His talk of Epirote guards that would skin their own grandmothers was all billy-o.
The second thing was that this war was going to come as a mighty surprise to Britain.

Karolides' death would set the Balkans by the ears, and then Vienna would chip in with an ultimatum.

Russia wouldn't like that, and there would be high words.

But Berlin would play the peacemaker, and pour oil on the waters, till suddenly she would find a good cause for a quarrel, pick it up, and in five hours let fly at us.
That was the idea, and a pretty good one too.

Honey and fair speeches, and then a stroke in the dark.