er erstwhile ally Serbia, are overlooked. The stupid Bulgarian
hates and intractabilities are ignored, and the new European partisans
would raise and strengthen her again, some being even ready, in
opinion, to set her flying against Greece once more.

There is one constructive hope which appeals to most thinking minds,
and that is, that at some time in the future Bulgaria could be merged
in Jugo-Slavia or federated with it. Serbia abandoned her own good
name and took this name of Jugo-Slavia or Country of the southern
Slavs, that she might form the basis of a commonwealth of all the
southern Slav nationalities. And if she embraces Croats and Slovenes
why not Bulgars, too? It is said that the Bulgars, in order to
ingratiate themselves with their war-allies, pretended that they were
not Slav, that they were in reality also Huns, kindred of Hungarians
and Finns. But a people with a language so like Russian could hardly
cling to that deception. The best way to avoid trouble in the Balkans
is to have larger, more comprehensive states. Therefore, one looks
forward to the mergence of Bulgaria in something better and safer by
and by.

Many Russians have found refuge in Sofia, a few thousand of the more
lucky ones who have managed to get away from Constantinople. I daresay
it is not realized how difficult it is to get out of that city to go
even such a short distance as Sofia. Even for an Englishman it is
difficult enough. What takes days for one of us takes months for a
Russian, and then he has to have sponsors. However, when once he gets
to Sofia, he finds the cost of living reduced five times. A pound
sterling would keep a Russian in Sofia for a week, but in
Constantinople for not much more than a day. Of course you can starve
for nothing in both cities: the cost of living ceases to be important
when you have nothing at all. But Sofia abounds in cheap white bread
and butter. You get a pat of about two ounces with your morning roll.
Vienna and Berlin may be on black bread, Budapest without butter, but
Sofia does not lack. And sugar seems plentiful, and meat is not dear.
Oranges are cheap, and the wine of the country is accessible.
Manufactures, of course, depend on the exchange, and are expensive.
There is cheap entertainment, the inexpensive tedium of the cinema and
the use of a theatre. Once more Russia in exile affords some cultural
help with performances of the Theatre of Art, concerts, and ballet.
Peter