Americans trying to get passage home

I went to the Museo Civico and spent a most interesting morning in looking over the collections. The guards are all old men and before I got back I had given something to a lot of them, not because they had done anything, but simply because they were old.

I was fifty minutes getting home, and so was very late, 1.40, when I sat down to lunch. Heard that the American consul had sent word to all pensions and hotels requesting all Americans to register – so two of us went around to do so - found the office full of frightened Americans – most of them people who had passage taken on some ship for this morning.

German ships have cancelled sailings and it is impossible to get to France or England to take passage from those countries. Consul advised us not to try to leave Italy as Italy was neutral and safe. Said I couldn’t get into Austria if I tried.

Came back to pension and went to Pension Gregori after mail. Said he had forwarded a postal to me. Then to Am. Exp. Co. - no letters.

Had an ice and listened to the music in the Piazzetta – came home. Found everyone wild with excitement. 500 Americans are trying to charter a steamer to take them home - $100 apiece. I listened to them reading war news. Read Cosmopolitan magazine to quiet my mind before going to bed. Some Italians in a wine shop near here argued so long and fiercely that I couldn’t get to sleep. They did the same thing last night.