at
probably will not come. Travelers who came here with pockets bulging with
express checks and bank notes are unable to get a cent of real money, and
nobody shows any enthusiasm over American paper. I have a few bank notes
left, and this evening when I went into a restaurant I have patronised
ever since my arrival the head waiter refused to change a note for me,
and I finally had to leave it and take credit against future meals to be
eaten there. We may have our troubles when our small store is gone, but
probably the situation will improve and I refuse to worry. And some of
our compatriots don't understand why the Legation does not have a cellar
full of hard money to finance them through their stay in Europe.

Communications, with such parts of the world as we still speak to, are
getting very difficult on account of mobilisation, the military having
right of way. This morning's Paris papers have not come in this evening,
and there are no promises as to when we shall see them. The news in the
local papers is scarce and doubtful, and I hope for a word from Paris.

Word has just come in that the Government has seized the supplies of
bread, rice, and beans, and will fix prices for the present. That is a
sensible and steadying thing, and should have a good effect.

Nobody seems to remember that a few days ago Serbia was playing a star
role in this affair. She seems to have faded away behind the scenes. A
few days ago, Mexico loomed large in the papers and now we have forgotten
that she ever existed. Albania supplied a lot of table talk, and now we
think about as much about her and her troubles as we do about Thibet.

This afternoon I went around to the Rue Ducale to take a look at the
French Legation. The tricolor was flying in the fresh breeze, and there
was a big crowd outside cheering itself hoarse. It was made up of men
who were called to the colors and were waiting to enroll themselves and
get instructions as to where they should report for duty. The air was
electric, and every now and then the military band struck up the
Marseillaise and the crowd instantly became happily delirious. Some of
them had been standing in the sun for hours waiting to get in and get
their orders, but they were just as keenly responsive to the music and
the mood of the crowd as anybody. All the crowd in the Legation had been
working day and night for days, and was dead with fatigue; but, some
way, they kept going, and managed to be civil an