the only giver of all victory;" . . .

The voice, though creaking in tone and uttering borrowed words,
impressed many among its audience with its accent of personal
sincerity. Mrs Polsue knelt and listened with a gathering choler.
This Hambly had no unction. He could never improve an occasion: the
more opportunity it gave the more helplessly he fell back upon old
formulae composed by Anglicans long ago. She had often enough
resented the Minister's dependence on these out-of-date phrases,
written (as like as not) by men in secret sympathy with the Mass.

Mr Hambly arose from his knees, opened the Book, and said: "The
portion of Scripture I have chosen for this morning is taken from
Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, vi. 10:--"

'My brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take
unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.'

He paused here, and for a moment seemed about to continue his
reading; but, as if on a sudden compulsion, closed the book, and went
on:

"My Brethren,--choose any of those words. They shall be my text;
they and those I read to you just now: 'If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.'

"In entering upon this War we may easily tell ourselves that we have
no sin: for in fact not a man or a woman in this congregation--so far
as I know--harbours, or has harboured a single thought of evil
disposition against the people who, from to-morrow, are to be our
enemies, in whose distress we shall have to exult. In a few days
this will seem very strange to you; but it is a fact.

"So it might plausibly be said that not we, but our Government, make
this war upon a people with whom you and I have no quarrel.

"But that will not do; for in a nation ruled as ours is, no Ministry
can make war unless having the people behind it. That is certain.
The whole people--not only of Great Britain, but of Ireland too--
seems to be silently aware that a War has been fastened upon it, not
to be shirked or avoided, and is arming; but still without hate.
So