Some Books of the Week MAIM:Mg STANCIOFF'S Recollections of a
Bulgarian Diplo- malist's Wife (Hutchinson, 18s.) covers a period extending from 1887 to 1915. Born a French woman of aristocratic family she went to Bulgaria as lady in waiting to the Princess Clementine. The sort of improvised Court life which went on in the Palace at Sophia is very calmly and pleasantly described. They all " lived dangerously " but merrily. The arrest after a ball of conspirators, whose identity was indicated to his mother by an inclination of Ferdinand's head was an incident which did not seem in the least to disturb either the elder or the younger lady. Madam Stancioff fell in love with. Bulgaria even before she fell in love with her husband. She gives a charming, but the reader cannot help suspecting a rose- coloured, picture of the country, in rapid but very rough process of civilization, with which she was soon completely to identify herself.
* * *
Previous page
