mes a
point," it remarked, "when destruction is the only cure for a
vermin-infested house," and it proceeded to observe that now that the
Pope with the entire College of Cardinals, all the ex-Royalties of
Europe, all the most frantic religionists from the inhabited world who
had taken up their abode in the "Holy City" were gone at a stroke, a
recrudescence of the superstition was scarcely to be feared elsewhere.
Yet care must even now be taken against any relenting. Catholics (if any
were left bold enough to attempt it) must no longer be allowed to take
any kind of part in the life of any civilised country. So far as
messages had come in from other countries, there was but one chorus of
approval at what had been done.

A few papers regretted the incident, or rather the spirit which had lain
behind it. It was not seemly, they said, that Humanitarians should have
recourse to violence; yet not one pretended that anything could be felt
but thanksgiving for the general result. Ireland, too, must be brought
into line; they must not dally any longer.

* * * * *

It was now brightening slowly towards dawn, and beyond the river through
the faint wintry haze a crimson streak or two began to burn. But all was
surprisingly quiet, for this crowd, tired out with an all-night watch,
chilled by the bitter cold, and intent on what lay before them, had no
energy left for useless effort. Only from packed square and street and
lane went up a deep, steady murmur like the sound of the sea a mile
away, broken now and again by the hoot and clang of a motor and the rush
of its passage as it tore eastwards round the circle through Broad
Sanctuary and vanished citywards. And the light broadened and the
electric globes sickened and paled, and the haze began to clear a
little, showing, not the fresh blue that had been hoped for from the
cold of the night, but a high, colourless vault of cloud, washed with
grey and faint rose-colour, as the sun came up, a ruddy copper disc,
beyond the river.

* * * * *

At nine o'clock the excitement rose a degree higher. The police between
Whitehall and the Abbey, looking from their high platforms strung along
the route, whence they kept watch and controlled the wire palisadings,
showed a certain activity, and a minute later a police-car whirled
through the square between the palings, and vanished round the Abbey
towers. The crowd murmured and shuffled and began to expect, and a cheer
was raised when a momen