IONS OF TIFL

the evening we went to Prince Orloff's box for a performance of "Carmen." It was very Russian and wealthy. At the back of the box were two anterooms, where we sat a

up late; then most of them, I am told, get drunk, and then the evening orgies begin. No one is ostracised, everyone is called upon

believe I ought to. A good many facts about them have come my way, and I consid

t out of the funds. They live in good hotels, and have "entertaining allowances" for entertaining their friends, and yet one of them herself volunteered the information that the hospital is not re

not wanted. In Petrograd there are fiv

ered by Princess --. The ambulance-car which the fund possesses

d lines. An open letter arrived the other day for the Mayor of Tiflis. There is no Mayor of Tiflis, so the letter was brought to Major --. It said: "Have you received two cheques already sent? We ha

STOWED

ty before being despatched, and arrived in the care of Mr. ----. When their engines were examined it was found that they were t

Society) has ￡30,000 a year. Armenians are literally rolling in money, and it is common to find Armenian ladies buying hats at 250 Rs. (￡25) in Tiflis. The Poles are not ruined, nor do they seem to object t

xpense of the charitable public, and doing very little indeed all the time: cars to go about in, chauffeur

in Flanders said to me one day: "We could lie down and roll in tobacco, and we all help ourselves to every blooming thing we want; and here i

e told me he was simply an unpaid chauffeur at the co

nk a good many of our own corps in Flanders used to contribute liberally and pay for all they had. People here tell us that their cars have a

less money is to find its way into the possession of the vul

yah in Persia, where workers seem to be needed. The only other opening seems to be to go to Count Groholski's new little hospital on the top of the mountains. Mr. H

ESEN

ent to be away for so long a time. Our prayers are always such childish things-prayer itself is only a cry-and I remember praying that if I was "meant to stay at home" some substitute might be found for me. This all seems too absurd when one views it in the light of what afterwards happened. My vision of "honour" and "work" seem for the moment ridiculous, and yet I know that I was

and went for a short run into th

d the rumour is that Urumiyah-the place

nteresting, and half the men are good-looking. The Cossack-dress is very handsome, and nearly everyone wears it. When the colour is dark red a

red a rest, and must decline; the second was recalled by an old employer; the third had too many engagements; the fourth came and then holidays began, as they always do!

s soft enough to eat; it is not made on festivals, nor on the

ll be able to get it back when I leave. All the same I shake in my shoes-a chauffeur, tyres, petrol, mean money all the time. One can'

ICUL

from Queen Alexandra's downwards on the list of its patrons, is in "one long difficulty." It is Russia, and nothing but Russia, that breaks us all. Eve

ay down, and had to be dismissed. Tried to go to Erivan, but the new chauffeur mistook the road, so we had to retur

nd we were up in the hills, when "bang!" went something, and nothing on earth would make the car move. We unscrewed nuts,

uage, and he persuaded the "head man" to turn out for us. His family consisted of about sixteen persons, all sleeping on the floor. They gave us the clay-daubed little place, and fortunately it conta

acksmith. We followed in a hay-cart. We got to a Malokand settlement about 5 o'clock, and found ourselves in an extraordinarily pretty little village, and were given shelter in the very cleanest house I

e, where a snowstorm came on, and we took shelter with a "well-to-do" Armenian family, who gave us lunch and displayed their wool-work and were very friendly. From there we got into another "deelyjahns" of the painful variety, and jolted off for about 25 miles, till, as night fell, we struck the railway, and

IV

re were no fires, and no sheets on the beds! We went to a restaurant-fortunately no Russian goes to bed early-and found the queerest place, empty save for a band and a lady. The lady and the band were having supper.

0 of them in this city of 30,000 inhabitants. We went from one place t

and its shambles, there was ruined Belgium, and there was, above all, the field hospital at Furnes, with its horrible courtyard, the burning heap of bandages, and the mattresses set

Nearly all the men were massacred. The surplus children and unwanted women were put into houses and burned alive. Everywhere one heard, "We were 4,000 in one village, and only 143 escaped;" "There wer

are sleeping on valuable rugs, which look strange in the bare shelters. Most of the women knitted, and some wove on little "fegir" looms. The dullness of their existence matches the tragedy of it. The food is so plain that it doesn't want cooking-

mpany religion, and just live sober, kind, sensible lives, how good it would be; but the Turks must burn women and children, alive, because, poor souls, they think one thing and the Turks think another! And men and women are hating and killing each other beca

and did you, too, die an unbeliever? The crucifixion will never be understood until men know that its worst agony consisted in the disbelief

HMI

and long black silk hood, made us welcome and gave us lunch, and then showed us the hospital-which had no open windows, and smelt horrible-and the lovely little third-century "temple." Then he took us round the strange, quiet little place, with its peaceful park and its three old

ome great fact, such as that what is beautiful must be true. It is grand and pure and lovely, and when the sun sets it is more than this, for the

rdens to the hills beyond, and saw the mosque, with its blue roof against the blue sky,

ountry, and if the Russians were not our Allies I should feel inclined to say that nothing would do them so much good as a year or two of German conquest. No one, after the first six months, has been enthusiastic over the war, and the soldiers want to get home. One young officer, 26 years old, has been loafing in Tiflis for six mo

must wait for my damaged car. A young officer in this hotel

AN SO

lway-men playing with in a lamp-room. Our stakes were a few kopeks, and the refreshments consisted of one tepid cup of tea, without either milk or lemon, and not a biscuit to eat. We all sat with shawls o

The furniture in their rooms is covered with plush, and the ornaments (to me) suggest a head-gardener's house at home with "an enlargement of mother" over the mantelpiece; or a Clapham drawing-room, furnished

large and handsome. There was a picture of a cow at one end o

ne kind speech would satisfy, does not occur to her. These are the people who chuck engagements when they get better invitations, and always I seem to see them with expensive little bags and chains and Faberjé enamels. M

There is always a feast or a fête here. People walk about the street

on his little chair on the landing. Prince Tschelikoff

in his red coat, and some heavy Generals

CED I

yes were very bad, and the war was wearing me down rather); but to sit in an hotel bedroom or to potter over trifles in sitting-rooms seems a poor sort of way of passing

hat I have always felt, that this power comes from outside, and can only be explained psychically. I asked a great writer once if he ever exp

should have been fêted and decorated and extolled to the skies; but then, where would the money have gone? Last week the two richest Armenian merchants in this town were arrested for cheating the soldie

work here, pays all his own expenses, and he can't get a truck to take his things to the refugees without paying for it, while he is often asked the quest

d cold, and there is

us manner, "I shall not be beaten by this enervating exis

lancs" (festered fingers), and have to wear bandages, which prevent my doing even the mildest seam. Oddly enough, th

LADES IM

here is "something very queer about it, but"-pushing back hair from hot brow-"no one is to worry about it. It will be better to-morrow; or if it really is going to be fever, we must just try to make the best of it." A sty in the eye is cataract, "but lots of blind people are very happy;" and a bili

y travels I have only found one foreign race which seemed to me to be well-bred (as I understand it), and that is the native of India. The very best French people come next; and the Spaniard knows how to

ened tea, and the stove is frequently not lighted even on a chilly evening. Since I have been in Russia I have had nothing better or more substantial given to me (by the Russians) than a piece of cake, except by the Grand Duke. We br

hey make one awkward, and more idle than ever. A lot of people come in and out of my sitting-room to "

nce Orloff's box to hear

ura to-day. Now that I have the car everyone wants me to work with them. The difficulty of transport is indescribable. Without a car is like being without a leg. One s