'Individuals' who come to the surface in hundreds or thousands of minds at
the same time. Liberty, for example. It begins to push through. It is noticed
by one or two men only at first; that is like the point of the cone. Then it
spreads gradually — or it breaks out suddenly, just as the circle would, if,
instead of a cone, you dropped a spiked shield upon the water. And that is all
the lesson for this afternoon, child. Think it over, and see if you have it all
clear, and if you can find any other little problems to straighten out. The next
lesson will be of a more desperate sort — the kind that leads directly to
action.
Cyril broke in on the word. "We have a great deal to do," he said sharply,
"even before we leave this house. It's pretty dark — and there's a Thing in the
garden." [63]