s possible.

And sleep is good--long sleep and often; and your age and mine
permit us to indulge in it without the sneers of the lark or the
cock or the dawn.

I pray you, sir, therefore, accept my homage as the philosopher
that you are and my assurance of that high esteem indicated by my
faithful imitation of your virtues. I am,

With the most distinguished consideration,
With the sincerest esteem, and
With the most affectionate good wishes,
Sir,
Your proud,
Humble,
Obedient
GRANDDADDY.

To Master Walter Hines Page,

On Christmas, 1915.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 23: By William Roscoe Thayer, published in 1915.]

[Footnote 24: The Ambassador had in mind _The Round Table_.]

[Footnote 25: James W. Gerard, American Ambassador to Germany, and, as
such, in charge of British interests in Germany.]

[Footnote 26: The German military and naval attaches, whose persistent
and outrageous violation of American laws led to their dismissal by
President Wilson.]

[Footnote 27: E.S. Martin, Editor of _Life_.]

[Footnote 28: Mr. Henry Ford at this time was getting together his
famous peace ship, which was to sail to Europe "to get the boys out of
the trenches by Christmas."]

[Footnote 29: J.M. Dent, the London publisher.]

[Footnote 30: $500,000,000.]

[Footnote 31: The Ambassador's Sons.]

[Footnote 32: The Ambassador's infant grandson, son of Arthur W. Page.]

CHAPTER XVIII

A PERPLEXED AMBASSADOR

The beginning of the new year saw no improvement in German-American
relations. Germany and Austria continued to violate the pledge given by
Bernstorff after the sinking of the _Arabic_--if that shifty statement
could be regarded as a "pledge." On November 7, 1915, the Austrians sank
the _Ancona_, in the Mediterranean, drowning American citizens under
conditions of particular atrocity, and submarine attacks on merchant
ships, without the "warning" or attempt to save passengers and crew
which Bernstorff had promised, took place nearly every day. On April 18,
1916, the _Sussex_ was torpedoed in the English Channel, without warning
and with loss of American life. This caused what seemed to be a real
crisis; President Wilson sent what was practically an ultimatum to
Germany, demanding that it "immediately declare and effect an
abandonment of its present methods of warfare against passenger and
freight carrying vessels," declaring that, unle