breast.

A moment later she resumed, now talking rapidly, disconnectedly,
giving Kennedy no chance to interrupt or guide the conversation.

"You don't know, Professor Kennedy," she began again, "but there
are similar groups to ours in European countries and the plan is
to strike terror and consternation everywhere in the world at
once. Why, at our headquarters there have been drawn up plans and
agreements with other groups and there are set down the time,
place, and manner of all the--the removals."

Momentarily she seemed to be carried away by something like the
fanaticism of the fervor which had at first captured her, even
still held her as she recited her incredible story.

"Oh, can't you understand?" she went on, as if to justify herself.
"The increase in armies, the frightful implements of slaughter,
the total failure of the peace propaganda--they have all defied
civilization!

"And then, too, the old, red-blooded emotions of battle have all
been eliminated by the mechanical conditions of modern warfare in
which men and women are just so many units, automata. Don't you
see? To fight war with its own weapons--that has become the only
last resort."

Her eager, flushed face betrayed the enthusiasm which had once
carried her into the "Group," as she called it. I wondered what
had brought her now to us.