most openly expressed
contempt for finesse and even for tradition, combined with those other
traits which we like to think of as American--an upright purpose, a
desire to serve not only his own country but mankind--which made the
British public look upon Page as one of the most attractive and useful
figures in a war-torn Europe.

There was a certain ruggedness in Page's exterior which the British
regarded as distinctly in keeping with this American flavour. The
Ambassador was not a handsome man. To one who had heard much of the
liveliness of his conversation and presence a first impression was
likely to be disappointing. His figure at this time was tall, gaunt, and
lean--and he steadily lost weight during his service in England; his
head was finely shaped--it was large, with a high forehead, his thin
gray hair rather increasing its intellectual aspect; and his big frank
brown eyes reflected that keen zest for life, that unsleeping interest
in everything about him, that ever-working intelligence and sympathy
which were the man's predominant traits. But a very large nose at first
rather lessened the pleasing effects of his other features, and a rather
weather-beaten, corrugated face gave a preliminary suggestion of
roughness. Yet Page had only to begin talking and the impression
immediately changed. "He puts his mind to yours," Dr. Johnson said,
describing the sympathetic qualities of a friend, and the same was true
of Page. Half a dozen sentences, spoken in his quick, soft, and
ingratiating accents, accompanied by the most genial smile, at once
converted the listener into a friend. Few men have ever lived who more
quickly responded to this human relationship. The Ambassador, at the
simple approach of a human being, became as a man transformed. Tired
though he might be, low in spirits as he not infrequently was, the press
of a human hand at once changed him into an animated and radiating
companion. This responsiveness deceived all his friends in the days of
his last illness. His intimates who dropped in to see Page invariably
went away much encouraged and spread optimistic reports about his
progress. A few minutes' conversation with Page would deceive even his
physicians. The explanation was a simple one: the human presence had an
electric effect upon him, and it is a revealing sidelight on Page's
character that almost any man or woman could produce this result. As an
editor, the readiness with which he would listen to su