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19"] M. SAZONOFF’S ILLNESS
5
a rule; I shall do all in my power to preserve for my
people the benefits of peace. But at this moment, of all
moments, everything which might lead to war must be
avoided. It would be out of the question for us to face
a war for five or six years, in fact till 1917. . . . Though
if the most vital interests and the honour of Russia
were at stake, we might, if it were absolutely necessary,
accept a challenge in 1915, but not a moment sooner—in
any circumstances or under any pretext whatsoever!
Do you quite understand me ? "
I replied promptly that I had assimilated the royal
instructions, that I understood the situation perfectly,
and that during my time as Minister, I should not
ignore for one instant the orders I had just received.
On this His Majesty resumed his light,
good-natured manner, and dismissed me, after a short
conversation.
A few days after my interview at Tsarskoe-Selo,
M. Sazonoff was suddenly taken ill with septic
inflammation of the throat which afterwards attacked his lungs.
A fortnight later, as I was leaving for Sofia, the illness
was already considered to be serious. During the month
of March the Minister’s condition became so bad that the
doctors hastily dispatched him to Davos, and society in
St Petersburg was already taking an inordinate interest
in the question of a successor. However, no
appointment was made. Stolypin, still fairly powerful, did not
wish to abandon the hope that M. Sazonoff, his
brother-in-law and friend, would recover and return to his post.
This hope was realised. After a stay of a few months
at Davos and a very serious operation, the invalid’s state
of health improved to such an extent that in December
he was able to return to St. Petersburg to resume the
direction of his Ministry which during his absence had
been in the hands of his assistant, M. Neratoff, who had
just been promoted to this important post. Such a
prolonged absence of M. Sazonoffs—coming, too, at the
time when he was assuming the direction of affairs—
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