oys nothing quite so much
as a good story. Page found that, on the subject of the Germans, the
King entertained especially robust views. "They are my kinsmen," he
would say, "but I am ashamed of them."

Probably most Englishmen, in the early days of the war, preferred that
the United States should not engage in hostilities; even after the
_Lusitania_, the majority in all likelihood held this view. There are
indications, however, that King George favoured American participation.
A few days after the _Lusitania_ sinking, Page had an audience for the
purpose of presenting a medal sent by certain societies in New Orleans.
Neither man was thinking much about medals that morning. The thoughts
uppermost in their minds, as in the minds of most Americans and
Englishmen, were the _Lusitania_ and the action that the United States
was likely to take concerning it. After the formalities of presentation,
the King asked Page to sit down and talked with him for more than half
an hour. "He said that Germany was evidently trying to force the United
States into the war; that he had no doubt we would soon be in it and
that, for his part, he would welcome us heartily. The King also said he
had reliable information from Germany, that the Emperor had wished to
return a conciliatory answer to our _Lusitania_ note, but that Admiral
von Tirpitz had prevented it, even going so far as to 'threaten' the
Kaiser. It appears that the Admiral insisted that the submarine was the
only weapon the Germans could use with effect against England and that
they could not afford to give it up. He was violent and the Kaiser
finally yielded[55]."

The statement from the King at that crisis, that he would "heartily
welcome the United States into the war," was interpreted by the
Ambassador as amounting practically to an invitation--and certainly as
expressing a wish that such an intervention should take place.

That the American participation would rejoice King George could
therefore be taken for granted. Soon after this event, the Ambassador
and Mrs. Page were invited to spend the night at Windsor.

"I arrived during the middle of the afternoon," writes Page, "and he
sent for me to talk with him in his office.

"'I've a good story on you,' said he. 'You Americans have a queer use of
the word "some," to express mere bigness or emphasis. We are taking that
use of the word from you over here. Well, an American and an Englishman
were riding in the same railway com