ing my mind. I wished, how I wished, I could have turned all England out to share my experience, and so let them see Russian Bolsheviks as they really are, not as they are painted in the capitalist press as brutal murderers and terrorist villains !
We all got up pretty early, but our day was rather wasted. Most of the Soviet officials were away in Moscow attending a Congress. It was consequently difficult to find our interpreter. Barry, who knows Petrograd thoroughly, went out and made a brave endeavour to find someone who could talk with us, but it was no use ; we just walked about where we could, looked at people, and marvelled at how well they seemed to be—and, what is more, at how much activity there was in evidence.
Most shops were closed. This gave us a shock, as it would anybody, yet people appeared to have plenty to do. The trams were running and were crowded, but we could not talk and so went back home. Rachi was able to tell us at 4 o'clock that I could speak to Tchitcherin in Moscow at 8 o'clock, and so we waited in patience till that hour came round, and, after a few minutes’ talk on the telephone, it was decided that we should go right on to Moscow.
We left our friend Rachi and his family with many thanks. They had been more than
