With the Serbs in Macedonia

224 WITH THE SERBS IN MACEDONIA
Inspector of Schools say if he found the master's
and mistress's beds in the class-room ? The
only educational appliances visible were a
small blackboard, in one room, a blackboard
without a stand, stuck up in the only window,
and a kindergarten bead-frame in the other.
The schoolmaster and his wife and baby lived
in one room, and a teacher and her mother in
the other. Neither of the women had any
pretence to beauty, nor did they wear stays.
They were very kind to us, however, and insisted
on making coffee which was got out
from a locker under the master's bed. The baby
was a dear, but very dirty.
While we sipped our coffee a tall, dingy
figure suddenly entered. He was the Mayor
of the village, determined not to be left out
of any excitement that was going, a gentleman
of much dignity, alive to the responsibilities of
his position. He stood there in a corner by the
door, grim and silent after solemnly shaking
hands all round, and remained sheepishly and
obstinately present till we departed.
Talking of Mayors reminds me of the Mayor
of another and much larger village. There was
a presence for you — there a true natural dignity
if you like ! We met first over a question of eggs.
He deigned to shake hands. His hand was not
so clean as mine, but he graciously overlooked