After some further demonstrations, tea was served, Mrs. Roosevelt sitting in a chair banked with flowers, with the Mayor on her right and Italian Senators on her left; Mr. Roosevelt with the English wife of the Mayor on his right. On rising he stopped for a few moments at a table where the Italian officers were sitting, and expressed his pleasure at their presence. When he left the room a small crowd of Americans began to sing "He's a Jolly Good Fellow." Mr. Roosevelt smiled in response and gave his special thanks to the Glee Club.

From the hotel the travelers proceeded to the Carew villa and here on the next day the much-debated interview between the exPresident and former chief forester of his administration took place.

"Hello, Gifford!" was the Roosevelt greeting as the visitor approached. Friends of old, the two shook hands warmly, and an ardent discussion between them began. It continued during luncheon hour and during a long walk over the mountains and in the olive groves, in the afternoon, and was resumed on the following day. What passed, however, remained a mystery, both parties having nothing to say to the anxious newspaper-men, other than that they had dealt largely in hunting stories and reminiscences of the past. It was gravely stated that the American forester was almost as good a shot as the African Nimrod.

The Italian journey ended in a visit to Venice, which city of the sea Mr. Roosevelt and Kermit reached in the early morning of the 14th, Mrs. Roosevelt and Ethel remaining at the Carew villa. arriving at the island city at 3 o'clock in the morning, they were rowed through a section of the Grand Canal in the nightly gloom.

The party entered hooded gondolas, which threaded their way swiftly through the narrow canals to the hotel where apartments had been reserved. The reflection of the street lights in the inky waters, the gloomy facades of beautiful palaces rising on either side and the quiet of the hour broken only by the melancholy cries of gondoliers as corners were approached, were commented upon by Colonel Roosevelt and his son, both of whom enjoyed the trip immensely.

Reaching the hotel, the Roosevelts retired at once, but were up

again at 8 o'clock, and, after breakfast, started out on a sightseeing tour. They visited St. Mark's Cathedral, a monument of the ancient magnificence of Venice, the Palace of the Doges, several museums, the Bridge of Sighs, and Verrocchio's statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni.

They had barely returned to the hotel when a gorgeous launch puffed up to its entrance, and the famous mountain-climber and polar voyager, the Duke of the Abruzzi, stepped out. An interview ensued, which lasted forty minutes. Not long afterward, at 2.20 P. M., the ex-President and his son took train for Vienna and the events of the visit to Italy came to an end.

W

CHAPTER XXXVI

A Week in the Austrian Empire

HEN, at 6.45 on the morning of April 15, the train from Venice drew into the railway station of Vienna, bringing as passengers the American ex-President and his son, there were few present to welcome them. It was a hazy morning and the people of the Austrian capital were apparently indifferent to the coming of the distinguished stranger. Only a small group of officials awaited him, including the Secretary of the Foreign Office, the Austrian Ambassador at Washington-then in Vienna-the American Ambassador and a few other Americans.

As they drove to the hotel the streets were nearly deserted and the passing of the party in the court carriage attracted no attention. It is probable that an arrival at that early hour was unlooked-for. During the day, however, a crowd of several hundred persons remained in front of the hotel, taking keen interest in the movements of the nation's guest, though they made no demonstrations beyond a respectful lifting of their hats. There was a marked lack of the enthusiasm shown elsewhere.

The important event of the day was a call of the former American President on Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. This took place at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. As the visitor entered the courtyard the palace guard turned out and rendered him military honors, and as a special mark of esteem the aged Emperor received him in his private apartments instead of in the usual audience chamber.

The American visitor was still more highly honored by the Emperor before the day ended, for Francis Joseph returned his call, visiting the hotel late in the afternoon while on his way to the Schoenbrunn Palace, where he stays every night. This was a notable compliment to Colonel Roosevelt, as the aged monarch habitually

returns the visits only of reigning sovereigns, and of ambassadors upon the occasion of the presentation of their credentials.

From the palace Colonel Roosevelt visited the Capuchin Church, in the vaults of which rest the bones of the Hapsburgs. As he entered the crypt of the Hapsburgs the Capuchin monks, who watch the tombs, conducted him straight to the iron wrought coffins of Elizabeth and Rudolph, which lie on either side of the beautiful statue of the Madonna presented by the Hungarian people.

After the wreaths brought for the purpose had been deposited by the visitor he was shown the other tombs, among which is the immense sarcophagus containing the bodies of Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I., and the plain casket of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.

From the church Colonel Roosevelt set out on a round of official calls, and later in the afternoon he visited the military riding school and also witnessed a review of the regiment of Hussars commanded by Prince Bronn, at Breitensee. The day closed with a formal dinner given by the officials of the Austrian Foreign Office, at which Colonel Roosevelt was the chief guest.

The signal event of the 16th was the Emperor's dinner at the Imperial Palace at Schoenbrunn, this constituting the concluding official function of Colonel Roosevelt's visit to the Austrian capital. With the exception of the Americans all the guests were in full court uniform. Colonel Roosevelt sat at the Emperor's right and Ambassador Kerens at his left. Throughout the dinner, which comprised twelve courses, with eight wines of rare vintages, the band of the 32d Infantry played in a gallery, principally selections from Strauss. The dinner occupied precisely one hour, and upon arising from the table the party returned to the Mirror Room, where what is known as the "Cercle" followed, during which the Emperor personally made the round of his guests. His leave-taking of the former President and his son was exceedingly cordial.

From the palace Colonel Roosevelt and Kermit drove direct to the imperial opera, where they occupied the court box for a short time, during the second act of the "Barber of Seville." The house was crowded in anticipation of his presence, and he was given a

hearty reception. They drove from the opera to the American Em

bassy, where an informal reception to the American colony had been arranged so that its members might meet the ex-President.

An event of considerable interest, in view of what had taken place at Rome, was the call upon ex-President Roosevelt that day of Mgr. Granito di Belmonte Pignatelli, the Papal Nuncio at Vienna. This took place at the apartments of Ambassador Kerens, in the Bristol Hotel.

The Nuncio undoubtedly realized that his visit would be in the nature of a public affair and construed as an indication of the abandonment by the Vatican of the position taken by Cardinal Merry del Val. Nevertheless he decided to make the call. The Nuncio, in his official robes of dark purple silk and wearing a purple cap, entered the room. Mr. Kerens hastened to greet him, and then preIsented him to Colonel Roosevelt.

Every one in the room was deeply interested in the meeting, one Austrian official remarking significantly: "It is an expression of regret on the part of the Vatican." What passed between the American and the Nuncio only the former President and the Church dignitary know, and neither would discuss the conversation.

On the following day the old Kingdom of Hungary was reached by train and here the American ex-President received a greeting in striking contrast to that at Vienna. Never had such an outburst of popular enthusiasm been seen there, the newspapers declared, since the days of Louis Kossuth, the great Hungarian patriot.

The journey after Colonel Roosevelt left the train at Presburg to spend the afternoon with Count Apponyi, whom he had entertained at Washington and Oyster Bay, assumed almost the character of a triumphal procession, the people welcoming the visitor as the apostle of liberty and peace.

At three villages, each of which was made up of a different race, Magyar, Slovak and German, that the party passed through on their automobile trip to the Apponyi castle, the village president, the priest, schoolmaster, fire brigade in uniform and the school children in white Sunday frocks and sashes, bearing the Hungarian colors, turned out to greet them and offer flowers and words of welcome.