"It seems," Ommaney went on, "that we alone know of this discovery. The secretary of the Palestine Exploring Society will not receive the news for another week, Hands says. He seems stunned, and no wonder. In about a fortnight his detailed papers will probably be published. I see he has already telegraphed privately for Dr. Schmöulder, the German expert. Of course you and I are hardly competent to judge of the value of this communication. To me--speaking as a layman--it seems extremely clear. But we must of course see a specialist before publishing anything. _If this news is true_--and I would give all I am worth if it were not, though I am no Christian--of course you realise that the future history of the world is changed? I hold in my hand something that will come to millions and millions of people as an utter extinction of hope and light. It's impossible to say what will happen. Moral law will be abrogated for a time. The whole moral fabric of Society will fall into ruin at once until it can adjust itself to the new state of things. There will be war all over the world; crime will cover England like a cloud----" His voice faltered as the terrible picture grew in his brain. Both of them felt that mere words were utterly unable to express the horrors which they saw dawning. "We don't know the truth yet," said Spence, at length. "No," answered Ommaney. "I am not going to speculate on it either. I am beginning to realise what we are dealing with. One man's brain cannot hold all this. So let me ask you to regard this matter _for the present_ simply from the standpoint of the paper, and through it, of course, from the standpoint of public policy----" He broke off suddenly, for there was a knock at the door. A _commissionaire_ entered with a telegram. It was for Spence. He opened the envelope, read the contents with a groan, and passed it to the editor. The telegram was from Hands: "Schmöulder entirely confirms discovery, is communicating first instance with Kaiser privately, fuller details in mail, confer Ommaney, make statement to Secretary Society, use Wire medium publicity, leave all to you, see Prime Minister, send out Llwellyn behalf Government immediately, meanwhile suggest attitude suspended decision, personally fear little doubt.--HANDS." "We must act at once," said Ommaney. "We have a fearful responsibility now. It's not too much to say that everything depends on us. Have you got any of that brandy left? My head throbs like an engine." A sub-editor who came in and was briefly dismissed told his colleagues that something was going on in the editor's room of an extraordinary nature. "The chief was actually drinking a peg, and his hand shook like a leaf." Ommaney drank the spirits--he was an absolute teetotaler as a rule, though not pledged in any way to abstinence--and it revived him. "Now let us try and think," he said, lighting a cigarette and walking up and down the room.