He stopped again. The careful plan of this assembly had broken down. "What d'you want me to say then? I was wrong to call this assembly so late. We'll have a vote on them on ghosts I mean; and then go to the shelters because we're all tired. No-Jack is it?- wait a minute. I'll say here and now that I don't believe in ghosts. Or I don't think I do. But I don't like the thought of them. Not now that is in the dark. But we were going to decide what's what."
He raised the conch for a moment. Very well then I suppose what's what is whether there are ghosts or not. He thought for a moment, formulating the question. For a long time there was silence and no apparent movement. Then Ralph peered into the gloom and made out the hands.