Swords Reluctant

Published in London under the title of

"War and the Woman"

By

Max Pemberton

Author of "The Fortunate Prisoner," "The Garden of Swords," etc.

"Peace hath her victories
No less renowned than war."

Milton: Sonnets.

"I, in this weak piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to see my shadow in the sun."

Shakespeare: Richard III.

G. W. Dillingham Company

Publishers New York

Entered for Copyright May 29th, 1912

under the title of

WAR AND THE WOMAN

Copyright, 1912, by

G. W. Dillingham Company

under the title of

SWORDS RELUCTANT

Swords Reluctant

to

ANDREW CARNEGIE

non exercitus

neque thesauri præsidia regni sunt,

verum amici

The Author would make acknowledgments to Sir MaxWaechter and to Sir Francis Trippel for the generous helpgiven to this book and to its purpose. While the charactersin it are entirely fictitious, the scheme for the Federationof Europe is wholly due to Sir Max Waechter's initiative.This scheme has obtained favour at the Courts of theContinent and is warmly approved by many in thiscountry, who realise how inseparably the Peace question isallied to that of the national finance.

CONTENTS

Book I.—The Challenge

CHAPTER PAGE

1. Gabrielle Silvester Writes a Letter 11

2. A Man of Destiny 20

3. Between Heaven and Earth 30

4. The Beginning of the Odyssey 45

5. General d'Arny and his Daughter 67

Book II.—The Players

1. A Race for an Emperor 81

2. Louis De Paleologue 91...