CHAPTER XXXVI
PLOTTING PEACE
"WAS it on purpose, Madame," said the Persian Minister to Paris, "that you wore a green hat today?"
We were lunching with the Persian Delegation. I took off my turban and dropped it on the floor at the side of the chair.
"Poor hat!" said I. "Look at its color. Brand new, you know, and faded like that. It happened on the first sunny day after I bought it. We need to plot a peace so that we can find good German dyes for our clothes. Why did you want to know if I wore it on purpose?"
"Green is the sacred color of Persia," said the Minister smiling, "and it pleases us to see it. You were speaking of peace. We need peace and quickly. And after that—what? We were more or less prepared for war, but who thought while we were at war about preparing for peace? Not one of the countries sent delegates with a workable plan. Part of our preparedness should have been a peace program. Nobody thought a year ago to call a conference of specialists. That's why negotiations drag on forever."
"I know," I answered, "we are used to war and we must get used to peace now that it is coming. The other day at luncheon my husband asked the children to define war.
"'War is men getting hurted. The Germans did do it and I don't like 'em,' said Mimi.
"'War is men at the front and cannon going off,' said Lloyd.
"'Yes, and war makes the mamas work in the subway, and when it's war you can't have sugar in your milk and we have air raids and Big Berthas, and it makes people cry when the soldiers go away from the railroad station,' said Christine all in one breath.