But the rumours of war did not cease, and in order to avoid a new and dangerous motion, the Prime Minister distributed eighty thousand acres of forests in Nigritia among the Deputies, and had fourteen Socialists arrested.  Hippolyte Ceres went gloomily about the lobbies, confiding to the Deputies of his group that he was endeavouring to induce the Cabinet to adopt a pacific policy, and that he still hoped to succeed.  Day by day the sinister rumours grew in volume, and penetrating amongst the public, spread uneasiness and disquiet.  Paul Visire himself began to take alarm.  What disturbed him most were the silence and absence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.  Crombile no longer came to the meetings of the Cabinet.  Rising at five o’clock in the morning, he worked eighteen hours at his desk, and at last fell exhausted into his waste-paper basket, from whence the registrars removed him, together with the papers which they were going to sell to the military attaches of the neighbouring Empire.

General Debonnaire believed that a campaign was imminent, and prepared for it.  Far from fearing war, he prayed for it, and confided his generous hopes to Baroness Bildermann, who informed the neighbouring nation, which, acting on her information, proceeded to a rapid mobilization.

The Minister of Finance unintentionally precipitated events.  At the moment, he was speculating for a fall, and in order to bring about a panic on the Stock Exchange, he spread the rumour that war was now inevitable.  The neighbouring Empire, deceived by this action, and expecting to see its territory invaded, mobilized its troops in all haste.  The terrified Chamber overthrew the Visire ministry by an enormous majority (814 votes to 7, with 28 abstentions).  It was too late.  The very day of this fall the neighbouring and hostile nation recalled its ambassador and flung eight millions of men into Madame Ceres’ country.  War became universal, and the whole world was drowned in a torrent of blood.

THE ZENITH OF PENGUIN CIVILIZATION

Half a century after the events we have just related, Madame Ceres died surrounded with respect and veneration, in the eighty-ninth year of her age.  She had long been the widow of a statesman whose name she bore with dignity.  Her modest and quiet funeral was followed by the orphans of the parish and the sisters of the Sacred Compassion.

The deceased left all her property to the Charity of St. Orberosia.

“Alas!” sighed M. Monnoyer, a canon of St. Mael, as he received the pious legacy, “it was high time for a generous benefactor to come to the relief of our necessities.  Rich and poor, learned and ignorant are turning away from us.  And when we try to lead back these misguided souls, neither threats nor promises, neither gentleness nor violence, nor anything else is now successful.  The Penguin clergy pine in desolation; our country