"Pro-Germans!
Boche-lovers!"
"Second floor, front!
Come on!"
"We'll get the sons -- --"
The next five minutes passed in a dream.
Edith was conscious that the clamor burst suddenly upon the three of them like a cloud of rain, that there was a thunder of many feet on the stairs, that Henry had seized her arm and drawn her back toward the rear of the office.
Then the door opened and an overflow of men were forced into the room --not the leaders, but simply those who happened to be in front.
"Hello, Bo!"
"Up late, ain't you?"
"You an' your girl.
Damn you!"
She noticed that two very drunken soldiers had been forced to the front, where they wobbled fatuously --one of them was short and dark, the other was tall and weak of chin.
Henry stepped forward and raised his hand.
"Friends!" he said.
The clamor faded into a momentary stillness, punctuated with mutterings.
"Friends!" he repeated, his far-away eyes fixed over the heads of the crowd, "you're injuring no one but yourselves by breaking in here to-night.
Do we look like rich men?
Do we look like Germans?
I ask you in all fairness -- --"
"Pipe down!"
"I'll say you do!"
"Say, who's your lady friend, buddy?"
A man in civilian clothes, who had been pawing over a table, suddenly held up a newspaper.
"Here it is!" he shouted.
"They wanted the Germans to win the war!"
A new overflow from the stairs was shouldered in and of a sudden the room was full of men all closing around the pale little group at the back.
Edith saw that the tall soldier with the weak chin was still in front.
The short dark one had disappeared.
She edged slightly backward, stood close to the open window, through which came a clear breath of cool night air.
Then the room was a riot.
She realized that the soldiers were surging forward, glimpsed the fat man swinging a chair over his head --instantly the lights went out, and she felt the push of warm bodies under rough cloth, and her ears were full of shouting and trampling and hard breathing.
A figure flashed by her out of nowhere, tottered, was edged sideways, and of a sudden disappeared helplessly out through the open window with a frightened, fragmentary cry that died staccato on the bosom of the clamor.
By the faint light streaming from the building backing on the area Edith had a quick impression that it had been the tall soldier with the weak chin.
Anger rose astonishingly in her.
She swung her arms wildly, edged blindly toward the thickest of the scuffling.
She heard grunts, curses, the muffled impact of fists.
"Henry!" she called frantically,
"Henry!"
Then, it was minutes later, she felt suddenly that there were other figures in the room.
She heard a voice, deep, bullying, authoritative; she saw yellow rays of light sweeping here and there in the fracas.
The cries became more scattered.
The scuffling increased and then stopped.
Suddenly the lights were on and the room was full of policemen, clubbing left and right.
The deep voice boomed out:
"Here now!
Here now!
Here now!"
And then:
"Quiet down and get out!