bility of war; they don't expect it; but most wars have come
without warning, and they are all the time prepared to begin a
fight in an hour.

They talk about how much Germany must do to strengthen her frontier
against Russia and her new frontier on the Balkan States. They now
have these problems in hand and therefore they are for the moment
not likely to provoke a fight. But they might.

It is all pitiful to see them thinking forever about danger and
defense. The controversy about training boys for the army never
ends. We don't know in the United States what we owe to the
Atlantic Ocean--safe separation from all these troubles. . . .

But I've often asked both Englishmen and Americans in a dining room
where there were many men of each country, whether they could look
over the company and say which were English and which were
Americans. Nobody can tell till--they begin to talk.

The ignorance of the two countries, each of the other, is beyond
all belief. A friend of Kitty's--an American--received a letter
from the United States yesterday. The maid noticed the stamp, which
had the head of George Washington on it. Every stamp in this
kingdom bears the image of King George. She asked if the American
stamp had on it the head of the American Ambassador! I've known far
wiser people to ask far more foolish questions.

Affectionately,
W.H.P.

_To Mrs. Ralph W. Page_

London, Christmas-is-coming, 1913.

MY DEAR LEILA:

. . . Her work [Mrs. Walter H. Page's] is all the work of going and
receiving and--of reading. She reads incessantly and enormously;
and, when she gets tired, she goes to bed. That's all there is
about it. Lord! I wish I could. But, when I get tired, I have to go
and make another speech. They think the American Ambassador has
omniscience for a foible and oratory as a pastime.

In some ways my duties are very instructive. We get different
points of view on many things, some better than we had before had,
some worse. For instance, life is pretty well laid out here in
water-tight compartments; and you can't let a stream in from one to
another without danger of sinking the ship. Four reporters have
been here to-day because Mr. and Mrs. Sayre[31] arrived this
morning. Every one of 'em asked the same question, "Who m