personally I had _not_ known. But I said nothing.
Neither did the other men. They continued smoking, looking as innocent
as they could.

"Don't misunderstand me," said the Authority, "when I speak of the
Nevski Prospekt. I am not referring in any way to the Tsarskoe Selo."

"No, no," we all agreed.

"No doubt there were, as we see it plainly now, under currents in all
directions from the Tsarskoe Selo."

We all seemed to suggest by our attitude that these undercurrents were
sucking at our very feet.

"But the Tsarskoe Selo," said the Authority, "is now definitely
eliminated."

We were glad of that; we shifted our feet back into attitudes of ease.

I felt that it was time to ask a leading question.

"Do you think," I said, "that Germany will be broken up by the war?"

"You mean Germany in what sense? Are you thinking of Preuszenthum? Are
you referring to Junkerismus?"

"No," I said, quite truthfully, "neither of them."

"Ah," said the Authority, "I see; you mean Germany as a Souverantat
embodied in a Reichsland."

"That's it," I said.

"Then it's rather hard," said the Eminent Authority, "to answer
your question in plain terms. But I'll try. One thing, of course, is
_absolutely_ certain, Mittel-Europa goes overboard."

"It does, eh?"

"Oh, yes, absolutely. This is the end of Mittel-Europa. I mean to
say--here we've had Mittel-Europa, that is, the Mittel-Europa _idea_, as
a sort of fantasmus in front of Teutonism ever since Koniggratz."

The Authority looked all round us in that searching way he had. We all
tried to look like men seeing a fantasmus and disgusted at it.

"So you see," he went on, "Mittel-Europa is done with."

"I suppose it is," I said. I didn't know just whether to speak with
regret or not. I heard Rapley murmur, "I guess so."

"And there is not a doubt," continued the Authority, "that when
Mittel-Europa goes, Grossdeutschthum goes with it."

"Oh, sure to," we all murmured.

"Well, then, there you are--what is the result for Germany--why the
thing's as plain as a pikestaff--in fact you're driven to it by the
sheer logic of the situation--there is only _one_ outcome--"

The Authority was speaking very deliberately. He even paused at this
point and lighted a cigarette, while we all listened breathlessly. We
felt that we had got the thing to a focus at last.

"Only one outcome--a Staatenbund."

"Great heavens," I said, "not a Staatenbund!"

"Undoubtedly," said the Authority,