Moreover, Barbarossa had a mass of red hair standing on end around his head like a halo, and a spreading red beard. These were indubitably real, too, and had obviously taken years to produce.
"We don't get many English boys interested in ideas."
Jack privately hoped this would not count against him. He had considered assuming a foreign character, but had given it up as being too difficult to maintain.
"What do you want of me?" demanded Barbarossa.
"I want to learn," said Jack. "I want to meet men with ideas. I want to take part in the movement."
Jack was somewhat taken aback. "A little. I'm only a working-boy."
"If you can pay, you can come to my school. It's fifteen dollars payable in advance. Afternoon or evening classes. You can come as often as you want."
"I'll come," said Jack. "I'll bring the money to-morrow. Is there some work I could do, too? For the Cause. Can I belong to a circle?"
"Circle?" said Barbarossa with a sharp glance of his little blue eyes--they were at once irascible and short-sighted, eyes of a fanatic. "What kind of a circle?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. If there is any such thing, I suppose you'll be invited to belong when you've proved yourself worthy. Come to my school and I'll put some ideas into your head if it's not too English."
"Thank you, sir," said Jack rising. This was as far as he supposed he could get on the first meeting.
"By the way, who told you about me?" demanded Barbarossa.
"I read your articles in the _Future Age_."
"Well, then, who told you about the _Future Age_?"
Jack was tempted to try an experiment. "Fellow I used to room with. The hero who croaked old Silas Gyde. Emil Jansen."
It had an electrical effect. Barbarossa was out of his chair with a bound. His ruddy cheeks turned a gray color, on which the network of little dark veins stood out startlingly.
"Silence! Don't speak that name here! Hero nothing! Madman! Fool! What have you got to do with _him_?"
"Why, nothing!" stammered Jack, affecting a great confusion. "Isn't he one of you? Isn't he working for the Cause?"
"I don't know him!" cried Barbarossa. "If he claims to be my friend I repudiate him! Such madmen are like to ruin us all!"
"But--you said in your article that I read, that the capitalistic order must be overthrown at any cost. That he was a hero who gave up his life to accomplish it."