It had spoilt his personal life, had interfered with his travels, his diggings, his friendships with foreign scholars.

Well, then, as far as he could he would take no account of it, would shut it out, and rail at the men and the forces that made it.

He barely looked at the newspapers; he never touched a book dealing with the war.

It seemed to him a triumph of mind and intelligence when he succeeded in shutting out the hurly-burly altogether.

Only, when in the name of the war his private freedom and property were interfered with, he had flamed out into hysterical revolt.