ngman.

"Why not?" Selingman demanded. "Why not, indeed? We are not fools here."

"Then I would ask you, Mr. Grex," Monsieur Douaille continued, "where in
the name of all that is equitable are you to find an alliance more
likely to preserve the status quo in Europe? Both logically and
geographically it absolutely dovetails. Russia is in a position to
absorb the whole attention of Austria and even to invade the north coast
of Germany. The hundred thousand troops or so upon which we could rely
from Great Britain, would be invaluable for many reasons--first, because
a mixture of blood is always good; secondly, because the regular army
which perforce they would have to send us, is of very fine fighting
material; and thirdly, because they could land, to give away a very open
secret to you, my friend Selingman, in a westerly position, and would
very likely succeed thereby in making an outflanking movement towards
the north. I presume that at present the German fleet would not come out
to battle, in which case the English would certainly be able to do great
execution upon the northern coast of Germany. All this, of course, has
been discussed and written about, and the next war been mapped out in a
dozen different ways. I must confess, however, that taking every known
consideration into account, I can find no other distribution of powers
so reasonable or so favourable to my country."

Mr. Grex nodded.

"I find no fault with any word of what you have said," he declared,
"except that yours is simply the superficial and obvious idea of the man
in the street as to the course of the next probable war. Now let us go a
little further. I grant all the points which you urge in favour of your
suggested triple alliance. I will even admit that your forecast of a war
taking place under such conditions, is a fairly faithful one. We
proceed, then. The war, if it came to pass, could never be decisive. An
immense amount of blood would be shed, treasure recklessly poured out,
Europe be rendered desolate, for the sake most largely of whom?--of
Japan and America. That is the weakness of the whole thing. A war
carried out on the lines you suggest would be playing the game of these
two countries. Even the victors would be placed at a huge disadvantage
with them, to say nothing of the losers, who must see slipping away from
them forever their place under the sun. It is my opinion--and I have
studied this matter most scientifically and with the hel