"And I shall never see my father again," he said. "He is on the
Russian frontier. They will have killed him before I can get back."
We went to the post office the first thing next morning, but as the
boats from Trieste had stopped running, his remittance from his
paper had not arrived, and never would arrive. The Austrian consul
could advance no money, having barely enough for his own subjects.

A Thessalian liner was due that night, and might be the last boat
up. There was no time to lose, so I paid Gorlitz's fare and gave him
enough to see him through. Neither of us having an idea of what was
happening, I saw him off at the port, with best wishes for Germany's
rapid victory over Russia and an Anglo-German alliance. "As for us,"
I assured him, "you may be certain we shall side with the
assassins." He left. Mr. Moore, of The Times, passing Valona on his
way to Salonika, dropped at the quay a hasty scribbled note for me.
"Nothing but a miracle can now stop the biggest war in history.
Clear out while you can, or you will be cut off, money and food.
Please take this seriously." I took it to the Austrian consulate.
The Italian was there. Neither had any news. If I left, I wanted to
go to Austria. But unless a gunboat came for the consul that was not
now possible. Neither of them had any idea England would be dragged
in, and assured me I should be all right anywhere. I asked the
Italian point-blank: "Are you going to war as Austria's ally?" He
replied: "The Triple Alliance is a secret one. I do not know its
terms. But I have my own ideas about them. My opinion is that we are
not obliged to fight, and in that case we certainly shall not." A
letter arrived from Mr. Lamb at Durazzo, asking me to find the kavas
of the British Embassy at Constantinople, who, with his family, was
among the refugees burnt out by the Greeks, and send them on to
Constantinople! by the first possible boat. No mention of war or
warning.

Valona was in huge enthusiasm over the news that Belgrade was
attacked. "Now the Serbs and Russians and Austrians will have their
own affairs to attend to, and will leave us in peace!" they cried.

August 4th, the fatal day, I spent hunting up the family of the
kavas, and doing relief work.

August 5th I went to the bank and found a sort of panic. Orders had
come to close in two days. That meant no more cash for relief work
or anything. I asked for all the gold he had, and the manager let me
draw almost all the