The long and complex preparations that had been secretly going forward on the Continent were now completed. Everything was ready for the terrible steel fist to throw offits innocent glove, and smite down the British Empire with disaster after disaster. And behind all these armed myriads, trains of artillery and mighty ironclads was the mainspring of this vast machine, the terrible and inflexible Imperial Will, lusting for conquest and empire, burning to strike down its commercial rival, hating it with a bitter and deadly hatred. The owner of that will had only to sign his name, and the crash would follow.