ce Nikola, and, it was said, his family,
too. Our five Montenegrins received letters from home full of the
wildest details, which they all believed, showing that the country
was in a whirl, and that the Exhibition must be steered! without any
further aid from the homeland. Numbers! of arrests had been made.
Russia was said to be implicated in the plot, for the girls of the
Russian Institute had trampled on the Prince's portrait at the
bidding of Sofia Petrovna, its head!

After this the whole work of the Montenegrin section was wasted. Not
one of the trade openings we found--some very good--were taken up,
and no letters were replied to.

Montenegro, though she did not realize it, had in truth reached the
turning-point of her history. She was no longer the recognized
leader of the Great Serbian movement. During the years when Serbia
was "in Coventry" Montenegro had done nothing to strengthen her
position, save some futile posing to journalists as "the one good
boy." Now Serbia, with Russia behind her, was to the fore.
Montenegro's tide was about to ebb. I wrote strongly to the
Montenegrin Government that it was most necessary to appoint a
representative in London. I would not myself go on doing the work of
a consul Without authority or pay. Preferably they should send a
Montenegrin. If not, I suggested two Englishmen willing to do the
work, one of whom they appointed next year.

It was a step in advance, but it was too late. Serbia, completely
whitewashed, re-established a Legation and a commercial agency, and
began an energetic propaganda.

Meanwhile an event of world-wide importance Took place. On August
31, 1907, the Anglo-Russian agreement was signed. The Anglo-Russian
difficulties of the Middle East were arranged, and Russia was free
to turn all her attention towards Constantinople.

She was lavishly supplied with French gold, and could count on
French military support. France was already arming and aiding her
Balkan ally, Serbia. And Russia, without doubt, was aware of the
"military conversations" of France and England. Possibly the
agreement with Russia was one outcome of them. It is noteworthy that
though England had "agreed" with Russia, so little did she realize
the possibilities of the Near East, that we were the only Great
Power which had no permanent representative in Montenegro, and no
representative at all on the East of the Balkan peninsula, save Mr.
Summa, our Albanian Vice-consul at Scutari.

A