He caught the express, and, the next morning, which was Sunday the sixth, he was laying the whole matter before Secretary Bryan at the latter's house.

Naturally, Mr.Bryan was overjoyed at the news; he at once summoned Bernstorff from New York to Washington, and went over the suggestion personally.

The German Ambassador repeated the statements which he had made to Mr.Straus--always guardedly qualifying his remarks by saying that the proposal had not come originally from him but from his American friend.

Meanwhile Mr.Bryan asked Mr.Straus to discuss the matter with the British and French ambassadors.
The meeting took place at the British Embassy.

The two representatives of the Entente, though only too glad to talk the matter over, were more skeptical about the attitude of Bernstorff than Mr.Bryan had been.
"Of course, Mr.Straus," said Sir Cecil Spring Rice, "you know that this dinner was arranged purposely so that the German Ambassador could meet you ?" Mr.Straus demurred at this statement, but the Englishman smiled.
"Do you suppose," Sir Cecil asked, "that any ambassador would make such a statement as Bernstorff made to you without instructions from his government ?" "You and M.Jusserand," replied the American, "have devoted your whole lives to diplomacy with distinguished ability and you can therefore answer that question better than I." "I can assure you," replied M.Jusserand, "that no ambassador under the German system would dare for a moment to make such a statement without being authorized to do so." "The Germans," added Sir Cecil, "have a way of making such statements unofficially and then denying that they have ever made them." Both the British and French ambassadors, however, thought that the proposal should be seriously considered.
"If it holds out one chance in a hundred of lessening the length of the war, we should entertain it," said Ambassador Jusserand.
"I certainly hope that you will entertain it cordially," said Mr.
Straus.
"Not cordially--that is a little too strong." "Well, sympathetically ?" "Yes, sympathetically," said M.Jusserand, with a smile.
These facts were at once cabled to Page, who took the matter up with Sir Edward Grey.