“Why not at once?”
“‘His Eminence had not heard it.’”
“Find out at what hour the news reached Moscow—not now, but within the day.”
“‘I will.’”
“Go on, then.”
“‘Cardinal Malpas communicated it within five minutes of Cardinal Ruspoli, and the rest of the inquiries arrived before midnight. China reported it at twenty-three.’”
“Then when do you suppose the news was made public?”
“‘It was decided first at the secret London conference, yesterday, at about sixteen o’clock by our time. The Plenipotentiaries appear to have signed it at that hour. After that it was communicated to the world. It was published here half an hour past midnight.’”
“Then Felsenburgh was in London?”
“‘I am not yet sure. Cardinal Malpas tells me that Felsenburgh gave his provisional consent on the previous day.’”