ABSTRACT
BLACK and gloomy enough was the dawn of October 20, but the worst had not yet come, nor indeed was that worst even dreamt of until the nation had digested the first news of this fresh terror in their midst. Despite the overwhelming suddenness of the blow and the precision with which all telegraphic communication had been cut, it was inconceivable that the country could remain for more than an hour or two ignorant of the blow, which in the face of all optimists and peace fanatics had at last fallen in deadly earnest. Indeed one might well doubt whether the Germans themselves, once they had actually secured their grip, would have desired it, since it was only necessary to remember the horrors of famine and anarchy which were draining the lifeblood of the great industrial centres, to realize that the mere knowledge of a foreign foe being in possession of English soil was sufficient to bring the half-crippled nation to her knees.
