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 yon 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.
Pages:
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46