ution takes precedence of all
others, and as Germany, owing to insufficiency of transports and other
causes, will probably be unable to furnish it entirely, Italy's claim is
considered practically valueless.

The reception of the delegates in Rome was a triumph, their return to
Paris a humiliation. For things had been moving fast in the meanwhile,
and their trend, as we said, was away from Italy's goal. Public opinion
in their own country likewise began to veer round, and people asked
whether they had adopted the right tactics, whether, in fine, they were
the right men to represent their country at that crisis of its history.
There was no gainsaying the fact that Italy was completely isolated at
the Conference. She had sacrificed much and had garnered in relatively
little. The Jugoslavs had offered her an alliance--although this kind of
partnership had originally been forbidden by the Wilsonian discipline;
the offer was rejected and she was now certain of their lasting enmity.
Venizelos had also made overtures to Baron Sonnino for an understanding,
but they elicited no response, and Italy's relations with Greece lost
whatever cordiality they might have had. Between France and Italy the
threads of friendship which companionship in arms should have done much
to strengthen were strained to the point of snapping. And worst,
perhaps, of all, the Italian delegates had approved the clause
forbidding Germany to unite with Austria.

That the fault did not lie wholly in the attitude of the Allies is
obvious. The Italian delegates' lack of method, one might say of unity,
was unquestionably a contributory cause of their failure to make
perceptible headway at the Conference. A curious and characteristic
incident of the slipshod way in which the work was sometimes done
occurred in connection with the disposal of the Palace Venezia, in Rome,
which had belonged to Austria, but was expropriated by the Italian
government soon after the opening of hostilities. The heirs of the
Hapsburg Crown put forward a claim to proprietary rights which was
traversed by the Italian government. As the dispute was to be laid
before the Conference, the Roman Cabinet invited a _juris consult_
versed in these matters to argue Italy's case. He duly appeared,
unfolded his claim congruously with the views of his government, but
suddenly stopped short on observing the looks of astonishment on the
faces of the delegates. It appears that on the preceding day anot