“My advice,” Mr. Hannaway Wells said bluntly, “is that you, sir,” —­turning to his Chief—­“refuse to discuss or consider these proposals, or to examine that document.  I submit that you are the head of His Majesty’s Government, and any communication emanating from a foreign country should be addressed to you.  If you ever consider this matter and discuss it with Mr. Orden here, you associate yourself with a traitorous breach of the law.”

Mr. Stenson made no immediate reply.  He looked towards Julian, as though to hear what he had to say.

“Mr. Hannaway Wells’s advice is, without doubt, technically correct,” Julian admitted, “but the whole subject is too great, and the issues involved too awful for etiquette or even propriety to count.  It is for you, sir, to decide what is best for the country.  You commit yourself to nothing by reading the proposals, and I suggest that you do so.”

“We will read them,” Mr. Stenson decided.

Julian passed over the papers.  The two men crossed the room and leaned over the Prime Minister’s writing table.  Mr. Stenson drew down the electric light, and they remained there in close confabulation for about a quarter of an hour.  Julian sat with his back turned towards them and his ears closed.  In this atmosphere of government, his own position seemed to him weird and fantastic.  A sense of unreality cumbered his thoughts.  Even this brief pause in the actual negotiations filled him with doubts.  He could scarcely believe that it was he who was to dictate terms to the man who was responsible for the government of the country; that it was he who was to force a decision pregnant with far-reaching consequences to the entire world.  The figures of Fenn and Bright loomed up ominously before him, however hard he tried to push them into the background.  Was it the mandate of such men as these that he was carrying?

Presently the two Ministers returned to their places.  Julian had heard their voices for the last few minutes without being able to distinguish a word of their actual conversation.

“We have considered the document you have brought, Orden,” the Prime Minister said, “and we frankly admit that we find its contents surprising.  The terms of peace suggested form a perfectly possible basis for negotiations.  At the same time, you are probably aware that it has not been in the mind of His Majesty’s Ministers to discuss terms of peace at all with the present administration of Germany.”

“These terms,” Julian reminded him, “are dictated, not by the Kaiser and his advisers, but by the Socialist and Labour Party.”

“It is strange,” Mr. Stenson pointed out, “that we have heard so little of that Party.  It is even astonishing that we should find them in a position to be able to dictate terms of peace to the Hohenzollerns.”

“You do not dispute the authenticity of the document?” Julian asked.

“I will not go so far as that,” Mr. Stenson replied cautiously.  “Our secret service informed us some time ago that Freistner, the head of the German Socialists, was in communication with certain people in this country.  I have no doubt whatever that these are the proposals of the authorised Socialist Party of Germany.  What I do not understand is how they have suddenly acquired the strength to induce proposals of peace such as these.”