AN AMAZING DIARY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2474, 29 May 1915, Page 9

AN AMAZING DIARY

KAISER'S WAR POLICY

ALLEGED CONVERSATIONS WITH A FRIEND

AUSTRIA EGGED ON TO FIGHT

The article which follows is composed of extracts from what,is presented as the diary of Count Axel Ton Sehwering, admittedly an assumed name, this diary forming the last part of "The Berlin Court Under William II," a book of 350 pages, published byiCassell and Co., Ltd., of London, New York, Toronto, and Melbourne. This diary purports to record conversations held between tihe German Emperor and- Count von Sehwering in the days immediately preceding the war and in the days just after hostilities began. The publishers, in their prefatory note, say. "The work here presented is issued Under an assumed name, in accordance with the expressed wish of the distinijuished author. Otherwise it would not Have been possible to make public .the bulk of the information which appears in its pages, a remark which applies particularly to the diary of the episodes.' ■that led up to the war. The high personage, through whom this remarkable document came into our possession, declares that the intimacy which existed between the author and his. Imperial master was so long standing and close as to render it both logical and legitimate to believe all the details giveii in the diary. In order to preserve its intensely human note the diary has been retained in the original first person style in which it was written."

BY COUNT AXEL. VON SCHMERING Berlin, June 30, 1914. I arrived here last night, summoned 'by a telegram from Kiel, and I am expecting the return of my Imperial master every moment. I wonder how. I shall find him after this Sarajevo tragedy ? I should be very- much mistaken if it did not affect him deeply. If ever ho liked anybody it was the(Archduke Francis Ferdinand,, and certainly he had more m common with him that with many other people; even members of his own family. The tragic death of such an intimate friend must have been a dreadful blow to him. The uncertainty of the future must also weigh upon him and render him anxious.

I Tecall the days of our common childhood, when he and I used to share in common our studies and amusements, feelings, and impressions. Years have gone by sines then; we are both past middle age; he has grown-up sons; and yet he has always remained for me the toy with -whom I played, with whom I exchanged, so many thoughts, and with whom I made so many plans for a future which, as regards myself at least, I could not imagine without him. Later on our paths went more than once asunder; he did many things of which I could not approve: allowed himself to be carried away further than I would have liked by the impetuosity- of his character. But for me he has never, changed. Lately ho has seemed to me to become sad and morose, and the boyish laugh which he kept for so long, and which seemed to defy the years that had accumulated orer his head, has been beard but seldom. Still for me he has not changed—at least, I think he has not done so, though once or twice a doubt has. crossed my mind as to whether my frank criticisms were not accepted with less indulgence and more impatience'than had been the case before.

FINDS CHANCES IN THE EMPEROR July 1 1914. I have seen the Emperor and I have never felt sadder than when I left him. tWe had a long conversation, which revealed to me a being quito different from the one I thought I knew so well—a being that was strange to me, in whom shone at intervals dark flashes of hatred, rage, and revengeful feelings. _ These feelings, I believed, had quite died out after "the dismissal of Prince Bismarck, and the death of the Empress Frederick had, by the consequences which followed •upon these two events, softened his nature. And yet, to-day, when I spoke with him, I had a vision of that other man he had been at the beginning of his career, and which I believed he was no longer. He seemed suddenly to have aged by ten years; the eyes, were sunken, the expression of his mouth hard, the general appearance stern and unbending. Ho spoke coldly about the assassination of his friend, as if the event had not impressed him beyond what a fait divers would have done. .Only once did he give way to emotion, and that was when I spoke about the grief which the old Emperor Francis Joseph must have felt when told that tragedy for the second time had robbed him of his heir.

"Yes, he is to be pitied," replied William 11. "and yet, God knows, ho is not the one I pity most. There are , ethers iivho, .will suffer through thi|__

death—others who will lose, their all through it."

And to my remark that. probably he was thinking of the children of the murdered Archduke, he answered, to my astonishment, that he had never given thema thought. When I looked up at him inquiringly, he then said, slowly, that this murder would call for revenge, and that revenge sometimes leads to catastrophes of unusual magnitude. He then spoke about the impression that must have been produced in Russia by the Serajevo tragedy. "They will be glad," he added. "It suits them to see upon the throne of Austria a young and inexperienced man. The Russians, poor wretches, do not imagine that this young man may bo so situated that he will be forced to endorse the policy of-those-.whose place he has taken."

Then suddenly, to my great astonishment, William II began speaking of the possible complications that might arise out of the murder of the Archduke. He expressed his opinion that most probably Russian gold and Russian uitrigue had had something to do with the pistol shot that had ended the life of the heir to the Hapsburg monarchy; but he added: "Russia shall be punished for the'share she has had in this drama; she will suffer for it. She must be either very stupid or Very conceited if she thinks that Austria will not insist on the chastisement of the guilty people. Francis Joseph will not allow the assassins of his nephew to escape. Indeed, out of this murder will perhaps result the ultimate triumph of German civilisation and German politics."

SCHWERINC ASKS A PLAIN QUESTION.

The tone in which the Emperor apok© alarmed me to a considerable extent, and I could not help putting to him plainly the question whether it could be possible that he was thinking of such a serious step as going to war to avenge his friend.

"No; I am not thinking of going to war," was the unexpected reply, "but I may be obliged to declare it." Then, as if afraid of having said too much, he added: "You must not get alarmed, my friend Axel. I sometimes allow myself to say what I do not mean. For the present I am only thinking of one thing, and that is of going to Norway for my usual holiday. You must come with me this time. These last months have not been a real holiday, and I want you to share this one with me." I bowed, but somehow felt uneasy.

He remained thoughtful for some moments, and then, as if wanting to shake off an unpleasant thought: "Yes, you must come with me to' Norway, friend Axel," he said. "Maybe this will be the last holiday I shall enjoy for a long time, and I want you to share it with me. Who knows what the next months may bring us?" "Your Majesty does not foresee any international complications?" I asked. "For the present nothing seems to point to the possibility of anything serious arising in that direction." "Serious things occur when one least expects them," was the enigmatical reply. "Sometimes the necessity arises lor a nation to assert itself, if oijly because she feels that others will do it, and do it to her disadvantage. No; for the present there are no complications to be foreseen; but with the French idea of a revanche, with Russia's preparations for war, and with the restlessness of Servia, a spark may fall that shall set (ire to the whole world. Austria, too, stands at the threshold of a new era in her existence, and perhaps it would be better for her were the transformation, which she must undergo whether she likes it or not, to take place during the lifetime of the present Emperor than under a young and not overclever sovereign. The new heir to the throne is an excellent young man, but the world requires more strength and energy than he has given proof of as yet.

July 4. The Emperor asked me to stay and have luncheon with him and the Empress, and during the meal appeared to be in a better temper than for a long time. Indeed, I wondered what coula have occurred to make him so satisfied and so easily pleased with everything. He complimented me on my good looks and the Empress on a dress which she wore for the first time, and even mentioned the Crown Prince with a tenderness that be did not usually show in regard to the latter. I ventured to expiess the hope that His Majesty was now no longer displeased with the Prince, to which William II replied; "Oh, well, # time cures everything, even a boys' wilfulness. The Crown Prince is now a man, and understands that he can no longer play the child. Who biows but .that jetwUß. duties mi re*

gtiire him at any moment? I am not immortal, and even before I die there may occur circumstances that will oblige him to look at things in a different light to what he has until now." When, after luncheon, the Emperor oalled me into his study, I had almost forgotten my fears of the days before. William II . seemed also in a buoyant mood. "I am elad to steal away from State cares and annoyances for a few days," he said to me. "I also require rest. After all, a human being is not a machine, as I have found out to my cost."

"I am glad to find Your Majesty in such_ good spirits," I said. "Yes, I am in good spirits, friendAxel," was the reply. "I always feel in good spirits when I have made up my mind .to a great : resolution and overcome tho natural misgivings which generally attend such things."

"Your Majesty always ends by doing the right thing," I observed, "even when your first impulse is a wrong one," The Emperor did not reply for somo minutes, and seemed , absorbed by the contemplation of" the cigar he was smoking; Then he turned to me from the window at which he had been standing surveying the beautiful park stretching in front of it, and said abruptly: "Yes, I have a sense of duty, and I mean to live up to it. Duty towards my people, my country, and my dynasty! But I am prepared for others not to understand it and to contest it. Duty, my friend Axel, you must not forget, is different according to the. position and the responsibilities of each individual. My duty is not yours, and vice versa."

• He. looked at me keenly, as if wishing to ■guess what were my thoughts, then went oh speaking • in a serious tone:—

"Have you ever thought, friend Ax6l, that my grandfather, when he died, had not quite achieved the task which he had set out to perform—that though he had seen renewed in his person :the traditions of the old German Empire, yot he had not entirely lived up to themP It was all very well to have been proclaimed Emperor at Versailles, but still it was not enough. Look at Germany's position from the geographical point of view. It stands surrounded by enemies, without that vital necessity, an outlet to the sea, save where artificially created. Can it under the circumstances play the dominant part it ought to do in the destinies of the world? Germany has been reproached for its militarism, but tie moment we give up militarism we lose all tho advantages we have gained by the great wars by which my grandfather created a new Germany. And yet we cannot go on forever in the defensive position we occupy to-day. We cannot do so because it is already entirely misconstrued, and, in order to silence our enemies, and to stop the tongues our detractors, we must make ono final effort." ' 1

KAISER DENIES SINISTER DESICNS As I listened to the Emperor my worst apprehensions returned. I felt just as Moltke had done, that I was in the presence of a personage I had not known before, and that William II was revealing himself to me in a light he had never done until that day. He appeared to guess my thoughts, because he said, smiling again: "You must not take my words tragically, my friend. I do not harbour any sinister designs against my neighbours, I assure you; only, as I am getting older, I cannot help thinking more deeply than I have done formerly on the future that awaits Germany. AVhen one has become a grandfather it is but natural that the future of one's-grand-children preoccupies one. So long as I am here it is well, but who can assure me that when I am dead my son will follow the same principles and the same line of conduct that I have ? Is it not better to leave him an inheritance so large that it cannot be squandered and so firmly established that nothing can ei-er wrest it from him? , . . No," he went on, "I am not thinking of war in the sense you attach to that* word. But I have thought about it, ever since I succeeded to my father, only then wo were riot ready, whereas now " He paused, then went on again:

" now; we are ready. But the question arises whether we can. go on keeping ready for ever. What is the use of sacrifices when one cannot persevere with them? That is what is worrying me—or, rather, what has been worrying me for a lone time. And this murder of the Archduke, putting even aside its horror, is pregnant with terrible consequences, not only for the Austrian monarchy, but also for the whole world. It is not a young and inexperienced fellow like that little Archduke Charles who will be able to inspire respect for the Hapsburg monarchy, or to induce •Austria to follow his.lead. If anything can be'done, it must be attempted during_ the lifetime of the Emperor. When he is gone, it will be no longer time." "But what is to be attempted?" I asked. "Oh, iny > friend, there you touch a subject, which it would take too long a time to discuss. Besides, you must not forget that I am talking academically, and merely touching on possibilities, not on probabilities.". SERBIA HOLDS KEY TO SITUATION ..He smiled once more, and I could not quite make up my mind whother he was serious or not. Wanting, however, to give to the conversation a practical turn, I asked him wliat he thought of the relations between Russia and Austria, and whether lie believed that these relations might improve through the death of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand.

"Don't ask me such a. question, friend Axel," answered the Emperor. •'lt would require a far cleverer man than I am to reply to it. i think that, as things stand at present, Servia holds

"But surely Servia had nothing to do, officially at least, with the assassination of the Archduke?" I inquired. "Whether' she had or not is quite immaterial,'! answered the Emperor. "The only thing that counts is whether or not she can be represented as having had a hand in it. Believe me, my friend, in this world in which we live the principal thing is not what things are, but what they oan be made to look like. There • lies the key to all the political events that have shaken the world."

He stopped, and, seeing the look of consternation which must have appeared oil my face, he seized me by the arm, in the same playfully affectionate manner as of old when we had been boys together, and then exclaimed: There, don't look so glum. Nothing threatens our holiday, friend A&el, believe me, and a week hence we shall be in the land, of the Midnight Sun, where politics are forgotten and where man finds himself in the presence of Nature, that greatest of masters, whose teachings are never misguided, though often misunderstood. Forget what I said; my words are of no consequence— only the fancies of a restless brain. Will you have a smoke?" July, 1914. On board the Imperial Yach- Hohenzollern. Three days have elapsed since we left Germany, and so far our cruise has been a most successful one. The Emperor is in excellent temper, and proves a charming companion. In that intimacy which life on board ship creates between the members of a yachting party —intimacy, where restraint and; differences in rank are equally forgotten— William II appears to have thrown off the' melancholy that had overtaken him over since the murder of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand. July 24. News of the -ultimatum presented to the Servian Government by the Vienna Cabinet has just reached the Emperor. The night was wonderfully, mild, and the dim light of these northern latitudes gave it a particular charm. The fiords of Norway presented a lovely sight, and the still waters through which our yacht was slowly gliding re-' minded one almost of those of the Mediterranean, so bine and clear were they. The Emperor sat on the captain's bridge, smoking a big cigar, and lying back in a rocking chair. His eyes were half closed. For a long time he did not speak; then, calling me to a seat beside him, he at once plunged into the matter which lay uppermost in the thoughts of us both.

"So Austria is moving, friend Axel," he said. "I wonder What the step she has taken will bring about?"

"May I venture to say that Your Majesty was aware that it was going to take place?"

"I aware? You are mistaken, my friend. I know nothing, and why should I? The matter does not concern me, after all, and 1 purposely did not go to Vienna,, so that they might not say I was in any way'privy to it."

' "That means Your Majesty was, after all, consulted by Francis Joseph?" . "Consulted! Certainly not. Austria ij not dependent on me or on my Government. This is entirely a personal affair of hers. Why should she refer it to me? I may have guessed something, but you know yourself how idle and useless it is to allow one's self to be influenced by, mere guesses." "Sir I" I exclaimed, with more real anger than I had ever allowed myself in the presence of William 11., "Austria would never have dared to send such an ultimatum unless she knew for a fact that the German Government would not disapprove of it." HOW GOULD CERMANY DISAPPROVE? "How could the German Government disapprove of it?" replied the Emperor. "First of all, I repeat it again: it is a purely personal affair, in which Austria could act independently; secondly, how could my Government—or myself, for the matter of that—disapprove of such a very natural step on the part of the Emperor Francis Joseph as to seek vengeance for the abominable murder of his nephew and heir?" "Vengeance be !" I could not help exclaiming. "Vengeance has no part in this matter. There is something else at the bottom of all this. Your Majesty will never persuade me that Francis Joseph was so fond of his nephew as to endanger his crown for the pleasure of seeing Serbia driven to bay ,by his threats." "■Who says that the crown of my venerable ally is endangered?" asked William 11.

"Your Majesty will affect to misunderstajid me. So be it, I shall speak clearly. Serbia cannot accept such an ultimatum, and even if she folt tomptcd to do so Russia will never allow her to submit to it."

1 "What has Russia to do in the matter?" a6ked the Emperor in the lazy tone of voice he likes to adopt whenever he wants to drive out of patience the person with whom he is talking. _ "Russia is the paramount faotor in Serbia, as Your Majesty knows," I replied, "and the humiliation of Serbia would mean her own loss of prestige in the Balkans. Neither the Czar nor life advisers will ever consent to it."

"Russia has just as little to do in Serbia as I have in Austria, in the matter of purely personal affairs. She had better keep quiet, and perhaps it will bo a wholesome lesson to her to find that sho is not considered in questions that, after all, do not concern her."

"Your Majesty will affect to misunderstand me," 1 repeated. "At present Serbia- is seeking a rapnrochoment with Russia at any cost. Is it likely that sho will not turn to her in hor present diro strait? And if she does so, then Russia pan only,reply in one way: that, is in assuring her that should Austria persist in her protonsions she will find herself with tho d(U)g«r of Rut*

"My cousin Nicholas won't be such a fcol!" said the Emperor. "Why should he endanger his throne by taking up the gauntlet in favour of a country that, after all, cannot bo useful to him in any way?"

RUSSIA AND THE SLAV QUESTION

"Your Majesty forgets that Russia has always looked upon herself as the protector of all' the Slavs in the Balkan Peninsula. She cannot now renounce that tradition."

"Why, ai crime remains a crime. Surely Russia cannot wish that those to whom the Archduke has fallen a victim should remain unpunished!" "No one wants them to remain unpunished : but between this and becoming the vassal of Austria, which is practically demanded by her ultimatum, there remains an abyss." "Ah, friend Axel," said the Emperor, "wny discuss these things on such a lovely night ? Let us leave the world to its useless quarrels and remember the words of the Koran: 'We are all but the fingers of the hand of Allah.' What does it matter if some of these fingers have iron nails? In tile Holy Book everything is_ written before cvor we come to read it."

"Allah has got nothing to do with the matter," I answered sharply, "unless Your Majesty wants to tako upon yourself the part of its prophet! We are faced by a most serious question, the question of the Triple Alliance stepping forth in an attitude that can only oxasperate Russia and the satellites of Russia. Is it worth while to provoke a conflict that can bring about the greatest war history has ever known?" "Who speaks of war, my friend? Surely I have never so much as mentioned that word. Why should we go to war?"

"Because Russia will," I exclaimed. "And upon my word it seems to me that this is what Your Majesty is driving at.".

"1 am driving at nothing. 1 am in Norway enjoying my holiday. It is for my Ministers to decide what they should do at this juncture. If I were asked for my opinion 1 should say: Let Russia and Austria settle their differences together. 31iey are both old enough to know their own minds." "But supjwse Austria finds herself in her turn faced with an ultimatum on the part of Russia?" "My friend, when that day comes it will be time enough for me to think as to what I ought to do. I hope it won't take the shape of an interruption to our pleasant holiday." I felt so enraged that. I almost got up and went away, but happily remembered in timfi with whom I was. speaking. I could not make out- the Emperor. In an international complication which, to say the least of it, was extremely grave, he seemed perfectly and even amused. My conversar tion with Moltke came back to my mind, and terror seized .me while I looked and listened to William, 11, to a man entirely different from the one whom I had known ever since his childhood.

I said nothing and went on smoking, waiting to 6ee what the Emperor would do.

I was not long in suspense. He got up and went to look at the horizon, then, turning to me, "Isn't it all lovely," he said, "the night and the landscape? What a pity to think that such an evening cannot last forever' This world is not well organised, friend Axel!"

"I will not pretend not to understand Your Majesty," I replied, "but yet I will hope that Austria listens to reason, that she will think twice before embarking on a course whence there is no turning back." ■ "And do you think that if she turned back others would quietly follow her example?" exclaimed the Emperor. "Austria is not alone in this matter. Behind her stands the Russian public and the Russian Press, the ambition of President Poincare and the insolence of French journalists—all the rivalries and the dangers whioh threaten us, and which have for so long threatened us, when I could do nothing but keep silent and impassive. I have waited and watched a long time, far too long for a Sovereign who has a task to perform. Do you think that this has been eaßy for me? Do you imagine that I have not suffered in my pride and my patriotic feelings and my ambition in thus remaining quiet under all the insults which have been showered upon me? If so, you aro mistaken. "I have kept silent because I could not do anything else, because we were not ready for the struggle, because I had no certainty that we could affront it with the conviction that we would win. Now the hour has •struck when I can throw off my mask. Don't you think that this is a relief, after the five-and-twenty years that have passed since I oame to the conviction that Germany was not powerful enough, that she had not yet attained her highest destiny? The struggle has been bitter, indeed, but now it is over at last, and I can breathe freely. I do not wish for war, but I will not {,0 a single stop to prevent its breaking out. I will await *it without flinching, and, should find myself entangled in it, then, indeed, will I make it without mercy and without remorse, sparing no one and nothing, destroying all that I cannot take." FINDS THAT HIS FAITH IS SHAKEN. July 25, 1914. I have spent a sleepless night, and felt not only thoroughly worn out, but also unnerved as 1 .got up this morning. The faith whiprt 1 have had for so many years in my beloved Emperor has been totally shaken—l am afraid to use the word "destroyed!" -What can have occurred to oha.ngo him so thoroughly, to transform him into a kind of beast, of pre.y—for, indeed, this ip what he appeared to me to be last

serious when he spoke of wearing a mask these twenty-five yairs? A telegram brought news this morning that Russia had requested Austria to extend the limit of time, imposed in her ultimatum, for Serbia to comply with her demands. The Emperor told me that he thought the request a reasonable one, but when I inquired whether he supposed that Austria would accede to it, he would not give uie his opinion on the point, but kept saying that this was a personal matter between Austria and Serbia, which must be settled between them without any outward interference, adding only that he regretted that Serbia had not looked at the question from the same poin of view, and had applied to the Emperor of Russia for advice.

"Don't forget," he added "that Germany is the ally of Austria, that this alliance is a popular one in our country,. and that any interference on the part of Russia may come to be considered by public opinion in' Prussia as a attack on ourselves."

"This can hardly be," I retorted, "if Your Majesty takes into account that Russia's influence will be for peace."

At this juncture an increasing noise interrupted us, and very soon the yacht's cutter, which had been sent to fetch dispatches at the little Norwegian village near which we were anchored, approached the Hohenzollern, having on board a special messenger, who handed 'the Emperor -several telegrams. A courier from . Berlin; also came aboard with important letters. Contrary to his usual custom, William II did not retire to. his cabin to road them, but opened them on the deck. As he read their contents his face changed considerably, and assumed an earnest expression. He turned toward me, and merely said: "Events aro hurrying: you. can see now for yourself how they stand. One of the telegrams says that Serbia has accepted the Austrian ultimatum save on a few points which are of no importance whatever."

I sighed with relief. The news seemed to be almost too good to be true.

The Emperor stood silent for soine timo gazing on the sea, as if meditating on somo grave problem he could not quite solve to his own satisfaction. Then, with a gesture of impatience, he threw away the cigarette he had been smoking.

"People will be fools I", he said. "Why is it always' so difficult 5 to make them understand what is required of them without calling a spade a spade?" He followed this enigmatical remark with a. quick order to up-anchor and steam for Kiel.

I could plainly see that something had upset the equanimity of my Sovereign.

The mystery, however was to be explained to me a little later by one of the Emperor's aide-de-camp, which after dinner whispered in my oar that a most important telegram had been dispatched by William ll's orders to Vienna, addressed to the Emperor of Austria. "What did that telegram contain?" I inquired. "A hope that Austria would go on insisting at Belgrade for & full satisfaction to her demands contained in her ultimatum of the other day," was the unexpected reply. NEWS COMES THAT SERBIA IS MOBIUSINC. Julv 26. We have been steaming at full'speed during the night; the Bergen lords have disappeared; we 6hall sight the coast of Denmark in a lew hours. We stopped for half an hour beforo we left southern Norway behind for the boat to go ashore to jjet the telegrams. They brought news of the Serbian mobilisar tion and of Russia's determination to support Serbia. The Emperor read this out- to ma. "You can now see for yourself how kindly disposed our good cousin Nicholas is toward us. ' he remarked. July 27. I shall never forget that journey. William II alone appeared to be and remained in the best of tempers. He playfully remarked several times that it was curious that both the President of the French Republic and himself should be cruising m northern waters at this junoturo "If only we were ten days older we might perhaps have taken little busybody, meddling Poincare prisoner, together with his man-of-war." "What does Your Majesty mean?" I said. "We are not at war with France, and there exists no reason why we should be." "There exists no reason why wo should he at war with anybody," replied the Emperor, "and yet who knows whether a few days will not see us at war with everybody? Do you think that France -will remain quiet in tile case of Russia attaoking us?"

"But Russia has no intention of attacking us," 1 persisted. "Oh! my friend, what are intentions in this world of ours? Intentions are but the natural development of circumstances such as they present themselves to us. Who would, for instance, have dreamed of my ■ cousin Nicholas telegraphing to that : little Serbian ruler that he would never remain indifferent to his fate and to that of his country? It was far more in jeopardy .during the recent war with Turkey, and later on with Bulgaria, and yet no one in Russia over, dreamed of interfering. Come, now; you appear to think that I am determined to engage Germany in a struggle? You most ccrtainly are dreaming. The only detemiination I have taken is to get home as soon as possible to-day."

When wo reached the station • of Wildpark, near Potsdam, we found awaiting us on the platform tho Empress, together with tho Crown Prince and Princess, the other members of the Royal Family, the Chancellor von Beth-maiui-Holhveg. and all the Ministers.

in this reception, which was entirely different from what I had ever seen on like occasions. William II looked grave, but certainly not anxious, and he appeared to me to have grown ever more enigmatical than he had been, during the last days of our momentous northern cruise.

. . ■ . July 28. I am writing this under the impression produced upon my mind by words which I have just heard the Emperor utter. Sometimes it seems to me that I am the victim of some horribly appalling nightmare, from whitch I must awake because its abomination cannot be true. Here is a Sovereign whom I have served and loved; whom I, together with many others, believed to be a just, conscientious man, desirous of the welfare of his country, averse to every adventure that could endanger it's prosperity, suddenly transformed into a cunning, hypocritical, sly being, who had for years in the secret of his thoughts meditated Upon this awful infamy which I fear is about to be perpetrated! Can this be possible? I feel I cannot stand this anxiety and suspense any longer. I shall go. to the castle; I shall ask to see the Emperor. THE WORLD WILL CALL ME MAD. Later. I have seen the Emperor. ' I only wish I had had the courage to kill myself before having listened to the Sovereign of whom I had made an ideal. William II received me in his study. .Ee was sitting at his writing table,upon which various plans were displayed, and which, evidently, he had. been studying with attention. His features were drawn and haggard, but the eye was resolute and as keen as ever. He began talking to me about the events of tho day, and expressed himself at first with great calm and coolness on the war which he considered inevitable. 1 ventured to ask him what could have happened to imbue him with • such a conviction, and what had been the real reasons which had determined him to draw the sword in order to support the inadmissible demands of Austria. The Emperor lifted his shoulders in a deprecating manner, saying as he did so: "Is it possible, my dear Axel, that you. too, believe that it is on account of Austria that 1 am going to war?" I looked at him with intense surprise, so unexpected had been that question. "You are astonished at what I say," h» resumed. "But will you let me speak to you with sincerity and with the frankness which behoves old frineds such as we have been ? You have known me until this day. as an essentially pacific Sovereign; sometimes, even, you have thought mo too lenient and yielding in questions where I ought to have protested against unjust acousations levelled against German politics and Germany in general. Well, if I have been so it is not because I wanted peace at any price, or because I did not understand that the expansion of Germany was far from having reached the point it could aspire to attain. I kept quiet, simply because we were not ready, and that when one engages in a war, even with ninety-nine chances of victory and only one of defeat, it is still a crime to do so if one is unprepared. Germany, envied and detested as She is, oannot afford to be vanquished in anything that she undertakes, far les6 in a war.

"I lad, therefore, to weigh all the chances of a possible defeat, and so long as I saw oven a single one I deferred the execution of the plan which I have nursed ever since my boyish days, when you and I were talking about a German Empire even greater than the one whioh existed already. It has taken me twentv-tive years to establish on a solid basis the attempt that I am going to make at present, but never for a single day have 1 forgotten the mission which lie<; before me, and which I must perform or perish in the attempt. "Look, at the geographical position of Germany, surrounded as she i 6 by numerous foes, all eager to feast on her, all persuaded that the day is drawing near when they will be able to sweep her from the face of the earth. Do you think that I am not aware of the hatred with which we are regarded everywhere, of the jealousy that dogs our footsteps? I have borne with the insults of both the Pan6lavist and. the Francophile parties; I have submitted to detractions of my army ; 1 have kept still while formidable alliances have been formed against German prestige and German power; I have submitted to the foolish boastings of an idiotic press, which in every country in the world has cried out that the very existence of Germany constituted a public danger against which the whole of lumanity ought to rise up in anger and self-defence. And I have. remained quiet. "Do you think this has been easy? If so, you are vastly mistaken, my friend. Every one of theso daily insults and provocations has. seared my soul like a red-hot iron..'_'l have felt it eating into my breast] - and driving sleep away from my eyes. But I have made no .sign; I remained impassive because 1 know that the hour of reckoning was at hand, when the Sovereigns who had believed that they were conferring an honour on me when they condescended to attend my daughter's weddiug would orawl in the dust at my feet before the, might of my sword, and would have to recognise that Germany was the greatest, the most powerful nation in the whole world, her Emperor the one potentate whom no one dared to thwart in any way."

He stopped, as if frightened at his own violenco. I was staggered.

"Yos," ho said; "for tho next four days half the world will call mo mad tor daring to enter into a struggle with almost the whole of Europe. They mil vote mo a silly, blinded creature, led away "by his pride and vanity. But this will'not last long. Very soon these same people shall be stunned by the ■spectacle they will witness.'* The Emperor got up and walked toward tlio window, wlience one could , $59

palace, with the statue of William I erected upon it. He pointed with hig linger at the bronze figure representing his grandfather and merely said: > "The great Emperor whose place I fill to-day had bi6 army. I have got my cannon.

"Yes, I have my cannon, and do yon know what these words mean, my friend? No, you do not, so I am going ta tell you. They mean that at last wo have a weapon the like of which hae never been seen before, and which will wipe out not only the hordes of our enemies, but also every means' of "defence of which they can boast." The Emperor made a' sign, with hit head to dismiss me. I bowed profound' Iy and silently retired. A WAR WITHOUT PITY. August 3. I did not go near the palace again. /What use my trying to dissuade EimP The die is cast; we have thrown down tho gauntlet in the face of the world; we are engaged in a struggle rn which wo find arrayed against us the strongest Powers in Europe, and the only, ally we have got is weak, tottering Austria, for whom war means defeat, oven belore it has commenced.

I have seen my friend Moltke again. Ho says very little, but has owned to me that the Emperor had initiated him long ago into his plans, aid only re-' quested him to acquaint him when Germany would he ready and could start with the certitude that victory would not escape it. 1 have also spoken with von Jagow, the Foreign Secretary,' who, while not so reticent as Moltke, yet could not quite understand why the Emperor had chosen that particular moment in order to attack both Russia and France. That he had led things to that point von Jagow admitted, and also that there was absolutely no reason to go to war over a matter which might have been settled amicably had Germany intimated .to Austria its desire not to see European peace disturbed. For the publio the mot d'ordre is to say that Russia has attacked us, that the Tsar ha® played us false. . An officer who is going to . have a high command in the coming campaign confided to me that for months the anny ' had been unofficially mobilised, and that a few days was all we required now in order to be able to pour more than 1,000,000 men on to the plainß of France, as well as across the Russian frontier. But even he, who probably will play an important part in the events which are to follow, even ho could not account for the reasonß that_ had brought about tho terrible conflict which is bound to change and to transform t'he map of Europe. The Emperor has remained a sphinx, even to thoso whom he had thought fit to call into his confidence, as well as to myself.

After a mental struggle, the agonies of which I cannot pen, I decide? once more to see the Emperor. He heard me and then burst forth:

"My friend, listen to me. lam going to talk with you seriously and openly for the last time, because you have been my friend, the companion of my youth, and because I feel convinced that in your inmost heart you yet have a very warm and sincere atfeotion for me. Our points of view are quite different, and I know that my present course of action inspires you with horror and perhaps even with disgust. I know, too, that you will think worse of me as time goes on. But war, is not sport, nor can it be looked upon with merciful evea. Meroy, when out of place, comes often quite close to cruolty. At the time in which we live- it.is essential, in the very interests of that'civilisation which you' are so fond of invoking, not to prolong the agony every war—even if it is conducted on humane lines—must bring alone with it. We stand to-day on- the threshold of the most titanio struggle history has ever witnessed; it is our duty to end it as quickly as possible. _ Under these nircumstaiicea, it is indispensable to 6trike terror into the soul of the enemy, to convince him at the very outset that resistance is worse than useless, and that no pity shall bo shown to him, because pity would mean the prolongation of th« conflict necessity obliges us to fight— and fight to a finish.

"I tell you this," ho pursued, "because most likely you will feel indignant at many things which, in the course of time, you will see me do. I wish, therefore, to prepare you for them, to tell you that you must not oomo and talk to mo about mercy, or ask me to spare this or that town, these or those people. I shall spare no one, because I mcau to win,_ because the destinies of Prussia require from me the sacrifico even of my reputation in history, if by doing so I can ensure its triumph. You think me a monster of hypocrisy; perhaps I am one—perhaps not. But I know one thing, that late* on, when we are all dead and gone, history, who will judge me, will speai, about mo as of another conqueror, whose roigii put his country on such a pinnaclo of glory and power that no other in the world will he worthy to ha ovi'ii mentioned beside it."

"By God, how you have contrived disguise your real self!" I exclaimed. "Do you think so?" smiled William 11. "You could not have pleasdd ms more than by saying so." The Emperor went toward the window and opened it, beckoning to me with his hand to come to him as ha did 60.

I approached him, and beheld an enormous crowd massed before the castle screaming at tlio top of its voice, and calling forth, "Der Kaiser I Der Kaiser!"

The book closes with a strong intimation that the writer of tlio diary rommittpd suicido because ho was fo heartbroken over the oourso pursued by Emperor "William regarding the war.

For Bronchial Coughs and Colds, Great Cure, Is, 6d,