ent, became
known; but the people, and especially the educated classes, were in
opposition to his politics, and the conflict between him and the
Radical party degenerated into a revolt that was suppressed by the
sword. The leaders of the party fled from Serbia: Pa[vs]i['c], who was
for so many years to be Prime Minister, settled in Bulgaria where he
practised his profession of railway engineer.... As a benignant-looking
patriarch Nicholas Pa[vs]i['c] was for a long time the solitary Serb
with whom the well-informed public of the rest of Europe was familiar.
And of course upon his countrymen, whose fortunes he directed through
years of shadow and sunshine, his hold was tremendous. "May God bless
our dear old brother Nikky," says the peasant as he tastes his morning
glass of rakia. There is no brilliance but a profound knowledge of
human nature in this humorous old Balkan gentleman. It is not by
brilliant oratory that he sways the Skup[vs]tina, for he merely thinks
aloud; slowly and haltingly, while he caresses his beautiful white
beard, the words come out in a very bass voice--it is a grave and
confidential talk, although a merry gleam occasionally dances in his
eyes. With such homeliness does he talk that he pays no strict regard
to the complications of Serbian grammar--when he appointed a very able
young official of the Ministry of Education to a diplomatic post some
hostile critics in the Press asserted that he did so on account of his
enormous admiration for a man who had produced eight books on grammar.
As a specimen of Pa[vs]i['c]'s parliamentary methods we may quote from
a speech that he made in answer to one by the aforementioned
Tajsi['c], who was an illiterate but most eloquent peasant. For three
hours Tajsi['c] had railed against the secret fund, the 30 million
dinars that were every year at the disposal of the Foreign Office. At
last when Pa[vs]i['c] gets up and very courteously smiles at the
would-be reformer: "Well, well," says he, "as to what our friend has
told us--the--how should I say?--well, it is not altogether wrong--in
a way, the--what was his name?--when you examine the matter from all
sides, there is--I forget the word--in a way, these non-public
matters, you know--how should I say?--it is best--how should I
say?----" "Are you satisfied with His Excellency's answer?" says
Nikoli['c], the Speaker. And Tajsi['c] puts it to himself that after
all he is only a peasant and Pa[vs]i['c] is an Excellency a