get my comfort from making a row
later. As a consequence of his cussedness, we missed the morning boat
train to Flushing, and had to spend the day in that charming city. We
found the place filled with refugees from all parts of Belgium, and were
greeted on every hand by people we knew. The hotels were filled to
overflowing, and people were living in freight cars, sheds and on the
sidewalk. We clung to chairs in the reading room at one of the hotels,
and walked the streets until nine o'clock, when we got aboard the boat
with eight hundred other people. Cabins were not to be had for love or
money, but Francqui, by judicious corruption, got us a place to sleep,
and we slept hard, despite the noise, which was tremendous.

* * * * *

_London, October 20, 1914._--Here we are, much cheered up by the
prospect.

We hammered hard yesterday and to-day, and this afternoon it looks as
though we had secured the permission of the British Government to send
food to our people in Belgium.

We got into Folkstone at 4 o'clock on Sunday, were passed immediately by
the authorities, and then spent an hour and a half waiting for our train
to pull out. We got into darkened London about a quarter of eight. We
sat around and visited beyond our usual hours, and yesterday morning I
was called ahead of anybody else, so as to get down to my day's work.

First, I got things started at the Embassy, by getting off a lot of
telegrams and running away from an office full of people who, in some
mysterious way, had heard I was here. I saw several of them, but as my
day was going, I up and ran.

First, to Alfred Rothschild's house in Park Lane, where I found Baron
Lambert waiting for me. He was beaming, as his son (serving in the
Belgian army) had turned up safe and well before leaving to rejoin his
regiment in France.

Next I went to the Spanish Embassy, and gave the Ambassador details of
what we wanted. He caught the idea immediately, and has done everything
in his power.

When I got back to our chancery, I found that the Ambassador had come
in, so I went over the whole business again, and made an appointment for
a conference with him for the Spanish Ambassador and my travelling
companions.

At half-past five we had our conference with the two Ambassadors. They
made an appointment with Sir Edward Grey for this afternoon, and went
over the situation at some length, to make sure of the details.