xclaimed the premier in answer to a thought
eddying in the powerful current of his brain. "Fiendish with
calculation, but merciful, as you say."

"A fast, terrific campaign! A ready machine taking the road!"
Westerling declared. "Less suffering than if we went to war carelessly
for a long campaign--than if we allowed sentiment to interfere with
intellect."

"I like your energy, your will!" said the premier admiringly. "And about
the declaration of war? We shall time that to your purpose."

"Declarations of war before striking, by nations taking the aggressive,
are a disadvantage," Westerling explained. "They are going out of
practice. Witness the examples of Japan against Russia and the Balkan
allies against Turkey. In these days declarations are not necessary as a
warning of what is going to happen. They belong to the etiquette of
fencers."

"Yes, exactly. The declaration of war and the ambassador's passports
will be prepared and the wire that fighting has begun will release
them," agreed the premier. "Another thing," he added, "there is the
question of the opinion of the world as represented by The Hague and the
peace societies. This government has always expressed sympathy with
their ideas."

"Naturally," Westerling put in. "We shall use hand-grenades, explosives
from dirigibles, every known power of destruction. So will the Browns,
you may be sure. In such a cataclysm we shall have no time for niceties.
The peace societies will have hardly formulated their protests to The
Hague before the war is over. Our answer will be our victory--the power
that goes with the prestige of unconquerable force. Victory, nothing but
victory counts!"

Westerling was speaking by the book, expressing the ideas that he had
again and again rehearsed as a part of the preparation, the eternal
preparation for the sudden emergency of war, which is the duty of the
staff. So letter-perfect was he in his lines that a layman might have
scouted his realization of the enormousness of his responsibility.

"Yet if we did lose! If when I had given you all you ask your plans
went wrong! If our army were broken to pieces on the frontier and then
the nation, kept in ignorance of events, learned the truth"--the premier
enunciated slowly and pointedly while he locked glances with
Westerling--"that is the end for us both. You would hardly want to
return to the capital to face public wrath!"

"We must win though we lose a million men!" he answered.