A door behind us opened quietly, and Mr. Robert Woods Bliss, the first secretary of the Embassy, entered. He walked to the desk. Neither the Ambassador nor I turned. Mr. Bliss stood silent for a moment, then said quietly:
"It's come."
"Ah," breathed Mr. Herrick.
"Yes," replied Mr. Bliss, "the Foreign Office has just telephoned. The news will be on the streets in a minute."
It was the biggest moment, perhaps, the world will ever know. It was so big that it stunned us all.
I rose and took my hat and stick.
"Well," I ejaculated somewhat uncertainly.
"Well," said the Ambassador in much the same manner.
Then we shook hands; and like a person in a trance I walked out of the room and down to the street.
The isolated Rue de Chaillot was quite deserted; I walked down to the Place de l'Alma to find a cab. There the scene was different. Cabs by the dozen whirled along, but none heeded my signals. A human wave was rolling over the city. Fiacres, street cars, taxis filled with men and baggage were sweeping along. Almost every vehicle was headed for one or another of the railway stations. Already the extra editions had notified the populace of the state of affairs and mobilization was under way.