"Herbert George Wells. When the Sleeper Wakes" - читать интересную книгу автора

"This is one of the city ways for various public services. Light and so
forth."

"Was it a social trouble-that-in the great roadway place? How are you
governed? Have you still a police?" "Several," said Howard.

"Several? "

"About fourteen."

"I don't understand."

"Very probably not. Our social order will probably seem very complex to
you. To tell you the truth, I don't understand it myself very clearly.
Nobody does. You will, perhaps-bye and bye. We have to go to the Council."
Graham's attention was divided between the urgent necessity of his
inquiries and the people in the passages and halls they were traversing.
For a moment his mind would be concentrated upon Howard and the halting
answers he made, and then he would lose the thread in response to some
vivid unexpected impression. Along the passages, in the halls, half the
people seemed to be men in the red uniform. The pale blue canvas that had
been so abundant in the aisle of moving ways did not appear. Invariably
these men looked at him, and saluted him and Howard as they passed.

He had a clear vision of entering a long corridor, and there were a number
of girls sitting on low seats and as though in a class. He saw no teacher,
but only a novel apparatus from which he fancied a voice proceeded. The
girls regarded him and his conductor, he thought, with curiosity and
astonishment. But he was hurried on before he could form a clear idea of
the gathering. He judged they knew Howard and not himself, and that they
wondered who he was. This Howard, it seemed, was a person of importance.
But then he was also merely Graham's guardian. That was odd.

There came a passage in twilight, and into this passage a footway hung so
that he could see the feet and ankles of people going to and fro thereon,
but no more of them. Then vague impressions of galleries and of casual
astonished passers-by turning round to stare after the two of them with
their red-clad guard.

The stimulus of the restoratives he had taken was only temporary. He was
speedily fatigued by this excessive haste. He asked Howard to slacken his
speed. Presently he was in a lift that had a window upon the great street
space, but this was glazed and did not open, and they were too high for him
to see the moving platforms below. But he saw people going to and fro along
cables and along strange, frail-looking ridges.

And thence they passed across the street and at a vast height above it.
They crossed by means of a narrow bridge closed in with glass, so clear
that it made him giddy even to remember it. The floor of it also was of