 All of the following terms describe the people's reaction to the destruction of the Maternite EXCEPT for:
It was a day soft and clear; a day accepted by the young, cherished by we old. I do not, of course, believe in the gods per se; still there is a grandeur in the very stones that transcends their human sculptors, and it is no wonder to me that many cling tenaciously, and ignorantly, to the old religion. In whose names Man killed and plundered, while struggling up. Saddened, but resigned and content to live in peace with his knowledge and his power. "Sias," they were saying, "the Maternite's gone." Then turned to me, and said calmly, "The watcher at the Maternite Machine, it appears, has been drunk. Everything has evaporated in Maternite. They were aware that they stood in the midst of an unprecedented happening; indeed, an emergency. They were created so long ago, indeed, that the ignorant believe them to have been constructed by the gods themselves. I hastened to the City Hall and found the Conclave assembled, waiting for me to bring them to order. At such a time, many men feel impelled to make speeches, and one must not be disrespectful. Prayers and supplications were offered to the gods, priests were sent to sacrifice, and finally, as the light of the sun was falling between the pillars, the High Priest of the Maternite Machine was heard. By this time, unfortunately, many of the Conclave had departed for home and supper. Yet perhaps it is for the best, for those left were the most earnest and intelligent. Know, then, that once granted a few cells of Prelife, it is an easy matter for the Maternite Machine to add more and more; thus assuring us, as has always been, a continuous source of Prelife to be born by the Generating Machine as children. The machines bear the exact number of children each year to balance the number of us whom the gods claim. Such it has always been from time immemorial." "But now," he continued, however, with less assurance and indeed with even a stutter here and there, "an unprecedented situation has arisen. For the M-Maternite Machine has actually failed." Cries of "Treason" sprang up, and I fear it might have gone hard for the priest had I not been able to insure order. They quieted, breathing heavily, and I asked, "Is there no way, then, to produce more Prelife in order that the machines may produce more children for us?
 accusatory
 perplexed  panicked  obtuse  accusatory