As soon as she
raised it, he knew that great things had happened. Her cheeks
were the colour of ivory, and her eyes unnaturally distended. Her
tone was steady but full of repressed passion.
"Julian," she cried, "we have been deceived--tricked! I have
come to you for help. Are the telegrams sent out yet?"
"They go at eight o'clock in the morning," he replied.
"Thank God we are in time to stop them!"
Julian looked at her for a moment, utterly incredulous.
"Stop them?" he repeated. "But how can we? Stenson has declared
war."
"Thank heaven for that!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling.
"Julian, the whole thing is an accursed plot. The German
Socialists have never increased their strength except in their own
imaginations. They are absolutely powerless. This is the most
cunning scheme of the whole war. Freistner has simply been the
tool of the militarists. They encouraged him to put forward these
proposals and to communicate with Nicholas Fenn. When the
armistice has been declared and negotiations begun, the three
signatures will be repudiated. The peace they mean to impose is
one of their own dictation, and in the meantime we shall have
created a cataclysm here. The war will never start again. All
the Allies will be at a discord."
"How have you found this out?" Julian gasped.
"From one of Germany's chief friends in England. He is high up in
the diplomatic service of--of a neutral country, but he has been
working for Germany ever since the commencement of the war.
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