information—­at their offices, at the Embassy, at luncheon, at dinner, at the clubs—­everywhere.  We all take every possible occasion to serve our friends and they serve us.  The result is, I verily believe, that we hear more than any other group in London.  These young fellows are all keen as razors.  They know when to be silent, too; and they are trusted as they deserve to be.  Of course I see them, singly or in pairs, every day in the regular conduct of the work of the Embassy; and once a week we all meet together and go over everything that properly comes before so large a “cabinet” meeting.  Thus some of us are on confidential terms with somebody in every department of the Government, with somebody in every other Embassy and Legation, with all the newspapers and correspondents—­even with the censors.  And the wives of those that are married are abler than their husbands.  They are most attractive young women—­welcome everywhere—­and indefatigable.  Mrs. Page has them spend one afternoon a week with her, rolling bandages; and that regular meeting always yields something else.  They come to my house Thursday afternoons, too, when people always drop in to tea-visitors from other countries, resident Americans, English—­everybody—­Sometimes one hundred.

Nobody in this company is a “Spy”—­God forbid!  I know no more honourable or attractive group of ladies and gentlemen.  Yet can conceive of no organization of spies who could find out as many things.  And the loyalty of them all!  Somebody now and then prefaces a revelation with the declaration, “This is in strict confidence—­absolutely nobody is to hear it.”  The answer is—­“Yes, only, you know, I have no secrets from the Ambassador:  no member of his staff can ever have.”—­Of course, we get some fun along with our tragedies.  If I can find time, for instance, I am going to write out for House’s amusement a verbatim report of every conversation that he held in London.  It has all come to me—­from what he said to the King down; and it all tallies with what House himself told me.  He went over it all himself to me the other day at luncheon.—­I not only believe—­I am sure—­that in this way I do get a correct judgment of public feeling and public opinion, from Cabinet Ministers to stock-brokers.

December 11, 1916.

The new Government is quite as friendly to us in its intentions as the old, and much more energetic.  The old Government was a spent force.  Mr. Balfour is an agreeable man to deal with, with a will to keep our sympathy, unless the dire need of ships forces him to unpleasantness.  The Prime Minister is—­American in his ways.  Lord Robert has the old Cecil in him, and he’s going to maintain the blockade at any cost that he can justify to himself and to public opinion, and the public opinion is with him.  They are all eager to have American approval—­much more eager, I think, than a large section of public opinion, which has almost ceased to care what Americans