36 A REVISION OF THE TREATY chap.

and under the Treaty it was for the EeparationCommission to propose a scheme.

In these circumstances the Allies met once morein London in the closing days of April 1921. Thescheme there concerted was really the work of theSupreme Council, but the forms of the Treaty were preserved, and the Reparation Commissionwere summoned from Paris to adopt and pro-mulgate as their own the decree of the SupremeCouncil.

The Conference met in circumstances of greattension. M. Briand had found it necessary to placatehis Chamber by announcing that he intended tooccupy the Ruhr on May 1. The policy of violenceand illegality, which began with the Conference ofParis , had always included hitherto just a sufficientingredient of make-believe to prevent its being asdangerous as it pretended to the peace and prosperityof Europe . But a point had now been reached whensomething definite, whether good or bad, seemedbound to happen; and there was every reason foranxiety. Mr. Lloyd George and M. Briand had walkedhand-in-hand to the edge of a precipice ; Mr. LloydGeorge had looked over the edge; and M. Briandhad praised the beauties of the prospect below andthe exhilarating sensations of a descent. Mr. LloydGeorge , having indulged to the full his habitual morbidtaste for looking over, would certainly end in drawingback, explaining at the same time how much he