None of the officials in London who were connected with the Peace Conference knew when it was going to start. This was in accordance with the Prime Minister’s usual method. There must be plenty of officials to hang about in case he might need them; but the real business of the Conference was to be done by himself and the other two (or perhaps three) ‘getting together’, and the less the officials knew of what was going on, the freer his hands would be. On a certain date, therefore, which would not be announced beforehand, the Prime Minister would leave for Paris; but the proceedings would begin with informal conferences between the Great Ones, and when the officials would be wanted or what they were to do either eventually or in the meantime was quite uncertain.