Julian had heard their voices for the last few minutes without being able to distinguish a word of their actual conversation.
"We have considered the document you have brought, Orden," the Prime Minister said, "and we frankly admit that we find its contents surprising.

The terms of peace suggested form a perfectly possible basis for negotiations.

At the same time, you are probably aware that it has not been in the mind of His Majesty's Ministers to discuss terms of peace at all with the present administration of Germany." "These terms," Julian reminded him, "are dictated, not by the Kaiser and his advisers, but by the Socialist and Labour Party." "It is strange," Mr.Stenson pointed out, "that we have heard so little of that Party.

It is even astonishing that we should find them in a position to be able to dictate terms of peace to the Hohenzollerns." "You do not dispute the authenticity of the document ?" Julian asked.
"I will not go so far as that," Mr.Stenson replied cautiously.

"Our secret service informed us some time ago that Freistner, the head of the German Socialists, was in communication with certain people in this country.