from Arnold Bennett's War Diary, 1914
Friday, August 21st – Henry Davray wrote me the other
day from Paris, stating without any hint of scepticism (1) that the menu of the
dinner which the Kaiser was to eat in Paris on August 12th had been
prepared in advance. And (2) that in the cellars of the Hôtel du Rhin a
garlanded bust of the Emperor had been found ready to expose in the Place
Vendôme when the Kaiser should pass through.
Great depressing fact of the surrender of
Brussels to the Germans this morning. But by the afternoon I had got quite used
to it and was convinced that it was part of the Allies’ preconceived plan and
that all was well.
Sunday, August 23rd – A tale yesterday that eighty men
had been engaged all day in searching for a spy who had not been found (in this
neighbourhood, that is)!
Sullivan said that he had enormous belief in
the British Expeditionary Force and that he thought it would ‘cause
consternation’! Nevertheless he was sure that the Germans would get to Paris,
and he bet me a present worth £5 that they would.
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