England has long been seeking for a _casus belli_ with us. At
last she has found it."
Monsieur Grisson whispered for a moment to one of his colleagues. Then
he turned once more to the Prince.
"Let us understand one another, Monsieur le Prince!" he said, "and you,
Count von Munchen! You have come to announce to me your intention to
jointly make war upon England. St. Petersburg is to refuse her demands,
England will naturally strike at the Baltic Fleet, and Germany will send
her fleet to the rescue, and at the same time land troops somewhere in
the North of England. Russia, I presume, will withdraw her troops from
Manchuria and strike at India!"
"No, no!" Count von Munchen protested. "I can assure you, Monsieur, it
is not our intention to land a single German soldier in England. We are
interested only to see fair play to Russia. We require that the Baltic
Fleet shall be allowed to go on its way without molestation."
The President faced the last speaker. His gray bushy eyebrows met in a
frown.
"Then what, Count," he asked, "is the meaning of the mobilization of two
hundred thousand men at Kiel? What is the meaning of your State
railroads running west being closed last night to all public traffic?
Why have you cabled huge orders for Government supplies? Why were you
running trains all last night to the coast? Do you suppose that our
secret service slumbers--that we are a nation of babies?"
The Count made an effort to retain his composure.
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