most kind home for so long.

On arriving in London I packed up the Gold Medal given me by King
Nikola and returned it to him, stating that I had often expressed
surprise at persons who accepted decorations from Abdul Hamid, and
that now I knew that he and his subjects were even more cruel than
the Turk I would not keep his blood-stained medal any longer. I
communicated this to the English and Austrian Press. The order of
St. Sava given me by King Petar of Serbia, I decided to keep a
little longer till some peculiarly flagrant case should occur, and
this I expected soon.

So apparently did Austria, who, exasperated by the repeated outrages
of the Serbs, and aware of the activity of Hartwig at Belgrade,
realized she was marked down as Russia's next victim on the
proscribed list, and that the hour was arriving when she must kill
or be killed.

Austria's position was now perilous. Russia had come to an agreement
with Japan, and had her hands free for the Near East. Hartwig was
pre-eminent in Belgrade. Roumania had been roped in, and had dealt
the stab in the back to Bulgaria, which had assured the Serbo-Greek
victory. Bulgaria was "put in the corner." France, the financier of
the Near East, refused her a loan. Italy it is true, took Tripoli
with the consent of the Powers, and France, tied as she was to
Russia, could not object. But she viewed with great jealousy any
increase of Italian power on the Mediterranean, and began therefore
to build up Greece as a naval counterpoise.

When Bulgaria approached Paris for a loan, Greece protested: "Do
not finance our most hated rivals." France refused the loan.
Bulgaria turned to England, who looked very favourably on the plan,
recognizing Bulgaria's industry and capability. Those who are in a
position to know, state that almost the whole sum had been arranged
for when France heard of the transaction and requested that England,
as a member of the Entente, would not finance a loan that France had
thought fit to refuse. England drew back, and Bulgaria had to go to
Germany for the necessary money. Russia had no use for Bulgaria.
Therefore France had none. And England, or the section of it bitted
and bridled by The Times, went the way it was driven. Or, perhaps,
like a certain animal, was induced that way by dangled carrots. The
Times' supplements, full of praise of Tsardom, must have cost some
one a pretty penny. Meanwhile Russia was assuring the Serbs that the
Balkan war was but a