I am come to destroy you, and to fulfil your prophecies.'" The heavy clamour gradually died away, but before it had ceased Witherspoon had jumped to his feet, his hair and beard all on end, and had said-- "I move, as an amendment, that Comrade Syme be appointed to the post." "Stop all this, I tell you!" cried Gregory, with frantic face and hands.
"Stop it, it is all--" The voice of the chairman clove his speech with a cold accent.
"Does anyone second this amendment ?" he said.

A tall, tired man, with melancholy eyes and an American chin beard, was observed on the back bench to be slowly rising to his feet.

Gregory had been screaming for some time past; now there was a change in his accent, more shocking than any scream.

"I end all this!" he said, in a voice as heavy as stone.
"This man cannot be elected.

He is a--" "Yes," said Syme, quite motionless, "what is he ?" Gregory's mouth worked twice without sound; then slowly the blood began to crawl back into his dead face.