I9 12 ] Proposed Partitioning of Turkey 391 



some sort of mission, when he came to England, to bring about a 

 rapprochement between the two Governments. Belloc, who is very 

 anti-Turk, declares that he knows it to be true, that the German, 

 Austrian, and Russian Governments have come to an agreement for 

 partitioning the Ottoman Empire. 



" There has always been a danger of this sort, but I doubt its being 

 nearer now than a year ago, anyhow England could not prevent it, 

 and her friendship for Turkey would not amount to much more than 

 preventing Arabia from being meddled with by the European Powers, 

 and making herself protector of the Caliphate. 



" I asked the young Egyptians about the reported plot at Cairo. 

 They consider it probable as against Kitchener. Indeed, how could 

 it be otherwise. He has played the despot there and governed by 

 despotic methods, but they knew no details. 



" 10th July. — Two Spanish Americans were here to-day to see the 

 horses, the one Pereira from Buenos Aires, the other from Uraguay. 

 I was interested to find them both very pious Catholics, who had been 

 quite lately at Rome, and had had private audience of the Pope, of 

 whom they gave exactly the same description as I have heard from 

 others, declaring him to be a Saint who works miracles. His Holiness 

 had been seen by one of his suite in a state of ecstasy, floating some 

 feet above the ground, and they told the tale of a North American, 

 a Protestant, who coming with his Catholic wife and daughter to 

 Rome, had been converted. The daughter (she was still a child) 

 had been afflicted with an eruption on her face, which disfigured her 

 to the extent that her eyes were hardly visible, and when she went out 

 of doors she had constantly to wear a veil. She had insisted with 

 her parents upon being taken to Rome, where she said the Pope would 

 cure her. They had obtained an audience, a public one, with many 

 others, the child attending it veiled, and the father had besought the 

 Pope to bless her, and the Pope had put his hand upon her head, 

 promising she should be cured. When the audience was over the 

 father had pulled off the veil, and behold, the child's face was whole. 1 

 Whereupon the father, as was the way with North Americans, had 

 purchased the largest photographic portrait he could find of the Pope, 

 and had had it framed in silver. When they left Rome he had taken 

 four places in the train, the fourth seat being occupied by the portrait, 

 which he declared he would travel with through the world, proclaim- 

 ing the miracle. 



" nth July. — Anniversary of the Bombardment of Alexandria, thirty 

 years ago to-day, and there is no sign of repentance in this country. 

 I am the only person left who remembers that abominable event and 

 still protests. Margot had chosen to-day for her garden party in 

 Downing Street, and a card of invitation had been sent to me, but, of 



