It seems that the Sultan has really been brought to terms.
The ambassadors, if you remember, gave him a stern refusal to treat with any one but Tewfik Pasha, and repeated their demand for a written acceptance of the frontier.
After this meeting with Tewfik the diplomats held a conference which resulted in the preparation of a note to their governments in which they gave it as their opinion that the Sultan could never be brought to terms unless some decided action was taken.
The Sultan heard of this, and became alarmed.
He therefore sent one of his ministers, Yussuf Bey, to the ambassadors, urging them to do nothing hastily, but assuring them that if they would only have patience for a few days, everything could be satisfactorily arranged.
But the ambassadors had had enough of delay, and they dismissed Yussuf Bey, telling him politely that they could not possibly wait any longer.
The Sultan became still more uneasy, but he was anxious to put the matter off a little longer, until he could have a final understanding with Germany.
It seems that the Emperor William's reply to his note gave the Sultan some hope that he was still inclined to side with him, in case of trouble.
While he was still looking about for a good excuse, he received a message from the German Kaiser, which put a sudden end to all his hopes of an alliance.
The German ambassador arrived at the palace of the Sultan with the information that the Kaiser, his master, had just telegraphed him to say to the Sultan from him that he must immediately obey the wishes of the Powers.
Following closely on this unwelcome visit came a message from the Czar of Russia, telling the Sultan that unless he immediately withdrew his soldiers from Thessaly, the Russian troops would cross the Turkish border.
Thus driven into a corner, the Sultan saw that the only thing left for him to do was to yield.
He therefore sent a message to the representatives of the Powers, that he had at last been able to induce the Grand Vizier to consent to withdraw from Turkey, and as this had been the only stumbling-block in the pathway of peace, he had issued an order to the Porte (the Turkish Government) authorizing them to accept the frontier as laid out by the Powers.