The Paris Reds were rather in
favour of a demonstration, while London bade them, in God's name, to
hold their hands, for, as they pointed out, England is the only refuge
in which an anarchist is safe until some particular crime can be
imputed to him, and what is more, proven up to the hilt.
It will be remembered that the visit of the King to Paris passed off
without incident, as did the return visit of the President to London.
On the surface all was peace and goodwill, but under the surface
seethed plot and counterplot, and behind the scenes two great
governments were extremely anxious, and high officials in the Secret
Service spent sleepless nights. As no 'untoward incident' had
happened, the vigilance of the authorities on both sides of the
Channel relaxed at the very moment when, if they had known their
adversaries, it should have been redoubled. Always beware of the
anarchist when he has been good: look out for the reaction. It annoys
him to be compelled to remain quiet when there is a grand opportunity
for strutting across the world's stage, and when he misses the
psychological moment, he is apt to turn 'nasty', as the English say.
When it first became known that there was to be a Royal procession
through the streets of Paris, a few fanatical hot-heads, both in that
city and in London, wished to take action, but they were overruled by
the saner members of the organisation.
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