the hour of ten
A hoax ! -- a huge joke ! -- it was absurd , the thought of a distant people imposing their will upon France ! And yet ... and yet ... * * * * * There were countless eyes turned skyward as a thousand bells rang out the hour of ten ; and countless ears heard faintly the sound of gunfire from the north . My work had brought me into contact with high officials of the French Government ; I was privileged to stand with a group of them where a high-roofed building gave a vantage point for observation . With them I saw the menacing specks on the horizon ; I saw them come on with deadly deliberation -- come on and on in an ever-growing armada that filled the sky . Wireless had brought the report of their flight high over Germany ; it was bringing now the story of disaster from the northern front .