After a while there was a deep sound from outside. The procession was
approaching. It came on like a great tidal wave and flowed into the vast
place in the gathering darkness with the light of a hundred fresh
torches.
In less than half-an-hour the ruined amphitheatre was a moving mass of
heads from the ground to its upmost storey. Long sinuous trails of blue
smoke swept across the people's faces, and the great brown mass of
circular stones was lit up in fitful gleams.
Roma was lifted off her feet by the breaker of human beings that surged
around. At one moment she was conscious of some one behind who was
pressing the people back and making room for her. At the next moment she
was aware that through the multitudinous murmur of voices that rumbled
as in a vault somebody near her was trying to speak.
The speaking ceased and there was a sharp crackle of applause which had
the effect of producing silence. In this silence another voice, a clear,
loud, vibrating voice, said, "Romans and brothers," and then there was a
prolonged shout of recognition from ten thousand throats.
In a moment a dozen torches were handed up, and the speaker was in a
circle of light and could be seen by all. It was Rossi. He was standing
bareheaded on a stone, with a face of unusual paleness. He was wearing
the loose cloak of the common people of Rome, thrown across his breast
and shoulder. Bruno stood by his left side holding a standard above
their heads. At his right hand were two other men who partly concealed
him from the crowd. Roma found herself immediately below them, and
within two or three paces.
After a moment the shouting died down, and there was no sound in the
vast place but a soft, quick, indrawn hiss that was like the palpitating
breath of an immense flock of sheep. Then Rossi began again.
"First and foremost," he said, "let me call on you to preserve the
peace. One false step to-night and all is lost. Our enemies would like
to fix on us the name of rebels. Rebels against whom? There is no
rebellion except rebellion against the people. The people are the true
sovereigns, and the only rebels are the classes who oppress them."
A murmur of assent broke from the crowd. Rossi paused, and looked around
at the soldiers.
"Romans," he said, "do not let the armed rebels of the State provoke you
to violence. It is to their interest to do so. Defeat them. You have
come here in the face of their rifles and bayonets to show that you are
not afraid of death. But I ask you to be afraid of doing an unrighteous
thing. It is on my responsibility that you are here, and it would be an
undying remorse to me if through any fault of yours one drop of blood
were shed.