CHAPTER XXV. THE EASTER WEEK REBELLION AND AFTERWARDS A world
preoccupied with the tremendous movements of mighty armies woke
up one morning and rubbed its eyes in amazement to read that a
rebellion had broken out in the capital of Ireland. How did it
happen? What did it mean? What was the cause of it? These and
similar questions were being asked, and those who were ready
with an answer were very few indeed. The marvellous thing, a
matter almost incredible of belief, is that it caught the Irish
Government absolutely unawares. Their Secret Service Department
might as well not have been in existence. For the first time
probably in Irish history an Irish movement had come into being
which had not a single "informer" in its ranks. This in itself
was a remarkable thing and to be noted. The leaders and their
officers had accomplished the remarkable achievement of
discriminating against the Secret Service agent. Although
everything was clouded in a mist of conjecture and obscurity at
the time, the causes of the Rebe