candle, in the regard and respect of the
vast volume of British opinion. (The last _Punch_ had six
ridiculing allusions to our "fall.")

It's the loneliest time I've had in England. There's a tendency to
avoid me.

They can't understand here the continued declaration in the United
States that the British Government is trying to take our trade--to
use its blockade and navy with the direct purpose of giving British
trade profit out of American detentions. Of course, the Government
had no such purpose and has done no such thing--with any such
purpose. It isn't thinking about trade but only about war.

The English think they see in this the effect on our Government and
on American opinion of the German propaganda. I have had this
trade-accusation investigated half a dozen times--the accusation
that this Government is using its military power for its own trade
advantage to our detriment: it simply isn't true. They stop our
cargoes, not for their advantage, but wholly to keep things from
the enemy. Study our own trade reports.

In a word, our importers are playing (so the English think)
directly into the hands of the Germans. So matters go on from bad
to worse.

Bryce[9] is very sad. He confessed to me yesterday the utter
hopelessness of the two people's ever understanding one another.

The military situation is very blue--very blue. The general feeling
is that the long war will begin next March and end--nobody dares
predict.

W.H.P.

P.S. There's not a moral shadow of a doubt (1) that the commander
of the submarine that sunk the _Arabic_ is dead--although he makes
reports to his government! nor (2) that the _Hesperian_ was
torpedoed. The State Department has a piece of the torpedo.

V

The letters which Page sent directly to the President were just as
frank. "Incidents occur nearly every day," he wrote to President Wilson
in the autumn of 1915, "which reveal the feeling that the Germans have
taken us in. Last week one of our naval men, Lieutenant McBride, who has
just been ordered home, asked the Admiralty if he might see the piece of
metal found on the deck of the _Hesperian_. Contrary to their habit, the
British officer refused. 'Take my word for it,' he said. 'She was
torpedoed. Why do you wish to investigate? Your country will do
nothing--will accept any exc