Kaiser: It must be done. It shall be. We are working against a time-table. With England cut off, and Turkey remaining in, Germany is consolidated. Von Tirpitz was right, after all. It is our chief weapon of parley. You must smash every ship and redouble our submarine tactics ten times from to-night—from this minute. I see it all plainly and all will be well.
(Von Kapellar withdraws. Kaiser motions to the Chancellor, who disappears through the door, to reappear immediately conducting Talaat Pasha.)
B.-H.: I present to your Majesty our friend and Embassy from Turkey—Talaat Pasha.
(The Kaiser rises to his full height, silent and immovable, for ten awful seconds. And during those ten seconds the heart of Talaat, humped violently, as he beheld, at last, beyond the bowed heads of these grim men, the famous figure, strangely terrible, of the Great War Lord standing there dark and silent as Fate in the lamp shadow—the War Lord that had carpeted the earth with blood. Talaat, not being used to these things, bows low. The Kaiser advances and takes him cordially by the two hands.)
Kaiser: Welcome, faithful friend of the Fatherland in peace and war, and soon in victory. You see, I have just been reviewing my sinews of war. A magnificent piece of news has just arrived. We have smashed the Mistress of the Seas. It but remains to sweep away the fragments. (Enter Von Kapellar.) I will introduce to you Baron Von Kapellar, the hero of the hour.
(Introduces them to Talaat, and after a few moments' conversation they withdraw, and Talaat is left alone with the Kaiser, who smokes.)
Kaiser: Your arrival, my friend Talaat, has been the precursor of most wonderful news. I am happy to be able to tell the distinguished leader of our brave and faithful ally that the end of the war is a matter of a few weeks only. In four days we have sunk seventy-two large boats. There is a panic in England, and we have been touched about terms of peace.
Talaat: Oh, that is good. My mission was for ten millions now, and to say we can't stand the strain for more than three months.
Kaiser: The strain? My generals will see to that. We are at England's throat. You must press every ounce—her terms depend on these blows. We could have peace to-night, but the peace we want requires manœuvring for. You remain firm, do you not? (Talaat nods meekly.) Our submarines are supreme, and every day the position improves.
Talaat: There are riots in Constantinople.