to cultivate and keep the friendship of the United
States, just as duller-witted Englishmen declare that the United
States depends upon England for existence.

"During the present war Great Britain has felt compelled to impose
certain blockade restrictions upon our commerce with neutral powers in
Europe. This has hampered our commerce to some extent, and there are
many in the United States who feel deep resentment, and favor taking
any steps necessary to compel England to abandon her interference with
our merchant marine. Some Englishmen take an almost insolent attitude
in the matter, while others beg us to believe that England hinders
some of our commerce only in order to preserve her own national life.
In other words, if she did not carefully regulate the world's trade
with, for instance, Denmark and Holland, those countries would sell
much of their importations to Germany, whereby the duration of the war
would be prolonged by reason of help obtained by Germany in that
manner.

"As you can readily understand, the situation is full of delicate
points, and many sensibilities are wounded. There have been times when
only a spark was needed to kindle a serious blaze of mutual wrath
between Great Britain and the United States. And you may be sure there
are some governments in this world that would be delighted to see
feelings of deep hostility engendered between Britons and Americans.

"At present, however, there seems to be not the slightest cloud over
the relations between Great Britain and our country.

"Now, Mr. Darrin, you have obtained clues to a startling plot that has
for its object the causing of distrust between the two greatest
nations. If one or more British warships should be sunk, by some means
that we do not at present know, and if the blame could be plausibly
laid against Americans, there would be hot-tempered talk in England
and a lot of indignant retort from our country. It would seem
preposterous that any Englishman could suspect the American government
of destroying British warships, and just as absurd to think that
Americans could take such a charge seriously. Yet in the relations
between nations the absurd thing often does happen. Should England
lose any warships it would seem that only Germany or Austria could be
blamed, yet it might be possible for plotters to manage the thing so
successfully, and with so much cleverness, that the United States
would really seem to be proven to be the guilty par