Page:The guilt of William Hohenzollern.djvu/179

Rh German Ambassador to recommend to the German Government the eagerly desired "participation in a conversation à quatre, to find a way of inducing Austria by friendly means [Is the Russian mobilization a friendly means?—W.] to drop the demands which infringe the sovereignty of Serbia."

This sensible proposal, which made the maintenance of peace probable, and of which "in principle" the German Foreign Office had expressed approval to England, met with the opposition of the German Ambassador in St. Petersburg, who waived it aside with the intelligent remark: ""Russia is demanding that we should do to Austria what Austria is being reproached for doing to Serbia.""

On this ludicrous view, William promptly remarks, ""Very good.""

Herr Pourtales then tries to persuade Sasonow to allow Austria a free hand in Serbia : ""At the conclusion of peace there will still be time enough to come back to the question of Serbian sovereignty." [Good.—W.]"

After the German Ambassador, with the lively approval of his Imperial master, had worked in this admirable fashion to mediate between Russia and Austria, he began to speak of the Russian partial mobilization, which followed the Austrian, and uttered, "No threat but only a friendly warning."

"Sasonow declared that the cancelling of the order for mobilization was no longer possible, and