the country's blood, which began to flow freely to the brain again as
soon as the shock was over. The press could not let pass the most
glorious opportunity in its history for head-lines; there were more
mass meetings than even the press could grapple with, and all the
latent oratorical ability in the country burst into flower. It seemed
to Betty when she rose in the night and leaned out of her window that
she could hear the roar of the great national storm.

And it rose and swelled and left the old landmarks behind it. The
memory of the gales of the past year, with the intervals of doubt and
rest, was insignificant beside this volume of fury pouring out of
every State, to concentrate at last, fierce, unreasoning, and
irresistible, about the White House and Capitol Hill. It was not long
before the great quiet village on the Potomac seemed to epitomize the
terrible mood of the country it represented, and the country had
made up its mind long before the report of the Maine Court of Inquiry
came in. The cry no longer was for the suffering Cuban, but for
revenge. The Senate held down its "kickers" with an iron hand, but one
or two of the inferior men managed to shout across the Chamber to
their constituents. Senator North scarcely left his seat. Burleigh
told Betty that he should not allude to the subject in the Senate
until after the Court of Inquiry's report, but then, whatever the
result, he should speak and ask for war. Betty argued with him by the
hour, and although he discussed the matter from every side, it was
evident that he did it merely for the pleasure of talking to her and
that she could not shake his resolution for a moment. It was time for
the United States to put an end to the barbarous state of affairs a
few miles from her shores, and that was the end of it. He admitted the
patriotism of Senator North's attitude, but contended that the
United States would be more dishonoured if she disregarded this