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if it became one between Germany and Russia, England wouldnot feel called upon to take a hand in it. If France owing toher alliance obligations was drawn into the quarrel, England would have to make up her mind what she would do; it was aquestion that would have to be considered. England was free fromengagements, and she would have to decide what English interestsrequired her to do. He thought it necessary, Sir Edward Grey added, to say this, in order not to mislead M. Cambon intosupposing that a decision had been already arrived at.

M. Cambon's reply shows in which way he interpreted theseexplanations. Sir Edward Grey (Blue Book No. 87) wires to theBritish Ambassador in Paris:

"M. Cambon said that I had explained the situation"very clearly. He understood it to be that in a Balkan" quarrel, and in a struggle for supremacy between Teu-ton and Slav we should not feel called to intervene;"should other issues be raised, and Germany and"France become involved, so that the question"became one of the hegemony of Europe, we should"then decide what it was necessary for us to do."And, indeed, M. Cambon had thoroughly understood Sir Ed-ward Grey , reading moreover between the lines: in deference topublic opinion the English Cabinet could not base an interventionon merely a Serbo-Austro-Hungarian or Russo-German conflict;a more important issue, a more imperative one, would have to beand must be found. At any rate, England regarded a conflict inwhich also Germany and France were opposing each other, as aquestion involving the hegemony of Europe, and there could beno doubt as to the decisions which the English Government wouldformally have to take upon that contingency.

M. Cambon, after France had given the promise of armedsupport to Russia on the strength of his conversation with Sir Ed-ward Grey , lost no time to look out for new "issues" of the growingconflagration. On the following day, July 30 th , he "presented the bill",drawn on the 22 nd of November, 1912, to Sir Edward Grey ,accompanied by a note of the French Foreign Office concerningalleged German military preparations on the Franco-German