It does not care who or what it strikes." * * * * * The tidal wave swept on and the uninitiated who formed the mass of humanity in every country in the world, reading with feverish anxiety almost hourly newspaper extras every day, tried to hide a secret fear that no one knew what was really happening or could trust to the absolute truth of any spoken or published statement.

The exultant hope of to-day was dashed to-morrow.

The despair of the morning was lightened by gleams of hope before night closed, and was darkened and lightened again and again.

Great cities and towns aroused themselves from a half-somnolent belief in security.

Village by village England awakened to what she faced in common with an amazed and half incredulous world.
The amazement and incredulity were founded upon a certain mistaken belief in a world predominance of the laws of decency and civilisation.
The statement of piety and morality that the world in question was a bad one, filled with crime, had somehow so far been accepted with a guileless reservation in the matter of a ruling majority whose lapses from virtue were at least not openly vaunted treachery, blows struck at any unprepared back presenting itself, merciless attacks on innocence and weakness, and savage gluttings of lust, of fury, with exultant paeans of self-glorification and praise of a justly applauding God.