who had planned and accomplished the

ceive, from the hands of a descendant of Natas in the fourth generation, the restoration of the right of independent national rule which, on the same sp

red and twenty-five years there had been peace on earth, broken only by the outbreak and speedy suppression of a few tribal wars among the more savage races of Africa and Malaysia. No

gment on the last of the Tyrants of Russia, and ended the old order of things in Europe. But it was fi

fiercely for the blood of the oppressor. The clash of arms, the stern command, and the pitiless words of doom had sounded then in ears which but a few hours b

which showed a sign of sorrow, fear, or anger, and in no heart, save o

mains of Anglo-Saxondom, but of the whole world, a solemn act of renunciation was to be performed, upon the issues of which the fate of all humanity would hang; for the members of the Suprem

n the floor of the cathedral, sat, in a wide semicircle, the rulers of the kingdoms and republics of the earth, assembled to hear the last word of their over-lords, and to rece

nt, but also of Richard Arnold and Natasha; for their eldest son, born in the first year of the Pea

s far superior to the rest of the assembly as the latter would have been to the men and women of the nineteenth century; but even amongst the members of the Council, the

f Natas to the great congregation. This done, he laid the parchment down on the table and, beginning from the outbreak of the world-

o one of universal peace and prosperity; from inhuman and unsparing competition to friendly co-operation in public, and generous rivalry in private concerns;

sly oppressed the weak and swindled the honest and the straightforward. Now dishonesty was dishonourable in fact as well as in n

no tyrants and no slaves. That which a man's labour of hand or brain had won was his, and no man might take toll of it. Al

and for you on the field of the world's Armageddon. We have preserved their traditions intact, and obeyed their commands to the letter; and now the hour has come for us, in obedience to the last

has ruled the world from pole to pole and east to west. You and your parliaments are henceforth free to rule as you

t have ventured to oppose us or revolted against our rule. We commanded, and we will still command, the air, and I should not be doing my duty, either to my own people or to you, if

o with as you will. The empire of the air[12] is ours,-the heritage that we

all accept any attempt to dispute it with us as a declaration of war upon us, and that those who make that attempt will either have to exterminate us or be exterminated themselves. This is

ich neither I nor any man here may speak with certainty. It may be that he, with clearer eyes than ours, saw some tremendous catastrophe impend

put it aside as an old man's dream, let me ask you to remember, that he who uttered it was a man who

idden from our grosser sight. But whether the prophecy itself shall prove true or false, it shall be well

all escape, will it not be better that the end shall come and find men doing good rather than ev

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st; therefore see to it that you, who are now the free rulers of the nations, so discharge the awful trust and responsibility which is thus laid upon you, that yo