It was not to end in such an _impasse_ that his mother instructed him in the mysteries of kingcraft, and advised him throughout his early years of insecurity in Bulgaria. Had she lived, he might have chosen differently, for Clementine, daughter of France as she was, could never have endured the supremacy of German influence which Ferdinand’s policy has brought about. It may well be that her death was the turning-point in his career, the beginning of a downward march on which one well-defined stage has already been marked, the reverse of the second Balkan war. For many years the influence of the Shoddy Czar has been a malign one. His character, his training, his ideals, and the barbarism of the people he governs have made Bulgaria a lasting threat to the peace of Europe. One of the many good results we may hope to derive from the war will be the disappearance from the realm of international politics of so unscrupulous and autocratic a ruler as Ferdinand of Bulgaria. FINIS. ——————— Butler & Tanner Frome and London ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Transcriber’s notes 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and inconsistencies; retained non-standard spelling. 2. Italic text in the original is delimited by _underscores_. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Ferdinand of Bulgaria, by Anonymous