The Invasion

ere walking down Fleet Street together soon

s irregular rows of closed shops and newspaper offices, was quiet and

at brief interval at the birth of day, when the rose tints of the sky glow slowly into gold, does the giant metropolis repose-at least, as far as its business street

ged in offices of rival newspapers were making their way homeward to Dulwich t

asked Fergusson, the news-editor of the "Dispatch," as they crossed White

red Baines, who was four or fiv

ing both-to

't get more than half of it. Something's wrong with the line, evidently," Baines said. "If it were

aven't the whole story, for it was a first-class one, and

legraph Company, tried to get through to Yarmouth on the trunk, and spent half an hour or so pottering ab

Post Office, but the reply came back

" and Baines glanced at the bright, clear sky overhead, just fl

hen it's quite still in London, my de

ce like Yarmouth is suddenly cut off, as it has been, I can't he

My assistant, Henderson, whom I've left in charge, rings me up over any mare's nest. The trunk telephones all come into the Post Office Exchange u

re to be called back to his office after getting out to Dulwic

r fellow," he said. "Besides, I have a beastly headache

pecial edition with a terrible storm, great loss of life, and all that sort of thing. So long." And,

ended the steep, narrow street until he reached the Post Office Telephone Exchange in

rivate office, into which came a short, dapper, fair-mo

tion of the line to Yarmouth a short time ago. We had some important news coming through, but were cut off just in the

ing to Yarmouth seems to be down, as well as the telegraphs. Yarmouth, Lowestoft, and beyond Beccles seem all to have been suddenly cut off. About eig

Did they all brea

Lowestoft and Yarmouth. The operator found that he could get through to Ipswich and Beccles. Ipswic

tap at the door, and the assistant

h reported a fault somewhere north, between there and Cromer. But the operator now says that the l

e, utterly astounded. "Have you tried to get on to Cromer by the oth

ied every route, but

s-Yarmouth, for instance-by telegraphing to

g," responded the ass

st coast in that neighbourhood?"

t. "There's the cable from Yarmouth to Barkum, in the Frisian Islands; from Happisburg, near Mundesley, to B

g all the routes?"

n and King's Cross to wire down to some of their stations on the coast, but the reply was that they were in the same predicament as ourselves-their lines were down north of Beccles, Wymondham, East

the sub-editor. "If there's been an earthquake or an electrical disturbance, then it i

d. "I wonder what could have happened. You've n

But I

for his assistant returned with a

obtained direct telegraphic communication with operators of all five cables to England. Haarlem, Zandyport, Barkum, and Emden all repor

ll?" asked

no more than we do," was

ious!" And, taking up the instrument upon his table, he placed a plug in one of the holes down the front of the table itself, and a moment later was in conversation with the offici

effect that the road-bridges between Kimberley and Hardingham had apparently fallen in, and the line w

roken!" cried Fergusson. "Is it possible

roy all five cables from the Continent

ver upon the hook when a third man enter

ed point-blank at him with a revolver. Fortunately, the shot went wide, and he at once put on a move and got down into Blythburgh village, even though one of his tyres went down. It had probably been pierced by the bullet fired at him, as the puncture was unlike any he had ever had before. At Blythburgh he informed the police of the outrage, and the constable, in turn, woke up the postmaster, who tried to telegraph back to the police at Wrentham, but found that the line was interrupted. Was it possible that the men were cutting the wires, instead of

ed the superintendent quickly, a

for a few moments in ord

Perhaps you'd like to co

boards were ranged around, and where the night operators,

ear-piece, and was in conversation with Ipswich. A second later he was spea

e farther end of the switchboard suddenly g

eccles? Repeat it,"

t later he s

of them-are pouring into the place! The Ge

s words sprang up dumbfoun

dashed to the operator's si

Beccles! Hallo

rman, and the sound of scuffling could

town, but in vain. Then he switched through t

ng from Ipswich by Harleston and Beccle

ected the surprise landing that had so often in recent years been predicted by military critics; that Engla

lethargy were in utter ignorance of the grim d

get out an extraordinary edition, but the superintendent, who was s

the public unnecessarily. We want corroboration.

sub-editor. "Let

gave his promise to come to town at once, there came over the line from the coastguard at Southwold a vague, incoherent telephone message regarding strange ships having been seen to the northward, and asking for connection with Harwich; while King's Cross and Liverpool Street Stations both ra

ken up rails, and effectually blocked all communication with the coast.

Lane, City, on that sweet, sunny morning when all the great worl

over the wires telling how panic-stricken people were fleeing inland away from the enemy's outposts. Then he took a hansom to the "Dispatch" o

t effect the news would have upon the world. In the rival newspaper offices the report was, as yet, unknown. With journalistic forethought he had arranged that at present the bewildering truth should not leak out to his rivals, ei

ned on duty to the house of Colonel Sir James Taylor, the Permanent Under-Secretary for War. Halting b

ace. The street, bright in the warm sunshine, was quite empty, save for a couple of motor-omni

the welcome rest after the busy turmoil that through six days in the week is

he direction of the Strand and pulled up before the office. The fine car, a six-cylinder "Napier," was grey with th

upstairs room, the sub-editor swiftly taking down the motorist's story, wh

s of the half-deserted Strand were suddenly awakened

d this morning! Germans in Suffolk! Terrib

ith him to the War Office and report. Therefore, both men entered the car, and as they did so a man jumped from a hansom in

at Hampstead," he exclaimed. "I've been there, but find th

Horton, "We'll go at once and find him. Sixty mil

ndsome lodge-gates of Chilham Park, and running up the great elm avenue, drew up bef

Under-Secretary with the news that England was invaded-that the

earded sub-editor to be a lunatic, but a few moments later, when Horton briefly repeated the s

thing of it if such were actually the case. The coastguard would

st night," declared Fergusson. "They sought to prevent this gentleman from giving the alarm by shooting him. All the railways to London

st exchanged

" exclaimed Sir James, "to-day is surely th

erts," snapped his lordship. "I suppose you

uarter of an hour later, accepting Horton's offer, he w

the past five years, serious warnings by men who knew our shortcomings, but to which no attention had been paid. Both the Government and the public had remained apathetic, the idea of

tion; those responsible for the defence of the country had smiled, the Na

three or four, out of her twenty-three, army corps, and had aim

mes saw on every side crowds discussing the vague but astounding reports now publ

ses were seized, and bundles torn from them by excit

s it only a hoax? Half London disbelieved it. Yet from every quarter, from the north and from across the bridges, thous

ted the back of one of the lions and harangued the crowd with much gesticulation, denouncing the Government in t

already been on English soil ten hours, yet London was in ign