ul lapis lazuli.

Once the Moslems had overpowered the defenders of the church and had got
in, the eyes of some of the saints were picked through the plaster.
Legend runs, however, that while they were desecrating the tomb of Tzar
Stephan who founded the church, the tomb of the queen, which lay
alongside, exploded with a violent report and terror struck the Turks,
who fled.

They showed us the queen's tomb, split from top to bottom. The priests
naturally claim a miracle; but Pavlovitch said, "I tink dey verry
clever, dey done dat wi' gunpowder."

The Tzar Stephan had wished to build the church of gold and precious
stones, but a soothsayer said--

"No, my lord, build it of plain stone, for your empire will be robbed
from you, and if it be of gold greedy men will tear it to pieces, but if
it be of plain stone it will remain a monument for ever."

So he built it of fine marble. The central pillars were forty feet high,
and each cut from a single piece, with grotesque carved capitals. The
great screen was wonderfully carved and gilded. Wherever one looked was
decoration, almost in excess.

Ringlets invited us to tea with the Russian bishop who was in charge. He
was a stout, sweet-mannered little man, who shook his head woefully over
the war.

Somehow Pavlovitch discovered that he and the bishop were the same age,
forty-eight. We contrasted Pavlovitch's spare athletic frame with the
well-fed shape of the bishop, and felt instinctively which was the
better Christian. Coffee and slatka were brought in. This slatka is
always handed to callers in well-regulated Serbian households. It is jam
accompanied by many little spoons and glasses of water. Each guest dips
out a spoonful, licks the spoon, drinks the water, and places his spoon
in the glass. There is also a curious custom with regard to the coffee.
If a guest outstays his welcome, a second cup is brought in and
ceremoniously placed before him--but, of course, this hint depends upon
how it is done.

"It is Friday," remarked Pavlovitch, regretfully. "Odder days we gits
mighty good meal." He was very anxious for us to stay the night so that
we should fit in a first-class breakfast, but the morrow was the Ipek
fair, and we could not miss that.

Night was coming so we hurried off and drove away. The horses went quite
fast, as we had made them a present of some barley. We had discovered
that since the beginning of the war, when they had been requisitioned by
the Monten