The Washington times., 1918-11-02
The ''Zepp's" Passenger
Lessingham, in Conversation With
Philippa, Admits Germany Started
War and Discusses Future.
CHAPTER WIZ

dark Ind mysterious from the ridge
below that I've climbed up on pur-
pose to ask you"
Lessingham held out his hand TO
steady her, They were standing
On a sharp spur OF the cliffs. the
north wind blowing in their faces.
thrashinE into little flecks OF
white foam the sea below, on which
the twilight was already resting.
For a moment or two neither Of
them could speak
Il was thinking Of my country"
he confessed. u was looking
through the shadows there, right
across the North sea"
ssTo Germany?"
He shook his head.
~Further away-to Sweden
Il forgot" she murmured- You
looked as though you were posing
for a statue Of some one in exile"
she observed. Come, let US go
little lower down-unless you want
TO stay here and be n to
pieces"
Il was on my way back to the
hotel" he answered quickly, as he
followed her lead. "but to tell you
the truth 1 was feeling a little
lonely"
4That," she declared, sis your
own fault. asked you to come
to Mainsail Haul whenever you felt
inclined"
sAs / have felt inclined ever
since the evening I arrived" he
remarked with a smile, you might,
perhaps, by this time have had
little too much of me-"
~On the contrary" she told him
Il quite expected you yesterday
aftsfnoon. to tell me how you like
the place and what you have been
doing. So you were thinking about
over there?-' she added, NOV
ing her head seawards.
aOver there absorbs a great
deal Of ones thoughts" he con-
fessed, "and the rest Of them have
been playing me queer tricks"
eWeu, I should like 10 hear ebout
the FIRST half" she insisted,
~Do you know" he replied,
tithere are times when even now
this war seems to me like an un-
real thing, like something / have
been reading about some wild
understandable poets can't be-
lieve that millions OF the flower Of
Germanys manhood and yours
have perished helplessly, hopeless
ly, cruelty. And France-poor dec
imated FranceI"
SWell, Germany started the war.
you know" she reminded him
SDid she7" he answered. 'T some
times wonder Even now I fancy,
II the official papers Of every
one of the nations lay side by side,
with their own case stated from
their own point Of view, even you
might feel a little confused about
that. Still, am going to be very
honest with you. I think myself
that Germany wanted war"
There you are. then" she de-
elared triumphantly. The whole
thing is her responsibility"
Il do not quite go so far as that, !"
he protested you see, the world is
governed by great natural laws
As aSsnowban grows larger with
rolling, so II takes up more room.
As a child grows out OF its infant
clothes, it needs the vestments OF a
/ youth and then a man. And so with
Germany. She grew and grew until
children, until her banks could not
contain her money, until she
stretched her arms out on every
sile and felt herself stffled Ger
many came late into the world and
found IL parceled out, but had she
not q right to her place? She made
herself great. She needed space"
~WeIL" Philippa observed, you
couldn't suppose that other nations
were going to give Up what they
had, just because she wanted their
possessions, could your
perhaps not" he admitted. ''And
yet, you see, the immutAbie law
comes in here The stronger must
possess-not only the stronger by
arms, mind, but by intellect, by
learning; by proficiency in science,
By utiIitarianisn. The really cruel
part, the part / was thinking of
then, as looked out across the sea,
Is that this crude and miserable re-
sort to arms should be necessary"
"'If only Germans themselves were
as broad-minded and reasonable as
you" Phflippa sighed. zone feels
that there might be some hope for
the futurer
'I an not alone" he assured her,
Sbut, you see, all over Germany
there is spread like a spiders web
the lay religion Of the citizen-de-
votion TO the government, blind obe-
dience to the Kaiser. Independent
thought has made Germany great in
science, In political economy, in
economies. But independent thought
Is never turned towhrd her political
destinies. Those are shaped for her.
For good or for evil her children
have learnt obedience"
They were descending the hill
side now. At their feet lay the little
town, black and silent
you have helped me to under
stand q little" Philippa said. You
put things so gently and yet so
clearly. Now tell me, will you not,
how II is that you, who are q Swede
by birth, are bearing arms for Ger
manyT'
That Is very simple" he confess
ed, MY mother was q German, and
when she died she bequeathed to me
brge estates in Bavaria, and a very
considerable fortune. These I could
never have inherited unless had
chosen to do my military service in
Germany. Ny family is an impov-
erished one, and I have brothers and
sisters dependent upon me Under
the circumstances, hesitation on my
part is impossible
Ny family is an impoverished one,
and. ] have brothers and sisters
dependent upon me. Cnder the cir
cumstanees, lotion on my part
was - q"