1908] Bulgaria and Turkey 217 



putting itself upon progressive lines. They have committed themselves 

 too far at the Vatican. He will not, I think, long retain even what re- 

 mains of his connection with it. I exhorted him, however, to stay on 

 as long as he can, for though I had myself passed beyond all possi- 

 bility of belief, I thought it a pity there should be no half-way house 

 anywhere. As regards his personal circumstances he has no need to 

 seek a change, for his life at Storrington is an ideal one for a thinker, 

 retirement in a lovely village with pleasant, intellectual society, male 

 and female, and ample time to write and read. Presently Father 

 Fawkes joined us, a fellow Modernist priest, and then Miss Petre and 

 we sat an hour under the trees. He is to come to Newbuildings for a 

 couple of nights when he can find time. 



" 13th Oct. — Farid Bey has telegraphed about a rumour current in 

 Egypt that England has declared a protectorate. Though possible it is 

 very unlikely. I have telegraphed back to tell him so. 



" 16th Oct. — The situation in Bulgaria grows more and more war- 

 like. In my opinion Grey is being taken in by the European diploma- 

 tists, who are one and all, except perhaps the French, opposed to re- 

 form in Turkey, having their own axes to grind there. These are en- 

 couraging Bulgaria to pick a quarrel with Constantinople and bring 

 about a counter-revolution and will probably succeed. It is just the 

 old game of 1876-77. The Turkish army is disorganized (only half 

 mobilized) while the Bulgarian army is on a war footing. Our Eng- 

 lish support of the Young Turk is clearly platonic, though we may 

 intervene if Constantinople itself is threatened. 



" i8tJi Oct. (Sunday). — Malony, the Irish editor of the 'Egyptian 

 Standard,' has arrived from Egypt. He is a sensible and good young 

 man. His account of the situation in Egypt is not encouraging. They 

 su?pect the Khedive of having been won over by Gorst to English 

 interests and money interests. Mustapha Kamel's death has disor- 

 ganized the National party. Malony gives a high character to Farid 

 as an honest patriot and sensible man, but says he lacks initiative and 

 that rapidity of decision so necessary in a leader and so remarkable 

 in Mustapha. AH Kamel, Mustapha's brother, puts himself forward 

 in rivalry with Farid. There is no one person who commands the 

 obedience of the party. 



" Margaret Sackville and Mary Wentworth are here, and we spent 

 a literary evening. Malony went to mass this morning with Mary, 

 while I went out riding with Margaret. In the evening I read them out 

 Margaret's fine lines about Ireland, ' I am the eternal dreamer.' (These 

 are on the highest level of all she has written.) 



" Malony goes to Constantinople on Tuesday as correspondent to the 

 ' Manchester Guardian,' as well as to his own Cairo paper. 



" igth Oct. — Back to London. The news to-day is better. There 



