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diff --git a/42702-0.txt b/42702-0.txt index 3c038cb..9932113 100644 --- a/42702-0.txt +++ b/42702-0.txt @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42702 *** +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42702 *** PASSING BY @@ -6066,5 +6066,4 @@ I have resolved to give up keeping this diary. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Passing By, by Maurice Baring - *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42702 *** diff --git a/42702-8.txt b/42702-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f8b7b81..0000000 --- a/42702-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6454 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Passing By, by Maurice Baring - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Passing By - -Author: Maurice Baring - -Release Date: May 12, 2013 [EBook #42702] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - - - - -PASSING BY - -BY MAURICE BARING - - -LONDON: MARTIN SECKER - -1921 - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908. _Gray's Inn_. - -I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off. They are -leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two -months. They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way. - -_Saturday, December_ 19_th_. - -My Christmas holidays begin. I am spending Christmas with Uncle Arthur -and Aunt Ruth. I have to be back at the office on the first of January. - -_Thursday, January_ 1_st_, 1909. _Gray's Inn_. - -Received a post-card from Mrs Housman, from Cairo. - -_Monday, February_ 2_nd_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman. They are returning to London. - -_Sunday, February_ 8_th_. - -The Housmans return to-morrow. They have been away one month and -twenty-one days. - -_Monday, February_ 9_th_. - -Went to meet the Housmans at the station. They are going straight into -their new house at Campden Hill and are giving a house-warming dinner -next Monday, to which I have been invited. - -_Tuesday, February_ 10_th._ - -Lord Ayton has been made Parliamentary Under-Secretary. I do not know -him but I remain in the office. He is taking me on. - -_Monday, February_ 16_th. Gray's Inn_. - -The Housmans had their house-warming in their new house at Campden Hill. -I was the first to arrive. - -On one of the walls in the drawing-room there is the large portrait of -Mrs Housman by Walter Bell, which I had never seen since it was -exhibited in the New Gallery ten years ago. It was always being lent for -exhibitions when I went to the old house in Inverness Terrace. While I -was looking at this picture Housman joined me and apologised for being -late. He said the portrait of Mrs Housman was Bell's _chef-d'oeuvre_. -He liked it _now._ Then he said: "We are having some music to-night. -Solway is dining with us and will play afterwards. He plays for nothing -here, an old friend; you know him? Miss Singer is coming too. You know -her? She writes. I don't read her." - -At that moment Mrs Housman came in and almost immediately Mr and Mrs -Carrington-Smith were announced. Mr Carrington-Smith is Housman's -partner, an expert in deep-breathing besides being rich. Mrs -Carrington-Smith had lately arrived from Munich. The other guests -were--Miss Housman (Housman's sister), Lady Jarvis, Miss Singer, whom I -was to take in to dinner, a city friend of Mr Housman's, Mr James -Randall, a little man with a silk waistcoat, and, the last to arrive, -Solway. I sat on Mrs Housman's left, next to Miss Singer. -Carrington-Smith sat on Mrs Housmans right; Housman sat at the head of -the table, between Mrs Carrington-Smith and Lady Jarvis. Miss Singer -talked to me earnestly at first. She is writing on the Italian -Renaissance. I told her I was ignorant of the subject, upon which her -earnestness subsided, and she smiled. Then we talked of music, where I -felt more at home. She had been to all Solway's concerts. She is not a -Wagnerite. Just as we were beginning to get on smoothly there was a -shuffle in the conversation and Mrs Housman turned to me. - -I told her we had a new chief at the office--Lord Ayton. - -"We met him in Egypt," she said. "He had been big-game shooting. I had -no idea he was an official." - -I told her he was only a Parliamentary Under-Secretary. At that moment -there was a lull in the general conversation and Housman overheard us. - -"Ayton," he broke in. "A pleasant fellow, not too much money, some fine -things, furniture, at his place, but he won't go far, no grit." - -I asked Mrs Housman what he was like. She said they had made great -friends at Cairo but she did not think they would ever meet again. - -"You know," she said, "these great friends one makes travelling, people, -you know, who are just passing by." - -Miss Singer said he had an old house in Sussex. She had been over it. It -was let; there were some fine old things there. - -"But he won't sell," said Housman. "He's not a man of business." - -Mrs Carrington-Smith said she preferred impressionist pictures, -especially the Danish school. Housman laughed at her and said there was -no money in them. Miss Housman said she had heard from a dealer that -Lord Ayton had a remarkable set of Charles II. chairs and that she -wished he would sell them. Solway took no part in the conversation but -discussed music with Miss Singer. I caught the phrase, "trombones as -good as Baireuth." Mrs Housman asked me whether I had seen Ayton yet. I -told her he had not been to the office. - -"I think you will like him," she said. Then, as an afterthought, "He's -not a musician." - -She asked me whether there were any changes in the staff. I told her -none except for the arrival of a new Private Secretary (unpaid) whom -Lord Ayton is bringing with him, called Cunninghame. She had never heard -of him. We stayed a long time in the dining-room. Housman was proud of -his Madeira and annoyed with us for not drinking enough. Mr Randall said -he was sorry but he never mixed his wines, and he had some more -champagne. Randall, Carrington-Smith and Housman talked of the -international situation. Solway explained to me why portions of the -Ninth Symphony were always played too fast. He was most illuminating. -Then we went upstairs. More guests had arrived. A few people I knew, a -great many I had not seen before, Solway played some Bach preludes and -the Waldstein Sonata. The unmusical went downstairs. There were about a -dozen people left in the drawing-room. - -Afterwards there were some refreshments downstairs. I got away about -half-past twelve. - -_Tuesday, February_ 17_th. Gray's Inn_. - -Our first day under the new regime. The new chief came to the office -to-day. He looks young, and was friendly and unofficial. The new Private -Secretary came too, Mr Guy Cunninghame, an affable young man. He wears a -beautifully tied bow tie. I wonder how it is done and whether it takes a -long time or not. He is well dressed, but when it comes to describing -him he is dressed like anyone else, and yet he gives the impression of -being well dressed. I don't know why. I suppose it is an art like any -other. I could not tie a tie like that to save my life. _Equidem non -invideo magis miror_. - -He seems to have been everywhere, to have read everything and to know -everyone. He is not condescending, he is just naturally agreeable. - -I had to go over to the Foreign Office in the morning to see someone in -the Eastern Department. When I came back Cunninghame told me that a Mrs -Housman had been to see Ayton, about some billet for her brother-in-law. -She talked to him first. Cunninghame said he thought she did not like -coming on such an errand. She then saw A., who said he would do what he -could. He told C. afterwards he was sure he couldn't do anything for the -fellow. C. had never met her nor heard of her, but curiously enough he -said he recognised her from her picture which he had seen, Walter Bell's -picture. I asked him if he had seen it at the New Gallery. He said no, -at a dealer's in America two years ago. - -I asked him if he was sure it was the same picture. He said he was quite -sure. The picture was for sale. - -"One couldn't mistake the picture," he said. "It's the best thing Walter -Bell ever did. His pictures are valuable now he is dead, but there was a -slump in them before he died, or rather, there never was a boom in them. -That one picture attracted a great deal of attention when it was first -exhibited, and then one heard little of him till he died. Now, of -course, his pictures fetch high prices." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to his cousin, Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _February_ 19_th_, 1909. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Since my last letter I have been installed. I am George Ayton's -Secretary. I sit in the office with another man, who was there before -and has been taken on, called Mellor. He is as silent as a deaf-mute and -I have no doubt is the soul of discretion. There isn't much work to do -and Ayton has got a real Secretary of his own who writes shorthand and -typewrites without mistakes and lives in his house. He writes all his -private letters and does all his business for him. He is not supposed to -do official work, but George brings him to the office all the same, and -he has a typewriter in the clerk's room and is always ready to do any -odd job. I find him most useful. He is still more silent than Mellor. I -haven't much to tell you. I have got into my new flat in Halkin Street. -It will be presentable in time. The pictures are up, but not the -curtains. Let us hope they won't be a failure: They were promised last -week but have not yet arrived. If you have time and are passing that way -I wish you would get me from the Bon Marché half-a-dozen coloured -tablecloths. - -George has got a flat in Stratton Street. I dined with him alone last -night. We went to a Music Hall after dinner and heard Harry Lauder. His -sister, Mrs Campion, is in Paris. Perhaps you will see her. Yesterday a -lady came to the office to interview him and saw me first, a Mrs -Housman. Have you ever heard of her? I recognised her at once as the -subject of a picture by Walter Bell. Do you remember a large picture of -a lady in white playing the piano? Such a clever picture. I saw it in -New York at Altheim's shop, but I believe it was exhibited years ago at -the New Gallery. Well, she is far more beautiful than the picture. She -is not really tall, but she looks tall, with a wonderful walk, but I -can't describe her, she makes other people look unreal--like wax-works. -She was dressed anyhow and rather shabbily in black, wearing no gloves -but the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, a kind of double monogram, -probably old French. She came on business. I wonder who she is. She is -not a foreigner and not, I think, an American, but she is, looks and -talks, especially talks, not like an Englishwoman. - -I shall try to come to Paris for Easter. - -Don't forget the tablecloths. - - Yours, - Guy. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 1_st_. - -I dined last night with the Housmans, They were alone except for Solway, -and after dinner we had some music. Solway played the Schumann -Variations and then he asked Mrs Housman to sing. I hadn't heard her for -a long time as she hardly ever will sing now. She sang _Willst du dein -Herz mir schenken_. Solway says the song isn't by Bach really but by his -nephew. Then she sang a song from Purcell's _Dido_, some Schubert; among -others, _Wer nie sein Brot_, and the _Junge Nonne_. Solway said he had -never heard the last better sung. Housman then asked her to sing a song -from _The Merry Widow_, which she did. - -Housman plays himself by ear. - -She did not allude to having been at the office, nor did I. - -_Tuesday, March_ 2_nd_. - -Dined with Cunninghame at his flat last night. A comfortable and -luxurious abode. I asked him if Ayton was likely to marry. He laughed. -He said he had been in love for years, with a Mrs Shamier. I had never -heard of her. Cunninghame said she was clever and accomplished, and had -been very pretty and painted by all the painters. - -He says A. will never marry. I asked him if Mrs Shamier was in London. -He said of course. She has a husband who is in Parliament, and several -children; a country house on the south coast; but they are not -particularly well off. - -"You must come and meet her at dinner," he said. "I am devoted to her." - -I asked him if she was fond of A. - -"Not so much now, but she won't let him go." - -I went away early as C. was going to a party. - -_Wednesday, March_ 3_rd_. - -Went to the British Museum before going to the office, to look up an old -English tune for Mrs Housman from Ford's _Music of Sundry Kinds_ called -_The Doleful Lover_. I found it. - -_Thursday, March_ _4th_. - -Went to Solway's Chamber Music Concert last night. - -Brahms Quintet and a trio by Solway himself. Some Brahms _Lieder_. The -Housmans were there. I thought Solway's trio fine. - -_Friday, March_ 5_th_. - -A. went to the country this afternoon to stay with the Shamiers; so C. -said, but, as a matter of fact, he told me he was going to his own -house. Cunninghame is going away himself to-morrow. He always goes away -on Saturdays, he says. I remain in London. - -_Saturday, March_ 6_th_. - -Went to the London Library and got some books for Sunday: _Thaïs_, by -Anatole France, recommended to me by C.; a book called _A Human -Document_, recommended me by Mrs Housman. I do not think I shall read -any of them. The only literature I read without difficulty is _The -Times_ and _Jane Eyre_, and _The Times_ doesn't come out on Sunday. - -_Sunday Night, March_ 7_th_. - -Called on the Housmans in the afternoon. She was out. Luncheon at the -Club. Dinner at the Club. I began _A Human Document_, but could not read -more than five pages of it. I couldn't read any of the book by Anatole -France. - -Went to a concert in the afternoon. It was not enjoyable. - -Read _Jane Eyre_. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 8_th_. - - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I meant to write you a long letter yesterday from the country. I went to -stay with the Shamiers. I thought, of course, George would be there. He -didn't come near the office on Friday. He wasn't there and evidently -wasn't even expected. - -Louise in tearing spirits and a new man there called Lavroff, a Russian -philosopher; youngish and talking English better than any of us, except -that he always said "I _have been_ seeing So-and-so to-day," "I _have -been to the concert yesterday_." - -Needless to say, I didn't have a moment to write to you, in fact the -only place where I get time to write you a line is at the office. -Everything is appallingly dull. Mellor, the Secretary, had dinner with -me one night. He spoke a little but not much. I think he is shy but not -stupid. - -George likes being in London, but Louise didn't mention him. It's -curious if after all this fuss and trouble to get this job and to be in -London it all comes to an end. - -The tablecloths have arrived. Thank you a thousand times. They are -exactly what I wanted. The curtains have arrived too but they are a -failure; too bright. I can't afford to get new ones yet. This week I -have got some dinners. George said something about giving a dinner this -week. - -Yours in great haste, - - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 8_th_. - -A. asked me whether if I was free on Thursday I would dine with him. I -said f would be pleased to. He said he would try and get a few people. - -_Tuesday, March_ 9_th_. - -A. has got a Secretary called Tuke. He writes all his private letters -and he comes down to the office in the mornings. This morning he came -and asked me Mrs Housman's address. It is curious that he should have -applied to me and not to C., as I was not here when she called, nor does -A. know that I know her. How can he have known that I know her? - -_Wednesday, March_ 10_th_. - -Dined with Cunninghame last night at his flat. The guests were Mr and -Mrs Shamier, Miss Macdonald, C.'s cousin, M. Lavroff, a Russian, and a -Miss Hope. I sat between the Russian and Miss Macdonald. Miss Macdonald -is an elderly lady, kind and agreeable. Mr Shamier, M.P., was once, I -believe, an athlete, a cricket Blue. Miss Hope looked as if she were in -fancy dress; Lavroff, the Russian, is unkempt, with thick eyebrows and -dark eyes. Tolstoy was mentioned at dinner. Mrs Shamier said he was her -favourite novelist, upon which Lavroff became greatly excited and said -the day would come when, the world would perceive and be ashamed of -itself for perceiving that Tolstoy was not worthy to lick Dostoyevsky's -boots. Being asked my opinion I was obliged to confess that I had read -the works of neither novelist. Miss Macdonald asked me who was my -favourite novelist. I said Charlotte Brontë. She said she shared my -preference and couldn't read Russian books, they depressed her. After -dinner we had some music. Miss Hope sang and accompanied herself. She -sang songs by Fauré and Hahn; among others _La Prison_. She altered the -text of the last line, and instead of singing "Qu'as tu fait de ta -jeunesse?" she rendered it--"Qu'as tu fait dans ta jeunesse?": scarcely -an improvement. When she had finished Lavroff was asked to play. He -consented immediately and played some folk songs. Although he is in no -sense a pianist, they were beautifully played. - -_Thursday, March_ 11_th_. - -Had dinner last night with Admiral Bowes in Hyde Park Gardens. The only -people there besides myself were Colonel Hamley and Grayson, who is, -they say, a rising M.P. The Admiral said his nephew, Bowes in the F.O. -(whom I know a little), had become a Roman Catholic. - -"What on earth made him do that?" said Colonel Hamley. - -"Got hold of by the priests," said the Admiral; and they all echoed the -phrase: "Got hold of by the priests" and passed on to other topics. - -I have often wondered what the process of being "got hold of by the -priests" consists of, and where and how it happens. - -_Friday, March_ 12_th_. - -Dined last night with A. at his flat. I was surprised to meet Mr and Mrs -Housman. The hostess was A.'s sister, Mrs Campion. She is a deal older -than he is, a widow and good company. There was also a Mrs Braham, and a -younger man called Clive. He is in a bank and is, I believe, a useful -man in a sailing boat. - -I sat between Mrs Campion and Mrs Housman. - -After dinner A. said to Mrs Housman that, knowing she liked music, he -had provided her with a musical treat. Mrs Braham would sing to us. She -sang, accompanying herself, _The Garden of Sleep, The Silver Ring, -Mélisande in the Wood_, and, by special request, _The Little Grey Home -in the West_. There was no other music. - -_Saturday, March_ 13_th._ - -Had tea with the Housmans. They asked me to dinner next Tuesday to meet -A. Mrs Housman says that Mrs Campion is one of the most charming and -amusing people she has ever met. C. is staying in London. This Saturday -A. is going to his house in the country. He has a small house on the -coast near Littlehampton, where he keeps his yacht, but, of course, he -cannot yacht yet. He has a large house in Sussex which is let. - -_Sunday Night, March_ 14_th._ - -Went down to Woking to spend the day with Solway in his cottage. He is -composing a Sonata for piano and violin. He played me the first -movement. He said he thought there was a certain amount of good music -being composed at the present day which nobody was taking notice of, but -which would probably come into its own some day. He said Mrs Housman was -the singer who gave him the most pleasure. He said: "Her singing is -_business-like_. She is divinely musical." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Sunday, March_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been spending a perfect Saturday to Monday in London. I have had -a busy week and was glad to see no one and do nothing all to-day, that -is to say, comparatively no one and nothing, as I went to the play on -Saturday night, and to-day I went to a large luncheon party at Alice's, -who is back at Bruton Street. The news is that the Shamier episode is -over, quite, quite over. There is no doubt about it. She is madly in -love with Lavroff. I don't wonder. He is so intelligent and plays -wonderfully. As for George, I don't think he cares. You will at once ask -if there is no one else. Nobody that I know of. I don't know who he sees -and what he does. He hates going out, and talks every day of giving a -dinner at his flat, but as far as I know he hasn't entertained a cat -yet. - -I dined out every night last week, and gave one dinner at my flat. I -think it was a success. Freda Macdonald, Louise, Lavroff and Eileen -Hope, who sang quite beautifully. I asked Godfrey Mellor, but I really -don't know if I can ask him again to that sort of party as he didn't -utter a word. Freda liked him. But it does ruin a dinner to have a gulf -of silence in the middle of it, especially as when he does talk he can -be quite agreeable. George has gone down to the country. His sister is -here now, but she goes north next week. I believe London bores him to -death and he is longing for the summer and for his yacht. I am sorry you -can tell me nothing of Mrs Housman. I haven't seen or heard anything -more of her. - -Thank you very much for the _langues de chat_. They added to the success -of my dinner. Yours, etc., - -GUY. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 16_th._ - -I asked C. where he got his cigarettes. He said he got them from a -little man who lived _behind_ the Haymarket. Everybody seems to get -their cigarettes and their shirts from a "little man." The little man -apparently never lives in a street but always _behind_ a street. - -My new piano, a Cottage Broadwood, arrived to-day. It is bought on the -three years' system. - -_Tuesday, March_ 17_th._ - -Dined with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur last night, in Eccleston -Square. A large dinner-party: a Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign -Affairs, the French Chargé d'Affaires and his wife, the Editor of _The -Whig_ and his wife, Lord and Lady Saint-Edith, Professor Miles, Sir -Herbert Wilmott and Lady Wilmott, Mr Julius K. Lee of the American -Embassy, and Mrs Lovell-Smythies, the novelist. - -As we were all waiting for dinner in the dark library downstairs a Miss -Magdalen Cross came in late, carrying a book in her hand. "This book," -she said to us all, "is well worth reading." It was a German novel by -Sudermann. An old lady who was standing next to her, and who I -afterwards discovered was the widow of the Bishop of Exminster, said: -"You prepared that entry in your cab, dear Magdalen." Miss Cross -blushed. I took her in to dinner. She talked of sculpture, the Chinese -nation, German novels, and Russian music. She has been three times round -the world. She has no liking for most German music and cannot abide -Brahms. She likes Wagner, Chopin, Russian Church music and Spanish -songs. On the other side I had the wife of the French Chargé d'Affaires. -She said: "J'adore l'odeur des paquets anglais." Her favourite English -author, she said, was Mrs Humphry Wood. I did not like to ask her if -she meant Mrs Humphry Ward or Mrs Henry Wood. She said the works of this -novelist made her weep. - -When we were left in the dining-room after dinner, Lord Saint-Edith, -Professor Miles and Hallam (of _The Whig_) had a long argument about -some lines in Dante, and this led them to the Baconian theory. Lord -Saint-Edith said he couldn't understand people thinking Bacon had -written Shakespeare's plays. If they said Shakespeare had written the -works of Bacon as a pastime he could understand it. He believed Homer -was written by Homer. The Professor was paradoxical and said he thought -the Odyssey was a forgery. "Tacitus," he said, "was known to be one." - -After dinner upstairs there was tea but no music. Uncle Arthur is -growing very deaf and forgetful and asked me how I was getting on at -Balliol. - -Aunt Ruth told me she had asked my new chief to dinner, but that he had -refused. "Of course," she said, "this is not the kind of house he would -find amusing. But considering how well I knew his father I think it -would be only civil for him to come to one of my Thursday evenings." - -_Wednesday, March_ 17_th._ - -I dined at the Housmans' last night. It was a dinner for A. He was the -guest of the evening. To meet him there were Lady Maria Lyneham, who -must be over seventy; a French lady of imposing presence called, if I -caught the name correctly, the Princesse de Carignan and who, Housman -whispered to me, was a Bourbon, and if she had her rights would be Queen -of France to-day; a secretary from the Italian Embassy; Mr and Mrs -Baines. Mr Baines is an official at the British Museum and is half -French. His wife, he told me, had once been taken for Sarah Bernhardt. -There were several other people: Sir Herbert Simcox, the K.C., and Lady -Simcox, an art critic, a lady journalist and Miss Housman. - -A. sat between Mrs Housman and Lady Simcox. Housman had the Princesse de -Carignan on his right and Lady Maria on his left. I sat between Lady -Maria and Miss Housman. Lady Maria told me she dined out whenever she -could, and asked me to luncheon on Sunday. "Don't come," she said, "if -you mind meeting lions; I like pleasant people. Only I warn you I have -an old-fashioned prejudice for good manners and I always ask their -wives." - -Mr Baines talked beautiful French to the Princesse. Lady Maria told me -she was neither French nor a princess, but the illegitimate daughter of -a Levantine. "But very respectable all the same, I'm afraid," she added. - -After dinner a few people came. Among others, Housman's partner and -Esther Lake, the contralto. She sang (she brought her own accompanist) -some Handel and _Che faro_ and, by request of Mr Housman, Gounod's -_There is a Green Hill._ - -I drove home with A. He told me he had enjoyed himself immensely and he -thought Esther Lake was the finest singer in the world. - -He said Miss Housman was a very clever woman and Housman appeared to be -quite a good sort. - -He said he liked this kind of dinner-party. - -_Thursday, March_ 18_th._ - -The first day there has been a feeling of spring in the air. I went to -St James's Park on the way to the office. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Friday, March_ 19_th._ - -A. asked me to spend Sunday with him in the country. I told him I was -sorry I was engaged to go out to luncheon on Sunday. He said I must come -the week after. - -_Saturday, March_ 20_th._ - -C. said it was a great pity A. did not go out more. He used to go out a -great deal, he said. "I suppose," he added, "it's because he doesn't -wast to meet Mrs Shamier." I said I thought C. had told me he was fond -of her. "Yes," said C, "he was very fond of her, but that is all over -now." - -_Sunday Evening, March_ _21_st. - -I went to St Paul's Cathedral in the morning. Then to luncheon with Lady -Maria in her house in Seymour Place. - -A curious luncheon. There were two actors and their wives, Father Seton, -and Mr Le Roy, who writes detective stories, and his wife, and Sir James -Croker. - -I sat next to Mrs Le Roy, who is, she told me, a Greek. She told me her -husband had written one hundred and ten books, but that she had read -none of them. She said it worried him if she read them. She said it was -a great sacrifice as she doted on detective stories and was told his -were very good. The actors, who were both actor managers, told us about -their forthcoming productions. Mr Vane said there was going to be a real -panther in his next production (a Shakespearean revival). Mr Jones Acre -is producing a play which is translated from the Swedish, and which -deals with the question of a man who has inoculated himself and his -whole family with a fatal disease, in the interests of science. - -Father Seton took a great interest in the stage, and said he considered -the Church and the stage should be close allies. The clergy took far too -little interest in these things. It was a pity, he said, to let the -Romans have the monopoly of that kind of thing. This surprised Mrs Le -Roy, who said she thought he was a Roman Catholic. He laughed and said -Rome would have to capitulate on many points before any idea of -corporate reunion could be entertained. - -Sir James Croker told stories of early days in the Foreign Office and -Lord Palmerston. - -We sat on talking until half-past three. I then went home and read _Jane -Eyre_. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _March_ 25_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I start on Thursday and shall arrive Thursday evening. I have got rooms -at the Ritz. Let us have dinner together Thursday night, and _not_ go to -a play. I shall stay in Paris a week and then go for four days to -Mentone. Then I shall come back to Paris for three days, and then home. -I suppose we shall have to dine at the Embassy one night. George is -going to the country for Easter with his sister. I want a really nice -screen (a small one). You must help me to find one, not too dear. I also -want something for the dining-room, which at present is coo bare. - -I won't write any more now. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, March_ 29_th. Hôtel St Romain, Rue St Roch, Paris_ - -Went to a concert at the _Cirque d'Été_ this afternoon, not a very -interesting programme. A great deal of Wagner, and _L'Après-midi d'un -Faune_. - -Dined by myself at a Duval. Start for Florence to-morrow morning. - -_Tuesday, March_ 30_th. Villa Fersen, Florence_ - -Arrived this morning before luncheon after an exhausting journey -second-class. In the carriage there was a soldier belonging to the -_Garde Républicaine_. He said he was on duty at the Opera and had he -known I was passing through Paris he could have given me a _billet de -faveur_. - -The Housmans' villa is at the top of a hill on the Bellosguardo side. It -is rather a large house, covered with wistaria, with high windows with -iron bars. It has a large empty _salon_ with a piano. A fine room for -sound. The garden is beautiful. - -_Wednesday, March_ 31_st_. - -I walked down into Florence very early in the morning. I reached the -town before anything was open and met a party of men in shorts and -flannels running back to a hotel. They were Eton masters taking -exercise. I didn't go to any picture galleries, but I walked about the -streets and went into the Duomo, an ugly building inside. I got back for -luncheon. - -Housman said that they must leave cards in the afternoon and take a -drive in the Cascine. They went out in a carriage and pair. I went for a -walk to the Boboli Gardens. At dinner Housman said they had met several -friends, and he is giving a dinner-party on Sunday. - -_Thursday, April_ 1_st_. - -The Housmans took me to luncheon with a banker called Baron Strong. What -the explanation of this title is I do not know. They live in the modern -part of the town. He was a genial host, portly, with long white -whiskers. His wife, the Baroness, an Italian, a distinguished lady. -There were present a Marchese whose real name I was told was -Goldschmidt, and his wife, a retired and talkative English diplomatist, -a Russian lady, an Italian, who talked English, French and Russian with -ease, called Scalchi, Professor Johnston-Wright, who is spending his -holiday here, and a Frenchman. When the latter heard Scalchi talk every -language successively he said to him: "Vous êtes une petite tour de -Babel." - -In the afternoon we left cards at several houses and villas and then -went for a drive in the Cascine. Some people called at tea-time, but I -escaped. After dinner Mrs Housman sang some Schumann, _Frühlingsnacht_, -and the _Dichterliebe._ These songs, she said, suit Florence. - -_Friday, April_ 2_nd_. - -I had a talk with the Italian gardener as far as my Italian permitted me -to. I pointed out a plant, a mauve-coloured plant, I don't know its -name, that seemed to grow in great profusion. He said: "Fiorisce come il -pensiere dell' uomo." More calls in the afternoon, and another drive in -the Cascine. - -Housman has bought a large modern statue representing _The Triumph of -Truth,_ a female figure carrying a torch, with a serpent at her feet. -She is triumphing, I suppose, over the snake. - -_Saturday, April_ 3_rd_. - -We went to see the Easter Saturday ceremony at the Duomo, and then to -luncheon at the Villa Michael Angelo. It belongs to a rich American -called Fisk. There were present besides Mr and Mrs Fisk an English -authoress, a picture connoisseur, Scalchi, an American archæologist, an -Italian man of letters, and a Miss Sinclair, also an archæologist. -Housman said afterwards this was the cream of intellectual Florence. - -I sat between two archæologists. I found their conversation difficult to -follow. - -After luncheon we called on the British Consul's wife, whose day it was. -Then after a drive in the Cascine we went home. - -_Easter Sunday, April_ 4_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass early. Went for a walk with Housman. On the -Ponte Vecchio we met Ayton and his sister, Mrs Campion. Mrs Campion, he -said, had insisted on him taking her to Florence. - -Housman asked them to dinner to-night; they accepted. A great many -people came to tea. - -The dinner-party to-night was quite a large one. Baron and Baroness -Strong, Lord Ayton, Mrs Campion, Mr and Mrs Fisk, Scalchi and the -Marchese and his wife, whom we met lately. I sat between Mrs Campion and -Baron Strong. After dinner Mrs Fisk played Chopin with astonishing -facility, but without any expression. - -A. intends to stay here another fortnight. - -Housman said he received a telegram which will necessitate his meeting -his partner at Genoa. His partner is on the way to the Riviera. He may -have to go to Paris too, but he hopes not, and intends to be back in a -few days if possible. - -_Monday, April_ 5_th._ - -Housman left to-day for Genoa. I went with Mrs Housman to San Marco and -the Accademia in the morning. In the afternoon to the Certosa with Mrs -Housman, A. and Mrs Campion. - -_Tuesday, April_ 6_th._ - -Mrs Campion and A. came to luncheon. Mrs Campion, who is an expert -gardener, told me the names of all the flowers in the garden. They have -not remained in my mind. - -_Wednesday, April_ 7_th_. - -We all spent a morning sight-seeing and had luncheon at a restaurant. In -the afternoon we drove to Fiesole. - -_Thursday, April_ 8_th._ - -Housman is not coming back. He is obliged to go to Paris and he will go -straight to London from there. - -We drove to Fiesole in the morning. Had luncheon with some Italian -friends of Mrs Campion, Count and Countess Alberti. Nobody there except -the host and hostess and their three children. A fine villa and no -garden. Countess Alberti said it was no use having a garden if one lived -here in summer, as everything dried up. She is a charming woman, natural -and unpretentious, and talks English like an Englishwoman. - -She asked A if he had met many people, and A. said he was a tourist and -had no time for visits. Countess Alberti said he was quite right and -that she knew nothing in the world more--_seccante_ was the word she -used, than Florentine society. - -She asked us all to come again next week. I am leaving on Sunday, and -A. and Mrs Campion are going to Paris on Monday. Mrs Housman remains -here another week. - -_Friday, April_ 9_th._ - -Mrs Housman had a headache and did not come down. I went to the town and -did some shopping and went over the Bargello. Mrs Housman came down to -dinner and sang afterwards, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. I had never -heard her sing _O Versenk o versenk dein Leid mein Kind, in die See_ -before. - -_Saturday, April_ 10_th._ - -We went to a great many churches in the morning and saw a number of -frescoes. Mrs Housman received a great many invitations, but refused -them all. A. and Mrs Campion and the Albertis came to dinner. Countess -Alberti persuaded Mrs Housman to sing. She sang some English songs: -_Passing By, Lord Randall_, etc., Gounod's _Chanson de Mai_, and some -Lully. Countess Alberti said it was a comfort to hear singing of which -you could hear every word. A. liked _Passing By_ best, and he made her -sing it twice. He asked me who the words were by. The tune is Edward -Purcell's. The words, although generally attributed to Herrick by -musical publishers, are by an anonymous poet, and occur in Thomas Ford's -_Music of Sundry Kinds_, 1607. They are as follows:-- - - There is a ladye sweet and kind, - Was never face so pleas'd my mind, - I did but see her passing by, - And yet I love her till I die. - - Her gestures, motions, and her smile, - Her wit, her voice my heart beguile, - Beguile my heart, I know not why; - And yet I love her till I die. - -There is also a third stanza. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA BEAU SITE, - MENTONE, - _Thursday, April_ 8_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -It is divine here and this villa is a dream. We went to Monte Carlo -yesterday and I won 300 francs and then lost it again. I saw hundreds of -people, _monde_ and _demi-monde_. Among the latter Celia Russell, having -luncheon with rather a gross-looking shiny financier. I asked who he was -and found out that he was Housman of Housman & Smith. Apparently C.R. -has been living with him for some time, ever since, in fact, L. went to -India. But the interesting thing to me is that Housman is the husband of -that beautiful Mrs Housman I told you about. M. knows them and knows all -about them. Mrs Housman was a Canadian, very poor, with no one to look -after her but an old aunt. He married her about ten years ago. Since -then he has become very rich. Carrington-Smith is now his partner. -Housman supplies the brains. They live somewhere in the suburbs and she -never goes anywhere. - -I am not coming back till next Monday. I shall be able to stop two or -three days in Paris, very likely longer. - - Yours, - G. - - HALKIN STREET, - - _Sunday, May_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have had a busy week since I have been back. Monday I dined with -George at his flat. A man's dinner to meet some French politicians who -are over here for a few days. I told you I was determined to make Mrs -Housman's acquaintance, and I have. I had luncheon on Tuesday with Jimmy -Randall, a city friend of mine. You don't know him. He knows the -Housmans intimately. I told him I wanted to know them and he asked me to -meet them last night. - -We dined at the Carlton, Randall, the Housmans and myself. I think she -is even more beautiful than I thought before. I couldn't take my eyes -off her. She was in black, with one row of very good pearls. I never saw -such eyes. Housman is too awful; sleek, fat and common beyond words, but -sharp as a needle. He has an extraordinary laugh, a high, nasal chuckle, -and says, "Ha! ha! ha!" after every sentence. They have asked me to -dinner next Tuesday. I will write to you about it in detail. Mrs H. is -charming. There is nothing American or Colonial about her, but she is -curiously un-English. I can't understand how she can have married him. I -caught sight of her again this morning at the Oratory, where I always go -if I am in London on Sundays, for the music. Randall told me she is -very musical, but I didn't get any speech with her. - -The flat looks quite transformed with all the Paris things. They are the -greatest success. - - Yours, - G. - - _Wednesday, May_ 12_th._ - - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -The dinner-party came off last night. They live in Campden Hill. I was -early and the parlour-maid said Mrs Housman would be down directly, and -I heard Housman shouting upstairs: "Clare, Clare, guests," but he did -not appear himself. I was shown into a large white and heavily gilded -drawing-room, with a candelabra, a Steinway grand, and light blue satin -and ebony furniture, a good many palms, but no flowers. The drawing-room -opened out on to an Oriental back drawing-room with low divans, small -stools inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and a silver lamp (from a mosque) -hanging from the ceiling, heavy curtains too, behind which I suspect -stained-glass windows. Over the chimney-piece an Alma Tadema (a group on -a marble seat against a violet sea). At the other end of the room Walter -Bell's picture. It _was_ the picture I saw before, but more about that -later. On another wall over a sofa a most extraordinary allegorical -picture: a precipice bridged by a large serpent, and walking on the -serpent two small figures, a woman in white draperies and a knight -dressed like Mephistopheles, all these painted in the crudest colours. -The Housmans then appeared, and Housman did the honours of the pictures, -faintly damned the Alma Tadema, and said the Snake Picture was by Mucius -of Munich in what he called _Moderne_ style. He had picked it up for -nothing; some day it would be worth pots of money. Ha! ha! Then the -guests arrived. Sir Herbert Simcox, K.C., Lady Simcox, dressed in amber -velvet and cairngorms; Housman's sister Miss Sarah, black, and very -large, in yellow satin, with enormous emerald ear-rings; -Carrington-Smith, Housman's partner; Mrs Carrington-Smith, naked except -for a kind of orange and red _Reform Kleid_, with a green complexion, -heavily blacked eyebrows, and a _Lalique_ necklace. Then, making a late -entrance, as if on the stage, a Princesse de Carignan, a fine figure, in -rich and tight black satin and a large black ruff, heavily powdered. -Housman whispered to me that she was a legitimate Bourbon. I think he -meant a Legitimist. We went down to dinner into a dark Gothic panelled -dining-room, with a shiny portrait of Mr Housman set in the panelling -over the chimney-piece. - -I sat between Mrs Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith. I talked to Mrs -Housman most of the time. Mrs Carrington-Smith asked me if I liked Henry -James's books. I said I liked the early ones. She said she preferred the -later ones, but she could never feel quite the same about Henry James -again since he had put her into a book. She was, she said, _Kate_ in -_The Wings of the Dove_. After dinner Housman moved up and sat next to -me. He talked about art and _bric-à-brac_. I asked him if I could -possibly have seen Bell's portrait of Mrs Housman in America. He said, -"Certainly." He had bought it cheap and sold it dear, anticipating a -slump in Bell, which was not slow in coming. He had then bought it back -directly Bell died, anticipating a boom, which had also occurred. "It is -now worth double what I gave for it. Ha! ha! ha!" - -Randall said he liked a picture to tell a plain story and he could make -nothing of the Snake Picture upstairs. Housman laughed loudly and said -it was the oldest story in the world: the man, the woman, and the -serpent. Ha! ha! We went upstairs, where there was a crowd. I was seized -upon by the Princesse de Carignan, and she whispered to me confidential -secrets about Europe. She preened herself and displayed the deportment -of a queen in exile. - -Then we had some music. Esther Lake bawled some Rubinstein, and Ronald -Solway played an interminable sonata by Haydn with variations and all -the repeats. Some of the guests went downstairs, but I was wedged in -between the Princesse and a Mrs Baines, a fluffy, sinuous woman, dressed -in a loose Byzantine robe. Her husband, who is an expert in French -furniture, told me she was once mistaken for _Sarah_, and she has -evidently been living up to the reputation for years. He was careful to -add that it was in the days when Sarah was thin--Mrs Baines being a -wisp. - -After the music, which I thought would never stop, we went downstairs -again for a stand-up supper and sweet champagne. I was introduced by -Housman to Ronald Solway. Housman told him I was a musical connoisseur, -so he bored me with technicalities for twenty minutes. I couldn't get -away. He had no mercy on me. Housman has got a box at the Opera. He told -me I must use it whenever I like. How can she have married that man? - - Yours, - G. - -_Wednesday,_ May 19_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your most amusing letter. I have been busy and not had a -moment to write. We have had a good deal of work to do. Last Friday I -had supper at Romano's after the play. Housman was there with Celia -Russell. I spent Saturday to Monday with the Shamiers. Lavroff was -there. Last night I went to the Opera to the Housmans' box. It was -_Bohème_. During the _entr'acte_ who should come into our box but -George. He stayed there the whole time, talking to Mrs H., and came back -during the next _entr'acte_. - -The next day at the office when I was in his room I said something about -the Housmans and began telling him about my dinner. He froze at once and -said Mrs Housman was an extremely nice woman. I said something about -Housman, and George said: "Oh, not at all a bad fellow." So I saw I was -on dangerous ground. Housman has asked me to spend next Sunday at his -country house, a small villa on the Thames near Staines. I am going. - -They are dining with me on Thursday. I asked George, too, and he -accepted joyfully. - - Yours, - G. - - _Monday, May_ 24_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am just back from the country. But first I must tell you about my -dinner. I had asked the Housmans, George, Eileen Hope, and Madame de -Saint Luce who is staying in London for three weeks. Just before dinner -I got a telegram saying that Mrs Housman was laid up and couldn't -possibly come. Housman arrived by himself. George was evidently -frightfully annoyed and hardly spoke. Madame de Saint Luce was amazed -and rather amused by Housman, and after dinner Eileen sang beautifully, -so it went off fairly well except for George. - -Saturday I went down to Staines. Housman had got an elegant villa on the -river. Very ugly, with red tiles, photogravures, and green wooden chairs -and a conservatory, full of calceolaria. But I must say his food is -delicious. George was there, Lady Jarvis, and Miss Sarah. - -After dinner on Saturday there was a slight fracas. George asked Mrs -Housman to sing. She didn't much want to, but finally said she would. -Miss Sarah, who is a brilliant pianist, said she would accompany her -(she evidently hates being accompanied). She sang a song of Schubert's, -_Gute Nacht_. Miss Sarah played it rather fast. Mrs Housman said it -ought to be slower. Miss Sarah said it was meant to be fast, and that -was her conception of the song in any case. - -Mrs Housman said she couldn't sing it like that, and didn't, and then -she said she couldn't sing at all. Afterwards she did sing some English -ballads and accompanied herself. - -She sings most beautifully, her voice is perfectly produced and you hear -every word. There is nothing throaty or operatic about it but her voice -goes straight through one. George was entranced. Sunday afternoon George -and Mrs H. went out on the river and stayed out all the afternoon. I -spent the afternoon with Lady Jarvis, who is most clever and amusing. -She told me all about the Housmans. Mrs H. is not Canadian but Irish. -She was brought up in a convent in French Canada. Directly she came out -of it her marriage with H., who was then in a Canadian firm, was -arranged by her aunt (her aunt was an imbecile and quite penniless). -They lived several years in Canada, California and other parts of -America, and came to England about three years ago. Housman was -unfaithful from the first. Lady Jarvis knew about Celia Russell. I asked -her if Mrs Housman knew. She said she--Lady Jarvis--didn't know, but it -wouldn't make any difference if Mrs H. did or not. She said: "There is -nothing about Albert Housman that Clare doesn't know." Then she said -that unless I was blind I must of course have seen George was madly in -love with her. - -I said I agreed. She said she thought Mrs Housman was madly in love with -him. I said I wasn't sure. Lady Jarvis said she was quite sure. - -They came back very late from the river and Mrs Housman didn't come -down to dinner. She said she had a headache. We had rather a gloomy -dinner although Miss Sarah and Lady Jarvis never stopped talking for a -moment, but George was silent. - -You know he sees nobody now except the Housmans. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 3_rd. Gray's Inn_. - -A. returned to London a day sooner than he was expected. His Secretary, -Tuke, had not returned. He had left his address with me. He spent his -holiday in the Guest House, Fort Augustus Abbey, a Benedictine -monastery. He returned this morning. A. asked me on Saturday where he -was. When I told him, A. showed great surprise. He said: "He has been -with me six years and I never knew he was an R.C. It's extraordinary -when a thing once turns up, you then meet with it every day. I seem -always to be coming across Catholics now." - -_Tuesday, May_ 4_th._ - -Alfred Riley telegraphed to me to know whether I could put him up -to-night. I have answered in the affirmative, but he will be, I fear, -most uncomfortable. - -_Wednesday, May_ 5_th._ - -Riley arrived last night. He has been in Paris for the last three months -working at the _Bibliothèque Nationale_. He told me he had something of -importance to tell me: that he was seriously thinking of becoming a -Roman Catholic. I was greatly surprised. He was the last person I would -expect to do such a thing. I told him I had no prejudice against Roman -Catholics, but it was very difficult for me to believe that a man of his -intellectual attainments could honestly believe the things he would be -expected to believe. Also, if he needed a Church I did not understand -why he could not be satisfied with the Church of England, which was a -historic Church. He said: "Do you remember when we were at Oxford that -we used to say it would be a great sell if we found out when we were -dead that Christianity was true after all? Well, I believe it is true. I -believe, not in spite of my reason, nor against my reason, nor apart -from my reason, but with my reason. Well, if one believes with one's -reason in the Christian revelation, that is to say, if one believes that -God has uttered Himself fully and uniquely through Christ, such a belief -has certain logical consequences." I said nothing, for indeed I did not -know what to say. Riley laughed and said: "Don't be alarmed; don't think -I am going to hand you a tract. For Heaven's sake let me be able to -speak out at least to one person about this." I begged him to go on, and -he said he thought Catholicism was the only logical consequence of a -belief in the Christian revelation. Anglicanism and all forms of -Protestantism seemed to him like the lopped off branches of a living -tree. - -I asked him what there was to prevent him worshipping in Roman Catholic -churches if he felt inclined that way without sacrificing his -intellectual freedom to their tenets. - -He said: "You talk as if it was ritual I cared for and wanted. One can -be glutted with ritual in the Anglican Church if one wants that." - -As for giving up one's freedom, he said I must agree that law, order and -discipline were the indispensable conditions of freedom. He had never -heard Catholics complain of any loss of freedom, indeed Catholic -philosophy, manners, customs, and even speech, seemed to him much freer -than Protestant or Agnostic philosophy, and what it stood for. He asked -me which I thought was freest, a Sunday in Paris or Rome or a Sunday in -Glasgow or London. - -I suggested his waiting a year. He said perhaps he would. - -_Thursday, May_ 6_th._ - -Riley talked of music, Wagner, _Parsifal._ He quoted some Frenchman who -said that _Parsifal_ was "_moins beau que n'importe quelle Messe Basse -dans n'importe quelle Église_." I said that I had never been to a Low -Mass in my life, but that I disliked the music at most High Masses I had -attended. I said I disliked Wagner, especially _Parsifal_. He said he -agreed about Wagner, but I did not understand what the Frenchman had -meant. I confessed I did not. He said: "It is like comparing a -description of something to the reality." I told him that I envied -people who were born Catholics, but I did not think it was a thing you -could become. He said it was not like becoming a Mussulman. He was -simply going back to the older tradition of his country, to what -Melanchthon and Dr Johnson called and what in the Highlands they still -call the Old Religion. I told him that I had once heard a man say, -talking of becoming a Roman Catholic, "if I could tell the first lie, -all the rest would be easy and follow naturally down to scapulars and -Holy Water." - -_Friday, May_ 7_th._ - -Riley left this morning. He has gone back to Paris. He is not going to -take any immediate step. - -_Sunday, May_ 9_th_ - -I went to see Mrs Housman yesterday afternoon. I told her what Riley had -told me. I asked her if she thought people could _become_ Roman -Catholics if they were not born so. She said she wished that she had not -been born a Catholic so as she might have become one. She envied those -who could make the choice. I asked her if she did not consider there was -something unreal about converts. She said she thought English converts -were in a very difficult situation which required the utmost tact. Many -perhaps lacked this tact. She said that in Canada and America, where she -had lived most of her life, the anti-Catholic prejudice as it existed in -England did not exist, at any rate it was not of the same kind. "The -nursery anti-Catholic tradition doesn't exist there." - -She asked me what I had advised Riley to do. I told her I had dissuaded -him from taking such a step and had begged him to wait. She said: "If he -is to become a Catholic there will be a moment when he will not be able -to help it. Faith is a gift. People do not become Catholics under the -influence of people or books, although people and books may sometimes -help or sometimes hinder, but because they are pulled over by an -invisible rope---what we call _Grace_." - -I told her I would find it difficult to believe that a man like Riley -would believe what he would have to believe. She asked me whether I -found it difficult to believe that she accepted the dogmas of the -Church. I said I was convinced she believed what she professed, but that -I thought that born Catholics believed things in a different way than we -did. I did not believe that this could be learnt by converts. - -She said I probably thought that Catholics believed all sorts of things -which they did not believe. Such at least was her experience of English -Protestants, who seemed to imbibe curious traditions in the nursery, on -the subject. - -I asked her if Mr Housman believed in Catholic dogma. She said: "Albert -has been baptized and brought up as a Catholic, but he is an Agnostic. -He is very charitable towards Catholic institutions." - -She asked me more about Riley and whether he had any Catholic friends. I -said: "Not to my knowledge." "Poor man, I am afraid he will be very -lonely," she said. - -She said that she herself knew hardly any Catholics in England, that is -to say she had no real Catholic friends, and that she felt as if she -were living in perpetual exile. - -"You see," she said, "your friend ought to realise that he will have to -face the prejudice and the dislike not only of narrow-minded people but -of very nice intelligent and broad-minded people, who agree with you -about almost everything else. The Church has always been hated from the -beginning, and it always will be hated. In the past it was people like -Marcus Aurelius who carried out the worst persecutions and hated the -Church most bitterly with the very best intentions, and it is in a -different way just the same now." - -I said that to me it was an impossible mental gymnastic to think that -Catholicism was the same thing as early Christianity. - -She said: "Because the tree has grown so big you think it is not the -same plant, but it is. When I go to Mass I feel as if I were looking -through the wrong end of a telescope right back into the catacombs and -farther." - -I told her Riley would take no decisive step. He had promised to wait. -She said there was no harm in that. There were many other things I -wished to ask her, but A. arrived, and after talking on various topics -for a few moments I left. - -_Monday, May_ 10_th._ - -A. told me he had been invited to dinner by Aunt Ruth next Thursday and -that he was going. He asked me whether I was invited. I said I was -invited. - -_Tuesday, May_ 11_th._ - -Cunninghame said he was dining at the Housmans' to-night. - -_Wednesday, May_ 12_th._ - -I asked C. whether he had enjoyed his dinner. He said it was very -pleasant, but that the music was too classical for his taste. A. was not -there. - -_Thursday, May_ 13_th._ - -I dined last night with A. in his flat. Nobody but ourselves. A. played -the pianola after dinner. He said I must come and stay with him in the -country soon. He would try and get the Housmans to come too. - -_Friday, May_ 14_th._ - -A. dined with Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth. So did I. It was a dinner for -the American Ambassador. I sat next to a Miss Audrey Bax, a lady of -decided views and picturesque appearance. She talked about Joan of Arc, -and asked me whether I had read Anatole France's book about her. I said -I had not, but I had read an English translation of Joan of Arc's trial -which I thought one of the most impressive records I had ever read. She -said: "Ah, you like the stained-glass-window point of view about those -sort of people." I was rather nettled and said I preferred facts to -fiction. I thought Joan of Arc as she appeared in her trial was a very -sensible as well as being a very remarkable person. She had not read -this. She said Anatole France told one all one wanted to know from a -rational point of view. It was a comfort to read common-sense about this -sort of hallucinated people. A man who was sitting opposite her joined -eagerly in the conversation, and said that the two people in the whole -of history who had made the finest defence when tried were Mary Queen -of Scots and Joan of Arc. Miss Bax said she supposed he looked upon Mary -Queen of Scots as a martyred saint. The other man, whose name I found -out afterwards was Ashfield, an American who is now at the American -Embassy, said that he regarded Mary Queen of Scots as a woman who was -tried for her life and who had defended herself without lawyers without -making a single mistake under the most difficult circumstances. He said -he had been a lawyer, and spoke from a lawyer's point of view. Miss Bax -went back to Joan of Arc and Anatole France and said his book was as -important a work as Renan's _Vie de Jésus_. Mr Ashfield said he thought -that work no improvement on the Gospel. I said I had not read it. Miss -Bax again said that if we preferred sentimental traditions we were at -liberty to do so. She preferred rational writers untainted by -superstition. Ashfield said he regarded Renan as a sentimental writer. -Miss Bax said: "No doubt you prefer Dean Farrar." Ashfield said he did -not think Renan's book was a more successful attempt to rewrite the -Gospels than Dean Farrar's although it was better written. She said that -proved her point, and as she seemed satisfied, we talked of other -things. But throughout her conversation she struck me for a professed -free-thinker to be singularly dogmatic and sometimes almost fanatical. - -_Saturday, May_ 15_th._ - -Spent the afternoon and evening with Solway at Woking but came back -after dinner. - -_Sunday, May_ 16_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon, but she was not at home. This -is the first time she has not been at home on Sunday afternoons for a -very long time. - -_Monday, May_ 17_th_. - -A. said he was going to the opera to-night. Housman, whom he had seen -yesterday, had told him it would be a very fine performance. - -_Tuesday, May_ 18_th._ - -Went to the opera in the gallery. Some fine singing. Cunninghame had -been in the Housmans' box. - -_Wednesday, May_ 19_th._ - -Was going to dine with the Housmans to-night, but Mrs Housman is unwell. - -_Thursday, May_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis has asked me to stay with her Sunday week. - -_Friday, May_ 21st. - -This morning a man called Barnes came to the office. He is an -acquaintance of Cunninghame's; he is in the F.O. He talked of various -things, and then he asked Cunninghame whether he knew Mrs Housman. He -said she was playing fast and loose with A.'s affections. She was doing -it, of course, to convert him. Catholics didn't mind how immoral they -were in such a cause. He said that she was well known for it. She had -refused to marry Housman till he had been converted. He had been so much -in love with her that he could not refuse. I said that I happened to -know that Housman had been baptized a Catholic when he was born. -Cunninghame bore me out and said it was all nonsense about A. He was -sure Catholicism had nothing to do with it. He knew Mrs Housman quite -well and she had never mentioned it to him. Barnes said we could say -what we liked, but all London was talking of A.'s unfortunate passion -and Mrs H.'s behaviour. - -"One sees them everywhere together," he said. - -C. said: "Where?" - -Barnes said: "Oh, at all the restaurants and at the opera." - -Cunninghame said he had expected Mrs Housman to dinner, but she had been -unable to come. - -_Saturday, May_ 22_nd_. - -Called on Mrs Housman to inquire. They have gone to the country until -Monday. - -_Monday, May_ 24_th._ - -I had luncheon with A. to-day at his flat. He said he had been staying -with the Housmans at their house on the Thames. He said he had put his -foot in it. On Saturday night at dinner they were talking about Ireland, -and he said he had no wish to go to a country full of priests. Mrs -Housman told him, laughing, she was a Catholic. He asked me if I had -known this. I told him I had always known it. He asked me whether she -was very devout. I said I knew she always went to Mass on Sundays, that -she had never mentioned the subject to me except once when I asked her a -question with reference to a friend of mine. He asked me whether Housman -was a Catholic too. I told him what I knew. - -_Tuesday, May_ 25_th._ - -Went to the opera, in the Housmans' box. Housman and Cunninghame were -there. Mrs Housman did not come. A. looked in during the _entr'acte_. - -_Wednesday, May_ 26_th._ - -A. gave a dinner at his Club. All politicians except myself and -Cunninghame. - -_Thursday, May_ 27_th._ - -Tuke asked me to take a ticket for a concert at Hammersmith at which his -sister is performing on the piano. I have done so. - -_Friday, May_ 28_th._ - -Luncheon with A. at his Club. He is staying with Lady Jarvis on -Saturday. The Housmans, he said, will be there. Cunninghame is going -also. A. told me Mrs Housman has not been well lately. I said I thought -she did too much. He asked me in what sort of way. I said she attended -to a great many charities and that as Housman entertained a great deal I -thought it tired her. Mrs Housman had told him I was very musical. He -asked me if I played any instrument. I said none except the penny -whistle. He asked me if I did not think Mrs Housman a very fine singer. -I said I did. He also said that he supposed she knew a lot of priests. I -said I had never met one in her house. - -_Sunday, May_ 30_th. Rosedale, Surrey._ - -I arrived rather late last night. Besides the guests I knew I was to -meet, was a Frenchman, M. Raphael Luc, and a Mrs Vaughan. After dinner -we had some music. M. Luc sang several French songs, by Lully, and -others that I had heard Mrs Housman sing. His singing was greatly -appreciated and applauded, and it is, I confess, as far as it goes, -perfection itself, as regards quality, taste and art, but I could not -help thinking the whole time that it would be impossible for him to -interpret Schubert. - -This morning I sat in the garden and read the newspapers. Mrs Housman -drove to Church which was some distance off. - -Mr Winchester Hill, the novelist, arrived for luncheon and brought with -him Miss Ella Dasent, the actress. At the end of the meal she gave us -some vivid impersonations of contemporary actors and actresses. - -We sat talking for some time in the verandah. Then Lady Jarvis took -Housman to show him the garden, and Cunninghame walked away with Mrs -Vaughan and M. Luc. - -Miss Housman, Mr Hill, Miss Dasent, and myself remained on long chairs -underneath a large tree. Miss Dasent and Mr Hill discussed at great -length a play that he is adapting for her from one of his novels. The -story seemed to me absurd--it was something about an Italian nobleman -strangling his wife's lover with a silk handkerchief. - -Towards five we had tea and after tea Mrs Vaughan took me for a stroll -round the garden. - -I found her a well-read woman who has lived a great deal in Paris and is -familiar with the Bohemian world in more than one continent. - -At dinner I sat between Mrs Housman and Cunninghame. Mrs Housman said -that Luc's singing made one despair, and she felt she could never sing -again after hearing him. I told her I doubted if he could interpret -German music. She was annoyed with me and said I was missing the point, -and that the songs he sang were exquisite. - -We sat in the verandah after dinner, while Luc sang to us from the -drawing-room. He sang Fauré's settings to Verlaine's words. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, May_ 21_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale, where I have been staying with Lady -Jarvis. It is an old Tudor house that was bodily transported from the -west of England. I believe it is quite genuine, but it looks unreal and -the rooms are like show rooms at a second-hand dealer's. The garden is -quite beautiful. We had a most amusing party. Jane Vaughan (looking very -pretty), Raphael Luc, George, the Housmans. Raphael sang both nights -quite divinely after dinner. On Saturday night we all sat in the big -downstairs room, but after he had sung two songs Mrs Housman went out on -the verandah. She is so musical that one could see it was more than she -could bear. I am certain she felt she was going to cry. Sunday morning I -had a long talk with Lady Jarvis. She told me Mrs Housman is a very -strict and devout Catholic. We both agreed that there is no doubt that -George is very much in love with her. She thinks she _is_ in love with -him. I am still not sure Lady Jarvis is right about her. I sat next to -her (Mrs H.) at dinner on Saturday night, and George was on her other -side. She was perfectly natural, but I thought miles _away_. During the -whole time we were there she didn't pay much attention to him and she -didn't avoid him. She went to church by herself on Sunday morning and -stayed in all the afternoon. I think she likes him, but nothing more -than that. - -Godfrey Mellor, the silent Secretary, is devoted to her too. The other -morning at the office a man came to see us and said all sorts of most -absurdly silly things about Mrs H. I could see he was furious. He has -known the Housmans quite a long time. - -More people came down to luncheon on Sunday, but nobody interesting. -George says he will be able to yacht now. I think Mrs H. is delightful. -I like her more and more. I have been to the opera twice, to a good many -dinners, and some balls. There may be a chance of Paris for a few days -later. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 31_st_. - -I travelled back from Rosedale with A. He asked me if I was fond of -yachting. I said I was a moderate sailor. He asked me to go next -Saturday to his house near Littlehampton. His sister is going to be -there, and perhaps the Housmans. Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, June_ 1_st._ - -There is going to be a large concert at the Albert Hall for the -Albemarle Relief Fund. Tuke brought the programme and placed it on my -table this morning. Esther Lake is singing, and the Housmans and A. are -among the patrons. Dined with A. at his Club. He told me he thought Mrs -Housman was far from well. He said what she wants is sea air. - -_Wednesday, June_ 2_nd_. - -Cunninghame told me he had dined at the Housmans' last night. He said -there was no one there but himself and Carrington-Smith. He said Mrs -Housman talks of going away soon. London tires her. Dined at the Club. - -_Thursday, June_ 3_rd_. - -I have just come back from a dinner-party at Aunt Ruth's. A great many -diplomats and politicians. I sat between Thornton-Davis, who is at the -F.O. now, and Mrs Vernon, who is French and a Legitimist and talks of -the Place de la Concorde as the _Place Louis XV_. Aunt Ruth said she -heard A. was doing very well and spoke well in the House. It's a pity, -she said, that he is such a Tory. - -_Friday, June_ 4_th._ - -Went this afternoon to the concert at the Albert Hall for the Relief -Fund in the Housmans' box. Miss Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith were -there, but neither Mrs nor Mr Housman. Miss Housman says that Mrs -Housman has not been well lately. She said she goes out far too much. I -enjoyed nothing in the programme. Dined at the Club. - -_Saturday, June_ 5_th._ - -A. told me he expected me at Littlehampton, but that I would find it -dull, as he had no party. - -_Sunday, June_ 6_th. Littlehampton_. - -A. has a nice and comfortable little house. His yacht, a small cutter -with room for two to sleep on board, is here. He took Mrs Campion and -myself out this morning. There was what is called a nice breeze. I -cannot say I enjoyed it very much. He told me that he had asked the -Housmans, but they could not come, Mrs Housman is going to Cornwall soon -for the rest of the summer. She has not been well, and the doctors told -her she must leave London. A. said he would miss them very much. He -liked them both exceedingly, and he thought Miss Sarah was such a good -sort. A. said the truth was that Mrs H. worked herself to death over -charities and things like that. He was sure the priests were greatly to -blame for this. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, June_ 7_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -There's not the slightest chance of my coming over to Paris now. I am -not going to Ascot at all this year. The Housmans thought of taking a -house for Ascot week, but she has not been well, and they are staying -out of London till they go down to Cornwall. They have taken a house -somewhere near the Lizard, and when she goes she will stay the whole -summer. - -Both George and poor little Mellor are in low spirits. I had a very nice -letter from Mrs H. asking me to go down there in August and to stay as -long as I liked. - -Housman has lent me his box for the whole of Ascot week. There is such a -rush that I haven't time to write properly to you. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Friday, June_ 18_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have spent the most perfect Ascot week in London. I have enjoyed every -moment of it. I went to the opera every night in the Housmans' box, -which besides being fun was most convenient as I was able to ask people -who had done things for me. I dined on Saturday with Jimmy Randall, who -had been at Ascot all the week. He says that Housman has fallen -violently in love with a Mrs Rachel Park. You may possibly have heard of -her. She used to sing at concerts under the name of Rose Sinclair. She -was quite beautiful, with enormous eyes and flaming hair, but quite -brainless and quite unmusical. She married a barrister who is now Park, -K.C. He works like a slave, but she spends money more quickly than he -can make it. This explains the Cornwall arrangement. Jimmy R. says that -H. has violent scenes with Celia R. and that the end of that idyll is -only a question of hours. He says Mrs P. will lead him a dance. She is -mercenary, stupid, common and a real harpy. Poor "Bert," as Jimmy -Randall calls Housman. He is so good-natured. And poor Mrs H.! Mellor -hardly speaks at all now, and George doesn't say much. He goes nowhere, -but talks of yachting on the west coast during the summer. - - Yours, - G. - -_P.S_.--Just got your telegram. I am delighted you are coming to London. -I particularly wanted you to meet Mrs Housman--and "Bert." You must -come. And now I shall just be able to manage this if you will dine with -me on Monday night. She leaves for Cornwall on Tuesday morning. I've -asked George too. He stays in London till Parliament is over, and then -he is going away and I shall be free. How much leave will Jack get? -Three weeks at least, I hope. The Shamiers want you to stay with them -Sunday week, and Lady Jarvis wants you to go down there. If you don't -want to stay there, we might go down for luncheon one day. I shall be in -London till the end of July. Then I am going to Worsel for a fortnight. -The Housmans have asked me to go to Cornwall, and I shall try and fit -that in between Worsel and the Shamiers. They have been lent a lodge in -Scotland and have asked me to go there in September. I have promised to -stay a few days at Edith's as well. - -There is a parcel for me at the Embassy. It is too big for the bag. -Could you bring it with you? - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, June_ 10_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame last night to meet his cousin, Mrs Caryl. She is -the wife of a diplomat who is Second Secretary at Paris. A pleasant -dinner. The Housmans were there, and A. and his sister. - -_Friday, June_ 25_th._. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman to-day. She says the change of air is -doing her good. She hopes I will come to Cornwall some time during my -holiday. - -_Monday, July_ 5_th._ - -Dined with Housman last night. Miss Housman was there, and the -Carrington-Smiths, and a Mrs Park who used to be a professional singer. -She sang after dinner. Miss Housman accompanied her. She sang Tosti's -_Ninon_, some Lassen, some Bemberg, a song by Lord Henry Somerset, and -E. Purcell's _Passing By_. Miss Housman said it was a comfort to -accompany someone who had a sense of time. She has a powerful voice and -has been well trained, but _Passing By_ did not suit her style of -singing, and I regretted that she had attempted that song. She was not -always in tune. - -Housman enjoyed it, and accompanied her himself afterwards in some coon -songs which he played by ear. - -Housman asked me to stay with them for the whole of August. He said he -was very anxious that I should go, as he would not be able to be much in -Cornwall and he was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. He asked -Cunninghame also. I accepted. - -A. spends all his spare time now on his yacht. I am going to stay with -him next Saturday. - -_Monday, July_ 12_th._ - -A. is going to the Cowes Regatta. He asked me to go with him, but I am -leaving on the 1st of August for Cornwall. - -_Sunday, August_ 1_st. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay, Cornwall_. - -I arrived here last night. A pleasant spot near the sea and not far from -a golf links. Mrs Housman and Housman are here alone. Housman is greatly -perturbed because Mrs Carrington-Smith is bringing a divorce suit -against her husband for infidelity. The other person concerned is Miss -Hope, whom I met at dinner one night at Cunninghame's flat. Housman says -that Miss Hope is neurotic and unhinged. Mrs Housman has never met Miss -Hope. - -Housman said he hoped I would be able to stay on here, as he would not -be able to spend much time in Cornwall. Carrington-Smith was so greatly -upset by this wretched business that he could not attend to the affairs -of the firm. He was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. Lady Jarvis had -promised to come later, and Cunninghame also, but he did not know when. -Miss Housman had been obliged to go to Vichy to take the waters. -Housman played golf in the afternoon with a member of the Club. I am not -a golf player, unfortunately. I told him that Cunninghame was an -admirable player. - -_Monday, August_ 2_nd_. - -Housman has been telegraphed for and left this morning. In the afternoon -we went for a long drive and had tea in a farm-house. The climate is -warm and agreeable. - -_Tuesday, August_ 3_rd_. - -Bathed in the sea this morning and went for a long walk in the afternoon -with Mrs H. After dinner she tried some new songs by Tchaikovsky. We did -not care for them much and fell back on Schubert. Schubert is her -favourite composer. She sang the _Gruppe aus Tartarus_. - -_Wednesday, August_ 4_th._ - -We went for an expedition to the Lizard. Mrs Housman told me that when -she was a girl she had much wanted to become a professional singer, and -that she was studying for the Concert Stage when she met Housman. - -_Thursday, August_ 5_th._ - -We sat on the beach all the afternoon. It was extremely hot and -enjoyable. Mrs Housman read _Consuelo_, by George Sand, aloud. She reads -French with great purity of accent. - -Father Stanway, the local priest, came to dinner, a cheerful man with a -venerable appearance. When we were left alone, after dinner, talking of -men in public offices, he said he knew Bowes, in the Foreign Office, who -had spent his Easter holidays here. I asked him whether he thought -converts of that description made satisfactory Catholics. He said he -thought Bowes would be an admirable Catholic. I said I thought it must -be very difficult for a man of his upbringing, as Bowes had been brought -up in a rigid Church of England family, and his father often wrote to -_The Times_, condemning ritualistic practices and innovations. Father -Stanway said it was not so complicated as I thought. There were only -three things indispensable to a man if he wished to become a Catholic: -To believe in God, to follow his conscience, to love his neighbour as -himself. If he did that all the rest was easy. He said he admired Bowes -greatly for taking the step. - -_Friday, August_ 6_th._ - -We went to the Land's End, where there were a great many tourists. Mrs -Housman continues to read out loud _Consuelo_ in the afternoons and -evenings. It is an interesting book, but I prefer _Jane Eyre_. - -_Saturday, August_ 7_th._ - -I received a letter from Riley this morning. He has been in London -nearly a month, and was there a fortnight before I left, but he did not -come to see me for the following reason. He has taken the step and has -been received into the Roman Catholic Church, and he says his first -intention was not to tell anyone of his conversion. He did not come to -see me because he knew he would not be able to help discussing it. He is -no longer making a secret of it now. He found this too difficult. Two or -three days after he had been received he happened to be dining out and -it was a Friday. His hostess said to him, in the course of conversation: -"You are not a Catholic, are you?" He resolved then and there to keep it -secret no longer. - -He tells me in his letter, "Your philosophy of the first lie is quite -right. Only I regard what you call the first lie as the _first Truth_. -Once this is so, all the rest follows." He says that after he left me in -Gray's Inn in May he resolved to put the matter from him for a time and -not to think about it. He went back to Paris and pursued his research. -One morning he woke up and felt he could not delay another moment. He -took the train for London the next day, where he intended to go soon in -any case for his holiday, and the day after his arrival he called at the -Brompton Oratory and asked to see a priest, as he knew no priests. He -sat in a small waiting-room downstairs, and presently an elderly priest, -Father X., arrived and asked him what he could do for him. He told him -he wished for instruction prior to becoming a Catholic. He called the -next day. Father X. told him after they had talked for some time that he -did not think he would need much instruction. But he continued to see -him for the next three weeks. He was then received. He says that what -seemed before a step of great difficulty now appeared quite -extraordinarily simple, and he cannot conceive why he did not take it a -long time ago. - -_Sunday, August_ 8_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass. I sat in the garden; when she returned from -Mass I told her about Riley. She asked me how old he was. I said I -thought he was about thirty-five. I told her he was a brilliant scholar, -and had taken high honours at Oxford. He had a post at the Liverpool -University. She said she had felt certain he would come into the Church. - -Lady Jarvis is coming here next week. - -_Monday, August_ 9_th_. - -We spent the whole day on the beach, reading aloud. Housman has written -to say that Mrs Carrington-Smith will insist on bringing their affairs -into court. Carrington-Smith is much worried. Mrs Housman says that Mrs -Carrington-Smith is an absurd woman. - -_Tuesday, August_ 10_th._ - -We spent the morning at St Ives, shopping. I bought _The Pickwick -Papers_ and an old silver teapot. We sat on the beach in the afternoon, -reading _Consuelo._ After dinner Mrs Housman sang a beautiful -French-Canadian song. - -_Wednesday, August_ 11_th._ - -Just as we were sitting down to luncheon A. walked into the room; he had -sailed here from Cowes in his yacht, which is anchored in the bay. He -could not stay to luncheon as he was lunching at the Golf Club with a -friend. Mrs Housman asked him to dinner. He accepted. He said he had -spent a most enjoyable week at Cowes in his yacht, but had not won any -races. His sister had been with him, only as she is a bad sailor she had -not enjoyed the sailing as much as he would have liked. Cunninghame has -been at Cowes for three days on board a Mr Venderling's steam yacht (an -American). A. says that he intends to spend some time here cruising -about the coast. - -_Thursday, August_ 12_th._ - -Lady Jarvis arrived this morning. She says she thinks that if Mrs -Carrington-Smith goes into court she will get a divorce. She has -substantial evidence. Carrington-Smith is most uneasy. - -A. came to luncheon and proposed that we should all go for a sail in the -afternoon together. Lady Jarvis and I declined, as we are both moderate -sailors. Mrs Housman went with him. They came back at six and she said -she had enjoyed it immensely. - -_Friday, August_ 13_th_. - -Mrs Housman received a telegram from Housman this morning, telling her -she must ask A. to stay here in the house. She had written to tell -him--Housman--A. was here. A. came to luncheon and Mrs Housman invited -him to stay. He said he would be pleased to do so for a few days, but -that he is due in his yacht early next week at Plymouth. Mrs Housman has -received a letter from Cunninghame, asking whether it would be -convenient for him to come next week. She has telegraphed to him that -she would be glad to receive him. - -_Saturday, August_ 14_th._ - -The weather was so beautiful and the sea was so smooth that we were all -persuaded to go on board the yacht, where we had luncheon. We went for -a short sail in the afternoon. Although I did not feel ill I cannot say -I enjoyed it, I prefer the dry land. Lady Jarvis said she enjoyed it -greatly, although she is a bad sailor as a rule. Mrs Housman is an -excellent sailor. - -_Sunday, August_ 15_th._ - -I am finishing _Consuelo_ by myself as we are not able to read aloud any -more. We all went for a drive in two carriages in the afternoon through -disused mines, and had tea in a farm-house. - -A. says he is enjoying his holiday immensely. - -Cunninghame arrives here to-morrow. We had some music in the evening. -A.'s favourite composer is Sullivan, but his favourite song is -Offenbach's _Chanson de Fortunio_, which Mrs Housman sang to-night. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, - CARBIS BAY, CORNWALL, - _Tuesday, August_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I arrived here from Worsel last night, and found Mrs Housman, Lady -Jarvis, George, who sailed here in his yacht from Cowes, and Godfrey -Mellor. It is the most delicious place. A blue sea with pink and purple -streaks in it, and a soft west wind, and wonderful sand beaches, thick -with people. It is the height of the season. The Housmans have got a -comfortable little house near a golf links. Housman has had to go to -London to see his partner, Carrington-Smith, who has been threatened -with divorce by his wife, who accuses him of infidelity with--who do you -think?--Eileen Hope. "Bert" is by way of coming down here on Saturday. -George is radiantly happy. I don't think she's thinking about him. He -wanted us all to go out in his yacht this afternoon, but as it was -blowing half a gale Mrs Housman was the only one who faced the elements. -She is a passionately good sailor and the rougher it is the more she -enjoys it. I played golf with a General York who lives here. Godfrey -Mellor doesn't play, which is tiresome. We are having the greatest fun. -Lady Jarvis is in the most splendid form. She told us some killing -stories about Mrs Carrington-Smith. She says that the whole of last year -she would only eat raw roots and uncooked fruit because she says in a -former existence she was a priestess of I sis, and that was the rule. -Lady Jarvis pointed out to her that she is not a priestess of I sis now, -but she said that if she ate meat it would spoil her chance of serving -Isis again in her next existence. She said, too, that it would displease -the elementals. Mrs Housman seems perfectly happy and cheerful. Mellor -is depressed, but I am terribly sorry for him. I feel he was having -such a divine time here before we all came. - - - GREY FARM, - _Monday, August_ 23_rd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -"Bert" came down on Saturday night, but went away this morning. He is -completely upset about Carrington-Smith, who says his wife is bent on -divorcing him. Now that he is gone one can laugh, but while he was there -we simply didn't dare. Eileen was apparently a most imprudent -correspondent. Housman says she will win her case without any doubt if -she brings it into court. I played golf with him all Sunday. - -We had great fun after dinner last night. Mrs Housman sang songs out of -the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and some Offenbach, too, the _Chanson -de Fortunio,_ too beautifully. George _is_ desperately in love--but I -still don't think _she_ is. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Tuesday, August_ 24_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am going to stay another week as Edith can't have me yet. George was -leaving to-day, as he has got to be at Plymouth for a regatta somewhere, -but he has put off going till to-morrow because of the weather. - -I am enjoying myself immensely. I have got to like Godfrey Mellor very -much. I went for a long walk with him one afternoon. When one gets him -quite alone like that he talks quite a lot and is delightful. - -Mrs Carrington-Smith _is_ going to insist on divorce. - -I am going to the Shamiers' on the 1st of October. I told you they have -been lent a lodge in Scotland on the coast. - - Yours etc., - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, August_ 16_th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay._ - -Cunninghame arrived late in the evening. We talked at dinner a great -deal about the likelihood of the Carrington-Smith divorce. We discussed -divorce in general. Mrs Housman was of course against divorce, but she -said that the rules of the Church were terribly hard on the individual -in many cases. She said: "We are allowed to separate." - -_Tuesday, August_ 17_th._ - -We all went for an expedition to the Land's End. - -_Wednesday, August_ 18_th_. - -We all bathed in the morning. Mrs Carrington-Smith has refused to relent -in spite of Housman's attempts at mediation--apparently she found some -letters addressed by Miss Hope to her husband and Miss Hope was an -imprudent correspondent. Lady Jarvis and I wondered why people kept -letters, especially when they were compromising. Mrs Housman said she -quite understood this. She never could bring herself to burn old -letters, although she never looked at them. - -_Thursday, August_ 19_th._ - -We had luncheon on board the yacht, but after luncheon we left A. on -board and went for a walk on the cliffs. - -_Friday, August_ 20_th._ - -I went for a walk with Cunninghame in the afternoon. He talked a great -deal about A. He said he ought to marry. He said he thought Mrs Housman -was one of the nicest people he had ever met in his life. - -_Saturday, August_ 21_st_. - -Housman arrived in the evening. It poured with rain all day, so we sat -indoors. Lady Jarvis played patience. Mrs Housman played some old songs -she found in the house. There is nothing, I think, more melancholy than -old or, rather, old-fashioned music. - -_Sunday, August_ 22_nd_. - -Housman announced his intention of going to Mass with Mrs Housman this -morning. He said he always did so at the seaside, he thought it right to -support poor Missions. Housman said at luncheon that Father Stanway had -preached an excellent sermon. He had said in his sermon that man was a -ridiculous animal, and that every time we slip on a piece of orange-peel -or sit down on a hat by mistake, we should give thanks for the Grace of -God that is teaching us humility. In the afternoon Cunninghame and -Housman played golf. Housman lost. He says Cunninghame is a very fine -player. - -_Monday, August_ 23_rd_. - -Housman left for London this morning. A. leaves to-morrow for Plymouth, -but the weather is still very unsettled and it has been blowing hard, -and I wonder whether he will be able to start. - -Last night after dinner Mrs Housman suggested reading aloud. A. asked -her to read some stories by an American called O. Henry, whose works -have not been published in England, and whom I had never heard of. A. -has travelled in America. Mrs Housman did so. She said she thought we -would find them difficult to understand as we did not know America. We -did, that is to say, Cunninghame and myself. But A. was greatly amused, -and Lady Jarvis said she thought they were clever. - -_Tuesday, August_ 24_th._ - -It is still blowing hard and A. has put off going to Plymouth -altogether, as he would not get there in time for the regatta. -Cunninghame and A. played golf to-day with a retired Indian General, who -lives in a house about three miles from here. His name is York. They -brought him back to tea, a brisk, direct man. He said something about -his wife and Mrs Housman asked if she might call on her. General York -said they would be delighted. - -More O. Henry was read out in the evening. I prefer Mrs Housman's -readings in French literature. A. enjoyed it immensely. - -_Wednesday, August_ 25_th._ - -Mrs Housman called on Mrs York this afternoon. Mrs York greeted her with -the words: "This is very unusual." Mrs Housman did not understand what -was unusual. Mrs York said she did not recollect having called. She was -the oldest inhabitant and had discovered the place. Mrs Housman -apologised. She has asked the General and Mrs York to luncheon on -Sunday. - -_Thursday, August_ 26_th._ - -Cunninghame played golf with the General. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis in the afternoon. She talked of a great many things; of music -and musical education abroad. She considers Mrs Housman a fine artist. -She talked of A., of his work and mine and my prospects for the future. -I told her I enjoyed routine work and had no ambition to do anything -else. She talked of marriage. She said A. ought certainly to marry soon -as he would be very lonely otherwise. His sister, Mrs Campion, could not -look after him, as she had her own children to look after. Her eldest -daughter would soon be out. She asked me whether I had ever thought of -marrying. She is a most intelligent and agreeable woman. - -_Friday, August_ 27_th._ - -A. was obliged to go to Penzance to-day for the day. We all went for a -walk in the afternoon. It is finer and quite warm, but the sea is still -very rough. Mrs Housman received a letter from Mrs York this morning -saying that she was unable to come to luncheon on Sunday, but that she -had no doubt the General would accept the invitation with pleasure. Mrs -Housman wrote back to say she would be delighted to see the General on -Sunday. - -The O. Henry book is finished. Mrs Housman is now reading us some -stories by another American author, Richard Harding Davis. I wish she -would return to European literature. But A. enjoys these American books. - -_Saturday, August_ 28_th._ - -The wind has gone down and A. went out sailing. Cunninghame played golf. -Mrs Housman spent the day at a convent which is some miles off, and she -did not come down to dinner. - -Lady Jarvis took me into the town in the morning, and in the afternoon -we went for a drive. We had no reading in the evening. - -_Sunday, August_ 29_th._ - -General York did not come to luncheon after all, he wrote a note -excusing himself. Mrs Housman went to Mass in the morning. A. and -Cunninghame played golf. Mrs Housman read out loud a story by Kipling -after dinner. I wonder what an E.P. tent means. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _August_ 30_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -The weather has been too awful, but now, thank heaven, it is fine again. -George was obliged to put off going to Plymouth by sea as it was too -rough. The Shamiers have put me off. They can't have the Lodge that was -going to be lent to them, so they won't go to Scotland at all this year. -This changes all my plans. Mrs Housman asked me to stay on another week -here, and I am going to as there is now no hurry to get to Edith's. I -shall then go back to Worsel for three days if they can have me, and -then stay with Edith for the rest of my holiday. She has got the whole -family there at this moment, so I shall enjoy going there later better. -I shall be back in London the first week in October. - -There is a charming old man here who plays golf with me, General York. -His wife, who was huffy because Mrs Housman "called," paid a call in -state this afternoon. She came in a barouche with an Indian servant on -the box. She is organising a bazaar and asked Lady Jarvis to help at her -stall. She said the bazaar was in the cause of the Church; she did not -ask Mrs Housman. She stayed seven minutes by the clock and refused tea, -which she said she never took as it was trying for the nerves. She was -dressed in black jet, and brought with her a small Pomeranian dog. She -said she and her husband had lived here eight years and that it used to -be a charming place when they discovered it. - -Write to me here and then to Edith's, but not to Worsel as that is -uncertain. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, August_ 30_th_. - -I am glad to say Cunninghame has put off going for a week. Mrs York -called chis afternoon. I was introduced to her, but she addressed no -remark to me. - -_Tuesday, August_ 31_st_. - -A. has gone away for a night as he is staying with someone in the -neighbourhood. Mrs Housman took Cunninghame to the Lizard, which he had -not yet seen. Lady Jarvis and I spent a lazy day in the garden and on -the cliffs. It is extremely hot. - -_Wednesday, September_ 1_st_. - -Cunninghame and A. played golf with General York and suggested his -coming back to tea, but he declined with much embarrassment. Mrs Housman -returned Mrs York's visit, but she was not at home. Mrs Housman sang -after dinner. A. does not care for German music, which limits the -programme; he is fond, however, of old English songs. - -_Thursday, September_ 2_nd_. - -A beautiful day for sailing, so they said. A. took Mrs Housman for a -sail. - -_Friday, September_ 3_rd_. - -I find A.'s spirits a little boisterous at times. He took us out fishing -this afternoon. After dinner he insisted on Mrs Housman playing some -American coon songs. - -_Saturday, September_ 4_th._ - -Housman arrived unexpectedly with Carrington-Smith this afternoon. -Carrington-Smith seems depressed about his coming divorce. Mrs Housman -was out sailing with A. and they did not come back until just before -dinner. Carrington-Smith is a great expert on boxing and gave us a -sparring exhibition after dinner. That is to say, he explained at great -length the nature of a straight left, and upset some of the furniture in -so doing. After dinner Housman, Carrington-Smith, Cunninghame and Lady -Jarvis played Bridge. - -_Sunday, September_ 5_th._ - -Housman played golf and met General York, knowing nothing of what had -occurred, and asked him and Mrs York to luncheon. The General was much -embarrassed and said his wife was an invalid. Housman then asked him to -come by himself. The General stammered and said they were having -luncheon out. But Housman would take no refusal and asked them to -dinner. The General said they didn't dine out on Sundays! His -wife----And then he got dreadfully confused, and Cunninghame came to the -rescue and said Housman had forgotten we were dining on board the yacht, -which we were of course not doing. - -Cunninghame leaves, I regret to say, to-morrow. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Sunday, September_ 5_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I leave to-morrow for Worsel. I am only stopping here a week. Then I go -on to Edith's where I shall stay to the end of the month. Most of the -family have gone. I spent a whole day with Mrs Housman on Tuesday and we -went to the Lizard. This is the first time I have had a real talk alone -with her since I have been here. We were talking about my plans and I -said that I had been going to stay with the Shamiers. She said: "Oh -yes," and paused a moment and then said: "She's a charming woman, isn't -she?" I could see she knew. Later on she talked of George and said how -nice Mrs Campion was and what a good thing it would be if George -married. I said: "Yes, what a good thing. It was the greatest mistake -his not marrying." Upon which she said: "Do you think he will?" And then -in a flash I knew that Lady Jarvis had been quite right and I had been -utterly wrong. What an idiot I have been! It must have been quite -obvious to a baby the whole time! I can't tell you how I mind it. I -think it is the greatest pity and really too awful! What are we to do? -That's just it--one can do nothing: there is nothing to be done, -absolutely nothing. Of course Godfrey Mellor must have seen it clearly -the whole time. I am sure he is miserable. It is all the greatest pity -and how I can have been so blind, I don't know, not that it would have -made any difference if I hadn't been. Housman, of course, sees nothing -and has begged George to stay on. As a matter of fact he (George) is -going away quite soon as he has to sail his yacht back and he is -stopping somewhere on the way. He will be back in London in October. It -is all very depressing and I am quite glad to be going. Lady Jarvis has -said nothing to me but I can see that she sees that I see. Godfrey -Mellor is staying on. Housman leaves to-morrow. Write to me at Edith's. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, September_ 6_th._ - -Housman and Cunninghame both left this morning. A. goes away on -Wednesday. A stormy day--too rough for sailing. Carrington-Smith, who is -remaining on, played golf with A. - -_Tuesday, September_ 7_th._ - -Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis. Carrington-Smith played golf: after dinner he sang _I'll sing -thee songs of Araby,_ Mrs Housman accompanied him: he has a tenor voice. - -_Wednesday, September_ 8_th_. - -A. left in his yacht this morning. Lady Jarvis took Carrington-Smith for -a walk. I went out with Mrs Housman. She suggested finishing _Consuelo_: -I told her I had already finished it. Miss Housman arrives on Saturday. - -_Thursday, September_ 9_th._ - -Mrs Housman received a telegram from Mrs Baines, who is in the -neighbourhood with her husband, proposing themselves. Mrs Housman has -asked them to stay. They will arrive to-morrow. Carrington-Smith sang -Tosti's _Good-bye_ after dinner. - -I went for a walk with Mrs Housman in the afternoon. She said she likes -Cunninghame particularly. She said that A. ought to marry. - -_Friday, September_ 10_th._ - -A rainy day, we remained indoors. Carrington-Smith went for a walk by -himself. Mr and Mrs Baines arrived in the afternoon. After dinner they -played bridge: Lady Jarvis, Carrington-Smith and Mr and Mrs Baines. Mrs -Baines said she greatly admired the works of Mrs Ella Wheeler Wilcox. -"She is," she said, "a true poet, or perhaps I should say a true -poetess." She said theatrical performances affected her so much that she -could seldom "sit out a piece." She had been obliged to take to her bed -after seeing _The Only Way_. Carrington-Smith said he preferred a prize -fight to any play. Mr Baines did not care for the English stage, but he -always went to a French play when there was one to see in London: he had -greatly admired Sarah Bernhardt in old days. His wife, he pensively -reminded us, had once been taken for her. Mrs Baines protested and said -that it was in the days when Sarah Bernhardt was quite thin. "Such a -beautiful voice," she said. "Quite the human violin in those days. Now, -of course, she rants and appears in such dreadful plays--so violent." - -_Saturday, September_ 11_th._ - -Mr and Mrs Baines left this morning. Miss Housman arrived in the -afternoon. Carrington-Smith played golf and I went out with Mrs Housman. -After dinner Miss Housman suggested Bridge, but there were only three -players, as Mrs Housman does not play. Miss Housman said I must play. I -said I did not know the rules. She said she would teach me. I played--I -was her partner. She became excited over what is called the "double -ruff," a point I have not yet grasped. Carrington-Smith, who is an -excellent player, explained me the rules with great patience. - -_Sunday, September_ 12_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon she went for a walk with Miss -Housman. We played Bridge again after dinner. Miss Housman was annoyed -with me as I neglected to finesse. - -_Monday, September_ 13_th._ - -The last week of my holiday. It becomes finer and warmer every day. Miss -Housman said she must see the Land's End. Mrs Housman took her there. I -went for a walk with Lady Jarvis in the evening. More Bridge after -dinner: I revoked, but my partner, Carrington-Smith, was most amiable -about it. - -_Tuesday, September_ 14_th._ - -Miss Housman took Mrs Housman into the town as she said she needed help -with her shopping: she did not make many purchases. As far as I -understood, only two yards of silk. I went out with Carrington-Smith in -the afternoon. Bridge in the evening--I do not yet understand the -"double ruff." - -_Wednesday, September_ 15_th._ - -We all went to the Lizard in two carriages. Miss Housman said she must -see the Lizard. She, Mrs Housman and myself went in one carriage; Lady -Jarvis and Carrington-Smith in the other. Bridge in the evening; Miss -Housman lost, which annoyed her. - -_Thursday, September_ 16_th._ - -A wet day. Miss Housman practised all the morning (Fantasia in C sharp -minor, Chopin); her touch is very metallic. We played Bridge in the -afternoon after tea, as well as after dinner. - -_Friday, September_ 17_th._ - -My last day. It cleared up. We all went out on to the beach. Miss -Housman read aloud a novel, which she had already begun and which we -will certainly not have time to finish, called _Queed_, by an American -author. After dinner we played Bridge. - -_Saturday, September_ 18_th._ - -Arrived at Gray's Inn. Travelled up with Carrington-Smith. - -_Sunday, October_ 3_rd. Gray's Inn_. - -Stayed at home in the morning and read the Sunday newspapers. In the -afternoon I went for a walk in Kensington Gardens. - -_Monday, October_ 4_th._ - -A. and Cunninghame returned to the office. A. told us that his sister, -Mrs Campion, had invited both of us to stay with her next Saturday at -her house in Oxfordshire. We have both accepted. - -_Tuesday, October_ 5_th._ - -Cunninghame asked me to dinner. We dined at his flat and sat up talking -until nearly one o'clock in the morning. I had a letter from Lady Jarvis -telling me she has returned to London and inviting me to visit her in -Mansfield Street whenever I felt inclined. - -_Wednesday, October_ 6_th_. - -Dined with A. at his Club. He told me that Mrs Housman arrives -to-morrow; he met Housman in the street this morning. - -_Thursday, October_ 7_th._ - -I called on Lady Jarvis late this evening and found her at home. She -said Cornwall had had a beneficial effect on Mrs Housman's health. I -stayed talking till nearly seven. - -_Friday, October_ 8_th._ - -Received a note from Mrs Housman asking me to dine there next Tuesday. -Went to a concert with Lady Jarvis at the Queen's Hall: the programme -was uninteresting, but I enjoyed my evening nevertheless. - -_Saturday, October_ 9_th. Wraxted Priory, Oxfordshire_. - -I travelled down with A. and Cunninghame and found a party consisting, -besides ourselves, of Mrs Campion and her three children, Fräulein -Brandes, the governess, Miss Macdonald, Cunninghame's cousin, and a Miss -Wray. I sat next to Mrs Campion at dinner: she said she hoped they would -go to Florence again next Easter. After dinner we played Consequences -and the letter game. - -_Sunday, October_ 10_th._ - -Everyone went to church this morning except Cunninghame and myself. At -luncheon I sat next to Fräulein Brandes. She said Shakespeare was badly -performed in England and that she preferred the German translation of -the plays to the original; she considered it superior. "_Aber das_," she -added, "_will kein Engländer gestehen_." She was shocked to hear I had -never read Shakespeare's plays. I told her I had no taste for verse. She -said this was _unglaublich_. I told her I was fond of German music. In -the afternoon Mrs Campion took me for a walk. Cunninghame went out with -his cousin. At dinner I sat next to Miss Wray. I found her most -agreeable. She has travelled a great deal and seems to have a real -appreciation of classical music. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, October_ 11_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We had a delightful Sunday at Mrs Campion's. A lovely old house not very -far from Oxford: grey stone walls, a hall with the walls left bare and a -few bits of good tapestry and another panelled room. Freda was there, -and Lavinia Wray, who has just come back from South America. She is -looking so well, her lovely skin whiter than ever and those huge -eyes--George liked her enormously. He had never met her before. How -wonderful it would be if that could come off. It would be exactly right. -Of course I am sure Mrs Campion wants it and is not likely to do -anything stupid. I shall get Edith to help later if possible. She is -still in the country now. Mrs Housman has come back to London and I -hear from Randall that Housman is mad about Mrs Park. I shall go and see -her next week. George is in good spirits. When I got back I couldn't -bear the sight of my flat with those glaring curtains and I have -committed the great extravagance of changing them. The new ones are -coming next week. I hope they will be a success as I shan't be able to -change them again. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 11_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, October_ 12_th._ - -Had luncheon with Cunninghame to meet his sister, Mrs Howard. She is -older than he is and less communicative. Her husband is on the Stock -Exchange. She was only in London for the day but she said she hoped I -would come and see her when she settled in London later. She has a house -in Chester Street. - -_Wednesday, October_ 13_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans last night. A. was there, Miss Housman and Mrs -Park. I sat next to Mrs Housman. Mrs Park contradicted A. when he -mentioned music and said something about the gross ignorance of English -amateurs. After dinner she asked Miss Housman to accompany her. She sang -some operatic airs and Gounod's _Ave Maria_. I drove home with A., who -told me he could not bear Mrs Park. - -_Thursday, October_ 14_th._ - -I am just back from dining with Lady Jarvis. A. was there, Miss Wray and -several other people. Lady Jarvis asked me if I had seen the Housmans. I -told her about my dinner there. She said that Mrs Park was an -intolerable woman: she knew her when she was a singer and she said she -had never met anyone who gave herself such airs. Walked home with -Cunninghame, who was dining there too. He is dining with the Housmans on -Sunday. The Carrington-Smith divorce case is in the newspapers. - -_Friday, October_ 15_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -Mrs Carrington-Smith has got her divorce. - -_Saturday, October_ 16_th._ - -Spent the day at Woking with Solway. He has finished his Sonata. - -_Sunday, October_ 17_th._ - -I went to see Mrs Housman this afternoon and found her at home. After I -had been there about five minutes a great many visitors arrived and I -left. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _Sunday, October_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am having a quiet Sunday in London. George is staying with the Prime -Minister. I dined last night with the Housmans. Mrs Park was there, -Randall and Miss Housman. Mrs Park is incredible: a magnificent figure, -hair dyed a rich bronze with flaming high lights, dressed in a flowing -robe of peach-coloured satin with a necklace of fire-opals and a large -diamond lyre on her shoulder; the semi-royal manner of an ex-Prima -Donna, at the same time making it quite clear that she no longer mixed -with the artistic world--she had soared to the top of it and out of it. -She said: "Years ago when I was at Balmoral the dear Queen told me she -reminded me of Grisi." I said: "I suppose you mean you reminded her of -Grisi," and she drew herself up stiffly and said she meant what she -said. She told me that Madame Cosima had implored her to sing at -Bayreuth but of course she couldn't think of doing such a thing. Poor -Theodore (her late husband) hated Wagner. After dinner she sang, Miss -Housman accompanied her, a song out of _Cavalleria._ They had a fierce -argument about the time. Mrs Park said she was playing too fast, which -she was, although I don't believe Mrs Park knew this. Miss Sarah stuck -to her guns and played, if anything, faster. Mrs Park then refused to -sing. Housman asked his wife to accompany her, which Mrs Housman most -good-naturedly said she would be delighted to do. This was more than -Miss Housman could bear--she said Mrs Housman was playing too slow and -Mrs Park agreed. Miss Housman tore Mrs Housman from the piano and sat -there herself, and the song was sung to the end. All seemed to be -peaceable but Miss Housman unfortunately couldn't refrain from saying -that Mascagni's music was rubbish, upon which Mrs Park burst into a -furious passion. Who was Miss Housman to judge? she screamed. Miss -Housman said she had studied music for five years under the best -musicians in the world at Leipzig. Mrs Park said she had sung to Patti, -who had said she was the only English artist worthy of the name of -"artist." Miss Housman, in a sardonic voice, said that Patti was so -kind. Mrs Park said that the arrogance of amateurs knew no bounds. She -had sung before the most critical public in two continents. Miss Housman -said she did not consider the Americans a critical public. Mrs Park then -said she would never sing again in the Housmans' house as long as she -lived, not if everyone went down on their knees to her. Housman became -greatly agitated and fussed about the room, saying: "Never mind, never -mind; we are all very tired to-night, it's the east wind." Mrs Park -said she always sang her best in an east wind. I caught Mrs Housman's -eye and we were seized with a fit of uncontrollable laughter. We laughed -till we shook. Randall caught it too. This made things much worse. Mrs -Park said she was being insulted and swept out of the room, Housman -running after her. He came back alone gibbering with agitation, and Miss -Housman then attacked him and said of course if Albert (rolling the "r" -with a rapid guttural) would invite such awful people, what could one -expect? Then "Bert" got really angry and we all sat in dead silence -while he and Miss Sarah abused each other like pickpockets. Then the -door opened and Mrs Park came back saying she had left her fan behind. -She took no notice of us but disappeared with Housman into the Oriental -lounge, and there we heard spirited skirmishes of talk going on in an -undertone. Miss Housman sat down defiantly at the piano and played, or -rather banged, the _Rapsodie Hongroise._ When this was over they both -came back and Housman suggested, with a nervous chuckle, that we should -all have some lemonade. We jumped at the idea and the evening ended -peaceably enough, but Mrs Park ignored Miss Housman, was icy towards Mrs -Housman, and made all her remarks to me and Randall. I then left the -house. Housman followed me nervously to the door and said that Mrs Park -had the artistic temperament and that I mustn't mind, and that it was -too bad of Sarah to provoke her. - - Yrs. - G. - -_P.S_.--I suppose you read about the Carrington-Smith case in the -newspapers. Mrs Housman and I laughed a good deal about it when "Bert" -wasn't listening, but I am very sorry for Eileen. Aren't you? - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 18_th._ - -A. has been staying with the Prime Minister. He does not appear to have -enjoyed himself very much. He asked me if I had seen the Housmans -lately. - -_Tuesday, October_ 19_th._ - -A. and I dined with Cunninghame. Miss Wray was there, Mrs Howard and -Lady Jarvis. A. said afterwards that Miss Wray was a charming girl--it -was a pity that she did not marry. - -_Wednesday, October_ 20_th_. - -I called on Mrs Housman late, but she was not at home. Housman came out -of the house as I was standing at the door. He asked me to dinner on -Sunday. I accepted. - -_Thursday, October_ 21_st._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Friday, October_ 22_nd_. - -Dined with Mrs Howard. A. was there, Cunninghame, Miss Wray, Miss -Macdonald, and others. Mr Howard is half-Irish and very boisterous. I -sat next to Miss Wray; she said Mrs Campion was the nicest woman she -knew. Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth have come back to London and are -starting their Thursday evenings. They have asked A. and myself to -dinner on Thursday week. - -_Saturday, October_ 23_rd_. - -A. has gone to the country to stay with a General; a military party. - -_Sunday, October_ 24_th._ - -I had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me she did not think Mrs -Housman would stay long in London, as the London winter was bad for her; -she said she thought she would most likely go to Florence. - -I dined with the Housmans. A strange party. Mrs Park was the only -person there I had met before. There was a South African magnate and -his wife, a retired Indian official, and a Mr Perry, an Australian, and -his wife, who were apparently intimate friends of Mrs Park's, at least -she called him Tom. I sat next to Mrs Perry, who told me that Paris had -been a disappointment to her. She told me, also, that the women in -England were, according to Australian standards, dowdy. On the other -side of me was Lady Bowles, the wife of the Indian official. She told me -she was Mrs Park's greatest friend; she said she lived at Cannes and -only spent a few weeks in London every year; they were staying at the -Hyde Park Hotel. She found London dreadfully slow: she was accustomed, -she said, always to smoke between the courses at dinner, and not to do -so was a great deprivation. She also said she was a great gambler and -was used to gambling all night. "Of course I find this exhausting," she -said; "and I always tell Harold I shall take to cocaine some day." -Housman seemed rather embarrassed. Miss Housman was not there. After -dinner Lady Bowles suggested a game of Poker. They all played except Mrs -Housman and they were still playing when I left. - -_Monday, October_ 25_th._ - -I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said A. had come back -from the country in a very bad temper and had said that nothing would -induce him to pay a visit anywhere again. - -_Tuesday, October_ 26_th._ - -Went to a concert at the Queen's Hall. Saw the Housmans in the distance, -and to my astonishment I met A. in the interval. He said he had been -dragged there by his sister. I met them again as we were going out. A. -asked me to dinner on Friday. - -_Wednesday, October_ 27_th._ - -Had luncheon with A. He seems in high spirits. He told me that his -sister had come up from London for the winter--she had taken a house -in Pont Street. He said the Housmans and Cunninghame were dining on -Friday and it would be a Cornwall party. - -_Thursday, October_ 28_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth--a large political dinner; the F.O. largely -represented, as usual. A. was there and sat next to the wife of the -French military attache, and on the other side of Aunt Ruth. I am afraid -he found the dinner tedious, but after dinner he talked to Miss Wray: I -sat next to her at dinner. She asked me if I had known A. long. She said -he was so like his sister. Uncle Arthur has not yet grasped I am working -in a public office. He asked me how I was getting on in the city. - -_Friday, October_ 29_th_. - -Dined with A. at his flat. Mr and Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, Miss Wray, -Cunninghame and Miss Macdonald, Mrs Campion was coming but had been -obliged to go down to the country. Mrs Housman said she was very likely -going abroad for the winter. - -_Saturday, October_ 30_th._ - -A. was engaged to go somewhere in the country but he has put off going. -He left a telegram at the office to his hostess but forgot to fill in -the address. Tuke brought it to me. It was to Mrs Legget, Miss Wray's -aunt. She is not in _Who's Who_, but I rang up Lady Jarvis on the -telephone and she knew. - -_Sunday, October_ 31_st_. - -I went to call on Mrs Housman but she was not at home. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, November_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I spent Sunday in London and had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me -the Housman _ménage_ was all upside down owing to Mrs Park, who refused -to let Housman see any of his old friends, insulted them all, and -quarrelled every day with Miss Housman, and insisted on her friends -being asked nightly to dinner--and what friends! Fast colonials, Lady -Jarvis says, and the dregs of the Riviera! Poor Mrs Housman is utterly -worn out. Mrs Park behaves exactly as if it were her house, orders the -servants about, complains of the food, and is always there! The result -is Mrs Housman has gone to Florence; she was to leave this morning and -she is going to stay there the whole winter. I did not know how George -would take this bit of news, but he knew already and seems, oddly -enough, in good spirits! Edith thinks he is fond of Lavinia Wray and -that he will end by marrying her, but Lady Jarvis does not agree, -although she said that his sister thinks the same thing. They can't -understand his being in such spirits otherwise. Last Friday we all had -dinner at George's flat. After dinner, so Lady Jarvis told me, before we -came out of the dining-room they were playing the game of saying who you -could marry and who you couldn't, and after mentioning a lot of people, -Godfrey Mellor among others, Freda Macdonald said: "George." Lady Jarvis -and Freda said: "Oh yes; we could marry him." Mrs Housman and Lavinia -Wray said: "No--quite impossible." - -Except Lady Jarvis, they are all extraordinarily optimistic about George -and think that there is nothing in the Housman thing and that it will -pass off and he will marry Lavinia. I am sure they are wrong, and I am -more depressed about it than words can say. Lavinia is fond of him, too, -and that is all that has been gained. There are now three miserable -people, instead of two! No letter from you this week, but I hope to get -one to-morrow. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, November_ 1_st. Gray's Inn_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman saying that she was leaving for -Florence this morning, She was sorry not to have seen me yesterday. She -is going to stay in Florence until the end of May. - -_Tuesday, November_ 2_nd_. - -Had dinner with A. alone at his flat. He was in low spirits and said -that he hates official life. - -_Tuesday, December_ 21_st_. - -My Christmas holidays begin to-morrow. I am going to Aunt Ruth's. -Cunninghame is staying with Lady Jarvis. A. said he would most probably -spend Christmas with his sister, but he was not sure. - -_Thursday, December_ 23_rd_. - -Received a telegram from Aunt Ruth saying the party was put off as Uncle -Arthur has got bronchitis. A telegram arrived for A. at the office this -morning. I telephoned to Tuke at his flat to know where to forward it. -Tuke said A.'s address for the next week would be Hotel Grande Bretagne, -Florence. - -_Christmas Day_. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, December_ 28_th_. - -Tuke telephoned to say not to forward any more letters to A. He was on -his way home. - -_Saturday, January_ 8_th_, 1910. - -Received a letter from A. from his sister's house. He is coming up next -week. Riley has written to me from Paris to know whether I could put him -up next month. He is going to spend a month in London. I have told him I -would be glad of his company. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - ROSEDALE, - _Saturday, January_ 1_st_, 1910. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been staying with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. There is a very -small party, only Jane Vaughan and Winchester Hill besides myself. Just -before I came down here Housman asked me to dine with him at the -Carlton. I went and he was alone. After talking nervously on ordinary -topics, he told me he did not know what to do. It gradually came out -that Mrs Park is making his life quite unbearable. She won't let him see -any of his friends; she quarrels with Sarah, and has the most violent -scenes; she makes scenes every day, and not long ago, he said, broke a -fine piece of Venetian glass. He is miserable; he says he can't call his -soul his own. I told Lady Jarvis all about this and she said the only -thing to be done would be for Housman to get Mrs Housman to come back. -She has been away two months, and if she comes back at the end of the -month the worst of the winter will be over. She is very much worried -about Mrs Housman and says this is most unfortunate, as it would be -better really in every way if she were to stay out there. You see Edith -and Mrs Campion and Freda all think that it is only a passing fancy of -George's and that he will get over it and marry Lavinia Wray! Lady -Jarvis says this is wrong; she knows they are wrong. She thinks George -and Mrs Housman are desperately in love with each other and she doesn't -know how it will end. She is so worried that she nearly went out to -Florence last week. She had heard from Mrs Housman quite lately. She -said in her last letter that George had suggested coming out to Florence -for Christmas with Mrs Campion. She had told him that she would most -likely not be in Florence as the Albertis had asked her to spend -Christmas with them at Ravenna; she was not sure, however, whether she -would go or not. Whether George went or not, I don't know. He told me he -was going to spend Christmas with Mrs Campion at the Priory. - -I am going back to London at the end of next week. - - Yrs. - G. - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, January_ 11_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came back to London on Monday. I asked Housman to dinner with me and -told him that he had much better get Mrs Housman back. He said he quite -agreed that it was the only thing to do. Things were now worse than -ever. Mrs Park was impossible. Poor little "Bert"! The worst of it is, -that directly this is over there is quite certain to be someone else and -perhaps someone worse. However, let us hope for the best. George came -to the office yesterday. He said he had been staying with his sister; he -said nothing about Florence. He is in low spirits. - -I shall certainly go abroad at Easter and spend a few days in Paris in -any case. Lady Jarvis is back in London, and the Shamiers. I dined there -last night. Lavroff was there and Louise is just as fond of him as ever. - -Poor Godfrey Mellor is terribly melancholy. He has got a friend staying -with him now and I don't see much of him. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, February_ 15_th_, 1910. - -Alfred Riley arrived last night. He is now professor at Shelborough -University and is editing _Propertius_. He has come to consult some -books at the British Museum. - -_Wednesday, February_ 16_th_. - -Sat up very late last night talking with Riley. He was amused by a -conversation he had overheard at a Club. Two men were talking about -someone who had become a Roman Catholic. Someone he didn't know. One of -them said to the other that it was a very pleasant solution if you could -do it. The other one said: "Certainly; no bother, no responsibility ... -everything settled for you." I said that I did think the Confessional -must be the negation of responsibility. Riley said that by becoming a -Catholic you became responsible for all your actions. He said that -before he was a Catholic he felt no responsibility at all to anything or -anyone, but that the moment you were a Catholic everything you did and -said counted. Every time you went to Confession you acknowledged and -confirmed your assumption of responsibility. I mentioned a common friend -of ours, O'Neil, who had been a Catholic all his life and who, though he -was married, had never ceased to live with a Miss Silvia Thorpe, whom I -had known as an artist. He didn't hide it, neither did she. Riley said -that this proved his point. O'Neil never dreamt of going to Confession; -he knew it would be useless, because he had no intention of giving up -Miss Thorpe, and that being so, he knew he couldn't get Absolution, It -was a sacrifice to him, a very great sacrifice, as he Was a believing -Catholic. "That shows," he went on, "that you don't understand how the -thing works. You and all Protestants think that one can stroll into the -Confessional, wipe the slate clean and go on with what you are doing, -however bad it is, with the implied sanction of the Church. But the fact -remains that practising Catholics who are living in a way which the -Church condemned do not go to Confession. Going to Confession entails -facing responsibility instead of evading it." He said that if what I -thought was true, people like O'Neil would go to Confession. I must face -the fact that he did not go to Confession and was extremely unhappy on -that account. He would like to go to the Sacraments but he had made this -great sacrifice with his eyes open. I said that I had always thought the -Church was lax about such matters. He said individuals might be lax. The -Church was not responsible for the conduct of individuals, but the rule -of the Church was absolutely uncompromising. I said O'Neil might be an -extreme case, but supposing a devout Catholic married woman had a great -man friend, supposing he was very much in love with her, but she was a -virtuous woman, faithful to her husband, she could go on seeing the -other man as much as she liked? Would the Church forbid it? Riley said -the Church would forbid _sin_. Any priest would tell her that if she -thought it might lead to sin, she must cut it out of her life. I said -that was quite clear, but he was not telling me what I wanted to know. -He said: "What is it that you want to know?" I said I must give it up. I -couldn't put it into words. I said Roman Catholics were always so -matter-of-fact. They handed one opinions and ideas like chocolates -wrapped up in silver paper. He said: "You think that, because you would -sooner walk naked in the streets than think things out, or call things -by their names. You like leaving them vague. 'Le vague,' Renan said, -'est pire que le faux.'" - -I said, going back to the question of responsibility, that I had often -heard Catholics themselves complain of the want of responsibility of -Catholics. Riley said that might very well be; they might lack a sense -of responsibility, just as they might lack a sense of charity or -honesty. "You think," he said, "that the Church is perpetually arranging -comfortable compromises. Nothing is further from the truth. Nothing is -harder on the individual than certain of the commandments of the Church -with regard to marriage: for instance, divorce, and the bearing of -children. Some of the Church's views were just as hard on the individual -as it was hard on a man, who is going to catch a train to see his dying -child, to be delayed by a policeman holding up the traffic, but in order -to make traffic possible, you had to have a policeman, and the -individual couldn't complain however much he might suffer. - -"I know a much harder case than O'Neil's," he said: "a colleague of mine -who is married and has been completely neglected by his wife. On the -other hand, he has been looked after devotedly for years by another -woman, who nursed him when he was ill and saved his life. He wants to -become a Catholic, but he knows quite well that the Church will not -receive him unless he were to give up this woman, whom he adores, and go -back to his wife, who is indifferent to him. What you don't understand," -he said, "is that the Church is not an air cushion but a rock." - -He said I accused the Church of being lax, but many people that he knew -found fault with what they called the _hardness_ of the Church. But as a -matter of fact they had generally to admit that as far as the human race -was concerned the Church in such matters of morals was always right. He -cited instances of what the Church was right in condemning. I said that -one did not need to be Roman Catholic to know that immorality was bad -for the State, and that vice was noxious to the individual. The -ordinary laymen reach the same conclusions merely by common-sense. - -Riley said there were only two points of view in the world: the Catholic -point of view or the non-Catholic point of view. All so-called religions -which I could mention, including my layman's common-sense view, were -either lopped-off branches of Catholicism or shadows of it, or a blind -aspiration towards it, or a misguided parallel of it, as of a train that -had gone off the rails, or a travesty of it, sometimes serious, and -sometimes grotesque: a distortion. The other point of view was the -materialist point of view, which he could perfectly well understand -anyone holding. It depends, he said, whether you think human life is -casual or divine. - -I said I could quite well conceive a philosophy which would be neither -materialist nor Catholic. He quoted Dr Johnson about everyone having a -right to his opinion, and martyrdom being the test. Catholicism, he -said, had survived the test; would my philosophy? - -As far as I was concerned I admitted that I held no opinion for which I -was ready to go to the stake, except, possibly, that _Jane Eyre_ was an -interesting book. - -_Monday, February_ 21_st_. - -I heard from Mrs Housman this morning. She returns to-morrow. - -_Saturday, February_ 26_th._ - -Called on Mrs Housman, and found her in. Housman was there also. They -asked me to dinner next Monday. - -_Sunday, February_ 27_th. Rosedale_. - -I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one else. Lady Jarvis said -she was glad Mrs Housman had returned to London. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Tuesday, March_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I dined with the Housmans last night. Only myself, Miss Sarah, Lady -Jarvis, and Godfrey Mellor. Everything as it used to be. -Carrington-Smith came in after dinner. He has not been inside the house -for months. I don't know what Mrs Housman did nor how it was done, but -it _was_ done, and done most successfully and quickly! She only came -back a week ago. "Bert" looks quite different and is perfectly radiant. - -George, I gather, hasn't seen her. They asked him to dinner last night, -but he had an official dinner and couldn't come. He asked me whether I -had seen her. He said he had been there several times, but she had -always been out. He is still most depressed and goes nowhere unless he -is absolutely obliged to. The Housmans have asked me to spend Easter at -their villa. Lady Jarvis is going, and Godfrey; and Housman told me he -was going to ask George. I am going and I shall stop two or three days -in Paris on the way. - -Lavinia Wray has gone to the south of France with her aunt. The Shamiers -are going to Paris next week. They will tell you all the news, not that -there is much. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, February_ 28_th._ - -A. told me he had not been to the country after all on Saturday. - -_Tuesday, March_ 1_st_. - -Dined with the Housmans, a very agreeable dinner. Mrs Housman played and -sang after dinner: Brahms' _Lieder_, and some Grieg. - -_Wednesday, March_ 2_nd_. - -A. asked me to luncheon. He told me he had been so sorry not to be able -to go to the Housmans' last night. He said he had not seen them yet. He -was so busy. He asked me how Mrs Housman was and whether Florence had -done her good. - -_Thursday, March_ 3_rd_. - -I told Riley I had been reading Renan's _Souvenirs d'enfance et de -jeunesse_, and that Renan said in this book that there was nothing in -Catholic dogmas which raised in him a contrary opinion; nothing either -in the political action or in the spirit of the Church, either in the -past or in the present, that led him to doubt; but directly he studied -the "Higher Criticism" and German text-books his faith in the Church -crumbled. I asked Riley what he thought of this. He said people treated -German text-books superstitiously then and they still did so now. If -German text-books dealt with Shakespeare people could see at once that -they were talking nonsense, and that mountains of erudition were being -built on a false base, a base which we knew to be false, because we were -English; but when they dealt with things more remote, like the Gospels, -people swallowed what they said, and accepted any of their theories as -infallible dogma. In twenty years' time, he said, nobody will care two -straws for the "Higher Criticism." - -Riley is going away to-morrow. - -_Friday, March_ 4_th._ - -Mrs Housman has written to ask me to come and see her on Sunday -afternoon if I am in London. - -Dined with Cunninghame at a restaurant and went to the Palace Music Hall -afterwards. - -_Saturday, March_ 5_th._ - -A. is much annoyed at having to stay with the Foreign Secretary. Dined -at the Club. - -_Sunday, March_ 6_th._ - -Spent the afternoon at Mrs Housman's. There was nobody there until -Housman came in late just when I was going. Housman said we must all -meet at Florence. He said he was going to ask A. "But we never see him -now," he added. He asked me what A. was doing. I told him he was staying -with the Foreign Secretary. He said, of course he was right to attend to -his official and especially to his social duties. He said he would ask -him to dinner next week. He asked me to dine on Wednesday. Mrs Housman -asked me to go to a concert with her on Tuesday. - -_Monday, March_ 7_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, March_ 8_th._ - -Went to a concert in Chelsea with Mrs Housman, Housman and Miss Housman. -Solway played, and an excellent violinist, Miss Bowden; Beethoven Sonata -(G Major) and Schubert Quartet (D Minor). We all enjoyed the music and -the playing. During the interval we went to see Solway. Housman asked -him to dinner to-morrow. - -_Wednesday, March_ 9_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans. Lady Jarvis, Mrs Campion, Solway, Cunninghame, -Mrs Baines, and A. and Miss Housman were there. I sat between Lady -Jarvis and Mrs Campion. After dinner Mrs Housman asked Solway to try a -song with her, a new English song by a boy who has just left the -College of Music. She sang this and after that she sang all the -_Winterreise_. Housman asked A. and Mrs Campion to stay with them in -Florence. Mrs Campion cannot get away this Easter. A. accepted the -invitation. - -_Thursday, March_ 10_th._ - -Went after dinner to Aunt Ruth's. Uncle Arthur is quite restored to -health. He asked me whether I had been appointed to Paris, still -thinking that I was in the F.O. There were a great many people there. -Aunt Ruth spoke severely about A. and said she heard he only went out in -the Bohemian world. I said he had stayed with the Foreign Secretary last -week. - -_Friday, March_ 11_th._ - -Dined with Mrs Campion. A. was there and the Albertis, who are over in -England. A. said he was much looking forward to Florence. Easter is -early this year. - -_Saturday, March_ 12_th._ - -A. has gone to Littlehampton. He has asked the Housmans and Cunninghame. -I am going to Woking. - -_Sunday, March_ 13_th._ - -Spent the day with Solway, who played Bach. Returned by the late train -after dinner. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Littlehampton, where I spent Sunday with -George and his sister. The Housmans were asked and Housman went, but Mrs -Housman was not well. I start on Thursday morning and shall be in Paris -Thursday night and stay there till Monday. Let us do something amusing. -I should like to go to the play one night. But you have probably seen -all the best things hundreds of times. I am going on co Florence on -Monday. I don't think George has seen much of Mrs Housman. I dined there -last Wednesday. Mrs Housman sang the whole evening so that he did not -get any talk with her. Godfrey has been much more cheerful lately and -even suggested going to a music-hall one night. Mrs Campion is coming -to Florence too. - -I'm sorry I've been so bad about writing lately. I seem to have had no -time and yet to have done nothing, and there have been a series of -rather tiresome episodes at the office. - -Au revoir till Thursday, - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 14_th_ - -A. came back from the country in a gloomy state of mind. He said it was -a great mistake to go to the country in March and that his party had -been a failure. He said bachelors should not give parties. He asked me -to dine with him, which I did. He says he is leaving on Wednesday but -will stop two nights in Paris. Mrs Campion is travelling with him. - -_Tuesday, March_ 15_th._ - -Mrs Housman rang up on the telephone and told me that a young vocalist -was dining with them to-morrow night. She wanted a few people to hear -her. Would I come? Solway was coming. - -Dined with Cunninghame at his Club. He says he has never seen A. so -depressed. - -_Wednesday, March_ 16_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans. Miss Housman, Solway and Lady Jarvis were -there. The vocalist, a Miss Byfield, did not arrive till after dinner. -Mrs Housman said Miss Byfield was shy and had refused to dine at the -last moment. After dinner she sang some songs from the classical -composers. She was extremely nervous. Mrs Housman and Solway say she has -promise. Housman said to me confidentially that he was sure there was no -money in her. The Housmans leave to-morrow. A. left to-day. - -_Thursday, March_ 17_th._ - -Cunninghame left to-day. I had dinner with Lady Jarvis. She asked me to -travel with her on Saturday. We are both stopping Sunday night in Paris. - -_Friday, March_ 18_th._ - -Lunched and dined at the Club. Packed up my things. Am taking some music -with me. - -_Saturday, March_ 19_th. Paris._ - -Arrived at the Hôtel Saint Romain. Had a pleasant journey with Lady -Jarvis. - -_Sunday, March_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis took me to see a French friend of hers, Madame Sainton. It -was her day. There was a large crowd of men and women in the -drawing-room and the dining-room, where there was tea, Madeira and -excellent sandwiches. The French take just as much trouble about -preparing a good tea as they do to write or to dress well. I was -introduced to a famous composer, who talked to me technically about -boxing. I was obliged to confess that I knew nothing of the art. It was -a pity, I thought, Carrington-Smith was not there. I was also introduced -to a French author, who asked me what was the place of Meredith in -modern literature, what _les jeunes_ thought about him. I was obliged to -confess I had never read one line of Meredith. The French author thought -I despised him. He asked me: "Quest qu'on lit en Angleterre maintenant -avant de se coucher?" I said that I had no idea what _les jeunes_ read -but that I personally, for a bedside book, preferred _Jane Eyre_. - -The French author said "_Tiens_!" He then asked me what I thought of -Bernard Shaw. I had again to confess that I had never seen his plays -acted. I told him that when I had time to spare I went to concerts. He -said: "Ah! la musique," and I felt he was generalising a whole movement -in young England towards music. - -In the evening we went to the Opéra Comique and heard _Carmen_, which I -greatly enjoyed. - -_Monday, March_ 21_st. Florence. Villa Fersen._ - -We arrived at Florence this morning. Cunninghame and A. and Mrs Campion -were in the same train. The Housmans had been there some days already. - -_Tuesday, March_ 22_nd_. - -Cunninghame, Mrs Housman, A. and Mrs Campion went out together. Lady -Jarvis stayed at home. I went later in the morning to the Pitti. In the -afternoon they went to Fiesole. Housman went to call on some friends. -Lady Jarvis and I went for a walk. - -_Wednesday, March_ 23_rd_. - -We were invited to luncheon by a Mr Eugene Lowe, a friend of Lady -Jarvis. He has a flat in the town on the Pitti side of the river. The -Housmans and Cunninghame and myself went. A. and his sister had luncheon -with the Albertis. Mr Lowe's flat had the peculiarity that everything in -it had been ingeniously diverted from its original purpose. The only -other guest besides ourselves was an ex-diplomatist whom I met last -year. - -_Thursday, March_ 24_th._ - -Lady Jarvis has gone to Venice, where she is staying with friends until -next Monday. While we were sight-seeing this morning we met a lady -called Mrs Fairburn, who claimed to be an old friend of Mrs Housman. Mrs -Housman told me she had met her in America soon after she married, but -that she had never known her well. She asked us all to luncheon on -Saturday. Mrs Housman accepted for herself and Housman. Cunninghame and -I also accepted. A. and his sister were engaged. - -In the afternoon Mrs Housman said she was going to hear a Dominican -preach. Cunninghame and I asked if we might accompany her. A. said it -was no use his going as he did not understand Italian. He was most -eloquent. - -_Friday (Good Friday), March_ 25_th._ - -Mrs Housman spent the whole morning in church. I went with Cunninghame -for a long walk. - -_Saturday, March_ 26_th._ - -We had luncheon with Mrs Fairburn, who has a villa on the Fiesole side. -She is a widow and always, she says, lives abroad; so much so, she told -us, that she had difficulty in speaking English correctly. She gave us -no evidence that she spoke any other language with great correctness. -She told me she was overjoyed at meeting Mrs Housman, who was her oldest -friend. Housman asked her to dinner to-morrow night. - -_Sunday (Easter Sunday), March_ 27_th._ - -I went for a walk by myself. When I got back I found various people at -the villa and escaped to my room. Mrs Fairburn came to dinner. When -Housman said he had been suffering from a headache she exclaimed: -"_Poveretto_!" and said she was feeling-rather "_Moche_" herself. -Looking at Mrs Housman, she said to me: "She is _ravissante, che -bellezza! E vero?_" - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA FERSEN, FLORENCE, - _Easter Monday, March_ 28_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We arrived safely and we are a very happy party. Lady Jarvis has gone to -Venice to stay with the Lumleys, but comes back to-morrow. George is, of -course, immensely happy at being here, but it isn't really satisfactory. -We haven't seen many people, though we have been out to luncheon twice: -once with that terrible bore, Eugene Lowe, who lives in a flat which is -the most monstrous ind absurd thing I have ever seen. The walls are hung -with Turkish carpets; the chairs and tables with Church vestments; the -books turn out to be cigarette lamps and cigar cases; the writing-table -is a gutted spinet; and in the middle of the room there is a large -Venetian well, which he uses for cigarette ashes. - -On Saturday we had luncheon with a Mrs Fairburn, who professed to be an -old friend of Mrs Housman's. This turned out to be a gross exaggeration. -She is an affected woman who dresses in what are meant to be -ultra-French clothes, and she speaks broken English on purpose. She -pretends to be silly, but is far from being anything of the kind. I can -see now that she has got her eye on Housman. He was quite charmed by -her. She has arranged an outing next week. I can see that she is going -to stick like a leech, and she will be, unless I am very much mistaken, -much worse than Mrs Park or any of them. - -Godfrey Mellor is, I think, liking it, but he insists on going out by -himself, and every day he goes to some gallery with a Baedeker, all -alone. We always ask him to come with us, but it is no use. He says he -has got things to do in the town and off he goes. - -We go about mostly all together except for Godfrey, who always manages -to elude us. - -I am staying till Monday, then two days at Mentone, and then home (via -Paris, but only for a night). - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday (Easter Monday), March_ 28_th._ - -We all had luncheon with the Albertis. Lady Jarvis returned in the -afternoon from Venice. - -_Tuesday, March_ 29_th._ - -Went to the Uffizzi. Housman said he was going to spend the day in -visits. - -_Wednesday, March_ 30_th._ - -Mrs Fairburn came to luncheon. Housman said when she had gone that she -was a very remarkable woman, so cultivated, so well read and widely -travelled. He said she ought to have held some great position. She -should have been an Empress. - -I went to the Pitti in the morning and to the Boboli Gardens in the -afternoon. - -_Thursday, March_ 31_st_. - -The Albertis came to luncheon. Baroness Strong and Mrs Fisk called in -the afternoon. They both asked us all to entertainments, but Housman -explained that we had guests ourselves every day. He asked them to -dinner on Sunday, but they declined. - -_Friday, April_ 1_st_. - -Housman has bought some miniatures by a young artist recommended by Mrs -Fairburn. I do not think they are well done, but I am no judge. A. and -Mrs Campion left. - -_Saturday, April_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Housman suggested having luncheon in the town and going to Fiesole -afterwards, but Housman explained, with some embarrassment, that he had -promised to go with Mrs Fairburn to see a studio and to have luncheon -with her afterwards. - -I leave for London to-night. I am going straight through. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA BEAU SITE, MENTONE, - _Wednesday, April_ 6_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Just a line to say I shall arrive the day after to-morrow, and I can -only stay one night. Godfrey Mellor left Florence on Saturday, and -George and his sister are on their way back. George was very sad at -going--I think he feels it's the end--Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis are -staying on till next Monday, and I think Housman also. What I fore-saw -has happened more quickly than I expected. Housman is now the devoted -slave of Mrs Fairburn, and she has announced her intention of coming to -London in the summer, so this will make fresh complications. - -I am having great fun here. The Shamiers are here, I am travelling back -with them. I am sorry not to be able to stop more than a night in -Paris, but it really is impossible. - -I can't dine at the Embassy on Friday, I am dining with the Shamiers -that night. But I will come and see you in the morning, and we might do -some shops and have luncheon together. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, April_ 4_th. London_. - -Back at the office. Tuke came this morning and said A. would not come to -the office till to-morrow. Cunninghame does not return until Friday. - -_Tuesday, April_ 5_th._ - -A. came to the office. He says that Housman has returned to London, but -that Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis will not be back before next Tuesday. - -_Thursday, April_ 7_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. I sat next to a Mrs de la Poer. She told me she -knew the Housmans. I said I had been staying with them in Florence. She -said: "I suppose Lord Ayton was there." I said that A. and his sister -always spent Easter in Italy. She said: "And he spends the summer in -Cornwall when Mrs Housman is there. It is extraordinary how far -virtuous Roman Catholics will go." I said Mrs Housman was an old friend -of mine and I preferred not to discuss her. She said: "Ah, you are right -to be loyal to your Chief, but all London knows about it." I changed the -subject. - -_Thursday, April_ 14_th._ - -Mrs Housman has put off coming till next week. Lady Jarvis spoke to me -on the telephone. - -_Wednesday, April_ 20_th._ - -Mrs Housman returned on Monday. She has asked me to dinner on Sunday. - -_Thursday, April_ 28_th._ - -A. dined with Aunt Ruth. I went there after dinner. Uncle Arthur told -us he thought A. would go far, but he thinks he is in the army. A. is -going to the country on Saturday. - -_Friday, April_ 29_th._ - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. The Housmans were there, and Cunninghame. -Cunninghame told me as we walked home that he had seen Housman with a -party of people at the Carlton last night. Mrs Fairburn was among them. -He says it is a great pity A. does not go out more. It annoys people. I -told him A. had dined with Aunt Ruth last night. - -The Housmans are not staying long in London. They have taken the same -house they had last year on the Thames near Staines. Housman can go up -every day to his office as it is so close to London. - -_Saturday, April_ 30_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame. He is staying in London this Sunday. I asked him -if he thought A. was likely to marry. He said: "Not yet." - -_Sunday, May_ 1_st_. - -Dined with the Housmans. Cunninghame was there, Mrs Fairburn and Miss -Housman. After dinner Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing. She said -she remembered her singing in America. Mrs Housman sang a few Scotch -ballads. Then Miss Housman played. The Housmans are letting their London -house for the season. They go down to their house on the Thames at the -end of this week. Housman told me I must come down often. - -Mrs Fairburn was very gushing about Mrs Housman's singing. I do not -think she is very musical. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 2_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have got two pieces of news for you. Ralph Logan proposed to Lavinia -Wray and she has refused him. I don't think you know him; he is in the -army. But he is Sir Walter Logan's heir and will inherit, besides a lot -of London property, a most beautiful old house in Essex, Tudor. Besides -that, he is charming and has been devoted to her for years. This is for -you only, of course. He told me himself. He has just come back from -India, where he has been for five years. The first thing he did was to -fly to Lavinia, who has come back from France and is now in London. He -came to see me yesterday afternoon and told me all about it. I said -something about her perhaps changing her mind if he was persistent. He -said there was no chance of this, he felt sure. Lavinia told him she -would never marry, and she said she was not going out after this year. I -believe she is going to be a nurse. She used to talk of this some time -ago. The second piece of news is that George has been offered to be -Governor of Madras. That is also a secret, of course. I don't know -whether he will accept it or not. Sir Henry, who is George's godfather, -is, George tells me, tremendously keen about his accepting it. - -I don't think he has been seeing much of the Housmans since she has been -back. She only came back last week. I don't think she wants to see him. -I dined there on Sunday. There was no one there except that extremely -tiresome Mrs Fairburn, who now does what she likes with Housman. They -are not going to be in London during the summer at all and are letting -their house. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Shamier has asked me to dinner next Thursday. The invitation -surprised me as I scarcely know her. - -_Tuesday, May_ 3_rd_. - -A. asked me to luncheon to meet Sir Henry St Clair. Sir Henry is an old -man, over seventy, with very strong views and a fiery temper. He is his -godfather. Mrs Campion was there. He lives in Scotland and said he had -not been to London for the last five years. But he said he was enjoying -himself and meant to go to the Derby. He looks surprisingly young for -his age, not more than sixty. - -_Wednesday, May_ 4_th._ - -Went with the Housmans to hear the Gilbert & Sullivan Company at -Hammersmith: _Patience_; we enjoyed it greatly. _Patience_ is a classic. -The performance was adequate. My enjoyment was marred by the comments -of Mrs Fairburn, who went with us. She said she thought it _vieux jeu_, -and preferred Debussy: a foolish comparison. - -_Thursday, May_ 5_th._ - -I dined with the Shamiers. They live in Upper Brook Street. Mrs Vaughan, -whom I had met staying with Lady Jarvis, was there; a young Guardsman -and a Miss Ivy Hollystrop, an American, who, I believe, is a beauty. - -I sat next to Mrs Shamier. She asked me where I had spent Easter. I told -her. She said she did not know the Housmans, but had heard a great deal -about her. Cunninghame had told her that she sang quite divinely. I said -that Mrs Housman had received a very sound musical education. She asked -me what kind of man Housman was. I said he was a very generous man and -did a lot for charities. She asked me if I had known them a long time. I -said yes, a long time. She said she remembered Walter Bell's picture -perfectly and if it was at all like her she must be a very beautiful -woman. I said it was generally considered to be a faithful portrait. She -asked me if the Housmans bad any children. I said no. Mrs Shamier said -she would like to meet Mrs Housman very much, but she understood they -did not go out much. I said they were living in the country. - -_Friday, May_ 6_th._ - -I dined with Lady Jarvis. She was alone. She asked me to spend Sunday -week with her in the country. She told me that Sir Henry St Clair had -gone back to Scotland, much displeased. He has had a difference with A. -He is, she said, a very dictatorial man. - -_Saturday, May_ 7_th._ - -Went down to the Housmans' villa on the Thames. Mrs Fairburn was there, -but no other guests. Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing after -dinner, but she declined. - -_Sunday, May_ 8_th_. - -Mrs Fairburn and Housman went out on the river. I sat with Mrs Housman -in the garden. She read aloud from Chateaubriand's _René_. It sounded, -as she read it, very fine. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -George has refused Madras. Sir Henry, who had heard about the offer from -H., who is an intimate friend of his, came up post haste from Scotland. -He told George he _must_ accept it. George said he would think it over, -and did so for forty-eight hours, then he made up his mind, and he -settled to refuse it. Sir Henry stormed and raved and said it would have -broken George's father's heart if he had been alive, but it was no use. -George was as obstinate as a mule. He said he liked his present work and -he did not want to leave England. Sir Henry went straight back to -Scotland. - -The Housmans have left. I spent Sunday at Rosedale with Lady Jarvis. She -says that Mrs Fairburn is always there and was staying there this -Saturday Quite apart from anything else she is a very tiresome woman. -But she is no fool. In Housman she had found a gold-mine. - -The Shamiers are back. I am dining there next week. George is depressed. -He is fond of old Sir H. and doesn't like having annoyed him. Sir H. -says he will never forgive him. I can't understand why people can't let -other people lead their own lives. - -The _Compagnie de Cristal_ haven't sent my little chandelier. If you are -passing that way could you ask about it? - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 9_th_. - -I was trying to remember the date a French colonel had called at the -office, and I consulted Tuke. He did not remember, but said he would -refer to his diary. I asked him if he kept a diary regularly. He said he -had kept his diary without missing a day for the last five years, but he -always burnt it every New Year's Day. - -_Tuesday, May_ 10_th._ - -A. asked me to dinner. He said he very seldom saw the Housmans now, but -Housman had asked him to stay there on Sunday week. He was going next -Sunday to Rosedale. He told me he had been offered the Governorship of -Madras, and had refused it. He said he could not live in tropical -climates. They made him ill. He said he hated the summer in London. He -would have a lot of tedious dinners. There were several next week he -would be obliged to go to. - -_Wednesday,_ May 11_th._ - -I dined with Cunninghame. He talked of the Madras appointment, and said -it was absurd offering it to A. The tropics made him ill. He was ill -even in Egypt. He said Housman had a small flat in London, where he -stays during the week. - -_Thursday, May_ 12_th._ - -Cunninghame dined at Aunt Ruth's. I went after dinner. So did A. I could -see Aunt Ruth was pleased. Uncle Arthur confused Cunninghame with A. and -congratulated C. on his answers in the House of Lords. - -_Friday, May_ 13_th._ - -Lady Jarvis gave a small musical party, which was what I call a large -musical party. Someone sang Russian songs, and Bernard Sachs played -Mozart on the harpsichord. It would have been very enjoyable had there -not been such a crowd. Housman was there, but not Mrs Housman. - -_Saturday, May_ 14_th. Rosedale_. - -Went down to Staines this afternoon. Mrs Housman, A., Cunninghame, Miss -Macdonald, and Mrs Campion were there. Housman was expected and had told -Mrs Housman he was coming by a later train, but he sent a telegram -saying he had been detained in London. - -_Sunday, May_ 15_th. Rosedale._ - -It poured with rain all day, so we sat indoors. Mrs Housman played and -sang. She drove to church in the morning in a shut fly. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 16_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale, where we had a most amusing Sunday, -rather spoilt by the incessant rain. Of course it cleared up _this_ -morning, and it's now a glorious day. The Housmans were asked and she -came, and he was expected by a later train, but chucked at the last -minute. Nobody was there except Mrs Campion, Freda, and Godfrey. - -We had a lot of music. Mrs Housman never let George have one moment's -conversation with her. He is quite miserable. It is quite clear that she -has cut him out of her life. I think it would have been better if he had -gone to Madras. It's too late now, they've appointed someone else. - -Last Tuesday I went to a huge dinner-party at Lady Arthur Mellor's, -Godfrey's aunt. Sir Arthur is quite gaga and took me for George the -whole evening. I sat between an English blue stocking and the wife of -one of the Russian secretaries. She told me rather pointedly that these -were the kind of people she preferred. "Ici," she said, "on voit de -vrais Anglais, des gens vraiment bien." There was no gainsaying that. - -But of course the chief news, which you probably have heard, is that -Louise Shamier has left her husband, and she is going to marry -Lavroff--that is to say, if she gets a divorce. He apparently refused to -do the necessary in the way of making a divorce possible, so she has -left him and has gone to Italy with Lavroff. Everybody thinks it is the -greatest pity, and I, personally, am miserable about it. The only -comfort is that it might have been George. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 16_th._ - -Caught a bad cold at Rosedale from walking in the wet. - -_Tuesday, May_ 17_th._ - -Cold worse. Saw the doctor, who said I must go to bed and not think of -going to the office. - -_Wednesday, May_ 18_th._ - -Stayed in bed all day and read a book called _Sir Archibald Malmaison_, -by Julian Hawthorne. - -_Thursday, May_ 19_th._ - -Better. Got up. - -_Friday, May_ 20_th._ - -Went to the office. - -_Saturday, May_ 21st. - -Went down to Staines to the Housmans'. Found Lady Jarvis, A. and Mrs -Fairburn. At dinner Mrs Fairburn talked of the Shamier divorce. Mrs -Housman said she admired people who behaved like that, and she thought -it far better than a hidden liaison. Mrs Fairburn agreed, and said there -was nothing she despised so much as dishonesty and concealment. - -_Sunday, May_ 22_nd_. - -It again rained all Sunday, so we were unable to go on the river. It -cleared up in the evening. Housman took Mrs Fairburn out in a punt. - -Housman told us he had taken for the summer the same house they had last -year at Carbis Bay. He invited A. to come there and to stay as long as -he liked. A. said he would be yachting on the west coast this summer and -he would certainly pay them a visit. Housman said Lady Jarvis must come, -and he is going to ask Cunninghame. Mrs Fairburn said it was a pity she -would not be able to come, but she always spent August and September in -France. - -_Monday, May_ 23_rd_. - -I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said that A. does not -seem quite so depressed as usual. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, May_ 24_th._ - -A. is giving a dinner to some French _députés_ at his Club. Cunninghame -and I have both been invited. - -_Wednesday, May_ 25_th._ - -Dined at the Club with Solway. Went to the Opera afterwards, for which -Solway had been given two places. Debussy's _Pelléas et Mélisande_. We -both enjoyed it. - -_Thursday, May_ 26_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. I had a long talk with her after dinner. She asked -after Riley, whom she knows well. "I hear," she said, "he has become a -Roman Catholic; of course he will always have a _parti-pris_ now. I -wonder if he has realised that." Uncle Arthur joined in the conversation -and thought we were talking of someone else, but of whom I have no -idea, as he said it all came from not going to school. Riley has been to -three schools, besides Oxford, Heidelberg and Berlin universities, and -has taken his degree in French law. He, Riley, is staying with me -to-morrow night. - -_Friday, May_ 27_th._ - -I told Riley that I had heard a lady discussing his conversion lately, -and that she had wondered whether he realised that he would have a -_parti-pris_ in future. Riley said: "I rather hope I shall. Do you -really think one becomes a Catholic to drift like a sponge on a sea of -indecision, or to be like an Æolian harp? Don't you yourself think," he -said, "that _parti-pris_ is rather a mild term for such a tremendous -decision, such a _venture_? Would your friend think _parti-pris_ the -right expression to use of a man who nailed his colours to the mast -during a sea-battle? It is a good example of _miosis_." I asked him what -_miosis_ meant. He said that if I wanted another example it would be -miosis to say that the French Revolution put Marie Antoinette to -considerable inconvenience. Besides which, it was putting the cart -before the horse to say you would be likely to have a _parti-pris,_ when -by the act of becoming a Catholic you had proclaimed the greatest of all -possible _parti-pris_. It was like saying to a man who had enlisted in -the Army: "You will probably become very pro-British." "You won't," he -said, "think things out." I said that it was not I who had made the -comment, but my aunt, Lady Mellor. - -_Saturday, May_ 28_th._ - -A. has gone to the country. Dined at the Club. - -_Sunday, May_ 29_th._ - -Had luncheon with Lady Maria. The company consisted of Hollis, the -play-wright, and his wife, Miss Flora Routledge, who, I believe, began -to write novels in the sixties, Sir Hubert Taylor, the Academician, and -his wife, and Sir Horace Main, K.C. I was the only person present not a -celebrity. - -Lady Maria asked me how the Housmans were. She had not seen them for an -age. I said the Housmans were living in the country. - -She said I must bring A. to luncheon one Sunday. "Who would he like to -meet?" she asked; "I am told he only likes musicians, and I am so -unmusical, I know so few. But perhaps he only likes beautiful -musicians." I said I was sure A. would be pleased to meet anyone she -asked. She said: "I'm sure it's no use asking him; he's sure to be away -on Sundays." I said A. usually spent Sunday at Littlehampton. "Or on the -Thames," Lady Maria said. - -She said she hadn't seen the Housmans for a year. She heard Mr Housman -had dropped all his old friends. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, May_ 30_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been terribly bad about writing, and I haven't written to you for -a fortnight. I got your letter last week, and was immensely amused by -all you say. Sunday week I stayed with Edith, a family party, but rather -fun all che same. I went to the opera twice this week and once the week -before. Nothing very exciting. The Housmans haven't got a box this year. -Yesterday I stayed with them at Staines. There was no one else there -except Miss Housman. Thank heaven, no Mrs Fairburn! George, by the way, -hasn't the remotest idea of "Bert's" infidelities. I believe he thinks -him a model husband. He is still in low spirits, but rather better -because he is fearfully busy. He has been going out more lately, which -is a good thing, and he has been entertaining foreigners and official -people, too. People are now saying he is going to marry Lavinia Wray -That story has only just reached the large public. They are a little bit -out of date. As a matter of fact, Lavinia has quite settled to go in for -nursing, but she hasn't broken it yet to her relations. Louise will, I -believe, get her divorce. They have left Italy and gone to Russia, where -Lavroff has got a large property. - -I have got a terribly busy week next week, dinners nearly every night, -besides balls. So don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for some -time. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 30_th._ - -Heard to-day from Gertrude. She and Anstruther arrive next week for -three months' leave from Buenos Aires. They are going to stay at the -Hans Crescent Hotel. Anstruther does not expect to go back to Buenos -Aires. They hope to get Christiania or Belgrade. They ask me to inform -Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur of their arrival, which I must try to -remember to do, as Gertrude is Aunt Ruth's favourite niece. - -_Tuesday, May_ 31_st_. - -A. is not at all well. He says he has got a bad headache, but he has to -go to an official dinner to-night. He is also most annoyed at having -been chosen as a delegate to the Conference that takes place in Canada -in August. This, he says, will prevent his doing any yachting this year -as he will not be back before the end of September. - -_Wednesday, June_ 1_st_. - -Riley came to see me at the office and asked me whether I could put him -up for a few nights. I would with pleasure, but I warned him that I -should be having most of my meals with Solway, who is up in London for a -week. - -_Thursday, June_ 2_nd_. - -Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner and remembered to tell her that -Gertrude was arriving next week. Aunt Ruth was glad to hear the news and -said she hoped Edmund would get promotion this time. He had been passed -over so often. I said I hoped so also, but I suppose I did not display -enough enthusiasm, as Aunt Ruth said I didn't seem to take much interest -in my brother-in-law's career. I assured her I was fond of Gertrude and -had the greatest respect for my brother-in-law. Uncle Arthur said: -"What, Anstruther? The man's a pompous ass." Aunt Ruth was rather -shocked. - -_Friday, July_ 3_rd_. - -Solway has arrived in London. He is staying at St Leonard's Terrace, -Chelsea. He is taking me to a concert to-morrow night. Riley has also -arrived. He said he would prefer not to go to a concert. - -_Saturday, June_ 4_th._ - -The concert last night was a success. Miss Bowden played Bach's -_Chaconne._ Solway was greatly excited and said loudly: "I knew she -could do it; I knew she could do it." - -_Sunday, June_ 5_th_. - -A. hasn't been at all well this week, and he has put off staying with -the Housmans to-day. They asked me, but as Solway and Riley were here I -did not like to go. Cunninghame has asked me to dinner next week to meet -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. I shall have to conceal from Gertrude that I am -going to meet them, as Caryl was promoted over his head and she would -think it disloyal on my part. Solway and Riley had luncheon with me at -the Club. In the afternoon I went to hear Miss Bowden play at a Mrs -Griffith's house, where Solway is staying. We could not persuade Riley -to come. I had supper there with Solway. Riley went to more literary -circles and had supper with Professor Langdon, the Shakespearean -critic. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, June_ 6_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Please write down in your engagement book that you are dining with me on -Thursday as well as on Monday. I have asked Godfrey Mellor to meet you -on Thursday. George is laid up with appendicitis, and I am afraid he is -_very_ bad indeed. The doctors are going to decide to-day whether they -are to operate immediately or not. He is at a nursing home in Welbeck -Street. His sister is looking after him. He was going to Canada in -August. I don't suppose he will be able to now. - -I am looking forward to seeing you quite tremendously. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, June_ 6_th._ - -A. has got appendicitis and has been taken to a nursing home. I have -just heard he is to have an operation to-morrow morning. - -_Tuesday, June_ 7_th._ - -A.'s operation was successfully performed, but he is still very ill. -Cunninghame has been to Welbeck Street this morning and saw his sister. -She is most anxious. He was, of course, not allowed to see A. - -_Wednesday, June_ 8_th._ - -I sat up late last night talking to Riley. - -_Thursday, June_ 9_th._ - -Cunninghame went to Welbeck Street and saw the doctor. He says there is -every chance of his recovery. Apparently the danger was in having to do -the operation at once, while there was still inflammation. It was not -exactly appendicitis, but Cunninghame's report was too technical for my -comprehension. - -I dined with Cunninghame to-day to meet Mrs Caryl. I had not met her -husband before. He is, I thought, slightly stiff. Lady Jarvis was there -also. She was much disturbed about A.'s illness. - -_Friday, June_ 10_th_. - -Gertrude and Edmund Anstruther arrived yesterday. I dined with them -to-night. Edmund said the way diplomats were treated was a scandal. The -hard-working members of the profession were always passed over. The best -posts were given to men outside the profession. No conscientious man -could expect to get on in such a profession. If he was passed over this -time he would not stand it any longer, but he would leave the Service -altogether. The Foreign Office, he said, was so weak. They never backed -up a subordinate who took a strong line. They always climbed down. I -wondered what Edmund had been taking a strong line about in Buenos -Aires. Gertrude agreed. She said they had been there for three years -without leave, and if they did not get a good post she would advise -Edmund to retire and get something in the City. There were plenty of -firms in the city who would jump at getting Edmund. She mentioned the -Housmans and said she knew they were friends of mine, and didn't want to -say anything against them, but she had met many people in Buenos Aires -who knew Mrs Housman intimately, and said she was rather a dangerous -woman. I asked in what way she was dangerous. Gertrude said: "Perhaps -you do not know she is a Roman Catholic." I said I had known this for -years, but she never talked of it. "That's just what I mean," said -Gertrude; "they are far too subtle, and I am afraid too underhand to -talk of it openly. They lead you on." I asked Gertrude if she thought -Mrs Housman wished to convert me. She said most certainly. Her friends -in Buenos Aires had told her she had made many converts. It was the only -thing she cared for, and even if she didn't, Roman Catholics were -obliged to do so. It was only natural, if they thought we all went to -hell if we were not converted. - -I said I was not sure Roman Catholics did believe that. Gertrude and -Edmund said I was wrong. I could ask anyone. Gertrude repeated she had -no wish to say anything against Mrs Housman, and she was convinced she -was a good woman according to her lights. - -Edmund said there had been many conversions in the Diplomatic Service. -He was convinced this was part of a general conspiracy. If you wanted to -get on in the Diplomatic Service you had better be a Roman Catholic. Of -course those who did not choose to sacrifice their conscience, their -independence, their traditions, and were loyal to the Church and the -State, suffered. I said I didn't quite see where loyalty to the State -came in. Edmund said: "How could you be loyal to the State when you were -under the authority of an Italian Bishop?" I must know that the Italian -Cardinals were always in the majority. I said that, considering the -number of Catholics in England, compared with the number of Catholics in -other countries, I should be surprised to see a majority of English -Cardinals at the Vatican. I said Edmund wanted England to be a -Protestant country, and at the same time to have the lion's share in -Catholic affairs. Edmund said that was not at all what he meant. What he -meant was that an Englishman should be loyal to his Church, which was an -integral part of the State. - -I said there were many Englishmen who would prefer the State to have -nothing to do with the Church. Edmund said there were many Englishmen -who did not deserve the name of Englishmen. For instance, Caryl, who was -now Second Secretary at Paris, had been promoted over his head three -years ago. What was the reason? Mrs Caryl was a Roman Catholic and Caryl -had been converted soon after his marriage. I foolishly said that the -Caryls were now in London, and when Edmund asked me how I knew this I -said that Aunt Ruth had told me. - -This raised a storm, as it appears that Aunt Ruth does know the Caryls -and asks them to dinner when they are in London. Edmund said he would -talk to Aunt Ruth about them seriously. I asked him as a favour to do no -such thing. And Gertrude told him not to be foolish, and added -magnanimously that Mrs Caryl was a nice woman, if a little fast. - -For a man who has lived all his life abroad Edmund Anstruther is -singularly deeply imbued with British prejudice. - -They are staying in London until the middle of July. Then they are going -on a round of visits. Edmund is confident that he will get Christiania. -I feel that it is more than doubtful. - -Riley went back to Shelborough to-day. - -_Saturday, June_ 11_th._ - -Received a telegram from Housman, asking me to go to Staines. I went -down by the afternoon train, and found Lady Jarvis, Miss Housman and -Carrington-Smith. Housman was anxious for news of A. I told him I -believed he was now out of danger, but that it would be a long time -before he was quite well again. Housman said he must certainly come to -Cornwall. I said he had intended to go to Canada for a Conference, but -would be unable to do so now. Housman said that was providential. - -_Sunday, June_ 12_th._ - -A fine day, but the river was crowded and hardly enjoyable. I sat with -Mrs Housman in the garden in the evening. The others went on the river -again. Mrs Housman asked me if I had seen A. I said he was not allowed -to see anyone. - -_Monday, June_ 13_th._ - -A. is getting on as well as can be expected. There appears to be no -doubt of his recovery. Cunninghame is going to see him to-day. - -_Tuesday, June_ 12_th._ - -Cunninghame says that A. wants to see me. I am to go there to-morrow. - -Dined with Hope, who was at Oxford with me. He is just back from Russia, -where he has been to make arrangements for producing some play in -London. He thinks of nothing now but the stage, and a play of his is -going to be produced at the Court Theatre. I promised to go and see it. -He spoke of Riley, and I told him he had become a Roman Catholic. Hope -said he regarded that as sinning against the light. He said no one _at -this time of day_ could believe such things. - -_Wednesday, June_ 15_th_. - -I went to see A. at Welbeck Street. He has been very ill and looks white -and thin. His sister was there, but I had some conversation with him -alone. I told him all the news I could think of, which was not much. He -said he liked seeing people, but was not allowed more than one visitor a -day. He had got a very good nurse. Housman had sent him grapes and -magnificent fruit every day. He said he would like to see Mrs Housman, -but supposed that was impossible, as she never came to London now. He -said Cunninghame had been very good to him, and had put off going to -Ascot to look after him. - -I wrote to Mrs Housman this evening and gave her A.'s message. - -_Thursday, June_ 16_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. Gertrude and Edmund were there. Edmund said to -Aunt Ruth that he had heard the Caryls were in London. Aunt Ruth said -she had no idea of this, and she would ask them to dinner next Thursday. -Aunt Ruth asked a good many diplomats to meet Edmund, and they had a -long talk after dinner about their posts. They called Edmund their -"_Cher collègue_." Edmund enjoyed himself immensely. Uncle Arthur cannot -bear him, nor, indeed, any diplomats, and it is, I think, the chief -cross of his life that Aunt Ruth asks so many of them to dinner. - -Aunt Ruth asked after A. and said that she had been to inquire. - -_Friday, June_ 17_th_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman, saying she was coming up to London -to-morrow, and was going to stay with Lady Jarvis till Monday. She would -go and see A. on Sunday afternoon if convenient. She asked me to ring up -the nurse and find out. I did so and arranged for her to call at four -o'clock. - -_Saturday, June_ 18_th._ - -I dined with Lady Jarvis. There was no one there but Mrs Housman and -myself. Cunninghame is staying somewhere with friends of the Caryls. - -_Sunday, June_ 19_th_. - -I had luncheon with Aunt Ruth. Edmund and Gertrude were there, but no -one else. Edmund has been appointed to Berne. It is not what he had -hoped, but better than any of us expected. He said Berne might become a -most important post in the event of a European war. - -_Monday, June_ 20_th._ - -Dined with the Caryls at the Ritz. Cunninghame was there and Miss -Hollystrop. Mrs Vaughan asked me whether it was true that A. had become -a Roman Catholic. She had heard Mrs Housman had converted him. -Cunninghame deftly turned the conversation on account of Mrs Caryl. - -We all went to the opera--_Faust_. - -_Tuesday, June_ 21_st_. - -I went to see A. He told me Mrs Housman had been to see him. He is still -in bed, but looks better. - -_Wednesday, June_ 22_nd_. - -Barnes of the F.O. came to the office this morning. He asked after A. -He said he had heard that the real cause of his illness was his passion -for Mrs Housman, who would have nothing to do with him unless he was -converted. Cunninghame said he wondered he could talk such nonsense. - -_Thursday, June_ 23_rd_. - -Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. The Caryls were there, and Gertrude -and Edmund came after dinner. Heated arguments were going on about the -situation in Russia, Edmund taking the ultra-conservative point of view, -much to the annoyance of Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur, who felt even more -strongly on the matter because he thought they were discussing the -French Revolution. - -_Friday, June_ 24_th_. - -Dined with Lady Jarvis; she was alone. She said Mrs Housman was coming -up again to-morrow. The fact is, she says, Staines is intolerable now on -Sundays. Mrs Fairburn comes down almost every Sunday. She overwhelms -Mrs Housman with her gush and her pretended silliness. Housman thinks -her the most wonderful woman he has ever met. - -_Saturday, June_ 25_th._ - -Went down to S---- to stay with Riley. Riley lives in a small villa -surrounded with laurels. A local magnate came to dinner, who is -suspected of being about to present some expensive masterpieces to the -public gallery. - -_Sunday, June_ 26_th_. - -Riley went to Mass in the morning. I sat in his smoking-room, which is a -litter of books and papers and exceedingly untidy. A geologist came to -luncheon, Professor Langer, a naturalised German. When we were walking -in the garden afterwards, he said he could not understand how Riley -reconciled his creed with plain facts of geology. But Riley's case -surprised him less than that of another of his colleagues, who was a -great authority on geology, and nevertheless a devout Catholic, and not -only never missed Mass on Sundays, but had told him, Langer, that he -fully subscribed to every point of the Catholic Faith. It was true he -was an Irishman, but politically he was not at all fanatical, and not -even a Home-Ruler. - -In the afternoon we had tea with the magnate, whose house is full of -Academy pictures. I now understand what happens to that great quantity -of pictures we see once at the Academy and then never again. An art -critic was invited to tea also. He had, I believe, been invited here to -persuade the magnate in question to present some very modern piece of -art to the city. He seemed disappointed when he saw the pictures on the -walls, and when the magnate asked his opinion of a composition called _A -Love Letter_, he said he did not think the picture a very good one. The -magnate said he regretted not having bought _Home Thoughts_, by the -same painter, which was undoubtedly superior. - -We dined alone, and I told Riley what Professor Langer had said. He -said: "Most Protestants, whether they have any religion or not, -attribute Protestant notions to the Catholic Church. What these people -say shows to what extent the conception of Rome has been distorted by -their being saturated with Protestant ideas. Mallock says somewhere that -the Anglicans talk of the Catholic Church as if she were a _lapsed -Protestant sect_, and they attack her for being false to what she has -never professed. He says they don't see the real difference between the -two Churches, which is not in this or that dogma, but in the authority -on which all dogma rests. The Professors you quote take for granted that -Catholics base their religion, as Protestants do, on the Bible _solely_, -and judged from that point of view she seems to them superstitious and -dishonest. But Catholics believe that Christ guaranteed infallibility -to the Church _in perpetuum: perpetual_ infallibility. Catholics -discover this not _at first_ from the Church as doctrine, but from -records as trustworthy human documents, and they believe that the Church -being perpetually infallible can only interpret the Bible in the right -way. They believe she is guided in the interpretation of the Bible by -the same Spirit which inspired the Bible. She teaches us _more_ about -the Bible. She says _this_ is what the Bible teaches." - -He said: "Mallock makes a further point. It is not only Protestant -divines who talk like that. It is your advanced thinkers, men like -Langer and his colleagues. They utterly disbelieve in the Protestant -religion; they trust the Protestants in nothing else, but at the same -time they take their word for it, without further inquiry, that -Protestantism is more reasonable than Catholicism. If they have -destroyed Protestantism they conclude they must have destroyed -Catholicism _a fortiori_. With regard to Langer's geological friend, it -doesn't make a pin's difference to a Catholic whether evolution or -natural selection is true or false. Neither of these theories pretends -to explain the origin of life. Catholics believe the origin of life is -God." He had heard a priest say, not long ago: "A Catholic can believe -in evolution, and in evolution before evolution, and in evolution before -that, if he likes, but what he must believe is that God made the world -and in it _mind,_ and that at some definite moment the mind of man -rebelled against God." - -_Monday, June_ 27_th_. - -A. telephoned for me. I saw him this afternoon. His room was full of -flowers. He will not be allowed to get up till the end of the week. As -soon as he is allowed to go out the doctor says he ought to go away and -get some sea air. There is no question of his going to Canada. The -Housmans have asked him to go to Cornwall and he is going there as soon -as he can. He asked me when I was going. I said at the end of the month, -if that would be convenient to him. - -_Tuesday, June_ 28_th._ - -Finished Renan's _Souvenirs d'Enfance et de Jeunesse_. He says: "Je -regrettais par moments de n'être pas protestant, afin de pouvoir être -philosophe sans cesser d'être Chrétien. Puis je reconnaissais qu'il n'y -a que les Catholiques qui soient conséquents." Riley's argument. Dined -at the Club. - -_Wednesday, June_ 29_th._ - -Dined with Hope at a restaurant in Soho. Quite a large gathering, with -no one I knew. We had dinner in a private room. Two journalists--Hoxton, -who writes in one of the Liberal newspapers, and Brice, who edits a -weekly newspaper--had a heated argument about religion. Brice is and -has always been an R.C. Hoxton's views seemed to me violent but -undefined. He said, as far as I understood, that the Eastern Church was -far nearer to early Christian tradition than the Western Church, and -that by not defining things too narrowly and by not having an infallible -Pope the Greeks had an inexpressible advantage over the Romans. Upon -which someone else who was there said that the Greeks believed in the -infallibility of the First Seven Councils; they believed their decisions -to be as infallible as any papal utterance, and that dogma had been -defined once and for all by the Councils. Brice said this was quite -true, and while the Greeks had shut the door, the Catholic Church had -left the door open. Besides which, he argued, what was the result of the -action of the Greeks? Look at the Russian Church. As soon as it was -separated it gave birth to another schism and that schism resulted in -the rise of about a hundred religions, one of which had for one of its -tenets that children should be strangled at their birth so as to -inherit the Kingdom of Heaven without delay. That, said Brice, is the -result of schism. - -The other man said that there was no religion so completely under the -control of the Government as the Russian. The Church was ultimately in -the hands of gendarmes. Hoxton said that in spite of schisms, and in -spite of anything the Government might do, the Eastern Church retained -the early traditions of Christianity. Therefore, if an Englishman wanted -to become a Catholic, it was absurd for him to become a Roman Catholic. -He should first think of joining the Eastern Church and becoming a Greek -Catholic. The other man, whose name I didn't catch, asked why, in that -case, did Russian philosophers become Catholics and why did Solovieff, -the Russian philosopher, talk of the pearl Christianity having -unfortunately reached Russia smothered under the dust of Byzantium? - -Brice said the Greek Church was schismatic and the Anglican Church was -heretical and that was the end of the matter. Hoxton said: "My -philosophy is quite as good as yours." Brice said it was a pity he could -neither define nor explain his philosophy. Hope, who was bored by the -whole argument, turned the conversation on to the Russian stage. - -_Thursday, June_ 30_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. After dinner I sat next to a Russian diplomatist -who knew Riley. He said he was glad he had become a Catholic--he himself -was Orthodox. He evidently admired the Catholic religion. He said, among -other things, how absurd it was to think that such floods of ink had -been used to prove the Gospel of St John had not been written by St -John. He said, even if it wasn't, the Church has said it was written by -St John for over a thousand years. She has made it her own. He himself -saw no reason to think it was not written by St John. Uncle Arthur, who -caught the tail end of this conversation, said the authorship of _John -Peel_ was a subject of much dispute. Gertrude wasn't there; they have -gone to the country. - -_Friday, July_ 1_st_. - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. Cunninghame was there and a large gathering of -people. More people came after dinner and there was music, but such a -crowd that I could not get near enough to listen so I gave it up and -stayed in another room. Lady Jarvis told me Mrs Housman is going down to -Cornwall next Monday. - -_Saturday, July_ 30_th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay._ - -Arrived this evening after a hot and disagreeable journey. The Housmans -are here alone. Housman goes back to London on Tuesday. A. is coming -down here as soon as he is fit to travel. He is still very weak. - -_Sunday, July_ 31_st_. - -The Housmans went to Mass. Father Stanway came to luncheon. He said he -had been giving instruction to an Indian boy who is being brought up as -an R.C. I asked him if it was difficult for an Indian to understand -Christian dogma. Father Stanway said that the child had amazed him. He -had been telling him about the Trinity and the Indian had said to him: -"I see--ice, snow, rain--all water." - -_Monday, August_ 1_st_. - -Housman played golf. Mrs Housman took me to the cliffs and began reading -out _Les Misérables_, which I have never read. - -_Tuesday, August_ 2_nd_. - -Housman left early this morning. We sat on the beach and read _Les -Misérables_. - -_Wednesday, August_ 3_rd_. - -Lady Jarvis arrives to-morrow. We continued _Les Misérables_ in the -afternoon and after dinner. Mrs Housman said that some conversations and -the reading of certain passages in books were like _events_. Once or -twice in her life she had come across sentences in a book which, -although they had nothing extraordinary about them and expressed things -anyone might have thought or said, were like a revelation, or a -solution, and seemed to be written in letters of flame and had a -permanent effect on her whole life; one such sentence was the following -from _Les Misérables_: "Ne craignons jamais les voleurs ni les -meurtriers. Ce sont là les dangers du dehors, les petits dangers. -Craignons nous-mêmes. Les préjugés, voila les voleurs; les vices, voila -les meurtriers. Les grands dangers sont au dedans de nous. Qu'importe ce -qui menace notre tête ou notre bourse!" She said: "Of course this has -never prevented me from feeling frightened when I hear a scratching -noise in the night. That paralyses me with terror." - -_Thursday, August_ 4_th._ - -We continued our reading. The weather has been propitious. Lady Jarvis -arrived in the evening. We continued our reading after dinner. - -_Friday, August_ 5_th._ - -A. arrived this evening. He was exhausted after the journey and went to -bed at once. Housman arrives to-morrow--he is only staying till Monday. - -_Saturday, August_ 6_th._ - -A. sat in the garden and Mrs Housman read out some stories by H.G. Wells -from a book called _The Plattner Story,_ which we all enjoyed. - -Housman arrived in the evening. A. is not yet strong enough to walk. He -sits in the garden all day. The weather is perfectly suited to an -invalid. - -_Sunday, August_ 7_th._ - -Housman invited Father Stanway to luncheon. He and Housman talked of -politicians and popularity and the Press and to what extent their -reputation depended on it. Housman said it was death to a politician not -to be mentioned. A politician needed popularity among the public as much -as an actor did. Father Stanway said it was a double-edged weapon and -that those who lived by it risked perishing by it. Housman said -Gladstone and Beaconsfield had lived by it successfully. Father Stanway -said it depends whether you want to be famous or whether you want to get -things done. A man can do anything in the world if he doesn't mind not -getting the credit for it. Father Stanway said nobody realised this -better than Lord Beaconsfield. He said somewhere that it was private -life that governs the world and that the more you were talked about the -less powerful you were. - -A. is a little better. I went for a walk with Father Stanway in the -afternoon. I asked him a few questions about the system of Confession. -He said the Sacrament of Penance was a Divine Institution. I asked him -if the practice did not lead to the shirking of responsibility and the -dulling of the conscience on the part of those who went to Confession. -He said Confession was not an opiate but a sharp and bitter medicine, -disagreeable to take but leaving a clean after-taste in the mouth I gave -him a hypothetical case of a man being in love with a Catholic married -woman. If the woman was a practising Catholic and faithful to her -husband, and if she continued to be friends with the man who was in love -with her, would she confess her conduct and, if so, would the priest -approve of the conduct? Father Stanway said it was difficult to judge -unless one knew the whole facts. If the woman knew she was acting in a -way which might lead to sin or even to scandal--that is to say, in a way -which would have a bad effect on others--she would be bound to confess -it. If a woman asked him his advice in such a case he would strongly -advise her to put an end to the relationship. I said: "You wouldn't -forbid it?" He said: "The Church forbids sin, and penitents when they -receive Absolution undertake to avoid the occasions of sin." He said he -could not tell me more without knowing more of the facts. Cases were -sometimes far more complicated than they appeared to be, but however -complicated they were, there was no doubt as to the attitude of the -Church towards that kind of sin and to the advisability of avoiding -occasions that might bring it about. - -_Monday, August_ 8_th._ - -Housman went back to London. Cunninghame arrives to-morrow. A. walked as -far as the beach this morning. In the afternoon Lady Jarvis took him for -a drive. Mrs Housman went into the town to do some shopping. - -_Tuesday, August_ 9_th._ - -We all went for a drive in a motor to a village with a curious name and -had tea in a farm-house. Cunninghame arrived in time for dinner. He has -been staying at Cowes. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - CARBIS BAY, - _Wednesday, August_ 10_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I arrived last night from Cowes. I found Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, -George and Godfrey. - -George is very much better, but he is still weak and can't get about -much. He is not allowed to play golf yet. He sits in the garden, and goes -for a mild walk once a day. Lady Jarvis says that Mrs Housman is very -unhappy. In the first place, her home is intolerable. Mrs Fairburn makes -London quite impossible for her. It is a wonder that she is not here, -but as Housman is in London there is nothing to be surprised at. In the -second place, Lady Jarvis thinks that Mrs Housman would much rather -George hadn't come, but she couldn't help it as Housman asked him. - -We do things mostly altogether now. I am staying a fortnight, then I go -to Worsel for a week and to Edith's till the end of September; then -London. Lady Jarvis says that she is sure Mrs Housman will not spend the -winter in London. - -Write to me here and tell me about the Mont Dore. I have been there once -and think it is an appalling place. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Wednesday, August_ 10_th_. - -A. has been doing too much, the doctor says, and he is not to be allowed -out of the garden for a few days. Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis take turns -in reading to him aloud. We have finished the Wells book and we are now -reading _Midshipman Easy_. - -_Thursday, August_ 11_th._ - -I went for a walk with Cunninghame. He said his favourite book was _John -Inglesant_ and was surprised that I had not read it. He has it with him -and has lent it to me. - -_Friday, August_ 12_th._ - -It rained all day. We spent the day reading aloud. - -_Saturday, August_ 13_th._ - -A. is much better and went for a walk with me this morning. - -_Sunday, August_ 14_th._ - -Housman was coming down yesterday but telegraphed to say he was -detained. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we received a visit -from an American who has come here in a yacht and met Cunninghame and -myself in the town this morning. His name is Harold C. Jefferson. When I -was introduced to him he said he did not quite catch my name. I said my -name was "Mellor"; he said: "Lord or Mister?" Cunninghame told him where -he was staying and he said he would call--he knew the Housmans in -America. He asked us all to go on board his yacht to-morrow. Mrs -Housman, Cunninghame and myself accepted. Lady Jarvis said she would -stop with A. who is not up to it. - -_Monday, August_ 15_th_. - -We had luncheon on board Mr Jefferson's yacht, a large steam vessel. It -has on board a piano and an organ, both of which are played by -electricity, which is in some respects satisfactory, but the _tempo_ of -the _Meistersinger_ Overture which was performed for us was accelerated -out of all recognition. - -_Tuesday, August_ 16_th_. - -A Miss Simpson called in the afternoon to ask Mrs Housman to help with -some local charity; she lives at the Hotel. She said she found it very -inconvenient not being able to go to Church. We wondered what prevented -her doing so, but she soon gave us the reason herself. She said that the -local clergyman was so low--no eastward position. - -A. is much better and went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. - -_Wednesday, August_ 17_th._ - -Housman has written to say that he will not be able to come down until -late in September. Carrington-Smith is unwell and he is overwhelmed with -business. He, Housman, may have to meet a man in Paris. - -_Thursday, August_ 18_th._ - -A rainy day. Cunninghame and I went out in spite of the rain. - -_Friday, August_ 19_th._ - -Cunninghame played golf with General York. - -_Saturday, August_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis, Mrs Housman and myself went for a drive. A. played golf -with Cunninghame. I began _John Inglesant_ last night. Mrs Housman has -never read it. After dinner we had some music. Mrs Housman played -Schubert's _Prometheus_ and hummed the tune. She says it is a man's -song. - -_Sunday, August_ 21_st_. - -A. says he is going to have his yacht sent up here--he will be able to -sail back in her. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we sat in -the garden and read out aloud _Cashel Byron's Profession,_ a novel by -Bernard Shaw. A. enjoyed it immensely. - -_Monday, August_ 22_nd_. - -We drove to the Lizard in a motor and had luncheon at the Hotel. A. -misses his yacht very much but he has sent for her. After dinner we -played Clumps. - -_Tuesday, August_ 23_rd_. - -Cunninghame was going to-morrow but he is staying till Saturday. Mrs -Housman went to Newquay to the convent for the day. Lady Jarvis took A. -for a drive. - -_Wednesday, August_ 24_th._ - -This morning A., Cunninghame and myself walked down to the town. We met -a friend of Cunninghame's called Randall, who is yachting. He has just -come from France. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Thursday, August_ 25_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am stopping here till Saturday, then Worsel, then Edith's. You had -better write to Edith's. Yesterday morning we were in the town, George, -Godfrey and I, and we met Jimmy Randall, who has come here in the -Goldberg's yacht. They had been to St Malo and other places in France. -When we said we were staying with the Housmans, Randall said there was -not much chance of our seeing Housman for some time as he was having the -time of his life with Mrs Fairburn at a little place near Deauville. - -This came as a revelation to George, who had no idea of Housman's -adventures. He has scarcely spoken since. We are having a very happy -time and I am miserable at having to go away. George is quite well. He -has sent for his yacht, but he is not staying on very long as he has got -to go to one or two places before he goes back to London. The weather -has been divine. Godfrey is quite cheerful. - -I shan't write again till I get to Edith's. I shan't stop more than a -night at Worsel on the way. - -Edith is clamouring for me to come. The Caryls are staying there. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Thursday, August_ 25_th._ - -I went out for a walk with Cunninghame; he asked me whether I had liked -_John Inglesant_. I said I had it read with interest but it gave me the -creeps; it had the chill of a dream world; I preferred the character of -Eustace Inglesant to that of his brother John. Cunninghame said he had -read it five times; that _John Inglesant_, Flaubert's _Trois Contes_ and -Anthony Hope's _The King's Mirror_ were his three favourite books. I had -read neither of the others. Mrs Housman and A. went for a walk in the -afternoon. After dinner Lady Jarvis read out a story by Stevenson. - -_Friday, August_ 26_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to the town in the afternoon. A. and Cunninghame played -golf. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. She talked about Mrs Housman. -She said it was wonderful what comfort she (Mrs H.) found in her -religion. As far as she herself was concerned, she had never ceased to -appreciate the luxury of not going to church on Sunday, so much had she -disliked being made to go to church before she was grown up. I said Mrs -Housman had told me that Roman Catholic children enjoyed going to -church. She said: "Yes, and their grown-up people too. Clare will -probably go to church this afternoon. If I was a Catholic I could -understand it." She said it was the only religion she could understand. -"Unhappily to be a Catholic," she said, "one must believe. I am not -talking of the ritual and the discipline--I mean one must _believe_, -have faith in the supernatural, and I have none." She said that she -thought religion was an instinct. Her religion consisted in trying not -to hurt other people's feelings. That was difficult enough. She said she -had once come across this phrase in a French book: "Aimez-vous les uns -les autres, c'est beaucoup dire supportez-vous les uns les autres, c'est -déjà assez difficile." Some people, she said, arrived at religion by -disbelieving in disbelief. She didn't believe in dogmatic _disbelief -but_ that didn't lead _her_ to anything positive. She said she was glad -for Mrs Housman that she had her religion. I asked her if she thought -Mrs Housman was very unhappy. She said: "Yes; but there comes a moment -in unhappiness when people realise that they must either live, or die. -Clare passed that moment a long time ago." People often made God in -their own image. Mrs Housman had a beautiful character. She, Lady -Jarvis, had no stuff in her to project a deity with. She thought that -religion seldom affected conduct. She thought Mrs Housman would have -been just the same if she had been brought up as a free-thinker or a -Presbyterian. She thought her marriage and her whole life had been a -gigantic mistake. She ought, she said, to have been a professional -singer. She was an artist by nature. I said I was struck by Mrs Housmans -strong common-sense and her tact in dealing with people. "That would -have made her all the greater as an artist," Lady Jarvis said. "In all -arts you want to be good at other things besides that art. Riding needs -mind." She said it was no good wishing to be otherwise but she thought -it was very tragic. She said: "If I believed there was another life, -this sort of thing wouldn't matter, but as I don't it matters very -much." I said it struck me the other way round. If one didn't believe in -a future life I didn't see that anything could matter very much. I asked -her if she positively believed there wasn't another life. She said: "I -don't know. I only know I don't believe in a future life." I asked her -if that wasn't faith. She said very possibly, but she at any rate hadn't -the fervent faith in no-God that some atheists had. In any case she was -not intolerant about it. I asked her if it had not often struck her -that agnostics and free-thinkers were still more intolerant than -religious people and that they had least business to be. She said that -was exactly what she had meant. The religion of other people irritated -them; they wanted people to share their particular form of unbelief. She -never did that. She thought dogmatic disbelief intolerable. She had the -greatest respect for Catholics and would give anything to be able to be -one. Mrs Housman never spoke about her religion. We talked about -reading. I said I always read the newspapers or rather _The Times_ every -day. I had done so for fifteen years. She said she never did except in -the train but she knew the news as well as I did. We talked about what -is good reading for the train and about journeys. I told her of a -journey I had once taken in France in a third-class carriage. She said -it was lucky one forgot physical discomfort at once unlike mental -discomfort. She said something about the appalling unnaturalness of -people when they had to deal with death, and then of the misery in -seeing other people suffer, of the hardness of some people, and of a -book she had just been reading, called _Katzensteg_, by Sudermann, and -then of Germans, and so, to music, of Housman's great undeveloped -musical talent, of Jews, how favourable the mixture of Jewish and German -blood was to music. I said something about Jews being rarely men of -creation or action. She said they were just as persistent in getting -what they wanted as men of action, so she supposed that it came to the -same. Disraeli was a man of action, she supposed, and all the great -socialists, Marx and Lassalle, they got what they wanted. "Un de nous a -voulu être Dieu et il l'a été," she said a Jewish financier had once -said. This led her to Heine. He was her favourite writer, both in prose -and verse. Had I ever read his prose? I ought to read _Geschichte der -Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland._ It was the most brilliant book -of criticism she knew. It was the Jews who had invented all great -religions, and socialism was the invention of the Jews. Some people said -the Russian revolution was Jewish in idea and leadership and might very -likely lead to a new political creed. She said she hated anti-Semitism. -This led us to Christianity. Christianity to her meant Catholicism. She -could not understand any other form of it. She thought there was nothing -in the world more silly than attempts to make a religion of Christianity -without the Church--there could only be one Church. "But," I said, "you -disbelieve in it." She said: "Yes; but the only thing that could tempt -me to believe in it is the continued existence of the Catholic Church." -She said: "It's there; it's a fact, whether one believes in its divine -origin, as Clare does, or whether one doesn't, as I don't. It must -either all hang together or not exist. You can't take a part of it and -make a satisfactory and reasonable religion." Not only that, -nothing seemed to her more foolish than the attempts to make a religion -of Christianity without the Divine element, in which Christ was only a -very good man. I said if she did not believe in the divinity of Christ -the story could be nothing more to her than a fable. She said: "If one -only regards it as a fable, as I suppose I do--but again I have no -dogmatic disbelief in it--it is still the most beautiful, impressive, -wonderful and tragic story ever invented and it seems to me to lose its -whole point if Christ was only a man with hypnotic powers and a head -turned by ambition or illusion." She quoted a Frenchman, who had said -that he adored Jesus Christ as his Lord and God, but "s'il n'est qu'un -homme je préfère Hannibal." Napoleon too had said that he knew men and -Jesus Christ was not a man. Regarded as a story the whole point and -beauty of the Gospel were lost in all modern versions, rewritings, -explanations and interpretations, and none of them held together. She -said it was as if one rewrote the fairy tales and made the fairies not -fairies but only clever conjurers. By this time we had reached home. - -_Saturday, August_ 27_th._ - -Cunninghame went away early this morning. Mrs Housman told me that she -was not going to spend the winter in London; she was going to Florence, -and it was possible she might be away for a whole year. A. went out this -afternoon with Lady Jarvis. - -_Sunday, August_ 28_th._ - -Mrs York called in the afternoon. Mrs Housman was out with A. Lady -Jarvis and myself entertained her. She was most affable and not at all -stiff, as she was last year. She said she had known several of A.'s -relations in India. As she went away she said to Lady Jarvis, in the -hall: "You never told me Mrs Housman was an _American_--that makes -_all_ the difference." - -_Monday, August_ 29_th._ - -We all went to the Land's End for the day. - -_Tuesday, August_ 30_th._ - -A.'s yacht has arrived. We had luncheon on board and went for a short -sail in the afternoon; the sea was reasonably smooth, but Lady Jarvis -said that the sea under any conditions gave her a headache. - -_Wednesday, August_ 31_st_. - -Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail in the morning and came back for -tea. A. says he will have to go away in a day or two. After dinner Mrs -Housman read out Burnand's _Happy Thoughts_. - -_Thursday, September_ 1_st_. - -A rainy day. Mrs Housman called on Mrs York and has asked her and the -General to luncheon next Sunday. I went out for a walk in the rain by -myself and got very wet. Mrs Housman said that the Indian servant stood -motionless behind Mrs York's chair during the whole of the visit. This -embarrassed her. She felt inclined to draw him into the conversation. - -_Friday, September_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Housman went to the convent by herself. Lady Jarvis and A. went out -for a walk and I stayed at home. It is quite fine again. A. leaves next -Monday. - -_Saturday, September_ 3_rd_. - -A. wanted to go out sailing but Mrs Housman thought it was too windy. We -all went for a drive instead. - -_Sunday, September_ 4_th_. - -General York and Mrs York came to luncheon. The General was a little -nervous, but Mrs York was affable and friendly. She said she had never -got used to the English climate. Lady Jarvis asked Mrs York if she had -been to church. Mrs York said they had a church quite close to their -house in the village but she always drove to our village church, -although it was three miles off. She could not go to their church as she -did not approve of the clergyman's ritualistic practices. He used white -vestments at Easter, changed the order of the service, and allowed a -picture in church. All that, of course, made it impossible. They went -away soon after luncheon. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. After -dinner A. asked Mrs Housman to sing, but she said she would rather read. -She read _Happy Thoughts_ aloud. - -_Monday, September_ 5_th._ - -A. left in his yacht. He said he would be back in London by the first of -October. He is stopping at Plymouth on the way. - -_Tuesday, September_ 6_th._ - -Mrs Housman asked me if I had finished _Les Misérables_. I said I had -not gone on with it. She read aloud from it in the afternoon. - -_Wednesday, September_ 7_th._ - -I leave to-morrow to stay with Aunt Ruth. I have to be in London on -the 19th. Lady Jarvis went to the village, we stayed in the garden. -After dinner, Mrs Housman sang some Schubert. She leaves Cornwall at the -end of the month and then goes to Florence, where she stays rill Easter -or perhaps longer. - -_Monday, October_ 3_rd. London, Gray's Inn_. - -Cunninghame and A. both came back to-day. Cunninghame asked me to dine -with him to-morrow. - -_Tuesday, October_ 4_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame alone in his flat. He said that he knew I had -some R.C. friends, perhaps I knew a priest. I said the only priest I had -ever spoken to was Father Stanway at Carbis Bay. He said he wanted to -consult a priest about certain rules in the R.C. Church. He wanted to -know under what conditions a marriage could be annulled. A friend of -his wanted a married woman to get her marriage annulled as her husband -was living with someone else. He wanted to know whether the marriage -could be annulled. I said I knew who he was talking about. He said he -had meant me to know. He had promised A. to find out from a priest. A. -had been told by her that it was out of the question to get the marriage -annulled. It had been a marriage entered into by her own free will and -performed with every necessary condition of validity. Of course she was -very young when she was married and didn't know what she was doing, but -that had nothing to do with it. Her aunt and the nuns in the convent -where she had been brought up had thought it was an excellent marriage, -as he was well off and a Catholic. Cunninghame begged me to go and see a -priest. I said I did not know how this was done. I suggested his asking -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. He said she was in Paris and that would be no -use, it would not satisfy A. I said I would think about it. - -_Wednesday, October_ 5_th_. - -I asked Tuke where and how one could find a priest who would be able to -tell one the rules of the Church with regard to marriage. Tuke said any -of the Fathers at Farm Street or the Oratory. In the afternoon I went to -the Oratory, sent in my card and asked to see a priest. I sat in a -little waiting-room downstairs. Presently a tall man came in with very -bright eyes and a face with nothing but character left in it. I told him -I had come for a friend. It was a case of divorce, or rather of -annulment. I knew his Church did not tolerate divorce. I was, myself, -not a Catholic. It was the case of a lady, a Catholic, who had married a -Catholic. The husband had always been unfaithful and was now almost -openly living with someone else. Could the marriage be annulled? The -priest asked whether she desired the marriage to be annulled. I told -him she had said it was impossible. He asked whether the marriage had -been performed under all conditions of validity. I said I did not myself -know what these conditions were, but that she had expressly said that -the marriage had been performed with her own free will, with every -necessary condition of validity. I knew she thought it was out of the -question to think of the marriage being annulled, but there was someone -who was most devoted to her and wanted to marry her, and he was not -satisfied with her saying it was impossible. He wanted the decision -confirmed by a priest and that was why I had come. The priest said he -was afraid from what I had told him that it was no use thinking of -annulment. It was clear from what I had said she knew quite well the -conditions that make it possible to apply for the annulment of a -marriage. He said he was sure it was a hard case. If I liked he would -lend me a book which went into the matter in detail. I said I would not -trouble him. It would be enough that I had seen him and heard this from -him. I then went away. I went straight back to the office and told C. -the result of my visit. He was most grateful to me for having done this. -He said he was dining with A. to-night. He said A. was in a terrible -state. - -_Thursday, October_ 6_th_. - -Cunninghame told me that he had dined with A. and given him the -information I had procured for him. He said A. was wretched. Mrs Housman -arrives in London on Saturday. She is only staying till Monday; she then -goes to Florence. - -_Friday, October_ 7_th._ - -Cunninghame told me that Housman has come back to London. They have got -their house back. Mrs Fairburn is in London also. - -_Saturday, October_ 8_th._ - -A. has gone down to Littlehampton. - -_Sunday, October_ 9_th._ - -I went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon--she was in. She leaves for -Florence to-morrow. She told me she was going to stay there a whole -year. She asked after A. and was pleased to hear he was still in good -health. Miss Housman came in later after we had finished tea. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Sunday, October_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your long letter. I am most worried about George. Mrs -Housman goes to Florence to-morrow and is not coming back for a whole -year. George has told me about the whole thing. She knows all about -Housman and has always known. George has implored her to divorce Housman -and to marry him. She can't divorce, as you know better than I do, and -she told George it was not a marriage that could be annulled. However, -this didn't satisfy him. He insisted on getting the opinion of a priest. -I thought of writing to you, but there wasn't time, and then I didn't -know whether it was the same in France or not. I got the opinion of a -priest, who said there wasn't the slightest chance of getting the -marriage annulled. I told George this and he won't believe it, even now. -He keeps on saying that we ought to go to Rome, but I don't suppose that -would be of the slightest use either, would it? In the meantime he is -perfectly wretched. Mrs Housman didn't see him after Cornwall. George -won't see anyone, or go anywhere now. He is at this moment down at -Littlehampton by himself. If you can think of anything one could do, let -me know at once, but I know there is nothing to be done. If the marriage -could be annulled I think she would marry him to-morrow. I can't write -about anything else, because I can't think about anything else. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 17_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman from Florence. She says the weather is beautiful -and she is having a very peaceful time. - -_Monday, November_ 7_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman. She has been to Rome, where she stayed a -fortnight. - -_Wednesday, November_ 9_th._ - -I met Housman in the street this morning. He said he had given up the -house near Staines. It was dismal in winter and not very pleasant in -summer. He had taken a small house in the north of London, not far from -Hendon. He could come up from there every day and the air was very good. -I was not to say a word about this to Mrs Housman, as it was a surprise. -He said he was going to Florence for Christmas if he could. He said I -must come down one Saturday and stay with him. - -_Saturday, November_ 19_th._ - -Staying with Riley at Shelborough. - -_Monday, December_ 12_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman. She is going to spend Christmas at Ravenna with -the Albertis. Housman has written to me saying he will not be able to -get to Florence at Christmas and asking me to spend it with him at his -house near Hendon. I have told him that I was staying with Aunt Ruth for -Christmas. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, October_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your letter. I quite understand all you say and I was -afraid it must be so, but thank you for taking all that trouble. George -is just the same. He sees nobody except Godfrey and me. I have heard -from Mrs Housman twice and I have written to her several times and given -her news of George. I haven't set eyes on Housman nor heard either from -him or of him. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, October_ 31_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I saw Jimmy Randall yesterday. He tells me that Housman is in London but -has taken a house near Hendon and comes up every day. He is just, as -infatuated as ever with Mrs Fairburn and has given her some handsome -jewels. - -I heard from Mrs Housman on Saturday. I am afraid she is quite -miserable. George won't even go to stay with his sister. He dines with -me sometimes. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _November_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Lady Jarvis is back from Ireland. I went down to Rosedale on Saturday. -There were a few people there, but I managed to have two long and good -talks with her. She is of course fearfully worried. She hears from Mrs -Housman constantly, she never mentions G. Lady Jarvis thinks of going -out there, only, apparently, Mrs Housman will not be at Florence for -Christmas. She tried to get George to come to Rosedale, but he -wouldn't. - -I have seen Housman for a moment at the play. He said I must see his -house at Hendon. He said he had meant it as a surprise for Mrs H., but -he had been obliged to tell her. He says he has bought a lot of new -pictures and that the house is very _moderne_ in arrangement. I can see -it. He wanted me to go there next Saturday. I said I couldn't. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Tuesday, November_ 29_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am sorry to have been so bad about writing, but we have been having -rather a busy time, which has been a good thing for George. I am going -to stay with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. She asked George and he is going -too. There is no party. He seems a little better, but he isn't really -better, and he talks of giving up his job altogether and going out to -Africa again. Will you choose me a small Christmas present for Lady -Jarvis, something that looks nice in the box or case. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, December_ 12_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Housman asked me so often to go down to Hendon that I was obliged to go -last Saturday. The house is decorated entirely in the _Art Nouveau_ -style. There is a small spiral staircase made of metal in the -drawing-room that goes nowhere. It is just a serpentine ornament. The -house is the last word of hideosity, but the pictures are rather good. -He gets good advice for these and never buys anything that, he thinks -won't go up. It was a bachelor party, Randall, Carrington-Smith and -myself. We played golf all the day, and Bridge all the evening. - -He said Mrs Housman was enjoying Florence very much and that we must -all go out there for Easter again. - -I heard from her three days ago. She said very little, and asked after -George. He never hears from her. He dines with me often. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - ROSEDALE, - _Saturday, December_ 31_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We have had rather a sad Christmas, only George and myself here, but -Lady Jarvis has been too kind for words, and quite splendid with George. -She has heard regularly from Mrs Housman and she thinks she will go out -to Florence in January if she can. - -Godfrey is staying with his uncle. Lady Jarvis says that Miss Sarah -Housman makes terrible scenes about Mrs Fairburn, so much so that Sarah -and he are no longer on speaking terms. I go back to London just after -the New Year, so does George. The Christmas present was a great success. -Lady Jarvis gave me a lovely table for my flat. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, January_ 2_nd_, 1911. - -Received a small Dante bound in white vellum from Mrs Housman. It had -been delayed in the post. - -_Tuesday, January_ 3_rd_. - -Cunninghame came to the office to-day. A. also. - -_Tuesday, April_ 12_th._ - -Riley is spending Easter in London. He wishes to attend the Holy Week -services. He is staying with me. - -_Wednesday, April_ 13_th_. - -Sat up with Riley, talking. I told him about Hope having said that he -considered that to become an R.C. was to sin against the light. Riley -said that Hope might very likely end by committing suicide, as views -such as he held led to despair. He said: "If the Catholic religion is -like what Hope and you think it to be, it must be inconceivable that -anyone whose character and whose intelligence you respect could belong -to such a Church, but, granting you do, does it not occur to you that it -is just possible the Catholic religion may be unlike what you think it -is, may indeed be something quite different?" - -I said that I did not at all share Hope's views. Indeed I did not know -what they were. I said that I agreed with him that when one got to know -R.C.'s one found they were quite different from what they were supposed -to be, and I was quite ready to believe this applied to their beliefs -also. - -I said something about the complication of the Catholic system, which -was difficult to reconcile with the simplicity of the early Church. He -said the services of the early Church were longer and more complicated -than they were now. The services of the Eastern Church were more -complicated than those of the Western Church, and to this day in the -Coptic Church it took eight hours to say Mass. The Church was -complicated when described, but simple when experienced. - -_Saturday, April_ 16_th._ - -Went with Riley to the ceremony of the Blessing of the Font at -Westminster Cathedral. Riley said he was sorry for people who had to go -to Maeterlinck for symbolism. - -Received a postcard from Florence. Housman did not go out after all. - -_Monday, May_ 1_st_. - -Cunninghame told us that Housman is laid up with pneumonia. - -_Thursday, May_ 4_th._ - -Housman is worse, and Mrs Housman has been telegraphed for. He is laid -up at Hendon. They don't think he will recover. - -_Friday, May_ 5_th._ - -Mrs Housman arrived last night. Housman is about the same. - -_Monday, May_ 8_th._ - -Had luncheon with Lady Jarvis yesterday. She says that Housman was a -shade better yesterday. He may recover, but it is thought very doubtful. -Mrs Housman has been up day and night nursing him. - -_Wednesday, May_ 10_th_. - -Housman has taken a turn for the better, but he is not yet out of -danger. - -_Saturday, May_ 13_th._ - -The doctors say Housman is out of danger. - -_Monday, May_ 15_th._ - -Cunninghame says Housman will recover. He has been very bad indeed. The -doctors say that it is entirely due to Mrs Housmans nursing that he has -pulled through. - -_Saturday, May_ 20_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman at Hendon. I was allowed to see Housman for a -few minutes. He likes visitors. Mrs Housman looked tired. Cunninghame -says that Housman has a weak heart. That was the danger. - -_Saturday, June_ 10_th._ - -The Housmans have gone to Brighton for a fortnight. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am delighted to hear you and Jack are coming to London so soon, but -very sad of course that you won't be going back to Paris. But I believe -Copenhagen is a delightful post, and they say it always leads to -something. - -Perhaps you will let me come and stay with you in the summer? - - Yrs. - G. - - - - _Saturday, June_ 10_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Your letter made me laugh a great deal. I expect you will get to like -the place. I am writing this from Rosedale, where I am in the middle of -a large musical and artistic party, one painter, two novelists, and two -pianists. They all hate each other like poison, and it is pain to all -the others when one of them performs. But the rest of us are enjoying it -immensely, and Lady Jarvis is being splendid. The Housmans have gone to -Brighton for a fortnight. Bert is quite well again, but Mrs Housman -looks fearfully ill. - -Write to me again soon. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - - _Monday, June_ 26_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Oakley, the Housmans' place, near Hendon. He -has quite recovered, and everything was going on there just as usual. -Jimmy Randall was there, and Mrs Fairburn. Housman said nothing about -the summer, but Mrs Housman told me she was not going to Cornwall this -year. I asked her if she was going to stay all the summer at Oakley, -the Hendon house. She said that Housman had hired a yacht for the summer -and asked several people. She said she couldn't bear steam yachting with -a large party, and she has taken a small house on the west coast of -Ireland, with Lady Jarvis. They would be there quite alone; she was -going there quite soon: "Albert would probably go to France." - -She told me Housman had wanted to take the house in Cornwall and ask us -all again, but that she had told him this was impossible. - -George has seen her once or twice, and he is of course happier, but -things are where they were. She won't think of divorcing. - -I shall start for Copenhagen at the end of July. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, June_ 27_th._ London. - -Housman has asked me to go to Oakley next Saturday. He has asked A. -also. - -_Wednesday, June_ 28_th._ London. - -Dined with A. and his sister. A. said he would be unable to go to Oakley -next week. He had some people staying with him. - -_Thursday, June_ 29_th._ London. - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. Apparently Gertrude is still annoyed at the Caryls -having got Copenhagen. She complains of this weekly. - -_Friday, June_ 30_th._ London. - -Solway is staying the night with me, his concert is to-morrow afternoon. - -_Saturday, July_ 1_st_. London. - -Went with Mrs Housman to Solway's concert in the afternoon, and she -drove me down to Hendon afterwards in her motor. Mrs Housman is going -to spend the summer in Ireland. - -_Sunday, July_ 2_nd. Oakley (near Hendon)_. - -Mrs Fairburn and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Mrs Housman leaves -to-morrow for Ireland. - - * * * * * - -_Saturday, October_ 28_th. London, Gray's Inn_. - -Mrs Housman returns from Ireland to-day. She spends Sunday in London, -and goes to Oakley, near Hendon, on Wednesday. I have not heard one word -from Mrs Housman since her long absence in Ireland. - -_Sunday, October_ 29_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon. Ireland has done her a great -deal of good, and she looks quite refreshed and rested. - -She asked after A. I told her he was due to arrive from Scotland -to-morrow, and that we expected him at the office. She asked me if I was -going to stay with Lady Jarvis next Saturday. She said we would meet -there. She said nothing about her plans for the future. - -_Monday, October_ 30_th._ - -A. has arrived from Scotland, and Cunninghame from Copenhagen, where he -has been staying for the last three months with his cousin. I called on -Lady Jarvis. She told me she thought Mrs Housman would not remain long -in England. She might go to Italy again. - -_Tuesday, October_ 31_st_. - -A. is going to Rosedale on Saturday. - -_Wednesday, November_ 1_st_. - -Dined with A. and Cunninghame. We went to a music hall after dinner. - -_Thursday, November_ 2_nd_. - -Cunninghame and I went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. When Cunninghame -said he had been at Copenhagen, Aunt Ruth said that she knew, of course, -Caryl was a brilliant diplomatist, but that Edmund Anstruther ought to -have had the post. Uncle Arthur said: "What, Edmund? Copenhagen? He -would have got us into war with the Danes." - -_Friday, November_ 3_rd_. - -Dined alone with A. He asked after Mrs Housman's health. - -_Saturday, November_ 4_th. Rosedale_. - -A.. Cunninghame, myself, and Mrs Vaughan are here. The Housmans were -unable to come at the last moment. - -_Monday, November_ 6_th._ - -Housman asked me to go to Oakley on Saturday, November 25th. Mrs -Housman has gone to Folkestone for a fortnight to stay with Miss -Housman. Cunninghame says that Housman and his sister have quarrelled, -and that she no longer goes to the house. - -_Saturday, November_ 25_th. Oakley_. - -Lady Jarvis, A. and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Cunninghame comes -down to-morrow for the day. Housman was obliged to go to Paris on -urgent business for a few days. - -_Sunday, November_ 26_th._ - -Cunninghame and Carrington-Smith played golf. I went for a walk with -Lady Jarvis. - -_Monday, November_ 27_th._ - -Dined with A. and went to the play, a farce. A. enjoyed it immensely. I -have written to Aunt Ruth to tell her I shall not be able to go there -this year. I shall remain in London, as Riley wishes to spend Christmas -with me. - -_Tuesday, November_ 28_th._ - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. Mrs Housman has gone back to Folkestone. She -stays there till Christmas, then she returns to London. - -A. is going abroad for Christmas. - -_Wednesday, December_ 20_th._ - -A. goes to Paris to-morrow night. Cunninghame is going to spend -Christmas with the Housmans at Oakley. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -As you see, I write from London. All my plans have been upset by an -unexpected catastrophe. I will try and begin at the beginning and tell -you everything in order as clearly as possible, but the fact is I am so -bewildered by everything that has happened that I find it difficult to -think clearly and to write at all. - -I think I told you in my last letter that Housman asked me to spend -Christmas with them at Oakley. I was to go down yesterday, Thursday, and -George was going to Paris by the night train. I think I told you, too, -that ever since we stayed at Oakley in November, George has been a -_changed man_ and in the highest spirits. On Thursday we had luncheon -together. I thought it rather odd that he should be going to Paris, but -he said he was tired of England and felt that he must have a change. I -wondered what this meant. I could have imagined his wanting to go away -if he had been like he was before, that is to say miserable, but now -that he seemed to be enjoying life it was rather extraordinary. I said I -was going to Oakley. He said nothing, and talked about his journey. -After luncheon he went to the office to give Mellor some final -instructions. He said he might be away for some time. I left him there -at about half-past three. I asked him why he was going by the night -train, and he said he hated a day in the train and always slept well in -the train at night. I said good-bye and went down to Oakley in a taxi. -Housman had not arrived, and the butler (who has taken the place of the -nice parlour-maid there used to be at Campden Hill) told me that Mrs -Housman had gone up to London. Her maid thought she was staying the -night at Garland's Hotel, but he, the butler, knew nothing of her -arrangements. This astonished me, but I supposed there were no servants -at Campden Hill. At a quarter to five Housman arrived in a motor with -Carrington-Smith. He looked more yellow than usual. I met him in the -hall and while we were talking the butler gave him a letter which he -said Mrs Housman had left for him. He said we would have tea at once in -the drawing-room. Then he said to Carrington-Smith: "I just want to show -you that thing," and to me: "We will be with you in one minute." He took -Carrington-Smith into his study and I went into the drawing-room. Tea -was brought in. I again tried the butler and asked him whether Mrs -Housman was coming back to-morrow morning. He said that she had left no -instructions, but Mr Housman was probably aware of her intentions. He -went out and almost directly I heard someone shouting and bells ringing, -violently. Carrington-Smith was calling me. I ran out and met him in -the hall; he said Housman had had a stroke, he thought it was fatal. - -It was like a thing on the stage. A breathless telephone to the doctor. -The motor sent to fetch him. Servants scurrying with blanched faces. -Housman lying on the sofa in the study, his collar undone, his face -ghastly. - -Carrington-Smith said: "We must telephone to Campden Hill for Mrs -Housman." - -I said: "She isn't there." Then told him about Garland's Hotel. He -seemed _dumbfounded_, sent for the butler, who confirmed this, and then -got on to the Hotel. Mrs Housman was in. He spoke to her and told her -Housman was dangerously ill and she must come at once. He said he would -get on to Miss Housman and tell her to bring Mrs Housman down in her -motor. This was arranged and he told Miss Housman the whole facts. In -the meantime the doctor arrived--an Australian. He examined Housman and -said it was heart failure and that he had always feared this. They had -known he had a weak heart after his last illness. It might have happened -any day. - -Then Carrington-Smith told me how it had happened. When they went into -the study Housman had sat down at his writing-table and read a letter -through twice quite slowly, torn it up and thrown it into the fire. He -had then said: "We will go," and at that moment fallen back and -collapsed on the sofa. - -He told me that Housman had had a terrific row with Mrs Fairburn -yesterday and had talked of nothing else on the way down. Probably the -letter was from her, he said. I said: "Yes, very likely"; but as a -matter of fact I knew it was from Mrs Housman. He had not noticed that, -or if he had he was lying on purpose. - -Mrs Housman and Miss Housman arrived about six. Mrs Housman almost -_frighteningly_ calm. - -She wanted to know every detail. She had a talk with Carrington-Smith -alone and then I saw her for a moment before going away. She asked me if -I had seen Housman before he died. Then she made all the arrangements -herself. I went back to London by train. - -I don't know what to think. Why did she go to London? Why did she stay -at Garland's Hotel? The Campden Hill house isn't shut up. Miss Housman -talked about going there. Did the letter which she left for Housman play -a part in the tragedy? - -I sent George a telegram. Possibly you may see him. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -I was rung up last night by Cunninghame, who had returned to London -unexpectedly. He had bad news to tell me. A tragedy had occurred at -Oakley and Housman had died suddenly of a heart attack. Mrs Housman was -informed at once and reached Oakley an hour after the tragedy occurred. - -Cunninghame has informed A. by telegram. - -Not unconnected with this tragic event a small incident has occurred to -me which leaves me stunned. - -I have unwittingly violated A.'s confidence, and as it were looked -through a keyhole into his private affairs. I am literally appalled by -what I have done. But after reviewing every detail and living again -every moment of yesterday, I do not see how I could have acted -otherwise than I did, nor do I see how things could have happened -differently. - -These are the facts: - -A. arrived at the office at half-past three on Thursday afternoon with -Cunninghame. Cunninghame left him. - -A. remained in his room until five o'clock, writing letters. - -At five he sent for me and told me he was leaving for Paris that night -by the night train. Tuke, he said, had gone on his holiday. He asked me -if I was going away. I said I should be in London during all the -Christmas holidays, as I had a friend staying with me. He said he would -most probably be away for some time, and he would be obliged if I could -look in at the office every now and then. He had told the clerks to -forward letters, but he wanted me to make sure they did not forward -circulars or any other useless documents to him. I was to open all -telegrams, whether private or not, and not to forward them unless they -were of real importance. "But," he said, "there won't be any telegrams. -Don't forward me invitations to luncheon or dinner." - -This morning I went to the office. There was a telegram for A. The clerk -gave it to me. I opened it. It had been sent off originally at five -yesterday afternoon and redirected from Stratton Street. Its contents -were: "Albert dangerously ill. Fear worst. Cannot come. Clare." - -I forwarded it to the Hôtel Meurice. He will know of course that I have -read it. I read it at one glance before I realised its nature. Then it -was too late. And so unwittingly I am guilty of the greatest breach of -confidence that I could possibly have committed. - -It was a fatality that this telegram should have missed him. The clerks -say he left the office soon after I did, a little after five. They say -the telegram did not reach the office till later. They didn't know where -A. was and he had told them not to forward any telegrams till I had -seen them. I remember his saying that he was not returning to his flat. -That he was dining at a club and going straight from thereto the -station, where his servant would meet him. I am truly appalled by what I -have done, but the more I think over it, the less I see how it could -have been otherwise. - -I had some conversation with Cunninghame on the telephone last night. He -had been talking to Lady Jarvis on the telephone. She had at once -offered to go to Oakley, but Mrs Housman said she would rather see no -one at present. - -Cunninghame went down to Rosedale at her urgent request this morning. He -did not call at the office on the way. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - ROSEDALE, - _Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came down here early this morning. Lady Jarvis heard the news from -Miss Housman last night and at once offered to go, but Mrs Housman said -she would rather see no one at present. Carrington-Smith was making all -the arrangements. The funeral is to be on Tuesday. I told Lady Jarvis -about Mrs Housman being in London. She said Mrs Housman often went up to -Garland's Hotel. She found it a complete rest and the house at Campden -Hill was very cold and there was no cook there. Lady Jarvis said it was -the most natural thing in the world. I told her about the letter. She -said Mrs Housman had no doubt written to Housman saying she had gone to -Garland's Hotel and was coming back. I also told her what -Carrington-Smith had said about Mrs Fairburn. She said: "That was it. -It was those terrible scenes which used to shatter him and no doubt -caused his death." Lady Jarvis says it will be a shock to Mrs Housman in -spite of everything. The fact of Housman having made her very unhappy, -or rather of her having been very unhappy as his wife, will make no -difference to the shock. Lately Lady Jarvis says he had made things very -difficult for her. Mrs Fairburn was always there. - -One can't help thinking--well you know, I needn't explain. I wonder what -will happen in the future. I have heard nothing from George yet. There -is no one here. Housman must have left an enormous fortune. He was very -canny about his investments, and very lucky too. Randall told me he had -almost doubled his fortune in the last three years, and he was rich -enough to start with. - - Yours, - G. - -_P.S._.--Lady Jarvis' explanation of the letter does not quite satisfy, -but what _did_ happen? What does it all mean? - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, January_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came up to-day for good. I went to Housman's funeral last Tuesday. Mrs -Housman went down to Rosedale directly after the funeral. She is going -to Florence next week and means to stay on there indefinitely. George -has come back. He never wrote and I did not hear from him till he -arrived at the office this morning. He is just the same as usual except -for being subtly different. - -Housman left everything to her. - - Yrs. - G. - -_P.S._--I told Godfrey everything that had happened at Oakley. He said -_nothing._ He appears incapable of discussing the matter. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, January_ 1_st_, 1912. - -A. arrived last night from Paris. He came to the office and he thanked -me for what I had done in his absence. "Everything was quite right," he -said. He conveyed to me without saying anything that I need not distress -myself about the telegram and that he still trusted me. - -He did not mention Mrs Housman nor the death of Housman. - -_Wednesday, February_ 28_th_. - -I heard to-day from Mrs Housman. She tells me she has entered the -Convent of the Presentation and intends to be a nun. I cannot say the -news surprised me, but to hear of the death in life of anyone one knows -well, is almost worse I think than to hear of their death. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, February_ 28_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just had a short letter from Lady Jarvis telling me that Mrs -Housman is going to be a nun. I have not set eyes on her since Housmans -funeral, and have only heard of her, and that not much, from time to -time from Lady Jarvis. - -I confess I am completely bewildered, and I hope you won't be shocked if -I tell you that I' can't help thinking it rather _selfish_. Do as I -will, I cannot see any possible reason for her taking such a step. Mrs -Housman seems to me the last person in the world who ought to be a nun. -Whether it will make her happy or not, I am afraid there is no doubt -that she will be causing a lot of intense misery. George is worse than -ever. He hasn't in the least got over it, and he never will, I feel -sure. He knows what has happened, but he can't even bring himself to -talk about it. I think he must have known of it for some time. In any -case he hasn't for one moment emerged from the real fog of gloom and -misery that has wrapped him up ever since Christmas. - -What is so extraordinary is that just before Christmas he was in radiant -spirits after all those months of sadness! - -I can't see that it _can_ be right, however good the motive, to destroy -and shatter someone's life! - -His life _is_ destroyed, shattered and shipwrecked! We must just face -that. - -I tried to think that we had always been wrong and that my first -impressions were right, that she had never really cared for him. But I -know this is not true. You will forgive me saying that I think your -religion has a terribly hard and cruel side. Nobody appreciates more -than I do all its good points, and nobody knows better than I do what a -lot of good is often done by Catholics. But it is just this sort of -thing that makes one _revolt_. - -I was reading Boswell last night before going to bed, and I came across -this sentence: "Madam," Dr Johnson said, to a nun in a convent, "you are -here not from love of virtue, but from fear of vice." Even this is not a -satisfactory explanation in Mrs Housmans case. It is obvious that she -had nothing to fear from vice. I can't help thinking she has been the -victim of an inexorable system and of a training which bends the human -mind into a twisted shape that can never be altered or put straight. - -Frankly, I think it is _more_ than sad, I think it is positively -_wicked_; not on her part, but on the part of those who have led her to -take such a mistaken view of ordinary human duty. After all, even if she -wants to be a nun, isn't it her duty to stay in the world? Isn't it a -more difficult duty? What is one's duty to one's neighbour? Forgive me -for saying all this. You know in my case that it isn't inspired by -prejudice. - -It is cruel to think that most probably George will never get over this, -and that she has sacrificed the certain happiness of two human beings -and the chance of doing any amount of good in the world. What for? For -nothing as far as I can see that can't be much better done by people far -more fitted to that kind of vocation. I am too sad to write any more. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Thursday, March_ 1_st_. - -I dined alone with Cunninghame at his flat last night. He had heard the -news about Mrs Housman. He was greatly upset about it, and thought it -very selfish. I said I believed the step was not irrevocable, as one had -to stay some time in a convent before taking final vows. - -He said: "That is just what I want to talk about, just what I want to -know. How long must one stay exactly?" - -I said I did not know, but I could find out. He said I want you to find -out all about it as soon as possible. A., he said, was in a dreadful -state. He had dined with him last night. He had said very little; -nothing personal, not a word about what he felt about it, but he had -asked him, Cunninghame, whether he knew what the rules were about taking -the veil. - -C. said he did not believe Mrs Housman would take an irrevocable -decision. He had told A. he would find out all about it. I could of -course ask Riley, but I don't know whether he would know. - -I decided I would apply to Father Stanway, the priest I met at Carbis -Bay, for information. I wrote to him, saying I wished to consult him on -a matter, and suggested going down to Cornwall on Saturday and spending -Sunday at Carbis Bay. - -_Friday, March_ 2_nd_. - -Received a telegram from Father Stanway, saying that he will not be in -Cornwall this week-end, but in London, where he will be staying four or -five days; and suggesting our meeting on Sunday afternoon. I sent him a -telegram asking him to luncheon on Sunday. - -_Sunday, March_ 4_th._ - -Father Stanway came to luncheon with me at the Club, and we talked of -the topics of the day. After luncheon I suggested a walk in the park. -We went for a walk in Kensington Gardens. I asked him first for the -information about the nuns. He said, as far as he could say off-hand, it -entailed six months' postulancy, two years' "Habit and White Veil," -three years' _simple_ vows of profession; and then solemn perpetual -vows. But he said he could write to a convent and get it quite accurate -for me. In any case he knew it was a matter of five years. - -I then said I would like, if he did not mind, to have his opinion on a -case which I had come across. He said he would be pleased to listen. - -I then told him the whole Housman story as a skeleton case, not -mentioning names, and calling the people X. and Y. Very possibly he knew -who I was talking about, almost certainly I think, although he never -betrayed this for a moment. I felt the knowledge, if there were -knowledge, would be as safe as though given in the confessional. I told -him everything, including a detailed account of Housman's death which -Cunninghame had given me. I referred to Housman as X., to Mrs Housman as -Mrs X. and to A. as Y. - -I then asked him if he thought Mrs X. was justified in taking such a -step, and whether it would not be nobler, a more unselfish course, to -remain in the world and to make Y. happy. - -I asked him whether, in his opinion, people would be justified in -calling Mrs X.'s step, were it to turn out to be irrevocable, a -_selfish_ act. - -And, thirdly, I asked if in the case of Mrs X. changing her mind she -would be allowed by the Church to marry Y. - -Father Stanway said if I wished to understand the question I must try -and turn my mind round, as it were, and start from the point of view -that what the world considers all-important the Church considers of no -importance _if it interferes with what God thinks important_. He said I -must start by remembering that Mrs X.'s conduct proceeded from that -idea--what was important in the eyes of God: she believed in God -_practically_ and not merely theoretically. This belief was the cardinal -fact and the compass of her life. He added that this did not mean the -Church was unsympathetic. No one understood human nature as well as she -did, nobody met it as she did at every point. That was why she helped it -to rise superior to its weakness and to do what it saw to be really -best. He said it was no disgrace to be weak, and vows helped one to do -what might be difficult without them. - -Then he said that if Mrs X. felt she was called to the religious life, -this vocation was the result of supernatural Grace; that she would not -be thinking of what was delightful or convenient to her, but of what was -pleasing and honourable to God. She was bound to follow the appointment -of God, if she felt certain that was His appointment, rather than her -own desire, and before anything she desired. - -Here I said the objection made (and I quoted Cunninghame without -mentioning him) was that her desire might be for the calm and security -of the religious life; but might it not be her duty, possibly a more -difficult, a more unselfish and less pleasant duty, to stay in the world -and not to shatter the happiness of another human being? - -Father Stanway then said it was very easy to delude oneself in most -things, but not in following a religious vocation. One might in _not_ -following it. It would be easy to pretend to oneself one was staying in -the world for someone else's sake. One's merely earthly happiness was -not a reason for _not_ following a vocation, nor was anyone else's, -because the religious life belonged not to things temporal but to things -eternal. However, if it were her duty to remain in the world she would -feel no call to leave the world. It was impossible for a human being to -gauge the vocation of another human being. A vocation was a -"categorical imperative" to the soul, and there was no mistaking its -presence. Mrs X. would know for certain after she had spent some time in -the Convent, she probably knew already, whether or no what she felt was -a vocation or not. Nobody else could judge, though her Director might -help her to decide. He would certainly not allow her to stay if he felt -she had no vocation. - -I said: "So, if after she has lived through her first period, or any -period of probation, she feels uncertain as to her vocation, there would -be no objection to her leaving the religious life, and marrying Y.? -Would the Church then allow her to marry Y., and allow her to go back to -the world, knowing she would in all probability marry Y.?" - -Father Stanway said: "Of course, and the Church would allow her to marry -Y. now." - -I said, perhaps a little impatiently: "Then why doesn't she?" - -"I think," said Father Stanway, "you are a musician, Mr Mellor?" - -I said music was my one and sole hobby. - -He said he would try and express himself in terms of harmony. - -"Perhaps Mrs X. has a great sense of harmony herself," he said. "If she -married Y. that would make a legitimate harmony certainly. But her very -feeling for the _full_ harmony of life would make it impossible" (and he -said this with startling emphasis) "_for her to use X.'s death as a -means for doing rightly what she had meant to do wrongly_, for her -intention to do it wrongly had in a measure caused his death. Within -the harmony of her marriage the memory of that discord would always be -present. And perhaps she is a woman who is able to have a vision of -perfect love and harmony. In that case she could not put up with an -imperfect one. She is now free to enter upon a perfect harmony and love, -by marrying Christ, which I imagine she always wanted to do, even in -the normal married state, in fact by means of the normal married state, -for it is a Sacrament and unites the soul to God by Grace. - -"But I understand from you that her marriage was such a travesty of -marriage that she felt she couldn't worship Christ through that, and so -swung across and decided she couldn't be in relation with Him at all. -Then comes this catastrophe and the pendulum swings back and stops up. - -"There is nothing selfish about this. For all we know it was the will of -God that all this should happen (the shipwreck of her marriage, Y.'s -love and present misery) solely to make her vocation certain, and as far -as Y. is concerned we don't know the end. Even from the worldly point of -view we don't know whether his marriage with Mrs X. would have made for -his ultimate happiness or for hers. His present unhappiness may be an -essential note in the full and total harmony of _his_ life. It may be a -beginning and not an end. It may lead him to some eventual happiness, it -may be welding his nature and his life for some undreamed-of purpose, a -purpose which he may afterwards be led to recognise and bless 'with -tears of recognition.' If Mrs X. is certain of her vocation, and -continues to be certain of it, you can be sure she is right, and that -whatever the world says it will be wrong. - -"The only way in which peace comes to the human soul is in accepting the -will of God, 'In la sua volontate e nostra pace.' - -"Mrs X. knows that, and perhaps Y. is on the road to learning it. I -daresay Mrs X. may have an element of fear of life _too_, but it will -thin out and float off and away from her; her act in choosing the -religious life will not be an escape nor a _flight_, but a positive -acceptance of the love of Christ. She is getting to and at the -mysterious spiritual thing which is in music, and which is as different -from sounds as sounds are different from printed notes. It is you -musicians who know." - -I said that although I did not pretend to understand the whole thing, -and the whole nature of the motive, I could understand that it could be -as he said, and I thanked him, telling him that I for one should never -cavil at her act nor criticise it, but always understand that there was -something to understand, although probably it would always be beyond my -understanding. - -I felt during all this conversation that the real problem was not why -she had become a nun, but what terrible thing had happened inside her -mind to make her take that step at Christmas, and decide on what seemed -to contradict all her life so far. - -I said something about religion not affecting conduct in a crisis. -Father Stanway seemed to read my thoughts. He said: "After a long stress -sometimes a tiny accident will suffice to make a nerve snap _suddenly_. -I should say that in this case long stress had pushed and pushed a soul -out of its real shape and pattern; an unknown factor sufficed to force -it into a coherent but false pattern; a new shock sufficed to liberate -it wholly and let it fall back into its original _true_ pattern. That -may account for half of it." - -_Wednesday, March_ 7_th._ - -I dined alone with Cunninghame last night, and told him what I had -ascertained respecting the rules for the period of probation of nuns. He -appeared to be relieved. I warned him that Mrs Housman's step might very -well prove to be irrevocable, as I didn't think she was a person to -change her mind easily. He said: "That's what I am afraid of. They never -do let people go. I feel that once in a convent they will never let her -go. But it will be a relief to A. to know that the step is not yet -irrevocable." - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, March_ 7_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Godfrey dined with me last night. I feel he thinks that Mrs Housmans -step will be irrevocable, although he didn't actually say so. He said he -didn't pretend to understand it, but he was convinced she knew best. I -talked of George's acute misery. He said it was all very difficult to -understand, and I saw he didn't want to discuss it, so I didn't say any -more. I feel he knows something that we don't know, but what? He told me -that he knew on good authority that going into Convent doesn't mean she -takes the veil for five years. An R.C. who knows all about it had told -him. I suppose this is right? Do ask a priest. I have seen George once -or twice. I don't talk about it to him. In fact, the rules about nuns -is the only point that has been mentioned between us as I see he simply -can't talk about it. He looks ten years older. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 12_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you very much for your letter and for the detailed information. I -told George at once that you had confirmed what Godfrey had said, and he -was really relieved. But he doesn't yet look like a man who has had a -_reprieve_, only a respite. - -I feel that he feels it is all over, but personally I shall go on -hoping. - -Lady Jarvis is away. - -I long to talk about it with her. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, August_ 19_th. Rosedale_. - -I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one here but myself and -Cunninghame. She told us she had heard from Mrs Housman, who has -finished her postulancy and received the novice's white veil. - -She had seen her. She says she is quite certain that it is irrevocable -and that Mrs Housman will never change her mind now. - -Cunninghame said he had hoped up till now this would not happen (though -he had always feared it might happen) and that Mrs Housman would think -better of it. He thought it very wrong and selfish and quite inexcusable -on the part of the Church authorities. - -Lady Jarvis said it must appear so to him. She herself would have no -sympathy with a vocation such as this one must appear to be to the -world in general, and even to people who knew Mrs Housman well, like -Cunninghame and myself; so Mrs Housman's act had not surprised her. - -"But," said Cunninghame, "do you approve of it?" - -"The person concerned," said Lady Jarvis, "is the only judge in such a -matter. Nobody else has the right to judge. It's a sacred thing, and the -approval or disapproval of an outsider is I think simply impertinent." - -We then talked of it no more. But in the afternoon I went out for a walk -with Lady Jarvis and she reverted to the question. - -She said: "I hope you understand I'm so far from disapproving of Clare's -act. I understand it and approve of it; but I don't expect you or anyone -else to do the same." - -I said she need not have told me that. I knew it already. - -She then said: "Clare knew you would understand, even if you didn't -understand." - -I said that was my exact position: "I did not understand, but I knew -there was something to understand, and that therefore she was right." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, August_ 10_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale. There is no one there except -Godfrey. Lady Jarvis told us that Mrs Housman has finished the first -period you told me about, and has taken the veil, though it isn't -irrevocable yet, but for all intents and purposes it is, as we are all -certain now that she will never leave the Convent. You know what I think -about it. I haven't changed my mind, but Lady Jarvis doesn't disapprove, -or is too loyal to say so. - -George knows, he is going to Ireland with his sister. - -I can't help thinking it is all a great, a wicked mistake, and I can't -help still thinking it _selfish_. - -George talked about Mrs Housman, at least he just alluded to her having -become a nun, as if it were a fact and quite irrevocable. He said: "Once -the priests get hold of someone they will never let them go, and in this -case it was a regular conspiracy." But somehow or other this did not -seem to me to ring quite true, from _him_, and I felt he was using this -as a shield or a disguise or mask. I said so to Godfrey, but found it -impossible to get any response. He won't talk about it. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, August_ 26_th. Carbis Bay Hotel_. - -I have come down here to spend a week by myself. It is three years ago -since I came here for the first time to stay with Mr and Mrs Housman. - -I hesitated about coming down here again, but I am now glad that I did -so. - -I went to Father Stanway's church this morning and heard him preach. He -is a good preacher, clear and unaffected. He quoted two sayings which -struck me. One was about going away from earthly solace, and the other I -cannot remember well enough to transcribe, but I have written him a post -card asking who said them and where I could find them. - -In the afternoon I went for a walk alone along the cliffs and passed the -place where we began _Les Misérables_. I am re-reading it, not where we -left off, but from the beginning. - -_Monday, August_ 27_th_. - -Father Stanway called this morning while I was out. He has left me the -quotations on a card. - -They are both from Thomas à Kempis. One of them is this: "By so much the -more does a man draw nigh to God as he goes away from all earthly -solace." The other: "Whosoever is not ready to suffer all things and to -stand resigned to the will of his beloved is not worthy to be called a -lover." - -_Tuesday, August_ 28_th_. - -I have resolved to give up keeping this diary. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Passing By, by Maurice Baring - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - -***** This file should be named 42702-8.txt or 42702-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/7/0/42702/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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diff --git a/42702.txt b/42702.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 52bb3db..0000000 --- a/42702.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6454 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Passing By, by Maurice Baring - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Passing By - -Author: Maurice Baring - -Release Date: May 12, 2013 [EBook #42702] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - - - - -PASSING BY - -BY MAURICE BARING - - -LONDON: MARTIN SECKER - -1921 - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908. _Gray's Inn_. - -I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off. They are -leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two -months. They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way. - -_Saturday, December_ 19_th_. - -My Christmas holidays begin. I am spending Christmas with Uncle Arthur -and Aunt Ruth. I have to be back at the office on the first of January. - -_Thursday, January_ 1_st_, 1909. _Gray's Inn_. - -Received a post-card from Mrs Housman, from Cairo. - -_Monday, February_ 2_nd_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman. They are returning to London. - -_Sunday, February_ 8_th_. - -The Housmans return to-morrow. They have been away one month and -twenty-one days. - -_Monday, February_ 9_th_. - -Went to meet the Housmans at the station. They are going straight into -their new house at Campden Hill and are giving a house-warming dinner -next Monday, to which I have been invited. - -_Tuesday, February_ 10_th._ - -Lord Ayton has been made Parliamentary Under-Secretary. I do not know -him but I remain in the office. He is taking me on. - -_Monday, February_ 16_th. Gray's Inn_. - -The Housmans had their house-warming in their new house at Campden Hill. -I was the first to arrive. - -On one of the walls in the drawing-room there is the large portrait of -Mrs Housman by Walter Bell, which I had never seen since it was -exhibited in the New Gallery ten years ago. It was always being lent for -exhibitions when I went to the old house in Inverness Terrace. While I -was looking at this picture Housman joined me and apologised for being -late. He said the portrait of Mrs Housman was Bell's _chef-d'oeuvre_. -He liked it _now._ Then he said: "We are having some music to-night. -Solway is dining with us and will play afterwards. He plays for nothing -here, an old friend; you know him? Miss Singer is coming too. You know -her? She writes. I don't read her." - -At that moment Mrs Housman came in and almost immediately Mr and Mrs -Carrington-Smith were announced. Mr Carrington-Smith is Housman's -partner, an expert in deep-breathing besides being rich. Mrs -Carrington-Smith had lately arrived from Munich. The other guests -were--Miss Housman (Housman's sister), Lady Jarvis, Miss Singer, whom I -was to take in to dinner, a city friend of Mr Housman's, Mr James -Randall, a little man with a silk waistcoat, and, the last to arrive, -Solway. I sat on Mrs Housman's left, next to Miss Singer. -Carrington-Smith sat on Mrs Housmans right; Housman sat at the head of -the table, between Mrs Carrington-Smith and Lady Jarvis. Miss Singer -talked to me earnestly at first. She is writing on the Italian -Renaissance. I told her I was ignorant of the subject, upon which her -earnestness subsided, and she smiled. Then we talked of music, where I -felt more at home. She had been to all Solway's concerts. She is not a -Wagnerite. Just as we were beginning to get on smoothly there was a -shuffle in the conversation and Mrs Housman turned to me. - -I told her we had a new chief at the office--Lord Ayton. - -"We met him in Egypt," she said. "He had been big-game shooting. I had -no idea he was an official." - -I told her he was only a Parliamentary Under-Secretary. At that moment -there was a lull in the general conversation and Housman overheard us. - -"Ayton," he broke in. "A pleasant fellow, not too much money, some fine -things, furniture, at his place, but he won't go far, no grit." - -I asked Mrs Housman what he was like. She said they had made great -friends at Cairo but she did not think they would ever meet again. - -"You know," she said, "these great friends one makes travelling, people, -you know, who are just passing by." - -Miss Singer said he had an old house in Sussex. She had been over it. It -was let; there were some fine old things there. - -"But he won't sell," said Housman. "He's not a man of business." - -Mrs Carrington-Smith said she preferred impressionist pictures, -especially the Danish school. Housman laughed at her and said there was -no money in them. Miss Housman said she had heard from a dealer that -Lord Ayton had a remarkable set of Charles II. chairs and that she -wished he would sell them. Solway took no part in the conversation but -discussed music with Miss Singer. I caught the phrase, "trombones as -good as Baireuth." Mrs Housman asked me whether I had seen Ayton yet. I -told her he had not been to the office. - -"I think you will like him," she said. Then, as an afterthought, "He's -not a musician." - -She asked me whether there were any changes in the staff. I told her -none except for the arrival of a new Private Secretary (unpaid) whom -Lord Ayton is bringing with him, called Cunninghame. She had never heard -of him. We stayed a long time in the dining-room. Housman was proud of -his Madeira and annoyed with us for not drinking enough. Mr Randall said -he was sorry but he never mixed his wines, and he had some more -champagne. Randall, Carrington-Smith and Housman talked of the -international situation. Solway explained to me why portions of the -Ninth Symphony were always played too fast. He was most illuminating. -Then we went upstairs. More guests had arrived. A few people I knew, a -great many I had not seen before, Solway played some Bach preludes and -the Waldstein Sonata. The unmusical went downstairs. There were about a -dozen people left in the drawing-room. - -Afterwards there were some refreshments downstairs. I got away about -half-past twelve. - -_Tuesday, February_ 17_th. Gray's Inn_. - -Our first day under the new regime. The new chief came to the office -to-day. He looks young, and was friendly and unofficial. The new Private -Secretary came too, Mr Guy Cunninghame, an affable young man. He wears a -beautifully tied bow tie. I wonder how it is done and whether it takes a -long time or not. He is well dressed, but when it comes to describing -him he is dressed like anyone else, and yet he gives the impression of -being well dressed. I don't know why. I suppose it is an art like any -other. I could not tie a tie like that to save my life. _Equidem non -invideo magis miror_. - -He seems to have been everywhere, to have read everything and to know -everyone. He is not condescending, he is just naturally agreeable. - -I had to go over to the Foreign Office in the morning to see someone in -the Eastern Department. When I came back Cunninghame told me that a Mrs -Housman had been to see Ayton, about some billet for her brother-in-law. -She talked to him first. Cunninghame said he thought she did not like -coming on such an errand. She then saw A., who said he would do what he -could. He told C. afterwards he was sure he couldn't do anything for the -fellow. C. had never met her nor heard of her, but curiously enough he -said he recognised her from her picture which he had seen, Walter Bell's -picture. I asked him if he had seen it at the New Gallery. He said no, -at a dealer's in America two years ago. - -I asked him if he was sure it was the same picture. He said he was quite -sure. The picture was for sale. - -"One couldn't mistake the picture," he said. "It's the best thing Walter -Bell ever did. His pictures are valuable now he is dead, but there was a -slump in them before he died, or rather, there never was a boom in them. -That one picture attracted a great deal of attention when it was first -exhibited, and then one heard little of him till he died. Now, of -course, his pictures fetch high prices." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to his cousin, Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _February_ 19_th_, 1909. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Since my last letter I have been installed. I am George Ayton's -Secretary. I sit in the office with another man, who was there before -and has been taken on, called Mellor. He is as silent as a deaf-mute and -I have no doubt is the soul of discretion. There isn't much work to do -and Ayton has got a real Secretary of his own who writes shorthand and -typewrites without mistakes and lives in his house. He writes all his -private letters and does all his business for him. He is not supposed to -do official work, but George brings him to the office all the same, and -he has a typewriter in the clerk's room and is always ready to do any -odd job. I find him most useful. He is still more silent than Mellor. I -haven't much to tell you. I have got into my new flat in Halkin Street. -It will be presentable in time. The pictures are up, but not the -curtains. Let us hope they won't be a failure: They were promised last -week but have not yet arrived. If you have time and are passing that way -I wish you would get me from the Bon Marche half-a-dozen coloured -tablecloths. - -George has got a flat in Stratton Street. I dined with him alone last -night. We went to a Music Hall after dinner and heard Harry Lauder. His -sister, Mrs Campion, is in Paris. Perhaps you will see her. Yesterday a -lady came to the office to interview him and saw me first, a Mrs -Housman. Have you ever heard of her? I recognised her at once as the -subject of a picture by Walter Bell. Do you remember a large picture of -a lady in white playing the piano? Such a clever picture. I saw it in -New York at Altheim's shop, but I believe it was exhibited years ago at -the New Gallery. Well, she is far more beautiful than the picture. She -is not really tall, but she looks tall, with a wonderful walk, but I -can't describe her, she makes other people look unreal--like wax-works. -She was dressed anyhow and rather shabbily in black, wearing no gloves -but the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, a kind of double monogram, -probably old French. She came on business. I wonder who she is. She is -not a foreigner and not, I think, an American, but she is, looks and -talks, especially talks, not like an Englishwoman. - -I shall try to come to Paris for Easter. - -Don't forget the tablecloths. - - Yours, - Guy. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 1_st_. - -I dined last night with the Housmans, They were alone except for Solway, -and after dinner we had some music. Solway played the Schumann -Variations and then he asked Mrs Housman to sing. I hadn't heard her for -a long time as she hardly ever will sing now. She sang _Willst du dein -Herz mir schenken_. Solway says the song isn't by Bach really but by his -nephew. Then she sang a song from Purcell's _Dido_, some Schubert; among -others, _Wer nie sein Brot_, and the _Junge Nonne_. Solway said he had -never heard the last better sung. Housman then asked her to sing a song -from _The Merry Widow_, which she did. - -Housman plays himself by ear. - -She did not allude to having been at the office, nor did I. - -_Tuesday, March_ 2_nd_. - -Dined with Cunninghame at his flat last night. A comfortable and -luxurious abode. I asked him if Ayton was likely to marry. He laughed. -He said he had been in love for years, with a Mrs Shamier. I had never -heard of her. Cunninghame said she was clever and accomplished, and had -been very pretty and painted by all the painters. - -He says A. will never marry. I asked him if Mrs Shamier was in London. -He said of course. She has a husband who is in Parliament, and several -children; a country house on the south coast; but they are not -particularly well off. - -"You must come and meet her at dinner," he said. "I am devoted to her." - -I asked him if she was fond of A. - -"Not so much now, but she won't let him go." - -I went away early as C. was going to a party. - -_Wednesday, March_ 3_rd_. - -Went to the British Museum before going to the office, to look up an old -English tune for Mrs Housman from Ford's _Music of Sundry Kinds_ called -_The Doleful Lover_. I found it. - -_Thursday, March_ _4th_. - -Went to Solway's Chamber Music Concert last night. - -Brahms Quintet and a trio by Solway himself. Some Brahms _Lieder_. The -Housmans were there. I thought Solway's trio fine. - -_Friday, March_ 5_th_. - -A. went to the country this afternoon to stay with the Shamiers; so C. -said, but, as a matter of fact, he told me he was going to his own -house. Cunninghame is going away himself to-morrow. He always goes away -on Saturdays, he says. I remain in London. - -_Saturday, March_ 6_th_. - -Went to the London Library and got some books for Sunday: _Thais_, by -Anatole France, recommended to me by C.; a book called _A Human -Document_, recommended me by Mrs Housman. I do not think I shall read -any of them. The only literature I read without difficulty is _The -Times_ and _Jane Eyre_, and _The Times_ doesn't come out on Sunday. - -_Sunday Night, March_ 7_th_. - -Called on the Housmans in the afternoon. She was out. Luncheon at the -Club. Dinner at the Club. I began _A Human Document_, but could not read -more than five pages of it. I couldn't read any of the book by Anatole -France. - -Went to a concert in the afternoon. It was not enjoyable. - -Read _Jane Eyre_. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 8_th_. - - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I meant to write you a long letter yesterday from the country. I went to -stay with the Shamiers. I thought, of course, George would be there. He -didn't come near the office on Friday. He wasn't there and evidently -wasn't even expected. - -Louise in tearing spirits and a new man there called Lavroff, a Russian -philosopher; youngish and talking English better than any of us, except -that he always said "I _have been_ seeing So-and-so to-day," "I _have -been to the concert yesterday_." - -Needless to say, I didn't have a moment to write to you, in fact the -only place where I get time to write you a line is at the office. -Everything is appallingly dull. Mellor, the Secretary, had dinner with -me one night. He spoke a little but not much. I think he is shy but not -stupid. - -George likes being in London, but Louise didn't mention him. It's -curious if after all this fuss and trouble to get this job and to be in -London it all comes to an end. - -The tablecloths have arrived. Thank you a thousand times. They are -exactly what I wanted. The curtains have arrived too but they are a -failure; too bright. I can't afford to get new ones yet. This week I -have got some dinners. George said something about giving a dinner this -week. - -Yours in great haste, - - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 8_th_. - -A. asked me whether if I was free on Thursday I would dine with him. I -said f would be pleased to. He said he would try and get a few people. - -_Tuesday, March_ 9_th_. - -A. has got a Secretary called Tuke. He writes all his private letters -and he comes down to the office in the mornings. This morning he came -and asked me Mrs Housman's address. It is curious that he should have -applied to me and not to C., as I was not here when she called, nor does -A. know that I know her. How can he have known that I know her? - -_Wednesday, March_ 10_th_. - -Dined with Cunninghame last night at his flat. The guests were Mr and -Mrs Shamier, Miss Macdonald, C.'s cousin, M. Lavroff, a Russian, and a -Miss Hope. I sat between the Russian and Miss Macdonald. Miss Macdonald -is an elderly lady, kind and agreeable. Mr Shamier, M.P., was once, I -believe, an athlete, a cricket Blue. Miss Hope looked as if she were in -fancy dress; Lavroff, the Russian, is unkempt, with thick eyebrows and -dark eyes. Tolstoy was mentioned at dinner. Mrs Shamier said he was her -favourite novelist, upon which Lavroff became greatly excited and said -the day would come when, the world would perceive and be ashamed of -itself for perceiving that Tolstoy was not worthy to lick Dostoyevsky's -boots. Being asked my opinion I was obliged to confess that I had read -the works of neither novelist. Miss Macdonald asked me who was my -favourite novelist. I said Charlotte Bronte. She said she shared my -preference and couldn't read Russian books, they depressed her. After -dinner we had some music. Miss Hope sang and accompanied herself. She -sang songs by Faure and Hahn; among others _La Prison_. She altered the -text of the last line, and instead of singing "Qu'as tu fait de ta -jeunesse?" she rendered it--"Qu'as tu fait dans ta jeunesse?": scarcely -an improvement. When she had finished Lavroff was asked to play. He -consented immediately and played some folk songs. Although he is in no -sense a pianist, they were beautifully played. - -_Thursday, March_ 11_th_. - -Had dinner last night with Admiral Bowes in Hyde Park Gardens. The only -people there besides myself were Colonel Hamley and Grayson, who is, -they say, a rising M.P. The Admiral said his nephew, Bowes in the F.O. -(whom I know a little), had become a Roman Catholic. - -"What on earth made him do that?" said Colonel Hamley. - -"Got hold of by the priests," said the Admiral; and they all echoed the -phrase: "Got hold of by the priests" and passed on to other topics. - -I have often wondered what the process of being "got hold of by the -priests" consists of, and where and how it happens. - -_Friday, March_ 12_th_. - -Dined last night with A. at his flat. I was surprised to meet Mr and Mrs -Housman. The hostess was A.'s sister, Mrs Campion. She is a deal older -than he is, a widow and good company. There was also a Mrs Braham, and a -younger man called Clive. He is in a bank and is, I believe, a useful -man in a sailing boat. - -I sat between Mrs Campion and Mrs Housman. - -After dinner A. said to Mrs Housman that, knowing she liked music, he -had provided her with a musical treat. Mrs Braham would sing to us. She -sang, accompanying herself, _The Garden of Sleep, The Silver Ring, -Melisande in the Wood_, and, by special request, _The Little Grey Home -in the West_. There was no other music. - -_Saturday, March_ 13_th._ - -Had tea with the Housmans. They asked me to dinner next Tuesday to meet -A. Mrs Housman says that Mrs Campion is one of the most charming and -amusing people she has ever met. C. is staying in London. This Saturday -A. is going to his house in the country. He has a small house on the -coast near Littlehampton, where he keeps his yacht, but, of course, he -cannot yacht yet. He has a large house in Sussex which is let. - -_Sunday Night, March_ 14_th._ - -Went down to Woking to spend the day with Solway in his cottage. He is -composing a Sonata for piano and violin. He played me the first -movement. He said he thought there was a certain amount of good music -being composed at the present day which nobody was taking notice of, but -which would probably come into its own some day. He said Mrs Housman was -the singer who gave him the most pleasure. He said: "Her singing is -_business-like_. She is divinely musical." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Sunday, March_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been spending a perfect Saturday to Monday in London. I have had -a busy week and was glad to see no one and do nothing all to-day, that -is to say, comparatively no one and nothing, as I went to the play on -Saturday night, and to-day I went to a large luncheon party at Alice's, -who is back at Bruton Street. The news is that the Shamier episode is -over, quite, quite over. There is no doubt about it. She is madly in -love with Lavroff. I don't wonder. He is so intelligent and plays -wonderfully. As for George, I don't think he cares. You will at once ask -if there is no one else. Nobody that I know of. I don't know who he sees -and what he does. He hates going out, and talks every day of giving a -dinner at his flat, but as far as I know he hasn't entertained a cat -yet. - -I dined out every night last week, and gave one dinner at my flat. I -think it was a success. Freda Macdonald, Louise, Lavroff and Eileen -Hope, who sang quite beautifully. I asked Godfrey Mellor, but I really -don't know if I can ask him again to that sort of party as he didn't -utter a word. Freda liked him. But it does ruin a dinner to have a gulf -of silence in the middle of it, especially as when he does talk he can -be quite agreeable. George has gone down to the country. His sister is -here now, but she goes north next week. I believe London bores him to -death and he is longing for the summer and for his yacht. I am sorry you -can tell me nothing of Mrs Housman. I haven't seen or heard anything -more of her. - -Thank you very much for the _langues de chat_. They added to the success -of my dinner. Yours, etc., - -GUY. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 16_th._ - -I asked C. where he got his cigarettes. He said he got them from a -little man who lived _behind_ the Haymarket. Everybody seems to get -their cigarettes and their shirts from a "little man." The little man -apparently never lives in a street but always _behind_ a street. - -My new piano, a Cottage Broadwood, arrived to-day. It is bought on the -three years' system. - -_Tuesday, March_ 17_th._ - -Dined with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur last night, in Eccleston -Square. A large dinner-party: a Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign -Affairs, the French Charge d'Affaires and his wife, the Editor of _The -Whig_ and his wife, Lord and Lady Saint-Edith, Professor Miles, Sir -Herbert Wilmott and Lady Wilmott, Mr Julius K. Lee of the American -Embassy, and Mrs Lovell-Smythies, the novelist. - -As we were all waiting for dinner in the dark library downstairs a Miss -Magdalen Cross came in late, carrying a book in her hand. "This book," -she said to us all, "is well worth reading." It was a German novel by -Sudermann. An old lady who was standing next to her, and who I -afterwards discovered was the widow of the Bishop of Exminster, said: -"You prepared that entry in your cab, dear Magdalen." Miss Cross -blushed. I took her in to dinner. She talked of sculpture, the Chinese -nation, German novels, and Russian music. She has been three times round -the world. She has no liking for most German music and cannot abide -Brahms. She likes Wagner, Chopin, Russian Church music and Spanish -songs. On the other side I had the wife of the French Charge d'Affaires. -She said: "J'adore l'odeur des paquets anglais." Her favourite English -author, she said, was Mrs Humphry Wood. I did not like to ask her if -she meant Mrs Humphry Ward or Mrs Henry Wood. She said the works of this -novelist made her weep. - -When we were left in the dining-room after dinner, Lord Saint-Edith, -Professor Miles and Hallam (of _The Whig_) had a long argument about -some lines in Dante, and this led them to the Baconian theory. Lord -Saint-Edith said he couldn't understand people thinking Bacon had -written Shakespeare's plays. If they said Shakespeare had written the -works of Bacon as a pastime he could understand it. He believed Homer -was written by Homer. The Professor was paradoxical and said he thought -the Odyssey was a forgery. "Tacitus," he said, "was known to be one." - -After dinner upstairs there was tea but no music. Uncle Arthur is -growing very deaf and forgetful and asked me how I was getting on at -Balliol. - -Aunt Ruth told me she had asked my new chief to dinner, but that he had -refused. "Of course," she said, "this is not the kind of house he would -find amusing. But considering how well I knew his father I think it -would be only civil for him to come to one of my Thursday evenings." - -_Wednesday, March_ 17_th._ - -I dined at the Housmans' last night. It was a dinner for A. He was the -guest of the evening. To meet him there were Lady Maria Lyneham, who -must be over seventy; a French lady of imposing presence called, if I -caught the name correctly, the Princesse de Carignan and who, Housman -whispered to me, was a Bourbon, and if she had her rights would be Queen -of France to-day; a secretary from the Italian Embassy; Mr and Mrs -Baines. Mr Baines is an official at the British Museum and is half -French. His wife, he told me, had once been taken for Sarah Bernhardt. -There were several other people: Sir Herbert Simcox, the K.C., and Lady -Simcox, an art critic, a lady journalist and Miss Housman. - -A. sat between Mrs Housman and Lady Simcox. Housman had the Princesse de -Carignan on his right and Lady Maria on his left. I sat between Lady -Maria and Miss Housman. Lady Maria told me she dined out whenever she -could, and asked me to luncheon on Sunday. "Don't come," she said, "if -you mind meeting lions; I like pleasant people. Only I warn you I have -an old-fashioned prejudice for good manners and I always ask their -wives." - -Mr Baines talked beautiful French to the Princesse. Lady Maria told me -she was neither French nor a princess, but the illegitimate daughter of -a Levantine. "But very respectable all the same, I'm afraid," she added. - -After dinner a few people came. Among others, Housman's partner and -Esther Lake, the contralto. She sang (she brought her own accompanist) -some Handel and _Che faro_ and, by request of Mr Housman, Gounod's -_There is a Green Hill._ - -I drove home with A. He told me he had enjoyed himself immensely and he -thought Esther Lake was the finest singer in the world. - -He said Miss Housman was a very clever woman and Housman appeared to be -quite a good sort. - -He said he liked this kind of dinner-party. - -_Thursday, March_ 18_th._ - -The first day there has been a feeling of spring in the air. I went to -St James's Park on the way to the office. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Friday, March_ 19_th._ - -A. asked me to spend Sunday with him in the country. I told him I was -sorry I was engaged to go out to luncheon on Sunday. He said I must come -the week after. - -_Saturday, March_ 20_th._ - -C. said it was a great pity A. did not go out more. He used to go out a -great deal, he said. "I suppose," he added, "it's because he doesn't -wast to meet Mrs Shamier." I said I thought C. had told me he was fond -of her. "Yes," said C, "he was very fond of her, but that is all over -now." - -_Sunday Evening, March_ _21_st. - -I went to St Paul's Cathedral in the morning. Then to luncheon with Lady -Maria in her house in Seymour Place. - -A curious luncheon. There were two actors and their wives, Father Seton, -and Mr Le Roy, who writes detective stories, and his wife, and Sir James -Croker. - -I sat next to Mrs Le Roy, who is, she told me, a Greek. She told me her -husband had written one hundred and ten books, but that she had read -none of them. She said it worried him if she read them. She said it was -a great sacrifice as she doted on detective stories and was told his -were very good. The actors, who were both actor managers, told us about -their forthcoming productions. Mr Vane said there was going to be a real -panther in his next production (a Shakespearean revival). Mr Jones Acre -is producing a play which is translated from the Swedish, and which -deals with the question of a man who has inoculated himself and his -whole family with a fatal disease, in the interests of science. - -Father Seton took a great interest in the stage, and said he considered -the Church and the stage should be close allies. The clergy took far too -little interest in these things. It was a pity, he said, to let the -Romans have the monopoly of that kind of thing. This surprised Mrs Le -Roy, who said she thought he was a Roman Catholic. He laughed and said -Rome would have to capitulate on many points before any idea of -corporate reunion could be entertained. - -Sir James Croker told stories of early days in the Foreign Office and -Lord Palmerston. - -We sat on talking until half-past three. I then went home and read _Jane -Eyre_. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _March_ 25_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I start on Thursday and shall arrive Thursday evening. I have got rooms -at the Ritz. Let us have dinner together Thursday night, and _not_ go to -a play. I shall stay in Paris a week and then go for four days to -Mentone. Then I shall come back to Paris for three days, and then home. -I suppose we shall have to dine at the Embassy one night. George is -going to the country for Easter with his sister. I want a really nice -screen (a small one). You must help me to find one, not too dear. I also -want something for the dining-room, which at present is coo bare. - -I won't write any more now. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, March_ 29_th. Hotel St Romain, Rue St Roch, Paris_ - -Went to a concert at the _Cirque d'Ete_ this afternoon, not a very -interesting programme. A great deal of Wagner, and _L'Apres-midi d'un -Faune_. - -Dined by myself at a Duval. Start for Florence to-morrow morning. - -_Tuesday, March_ 30_th. Villa Fersen, Florence_ - -Arrived this morning before luncheon after an exhausting journey -second-class. In the carriage there was a soldier belonging to the -_Garde Republicaine_. He said he was on duty at the Opera and had he -known I was passing through Paris he could have given me a _billet de -faveur_. - -The Housmans' villa is at the top of a hill on the Bellosguardo side. It -is rather a large house, covered with wistaria, with high windows with -iron bars. It has a large empty _salon_ with a piano. A fine room for -sound. The garden is beautiful. - -_Wednesday, March_ 31_st_. - -I walked down into Florence very early in the morning. I reached the -town before anything was open and met a party of men in shorts and -flannels running back to a hotel. They were Eton masters taking -exercise. I didn't go to any picture galleries, but I walked about the -streets and went into the Duomo, an ugly building inside. I got back for -luncheon. - -Housman said that they must leave cards in the afternoon and take a -drive in the Cascine. They went out in a carriage and pair. I went for a -walk to the Boboli Gardens. At dinner Housman said they had met several -friends, and he is giving a dinner-party on Sunday. - -_Thursday, April_ 1_st_. - -The Housmans took me to luncheon with a banker called Baron Strong. What -the explanation of this title is I do not know. They live in the modern -part of the town. He was a genial host, portly, with long white -whiskers. His wife, the Baroness, an Italian, a distinguished lady. -There were present a Marchese whose real name I was told was -Goldschmidt, and his wife, a retired and talkative English diplomatist, -a Russian lady, an Italian, who talked English, French and Russian with -ease, called Scalchi, Professor Johnston-Wright, who is spending his -holiday here, and a Frenchman. When the latter heard Scalchi talk every -language successively he said to him: "Vous etes une petite tour de -Babel." - -In the afternoon we left cards at several houses and villas and then -went for a drive in the Cascine. Some people called at tea-time, but I -escaped. After dinner Mrs Housman sang some Schumann, _Fruehlingsnacht_, -and the _Dichterliebe._ These songs, she said, suit Florence. - -_Friday, April_ 2_nd_. - -I had a talk with the Italian gardener as far as my Italian permitted me -to. I pointed out a plant, a mauve-coloured plant, I don't know its -name, that seemed to grow in great profusion. He said: "Fiorisce come il -pensiere dell' uomo." More calls in the afternoon, and another drive in -the Cascine. - -Housman has bought a large modern statue representing _The Triumph of -Truth,_ a female figure carrying a torch, with a serpent at her feet. -She is triumphing, I suppose, over the snake. - -_Saturday, April_ 3_rd_. - -We went to see the Easter Saturday ceremony at the Duomo, and then to -luncheon at the Villa Michael Angelo. It belongs to a rich American -called Fisk. There were present besides Mr and Mrs Fisk an English -authoress, a picture connoisseur, Scalchi, an American archaeologist, an -Italian man of letters, and a Miss Sinclair, also an archaeologist. -Housman said afterwards this was the cream of intellectual Florence. - -I sat between two archaeologists. I found their conversation difficult to -follow. - -After luncheon we called on the British Consul's wife, whose day it was. -Then after a drive in the Cascine we went home. - -_Easter Sunday, April_ 4_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass early. Went for a walk with Housman. On the -Ponte Vecchio we met Ayton and his sister, Mrs Campion. Mrs Campion, he -said, had insisted on him taking her to Florence. - -Housman asked them to dinner to-night; they accepted. A great many -people came to tea. - -The dinner-party to-night was quite a large one. Baron and Baroness -Strong, Lord Ayton, Mrs Campion, Mr and Mrs Fisk, Scalchi and the -Marchese and his wife, whom we met lately. I sat between Mrs Campion and -Baron Strong. After dinner Mrs Fisk played Chopin with astonishing -facility, but without any expression. - -A. intends to stay here another fortnight. - -Housman said he received a telegram which will necessitate his meeting -his partner at Genoa. His partner is on the way to the Riviera. He may -have to go to Paris too, but he hopes not, and intends to be back in a -few days if possible. - -_Monday, April_ 5_th._ - -Housman left to-day for Genoa. I went with Mrs Housman to San Marco and -the Accademia in the morning. In the afternoon to the Certosa with Mrs -Housman, A. and Mrs Campion. - -_Tuesday, April_ 6_th._ - -Mrs Campion and A. came to luncheon. Mrs Campion, who is an expert -gardener, told me the names of all the flowers in the garden. They have -not remained in my mind. - -_Wednesday, April_ 7_th_. - -We all spent a morning sight-seeing and had luncheon at a restaurant. In -the afternoon we drove to Fiesole. - -_Thursday, April_ 8_th._ - -Housman is not coming back. He is obliged to go to Paris and he will go -straight to London from there. - -We drove to Fiesole in the morning. Had luncheon with some Italian -friends of Mrs Campion, Count and Countess Alberti. Nobody there except -the host and hostess and their three children. A fine villa and no -garden. Countess Alberti said it was no use having a garden if one lived -here in summer, as everything dried up. She is a charming woman, natural -and unpretentious, and talks English like an Englishwoman. - -She asked A if he had met many people, and A. said he was a tourist and -had no time for visits. Countess Alberti said he was quite right and -that she knew nothing in the world more--_seccante_ was the word she -used, than Florentine society. - -She asked us all to come again next week. I am leaving on Sunday, and -A. and Mrs Campion are going to Paris on Monday. Mrs Housman remains -here another week. - -_Friday, April_ 9_th._ - -Mrs Housman had a headache and did not come down. I went to the town and -did some shopping and went over the Bargello. Mrs Housman came down to -dinner and sang afterwards, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. I had never -heard her sing _O Versenk o versenk dein Leid mein Kind, in die See_ -before. - -_Saturday, April_ 10_th._ - -We went to a great many churches in the morning and saw a number of -frescoes. Mrs Housman received a great many invitations, but refused -them all. A. and Mrs Campion and the Albertis came to dinner. Countess -Alberti persuaded Mrs Housman to sing. She sang some English songs: -_Passing By, Lord Randall_, etc., Gounod's _Chanson de Mai_, and some -Lully. Countess Alberti said it was a comfort to hear singing of which -you could hear every word. A. liked _Passing By_ best, and he made her -sing it twice. He asked me who the words were by. The tune is Edward -Purcell's. The words, although generally attributed to Herrick by -musical publishers, are by an anonymous poet, and occur in Thomas Ford's -_Music of Sundry Kinds_, 1607. They are as follows:-- - - There is a ladye sweet and kind, - Was never face so pleas'd my mind, - I did but see her passing by, - And yet I love her till I die. - - Her gestures, motions, and her smile, - Her wit, her voice my heart beguile, - Beguile my heart, I know not why; - And yet I love her till I die. - -There is also a third stanza. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA BEAU SITE, - MENTONE, - _Thursday, April_ 8_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -It is divine here and this villa is a dream. We went to Monte Carlo -yesterday and I won 300 francs and then lost it again. I saw hundreds of -people, _monde_ and _demi-monde_. Among the latter Celia Russell, having -luncheon with rather a gross-looking shiny financier. I asked who he was -and found out that he was Housman of Housman & Smith. Apparently C.R. -has been living with him for some time, ever since, in fact, L. went to -India. But the interesting thing to me is that Housman is the husband of -that beautiful Mrs Housman I told you about. M. knows them and knows all -about them. Mrs Housman was a Canadian, very poor, with no one to look -after her but an old aunt. He married her about ten years ago. Since -then he has become very rich. Carrington-Smith is now his partner. -Housman supplies the brains. They live somewhere in the suburbs and she -never goes anywhere. - -I am not coming back till next Monday. I shall be able to stop two or -three days in Paris, very likely longer. - - Yours, - G. - - HALKIN STREET, - - _Sunday, May_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have had a busy week since I have been back. Monday I dined with -George at his flat. A man's dinner to meet some French politicians who -are over here for a few days. I told you I was determined to make Mrs -Housman's acquaintance, and I have. I had luncheon on Tuesday with Jimmy -Randall, a city friend of mine. You don't know him. He knows the -Housmans intimately. I told him I wanted to know them and he asked me to -meet them last night. - -We dined at the Carlton, Randall, the Housmans and myself. I think she -is even more beautiful than I thought before. I couldn't take my eyes -off her. She was in black, with one row of very good pearls. I never saw -such eyes. Housman is too awful; sleek, fat and common beyond words, but -sharp as a needle. He has an extraordinary laugh, a high, nasal chuckle, -and says, "Ha! ha! ha!" after every sentence. They have asked me to -dinner next Tuesday. I will write to you about it in detail. Mrs H. is -charming. There is nothing American or Colonial about her, but she is -curiously un-English. I can't understand how she can have married him. I -caught sight of her again this morning at the Oratory, where I always go -if I am in London on Sundays, for the music. Randall told me she is -very musical, but I didn't get any speech with her. - -The flat looks quite transformed with all the Paris things. They are the -greatest success. - - Yours, - G. - - _Wednesday, May_ 12_th._ - - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -The dinner-party came off last night. They live in Campden Hill. I was -early and the parlour-maid said Mrs Housman would be down directly, and -I heard Housman shouting upstairs: "Clare, Clare, guests," but he did -not appear himself. I was shown into a large white and heavily gilded -drawing-room, with a candelabra, a Steinway grand, and light blue satin -and ebony furniture, a good many palms, but no flowers. The drawing-room -opened out on to an Oriental back drawing-room with low divans, small -stools inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and a silver lamp (from a mosque) -hanging from the ceiling, heavy curtains too, behind which I suspect -stained-glass windows. Over the chimney-piece an Alma Tadema (a group on -a marble seat against a violet sea). At the other end of the room Walter -Bell's picture. It _was_ the picture I saw before, but more about that -later. On another wall over a sofa a most extraordinary allegorical -picture: a precipice bridged by a large serpent, and walking on the -serpent two small figures, a woman in white draperies and a knight -dressed like Mephistopheles, all these painted in the crudest colours. -The Housmans then appeared, and Housman did the honours of the pictures, -faintly damned the Alma Tadema, and said the Snake Picture was by Mucius -of Munich in what he called _Moderne_ style. He had picked it up for -nothing; some day it would be worth pots of money. Ha! ha! Then the -guests arrived. Sir Herbert Simcox, K.C., Lady Simcox, dressed in amber -velvet and cairngorms; Housman's sister Miss Sarah, black, and very -large, in yellow satin, with enormous emerald ear-rings; -Carrington-Smith, Housman's partner; Mrs Carrington-Smith, naked except -for a kind of orange and red _Reform Kleid_, with a green complexion, -heavily blacked eyebrows, and a _Lalique_ necklace. Then, making a late -entrance, as if on the stage, a Princesse de Carignan, a fine figure, in -rich and tight black satin and a large black ruff, heavily powdered. -Housman whispered to me that she was a legitimate Bourbon. I think he -meant a Legitimist. We went down to dinner into a dark Gothic panelled -dining-room, with a shiny portrait of Mr Housman set in the panelling -over the chimney-piece. - -I sat between Mrs Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith. I talked to Mrs -Housman most of the time. Mrs Carrington-Smith asked me if I liked Henry -James's books. I said I liked the early ones. She said she preferred the -later ones, but she could never feel quite the same about Henry James -again since he had put her into a book. She was, she said, _Kate_ in -_The Wings of the Dove_. After dinner Housman moved up and sat next to -me. He talked about art and _bric-a-brac_. I asked him if I could -possibly have seen Bell's portrait of Mrs Housman in America. He said, -"Certainly." He had bought it cheap and sold it dear, anticipating a -slump in Bell, which was not slow in coming. He had then bought it back -directly Bell died, anticipating a boom, which had also occurred. "It is -now worth double what I gave for it. Ha! ha! ha!" - -Randall said he liked a picture to tell a plain story and he could make -nothing of the Snake Picture upstairs. Housman laughed loudly and said -it was the oldest story in the world: the man, the woman, and the -serpent. Ha! ha! We went upstairs, where there was a crowd. I was seized -upon by the Princesse de Carignan, and she whispered to me confidential -secrets about Europe. She preened herself and displayed the deportment -of a queen in exile. - -Then we had some music. Esther Lake bawled some Rubinstein, and Ronald -Solway played an interminable sonata by Haydn with variations and all -the repeats. Some of the guests went downstairs, but I was wedged in -between the Princesse and a Mrs Baines, a fluffy, sinuous woman, dressed -in a loose Byzantine robe. Her husband, who is an expert in French -furniture, told me she was once mistaken for _Sarah_, and she has -evidently been living up to the reputation for years. He was careful to -add that it was in the days when Sarah was thin--Mrs Baines being a -wisp. - -After the music, which I thought would never stop, we went downstairs -again for a stand-up supper and sweet champagne. I was introduced by -Housman to Ronald Solway. Housman told him I was a musical connoisseur, -so he bored me with technicalities for twenty minutes. I couldn't get -away. He had no mercy on me. Housman has got a box at the Opera. He told -me I must use it whenever I like. How can she have married that man? - - Yours, - G. - -_Wednesday,_ May 19_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your most amusing letter. I have been busy and not had a -moment to write. We have had a good deal of work to do. Last Friday I -had supper at Romano's after the play. Housman was there with Celia -Russell. I spent Saturday to Monday with the Shamiers. Lavroff was -there. Last night I went to the Opera to the Housmans' box. It was -_Boheme_. During the _entr'acte_ who should come into our box but -George. He stayed there the whole time, talking to Mrs H., and came back -during the next _entr'acte_. - -The next day at the office when I was in his room I said something about -the Housmans and began telling him about my dinner. He froze at once and -said Mrs Housman was an extremely nice woman. I said something about -Housman, and George said: "Oh, not at all a bad fellow." So I saw I was -on dangerous ground. Housman has asked me to spend next Sunday at his -country house, a small villa on the Thames near Staines. I am going. - -They are dining with me on Thursday. I asked George, too, and he -accepted joyfully. - - Yours, - G. - - _Monday, May_ 24_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am just back from the country. But first I must tell you about my -dinner. I had asked the Housmans, George, Eileen Hope, and Madame de -Saint Luce who is staying in London for three weeks. Just before dinner -I got a telegram saying that Mrs Housman was laid up and couldn't -possibly come. Housman arrived by himself. George was evidently -frightfully annoyed and hardly spoke. Madame de Saint Luce was amazed -and rather amused by Housman, and after dinner Eileen sang beautifully, -so it went off fairly well except for George. - -Saturday I went down to Staines. Housman had got an elegant villa on the -river. Very ugly, with red tiles, photogravures, and green wooden chairs -and a conservatory, full of calceolaria. But I must say his food is -delicious. George was there, Lady Jarvis, and Miss Sarah. - -After dinner on Saturday there was a slight fracas. George asked Mrs -Housman to sing. She didn't much want to, but finally said she would. -Miss Sarah, who is a brilliant pianist, said she would accompany her -(she evidently hates being accompanied). She sang a song of Schubert's, -_Gute Nacht_. Miss Sarah played it rather fast. Mrs Housman said it -ought to be slower. Miss Sarah said it was meant to be fast, and that -was her conception of the song in any case. - -Mrs Housman said she couldn't sing it like that, and didn't, and then -she said she couldn't sing at all. Afterwards she did sing some English -ballads and accompanied herself. - -She sings most beautifully, her voice is perfectly produced and you hear -every word. There is nothing throaty or operatic about it but her voice -goes straight through one. George was entranced. Sunday afternoon George -and Mrs H. went out on the river and stayed out all the afternoon. I -spent the afternoon with Lady Jarvis, who is most clever and amusing. -She told me all about the Housmans. Mrs H. is not Canadian but Irish. -She was brought up in a convent in French Canada. Directly she came out -of it her marriage with H., who was then in a Canadian firm, was -arranged by her aunt (her aunt was an imbecile and quite penniless). -They lived several years in Canada, California and other parts of -America, and came to England about three years ago. Housman was -unfaithful from the first. Lady Jarvis knew about Celia Russell. I asked -her if Mrs Housman knew. She said she--Lady Jarvis--didn't know, but it -wouldn't make any difference if Mrs H. did or not. She said: "There is -nothing about Albert Housman that Clare doesn't know." Then she said -that unless I was blind I must of course have seen George was madly in -love with her. - -I said I agreed. She said she thought Mrs Housman was madly in love with -him. I said I wasn't sure. Lady Jarvis said she was quite sure. - -They came back very late from the river and Mrs Housman didn't come -down to dinner. She said she had a headache. We had rather a gloomy -dinner although Miss Sarah and Lady Jarvis never stopped talking for a -moment, but George was silent. - -You know he sees nobody now except the Housmans. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 3_rd. Gray's Inn_. - -A. returned to London a day sooner than he was expected. His Secretary, -Tuke, had not returned. He had left his address with me. He spent his -holiday in the Guest House, Fort Augustus Abbey, a Benedictine -monastery. He returned this morning. A. asked me on Saturday where he -was. When I told him, A. showed great surprise. He said: "He has been -with me six years and I never knew he was an R.C. It's extraordinary -when a thing once turns up, you then meet with it every day. I seem -always to be coming across Catholics now." - -_Tuesday, May_ 4_th._ - -Alfred Riley telegraphed to me to know whether I could put him up -to-night. I have answered in the affirmative, but he will be, I fear, -most uncomfortable. - -_Wednesday, May_ 5_th._ - -Riley arrived last night. He has been in Paris for the last three months -working at the _Bibliotheque Nationale_. He told me he had something of -importance to tell me: that he was seriously thinking of becoming a -Roman Catholic. I was greatly surprised. He was the last person I would -expect to do such a thing. I told him I had no prejudice against Roman -Catholics, but it was very difficult for me to believe that a man of his -intellectual attainments could honestly believe the things he would be -expected to believe. Also, if he needed a Church I did not understand -why he could not be satisfied with the Church of England, which was a -historic Church. He said: "Do you remember when we were at Oxford that -we used to say it would be a great sell if we found out when we were -dead that Christianity was true after all? Well, I believe it is true. I -believe, not in spite of my reason, nor against my reason, nor apart -from my reason, but with my reason. Well, if one believes with one's -reason in the Christian revelation, that is to say, if one believes that -God has uttered Himself fully and uniquely through Christ, such a belief -has certain logical consequences." I said nothing, for indeed I did not -know what to say. Riley laughed and said: "Don't be alarmed; don't think -I am going to hand you a tract. For Heaven's sake let me be able to -speak out at least to one person about this." I begged him to go on, and -he said he thought Catholicism was the only logical consequence of a -belief in the Christian revelation. Anglicanism and all forms of -Protestantism seemed to him like the lopped off branches of a living -tree. - -I asked him what there was to prevent him worshipping in Roman Catholic -churches if he felt inclined that way without sacrificing his -intellectual freedom to their tenets. - -He said: "You talk as if it was ritual I cared for and wanted. One can -be glutted with ritual in the Anglican Church if one wants that." - -As for giving up one's freedom, he said I must agree that law, order and -discipline were the indispensable conditions of freedom. He had never -heard Catholics complain of any loss of freedom, indeed Catholic -philosophy, manners, customs, and even speech, seemed to him much freer -than Protestant or Agnostic philosophy, and what it stood for. He asked -me which I thought was freest, a Sunday in Paris or Rome or a Sunday in -Glasgow or London. - -I suggested his waiting a year. He said perhaps he would. - -_Thursday, May_ 6_th._ - -Riley talked of music, Wagner, _Parsifal._ He quoted some Frenchman who -said that _Parsifal_ was "_moins beau que n'importe quelle Messe Basse -dans n'importe quelle Eglise_." I said that I had never been to a Low -Mass in my life, but that I disliked the music at most High Masses I had -attended. I said I disliked Wagner, especially _Parsifal_. He said he -agreed about Wagner, but I did not understand what the Frenchman had -meant. I confessed I did not. He said: "It is like comparing a -description of something to the reality." I told him that I envied -people who were born Catholics, but I did not think it was a thing you -could become. He said it was not like becoming a Mussulman. He was -simply going back to the older tradition of his country, to what -Melanchthon and Dr Johnson called and what in the Highlands they still -call the Old Religion. I told him that I had once heard a man say, -talking of becoming a Roman Catholic, "if I could tell the first lie, -all the rest would be easy and follow naturally down to scapulars and -Holy Water." - -_Friday, May_ 7_th._ - -Riley left this morning. He has gone back to Paris. He is not going to -take any immediate step. - -_Sunday, May_ 9_th_ - -I went to see Mrs Housman yesterday afternoon. I told her what Riley had -told me. I asked her if she thought people could _become_ Roman -Catholics if they were not born so. She said she wished that she had not -been born a Catholic so as she might have become one. She envied those -who could make the choice. I asked her if she did not consider there was -something unreal about converts. She said she thought English converts -were in a very difficult situation which required the utmost tact. Many -perhaps lacked this tact. She said that in Canada and America, where she -had lived most of her life, the anti-Catholic prejudice as it existed in -England did not exist, at any rate it was not of the same kind. "The -nursery anti-Catholic tradition doesn't exist there." - -She asked me what I had advised Riley to do. I told her I had dissuaded -him from taking such a step and had begged him to wait. She said: "If he -is to become a Catholic there will be a moment when he will not be able -to help it. Faith is a gift. People do not become Catholics under the -influence of people or books, although people and books may sometimes -help or sometimes hinder, but because they are pulled over by an -invisible rope---what we call _Grace_." - -I told her I would find it difficult to believe that a man like Riley -would believe what he would have to believe. She asked me whether I -found it difficult to believe that she accepted the dogmas of the -Church. I said I was convinced she believed what she professed, but that -I thought that born Catholics believed things in a different way than we -did. I did not believe that this could be learnt by converts. - -She said I probably thought that Catholics believed all sorts of things -which they did not believe. Such at least was her experience of English -Protestants, who seemed to imbibe curious traditions in the nursery, on -the subject. - -I asked her if Mr Housman believed in Catholic dogma. She said: "Albert -has been baptized and brought up as a Catholic, but he is an Agnostic. -He is very charitable towards Catholic institutions." - -She asked me more about Riley and whether he had any Catholic friends. I -said: "Not to my knowledge." "Poor man, I am afraid he will be very -lonely," she said. - -She said that she herself knew hardly any Catholics in England, that is -to say she had no real Catholic friends, and that she felt as if she -were living in perpetual exile. - -"You see," she said, "your friend ought to realise that he will have to -face the prejudice and the dislike not only of narrow-minded people but -of very nice intelligent and broad-minded people, who agree with you -about almost everything else. The Church has always been hated from the -beginning, and it always will be hated. In the past it was people like -Marcus Aurelius who carried out the worst persecutions and hated the -Church most bitterly with the very best intentions, and it is in a -different way just the same now." - -I said that to me it was an impossible mental gymnastic to think that -Catholicism was the same thing as early Christianity. - -She said: "Because the tree has grown so big you think it is not the -same plant, but it is. When I go to Mass I feel as if I were looking -through the wrong end of a telescope right back into the catacombs and -farther." - -I told her Riley would take no decisive step. He had promised to wait. -She said there was no harm in that. There were many other things I -wished to ask her, but A. arrived, and after talking on various topics -for a few moments I left. - -_Monday, May_ 10_th._ - -A. told me he had been invited to dinner by Aunt Ruth next Thursday and -that he was going. He asked me whether I was invited. I said I was -invited. - -_Tuesday, May_ 11_th._ - -Cunninghame said he was dining at the Housmans' to-night. - -_Wednesday, May_ 12_th._ - -I asked C. whether he had enjoyed his dinner. He said it was very -pleasant, but that the music was too classical for his taste. A. was not -there. - -_Thursday, May_ 13_th._ - -I dined last night with A. in his flat. Nobody but ourselves. A. played -the pianola after dinner. He said I must come and stay with him in the -country soon. He would try and get the Housmans to come too. - -_Friday, May_ 14_th._ - -A. dined with Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth. So did I. It was a dinner for -the American Ambassador. I sat next to a Miss Audrey Bax, a lady of -decided views and picturesque appearance. She talked about Joan of Arc, -and asked me whether I had read Anatole France's book about her. I said -I had not, but I had read an English translation of Joan of Arc's trial -which I thought one of the most impressive records I had ever read. She -said: "Ah, you like the stained-glass-window point of view about those -sort of people." I was rather nettled and said I preferred facts to -fiction. I thought Joan of Arc as she appeared in her trial was a very -sensible as well as being a very remarkable person. She had not read -this. She said Anatole France told one all one wanted to know from a -rational point of view. It was a comfort to read common-sense about this -sort of hallucinated people. A man who was sitting opposite her joined -eagerly in the conversation, and said that the two people in the whole -of history who had made the finest defence when tried were Mary Queen -of Scots and Joan of Arc. Miss Bax said she supposed he looked upon Mary -Queen of Scots as a martyred saint. The other man, whose name I found -out afterwards was Ashfield, an American who is now at the American -Embassy, said that he regarded Mary Queen of Scots as a woman who was -tried for her life and who had defended herself without lawyers without -making a single mistake under the most difficult circumstances. He said -he had been a lawyer, and spoke from a lawyer's point of view. Miss Bax -went back to Joan of Arc and Anatole France and said his book was as -important a work as Renan's _Vie de Jesus_. Mr Ashfield said he thought -that work no improvement on the Gospel. I said I had not read it. Miss -Bax again said that if we preferred sentimental traditions we were at -liberty to do so. She preferred rational writers untainted by -superstition. Ashfield said he regarded Renan as a sentimental writer. -Miss Bax said: "No doubt you prefer Dean Farrar." Ashfield said he did -not think Renan's book was a more successful attempt to rewrite the -Gospels than Dean Farrar's although it was better written. She said that -proved her point, and as she seemed satisfied, we talked of other -things. But throughout her conversation she struck me for a professed -free-thinker to be singularly dogmatic and sometimes almost fanatical. - -_Saturday, May_ 15_th._ - -Spent the afternoon and evening with Solway at Woking but came back -after dinner. - -_Sunday, May_ 16_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon, but she was not at home. This -is the first time she has not been at home on Sunday afternoons for a -very long time. - -_Monday, May_ 17_th_. - -A. said he was going to the opera to-night. Housman, whom he had seen -yesterday, had told him it would be a very fine performance. - -_Tuesday, May_ 18_th._ - -Went to the opera in the gallery. Some fine singing. Cunninghame had -been in the Housmans' box. - -_Wednesday, May_ 19_th._ - -Was going to dine with the Housmans to-night, but Mrs Housman is unwell. - -_Thursday, May_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis has asked me to stay with her Sunday week. - -_Friday, May_ 21st. - -This morning a man called Barnes came to the office. He is an -acquaintance of Cunninghame's; he is in the F.O. He talked of various -things, and then he asked Cunninghame whether he knew Mrs Housman. He -said she was playing fast and loose with A.'s affections. She was doing -it, of course, to convert him. Catholics didn't mind how immoral they -were in such a cause. He said that she was well known for it. She had -refused to marry Housman till he had been converted. He had been so much -in love with her that he could not refuse. I said that I happened to -know that Housman had been baptized a Catholic when he was born. -Cunninghame bore me out and said it was all nonsense about A. He was -sure Catholicism had nothing to do with it. He knew Mrs Housman quite -well and she had never mentioned it to him. Barnes said we could say -what we liked, but all London was talking of A.'s unfortunate passion -and Mrs H.'s behaviour. - -"One sees them everywhere together," he said. - -C. said: "Where?" - -Barnes said: "Oh, at all the restaurants and at the opera." - -Cunninghame said he had expected Mrs Housman to dinner, but she had been -unable to come. - -_Saturday, May_ 22_nd_. - -Called on Mrs Housman to inquire. They have gone to the country until -Monday. - -_Monday, May_ 24_th._ - -I had luncheon with A. to-day at his flat. He said he had been staying -with the Housmans at their house on the Thames. He said he had put his -foot in it. On Saturday night at dinner they were talking about Ireland, -and he said he had no wish to go to a country full of priests. Mrs -Housman told him, laughing, she was a Catholic. He asked me if I had -known this. I told him I had always known it. He asked me whether she -was very devout. I said I knew she always went to Mass on Sundays, that -she had never mentioned the subject to me except once when I asked her a -question with reference to a friend of mine. He asked me whether Housman -was a Catholic too. I told him what I knew. - -_Tuesday, May_ 25_th._ - -Went to the opera, in the Housmans' box. Housman and Cunninghame were -there. Mrs Housman did not come. A. looked in during the _entr'acte_. - -_Wednesday, May_ 26_th._ - -A. gave a dinner at his Club. All politicians except myself and -Cunninghame. - -_Thursday, May_ 27_th._ - -Tuke asked me to take a ticket for a concert at Hammersmith at which his -sister is performing on the piano. I have done so. - -_Friday, May_ 28_th._ - -Luncheon with A. at his Club. He is staying with Lady Jarvis on -Saturday. The Housmans, he said, will be there. Cunninghame is going -also. A. told me Mrs Housman has not been well lately. I said I thought -she did too much. He asked me in what sort of way. I said she attended -to a great many charities and that as Housman entertained a great deal I -thought it tired her. Mrs Housman had told him I was very musical. He -asked me if I played any instrument. I said none except the penny -whistle. He asked me if I did not think Mrs Housman a very fine singer. -I said I did. He also said that he supposed she knew a lot of priests. I -said I had never met one in her house. - -_Sunday, May_ 30_th. Rosedale, Surrey._ - -I arrived rather late last night. Besides the guests I knew I was to -meet, was a Frenchman, M. Raphael Luc, and a Mrs Vaughan. After dinner -we had some music. M. Luc sang several French songs, by Lully, and -others that I had heard Mrs Housman sing. His singing was greatly -appreciated and applauded, and it is, I confess, as far as it goes, -perfection itself, as regards quality, taste and art, but I could not -help thinking the whole time that it would be impossible for him to -interpret Schubert. - -This morning I sat in the garden and read the newspapers. Mrs Housman -drove to Church which was some distance off. - -Mr Winchester Hill, the novelist, arrived for luncheon and brought with -him Miss Ella Dasent, the actress. At the end of the meal she gave us -some vivid impersonations of contemporary actors and actresses. - -We sat talking for some time in the verandah. Then Lady Jarvis took -Housman to show him the garden, and Cunninghame walked away with Mrs -Vaughan and M. Luc. - -Miss Housman, Mr Hill, Miss Dasent, and myself remained on long chairs -underneath a large tree. Miss Dasent and Mr Hill discussed at great -length a play that he is adapting for her from one of his novels. The -story seemed to me absurd--it was something about an Italian nobleman -strangling his wife's lover with a silk handkerchief. - -Towards five we had tea and after tea Mrs Vaughan took me for a stroll -round the garden. - -I found her a well-read woman who has lived a great deal in Paris and is -familiar with the Bohemian world in more than one continent. - -At dinner I sat between Mrs Housman and Cunninghame. Mrs Housman said -that Luc's singing made one despair, and she felt she could never sing -again after hearing him. I told her I doubted if he could interpret -German music. She was annoyed with me and said I was missing the point, -and that the songs he sang were exquisite. - -We sat in the verandah after dinner, while Luc sang to us from the -drawing-room. He sang Faure's settings to Verlaine's words. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, May_ 21_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale, where I have been staying with Lady -Jarvis. It is an old Tudor house that was bodily transported from the -west of England. I believe it is quite genuine, but it looks unreal and -the rooms are like show rooms at a second-hand dealer's. The garden is -quite beautiful. We had a most amusing party. Jane Vaughan (looking very -pretty), Raphael Luc, George, the Housmans. Raphael sang both nights -quite divinely after dinner. On Saturday night we all sat in the big -downstairs room, but after he had sung two songs Mrs Housman went out on -the verandah. She is so musical that one could see it was more than she -could bear. I am certain she felt she was going to cry. Sunday morning I -had a long talk with Lady Jarvis. She told me Mrs Housman is a very -strict and devout Catholic. We both agreed that there is no doubt that -George is very much in love with her. She thinks she _is_ in love with -him. I am still not sure Lady Jarvis is right about her. I sat next to -her (Mrs H.) at dinner on Saturday night, and George was on her other -side. She was perfectly natural, but I thought miles _away_. During the -whole time we were there she didn't pay much attention to him and she -didn't avoid him. She went to church by herself on Sunday morning and -stayed in all the afternoon. I think she likes him, but nothing more -than that. - -Godfrey Mellor, the silent Secretary, is devoted to her too. The other -morning at the office a man came to see us and said all sorts of most -absurdly silly things about Mrs H. I could see he was furious. He has -known the Housmans quite a long time. - -More people came down to luncheon on Sunday, but nobody interesting. -George says he will be able to yacht now. I think Mrs H. is delightful. -I like her more and more. I have been to the opera twice, to a good many -dinners, and some balls. There may be a chance of Paris for a few days -later. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 31_st_. - -I travelled back from Rosedale with A. He asked me if I was fond of -yachting. I said I was a moderate sailor. He asked me to go next -Saturday to his house near Littlehampton. His sister is going to be -there, and perhaps the Housmans. Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, June_ 1_st._ - -There is going to be a large concert at the Albert Hall for the -Albemarle Relief Fund. Tuke brought the programme and placed it on my -table this morning. Esther Lake is singing, and the Housmans and A. are -among the patrons. Dined with A. at his Club. He told me he thought Mrs -Housman was far from well. He said what she wants is sea air. - -_Wednesday, June_ 2_nd_. - -Cunninghame told me he had dined at the Housmans' last night. He said -there was no one there but himself and Carrington-Smith. He said Mrs -Housman talks of going away soon. London tires her. Dined at the Club. - -_Thursday, June_ 3_rd_. - -I have just come back from a dinner-party at Aunt Ruth's. A great many -diplomats and politicians. I sat between Thornton-Davis, who is at the -F.O. now, and Mrs Vernon, who is French and a Legitimist and talks of -the Place de la Concorde as the _Place Louis XV_. Aunt Ruth said she -heard A. was doing very well and spoke well in the House. It's a pity, -she said, that he is such a Tory. - -_Friday, June_ 4_th._ - -Went this afternoon to the concert at the Albert Hall for the Relief -Fund in the Housmans' box. Miss Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith were -there, but neither Mrs nor Mr Housman. Miss Housman says that Mrs -Housman has not been well lately. She said she goes out far too much. I -enjoyed nothing in the programme. Dined at the Club. - -_Saturday, June_ 5_th._ - -A. told me he expected me at Littlehampton, but that I would find it -dull, as he had no party. - -_Sunday, June_ 6_th. Littlehampton_. - -A. has a nice and comfortable little house. His yacht, a small cutter -with room for two to sleep on board, is here. He took Mrs Campion and -myself out this morning. There was what is called a nice breeze. I -cannot say I enjoyed it very much. He told me that he had asked the -Housmans, but they could not come, Mrs Housman is going to Cornwall soon -for the rest of the summer. She has not been well, and the doctors told -her she must leave London. A. said he would miss them very much. He -liked them both exceedingly, and he thought Miss Sarah was such a good -sort. A. said the truth was that Mrs H. worked herself to death over -charities and things like that. He was sure the priests were greatly to -blame for this. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, June_ 7_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -There's not the slightest chance of my coming over to Paris now. I am -not going to Ascot at all this year. The Housmans thought of taking a -house for Ascot week, but she has not been well, and they are staying -out of London till they go down to Cornwall. They have taken a house -somewhere near the Lizard, and when she goes she will stay the whole -summer. - -Both George and poor little Mellor are in low spirits. I had a very nice -letter from Mrs H. asking me to go down there in August and to stay as -long as I liked. - -Housman has lent me his box for the whole of Ascot week. There is such a -rush that I haven't time to write properly to you. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Friday, June_ 18_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have spent the most perfect Ascot week in London. I have enjoyed every -moment of it. I went to the opera every night in the Housmans' box, -which besides being fun was most convenient as I was able to ask people -who had done things for me. I dined on Saturday with Jimmy Randall, who -had been at Ascot all the week. He says that Housman has fallen -violently in love with a Mrs Rachel Park. You may possibly have heard of -her. She used to sing at concerts under the name of Rose Sinclair. She -was quite beautiful, with enormous eyes and flaming hair, but quite -brainless and quite unmusical. She married a barrister who is now Park, -K.C. He works like a slave, but she spends money more quickly than he -can make it. This explains the Cornwall arrangement. Jimmy R. says that -H. has violent scenes with Celia R. and that the end of that idyll is -only a question of hours. He says Mrs P. will lead him a dance. She is -mercenary, stupid, common and a real harpy. Poor "Bert," as Jimmy -Randall calls Housman. He is so good-natured. And poor Mrs H.! Mellor -hardly speaks at all now, and George doesn't say much. He goes nowhere, -but talks of yachting on the west coast during the summer. - - Yours, - G. - -_P.S_.--Just got your telegram. I am delighted you are coming to London. -I particularly wanted you to meet Mrs Housman--and "Bert." You must -come. And now I shall just be able to manage this if you will dine with -me on Monday night. She leaves for Cornwall on Tuesday morning. I've -asked George too. He stays in London till Parliament is over, and then -he is going away and I shall be free. How much leave will Jack get? -Three weeks at least, I hope. The Shamiers want you to stay with them -Sunday week, and Lady Jarvis wants you to go down there. If you don't -want to stay there, we might go down for luncheon one day. I shall be in -London till the end of July. Then I am going to Worsel for a fortnight. -The Housmans have asked me to go to Cornwall, and I shall try and fit -that in between Worsel and the Shamiers. They have been lent a lodge in -Scotland and have asked me to go there in September. I have promised to -stay a few days at Edith's as well. - -There is a parcel for me at the Embassy. It is too big for the bag. -Could you bring it with you? - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, June_ 10_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame last night to meet his cousin, Mrs Caryl. She is -the wife of a diplomat who is Second Secretary at Paris. A pleasant -dinner. The Housmans were there, and A. and his sister. - -_Friday, June_ 25_th._. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman to-day. She says the change of air is -doing her good. She hopes I will come to Cornwall some time during my -holiday. - -_Monday, July_ 5_th._ - -Dined with Housman last night. Miss Housman was there, and the -Carrington-Smiths, and a Mrs Park who used to be a professional singer. -She sang after dinner. Miss Housman accompanied her. She sang Tosti's -_Ninon_, some Lassen, some Bemberg, a song by Lord Henry Somerset, and -E. Purcell's _Passing By_. Miss Housman said it was a comfort to -accompany someone who had a sense of time. She has a powerful voice and -has been well trained, but _Passing By_ did not suit her style of -singing, and I regretted that she had attempted that song. She was not -always in tune. - -Housman enjoyed it, and accompanied her himself afterwards in some coon -songs which he played by ear. - -Housman asked me to stay with them for the whole of August. He said he -was very anxious that I should go, as he would not be able to be much in -Cornwall and he was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. He asked -Cunninghame also. I accepted. - -A. spends all his spare time now on his yacht. I am going to stay with -him next Saturday. - -_Monday, July_ 12_th._ - -A. is going to the Cowes Regatta. He asked me to go with him, but I am -leaving on the 1st of August for Cornwall. - -_Sunday, August_ 1_st. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay, Cornwall_. - -I arrived here last night. A pleasant spot near the sea and not far from -a golf links. Mrs Housman and Housman are here alone. Housman is greatly -perturbed because Mrs Carrington-Smith is bringing a divorce suit -against her husband for infidelity. The other person concerned is Miss -Hope, whom I met at dinner one night at Cunninghame's flat. Housman says -that Miss Hope is neurotic and unhinged. Mrs Housman has never met Miss -Hope. - -Housman said he hoped I would be able to stay on here, as he would not -be able to spend much time in Cornwall. Carrington-Smith was so greatly -upset by this wretched business that he could not attend to the affairs -of the firm. He was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. Lady Jarvis had -promised to come later, and Cunninghame also, but he did not know when. -Miss Housman had been obliged to go to Vichy to take the waters. -Housman played golf in the afternoon with a member of the Club. I am not -a golf player, unfortunately. I told him that Cunninghame was an -admirable player. - -_Monday, August_ 2_nd_. - -Housman has been telegraphed for and left this morning. In the afternoon -we went for a long drive and had tea in a farm-house. The climate is -warm and agreeable. - -_Tuesday, August_ 3_rd_. - -Bathed in the sea this morning and went for a long walk in the afternoon -with Mrs H. After dinner she tried some new songs by Tchaikovsky. We did -not care for them much and fell back on Schubert. Schubert is her -favourite composer. She sang the _Gruppe aus Tartarus_. - -_Wednesday, August_ 4_th._ - -We went for an expedition to the Lizard. Mrs Housman told me that when -she was a girl she had much wanted to become a professional singer, and -that she was studying for the Concert Stage when she met Housman. - -_Thursday, August_ 5_th._ - -We sat on the beach all the afternoon. It was extremely hot and -enjoyable. Mrs Housman read _Consuelo_, by George Sand, aloud. She reads -French with great purity of accent. - -Father Stanway, the local priest, came to dinner, a cheerful man with a -venerable appearance. When we were left alone, after dinner, talking of -men in public offices, he said he knew Bowes, in the Foreign Office, who -had spent his Easter holidays here. I asked him whether he thought -converts of that description made satisfactory Catholics. He said he -thought Bowes would be an admirable Catholic. I said I thought it must -be very difficult for a man of his upbringing, as Bowes had been brought -up in a rigid Church of England family, and his father often wrote to -_The Times_, condemning ritualistic practices and innovations. Father -Stanway said it was not so complicated as I thought. There were only -three things indispensable to a man if he wished to become a Catholic: -To believe in God, to follow his conscience, to love his neighbour as -himself. If he did that all the rest was easy. He said he admired Bowes -greatly for taking the step. - -_Friday, August_ 6_th._ - -We went to the Land's End, where there were a great many tourists. Mrs -Housman continues to read out loud _Consuelo_ in the afternoons and -evenings. It is an interesting book, but I prefer _Jane Eyre_. - -_Saturday, August_ 7_th._ - -I received a letter from Riley this morning. He has been in London -nearly a month, and was there a fortnight before I left, but he did not -come to see me for the following reason. He has taken the step and has -been received into the Roman Catholic Church, and he says his first -intention was not to tell anyone of his conversion. He did not come to -see me because he knew he would not be able to help discussing it. He is -no longer making a secret of it now. He found this too difficult. Two or -three days after he had been received he happened to be dining out and -it was a Friday. His hostess said to him, in the course of conversation: -"You are not a Catholic, are you?" He resolved then and there to keep it -secret no longer. - -He tells me in his letter, "Your philosophy of the first lie is quite -right. Only I regard what you call the first lie as the _first Truth_. -Once this is so, all the rest follows." He says that after he left me in -Gray's Inn in May he resolved to put the matter from him for a time and -not to think about it. He went back to Paris and pursued his research. -One morning he woke up and felt he could not delay another moment. He -took the train for London the next day, where he intended to go soon in -any case for his holiday, and the day after his arrival he called at the -Brompton Oratory and asked to see a priest, as he knew no priests. He -sat in a small waiting-room downstairs, and presently an elderly priest, -Father X., arrived and asked him what he could do for him. He told him -he wished for instruction prior to becoming a Catholic. He called the -next day. Father X. told him after they had talked for some time that he -did not think he would need much instruction. But he continued to see -him for the next three weeks. He was then received. He says that what -seemed before a step of great difficulty now appeared quite -extraordinarily simple, and he cannot conceive why he did not take it a -long time ago. - -_Sunday, August_ 8_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass. I sat in the garden; when she returned from -Mass I told her about Riley. She asked me how old he was. I said I -thought he was about thirty-five. I told her he was a brilliant scholar, -and had taken high honours at Oxford. He had a post at the Liverpool -University. She said she had felt certain he would come into the Church. - -Lady Jarvis is coming here next week. - -_Monday, August_ 9_th_. - -We spent the whole day on the beach, reading aloud. Housman has written -to say that Mrs Carrington-Smith will insist on bringing their affairs -into court. Carrington-Smith is much worried. Mrs Housman says that Mrs -Carrington-Smith is an absurd woman. - -_Tuesday, August_ 10_th._ - -We spent the morning at St Ives, shopping. I bought _The Pickwick -Papers_ and an old silver teapot. We sat on the beach in the afternoon, -reading _Consuelo._ After dinner Mrs Housman sang a beautiful -French-Canadian song. - -_Wednesday, August_ 11_th._ - -Just as we were sitting down to luncheon A. walked into the room; he had -sailed here from Cowes in his yacht, which is anchored in the bay. He -could not stay to luncheon as he was lunching at the Golf Club with a -friend. Mrs Housman asked him to dinner. He accepted. He said he had -spent a most enjoyable week at Cowes in his yacht, but had not won any -races. His sister had been with him, only as she is a bad sailor she had -not enjoyed the sailing as much as he would have liked. Cunninghame has -been at Cowes for three days on board a Mr Venderling's steam yacht (an -American). A. says that he intends to spend some time here cruising -about the coast. - -_Thursday, August_ 12_th._ - -Lady Jarvis arrived this morning. She says she thinks that if Mrs -Carrington-Smith goes into court she will get a divorce. She has -substantial evidence. Carrington-Smith is most uneasy. - -A. came to luncheon and proposed that we should all go for a sail in the -afternoon together. Lady Jarvis and I declined, as we are both moderate -sailors. Mrs Housman went with him. They came back at six and she said -she had enjoyed it immensely. - -_Friday, August_ 13_th_. - -Mrs Housman received a telegram from Housman this morning, telling her -she must ask A. to stay here in the house. She had written to tell -him--Housman--A. was here. A. came to luncheon and Mrs Housman invited -him to stay. He said he would be pleased to do so for a few days, but -that he is due in his yacht early next week at Plymouth. Mrs Housman has -received a letter from Cunninghame, asking whether it would be -convenient for him to come next week. She has telegraphed to him that -she would be glad to receive him. - -_Saturday, August_ 14_th._ - -The weather was so beautiful and the sea was so smooth that we were all -persuaded to go on board the yacht, where we had luncheon. We went for -a short sail in the afternoon. Although I did not feel ill I cannot say -I enjoyed it, I prefer the dry land. Lady Jarvis said she enjoyed it -greatly, although she is a bad sailor as a rule. Mrs Housman is an -excellent sailor. - -_Sunday, August_ 15_th._ - -I am finishing _Consuelo_ by myself as we are not able to read aloud any -more. We all went for a drive in two carriages in the afternoon through -disused mines, and had tea in a farm-house. - -A. says he is enjoying his holiday immensely. - -Cunninghame arrives here to-morrow. We had some music in the evening. -A.'s favourite composer is Sullivan, but his favourite song is -Offenbach's _Chanson de Fortunio_, which Mrs Housman sang to-night. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, - CARBIS BAY, CORNWALL, - _Tuesday, August_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I arrived here from Worsel last night, and found Mrs Housman, Lady -Jarvis, George, who sailed here in his yacht from Cowes, and Godfrey -Mellor. It is the most delicious place. A blue sea with pink and purple -streaks in it, and a soft west wind, and wonderful sand beaches, thick -with people. It is the height of the season. The Housmans have got a -comfortable little house near a golf links. Housman has had to go to -London to see his partner, Carrington-Smith, who has been threatened -with divorce by his wife, who accuses him of infidelity with--who do you -think?--Eileen Hope. "Bert" is by way of coming down here on Saturday. -George is radiantly happy. I don't think she's thinking about him. He -wanted us all to go out in his yacht this afternoon, but as it was -blowing half a gale Mrs Housman was the only one who faced the elements. -She is a passionately good sailor and the rougher it is the more she -enjoys it. I played golf with a General York who lives here. Godfrey -Mellor doesn't play, which is tiresome. We are having the greatest fun. -Lady Jarvis is in the most splendid form. She told us some killing -stories about Mrs Carrington-Smith. She says that the whole of last year -she would only eat raw roots and uncooked fruit because she says in a -former existence she was a priestess of I sis, and that was the rule. -Lady Jarvis pointed out to her that she is not a priestess of I sis now, -but she said that if she ate meat it would spoil her chance of serving -Isis again in her next existence. She said, too, that it would displease -the elementals. Mrs Housman seems perfectly happy and cheerful. Mellor -is depressed, but I am terribly sorry for him. I feel he was having -such a divine time here before we all came. - - - GREY FARM, - _Monday, August_ 23_rd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -"Bert" came down on Saturday night, but went away this morning. He is -completely upset about Carrington-Smith, who says his wife is bent on -divorcing him. Now that he is gone one can laugh, but while he was there -we simply didn't dare. Eileen was apparently a most imprudent -correspondent. Housman says she will win her case without any doubt if -she brings it into court. I played golf with him all Sunday. - -We had great fun after dinner last night. Mrs Housman sang songs out of -the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and some Offenbach, too, the _Chanson -de Fortunio,_ too beautifully. George _is_ desperately in love--but I -still don't think _she_ is. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Tuesday, August_ 24_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am going to stay another week as Edith can't have me yet. George was -leaving to-day, as he has got to be at Plymouth for a regatta somewhere, -but he has put off going till to-morrow because of the weather. - -I am enjoying myself immensely. I have got to like Godfrey Mellor very -much. I went for a long walk with him one afternoon. When one gets him -quite alone like that he talks quite a lot and is delightful. - -Mrs Carrington-Smith _is_ going to insist on divorce. - -I am going to the Shamiers' on the 1st of October. I told you they have -been lent a lodge in Scotland on the coast. - - Yours etc., - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, August_ 16_th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay._ - -Cunninghame arrived late in the evening. We talked at dinner a great -deal about the likelihood of the Carrington-Smith divorce. We discussed -divorce in general. Mrs Housman was of course against divorce, but she -said that the rules of the Church were terribly hard on the individual -in many cases. She said: "We are allowed to separate." - -_Tuesday, August_ 17_th._ - -We all went for an expedition to the Land's End. - -_Wednesday, August_ 18_th_. - -We all bathed in the morning. Mrs Carrington-Smith has refused to relent -in spite of Housman's attempts at mediation--apparently she found some -letters addressed by Miss Hope to her husband and Miss Hope was an -imprudent correspondent. Lady Jarvis and I wondered why people kept -letters, especially when they were compromising. Mrs Housman said she -quite understood this. She never could bring herself to burn old -letters, although she never looked at them. - -_Thursday, August_ 19_th._ - -We had luncheon on board the yacht, but after luncheon we left A. on -board and went for a walk on the cliffs. - -_Friday, August_ 20_th._ - -I went for a walk with Cunninghame in the afternoon. He talked a great -deal about A. He said he ought to marry. He said he thought Mrs Housman -was one of the nicest people he had ever met in his life. - -_Saturday, August_ 21_st_. - -Housman arrived in the evening. It poured with rain all day, so we sat -indoors. Lady Jarvis played patience. Mrs Housman played some old songs -she found in the house. There is nothing, I think, more melancholy than -old or, rather, old-fashioned music. - -_Sunday, August_ 22_nd_. - -Housman announced his intention of going to Mass with Mrs Housman this -morning. He said he always did so at the seaside, he thought it right to -support poor Missions. Housman said at luncheon that Father Stanway had -preached an excellent sermon. He had said in his sermon that man was a -ridiculous animal, and that every time we slip on a piece of orange-peel -or sit down on a hat by mistake, we should give thanks for the Grace of -God that is teaching us humility. In the afternoon Cunninghame and -Housman played golf. Housman lost. He says Cunninghame is a very fine -player. - -_Monday, August_ 23_rd_. - -Housman left for London this morning. A. leaves to-morrow for Plymouth, -but the weather is still very unsettled and it has been blowing hard, -and I wonder whether he will be able to start. - -Last night after dinner Mrs Housman suggested reading aloud. A. asked -her to read some stories by an American called O. Henry, whose works -have not been published in England, and whom I had never heard of. A. -has travelled in America. Mrs Housman did so. She said she thought we -would find them difficult to understand as we did not know America. We -did, that is to say, Cunninghame and myself. But A. was greatly amused, -and Lady Jarvis said she thought they were clever. - -_Tuesday, August_ 24_th._ - -It is still blowing hard and A. has put off going to Plymouth -altogether, as he would not get there in time for the regatta. -Cunninghame and A. played golf to-day with a retired Indian General, who -lives in a house about three miles from here. His name is York. They -brought him back to tea, a brisk, direct man. He said something about -his wife and Mrs Housman asked if she might call on her. General York -said they would be delighted. - -More O. Henry was read out in the evening. I prefer Mrs Housman's -readings in French literature. A. enjoyed it immensely. - -_Wednesday, August_ 25_th._ - -Mrs Housman called on Mrs York this afternoon. Mrs York greeted her with -the words: "This is very unusual." Mrs Housman did not understand what -was unusual. Mrs York said she did not recollect having called. She was -the oldest inhabitant and had discovered the place. Mrs Housman -apologised. She has asked the General and Mrs York to luncheon on -Sunday. - -_Thursday, August_ 26_th._ - -Cunninghame played golf with the General. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis in the afternoon. She talked of a great many things; of music -and musical education abroad. She considers Mrs Housman a fine artist. -She talked of A., of his work and mine and my prospects for the future. -I told her I enjoyed routine work and had no ambition to do anything -else. She talked of marriage. She said A. ought certainly to marry soon -as he would be very lonely otherwise. His sister, Mrs Campion, could not -look after him, as she had her own children to look after. Her eldest -daughter would soon be out. She asked me whether I had ever thought of -marrying. She is a most intelligent and agreeable woman. - -_Friday, August_ 27_th._ - -A. was obliged to go to Penzance to-day for the day. We all went for a -walk in the afternoon. It is finer and quite warm, but the sea is still -very rough. Mrs Housman received a letter from Mrs York this morning -saying that she was unable to come to luncheon on Sunday, but that she -had no doubt the General would accept the invitation with pleasure. Mrs -Housman wrote back to say she would be delighted to see the General on -Sunday. - -The O. Henry book is finished. Mrs Housman is now reading us some -stories by another American author, Richard Harding Davis. I wish she -would return to European literature. But A. enjoys these American books. - -_Saturday, August_ 28_th._ - -The wind has gone down and A. went out sailing. Cunninghame played golf. -Mrs Housman spent the day at a convent which is some miles off, and she -did not come down to dinner. - -Lady Jarvis took me into the town in the morning, and in the afternoon -we went for a drive. We had no reading in the evening. - -_Sunday, August_ 29_th._ - -General York did not come to luncheon after all, he wrote a note -excusing himself. Mrs Housman went to Mass in the morning. A. and -Cunninghame played golf. Mrs Housman read out loud a story by Kipling -after dinner. I wonder what an E.P. tent means. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _August_ 30_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -The weather has been too awful, but now, thank heaven, it is fine again. -George was obliged to put off going to Plymouth by sea as it was too -rough. The Shamiers have put me off. They can't have the Lodge that was -going to be lent to them, so they won't go to Scotland at all this year. -This changes all my plans. Mrs Housman asked me to stay on another week -here, and I am going to as there is now no hurry to get to Edith's. I -shall then go back to Worsel for three days if they can have me, and -then stay with Edith for the rest of my holiday. She has got the whole -family there at this moment, so I shall enjoy going there later better. -I shall be back in London the first week in October. - -There is a charming old man here who plays golf with me, General York. -His wife, who was huffy because Mrs Housman "called," paid a call in -state this afternoon. She came in a barouche with an Indian servant on -the box. She is organising a bazaar and asked Lady Jarvis to help at her -stall. She said the bazaar was in the cause of the Church; she did not -ask Mrs Housman. She stayed seven minutes by the clock and refused tea, -which she said she never took as it was trying for the nerves. She was -dressed in black jet, and brought with her a small Pomeranian dog. She -said she and her husband had lived here eight years and that it used to -be a charming place when they discovered it. - -Write to me here and then to Edith's, but not to Worsel as that is -uncertain. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, August_ 30_th_. - -I am glad to say Cunninghame has put off going for a week. Mrs York -called chis afternoon. I was introduced to her, but she addressed no -remark to me. - -_Tuesday, August_ 31_st_. - -A. has gone away for a night as he is staying with someone in the -neighbourhood. Mrs Housman took Cunninghame to the Lizard, which he had -not yet seen. Lady Jarvis and I spent a lazy day in the garden and on -the cliffs. It is extremely hot. - -_Wednesday, September_ 1_st_. - -Cunninghame and A. played golf with General York and suggested his -coming back to tea, but he declined with much embarrassment. Mrs Housman -returned Mrs York's visit, but she was not at home. Mrs Housman sang -after dinner. A. does not care for German music, which limits the -programme; he is fond, however, of old English songs. - -_Thursday, September_ 2_nd_. - -A beautiful day for sailing, so they said. A. took Mrs Housman for a -sail. - -_Friday, September_ 3_rd_. - -I find A.'s spirits a little boisterous at times. He took us out fishing -this afternoon. After dinner he insisted on Mrs Housman playing some -American coon songs. - -_Saturday, September_ 4_th._ - -Housman arrived unexpectedly with Carrington-Smith this afternoon. -Carrington-Smith seems depressed about his coming divorce. Mrs Housman -was out sailing with A. and they did not come back until just before -dinner. Carrington-Smith is a great expert on boxing and gave us a -sparring exhibition after dinner. That is to say, he explained at great -length the nature of a straight left, and upset some of the furniture in -so doing. After dinner Housman, Carrington-Smith, Cunninghame and Lady -Jarvis played Bridge. - -_Sunday, September_ 5_th._ - -Housman played golf and met General York, knowing nothing of what had -occurred, and asked him and Mrs York to luncheon. The General was much -embarrassed and said his wife was an invalid. Housman then asked him to -come by himself. The General stammered and said they were having -luncheon out. But Housman would take no refusal and asked them to -dinner. The General said they didn't dine out on Sundays! His -wife----And then he got dreadfully confused, and Cunninghame came to the -rescue and said Housman had forgotten we were dining on board the yacht, -which we were of course not doing. - -Cunninghame leaves, I regret to say, to-morrow. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Sunday, September_ 5_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I leave to-morrow for Worsel. I am only stopping here a week. Then I go -on to Edith's where I shall stay to the end of the month. Most of the -family have gone. I spent a whole day with Mrs Housman on Tuesday and we -went to the Lizard. This is the first time I have had a real talk alone -with her since I have been here. We were talking about my plans and I -said that I had been going to stay with the Shamiers. She said: "Oh -yes," and paused a moment and then said: "She's a charming woman, isn't -she?" I could see she knew. Later on she talked of George and said how -nice Mrs Campion was and what a good thing it would be if George -married. I said: "Yes, what a good thing. It was the greatest mistake -his not marrying." Upon which she said: "Do you think he will?" And then -in a flash I knew that Lady Jarvis had been quite right and I had been -utterly wrong. What an idiot I have been! It must have been quite -obvious to a baby the whole time! I can't tell you how I mind it. I -think it is the greatest pity and really too awful! What are we to do? -That's just it--one can do nothing: there is nothing to be done, -absolutely nothing. Of course Godfrey Mellor must have seen it clearly -the whole time. I am sure he is miserable. It is all the greatest pity -and how I can have been so blind, I don't know, not that it would have -made any difference if I hadn't been. Housman, of course, sees nothing -and has begged George to stay on. As a matter of fact he (George) is -going away quite soon as he has to sail his yacht back and he is -stopping somewhere on the way. He will be back in London in October. It -is all very depressing and I am quite glad to be going. Lady Jarvis has -said nothing to me but I can see that she sees that I see. Godfrey -Mellor is staying on. Housman leaves to-morrow. Write to me at Edith's. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, September_ 6_th._ - -Housman and Cunninghame both left this morning. A. goes away on -Wednesday. A stormy day--too rough for sailing. Carrington-Smith, who is -remaining on, played golf with A. - -_Tuesday, September_ 7_th._ - -Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis. Carrington-Smith played golf: after dinner he sang _I'll sing -thee songs of Araby,_ Mrs Housman accompanied him: he has a tenor voice. - -_Wednesday, September_ 8_th_. - -A. left in his yacht this morning. Lady Jarvis took Carrington-Smith for -a walk. I went out with Mrs Housman. She suggested finishing _Consuelo_: -I told her I had already finished it. Miss Housman arrives on Saturday. - -_Thursday, September_ 9_th._ - -Mrs Housman received a telegram from Mrs Baines, who is in the -neighbourhood with her husband, proposing themselves. Mrs Housman has -asked them to stay. They will arrive to-morrow. Carrington-Smith sang -Tosti's _Good-bye_ after dinner. - -I went for a walk with Mrs Housman in the afternoon. She said she likes -Cunninghame particularly. She said that A. ought to marry. - -_Friday, September_ 10_th._ - -A rainy day, we remained indoors. Carrington-Smith went for a walk by -himself. Mr and Mrs Baines arrived in the afternoon. After dinner they -played bridge: Lady Jarvis, Carrington-Smith and Mr and Mrs Baines. Mrs -Baines said she greatly admired the works of Mrs Ella Wheeler Wilcox. -"She is," she said, "a true poet, or perhaps I should say a true -poetess." She said theatrical performances affected her so much that she -could seldom "sit out a piece." She had been obliged to take to her bed -after seeing _The Only Way_. Carrington-Smith said he preferred a prize -fight to any play. Mr Baines did not care for the English stage, but he -always went to a French play when there was one to see in London: he had -greatly admired Sarah Bernhardt in old days. His wife, he pensively -reminded us, had once been taken for her. Mrs Baines protested and said -that it was in the days when Sarah Bernhardt was quite thin. "Such a -beautiful voice," she said. "Quite the human violin in those days. Now, -of course, she rants and appears in such dreadful plays--so violent." - -_Saturday, September_ 11_th._ - -Mr and Mrs Baines left this morning. Miss Housman arrived in the -afternoon. Carrington-Smith played golf and I went out with Mrs Housman. -After dinner Miss Housman suggested Bridge, but there were only three -players, as Mrs Housman does not play. Miss Housman said I must play. I -said I did not know the rules. She said she would teach me. I played--I -was her partner. She became excited over what is called the "double -ruff," a point I have not yet grasped. Carrington-Smith, who is an -excellent player, explained me the rules with great patience. - -_Sunday, September_ 12_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon she went for a walk with Miss -Housman. We played Bridge again after dinner. Miss Housman was annoyed -with me as I neglected to finesse. - -_Monday, September_ 13_th._ - -The last week of my holiday. It becomes finer and warmer every day. Miss -Housman said she must see the Land's End. Mrs Housman took her there. I -went for a walk with Lady Jarvis in the evening. More Bridge after -dinner: I revoked, but my partner, Carrington-Smith, was most amiable -about it. - -_Tuesday, September_ 14_th._ - -Miss Housman took Mrs Housman into the town as she said she needed help -with her shopping: she did not make many purchases. As far as I -understood, only two yards of silk. I went out with Carrington-Smith in -the afternoon. Bridge in the evening--I do not yet understand the -"double ruff." - -_Wednesday, September_ 15_th._ - -We all went to the Lizard in two carriages. Miss Housman said she must -see the Lizard. She, Mrs Housman and myself went in one carriage; Lady -Jarvis and Carrington-Smith in the other. Bridge in the evening; Miss -Housman lost, which annoyed her. - -_Thursday, September_ 16_th._ - -A wet day. Miss Housman practised all the morning (Fantasia in C sharp -minor, Chopin); her touch is very metallic. We played Bridge in the -afternoon after tea, as well as after dinner. - -_Friday, September_ 17_th._ - -My last day. It cleared up. We all went out on to the beach. Miss -Housman read aloud a novel, which she had already begun and which we -will certainly not have time to finish, called _Queed_, by an American -author. After dinner we played Bridge. - -_Saturday, September_ 18_th._ - -Arrived at Gray's Inn. Travelled up with Carrington-Smith. - -_Sunday, October_ 3_rd. Gray's Inn_. - -Stayed at home in the morning and read the Sunday newspapers. In the -afternoon I went for a walk in Kensington Gardens. - -_Monday, October_ 4_th._ - -A. and Cunninghame returned to the office. A. told us that his sister, -Mrs Campion, had invited both of us to stay with her next Saturday at -her house in Oxfordshire. We have both accepted. - -_Tuesday, October_ 5_th._ - -Cunninghame asked me to dinner. We dined at his flat and sat up talking -until nearly one o'clock in the morning. I had a letter from Lady Jarvis -telling me she has returned to London and inviting me to visit her in -Mansfield Street whenever I felt inclined. - -_Wednesday, October_ 6_th_. - -Dined with A. at his Club. He told me that Mrs Housman arrives -to-morrow; he met Housman in the street this morning. - -_Thursday, October_ 7_th._ - -I called on Lady Jarvis late this evening and found her at home. She -said Cornwall had had a beneficial effect on Mrs Housman's health. I -stayed talking till nearly seven. - -_Friday, October_ 8_th._ - -Received a note from Mrs Housman asking me to dine there next Tuesday. -Went to a concert with Lady Jarvis at the Queen's Hall: the programme -was uninteresting, but I enjoyed my evening nevertheless. - -_Saturday, October_ 9_th. Wraxted Priory, Oxfordshire_. - -I travelled down with A. and Cunninghame and found a party consisting, -besides ourselves, of Mrs Campion and her three children, Fraeulein -Brandes, the governess, Miss Macdonald, Cunninghame's cousin, and a Miss -Wray. I sat next to Mrs Campion at dinner: she said she hoped they would -go to Florence again next Easter. After dinner we played Consequences -and the letter game. - -_Sunday, October_ 10_th._ - -Everyone went to church this morning except Cunninghame and myself. At -luncheon I sat next to Fraeulein Brandes. She said Shakespeare was badly -performed in England and that she preferred the German translation of -the plays to the original; she considered it superior. "_Aber das_," she -added, "_will kein Englaender gestehen_." She was shocked to hear I had -never read Shakespeare's plays. I told her I had no taste for verse. She -said this was _unglaublich_. I told her I was fond of German music. In -the afternoon Mrs Campion took me for a walk. Cunninghame went out with -his cousin. At dinner I sat next to Miss Wray. I found her most -agreeable. She has travelled a great deal and seems to have a real -appreciation of classical music. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, October_ 11_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We had a delightful Sunday at Mrs Campion's. A lovely old house not very -far from Oxford: grey stone walls, a hall with the walls left bare and a -few bits of good tapestry and another panelled room. Freda was there, -and Lavinia Wray, who has just come back from South America. She is -looking so well, her lovely skin whiter than ever and those huge -eyes--George liked her enormously. He had never met her before. How -wonderful it would be if that could come off. It would be exactly right. -Of course I am sure Mrs Campion wants it and is not likely to do -anything stupid. I shall get Edith to help later if possible. She is -still in the country now. Mrs Housman has come back to London and I -hear from Randall that Housman is mad about Mrs Park. I shall go and see -her next week. George is in good spirits. When I got back I couldn't -bear the sight of my flat with those glaring curtains and I have -committed the great extravagance of changing them. The new ones are -coming next week. I hope they will be a success as I shan't be able to -change them again. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 11_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, October_ 12_th._ - -Had luncheon with Cunninghame to meet his sister, Mrs Howard. She is -older than he is and less communicative. Her husband is on the Stock -Exchange. She was only in London for the day but she said she hoped I -would come and see her when she settled in London later. She has a house -in Chester Street. - -_Wednesday, October_ 13_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans last night. A. was there, Miss Housman and Mrs -Park. I sat next to Mrs Housman. Mrs Park contradicted A. when he -mentioned music and said something about the gross ignorance of English -amateurs. After dinner she asked Miss Housman to accompany her. She sang -some operatic airs and Gounod's _Ave Maria_. I drove home with A., who -told me he could not bear Mrs Park. - -_Thursday, October_ 14_th._ - -I am just back from dining with Lady Jarvis. A. was there, Miss Wray and -several other people. Lady Jarvis asked me if I had seen the Housmans. I -told her about my dinner there. She said that Mrs Park was an -intolerable woman: she knew her when she was a singer and she said she -had never met anyone who gave herself such airs. Walked home with -Cunninghame, who was dining there too. He is dining with the Housmans on -Sunday. The Carrington-Smith divorce case is in the newspapers. - -_Friday, October_ 15_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -Mrs Carrington-Smith has got her divorce. - -_Saturday, October_ 16_th._ - -Spent the day at Woking with Solway. He has finished his Sonata. - -_Sunday, October_ 17_th._ - -I went to see Mrs Housman this afternoon and found her at home. After I -had been there about five minutes a great many visitors arrived and I -left. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _Sunday, October_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am having a quiet Sunday in London. George is staying with the Prime -Minister. I dined last night with the Housmans. Mrs Park was there, -Randall and Miss Housman. Mrs Park is incredible: a magnificent figure, -hair dyed a rich bronze with flaming high lights, dressed in a flowing -robe of peach-coloured satin with a necklace of fire-opals and a large -diamond lyre on her shoulder; the semi-royal manner of an ex-Prima -Donna, at the same time making it quite clear that she no longer mixed -with the artistic world--she had soared to the top of it and out of it. -She said: "Years ago when I was at Balmoral the dear Queen told me she -reminded me of Grisi." I said: "I suppose you mean you reminded her of -Grisi," and she drew herself up stiffly and said she meant what she -said. She told me that Madame Cosima had implored her to sing at -Bayreuth but of course she couldn't think of doing such a thing. Poor -Theodore (her late husband) hated Wagner. After dinner she sang, Miss -Housman accompanied her, a song out of _Cavalleria._ They had a fierce -argument about the time. Mrs Park said she was playing too fast, which -she was, although I don't believe Mrs Park knew this. Miss Sarah stuck -to her guns and played, if anything, faster. Mrs Park then refused to -sing. Housman asked his wife to accompany her, which Mrs Housman most -good-naturedly said she would be delighted to do. This was more than -Miss Housman could bear--she said Mrs Housman was playing too slow and -Mrs Park agreed. Miss Housman tore Mrs Housman from the piano and sat -there herself, and the song was sung to the end. All seemed to be -peaceable but Miss Housman unfortunately couldn't refrain from saying -that Mascagni's music was rubbish, upon which Mrs Park burst into a -furious passion. Who was Miss Housman to judge? she screamed. Miss -Housman said she had studied music for five years under the best -musicians in the world at Leipzig. Mrs Park said she had sung to Patti, -who had said she was the only English artist worthy of the name of -"artist." Miss Housman, in a sardonic voice, said that Patti was so -kind. Mrs Park said that the arrogance of amateurs knew no bounds. She -had sung before the most critical public in two continents. Miss Housman -said she did not consider the Americans a critical public. Mrs Park then -said she would never sing again in the Housmans' house as long as she -lived, not if everyone went down on their knees to her. Housman became -greatly agitated and fussed about the room, saying: "Never mind, never -mind; we are all very tired to-night, it's the east wind." Mrs Park -said she always sang her best in an east wind. I caught Mrs Housman's -eye and we were seized with a fit of uncontrollable laughter. We laughed -till we shook. Randall caught it too. This made things much worse. Mrs -Park said she was being insulted and swept out of the room, Housman -running after her. He came back alone gibbering with agitation, and Miss -Housman then attacked him and said of course if Albert (rolling the "r" -with a rapid guttural) would invite such awful people, what could one -expect? Then "Bert" got really angry and we all sat in dead silence -while he and Miss Sarah abused each other like pickpockets. Then the -door opened and Mrs Park came back saying she had left her fan behind. -She took no notice of us but disappeared with Housman into the Oriental -lounge, and there we heard spirited skirmishes of talk going on in an -undertone. Miss Housman sat down defiantly at the piano and played, or -rather banged, the _Rapsodie Hongroise._ When this was over they both -came back and Housman suggested, with a nervous chuckle, that we should -all have some lemonade. We jumped at the idea and the evening ended -peaceably enough, but Mrs Park ignored Miss Housman, was icy towards Mrs -Housman, and made all her remarks to me and Randall. I then left the -house. Housman followed me nervously to the door and said that Mrs Park -had the artistic temperament and that I mustn't mind, and that it was -too bad of Sarah to provoke her. - - Yrs. - G. - -_P.S_.--I suppose you read about the Carrington-Smith case in the -newspapers. Mrs Housman and I laughed a good deal about it when "Bert" -wasn't listening, but I am very sorry for Eileen. Aren't you? - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 18_th._ - -A. has been staying with the Prime Minister. He does not appear to have -enjoyed himself very much. He asked me if I had seen the Housmans -lately. - -_Tuesday, October_ 19_th._ - -A. and I dined with Cunninghame. Miss Wray was there, Mrs Howard and -Lady Jarvis. A. said afterwards that Miss Wray was a charming girl--it -was a pity that she did not marry. - -_Wednesday, October_ 20_th_. - -I called on Mrs Housman late, but she was not at home. Housman came out -of the house as I was standing at the door. He asked me to dinner on -Sunday. I accepted. - -_Thursday, October_ 21_st._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Friday, October_ 22_nd_. - -Dined with Mrs Howard. A. was there, Cunninghame, Miss Wray, Miss -Macdonald, and others. Mr Howard is half-Irish and very boisterous. I -sat next to Miss Wray; she said Mrs Campion was the nicest woman she -knew. Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth have come back to London and are -starting their Thursday evenings. They have asked A. and myself to -dinner on Thursday week. - -_Saturday, October_ 23_rd_. - -A. has gone to the country to stay with a General; a military party. - -_Sunday, October_ 24_th._ - -I had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me she did not think Mrs -Housman would stay long in London, as the London winter was bad for her; -she said she thought she would most likely go to Florence. - -I dined with the Housmans. A strange party. Mrs Park was the only -person there I had met before. There was a South African magnate and -his wife, a retired Indian official, and a Mr Perry, an Australian, and -his wife, who were apparently intimate friends of Mrs Park's, at least -she called him Tom. I sat next to Mrs Perry, who told me that Paris had -been a disappointment to her. She told me, also, that the women in -England were, according to Australian standards, dowdy. On the other -side of me was Lady Bowles, the wife of the Indian official. She told me -she was Mrs Park's greatest friend; she said she lived at Cannes and -only spent a few weeks in London every year; they were staying at the -Hyde Park Hotel. She found London dreadfully slow: she was accustomed, -she said, always to smoke between the courses at dinner, and not to do -so was a great deprivation. She also said she was a great gambler and -was used to gambling all night. "Of course I find this exhausting," she -said; "and I always tell Harold I shall take to cocaine some day." -Housman seemed rather embarrassed. Miss Housman was not there. After -dinner Lady Bowles suggested a game of Poker. They all played except Mrs -Housman and they were still playing when I left. - -_Monday, October_ 25_th._ - -I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said A. had come back -from the country in a very bad temper and had said that nothing would -induce him to pay a visit anywhere again. - -_Tuesday, October_ 26_th._ - -Went to a concert at the Queen's Hall. Saw the Housmans in the distance, -and to my astonishment I met A. in the interval. He said he had been -dragged there by his sister. I met them again as we were going out. A. -asked me to dinner on Friday. - -_Wednesday, October_ 27_th._ - -Had luncheon with A. He seems in high spirits. He told me that his -sister had come up from London for the winter--she had taken a house -in Pont Street. He said the Housmans and Cunninghame were dining on -Friday and it would be a Cornwall party. - -_Thursday, October_ 28_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth--a large political dinner; the F.O. largely -represented, as usual. A. was there and sat next to the wife of the -French military attache, and on the other side of Aunt Ruth. I am afraid -he found the dinner tedious, but after dinner he talked to Miss Wray: I -sat next to her at dinner. She asked me if I had known A. long. She said -he was so like his sister. Uncle Arthur has not yet grasped I am working -in a public office. He asked me how I was getting on in the city. - -_Friday, October_ 29_th_. - -Dined with A. at his flat. Mr and Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, Miss Wray, -Cunninghame and Miss Macdonald, Mrs Campion was coming but had been -obliged to go down to the country. Mrs Housman said she was very likely -going abroad for the winter. - -_Saturday, October_ 30_th._ - -A. was engaged to go somewhere in the country but he has put off going. -He left a telegram at the office to his hostess but forgot to fill in -the address. Tuke brought it to me. It was to Mrs Legget, Miss Wray's -aunt. She is not in _Who's Who_, but I rang up Lady Jarvis on the -telephone and she knew. - -_Sunday, October_ 31_st_. - -I went to call on Mrs Housman but she was not at home. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, November_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I spent Sunday in London and had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me -the Housman _menage_ was all upside down owing to Mrs Park, who refused -to let Housman see any of his old friends, insulted them all, and -quarrelled every day with Miss Housman, and insisted on her friends -being asked nightly to dinner--and what friends! Fast colonials, Lady -Jarvis says, and the dregs of the Riviera! Poor Mrs Housman is utterly -worn out. Mrs Park behaves exactly as if it were her house, orders the -servants about, complains of the food, and is always there! The result -is Mrs Housman has gone to Florence; she was to leave this morning and -she is going to stay there the whole winter. I did not know how George -would take this bit of news, but he knew already and seems, oddly -enough, in good spirits! Edith thinks he is fond of Lavinia Wray and -that he will end by marrying her, but Lady Jarvis does not agree, -although she said that his sister thinks the same thing. They can't -understand his being in such spirits otherwise. Last Friday we all had -dinner at George's flat. After dinner, so Lady Jarvis told me, before we -came out of the dining-room they were playing the game of saying who you -could marry and who you couldn't, and after mentioning a lot of people, -Godfrey Mellor among others, Freda Macdonald said: "George." Lady Jarvis -and Freda said: "Oh yes; we could marry him." Mrs Housman and Lavinia -Wray said: "No--quite impossible." - -Except Lady Jarvis, they are all extraordinarily optimistic about George -and think that there is nothing in the Housman thing and that it will -pass off and he will marry Lavinia. I am sure they are wrong, and I am -more depressed about it than words can say. Lavinia is fond of him, too, -and that is all that has been gained. There are now three miserable -people, instead of two! No letter from you this week, but I hope to get -one to-morrow. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, November_ 1_st. Gray's Inn_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman saying that she was leaving for -Florence this morning, She was sorry not to have seen me yesterday. She -is going to stay in Florence until the end of May. - -_Tuesday, November_ 2_nd_. - -Had dinner with A. alone at his flat. He was in low spirits and said -that he hates official life. - -_Tuesday, December_ 21_st_. - -My Christmas holidays begin to-morrow. I am going to Aunt Ruth's. -Cunninghame is staying with Lady Jarvis. A. said he would most probably -spend Christmas with his sister, but he was not sure. - -_Thursday, December_ 23_rd_. - -Received a telegram from Aunt Ruth saying the party was put off as Uncle -Arthur has got bronchitis. A telegram arrived for A. at the office this -morning. I telephoned to Tuke at his flat to know where to forward it. -Tuke said A.'s address for the next week would be Hotel Grande Bretagne, -Florence. - -_Christmas Day_. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, December_ 28_th_. - -Tuke telephoned to say not to forward any more letters to A. He was on -his way home. - -_Saturday, January_ 8_th_, 1910. - -Received a letter from A. from his sister's house. He is coming up next -week. Riley has written to me from Paris to know whether I could put him -up next month. He is going to spend a month in London. I have told him I -would be glad of his company. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - ROSEDALE, - _Saturday, January_ 1_st_, 1910. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been staying with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. There is a very -small party, only Jane Vaughan and Winchester Hill besides myself. Just -before I came down here Housman asked me to dine with him at the -Carlton. I went and he was alone. After talking nervously on ordinary -topics, he told me he did not know what to do. It gradually came out -that Mrs Park is making his life quite unbearable. She won't let him see -any of his friends; she quarrels with Sarah, and has the most violent -scenes; she makes scenes every day, and not long ago, he said, broke a -fine piece of Venetian glass. He is miserable; he says he can't call his -soul his own. I told Lady Jarvis all about this and she said the only -thing to be done would be for Housman to get Mrs Housman to come back. -She has been away two months, and if she comes back at the end of the -month the worst of the winter will be over. She is very much worried -about Mrs Housman and says this is most unfortunate, as it would be -better really in every way if she were to stay out there. You see Edith -and Mrs Campion and Freda all think that it is only a passing fancy of -George's and that he will get over it and marry Lavinia Wray! Lady -Jarvis says this is wrong; she knows they are wrong. She thinks George -and Mrs Housman are desperately in love with each other and she doesn't -know how it will end. She is so worried that she nearly went out to -Florence last week. She had heard from Mrs Housman quite lately. She -said in her last letter that George had suggested coming out to Florence -for Christmas with Mrs Campion. She had told him that she would most -likely not be in Florence as the Albertis had asked her to spend -Christmas with them at Ravenna; she was not sure, however, whether she -would go or not. Whether George went or not, I don't know. He told me he -was going to spend Christmas with Mrs Campion at the Priory. - -I am going back to London at the end of next week. - - Yrs. - G. - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, January_ 11_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came back to London on Monday. I asked Housman to dinner with me and -told him that he had much better get Mrs Housman back. He said he quite -agreed that it was the only thing to do. Things were now worse than -ever. Mrs Park was impossible. Poor little "Bert"! The worst of it is, -that directly this is over there is quite certain to be someone else and -perhaps someone worse. However, let us hope for the best. George came -to the office yesterday. He said he had been staying with his sister; he -said nothing about Florence. He is in low spirits. - -I shall certainly go abroad at Easter and spend a few days in Paris in -any case. Lady Jarvis is back in London, and the Shamiers. I dined there -last night. Lavroff was there and Louise is just as fond of him as ever. - -Poor Godfrey Mellor is terribly melancholy. He has got a friend staying -with him now and I don't see much of him. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, February_ 15_th_, 1910. - -Alfred Riley arrived last night. He is now professor at Shelborough -University and is editing _Propertius_. He has come to consult some -books at the British Museum. - -_Wednesday, February_ 16_th_. - -Sat up very late last night talking with Riley. He was amused by a -conversation he had overheard at a Club. Two men were talking about -someone who had become a Roman Catholic. Someone he didn't know. One of -them said to the other that it was a very pleasant solution if you could -do it. The other one said: "Certainly; no bother, no responsibility ... -everything settled for you." I said that I did think the Confessional -must be the negation of responsibility. Riley said that by becoming a -Catholic you became responsible for all your actions. He said that -before he was a Catholic he felt no responsibility at all to anything or -anyone, but that the moment you were a Catholic everything you did and -said counted. Every time you went to Confession you acknowledged and -confirmed your assumption of responsibility. I mentioned a common friend -of ours, O'Neil, who had been a Catholic all his life and who, though he -was married, had never ceased to live with a Miss Silvia Thorpe, whom I -had known as an artist. He didn't hide it, neither did she. Riley said -that this proved his point. O'Neil never dreamt of going to Confession; -he knew it would be useless, because he had no intention of giving up -Miss Thorpe, and that being so, he knew he couldn't get Absolution, It -was a sacrifice to him, a very great sacrifice, as he Was a believing -Catholic. "That shows," he went on, "that you don't understand how the -thing works. You and all Protestants think that one can stroll into the -Confessional, wipe the slate clean and go on with what you are doing, -however bad it is, with the implied sanction of the Church. But the fact -remains that practising Catholics who are living in a way which the -Church condemned do not go to Confession. Going to Confession entails -facing responsibility instead of evading it." He said that if what I -thought was true, people like O'Neil would go to Confession. I must face -the fact that he did not go to Confession and was extremely unhappy on -that account. He would like to go to the Sacraments but he had made this -great sacrifice with his eyes open. I said that I had always thought the -Church was lax about such matters. He said individuals might be lax. The -Church was not responsible for the conduct of individuals, but the rule -of the Church was absolutely uncompromising. I said O'Neil might be an -extreme case, but supposing a devout Catholic married woman had a great -man friend, supposing he was very much in love with her, but she was a -virtuous woman, faithful to her husband, she could go on seeing the -other man as much as she liked? Would the Church forbid it? Riley said -the Church would forbid _sin_. Any priest would tell her that if she -thought it might lead to sin, she must cut it out of her life. I said -that was quite clear, but he was not telling me what I wanted to know. -He said: "What is it that you want to know?" I said I must give it up. I -couldn't put it into words. I said Roman Catholics were always so -matter-of-fact. They handed one opinions and ideas like chocolates -wrapped up in silver paper. He said: "You think that, because you would -sooner walk naked in the streets than think things out, or call things -by their names. You like leaving them vague. 'Le vague,' Renan said, -'est pire que le faux.'" - -I said, going back to the question of responsibility, that I had often -heard Catholics themselves complain of the want of responsibility of -Catholics. Riley said that might very well be; they might lack a sense -of responsibility, just as they might lack a sense of charity or -honesty. "You think," he said, "that the Church is perpetually arranging -comfortable compromises. Nothing is further from the truth. Nothing is -harder on the individual than certain of the commandments of the Church -with regard to marriage: for instance, divorce, and the bearing of -children. Some of the Church's views were just as hard on the individual -as it was hard on a man, who is going to catch a train to see his dying -child, to be delayed by a policeman holding up the traffic, but in order -to make traffic possible, you had to have a policeman, and the -individual couldn't complain however much he might suffer. - -"I know a much harder case than O'Neil's," he said: "a colleague of mine -who is married and has been completely neglected by his wife. On the -other hand, he has been looked after devotedly for years by another -woman, who nursed him when he was ill and saved his life. He wants to -become a Catholic, but he knows quite well that the Church will not -receive him unless he were to give up this woman, whom he adores, and go -back to his wife, who is indifferent to him. What you don't understand," -he said, "is that the Church is not an air cushion but a rock." - -He said I accused the Church of being lax, but many people that he knew -found fault with what they called the _hardness_ of the Church. But as a -matter of fact they had generally to admit that as far as the human race -was concerned the Church in such matters of morals was always right. He -cited instances of what the Church was right in condemning. I said that -one did not need to be Roman Catholic to know that immorality was bad -for the State, and that vice was noxious to the individual. The -ordinary laymen reach the same conclusions merely by common-sense. - -Riley said there were only two points of view in the world: the Catholic -point of view or the non-Catholic point of view. All so-called religions -which I could mention, including my layman's common-sense view, were -either lopped-off branches of Catholicism or shadows of it, or a blind -aspiration towards it, or a misguided parallel of it, as of a train that -had gone off the rails, or a travesty of it, sometimes serious, and -sometimes grotesque: a distortion. The other point of view was the -materialist point of view, which he could perfectly well understand -anyone holding. It depends, he said, whether you think human life is -casual or divine. - -I said I could quite well conceive a philosophy which would be neither -materialist nor Catholic. He quoted Dr Johnson about everyone having a -right to his opinion, and martyrdom being the test. Catholicism, he -said, had survived the test; would my philosophy? - -As far as I was concerned I admitted that I held no opinion for which I -was ready to go to the stake, except, possibly, that _Jane Eyre_ was an -interesting book. - -_Monday, February_ 21_st_. - -I heard from Mrs Housman this morning. She returns to-morrow. - -_Saturday, February_ 26_th._ - -Called on Mrs Housman, and found her in. Housman was there also. They -asked me to dinner next Monday. - -_Sunday, February_ 27_th. Rosedale_. - -I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one else. Lady Jarvis said -she was glad Mrs Housman had returned to London. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Tuesday, March_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I dined with the Housmans last night. Only myself, Miss Sarah, Lady -Jarvis, and Godfrey Mellor. Everything as it used to be. -Carrington-Smith came in after dinner. He has not been inside the house -for months. I don't know what Mrs Housman did nor how it was done, but -it _was_ done, and done most successfully and quickly! She only came -back a week ago. "Bert" looks quite different and is perfectly radiant. - -George, I gather, hasn't seen her. They asked him to dinner last night, -but he had an official dinner and couldn't come. He asked me whether I -had seen her. He said he had been there several times, but she had -always been out. He is still most depressed and goes nowhere unless he -is absolutely obliged to. The Housmans have asked me to spend Easter at -their villa. Lady Jarvis is going, and Godfrey; and Housman told me he -was going to ask George. I am going and I shall stop two or three days -in Paris on the way. - -Lavinia Wray has gone to the south of France with her aunt. The Shamiers -are going to Paris next week. They will tell you all the news, not that -there is much. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, February_ 28_th._ - -A. told me he had not been to the country after all on Saturday. - -_Tuesday, March_ 1_st_. - -Dined with the Housmans, a very agreeable dinner. Mrs Housman played and -sang after dinner: Brahms' _Lieder_, and some Grieg. - -_Wednesday, March_ 2_nd_. - -A. asked me to luncheon. He told me he had been so sorry not to be able -to go to the Housmans' last night. He said he had not seen them yet. He -was so busy. He asked me how Mrs Housman was and whether Florence had -done her good. - -_Thursday, March_ 3_rd_. - -I told Riley I had been reading Renan's _Souvenirs d'enfance et de -jeunesse_, and that Renan said in this book that there was nothing in -Catholic dogmas which raised in him a contrary opinion; nothing either -in the political action or in the spirit of the Church, either in the -past or in the present, that led him to doubt; but directly he studied -the "Higher Criticism" and German text-books his faith in the Church -crumbled. I asked Riley what he thought of this. He said people treated -German text-books superstitiously then and they still did so now. If -German text-books dealt with Shakespeare people could see at once that -they were talking nonsense, and that mountains of erudition were being -built on a false base, a base which we knew to be false, because we were -English; but when they dealt with things more remote, like the Gospels, -people swallowed what they said, and accepted any of their theories as -infallible dogma. In twenty years' time, he said, nobody will care two -straws for the "Higher Criticism." - -Riley is going away to-morrow. - -_Friday, March_ 4_th._ - -Mrs Housman has written to ask me to come and see her on Sunday -afternoon if I am in London. - -Dined with Cunninghame at a restaurant and went to the Palace Music Hall -afterwards. - -_Saturday, March_ 5_th._ - -A. is much annoyed at having to stay with the Foreign Secretary. Dined -at the Club. - -_Sunday, March_ 6_th._ - -Spent the afternoon at Mrs Housman's. There was nobody there until -Housman came in late just when I was going. Housman said we must all -meet at Florence. He said he was going to ask A. "But we never see him -now," he added. He asked me what A. was doing. I told him he was staying -with the Foreign Secretary. He said, of course he was right to attend to -his official and especially to his social duties. He said he would ask -him to dinner next week. He asked me to dine on Wednesday. Mrs Housman -asked me to go to a concert with her on Tuesday. - -_Monday, March_ 7_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, March_ 8_th._ - -Went to a concert in Chelsea with Mrs Housman, Housman and Miss Housman. -Solway played, and an excellent violinist, Miss Bowden; Beethoven Sonata -(G Major) and Schubert Quartet (D Minor). We all enjoyed the music and -the playing. During the interval we went to see Solway. Housman asked -him to dinner to-morrow. - -_Wednesday, March_ 9_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans. Lady Jarvis, Mrs Campion, Solway, Cunninghame, -Mrs Baines, and A. and Miss Housman were there. I sat between Lady -Jarvis and Mrs Campion. After dinner Mrs Housman asked Solway to try a -song with her, a new English song by a boy who has just left the -College of Music. She sang this and after that she sang all the -_Winterreise_. Housman asked A. and Mrs Campion to stay with them in -Florence. Mrs Campion cannot get away this Easter. A. accepted the -invitation. - -_Thursday, March_ 10_th._ - -Went after dinner to Aunt Ruth's. Uncle Arthur is quite restored to -health. He asked me whether I had been appointed to Paris, still -thinking that I was in the F.O. There were a great many people there. -Aunt Ruth spoke severely about A. and said she heard he only went out in -the Bohemian world. I said he had stayed with the Foreign Secretary last -week. - -_Friday, March_ 11_th._ - -Dined with Mrs Campion. A. was there and the Albertis, who are over in -England. A. said he was much looking forward to Florence. Easter is -early this year. - -_Saturday, March_ 12_th._ - -A. has gone to Littlehampton. He has asked the Housmans and Cunninghame. -I am going to Woking. - -_Sunday, March_ 13_th._ - -Spent the day with Solway, who played Bach. Returned by the late train -after dinner. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Littlehampton, where I spent Sunday with -George and his sister. The Housmans were asked and Housman went, but Mrs -Housman was not well. I start on Thursday morning and shall be in Paris -Thursday night and stay there till Monday. Let us do something amusing. -I should like to go to the play one night. But you have probably seen -all the best things hundreds of times. I am going on co Florence on -Monday. I don't think George has seen much of Mrs Housman. I dined there -last Wednesday. Mrs Housman sang the whole evening so that he did not -get any talk with her. Godfrey has been much more cheerful lately and -even suggested going to a music-hall one night. Mrs Campion is coming -to Florence too. - -I'm sorry I've been so bad about writing lately. I seem to have had no -time and yet to have done nothing, and there have been a series of -rather tiresome episodes at the office. - -Au revoir till Thursday, - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 14_th_ - -A. came back from the country in a gloomy state of mind. He said it was -a great mistake to go to the country in March and that his party had -been a failure. He said bachelors should not give parties. He asked me -to dine with him, which I did. He says he is leaving on Wednesday but -will stop two nights in Paris. Mrs Campion is travelling with him. - -_Tuesday, March_ 15_th._ - -Mrs Housman rang up on the telephone and told me that a young vocalist -was dining with them to-morrow night. She wanted a few people to hear -her. Would I come? Solway was coming. - -Dined with Cunninghame at his Club. He says he has never seen A. so -depressed. - -_Wednesday, March_ 16_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans. Miss Housman, Solway and Lady Jarvis were -there. The vocalist, a Miss Byfield, did not arrive till after dinner. -Mrs Housman said Miss Byfield was shy and had refused to dine at the -last moment. After dinner she sang some songs from the classical -composers. She was extremely nervous. Mrs Housman and Solway say she has -promise. Housman said to me confidentially that he was sure there was no -money in her. The Housmans leave to-morrow. A. left to-day. - -_Thursday, March_ 17_th._ - -Cunninghame left to-day. I had dinner with Lady Jarvis. She asked me to -travel with her on Saturday. We are both stopping Sunday night in Paris. - -_Friday, March_ 18_th._ - -Lunched and dined at the Club. Packed up my things. Am taking some music -with me. - -_Saturday, March_ 19_th. Paris._ - -Arrived at the Hotel Saint Romain. Had a pleasant journey with Lady -Jarvis. - -_Sunday, March_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis took me to see a French friend of hers, Madame Sainton. It -was her day. There was a large crowd of men and women in the -drawing-room and the dining-room, where there was tea, Madeira and -excellent sandwiches. The French take just as much trouble about -preparing a good tea as they do to write or to dress well. I was -introduced to a famous composer, who talked to me technically about -boxing. I was obliged to confess that I knew nothing of the art. It was -a pity, I thought, Carrington-Smith was not there. I was also introduced -to a French author, who asked me what was the place of Meredith in -modern literature, what _les jeunes_ thought about him. I was obliged to -confess I had never read one line of Meredith. The French author thought -I despised him. He asked me: "Quest qu'on lit en Angleterre maintenant -avant de se coucher?" I said that I had no idea what _les jeunes_ read -but that I personally, for a bedside book, preferred _Jane Eyre_. - -The French author said "_Tiens_!" He then asked me what I thought of -Bernard Shaw. I had again to confess that I had never seen his plays -acted. I told him that when I had time to spare I went to concerts. He -said: "Ah! la musique," and I felt he was generalising a whole movement -in young England towards music. - -In the evening we went to the Opera Comique and heard _Carmen_, which I -greatly enjoyed. - -_Monday, March_ 21_st. Florence. Villa Fersen._ - -We arrived at Florence this morning. Cunninghame and A. and Mrs Campion -were in the same train. The Housmans had been there some days already. - -_Tuesday, March_ 22_nd_. - -Cunninghame, Mrs Housman, A. and Mrs Campion went out together. Lady -Jarvis stayed at home. I went later in the morning to the Pitti. In the -afternoon they went to Fiesole. Housman went to call on some friends. -Lady Jarvis and I went for a walk. - -_Wednesday, March_ 23_rd_. - -We were invited to luncheon by a Mr Eugene Lowe, a friend of Lady -Jarvis. He has a flat in the town on the Pitti side of the river. The -Housmans and Cunninghame and myself went. A. and his sister had luncheon -with the Albertis. Mr Lowe's flat had the peculiarity that everything in -it had been ingeniously diverted from its original purpose. The only -other guest besides ourselves was an ex-diplomatist whom I met last -year. - -_Thursday, March_ 24_th._ - -Lady Jarvis has gone to Venice, where she is staying with friends until -next Monday. While we were sight-seeing this morning we met a lady -called Mrs Fairburn, who claimed to be an old friend of Mrs Housman. Mrs -Housman told me she had met her in America soon after she married, but -that she had never known her well. She asked us all to luncheon on -Saturday. Mrs Housman accepted for herself and Housman. Cunninghame and -I also accepted. A. and his sister were engaged. - -In the afternoon Mrs Housman said she was going to hear a Dominican -preach. Cunninghame and I asked if we might accompany her. A. said it -was no use his going as he did not understand Italian. He was most -eloquent. - -_Friday (Good Friday), March_ 25_th._ - -Mrs Housman spent the whole morning in church. I went with Cunninghame -for a long walk. - -_Saturday, March_ 26_th._ - -We had luncheon with Mrs Fairburn, who has a villa on the Fiesole side. -She is a widow and always, she says, lives abroad; so much so, she told -us, that she had difficulty in speaking English correctly. She gave us -no evidence that she spoke any other language with great correctness. -She told me she was overjoyed at meeting Mrs Housman, who was her oldest -friend. Housman asked her to dinner to-morrow night. - -_Sunday (Easter Sunday), March_ 27_th._ - -I went for a walk by myself. When I got back I found various people at -the villa and escaped to my room. Mrs Fairburn came to dinner. When -Housman said he had been suffering from a headache she exclaimed: -"_Poveretto_!" and said she was feeling-rather "_Moche_" herself. -Looking at Mrs Housman, she said to me: "She is _ravissante, che -bellezza! E vero?_" - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA FERSEN, FLORENCE, - _Easter Monday, March_ 28_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We arrived safely and we are a very happy party. Lady Jarvis has gone to -Venice to stay with the Lumleys, but comes back to-morrow. George is, of -course, immensely happy at being here, but it isn't really satisfactory. -We haven't seen many people, though we have been out to luncheon twice: -once with that terrible bore, Eugene Lowe, who lives in a flat which is -the most monstrous ind absurd thing I have ever seen. The walls are hung -with Turkish carpets; the chairs and tables with Church vestments; the -books turn out to be cigarette lamps and cigar cases; the writing-table -is a gutted spinet; and in the middle of the room there is a large -Venetian well, which he uses for cigarette ashes. - -On Saturday we had luncheon with a Mrs Fairburn, who professed to be an -old friend of Mrs Housman's. This turned out to be a gross exaggeration. -She is an affected woman who dresses in what are meant to be -ultra-French clothes, and she speaks broken English on purpose. She -pretends to be silly, but is far from being anything of the kind. I can -see now that she has got her eye on Housman. He was quite charmed by -her. She has arranged an outing next week. I can see that she is going -to stick like a leech, and she will be, unless I am very much mistaken, -much worse than Mrs Park or any of them. - -Godfrey Mellor is, I think, liking it, but he insists on going out by -himself, and every day he goes to some gallery with a Baedeker, all -alone. We always ask him to come with us, but it is no use. He says he -has got things to do in the town and off he goes. - -We go about mostly all together except for Godfrey, who always manages -to elude us. - -I am staying till Monday, then two days at Mentone, and then home (via -Paris, but only for a night). - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday (Easter Monday), March_ 28_th._ - -We all had luncheon with the Albertis. Lady Jarvis returned in the -afternoon from Venice. - -_Tuesday, March_ 29_th._ - -Went to the Uffizzi. Housman said he was going to spend the day in -visits. - -_Wednesday, March_ 30_th._ - -Mrs Fairburn came to luncheon. Housman said when she had gone that she -was a very remarkable woman, so cultivated, so well read and widely -travelled. He said she ought to have held some great position. She -should have been an Empress. - -I went to the Pitti in the morning and to the Boboli Gardens in the -afternoon. - -_Thursday, March_ 31_st_. - -The Albertis came to luncheon. Baroness Strong and Mrs Fisk called in -the afternoon. They both asked us all to entertainments, but Housman -explained that we had guests ourselves every day. He asked them to -dinner on Sunday, but they declined. - -_Friday, April_ 1_st_. - -Housman has bought some miniatures by a young artist recommended by Mrs -Fairburn. I do not think they are well done, but I am no judge. A. and -Mrs Campion left. - -_Saturday, April_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Housman suggested having luncheon in the town and going to Fiesole -afterwards, but Housman explained, with some embarrassment, that he had -promised to go with Mrs Fairburn to see a studio and to have luncheon -with her afterwards. - -I leave for London to-night. I am going straight through. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA BEAU SITE, MENTONE, - _Wednesday, April_ 6_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Just a line to say I shall arrive the day after to-morrow, and I can -only stay one night. Godfrey Mellor left Florence on Saturday, and -George and his sister are on their way back. George was very sad at -going--I think he feels it's the end--Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis are -staying on till next Monday, and I think Housman also. What I fore-saw -has happened more quickly than I expected. Housman is now the devoted -slave of Mrs Fairburn, and she has announced her intention of coming to -London in the summer, so this will make fresh complications. - -I am having great fun here. The Shamiers are here, I am travelling back -with them. I am sorry not to be able to stop more than a night in -Paris, but it really is impossible. - -I can't dine at the Embassy on Friday, I am dining with the Shamiers -that night. But I will come and see you in the morning, and we might do -some shops and have luncheon together. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, April_ 4_th. London_. - -Back at the office. Tuke came this morning and said A. would not come to -the office till to-morrow. Cunninghame does not return until Friday. - -_Tuesday, April_ 5_th._ - -A. came to the office. He says that Housman has returned to London, but -that Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis will not be back before next Tuesday. - -_Thursday, April_ 7_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. I sat next to a Mrs de la Poer. She told me she -knew the Housmans. I said I had been staying with them in Florence. She -said: "I suppose Lord Ayton was there." I said that A. and his sister -always spent Easter in Italy. She said: "And he spends the summer in -Cornwall when Mrs Housman is there. It is extraordinary how far -virtuous Roman Catholics will go." I said Mrs Housman was an old friend -of mine and I preferred not to discuss her. She said: "Ah, you are right -to be loyal to your Chief, but all London knows about it." I changed the -subject. - -_Thursday, April_ 14_th._ - -Mrs Housman has put off coming till next week. Lady Jarvis spoke to me -on the telephone. - -_Wednesday, April_ 20_th._ - -Mrs Housman returned on Monday. She has asked me to dinner on Sunday. - -_Thursday, April_ 28_th._ - -A. dined with Aunt Ruth. I went there after dinner. Uncle Arthur told -us he thought A. would go far, but he thinks he is in the army. A. is -going to the country on Saturday. - -_Friday, April_ 29_th._ - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. The Housmans were there, and Cunninghame. -Cunninghame told me as we walked home that he had seen Housman with a -party of people at the Carlton last night. Mrs Fairburn was among them. -He says it is a great pity A. does not go out more. It annoys people. I -told him A. had dined with Aunt Ruth last night. - -The Housmans are not staying long in London. They have taken the same -house they had last year on the Thames near Staines. Housman can go up -every day to his office as it is so close to London. - -_Saturday, April_ 30_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame. He is staying in London this Sunday. I asked him -if he thought A. was likely to marry. He said: "Not yet." - -_Sunday, May_ 1_st_. - -Dined with the Housmans. Cunninghame was there, Mrs Fairburn and Miss -Housman. After dinner Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing. She said -she remembered her singing in America. Mrs Housman sang a few Scotch -ballads. Then Miss Housman played. The Housmans are letting their London -house for the season. They go down to their house on the Thames at the -end of this week. Housman told me I must come down often. - -Mrs Fairburn was very gushing about Mrs Housman's singing. I do not -think she is very musical. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 2_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have got two pieces of news for you. Ralph Logan proposed to Lavinia -Wray and she has refused him. I don't think you know him; he is in the -army. But he is Sir Walter Logan's heir and will inherit, besides a lot -of London property, a most beautiful old house in Essex, Tudor. Besides -that, he is charming and has been devoted to her for years. This is for -you only, of course. He told me himself. He has just come back from -India, where he has been for five years. The first thing he did was to -fly to Lavinia, who has come back from France and is now in London. He -came to see me yesterday afternoon and told me all about it. I said -something about her perhaps changing her mind if he was persistent. He -said there was no chance of this, he felt sure. Lavinia told him she -would never marry, and she said she was not going out after this year. I -believe she is going to be a nurse. She used to talk of this some time -ago. The second piece of news is that George has been offered to be -Governor of Madras. That is also a secret, of course. I don't know -whether he will accept it or not. Sir Henry, who is George's godfather, -is, George tells me, tremendously keen about his accepting it. - -I don't think he has been seeing much of the Housmans since she has been -back. She only came back last week. I don't think she wants to see him. -I dined there on Sunday. There was no one there except that extremely -tiresome Mrs Fairburn, who now does what she likes with Housman. They -are not going to be in London during the summer at all and are letting -their house. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Shamier has asked me to dinner next Thursday. The invitation -surprised me as I scarcely know her. - -_Tuesday, May_ 3_rd_. - -A. asked me to luncheon to meet Sir Henry St Clair. Sir Henry is an old -man, over seventy, with very strong views and a fiery temper. He is his -godfather. Mrs Campion was there. He lives in Scotland and said he had -not been to London for the last five years. But he said he was enjoying -himself and meant to go to the Derby. He looks surprisingly young for -his age, not more than sixty. - -_Wednesday, May_ 4_th._ - -Went with the Housmans to hear the Gilbert & Sullivan Company at -Hammersmith: _Patience_; we enjoyed it greatly. _Patience_ is a classic. -The performance was adequate. My enjoyment was marred by the comments -of Mrs Fairburn, who went with us. She said she thought it _vieux jeu_, -and preferred Debussy: a foolish comparison. - -_Thursday, May_ 5_th._ - -I dined with the Shamiers. They live in Upper Brook Street. Mrs Vaughan, -whom I had met staying with Lady Jarvis, was there; a young Guardsman -and a Miss Ivy Hollystrop, an American, who, I believe, is a beauty. - -I sat next to Mrs Shamier. She asked me where I had spent Easter. I told -her. She said she did not know the Housmans, but had heard a great deal -about her. Cunninghame had told her that she sang quite divinely. I said -that Mrs Housman had received a very sound musical education. She asked -me what kind of man Housman was. I said he was a very generous man and -did a lot for charities. She asked me if I had known them a long time. I -said yes, a long time. She said she remembered Walter Bell's picture -perfectly and if it was at all like her she must be a very beautiful -woman. I said it was generally considered to be a faithful portrait. She -asked me if the Housmans bad any children. I said no. Mrs Shamier said -she would like to meet Mrs Housman very much, but she understood they -did not go out much. I said they were living in the country. - -_Friday, May_ 6_th._ - -I dined with Lady Jarvis. She was alone. She asked me to spend Sunday -week with her in the country. She told me that Sir Henry St Clair had -gone back to Scotland, much displeased. He has had a difference with A. -He is, she said, a very dictatorial man. - -_Saturday, May_ 7_th._ - -Went down to the Housmans' villa on the Thames. Mrs Fairburn was there, -but no other guests. Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing after -dinner, but she declined. - -_Sunday, May_ 8_th_. - -Mrs Fairburn and Housman went out on the river. I sat with Mrs Housman -in the garden. She read aloud from Chateaubriand's _Rene_. It sounded, -as she read it, very fine. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -George has refused Madras. Sir Henry, who had heard about the offer from -H., who is an intimate friend of his, came up post haste from Scotland. -He told George he _must_ accept it. George said he would think it over, -and did so for forty-eight hours, then he made up his mind, and he -settled to refuse it. Sir Henry stormed and raved and said it would have -broken George's father's heart if he had been alive, but it was no use. -George was as obstinate as a mule. He said he liked his present work and -he did not want to leave England. Sir Henry went straight back to -Scotland. - -The Housmans have left. I spent Sunday at Rosedale with Lady Jarvis. She -says that Mrs Fairburn is always there and was staying there this -Saturday Quite apart from anything else she is a very tiresome woman. -But she is no fool. In Housman she had found a gold-mine. - -The Shamiers are back. I am dining there next week. George is depressed. -He is fond of old Sir H. and doesn't like having annoyed him. Sir H. -says he will never forgive him. I can't understand why people can't let -other people lead their own lives. - -The _Compagnie de Cristal_ haven't sent my little chandelier. If you are -passing that way could you ask about it? - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 9_th_. - -I was trying to remember the date a French colonel had called at the -office, and I consulted Tuke. He did not remember, but said he would -refer to his diary. I asked him if he kept a diary regularly. He said he -had kept his diary without missing a day for the last five years, but he -always burnt it every New Year's Day. - -_Tuesday, May_ 10_th._ - -A. asked me to dinner. He said he very seldom saw the Housmans now, but -Housman had asked him to stay there on Sunday week. He was going next -Sunday to Rosedale. He told me he had been offered the Governorship of -Madras, and had refused it. He said he could not live in tropical -climates. They made him ill. He said he hated the summer in London. He -would have a lot of tedious dinners. There were several next week he -would be obliged to go to. - -_Wednesday,_ May 11_th._ - -I dined with Cunninghame. He talked of the Madras appointment, and said -it was absurd offering it to A. The tropics made him ill. He was ill -even in Egypt. He said Housman had a small flat in London, where he -stays during the week. - -_Thursday, May_ 12_th._ - -Cunninghame dined at Aunt Ruth's. I went after dinner. So did A. I could -see Aunt Ruth was pleased. Uncle Arthur confused Cunninghame with A. and -congratulated C. on his answers in the House of Lords. - -_Friday, May_ 13_th._ - -Lady Jarvis gave a small musical party, which was what I call a large -musical party. Someone sang Russian songs, and Bernard Sachs played -Mozart on the harpsichord. It would have been very enjoyable had there -not been such a crowd. Housman was there, but not Mrs Housman. - -_Saturday, May_ 14_th. Rosedale_. - -Went down to Staines this afternoon. Mrs Housman, A., Cunninghame, Miss -Macdonald, and Mrs Campion were there. Housman was expected and had told -Mrs Housman he was coming by a later train, but he sent a telegram -saying he had been detained in London. - -_Sunday, May_ 15_th. Rosedale._ - -It poured with rain all day, so we sat indoors. Mrs Housman played and -sang. She drove to church in the morning in a shut fly. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 16_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale, where we had a most amusing Sunday, -rather spoilt by the incessant rain. Of course it cleared up _this_ -morning, and it's now a glorious day. The Housmans were asked and she -came, and he was expected by a later train, but chucked at the last -minute. Nobody was there except Mrs Campion, Freda, and Godfrey. - -We had a lot of music. Mrs Housman never let George have one moment's -conversation with her. He is quite miserable. It is quite clear that she -has cut him out of her life. I think it would have been better if he had -gone to Madras. It's too late now, they've appointed someone else. - -Last Tuesday I went to a huge dinner-party at Lady Arthur Mellor's, -Godfrey's aunt. Sir Arthur is quite gaga and took me for George the -whole evening. I sat between an English blue stocking and the wife of -one of the Russian secretaries. She told me rather pointedly that these -were the kind of people she preferred. "Ici," she said, "on voit de -vrais Anglais, des gens vraiment bien." There was no gainsaying that. - -But of course the chief news, which you probably have heard, is that -Louise Shamier has left her husband, and she is going to marry -Lavroff--that is to say, if she gets a divorce. He apparently refused to -do the necessary in the way of making a divorce possible, so she has -left him and has gone to Italy with Lavroff. Everybody thinks it is the -greatest pity, and I, personally, am miserable about it. The only -comfort is that it might have been George. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 16_th._ - -Caught a bad cold at Rosedale from walking in the wet. - -_Tuesday, May_ 17_th._ - -Cold worse. Saw the doctor, who said I must go to bed and not think of -going to the office. - -_Wednesday, May_ 18_th._ - -Stayed in bed all day and read a book called _Sir Archibald Malmaison_, -by Julian Hawthorne. - -_Thursday, May_ 19_th._ - -Better. Got up. - -_Friday, May_ 20_th._ - -Went to the office. - -_Saturday, May_ 21st. - -Went down to Staines to the Housmans'. Found Lady Jarvis, A. and Mrs -Fairburn. At dinner Mrs Fairburn talked of the Shamier divorce. Mrs -Housman said she admired people who behaved like that, and she thought -it far better than a hidden liaison. Mrs Fairburn agreed, and said there -was nothing she despised so much as dishonesty and concealment. - -_Sunday, May_ 22_nd_. - -It again rained all Sunday, so we were unable to go on the river. It -cleared up in the evening. Housman took Mrs Fairburn out in a punt. - -Housman told us he had taken for the summer the same house they had last -year at Carbis Bay. He invited A. to come there and to stay as long as -he liked. A. said he would be yachting on the west coast this summer and -he would certainly pay them a visit. Housman said Lady Jarvis must come, -and he is going to ask Cunninghame. Mrs Fairburn said it was a pity she -would not be able to come, but she always spent August and September in -France. - -_Monday, May_ 23_rd_. - -I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said that A. does not -seem quite so depressed as usual. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, May_ 24_th._ - -A. is giving a dinner to some French _deputes_ at his Club. Cunninghame -and I have both been invited. - -_Wednesday, May_ 25_th._ - -Dined at the Club with Solway. Went to the Opera afterwards, for which -Solway had been given two places. Debussy's _Pelleas et Melisande_. We -both enjoyed it. - -_Thursday, May_ 26_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. I had a long talk with her after dinner. She asked -after Riley, whom she knows well. "I hear," she said, "he has become a -Roman Catholic; of course he will always have a _parti-pris_ now. I -wonder if he has realised that." Uncle Arthur joined in the conversation -and thought we were talking of someone else, but of whom I have no -idea, as he said it all came from not going to school. Riley has been to -three schools, besides Oxford, Heidelberg and Berlin universities, and -has taken his degree in French law. He, Riley, is staying with me -to-morrow night. - -_Friday, May_ 27_th._ - -I told Riley that I had heard a lady discussing his conversion lately, -and that she had wondered whether he realised that he would have a -_parti-pris_ in future. Riley said: "I rather hope I shall. Do you -really think one becomes a Catholic to drift like a sponge on a sea of -indecision, or to be like an AEolian harp? Don't you yourself think," he -said, "that _parti-pris_ is rather a mild term for such a tremendous -decision, such a _venture_? Would your friend think _parti-pris_ the -right expression to use of a man who nailed his colours to the mast -during a sea-battle? It is a good example of _miosis_." I asked him what -_miosis_ meant. He said that if I wanted another example it would be -miosis to say that the French Revolution put Marie Antoinette to -considerable inconvenience. Besides which, it was putting the cart -before the horse to say you would be likely to have a _parti-pris,_ when -by the act of becoming a Catholic you had proclaimed the greatest of all -possible _parti-pris_. It was like saying to a man who had enlisted in -the Army: "You will probably become very pro-British." "You won't," he -said, "think things out." I said that it was not I who had made the -comment, but my aunt, Lady Mellor. - -_Saturday, May_ 28_th._ - -A. has gone to the country. Dined at the Club. - -_Sunday, May_ 29_th._ - -Had luncheon with Lady Maria. The company consisted of Hollis, the -play-wright, and his wife, Miss Flora Routledge, who, I believe, began -to write novels in the sixties, Sir Hubert Taylor, the Academician, and -his wife, and Sir Horace Main, K.C. I was the only person present not a -celebrity. - -Lady Maria asked me how the Housmans were. She had not seen them for an -age. I said the Housmans were living in the country. - -She said I must bring A. to luncheon one Sunday. "Who would he like to -meet?" she asked; "I am told he only likes musicians, and I am so -unmusical, I know so few. But perhaps he only likes beautiful -musicians." I said I was sure A. would be pleased to meet anyone she -asked. She said: "I'm sure it's no use asking him; he's sure to be away -on Sundays." I said A. usually spent Sunday at Littlehampton. "Or on the -Thames," Lady Maria said. - -She said she hadn't seen the Housmans for a year. She heard Mr Housman -had dropped all his old friends. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, May_ 30_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been terribly bad about writing, and I haven't written to you for -a fortnight. I got your letter last week, and was immensely amused by -all you say. Sunday week I stayed with Edith, a family party, but rather -fun all che same. I went to the opera twice this week and once the week -before. Nothing very exciting. The Housmans haven't got a box this year. -Yesterday I stayed with them at Staines. There was no one else there -except Miss Housman. Thank heaven, no Mrs Fairburn! George, by the way, -hasn't the remotest idea of "Bert's" infidelities. I believe he thinks -him a model husband. He is still in low spirits, but rather better -because he is fearfully busy. He has been going out more lately, which -is a good thing, and he has been entertaining foreigners and official -people, too. People are now saying he is going to marry Lavinia Wray -That story has only just reached the large public. They are a little bit -out of date. As a matter of fact, Lavinia has quite settled to go in for -nursing, but she hasn't broken it yet to her relations. Louise will, I -believe, get her divorce. They have left Italy and gone to Russia, where -Lavroff has got a large property. - -I have got a terribly busy week next week, dinners nearly every night, -besides balls. So don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for some -time. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 30_th._ - -Heard to-day from Gertrude. She and Anstruther arrive next week for -three months' leave from Buenos Aires. They are going to stay at the -Hans Crescent Hotel. Anstruther does not expect to go back to Buenos -Aires. They hope to get Christiania or Belgrade. They ask me to inform -Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur of their arrival, which I must try to -remember to do, as Gertrude is Aunt Ruth's favourite niece. - -_Tuesday, May_ 31_st_. - -A. is not at all well. He says he has got a bad headache, but he has to -go to an official dinner to-night. He is also most annoyed at having -been chosen as a delegate to the Conference that takes place in Canada -in August. This, he says, will prevent his doing any yachting this year -as he will not be back before the end of September. - -_Wednesday, June_ 1_st_. - -Riley came to see me at the office and asked me whether I could put him -up for a few nights. I would with pleasure, but I warned him that I -should be having most of my meals with Solway, who is up in London for a -week. - -_Thursday, June_ 2_nd_. - -Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner and remembered to tell her that -Gertrude was arriving next week. Aunt Ruth was glad to hear the news and -said she hoped Edmund would get promotion this time. He had been passed -over so often. I said I hoped so also, but I suppose I did not display -enough enthusiasm, as Aunt Ruth said I didn't seem to take much interest -in my brother-in-law's career. I assured her I was fond of Gertrude and -had the greatest respect for my brother-in-law. Uncle Arthur said: -"What, Anstruther? The man's a pompous ass." Aunt Ruth was rather -shocked. - -_Friday, July_ 3_rd_. - -Solway has arrived in London. He is staying at St Leonard's Terrace, -Chelsea. He is taking me to a concert to-morrow night. Riley has also -arrived. He said he would prefer not to go to a concert. - -_Saturday, June_ 4_th._ - -The concert last night was a success. Miss Bowden played Bach's -_Chaconne._ Solway was greatly excited and said loudly: "I knew she -could do it; I knew she could do it." - -_Sunday, June_ 5_th_. - -A. hasn't been at all well this week, and he has put off staying with -the Housmans to-day. They asked me, but as Solway and Riley were here I -did not like to go. Cunninghame has asked me to dinner next week to meet -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. I shall have to conceal from Gertrude that I am -going to meet them, as Caryl was promoted over his head and she would -think it disloyal on my part. Solway and Riley had luncheon with me at -the Club. In the afternoon I went to hear Miss Bowden play at a Mrs -Griffith's house, where Solway is staying. We could not persuade Riley -to come. I had supper there with Solway. Riley went to more literary -circles and had supper with Professor Langdon, the Shakespearean -critic. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, June_ 6_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Please write down in your engagement book that you are dining with me on -Thursday as well as on Monday. I have asked Godfrey Mellor to meet you -on Thursday. George is laid up with appendicitis, and I am afraid he is -_very_ bad indeed. The doctors are going to decide to-day whether they -are to operate immediately or not. He is at a nursing home in Welbeck -Street. His sister is looking after him. He was going to Canada in -August. I don't suppose he will be able to now. - -I am looking forward to seeing you quite tremendously. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, June_ 6_th._ - -A. has got appendicitis and has been taken to a nursing home. I have -just heard he is to have an operation to-morrow morning. - -_Tuesday, June_ 7_th._ - -A.'s operation was successfully performed, but he is still very ill. -Cunninghame has been to Welbeck Street this morning and saw his sister. -She is most anxious. He was, of course, not allowed to see A. - -_Wednesday, June_ 8_th._ - -I sat up late last night talking to Riley. - -_Thursday, June_ 9_th._ - -Cunninghame went to Welbeck Street and saw the doctor. He says there is -every chance of his recovery. Apparently the danger was in having to do -the operation at once, while there was still inflammation. It was not -exactly appendicitis, but Cunninghame's report was too technical for my -comprehension. - -I dined with Cunninghame to-day to meet Mrs Caryl. I had not met her -husband before. He is, I thought, slightly stiff. Lady Jarvis was there -also. She was much disturbed about A.'s illness. - -_Friday, June_ 10_th_. - -Gertrude and Edmund Anstruther arrived yesterday. I dined with them -to-night. Edmund said the way diplomats were treated was a scandal. The -hard-working members of the profession were always passed over. The best -posts were given to men outside the profession. No conscientious man -could expect to get on in such a profession. If he was passed over this -time he would not stand it any longer, but he would leave the Service -altogether. The Foreign Office, he said, was so weak. They never backed -up a subordinate who took a strong line. They always climbed down. I -wondered what Edmund had been taking a strong line about in Buenos -Aires. Gertrude agreed. She said they had been there for three years -without leave, and if they did not get a good post she would advise -Edmund to retire and get something in the City. There were plenty of -firms in the city who would jump at getting Edmund. She mentioned the -Housmans and said she knew they were friends of mine, and didn't want to -say anything against them, but she had met many people in Buenos Aires -who knew Mrs Housman intimately, and said she was rather a dangerous -woman. I asked in what way she was dangerous. Gertrude said: "Perhaps -you do not know she is a Roman Catholic." I said I had known this for -years, but she never talked of it. "That's just what I mean," said -Gertrude; "they are far too subtle, and I am afraid too underhand to -talk of it openly. They lead you on." I asked Gertrude if she thought -Mrs Housman wished to convert me. She said most certainly. Her friends -in Buenos Aires had told her she had made many converts. It was the only -thing she cared for, and even if she didn't, Roman Catholics were -obliged to do so. It was only natural, if they thought we all went to -hell if we were not converted. - -I said I was not sure Roman Catholics did believe that. Gertrude and -Edmund said I was wrong. I could ask anyone. Gertrude repeated she had -no wish to say anything against Mrs Housman, and she was convinced she -was a good woman according to her lights. - -Edmund said there had been many conversions in the Diplomatic Service. -He was convinced this was part of a general conspiracy. If you wanted to -get on in the Diplomatic Service you had better be a Roman Catholic. Of -course those who did not choose to sacrifice their conscience, their -independence, their traditions, and were loyal to the Church and the -State, suffered. I said I didn't quite see where loyalty to the State -came in. Edmund said: "How could you be loyal to the State when you were -under the authority of an Italian Bishop?" I must know that the Italian -Cardinals were always in the majority. I said that, considering the -number of Catholics in England, compared with the number of Catholics in -other countries, I should be surprised to see a majority of English -Cardinals at the Vatican. I said Edmund wanted England to be a -Protestant country, and at the same time to have the lion's share in -Catholic affairs. Edmund said that was not at all what he meant. What he -meant was that an Englishman should be loyal to his Church, which was an -integral part of the State. - -I said there were many Englishmen who would prefer the State to have -nothing to do with the Church. Edmund said there were many Englishmen -who did not deserve the name of Englishmen. For instance, Caryl, who was -now Second Secretary at Paris, had been promoted over his head three -years ago. What was the reason? Mrs Caryl was a Roman Catholic and Caryl -had been converted soon after his marriage. I foolishly said that the -Caryls were now in London, and when Edmund asked me how I knew this I -said that Aunt Ruth had told me. - -This raised a storm, as it appears that Aunt Ruth does know the Caryls -and asks them to dinner when they are in London. Edmund said he would -talk to Aunt Ruth about them seriously. I asked him as a favour to do no -such thing. And Gertrude told him not to be foolish, and added -magnanimously that Mrs Caryl was a nice woman, if a little fast. - -For a man who has lived all his life abroad Edmund Anstruther is -singularly deeply imbued with British prejudice. - -They are staying in London until the middle of July. Then they are going -on a round of visits. Edmund is confident that he will get Christiania. -I feel that it is more than doubtful. - -Riley went back to Shelborough to-day. - -_Saturday, June_ 11_th._ - -Received a telegram from Housman, asking me to go to Staines. I went -down by the afternoon train, and found Lady Jarvis, Miss Housman and -Carrington-Smith. Housman was anxious for news of A. I told him I -believed he was now out of danger, but that it would be a long time -before he was quite well again. Housman said he must certainly come to -Cornwall. I said he had intended to go to Canada for a Conference, but -would be unable to do so now. Housman said that was providential. - -_Sunday, June_ 12_th._ - -A fine day, but the river was crowded and hardly enjoyable. I sat with -Mrs Housman in the garden in the evening. The others went on the river -again. Mrs Housman asked me if I had seen A. I said he was not allowed -to see anyone. - -_Monday, June_ 13_th._ - -A. is getting on as well as can be expected. There appears to be no -doubt of his recovery. Cunninghame is going to see him to-day. - -_Tuesday, June_ 12_th._ - -Cunninghame says that A. wants to see me. I am to go there to-morrow. - -Dined with Hope, who was at Oxford with me. He is just back from Russia, -where he has been to make arrangements for producing some play in -London. He thinks of nothing now but the stage, and a play of his is -going to be produced at the Court Theatre. I promised to go and see it. -He spoke of Riley, and I told him he had become a Roman Catholic. Hope -said he regarded that as sinning against the light. He said no one _at -this time of day_ could believe such things. - -_Wednesday, June_ 15_th_. - -I went to see A. at Welbeck Street. He has been very ill and looks white -and thin. His sister was there, but I had some conversation with him -alone. I told him all the news I could think of, which was not much. He -said he liked seeing people, but was not allowed more than one visitor a -day. He had got a very good nurse. Housman had sent him grapes and -magnificent fruit every day. He said he would like to see Mrs Housman, -but supposed that was impossible, as she never came to London now. He -said Cunninghame had been very good to him, and had put off going to -Ascot to look after him. - -I wrote to Mrs Housman this evening and gave her A.'s message. - -_Thursday, June_ 16_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. Gertrude and Edmund were there. Edmund said to -Aunt Ruth that he had heard the Caryls were in London. Aunt Ruth said -she had no idea of this, and she would ask them to dinner next Thursday. -Aunt Ruth asked a good many diplomats to meet Edmund, and they had a -long talk after dinner about their posts. They called Edmund their -"_Cher collegue_." Edmund enjoyed himself immensely. Uncle Arthur cannot -bear him, nor, indeed, any diplomats, and it is, I think, the chief -cross of his life that Aunt Ruth asks so many of them to dinner. - -Aunt Ruth asked after A. and said that she had been to inquire. - -_Friday, June_ 17_th_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman, saying she was coming up to London -to-morrow, and was going to stay with Lady Jarvis till Monday. She would -go and see A. on Sunday afternoon if convenient. She asked me to ring up -the nurse and find out. I did so and arranged for her to call at four -o'clock. - -_Saturday, June_ 18_th._ - -I dined with Lady Jarvis. There was no one there but Mrs Housman and -myself. Cunninghame is staying somewhere with friends of the Caryls. - -_Sunday, June_ 19_th_. - -I had luncheon with Aunt Ruth. Edmund and Gertrude were there, but no -one else. Edmund has been appointed to Berne. It is not what he had -hoped, but better than any of us expected. He said Berne might become a -most important post in the event of a European war. - -_Monday, June_ 20_th._ - -Dined with the Caryls at the Ritz. Cunninghame was there and Miss -Hollystrop. Mrs Vaughan asked me whether it was true that A. had become -a Roman Catholic. She had heard Mrs Housman had converted him. -Cunninghame deftly turned the conversation on account of Mrs Caryl. - -We all went to the opera--_Faust_. - -_Tuesday, June_ 21_st_. - -I went to see A. He told me Mrs Housman had been to see him. He is still -in bed, but looks better. - -_Wednesday, June_ 22_nd_. - -Barnes of the F.O. came to the office this morning. He asked after A. -He said he had heard that the real cause of his illness was his passion -for Mrs Housman, who would have nothing to do with him unless he was -converted. Cunninghame said he wondered he could talk such nonsense. - -_Thursday, June_ 23_rd_. - -Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. The Caryls were there, and Gertrude -and Edmund came after dinner. Heated arguments were going on about the -situation in Russia, Edmund taking the ultra-conservative point of view, -much to the annoyance of Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur, who felt even more -strongly on the matter because he thought they were discussing the -French Revolution. - -_Friday, June_ 24_th_. - -Dined with Lady Jarvis; she was alone. She said Mrs Housman was coming -up again to-morrow. The fact is, she says, Staines is intolerable now on -Sundays. Mrs Fairburn comes down almost every Sunday. She overwhelms -Mrs Housman with her gush and her pretended silliness. Housman thinks -her the most wonderful woman he has ever met. - -_Saturday, June_ 25_th._ - -Went down to S---- to stay with Riley. Riley lives in a small villa -surrounded with laurels. A local magnate came to dinner, who is -suspected of being about to present some expensive masterpieces to the -public gallery. - -_Sunday, June_ 26_th_. - -Riley went to Mass in the morning. I sat in his smoking-room, which is a -litter of books and papers and exceedingly untidy. A geologist came to -luncheon, Professor Langer, a naturalised German. When we were walking -in the garden afterwards, he said he could not understand how Riley -reconciled his creed with plain facts of geology. But Riley's case -surprised him less than that of another of his colleagues, who was a -great authority on geology, and nevertheless a devout Catholic, and not -only never missed Mass on Sundays, but had told him, Langer, that he -fully subscribed to every point of the Catholic Faith. It was true he -was an Irishman, but politically he was not at all fanatical, and not -even a Home-Ruler. - -In the afternoon we had tea with the magnate, whose house is full of -Academy pictures. I now understand what happens to that great quantity -of pictures we see once at the Academy and then never again. An art -critic was invited to tea also. He had, I believe, been invited here to -persuade the magnate in question to present some very modern piece of -art to the city. He seemed disappointed when he saw the pictures on the -walls, and when the magnate asked his opinion of a composition called _A -Love Letter_, he said he did not think the picture a very good one. The -magnate said he regretted not having bought _Home Thoughts_, by the -same painter, which was undoubtedly superior. - -We dined alone, and I told Riley what Professor Langer had said. He -said: "Most Protestants, whether they have any religion or not, -attribute Protestant notions to the Catholic Church. What these people -say shows to what extent the conception of Rome has been distorted by -their being saturated with Protestant ideas. Mallock says somewhere that -the Anglicans talk of the Catholic Church as if she were a _lapsed -Protestant sect_, and they attack her for being false to what she has -never professed. He says they don't see the real difference between the -two Churches, which is not in this or that dogma, but in the authority -on which all dogma rests. The Professors you quote take for granted that -Catholics base their religion, as Protestants do, on the Bible _solely_, -and judged from that point of view she seems to them superstitious and -dishonest. But Catholics believe that Christ guaranteed infallibility -to the Church _in perpetuum: perpetual_ infallibility. Catholics -discover this not _at first_ from the Church as doctrine, but from -records as trustworthy human documents, and they believe that the Church -being perpetually infallible can only interpret the Bible in the right -way. They believe she is guided in the interpretation of the Bible by -the same Spirit which inspired the Bible. She teaches us _more_ about -the Bible. She says _this_ is what the Bible teaches." - -He said: "Mallock makes a further point. It is not only Protestant -divines who talk like that. It is your advanced thinkers, men like -Langer and his colleagues. They utterly disbelieve in the Protestant -religion; they trust the Protestants in nothing else, but at the same -time they take their word for it, without further inquiry, that -Protestantism is more reasonable than Catholicism. If they have -destroyed Protestantism they conclude they must have destroyed -Catholicism _a fortiori_. With regard to Langer's geological friend, it -doesn't make a pin's difference to a Catholic whether evolution or -natural selection is true or false. Neither of these theories pretends -to explain the origin of life. Catholics believe the origin of life is -God." He had heard a priest say, not long ago: "A Catholic can believe -in evolution, and in evolution before evolution, and in evolution before -that, if he likes, but what he must believe is that God made the world -and in it _mind,_ and that at some definite moment the mind of man -rebelled against God." - -_Monday, June_ 27_th_. - -A. telephoned for me. I saw him this afternoon. His room was full of -flowers. He will not be allowed to get up till the end of the week. As -soon as he is allowed to go out the doctor says he ought to go away and -get some sea air. There is no question of his going to Canada. The -Housmans have asked him to go to Cornwall and he is going there as soon -as he can. He asked me when I was going. I said at the end of the month, -if that would be convenient to him. - -_Tuesday, June_ 28_th._ - -Finished Renan's _Souvenirs d'Enfance et de Jeunesse_. He says: "Je -regrettais par moments de n'etre pas protestant, afin de pouvoir etre -philosophe sans cesser d'etre Chretien. Puis je reconnaissais qu'il n'y -a que les Catholiques qui soient consequents." Riley's argument. Dined -at the Club. - -_Wednesday, June_ 29_th._ - -Dined with Hope at a restaurant in Soho. Quite a large gathering, with -no one I knew. We had dinner in a private room. Two journalists--Hoxton, -who writes in one of the Liberal newspapers, and Brice, who edits a -weekly newspaper--had a heated argument about religion. Brice is and -has always been an R.C. Hoxton's views seemed to me violent but -undefined. He said, as far as I understood, that the Eastern Church was -far nearer to early Christian tradition than the Western Church, and -that by not defining things too narrowly and by not having an infallible -Pope the Greeks had an inexpressible advantage over the Romans. Upon -which someone else who was there said that the Greeks believed in the -infallibility of the First Seven Councils; they believed their decisions -to be as infallible as any papal utterance, and that dogma had been -defined once and for all by the Councils. Brice said this was quite -true, and while the Greeks had shut the door, the Catholic Church had -left the door open. Besides which, he argued, what was the result of the -action of the Greeks? Look at the Russian Church. As soon as it was -separated it gave birth to another schism and that schism resulted in -the rise of about a hundred religions, one of which had for one of its -tenets that children should be strangled at their birth so as to -inherit the Kingdom of Heaven without delay. That, said Brice, is the -result of schism. - -The other man said that there was no religion so completely under the -control of the Government as the Russian. The Church was ultimately in -the hands of gendarmes. Hoxton said that in spite of schisms, and in -spite of anything the Government might do, the Eastern Church retained -the early traditions of Christianity. Therefore, if an Englishman wanted -to become a Catholic, it was absurd for him to become a Roman Catholic. -He should first think of joining the Eastern Church and becoming a Greek -Catholic. The other man, whose name I didn't catch, asked why, in that -case, did Russian philosophers become Catholics and why did Solovieff, -the Russian philosopher, talk of the pearl Christianity having -unfortunately reached Russia smothered under the dust of Byzantium? - -Brice said the Greek Church was schismatic and the Anglican Church was -heretical and that was the end of the matter. Hoxton said: "My -philosophy is quite as good as yours." Brice said it was a pity he could -neither define nor explain his philosophy. Hope, who was bored by the -whole argument, turned the conversation on to the Russian stage. - -_Thursday, June_ 30_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. After dinner I sat next to a Russian diplomatist -who knew Riley. He said he was glad he had become a Catholic--he himself -was Orthodox. He evidently admired the Catholic religion. He said, among -other things, how absurd it was to think that such floods of ink had -been used to prove the Gospel of St John had not been written by St -John. He said, even if it wasn't, the Church has said it was written by -St John for over a thousand years. She has made it her own. He himself -saw no reason to think it was not written by St John. Uncle Arthur, who -caught the tail end of this conversation, said the authorship of _John -Peel_ was a subject of much dispute. Gertrude wasn't there; they have -gone to the country. - -_Friday, July_ 1_st_. - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. Cunninghame was there and a large gathering of -people. More people came after dinner and there was music, but such a -crowd that I could not get near enough to listen so I gave it up and -stayed in another room. Lady Jarvis told me Mrs Housman is going down to -Cornwall next Monday. - -_Saturday, July_ 30_th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay._ - -Arrived this evening after a hot and disagreeable journey. The Housmans -are here alone. Housman goes back to London on Tuesday. A. is coming -down here as soon as he is fit to travel. He is still very weak. - -_Sunday, July_ 31_st_. - -The Housmans went to Mass. Father Stanway came to luncheon. He said he -had been giving instruction to an Indian boy who is being brought up as -an R.C. I asked him if it was difficult for an Indian to understand -Christian dogma. Father Stanway said that the child had amazed him. He -had been telling him about the Trinity and the Indian had said to him: -"I see--ice, snow, rain--all water." - -_Monday, August_ 1_st_. - -Housman played golf. Mrs Housman took me to the cliffs and began reading -out _Les Miserables_, which I have never read. - -_Tuesday, August_ 2_nd_. - -Housman left early this morning. We sat on the beach and read _Les -Miserables_. - -_Wednesday, August_ 3_rd_. - -Lady Jarvis arrives to-morrow. We continued _Les Miserables_ in the -afternoon and after dinner. Mrs Housman said that some conversations and -the reading of certain passages in books were like _events_. Once or -twice in her life she had come across sentences in a book which, -although they had nothing extraordinary about them and expressed things -anyone might have thought or said, were like a revelation, or a -solution, and seemed to be written in letters of flame and had a -permanent effect on her whole life; one such sentence was the following -from _Les Miserables_: "Ne craignons jamais les voleurs ni les -meurtriers. Ce sont la les dangers du dehors, les petits dangers. -Craignons nous-memes. Les prejuges, voila les voleurs; les vices, voila -les meurtriers. Les grands dangers sont au dedans de nous. Qu'importe ce -qui menace notre tete ou notre bourse!" She said: "Of course this has -never prevented me from feeling frightened when I hear a scratching -noise in the night. That paralyses me with terror." - -_Thursday, August_ 4_th._ - -We continued our reading. The weather has been propitious. Lady Jarvis -arrived in the evening. We continued our reading after dinner. - -_Friday, August_ 5_th._ - -A. arrived this evening. He was exhausted after the journey and went to -bed at once. Housman arrives to-morrow--he is only staying till Monday. - -_Saturday, August_ 6_th._ - -A. sat in the garden and Mrs Housman read out some stories by H.G. Wells -from a book called _The Plattner Story,_ which we all enjoyed. - -Housman arrived in the evening. A. is not yet strong enough to walk. He -sits in the garden all day. The weather is perfectly suited to an -invalid. - -_Sunday, August_ 7_th._ - -Housman invited Father Stanway to luncheon. He and Housman talked of -politicians and popularity and the Press and to what extent their -reputation depended on it. Housman said it was death to a politician not -to be mentioned. A politician needed popularity among the public as much -as an actor did. Father Stanway said it was a double-edged weapon and -that those who lived by it risked perishing by it. Housman said -Gladstone and Beaconsfield had lived by it successfully. Father Stanway -said it depends whether you want to be famous or whether you want to get -things done. A man can do anything in the world if he doesn't mind not -getting the credit for it. Father Stanway said nobody realised this -better than Lord Beaconsfield. He said somewhere that it was private -life that governs the world and that the more you were talked about the -less powerful you were. - -A. is a little better. I went for a walk with Father Stanway in the -afternoon. I asked him a few questions about the system of Confession. -He said the Sacrament of Penance was a Divine Institution. I asked him -if the practice did not lead to the shirking of responsibility and the -dulling of the conscience on the part of those who went to Confession. -He said Confession was not an opiate but a sharp and bitter medicine, -disagreeable to take but leaving a clean after-taste in the mouth I gave -him a hypothetical case of a man being in love with a Catholic married -woman. If the woman was a practising Catholic and faithful to her -husband, and if she continued to be friends with the man who was in love -with her, would she confess her conduct and, if so, would the priest -approve of the conduct? Father Stanway said it was difficult to judge -unless one knew the whole facts. If the woman knew she was acting in a -way which might lead to sin or even to scandal--that is to say, in a way -which would have a bad effect on others--she would be bound to confess -it. If a woman asked him his advice in such a case he would strongly -advise her to put an end to the relationship. I said: "You wouldn't -forbid it?" He said: "The Church forbids sin, and penitents when they -receive Absolution undertake to avoid the occasions of sin." He said he -could not tell me more without knowing more of the facts. Cases were -sometimes far more complicated than they appeared to be, but however -complicated they were, there was no doubt as to the attitude of the -Church towards that kind of sin and to the advisability of avoiding -occasions that might bring it about. - -_Monday, August_ 8_th._ - -Housman went back to London. Cunninghame arrives to-morrow. A. walked as -far as the beach this morning. In the afternoon Lady Jarvis took him for -a drive. Mrs Housman went into the town to do some shopping. - -_Tuesday, August_ 9_th._ - -We all went for a drive in a motor to a village with a curious name and -had tea in a farm-house. Cunninghame arrived in time for dinner. He has -been staying at Cowes. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - CARBIS BAY, - _Wednesday, August_ 10_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I arrived last night from Cowes. I found Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, -George and Godfrey. - -George is very much better, but he is still weak and can't get about -much. He is not allowed to play golf yet. He sits in the garden, and goes -for a mild walk once a day. Lady Jarvis says that Mrs Housman is very -unhappy. In the first place, her home is intolerable. Mrs Fairburn makes -London quite impossible for her. It is a wonder that she is not here, -but as Housman is in London there is nothing to be surprised at. In the -second place, Lady Jarvis thinks that Mrs Housman would much rather -George hadn't come, but she couldn't help it as Housman asked him. - -We do things mostly altogether now. I am staying a fortnight, then I go -to Worsel for a week and to Edith's till the end of September; then -London. Lady Jarvis says that she is sure Mrs Housman will not spend the -winter in London. - -Write to me here and tell me about the Mont Dore. I have been there once -and think it is an appalling place. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Wednesday, August_ 10_th_. - -A. has been doing too much, the doctor says, and he is not to be allowed -out of the garden for a few days. Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis take turns -in reading to him aloud. We have finished the Wells book and we are now -reading _Midshipman Easy_. - -_Thursday, August_ 11_th._ - -I went for a walk with Cunninghame. He said his favourite book was _John -Inglesant_ and was surprised that I had not read it. He has it with him -and has lent it to me. - -_Friday, August_ 12_th._ - -It rained all day. We spent the day reading aloud. - -_Saturday, August_ 13_th._ - -A. is much better and went for a walk with me this morning. - -_Sunday, August_ 14_th._ - -Housman was coming down yesterday but telegraphed to say he was -detained. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we received a visit -from an American who has come here in a yacht and met Cunninghame and -myself in the town this morning. His name is Harold C. Jefferson. When I -was introduced to him he said he did not quite catch my name. I said my -name was "Mellor"; he said: "Lord or Mister?" Cunninghame told him where -he was staying and he said he would call--he knew the Housmans in -America. He asked us all to go on board his yacht to-morrow. Mrs -Housman, Cunninghame and myself accepted. Lady Jarvis said she would -stop with A. who is not up to it. - -_Monday, August_ 15_th_. - -We had luncheon on board Mr Jefferson's yacht, a large steam vessel. It -has on board a piano and an organ, both of which are played by -electricity, which is in some respects satisfactory, but the _tempo_ of -the _Meistersinger_ Overture which was performed for us was accelerated -out of all recognition. - -_Tuesday, August_ 16_th_. - -A Miss Simpson called in the afternoon to ask Mrs Housman to help with -some local charity; she lives at the Hotel. She said she found it very -inconvenient not being able to go to Church. We wondered what prevented -her doing so, but she soon gave us the reason herself. She said that the -local clergyman was so low--no eastward position. - -A. is much better and went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. - -_Wednesday, August_ 17_th._ - -Housman has written to say that he will not be able to come down until -late in September. Carrington-Smith is unwell and he is overwhelmed with -business. He, Housman, may have to meet a man in Paris. - -_Thursday, August_ 18_th._ - -A rainy day. Cunninghame and I went out in spite of the rain. - -_Friday, August_ 19_th._ - -Cunninghame played golf with General York. - -_Saturday, August_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis, Mrs Housman and myself went for a drive. A. played golf -with Cunninghame. I began _John Inglesant_ last night. Mrs Housman has -never read it. After dinner we had some music. Mrs Housman played -Schubert's _Prometheus_ and hummed the tune. She says it is a man's -song. - -_Sunday, August_ 21_st_. - -A. says he is going to have his yacht sent up here--he will be able to -sail back in her. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we sat in -the garden and read out aloud _Cashel Byron's Profession,_ a novel by -Bernard Shaw. A. enjoyed it immensely. - -_Monday, August_ 22_nd_. - -We drove to the Lizard in a motor and had luncheon at the Hotel. A. -misses his yacht very much but he has sent for her. After dinner we -played Clumps. - -_Tuesday, August_ 23_rd_. - -Cunninghame was going to-morrow but he is staying till Saturday. Mrs -Housman went to Newquay to the convent for the day. Lady Jarvis took A. -for a drive. - -_Wednesday, August_ 24_th._ - -This morning A., Cunninghame and myself walked down to the town. We met -a friend of Cunninghame's called Randall, who is yachting. He has just -come from France. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Thursday, August_ 25_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am stopping here till Saturday, then Worsel, then Edith's. You had -better write to Edith's. Yesterday morning we were in the town, George, -Godfrey and I, and we met Jimmy Randall, who has come here in the -Goldberg's yacht. They had been to St Malo and other places in France. -When we said we were staying with the Housmans, Randall said there was -not much chance of our seeing Housman for some time as he was having the -time of his life with Mrs Fairburn at a little place near Deauville. - -This came as a revelation to George, who had no idea of Housman's -adventures. He has scarcely spoken since. We are having a very happy -time and I am miserable at having to go away. George is quite well. He -has sent for his yacht, but he is not staying on very long as he has got -to go to one or two places before he goes back to London. The weather -has been divine. Godfrey is quite cheerful. - -I shan't write again till I get to Edith's. I shan't stop more than a -night at Worsel on the way. - -Edith is clamouring for me to come. The Caryls are staying there. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Thursday, August_ 25_th._ - -I went out for a walk with Cunninghame; he asked me whether I had liked -_John Inglesant_. I said I had it read with interest but it gave me the -creeps; it had the chill of a dream world; I preferred the character of -Eustace Inglesant to that of his brother John. Cunninghame said he had -read it five times; that _John Inglesant_, Flaubert's _Trois Contes_ and -Anthony Hope's _The King's Mirror_ were his three favourite books. I had -read neither of the others. Mrs Housman and A. went for a walk in the -afternoon. After dinner Lady Jarvis read out a story by Stevenson. - -_Friday, August_ 26_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to the town in the afternoon. A. and Cunninghame played -golf. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. She talked about Mrs Housman. -She said it was wonderful what comfort she (Mrs H.) found in her -religion. As far as she herself was concerned, she had never ceased to -appreciate the luxury of not going to church on Sunday, so much had she -disliked being made to go to church before she was grown up. I said Mrs -Housman had told me that Roman Catholic children enjoyed going to -church. She said: "Yes, and their grown-up people too. Clare will -probably go to church this afternoon. If I was a Catholic I could -understand it." She said it was the only religion she could understand. -"Unhappily to be a Catholic," she said, "one must believe. I am not -talking of the ritual and the discipline--I mean one must _believe_, -have faith in the supernatural, and I have none." She said that she -thought religion was an instinct. Her religion consisted in trying not -to hurt other people's feelings. That was difficult enough. She said she -had once come across this phrase in a French book: "Aimez-vous les uns -les autres, c'est beaucoup dire supportez-vous les uns les autres, c'est -deja assez difficile." Some people, she said, arrived at religion by -disbelieving in disbelief. She didn't believe in dogmatic _disbelief -but_ that didn't lead _her_ to anything positive. She said she was glad -for Mrs Housman that she had her religion. I asked her if she thought -Mrs Housman was very unhappy. She said: "Yes; but there comes a moment -in unhappiness when people realise that they must either live, or die. -Clare passed that moment a long time ago." People often made God in -their own image. Mrs Housman had a beautiful character. She, Lady -Jarvis, had no stuff in her to project a deity with. She thought that -religion seldom affected conduct. She thought Mrs Housman would have -been just the same if she had been brought up as a free-thinker or a -Presbyterian. She thought her marriage and her whole life had been a -gigantic mistake. She ought, she said, to have been a professional -singer. She was an artist by nature. I said I was struck by Mrs Housmans -strong common-sense and her tact in dealing with people. "That would -have made her all the greater as an artist," Lady Jarvis said. "In all -arts you want to be good at other things besides that art. Riding needs -mind." She said it was no good wishing to be otherwise but she thought -it was very tragic. She said: "If I believed there was another life, -this sort of thing wouldn't matter, but as I don't it matters very -much." I said it struck me the other way round. If one didn't believe in -a future life I didn't see that anything could matter very much. I asked -her if she positively believed there wasn't another life. She said: "I -don't know. I only know I don't believe in a future life." I asked her -if that wasn't faith. She said very possibly, but she at any rate hadn't -the fervent faith in no-God that some atheists had. In any case she was -not intolerant about it. I asked her if it had not often struck her -that agnostics and free-thinkers were still more intolerant than -religious people and that they had least business to be. She said that -was exactly what she had meant. The religion of other people irritated -them; they wanted people to share their particular form of unbelief. She -never did that. She thought dogmatic disbelief intolerable. She had the -greatest respect for Catholics and would give anything to be able to be -one. Mrs Housman never spoke about her religion. We talked about -reading. I said I always read the newspapers or rather _The Times_ every -day. I had done so for fifteen years. She said she never did except in -the train but she knew the news as well as I did. We talked about what -is good reading for the train and about journeys. I told her of a -journey I had once taken in France in a third-class carriage. She said -it was lucky one forgot physical discomfort at once unlike mental -discomfort. She said something about the appalling unnaturalness of -people when they had to deal with death, and then of the misery in -seeing other people suffer, of the hardness of some people, and of a -book she had just been reading, called _Katzensteg_, by Sudermann, and -then of Germans, and so, to music, of Housman's great undeveloped -musical talent, of Jews, how favourable the mixture of Jewish and German -blood was to music. I said something about Jews being rarely men of -creation or action. She said they were just as persistent in getting -what they wanted as men of action, so she supposed that it came to the -same. Disraeli was a man of action, she supposed, and all the great -socialists, Marx and Lassalle, they got what they wanted. "Un de nous a -voulu etre Dieu et il l'a ete," she said a Jewish financier had once -said. This led her to Heine. He was her favourite writer, both in prose -and verse. Had I ever read his prose? I ought to read _Geschichte der -Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland._ It was the most brilliant book -of criticism she knew. It was the Jews who had invented all great -religions, and socialism was the invention of the Jews. Some people said -the Russian revolution was Jewish in idea and leadership and might very -likely lead to a new political creed. She said she hated anti-Semitism. -This led us to Christianity. Christianity to her meant Catholicism. She -could not understand any other form of it. She thought there was nothing -in the world more silly than attempts to make a religion of Christianity -without the Church--there could only be one Church. "But," I said, "you -disbelieve in it." She said: "Yes; but the only thing that could tempt -me to believe in it is the continued existence of the Catholic Church." -She said: "It's there; it's a fact, whether one believes in its divine -origin, as Clare does, or whether one doesn't, as I don't. It must -either all hang together or not exist. You can't take a part of it and -make a satisfactory and reasonable religion." Not only that, -nothing seemed to her more foolish than the attempts to make a religion -of Christianity without the Divine element, in which Christ was only a -very good man. I said if she did not believe in the divinity of Christ -the story could be nothing more to her than a fable. She said: "If one -only regards it as a fable, as I suppose I do--but again I have no -dogmatic disbelief in it--it is still the most beautiful, impressive, -wonderful and tragic story ever invented and it seems to me to lose its -whole point if Christ was only a man with hypnotic powers and a head -turned by ambition or illusion." She quoted a Frenchman, who had said -that he adored Jesus Christ as his Lord and God, but "s'il n'est qu'un -homme je prefere Hannibal." Napoleon too had said that he knew men and -Jesus Christ was not a man. Regarded as a story the whole point and -beauty of the Gospel were lost in all modern versions, rewritings, -explanations and interpretations, and none of them held together. She -said it was as if one rewrote the fairy tales and made the fairies not -fairies but only clever conjurers. By this time we had reached home. - -_Saturday, August_ 27_th._ - -Cunninghame went away early this morning. Mrs Housman told me that she -was not going to spend the winter in London; she was going to Florence, -and it was possible she might be away for a whole year. A. went out this -afternoon with Lady Jarvis. - -_Sunday, August_ 28_th._ - -Mrs York called in the afternoon. Mrs Housman was out with A. Lady -Jarvis and myself entertained her. She was most affable and not at all -stiff, as she was last year. She said she had known several of A.'s -relations in India. As she went away she said to Lady Jarvis, in the -hall: "You never told me Mrs Housman was an _American_--that makes -_all_ the difference." - -_Monday, August_ 29_th._ - -We all went to the Land's End for the day. - -_Tuesday, August_ 30_th._ - -A.'s yacht has arrived. We had luncheon on board and went for a short -sail in the afternoon; the sea was reasonably smooth, but Lady Jarvis -said that the sea under any conditions gave her a headache. - -_Wednesday, August_ 31_st_. - -Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail in the morning and came back for -tea. A. says he will have to go away in a day or two. After dinner Mrs -Housman read out Burnand's _Happy Thoughts_. - -_Thursday, September_ 1_st_. - -A rainy day. Mrs Housman called on Mrs York and has asked her and the -General to luncheon next Sunday. I went out for a walk in the rain by -myself and got very wet. Mrs Housman said that the Indian servant stood -motionless behind Mrs York's chair during the whole of the visit. This -embarrassed her. She felt inclined to draw him into the conversation. - -_Friday, September_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Housman went to the convent by herself. Lady Jarvis and A. went out -for a walk and I stayed at home. It is quite fine again. A. leaves next -Monday. - -_Saturday, September_ 3_rd_. - -A. wanted to go out sailing but Mrs Housman thought it was too windy. We -all went for a drive instead. - -_Sunday, September_ 4_th_. - -General York and Mrs York came to luncheon. The General was a little -nervous, but Mrs York was affable and friendly. She said she had never -got used to the English climate. Lady Jarvis asked Mrs York if she had -been to church. Mrs York said they had a church quite close to their -house in the village but she always drove to our village church, -although it was three miles off. She could not go to their church as she -did not approve of the clergyman's ritualistic practices. He used white -vestments at Easter, changed the order of the service, and allowed a -picture in church. All that, of course, made it impossible. They went -away soon after luncheon. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. After -dinner A. asked Mrs Housman to sing, but she said she would rather read. -She read _Happy Thoughts_ aloud. - -_Monday, September_ 5_th._ - -A. left in his yacht. He said he would be back in London by the first of -October. He is stopping at Plymouth on the way. - -_Tuesday, September_ 6_th._ - -Mrs Housman asked me if I had finished _Les Miserables_. I said I had -not gone on with it. She read aloud from it in the afternoon. - -_Wednesday, September_ 7_th._ - -I leave to-morrow to stay with Aunt Ruth. I have to be in London on -the 19th. Lady Jarvis went to the village, we stayed in the garden. -After dinner, Mrs Housman sang some Schubert. She leaves Cornwall at the -end of the month and then goes to Florence, where she stays rill Easter -or perhaps longer. - -_Monday, October_ 3_rd. London, Gray's Inn_. - -Cunninghame and A. both came back to-day. Cunninghame asked me to dine -with him to-morrow. - -_Tuesday, October_ 4_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame alone in his flat. He said that he knew I had -some R.C. friends, perhaps I knew a priest. I said the only priest I had -ever spoken to was Father Stanway at Carbis Bay. He said he wanted to -consult a priest about certain rules in the R.C. Church. He wanted to -know under what conditions a marriage could be annulled. A friend of -his wanted a married woman to get her marriage annulled as her husband -was living with someone else. He wanted to know whether the marriage -could be annulled. I said I knew who he was talking about. He said he -had meant me to know. He had promised A. to find out from a priest. A. -had been told by her that it was out of the question to get the marriage -annulled. It had been a marriage entered into by her own free will and -performed with every necessary condition of validity. Of course she was -very young when she was married and didn't know what she was doing, but -that had nothing to do with it. Her aunt and the nuns in the convent -where she had been brought up had thought it was an excellent marriage, -as he was well off and a Catholic. Cunninghame begged me to go and see a -priest. I said I did not know how this was done. I suggested his asking -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. He said she was in Paris and that would be no -use, it would not satisfy A. I said I would think about it. - -_Wednesday, October_ 5_th_. - -I asked Tuke where and how one could find a priest who would be able to -tell one the rules of the Church with regard to marriage. Tuke said any -of the Fathers at Farm Street or the Oratory. In the afternoon I went to -the Oratory, sent in my card and asked to see a priest. I sat in a -little waiting-room downstairs. Presently a tall man came in with very -bright eyes and a face with nothing but character left in it. I told him -I had come for a friend. It was a case of divorce, or rather of -annulment. I knew his Church did not tolerate divorce. I was, myself, -not a Catholic. It was the case of a lady, a Catholic, who had married a -Catholic. The husband had always been unfaithful and was now almost -openly living with someone else. Could the marriage be annulled? The -priest asked whether she desired the marriage to be annulled. I told -him she had said it was impossible. He asked whether the marriage had -been performed under all conditions of validity. I said I did not myself -know what these conditions were, but that she had expressly said that -the marriage had been performed with her own free will, with every -necessary condition of validity. I knew she thought it was out of the -question to think of the marriage being annulled, but there was someone -who was most devoted to her and wanted to marry her, and he was not -satisfied with her saying it was impossible. He wanted the decision -confirmed by a priest and that was why I had come. The priest said he -was afraid from what I had told him that it was no use thinking of -annulment. It was clear from what I had said she knew quite well the -conditions that make it possible to apply for the annulment of a -marriage. He said he was sure it was a hard case. If I liked he would -lend me a book which went into the matter in detail. I said I would not -trouble him. It would be enough that I had seen him and heard this from -him. I then went away. I went straight back to the office and told C. -the result of my visit. He was most grateful to me for having done this. -He said he was dining with A. to-night. He said A. was in a terrible -state. - -_Thursday, October_ 6_th_. - -Cunninghame told me that he had dined with A. and given him the -information I had procured for him. He said A. was wretched. Mrs Housman -arrives in London on Saturday. She is only staying till Monday; she then -goes to Florence. - -_Friday, October_ 7_th._ - -Cunninghame told me that Housman has come back to London. They have got -their house back. Mrs Fairburn is in London also. - -_Saturday, October_ 8_th._ - -A. has gone down to Littlehampton. - -_Sunday, October_ 9_th._ - -I went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon--she was in. She leaves for -Florence to-morrow. She told me she was going to stay there a whole -year. She asked after A. and was pleased to hear he was still in good -health. Miss Housman came in later after we had finished tea. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Sunday, October_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your long letter. I am most worried about George. Mrs -Housman goes to Florence to-morrow and is not coming back for a whole -year. George has told me about the whole thing. She knows all about -Housman and has always known. George has implored her to divorce Housman -and to marry him. She can't divorce, as you know better than I do, and -she told George it was not a marriage that could be annulled. However, -this didn't satisfy him. He insisted on getting the opinion of a priest. -I thought of writing to you, but there wasn't time, and then I didn't -know whether it was the same in France or not. I got the opinion of a -priest, who said there wasn't the slightest chance of getting the -marriage annulled. I told George this and he won't believe it, even now. -He keeps on saying that we ought to go to Rome, but I don't suppose that -would be of the slightest use either, would it? In the meantime he is -perfectly wretched. Mrs Housman didn't see him after Cornwall. George -won't see anyone, or go anywhere now. He is at this moment down at -Littlehampton by himself. If you can think of anything one could do, let -me know at once, but I know there is nothing to be done. If the marriage -could be annulled I think she would marry him to-morrow. I can't write -about anything else, because I can't think about anything else. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 17_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman from Florence. She says the weather is beautiful -and she is having a very peaceful time. - -_Monday, November_ 7_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman. She has been to Rome, where she stayed a -fortnight. - -_Wednesday, November_ 9_th._ - -I met Housman in the street this morning. He said he had given up the -house near Staines. It was dismal in winter and not very pleasant in -summer. He had taken a small house in the north of London, not far from -Hendon. He could come up from there every day and the air was very good. -I was not to say a word about this to Mrs Housman, as it was a surprise. -He said he was going to Florence for Christmas if he could. He said I -must come down one Saturday and stay with him. - -_Saturday, November_ 19_th._ - -Staying with Riley at Shelborough. - -_Monday, December_ 12_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman. She is going to spend Christmas at Ravenna with -the Albertis. Housman has written to me saying he will not be able to -get to Florence at Christmas and asking me to spend it with him at his -house near Hendon. I have told him that I was staying with Aunt Ruth for -Christmas. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, October_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your letter. I quite understand all you say and I was -afraid it must be so, but thank you for taking all that trouble. George -is just the same. He sees nobody except Godfrey and me. I have heard -from Mrs Housman twice and I have written to her several times and given -her news of George. I haven't set eyes on Housman nor heard either from -him or of him. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, October_ 31_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I saw Jimmy Randall yesterday. He tells me that Housman is in London but -has taken a house near Hendon and comes up every day. He is just, as -infatuated as ever with Mrs Fairburn and has given her some handsome -jewels. - -I heard from Mrs Housman on Saturday. I am afraid she is quite -miserable. George won't even go to stay with his sister. He dines with -me sometimes. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _November_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Lady Jarvis is back from Ireland. I went down to Rosedale on Saturday. -There were a few people there, but I managed to have two long and good -talks with her. She is of course fearfully worried. She hears from Mrs -Housman constantly, she never mentions G. Lady Jarvis thinks of going -out there, only, apparently, Mrs Housman will not be at Florence for -Christmas. She tried to get George to come to Rosedale, but he -wouldn't. - -I have seen Housman for a moment at the play. He said I must see his -house at Hendon. He said he had meant it as a surprise for Mrs H., but -he had been obliged to tell her. He says he has bought a lot of new -pictures and that the house is very _moderne_ in arrangement. I can see -it. He wanted me to go there next Saturday. I said I couldn't. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Tuesday, November_ 29_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am sorry to have been so bad about writing, but we have been having -rather a busy time, which has been a good thing for George. I am going -to stay with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. She asked George and he is going -too. There is no party. He seems a little better, but he isn't really -better, and he talks of giving up his job altogether and going out to -Africa again. Will you choose me a small Christmas present for Lady -Jarvis, something that looks nice in the box or case. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, December_ 12_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Housman asked me so often to go down to Hendon that I was obliged to go -last Saturday. The house is decorated entirely in the _Art Nouveau_ -style. There is a small spiral staircase made of metal in the -drawing-room that goes nowhere. It is just a serpentine ornament. The -house is the last word of hideosity, but the pictures are rather good. -He gets good advice for these and never buys anything that, he thinks -won't go up. It was a bachelor party, Randall, Carrington-Smith and -myself. We played golf all the day, and Bridge all the evening. - -He said Mrs Housman was enjoying Florence very much and that we must -all go out there for Easter again. - -I heard from her three days ago. She said very little, and asked after -George. He never hears from her. He dines with me often. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - ROSEDALE, - _Saturday, December_ 31_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We have had rather a sad Christmas, only George and myself here, but -Lady Jarvis has been too kind for words, and quite splendid with George. -She has heard regularly from Mrs Housman and she thinks she will go out -to Florence in January if she can. - -Godfrey is staying with his uncle. Lady Jarvis says that Miss Sarah -Housman makes terrible scenes about Mrs Fairburn, so much so that Sarah -and he are no longer on speaking terms. I go back to London just after -the New Year, so does George. The Christmas present was a great success. -Lady Jarvis gave me a lovely table for my flat. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, January_ 2_nd_, 1911. - -Received a small Dante bound in white vellum from Mrs Housman. It had -been delayed in the post. - -_Tuesday, January_ 3_rd_. - -Cunninghame came to the office to-day. A. also. - -_Tuesday, April_ 12_th._ - -Riley is spending Easter in London. He wishes to attend the Holy Week -services. He is staying with me. - -_Wednesday, April_ 13_th_. - -Sat up with Riley, talking. I told him about Hope having said that he -considered that to become an R.C. was to sin against the light. Riley -said that Hope might very likely end by committing suicide, as views -such as he held led to despair. He said: "If the Catholic religion is -like what Hope and you think it to be, it must be inconceivable that -anyone whose character and whose intelligence you respect could belong -to such a Church, but, granting you do, does it not occur to you that it -is just possible the Catholic religion may be unlike what you think it -is, may indeed be something quite different?" - -I said that I did not at all share Hope's views. Indeed I did not know -what they were. I said that I agreed with him that when one got to know -R.C.'s one found they were quite different from what they were supposed -to be, and I was quite ready to believe this applied to their beliefs -also. - -I said something about the complication of the Catholic system, which -was difficult to reconcile with the simplicity of the early Church. He -said the services of the early Church were longer and more complicated -than they were now. The services of the Eastern Church were more -complicated than those of the Western Church, and to this day in the -Coptic Church it took eight hours to say Mass. The Church was -complicated when described, but simple when experienced. - -_Saturday, April_ 16_th._ - -Went with Riley to the ceremony of the Blessing of the Font at -Westminster Cathedral. Riley said he was sorry for people who had to go -to Maeterlinck for symbolism. - -Received a postcard from Florence. Housman did not go out after all. - -_Monday, May_ 1_st_. - -Cunninghame told us that Housman is laid up with pneumonia. - -_Thursday, May_ 4_th._ - -Housman is worse, and Mrs Housman has been telegraphed for. He is laid -up at Hendon. They don't think he will recover. - -_Friday, May_ 5_th._ - -Mrs Housman arrived last night. Housman is about the same. - -_Monday, May_ 8_th._ - -Had luncheon with Lady Jarvis yesterday. She says that Housman was a -shade better yesterday. He may recover, but it is thought very doubtful. -Mrs Housman has been up day and night nursing him. - -_Wednesday, May_ 10_th_. - -Housman has taken a turn for the better, but he is not yet out of -danger. - -_Saturday, May_ 13_th._ - -The doctors say Housman is out of danger. - -_Monday, May_ 15_th._ - -Cunninghame says Housman will recover. He has been very bad indeed. The -doctors say that it is entirely due to Mrs Housmans nursing that he has -pulled through. - -_Saturday, May_ 20_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman at Hendon. I was allowed to see Housman for a -few minutes. He likes visitors. Mrs Housman looked tired. Cunninghame -says that Housman has a weak heart. That was the danger. - -_Saturday, June_ 10_th._ - -The Housmans have gone to Brighton for a fortnight. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am delighted to hear you and Jack are coming to London so soon, but -very sad of course that you won't be going back to Paris. But I believe -Copenhagen is a delightful post, and they say it always leads to -something. - -Perhaps you will let me come and stay with you in the summer? - - Yrs. - G. - - - - _Saturday, June_ 10_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Your letter made me laugh a great deal. I expect you will get to like -the place. I am writing this from Rosedale, where I am in the middle of -a large musical and artistic party, one painter, two novelists, and two -pianists. They all hate each other like poison, and it is pain to all -the others when one of them performs. But the rest of us are enjoying it -immensely, and Lady Jarvis is being splendid. The Housmans have gone to -Brighton for a fortnight. Bert is quite well again, but Mrs Housman -looks fearfully ill. - -Write to me again soon. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - - _Monday, June_ 26_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Oakley, the Housmans' place, near Hendon. He -has quite recovered, and everything was going on there just as usual. -Jimmy Randall was there, and Mrs Fairburn. Housman said nothing about -the summer, but Mrs Housman told me she was not going to Cornwall this -year. I asked her if she was going to stay all the summer at Oakley, -the Hendon house. She said that Housman had hired a yacht for the summer -and asked several people. She said she couldn't bear steam yachting with -a large party, and she has taken a small house on the west coast of -Ireland, with Lady Jarvis. They would be there quite alone; she was -going there quite soon: "Albert would probably go to France." - -She told me Housman had wanted to take the house in Cornwall and ask us -all again, but that she had told him this was impossible. - -George has seen her once or twice, and he is of course happier, but -things are where they were. She won't think of divorcing. - -I shall start for Copenhagen at the end of July. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, June_ 27_th._ London. - -Housman has asked me to go to Oakley next Saturday. He has asked A. -also. - -_Wednesday, June_ 28_th._ London. - -Dined with A. and his sister. A. said he would be unable to go to Oakley -next week. He had some people staying with him. - -_Thursday, June_ 29_th._ London. - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. Apparently Gertrude is still annoyed at the Caryls -having got Copenhagen. She complains of this weekly. - -_Friday, June_ 30_th._ London. - -Solway is staying the night with me, his concert is to-morrow afternoon. - -_Saturday, July_ 1_st_. London. - -Went with Mrs Housman to Solway's concert in the afternoon, and she -drove me down to Hendon afterwards in her motor. Mrs Housman is going -to spend the summer in Ireland. - -_Sunday, July_ 2_nd. Oakley (near Hendon)_. - -Mrs Fairburn and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Mrs Housman leaves -to-morrow for Ireland. - - * * * * * - -_Saturday, October_ 28_th. London, Gray's Inn_. - -Mrs Housman returns from Ireland to-day. She spends Sunday in London, -and goes to Oakley, near Hendon, on Wednesday. I have not heard one word -from Mrs Housman since her long absence in Ireland. - -_Sunday, October_ 29_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon. Ireland has done her a great -deal of good, and she looks quite refreshed and rested. - -She asked after A. I told her he was due to arrive from Scotland -to-morrow, and that we expected him at the office. She asked me if I was -going to stay with Lady Jarvis next Saturday. She said we would meet -there. She said nothing about her plans for the future. - -_Monday, October_ 30_th._ - -A. has arrived from Scotland, and Cunninghame from Copenhagen, where he -has been staying for the last three months with his cousin. I called on -Lady Jarvis. She told me she thought Mrs Housman would not remain long -in England. She might go to Italy again. - -_Tuesday, October_ 31_st_. - -A. is going to Rosedale on Saturday. - -_Wednesday, November_ 1_st_. - -Dined with A. and Cunninghame. We went to a music hall after dinner. - -_Thursday, November_ 2_nd_. - -Cunninghame and I went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. When Cunninghame -said he had been at Copenhagen, Aunt Ruth said that she knew, of course, -Caryl was a brilliant diplomatist, but that Edmund Anstruther ought to -have had the post. Uncle Arthur said: "What, Edmund? Copenhagen? He -would have got us into war with the Danes." - -_Friday, November_ 3_rd_. - -Dined alone with A. He asked after Mrs Housman's health. - -_Saturday, November_ 4_th. Rosedale_. - -A.. Cunninghame, myself, and Mrs Vaughan are here. The Housmans were -unable to come at the last moment. - -_Monday, November_ 6_th._ - -Housman asked me to go to Oakley on Saturday, November 25th. Mrs -Housman has gone to Folkestone for a fortnight to stay with Miss -Housman. Cunninghame says that Housman and his sister have quarrelled, -and that she no longer goes to the house. - -_Saturday, November_ 25_th. Oakley_. - -Lady Jarvis, A. and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Cunninghame comes -down to-morrow for the day. Housman was obliged to go to Paris on -urgent business for a few days. - -_Sunday, November_ 26_th._ - -Cunninghame and Carrington-Smith played golf. I went for a walk with -Lady Jarvis. - -_Monday, November_ 27_th._ - -Dined with A. and went to the play, a farce. A. enjoyed it immensely. I -have written to Aunt Ruth to tell her I shall not be able to go there -this year. I shall remain in London, as Riley wishes to spend Christmas -with me. - -_Tuesday, November_ 28_th._ - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. Mrs Housman has gone back to Folkestone. She -stays there till Christmas, then she returns to London. - -A. is going abroad for Christmas. - -_Wednesday, December_ 20_th._ - -A. goes to Paris to-morrow night. Cunninghame is going to spend -Christmas with the Housmans at Oakley. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -As you see, I write from London. All my plans have been upset by an -unexpected catastrophe. I will try and begin at the beginning and tell -you everything in order as clearly as possible, but the fact is I am so -bewildered by everything that has happened that I find it difficult to -think clearly and to write at all. - -I think I told you in my last letter that Housman asked me to spend -Christmas with them at Oakley. I was to go down yesterday, Thursday, and -George was going to Paris by the night train. I think I told you, too, -that ever since we stayed at Oakley in November, George has been a -_changed man_ and in the highest spirits. On Thursday we had luncheon -together. I thought it rather odd that he should be going to Paris, but -he said he was tired of England and felt that he must have a change. I -wondered what this meant. I could have imagined his wanting to go away -if he had been like he was before, that is to say miserable, but now -that he seemed to be enjoying life it was rather extraordinary. I said I -was going to Oakley. He said nothing, and talked about his journey. -After luncheon he went to the office to give Mellor some final -instructions. He said he might be away for some time. I left him there -at about half-past three. I asked him why he was going by the night -train, and he said he hated a day in the train and always slept well in -the train at night. I said good-bye and went down to Oakley in a taxi. -Housman had not arrived, and the butler (who has taken the place of the -nice parlour-maid there used to be at Campden Hill) told me that Mrs -Housman had gone up to London. Her maid thought she was staying the -night at Garland's Hotel, but he, the butler, knew nothing of her -arrangements. This astonished me, but I supposed there were no servants -at Campden Hill. At a quarter to five Housman arrived in a motor with -Carrington-Smith. He looked more yellow than usual. I met him in the -hall and while we were talking the butler gave him a letter which he -said Mrs Housman had left for him. He said we would have tea at once in -the drawing-room. Then he said to Carrington-Smith: "I just want to show -you that thing," and to me: "We will be with you in one minute." He took -Carrington-Smith into his study and I went into the drawing-room. Tea -was brought in. I again tried the butler and asked him whether Mrs -Housman was coming back to-morrow morning. He said that she had left no -instructions, but Mr Housman was probably aware of her intentions. He -went out and almost directly I heard someone shouting and bells ringing, -violently. Carrington-Smith was calling me. I ran out and met him in -the hall; he said Housman had had a stroke, he thought it was fatal. - -It was like a thing on the stage. A breathless telephone to the doctor. -The motor sent to fetch him. Servants scurrying with blanched faces. -Housman lying on the sofa in the study, his collar undone, his face -ghastly. - -Carrington-Smith said: "We must telephone to Campden Hill for Mrs -Housman." - -I said: "She isn't there." Then told him about Garland's Hotel. He -seemed _dumbfounded_, sent for the butler, who confirmed this, and then -got on to the Hotel. Mrs Housman was in. He spoke to her and told her -Housman was dangerously ill and she must come at once. He said he would -get on to Miss Housman and tell her to bring Mrs Housman down in her -motor. This was arranged and he told Miss Housman the whole facts. In -the meantime the doctor arrived--an Australian. He examined Housman and -said it was heart failure and that he had always feared this. They had -known he had a weak heart after his last illness. It might have happened -any day. - -Then Carrington-Smith told me how it had happened. When they went into -the study Housman had sat down at his writing-table and read a letter -through twice quite slowly, torn it up and thrown it into the fire. He -had then said: "We will go," and at that moment fallen back and -collapsed on the sofa. - -He told me that Housman had had a terrific row with Mrs Fairburn -yesterday and had talked of nothing else on the way down. Probably the -letter was from her, he said. I said: "Yes, very likely"; but as a -matter of fact I knew it was from Mrs Housman. He had not noticed that, -or if he had he was lying on purpose. - -Mrs Housman and Miss Housman arrived about six. Mrs Housman almost -_frighteningly_ calm. - -She wanted to know every detail. She had a talk with Carrington-Smith -alone and then I saw her for a moment before going away. She asked me if -I had seen Housman before he died. Then she made all the arrangements -herself. I went back to London by train. - -I don't know what to think. Why did she go to London? Why did she stay -at Garland's Hotel? The Campden Hill house isn't shut up. Miss Housman -talked about going there. Did the letter which she left for Housman play -a part in the tragedy? - -I sent George a telegram. Possibly you may see him. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -I was rung up last night by Cunninghame, who had returned to London -unexpectedly. He had bad news to tell me. A tragedy had occurred at -Oakley and Housman had died suddenly of a heart attack. Mrs Housman was -informed at once and reached Oakley an hour after the tragedy occurred. - -Cunninghame has informed A. by telegram. - -Not unconnected with this tragic event a small incident has occurred to -me which leaves me stunned. - -I have unwittingly violated A.'s confidence, and as it were looked -through a keyhole into his private affairs. I am literally appalled by -what I have done. But after reviewing every detail and living again -every moment of yesterday, I do not see how I could have acted -otherwise than I did, nor do I see how things could have happened -differently. - -These are the facts: - -A. arrived at the office at half-past three on Thursday afternoon with -Cunninghame. Cunninghame left him. - -A. remained in his room until five o'clock, writing letters. - -At five he sent for me and told me he was leaving for Paris that night -by the night train. Tuke, he said, had gone on his holiday. He asked me -if I was going away. I said I should be in London during all the -Christmas holidays, as I had a friend staying with me. He said he would -most probably be away for some time, and he would be obliged if I could -look in at the office every now and then. He had told the clerks to -forward letters, but he wanted me to make sure they did not forward -circulars or any other useless documents to him. I was to open all -telegrams, whether private or not, and not to forward them unless they -were of real importance. "But," he said, "there won't be any telegrams. -Don't forward me invitations to luncheon or dinner." - -This morning I went to the office. There was a telegram for A. The clerk -gave it to me. I opened it. It had been sent off originally at five -yesterday afternoon and redirected from Stratton Street. Its contents -were: "Albert dangerously ill. Fear worst. Cannot come. Clare." - -I forwarded it to the Hotel Meurice. He will know of course that I have -read it. I read it at one glance before I realised its nature. Then it -was too late. And so unwittingly I am guilty of the greatest breach of -confidence that I could possibly have committed. - -It was a fatality that this telegram should have missed him. The clerks -say he left the office soon after I did, a little after five. They say -the telegram did not reach the office till later. They didn't know where -A. was and he had told them not to forward any telegrams till I had -seen them. I remember his saying that he was not returning to his flat. -That he was dining at a club and going straight from thereto the -station, where his servant would meet him. I am truly appalled by what I -have done, but the more I think over it, the less I see how it could -have been otherwise. - -I had some conversation with Cunninghame on the telephone last night. He -had been talking to Lady Jarvis on the telephone. She had at once -offered to go to Oakley, but Mrs Housman said she would rather see no -one at present. - -Cunninghame went down to Rosedale at her urgent request this morning. He -did not call at the office on the way. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - ROSEDALE, - _Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came down here early this morning. Lady Jarvis heard the news from -Miss Housman last night and at once offered to go, but Mrs Housman said -she would rather see no one at present. Carrington-Smith was making all -the arrangements. The funeral is to be on Tuesday. I told Lady Jarvis -about Mrs Housman being in London. She said Mrs Housman often went up to -Garland's Hotel. She found it a complete rest and the house at Campden -Hill was very cold and there was no cook there. Lady Jarvis said it was -the most natural thing in the world. I told her about the letter. She -said Mrs Housman had no doubt written to Housman saying she had gone to -Garland's Hotel and was coming back. I also told her what -Carrington-Smith had said about Mrs Fairburn. She said: "That was it. -It was those terrible scenes which used to shatter him and no doubt -caused his death." Lady Jarvis says it will be a shock to Mrs Housman in -spite of everything. The fact of Housman having made her very unhappy, -or rather of her having been very unhappy as his wife, will make no -difference to the shock. Lately Lady Jarvis says he had made things very -difficult for her. Mrs Fairburn was always there. - -One can't help thinking--well you know, I needn't explain. I wonder what -will happen in the future. I have heard nothing from George yet. There -is no one here. Housman must have left an enormous fortune. He was very -canny about his investments, and very lucky too. Randall told me he had -almost doubled his fortune in the last three years, and he was rich -enough to start with. - - Yours, - G. - -_P.S._.--Lady Jarvis' explanation of the letter does not quite satisfy, -but what _did_ happen? What does it all mean? - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, January_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came up to-day for good. I went to Housman's funeral last Tuesday. Mrs -Housman went down to Rosedale directly after the funeral. She is going -to Florence next week and means to stay on there indefinitely. George -has come back. He never wrote and I did not hear from him till he -arrived at the office this morning. He is just the same as usual except -for being subtly different. - -Housman left everything to her. - - Yrs. - G. - -_P.S._--I told Godfrey everything that had happened at Oakley. He said -_nothing._ He appears incapable of discussing the matter. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, January_ 1_st_, 1912. - -A. arrived last night from Paris. He came to the office and he thanked -me for what I had done in his absence. "Everything was quite right," he -said. He conveyed to me without saying anything that I need not distress -myself about the telegram and that he still trusted me. - -He did not mention Mrs Housman nor the death of Housman. - -_Wednesday, February_ 28_th_. - -I heard to-day from Mrs Housman. She tells me she has entered the -Convent of the Presentation and intends to be a nun. I cannot say the -news surprised me, but to hear of the death in life of anyone one knows -well, is almost worse I think than to hear of their death. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, February_ 28_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just had a short letter from Lady Jarvis telling me that Mrs -Housman is going to be a nun. I have not set eyes on her since Housmans -funeral, and have only heard of her, and that not much, from time to -time from Lady Jarvis. - -I confess I am completely bewildered, and I hope you won't be shocked if -I tell you that I' can't help thinking it rather _selfish_. Do as I -will, I cannot see any possible reason for her taking such a step. Mrs -Housman seems to me the last person in the world who ought to be a nun. -Whether it will make her happy or not, I am afraid there is no doubt -that she will be causing a lot of intense misery. George is worse than -ever. He hasn't in the least got over it, and he never will, I feel -sure. He knows what has happened, but he can't even bring himself to -talk about it. I think he must have known of it for some time. In any -case he hasn't for one moment emerged from the real fog of gloom and -misery that has wrapped him up ever since Christmas. - -What is so extraordinary is that just before Christmas he was in radiant -spirits after all those months of sadness! - -I can't see that it _can_ be right, however good the motive, to destroy -and shatter someone's life! - -His life _is_ destroyed, shattered and shipwrecked! We must just face -that. - -I tried to think that we had always been wrong and that my first -impressions were right, that she had never really cared for him. But I -know this is not true. You will forgive me saying that I think your -religion has a terribly hard and cruel side. Nobody appreciates more -than I do all its good points, and nobody knows better than I do what a -lot of good is often done by Catholics. But it is just this sort of -thing that makes one _revolt_. - -I was reading Boswell last night before going to bed, and I came across -this sentence: "Madam," Dr Johnson said, to a nun in a convent, "you are -here not from love of virtue, but from fear of vice." Even this is not a -satisfactory explanation in Mrs Housmans case. It is obvious that she -had nothing to fear from vice. I can't help thinking she has been the -victim of an inexorable system and of a training which bends the human -mind into a twisted shape that can never be altered or put straight. - -Frankly, I think it is _more_ than sad, I think it is positively -_wicked_; not on her part, but on the part of those who have led her to -take such a mistaken view of ordinary human duty. After all, even if she -wants to be a nun, isn't it her duty to stay in the world? Isn't it a -more difficult duty? What is one's duty to one's neighbour? Forgive me -for saying all this. You know in my case that it isn't inspired by -prejudice. - -It is cruel to think that most probably George will never get over this, -and that she has sacrificed the certain happiness of two human beings -and the chance of doing any amount of good in the world. What for? For -nothing as far as I can see that can't be much better done by people far -more fitted to that kind of vocation. I am too sad to write any more. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Thursday, March_ 1_st_. - -I dined alone with Cunninghame at his flat last night. He had heard the -news about Mrs Housman. He was greatly upset about it, and thought it -very selfish. I said I believed the step was not irrevocable, as one had -to stay some time in a convent before taking final vows. - -He said: "That is just what I want to talk about, just what I want to -know. How long must one stay exactly?" - -I said I did not know, but I could find out. He said I want you to find -out all about it as soon as possible. A., he said, was in a dreadful -state. He had dined with him last night. He had said very little; -nothing personal, not a word about what he felt about it, but he had -asked him, Cunninghame, whether he knew what the rules were about taking -the veil. - -C. said he did not believe Mrs Housman would take an irrevocable -decision. He had told A. he would find out all about it. I could of -course ask Riley, but I don't know whether he would know. - -I decided I would apply to Father Stanway, the priest I met at Carbis -Bay, for information. I wrote to him, saying I wished to consult him on -a matter, and suggested going down to Cornwall on Saturday and spending -Sunday at Carbis Bay. - -_Friday, March_ 2_nd_. - -Received a telegram from Father Stanway, saying that he will not be in -Cornwall this week-end, but in London, where he will be staying four or -five days; and suggesting our meeting on Sunday afternoon. I sent him a -telegram asking him to luncheon on Sunday. - -_Sunday, March_ 4_th._ - -Father Stanway came to luncheon with me at the Club, and we talked of -the topics of the day. After luncheon I suggested a walk in the park. -We went for a walk in Kensington Gardens. I asked him first for the -information about the nuns. He said, as far as he could say off-hand, it -entailed six months' postulancy, two years' "Habit and White Veil," -three years' _simple_ vows of profession; and then solemn perpetual -vows. But he said he could write to a convent and get it quite accurate -for me. In any case he knew it was a matter of five years. - -I then said I would like, if he did not mind, to have his opinion on a -case which I had come across. He said he would be pleased to listen. - -I then told him the whole Housman story as a skeleton case, not -mentioning names, and calling the people X. and Y. Very possibly he knew -who I was talking about, almost certainly I think, although he never -betrayed this for a moment. I felt the knowledge, if there were -knowledge, would be as safe as though given in the confessional. I told -him everything, including a detailed account of Housman's death which -Cunninghame had given me. I referred to Housman as X., to Mrs Housman as -Mrs X. and to A. as Y. - -I then asked him if he thought Mrs X. was justified in taking such a -step, and whether it would not be nobler, a more unselfish course, to -remain in the world and to make Y. happy. - -I asked him whether, in his opinion, people would be justified in -calling Mrs X.'s step, were it to turn out to be irrevocable, a -_selfish_ act. - -And, thirdly, I asked if in the case of Mrs X. changing her mind she -would be allowed by the Church to marry Y. - -Father Stanway said if I wished to understand the question I must try -and turn my mind round, as it were, and start from the point of view -that what the world considers all-important the Church considers of no -importance _if it interferes with what God thinks important_. He said I -must start by remembering that Mrs X.'s conduct proceeded from that -idea--what was important in the eyes of God: she believed in God -_practically_ and not merely theoretically. This belief was the cardinal -fact and the compass of her life. He added that this did not mean the -Church was unsympathetic. No one understood human nature as well as she -did, nobody met it as she did at every point. That was why she helped it -to rise superior to its weakness and to do what it saw to be really -best. He said it was no disgrace to be weak, and vows helped one to do -what might be difficult without them. - -Then he said that if Mrs X. felt she was called to the religious life, -this vocation was the result of supernatural Grace; that she would not -be thinking of what was delightful or convenient to her, but of what was -pleasing and honourable to God. She was bound to follow the appointment -of God, if she felt certain that was His appointment, rather than her -own desire, and before anything she desired. - -Here I said the objection made (and I quoted Cunninghame without -mentioning him) was that her desire might be for the calm and security -of the religious life; but might it not be her duty, possibly a more -difficult, a more unselfish and less pleasant duty, to stay in the world -and not to shatter the happiness of another human being? - -Father Stanway then said it was very easy to delude oneself in most -things, but not in following a religious vocation. One might in _not_ -following it. It would be easy to pretend to oneself one was staying in -the world for someone else's sake. One's merely earthly happiness was -not a reason for _not_ following a vocation, nor was anyone else's, -because the religious life belonged not to things temporal but to things -eternal. However, if it were her duty to remain in the world she would -feel no call to leave the world. It was impossible for a human being to -gauge the vocation of another human being. A vocation was a -"categorical imperative" to the soul, and there was no mistaking its -presence. Mrs X. would know for certain after she had spent some time in -the Convent, she probably knew already, whether or no what she felt was -a vocation or not. Nobody else could judge, though her Director might -help her to decide. He would certainly not allow her to stay if he felt -she had no vocation. - -I said: "So, if after she has lived through her first period, or any -period of probation, she feels uncertain as to her vocation, there would -be no objection to her leaving the religious life, and marrying Y.? -Would the Church then allow her to marry Y., and allow her to go back to -the world, knowing she would in all probability marry Y.?" - -Father Stanway said: "Of course, and the Church would allow her to marry -Y. now." - -I said, perhaps a little impatiently: "Then why doesn't she?" - -"I think," said Father Stanway, "you are a musician, Mr Mellor?" - -I said music was my one and sole hobby. - -He said he would try and express himself in terms of harmony. - -"Perhaps Mrs X. has a great sense of harmony herself," he said. "If she -married Y. that would make a legitimate harmony certainly. But her very -feeling for the _full_ harmony of life would make it impossible" (and he -said this with startling emphasis) "_for her to use X.'s death as a -means for doing rightly what she had meant to do wrongly_, for her -intention to do it wrongly had in a measure caused his death. Within -the harmony of her marriage the memory of that discord would always be -present. And perhaps she is a woman who is able to have a vision of -perfect love and harmony. In that case she could not put up with an -imperfect one. She is now free to enter upon a perfect harmony and love, -by marrying Christ, which I imagine she always wanted to do, even in -the normal married state, in fact by means of the normal married state, -for it is a Sacrament and unites the soul to God by Grace. - -"But I understand from you that her marriage was such a travesty of -marriage that she felt she couldn't worship Christ through that, and so -swung across and decided she couldn't be in relation with Him at all. -Then comes this catastrophe and the pendulum swings back and stops up. - -"There is nothing selfish about this. For all we know it was the will of -God that all this should happen (the shipwreck of her marriage, Y.'s -love and present misery) solely to make her vocation certain, and as far -as Y. is concerned we don't know the end. Even from the worldly point of -view we don't know whether his marriage with Mrs X. would have made for -his ultimate happiness or for hers. His present unhappiness may be an -essential note in the full and total harmony of _his_ life. It may be a -beginning and not an end. It may lead him to some eventual happiness, it -may be welding his nature and his life for some undreamed-of purpose, a -purpose which he may afterwards be led to recognise and bless 'with -tears of recognition.' If Mrs X. is certain of her vocation, and -continues to be certain of it, you can be sure she is right, and that -whatever the world says it will be wrong. - -"The only way in which peace comes to the human soul is in accepting the -will of God, 'In la sua volontate e nostra pace.' - -"Mrs X. knows that, and perhaps Y. is on the road to learning it. I -daresay Mrs X. may have an element of fear of life _too_, but it will -thin out and float off and away from her; her act in choosing the -religious life will not be an escape nor a _flight_, but a positive -acceptance of the love of Christ. She is getting to and at the -mysterious spiritual thing which is in music, and which is as different -from sounds as sounds are different from printed notes. It is you -musicians who know." - -I said that although I did not pretend to understand the whole thing, -and the whole nature of the motive, I could understand that it could be -as he said, and I thanked him, telling him that I for one should never -cavil at her act nor criticise it, but always understand that there was -something to understand, although probably it would always be beyond my -understanding. - -I felt during all this conversation that the real problem was not why -she had become a nun, but what terrible thing had happened inside her -mind to make her take that step at Christmas, and decide on what seemed -to contradict all her life so far. - -I said something about religion not affecting conduct in a crisis. -Father Stanway seemed to read my thoughts. He said: "After a long stress -sometimes a tiny accident will suffice to make a nerve snap _suddenly_. -I should say that in this case long stress had pushed and pushed a soul -out of its real shape and pattern; an unknown factor sufficed to force -it into a coherent but false pattern; a new shock sufficed to liberate -it wholly and let it fall back into its original _true_ pattern. That -may account for half of it." - -_Wednesday, March_ 7_th._ - -I dined alone with Cunninghame last night, and told him what I had -ascertained respecting the rules for the period of probation of nuns. He -appeared to be relieved. I warned him that Mrs Housman's step might very -well prove to be irrevocable, as I didn't think she was a person to -change her mind easily. He said: "That's what I am afraid of. They never -do let people go. I feel that once in a convent they will never let her -go. But it will be a relief to A. to know that the step is not yet -irrevocable." - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, March_ 7_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Godfrey dined with me last night. I feel he thinks that Mrs Housmans -step will be irrevocable, although he didn't actually say so. He said he -didn't pretend to understand it, but he was convinced she knew best. I -talked of George's acute misery. He said it was all very difficult to -understand, and I saw he didn't want to discuss it, so I didn't say any -more. I feel he knows something that we don't know, but what? He told me -that he knew on good authority that going into Convent doesn't mean she -takes the veil for five years. An R.C. who knows all about it had told -him. I suppose this is right? Do ask a priest. I have seen George once -or twice. I don't talk about it to him. In fact, the rules about nuns -is the only point that has been mentioned between us as I see he simply -can't talk about it. He looks ten years older. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 12_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you very much for your letter and for the detailed information. I -told George at once that you had confirmed what Godfrey had said, and he -was really relieved. But he doesn't yet look like a man who has had a -_reprieve_, only a respite. - -I feel that he feels it is all over, but personally I shall go on -hoping. - -Lady Jarvis is away. - -I long to talk about it with her. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, August_ 19_th. Rosedale_. - -I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one here but myself and -Cunninghame. She told us she had heard from Mrs Housman, who has -finished her postulancy and received the novice's white veil. - -She had seen her. She says she is quite certain that it is irrevocable -and that Mrs Housman will never change her mind now. - -Cunninghame said he had hoped up till now this would not happen (though -he had always feared it might happen) and that Mrs Housman would think -better of it. He thought it very wrong and selfish and quite inexcusable -on the part of the Church authorities. - -Lady Jarvis said it must appear so to him. She herself would have no -sympathy with a vocation such as this one must appear to be to the -world in general, and even to people who knew Mrs Housman well, like -Cunninghame and myself; so Mrs Housman's act had not surprised her. - -"But," said Cunninghame, "do you approve of it?" - -"The person concerned," said Lady Jarvis, "is the only judge in such a -matter. Nobody else has the right to judge. It's a sacred thing, and the -approval or disapproval of an outsider is I think simply impertinent." - -We then talked of it no more. But in the afternoon I went out for a walk -with Lady Jarvis and she reverted to the question. - -She said: "I hope you understand I'm so far from disapproving of Clare's -act. I understand it and approve of it; but I don't expect you or anyone -else to do the same." - -I said she need not have told me that. I knew it already. - -She then said: "Clare knew you would understand, even if you didn't -understand." - -I said that was my exact position: "I did not understand, but I knew -there was something to understand, and that therefore she was right." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, August_ 10_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale. There is no one there except -Godfrey. Lady Jarvis told us that Mrs Housman has finished the first -period you told me about, and has taken the veil, though it isn't -irrevocable yet, but for all intents and purposes it is, as we are all -certain now that she will never leave the Convent. You know what I think -about it. I haven't changed my mind, but Lady Jarvis doesn't disapprove, -or is too loyal to say so. - -George knows, he is going to Ireland with his sister. - -I can't help thinking it is all a great, a wicked mistake, and I can't -help still thinking it _selfish_. - -George talked about Mrs Housman, at least he just alluded to her having -become a nun, as if it were a fact and quite irrevocable. He said: "Once -the priests get hold of someone they will never let them go, and in this -case it was a regular conspiracy." But somehow or other this did not -seem to me to ring quite true, from _him_, and I felt he was using this -as a shield or a disguise or mask. I said so to Godfrey, but found it -impossible to get any response. He won't talk about it. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, August_ 26_th. Carbis Bay Hotel_. - -I have come down here to spend a week by myself. It is three years ago -since I came here for the first time to stay with Mr and Mrs Housman. - -I hesitated about coming down here again, but I am now glad that I did -so. - -I went to Father Stanway's church this morning and heard him preach. He -is a good preacher, clear and unaffected. He quoted two sayings which -struck me. One was about going away from earthly solace, and the other I -cannot remember well enough to transcribe, but I have written him a post -card asking who said them and where I could find them. - -In the afternoon I went for a walk alone along the cliffs and passed the -place where we began _Les Miserables_. I am re-reading it, not where we -left off, but from the beginning. - -_Monday, August_ 27_th_. - -Father Stanway called this morning while I was out. He has left me the -quotations on a card. - -They are both from Thomas a Kempis. One of them is this: "By so much the -more does a man draw nigh to God as he goes away from all earthly -solace." The other: "Whosoever is not ready to suffer all things and to -stand resigned to the will of his beloved is not worthy to be called a -lover." - -_Tuesday, August_ 28_th_. - -I have resolved to give up keeping this diary. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Passing By, by Maurice Baring - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - -***** This file should be named 42702.txt or 42702.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/7/0/42702/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/42702.zip b/42702.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b6cfbfe..0000000 --- a/42702.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42702-8.txt b/old/42702-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f8b7b81..0000000 --- a/old/42702-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6454 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Passing By, by Maurice Baring - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Passing By - -Author: Maurice Baring - -Release Date: May 12, 2013 [EBook #42702] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - - - - -PASSING BY - -BY MAURICE BARING - - -LONDON: MARTIN SECKER - -1921 - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908. _Gray's Inn_. - -I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off. They are -leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two -months. They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way. - -_Saturday, December_ 19_th_. - -My Christmas holidays begin. I am spending Christmas with Uncle Arthur -and Aunt Ruth. I have to be back at the office on the first of January. - -_Thursday, January_ 1_st_, 1909. _Gray's Inn_. - -Received a post-card from Mrs Housman, from Cairo. - -_Monday, February_ 2_nd_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman. They are returning to London. - -_Sunday, February_ 8_th_. - -The Housmans return to-morrow. They have been away one month and -twenty-one days. - -_Monday, February_ 9_th_. - -Went to meet the Housmans at the station. They are going straight into -their new house at Campden Hill and are giving a house-warming dinner -next Monday, to which I have been invited. - -_Tuesday, February_ 10_th._ - -Lord Ayton has been made Parliamentary Under-Secretary. I do not know -him but I remain in the office. He is taking me on. - -_Monday, February_ 16_th. Gray's Inn_. - -The Housmans had their house-warming in their new house at Campden Hill. -I was the first to arrive. - -On one of the walls in the drawing-room there is the large portrait of -Mrs Housman by Walter Bell, which I had never seen since it was -exhibited in the New Gallery ten years ago. It was always being lent for -exhibitions when I went to the old house in Inverness Terrace. While I -was looking at this picture Housman joined me and apologised for being -late. He said the portrait of Mrs Housman was Bell's _chef-d'oeuvre_. -He liked it _now._ Then he said: "We are having some music to-night. -Solway is dining with us and will play afterwards. He plays for nothing -here, an old friend; you know him? Miss Singer is coming too. You know -her? She writes. I don't read her." - -At that moment Mrs Housman came in and almost immediately Mr and Mrs -Carrington-Smith were announced. Mr Carrington-Smith is Housman's -partner, an expert in deep-breathing besides being rich. Mrs -Carrington-Smith had lately arrived from Munich. The other guests -were--Miss Housman (Housman's sister), Lady Jarvis, Miss Singer, whom I -was to take in to dinner, a city friend of Mr Housman's, Mr James -Randall, a little man with a silk waistcoat, and, the last to arrive, -Solway. I sat on Mrs Housman's left, next to Miss Singer. -Carrington-Smith sat on Mrs Housmans right; Housman sat at the head of -the table, between Mrs Carrington-Smith and Lady Jarvis. Miss Singer -talked to me earnestly at first. She is writing on the Italian -Renaissance. I told her I was ignorant of the subject, upon which her -earnestness subsided, and she smiled. Then we talked of music, where I -felt more at home. She had been to all Solway's concerts. She is not a -Wagnerite. Just as we were beginning to get on smoothly there was a -shuffle in the conversation and Mrs Housman turned to me. - -I told her we had a new chief at the office--Lord Ayton. - -"We met him in Egypt," she said. "He had been big-game shooting. I had -no idea he was an official." - -I told her he was only a Parliamentary Under-Secretary. At that moment -there was a lull in the general conversation and Housman overheard us. - -"Ayton," he broke in. "A pleasant fellow, not too much money, some fine -things, furniture, at his place, but he won't go far, no grit." - -I asked Mrs Housman what he was like. She said they had made great -friends at Cairo but she did not think they would ever meet again. - -"You know," she said, "these great friends one makes travelling, people, -you know, who are just passing by." - -Miss Singer said he had an old house in Sussex. She had been over it. It -was let; there were some fine old things there. - -"But he won't sell," said Housman. "He's not a man of business." - -Mrs Carrington-Smith said she preferred impressionist pictures, -especially the Danish school. Housman laughed at her and said there was -no money in them. Miss Housman said she had heard from a dealer that -Lord Ayton had a remarkable set of Charles II. chairs and that she -wished he would sell them. Solway took no part in the conversation but -discussed music with Miss Singer. I caught the phrase, "trombones as -good as Baireuth." Mrs Housman asked me whether I had seen Ayton yet. I -told her he had not been to the office. - -"I think you will like him," she said. Then, as an afterthought, "He's -not a musician." - -She asked me whether there were any changes in the staff. I told her -none except for the arrival of a new Private Secretary (unpaid) whom -Lord Ayton is bringing with him, called Cunninghame. She had never heard -of him. We stayed a long time in the dining-room. Housman was proud of -his Madeira and annoyed with us for not drinking enough. Mr Randall said -he was sorry but he never mixed his wines, and he had some more -champagne. Randall, Carrington-Smith and Housman talked of the -international situation. Solway explained to me why portions of the -Ninth Symphony were always played too fast. He was most illuminating. -Then we went upstairs. More guests had arrived. A few people I knew, a -great many I had not seen before, Solway played some Bach preludes and -the Waldstein Sonata. The unmusical went downstairs. There were about a -dozen people left in the drawing-room. - -Afterwards there were some refreshments downstairs. I got away about -half-past twelve. - -_Tuesday, February_ 17_th. Gray's Inn_. - -Our first day under the new regime. The new chief came to the office -to-day. He looks young, and was friendly and unofficial. The new Private -Secretary came too, Mr Guy Cunninghame, an affable young man. He wears a -beautifully tied bow tie. I wonder how it is done and whether it takes a -long time or not. He is well dressed, but when it comes to describing -him he is dressed like anyone else, and yet he gives the impression of -being well dressed. I don't know why. I suppose it is an art like any -other. I could not tie a tie like that to save my life. _Equidem non -invideo magis miror_. - -He seems to have been everywhere, to have read everything and to know -everyone. He is not condescending, he is just naturally agreeable. - -I had to go over to the Foreign Office in the morning to see someone in -the Eastern Department. When I came back Cunninghame told me that a Mrs -Housman had been to see Ayton, about some billet for her brother-in-law. -She talked to him first. Cunninghame said he thought she did not like -coming on such an errand. She then saw A., who said he would do what he -could. He told C. afterwards he was sure he couldn't do anything for the -fellow. C. had never met her nor heard of her, but curiously enough he -said he recognised her from her picture which he had seen, Walter Bell's -picture. I asked him if he had seen it at the New Gallery. He said no, -at a dealer's in America two years ago. - -I asked him if he was sure it was the same picture. He said he was quite -sure. The picture was for sale. - -"One couldn't mistake the picture," he said. "It's the best thing Walter -Bell ever did. His pictures are valuable now he is dead, but there was a -slump in them before he died, or rather, there never was a boom in them. -That one picture attracted a great deal of attention when it was first -exhibited, and then one heard little of him till he died. Now, of -course, his pictures fetch high prices." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to his cousin, Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _February_ 19_th_, 1909. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Since my last letter I have been installed. I am George Ayton's -Secretary. I sit in the office with another man, who was there before -and has been taken on, called Mellor. He is as silent as a deaf-mute and -I have no doubt is the soul of discretion. There isn't much work to do -and Ayton has got a real Secretary of his own who writes shorthand and -typewrites without mistakes and lives in his house. He writes all his -private letters and does all his business for him. He is not supposed to -do official work, but George brings him to the office all the same, and -he has a typewriter in the clerk's room and is always ready to do any -odd job. I find him most useful. He is still more silent than Mellor. I -haven't much to tell you. I have got into my new flat in Halkin Street. -It will be presentable in time. The pictures are up, but not the -curtains. Let us hope they won't be a failure: They were promised last -week but have not yet arrived. If you have time and are passing that way -I wish you would get me from the Bon Marché half-a-dozen coloured -tablecloths. - -George has got a flat in Stratton Street. I dined with him alone last -night. We went to a Music Hall after dinner and heard Harry Lauder. His -sister, Mrs Campion, is in Paris. Perhaps you will see her. Yesterday a -lady came to the office to interview him and saw me first, a Mrs -Housman. Have you ever heard of her? I recognised her at once as the -subject of a picture by Walter Bell. Do you remember a large picture of -a lady in white playing the piano? Such a clever picture. I saw it in -New York at Altheim's shop, but I believe it was exhibited years ago at -the New Gallery. Well, she is far more beautiful than the picture. She -is not really tall, but she looks tall, with a wonderful walk, but I -can't describe her, she makes other people look unreal--like wax-works. -She was dressed anyhow and rather shabbily in black, wearing no gloves -but the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, a kind of double monogram, -probably old French. She came on business. I wonder who she is. She is -not a foreigner and not, I think, an American, but she is, looks and -talks, especially talks, not like an Englishwoman. - -I shall try to come to Paris for Easter. - -Don't forget the tablecloths. - - Yours, - Guy. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 1_st_. - -I dined last night with the Housmans, They were alone except for Solway, -and after dinner we had some music. Solway played the Schumann -Variations and then he asked Mrs Housman to sing. I hadn't heard her for -a long time as she hardly ever will sing now. She sang _Willst du dein -Herz mir schenken_. Solway says the song isn't by Bach really but by his -nephew. Then she sang a song from Purcell's _Dido_, some Schubert; among -others, _Wer nie sein Brot_, and the _Junge Nonne_. Solway said he had -never heard the last better sung. Housman then asked her to sing a song -from _The Merry Widow_, which she did. - -Housman plays himself by ear. - -She did not allude to having been at the office, nor did I. - -_Tuesday, March_ 2_nd_. - -Dined with Cunninghame at his flat last night. A comfortable and -luxurious abode. I asked him if Ayton was likely to marry. He laughed. -He said he had been in love for years, with a Mrs Shamier. I had never -heard of her. Cunninghame said she was clever and accomplished, and had -been very pretty and painted by all the painters. - -He says A. will never marry. I asked him if Mrs Shamier was in London. -He said of course. She has a husband who is in Parliament, and several -children; a country house on the south coast; but they are not -particularly well off. - -"You must come and meet her at dinner," he said. "I am devoted to her." - -I asked him if she was fond of A. - -"Not so much now, but she won't let him go." - -I went away early as C. was going to a party. - -_Wednesday, March_ 3_rd_. - -Went to the British Museum before going to the office, to look up an old -English tune for Mrs Housman from Ford's _Music of Sundry Kinds_ called -_The Doleful Lover_. I found it. - -_Thursday, March_ _4th_. - -Went to Solway's Chamber Music Concert last night. - -Brahms Quintet and a trio by Solway himself. Some Brahms _Lieder_. The -Housmans were there. I thought Solway's trio fine. - -_Friday, March_ 5_th_. - -A. went to the country this afternoon to stay with the Shamiers; so C. -said, but, as a matter of fact, he told me he was going to his own -house. Cunninghame is going away himself to-morrow. He always goes away -on Saturdays, he says. I remain in London. - -_Saturday, March_ 6_th_. - -Went to the London Library and got some books for Sunday: _Thaïs_, by -Anatole France, recommended to me by C.; a book called _A Human -Document_, recommended me by Mrs Housman. I do not think I shall read -any of them. The only literature I read without difficulty is _The -Times_ and _Jane Eyre_, and _The Times_ doesn't come out on Sunday. - -_Sunday Night, March_ 7_th_. - -Called on the Housmans in the afternoon. She was out. Luncheon at the -Club. Dinner at the Club. I began _A Human Document_, but could not read -more than five pages of it. I couldn't read any of the book by Anatole -France. - -Went to a concert in the afternoon. It was not enjoyable. - -Read _Jane Eyre_. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 8_th_. - - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I meant to write you a long letter yesterday from the country. I went to -stay with the Shamiers. I thought, of course, George would be there. He -didn't come near the office on Friday. He wasn't there and evidently -wasn't even expected. - -Louise in tearing spirits and a new man there called Lavroff, a Russian -philosopher; youngish and talking English better than any of us, except -that he always said "I _have been_ seeing So-and-so to-day," "I _have -been to the concert yesterday_." - -Needless to say, I didn't have a moment to write to you, in fact the -only place where I get time to write you a line is at the office. -Everything is appallingly dull. Mellor, the Secretary, had dinner with -me one night. He spoke a little but not much. I think he is shy but not -stupid. - -George likes being in London, but Louise didn't mention him. It's -curious if after all this fuss and trouble to get this job and to be in -London it all comes to an end. - -The tablecloths have arrived. Thank you a thousand times. They are -exactly what I wanted. The curtains have arrived too but they are a -failure; too bright. I can't afford to get new ones yet. This week I -have got some dinners. George said something about giving a dinner this -week. - -Yours in great haste, - - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 8_th_. - -A. asked me whether if I was free on Thursday I would dine with him. I -said f would be pleased to. He said he would try and get a few people. - -_Tuesday, March_ 9_th_. - -A. has got a Secretary called Tuke. He writes all his private letters -and he comes down to the office in the mornings. This morning he came -and asked me Mrs Housman's address. It is curious that he should have -applied to me and not to C., as I was not here when she called, nor does -A. know that I know her. How can he have known that I know her? - -_Wednesday, March_ 10_th_. - -Dined with Cunninghame last night at his flat. The guests were Mr and -Mrs Shamier, Miss Macdonald, C.'s cousin, M. Lavroff, a Russian, and a -Miss Hope. I sat between the Russian and Miss Macdonald. Miss Macdonald -is an elderly lady, kind and agreeable. Mr Shamier, M.P., was once, I -believe, an athlete, a cricket Blue. Miss Hope looked as if she were in -fancy dress; Lavroff, the Russian, is unkempt, with thick eyebrows and -dark eyes. Tolstoy was mentioned at dinner. Mrs Shamier said he was her -favourite novelist, upon which Lavroff became greatly excited and said -the day would come when, the world would perceive and be ashamed of -itself for perceiving that Tolstoy was not worthy to lick Dostoyevsky's -boots. Being asked my opinion I was obliged to confess that I had read -the works of neither novelist. Miss Macdonald asked me who was my -favourite novelist. I said Charlotte Brontë. She said she shared my -preference and couldn't read Russian books, they depressed her. After -dinner we had some music. Miss Hope sang and accompanied herself. She -sang songs by Fauré and Hahn; among others _La Prison_. She altered the -text of the last line, and instead of singing "Qu'as tu fait de ta -jeunesse?" she rendered it--"Qu'as tu fait dans ta jeunesse?": scarcely -an improvement. When she had finished Lavroff was asked to play. He -consented immediately and played some folk songs. Although he is in no -sense a pianist, they were beautifully played. - -_Thursday, March_ 11_th_. - -Had dinner last night with Admiral Bowes in Hyde Park Gardens. The only -people there besides myself were Colonel Hamley and Grayson, who is, -they say, a rising M.P. The Admiral said his nephew, Bowes in the F.O. -(whom I know a little), had become a Roman Catholic. - -"What on earth made him do that?" said Colonel Hamley. - -"Got hold of by the priests," said the Admiral; and they all echoed the -phrase: "Got hold of by the priests" and passed on to other topics. - -I have often wondered what the process of being "got hold of by the -priests" consists of, and where and how it happens. - -_Friday, March_ 12_th_. - -Dined last night with A. at his flat. I was surprised to meet Mr and Mrs -Housman. The hostess was A.'s sister, Mrs Campion. She is a deal older -than he is, a widow and good company. There was also a Mrs Braham, and a -younger man called Clive. He is in a bank and is, I believe, a useful -man in a sailing boat. - -I sat between Mrs Campion and Mrs Housman. - -After dinner A. said to Mrs Housman that, knowing she liked music, he -had provided her with a musical treat. Mrs Braham would sing to us. She -sang, accompanying herself, _The Garden of Sleep, The Silver Ring, -Mélisande in the Wood_, and, by special request, _The Little Grey Home -in the West_. There was no other music. - -_Saturday, March_ 13_th._ - -Had tea with the Housmans. They asked me to dinner next Tuesday to meet -A. Mrs Housman says that Mrs Campion is one of the most charming and -amusing people she has ever met. C. is staying in London. This Saturday -A. is going to his house in the country. He has a small house on the -coast near Littlehampton, where he keeps his yacht, but, of course, he -cannot yacht yet. He has a large house in Sussex which is let. - -_Sunday Night, March_ 14_th._ - -Went down to Woking to spend the day with Solway in his cottage. He is -composing a Sonata for piano and violin. He played me the first -movement. He said he thought there was a certain amount of good music -being composed at the present day which nobody was taking notice of, but -which would probably come into its own some day. He said Mrs Housman was -the singer who gave him the most pleasure. He said: "Her singing is -_business-like_. She is divinely musical." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Sunday, March_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been spending a perfect Saturday to Monday in London. I have had -a busy week and was glad to see no one and do nothing all to-day, that -is to say, comparatively no one and nothing, as I went to the play on -Saturday night, and to-day I went to a large luncheon party at Alice's, -who is back at Bruton Street. The news is that the Shamier episode is -over, quite, quite over. There is no doubt about it. She is madly in -love with Lavroff. I don't wonder. He is so intelligent and plays -wonderfully. As for George, I don't think he cares. You will at once ask -if there is no one else. Nobody that I know of. I don't know who he sees -and what he does. He hates going out, and talks every day of giving a -dinner at his flat, but as far as I know he hasn't entertained a cat -yet. - -I dined out every night last week, and gave one dinner at my flat. I -think it was a success. Freda Macdonald, Louise, Lavroff and Eileen -Hope, who sang quite beautifully. I asked Godfrey Mellor, but I really -don't know if I can ask him again to that sort of party as he didn't -utter a word. Freda liked him. But it does ruin a dinner to have a gulf -of silence in the middle of it, especially as when he does talk he can -be quite agreeable. George has gone down to the country. His sister is -here now, but she goes north next week. I believe London bores him to -death and he is longing for the summer and for his yacht. I am sorry you -can tell me nothing of Mrs Housman. I haven't seen or heard anything -more of her. - -Thank you very much for the _langues de chat_. They added to the success -of my dinner. Yours, etc., - -GUY. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 16_th._ - -I asked C. where he got his cigarettes. He said he got them from a -little man who lived _behind_ the Haymarket. Everybody seems to get -their cigarettes and their shirts from a "little man." The little man -apparently never lives in a street but always _behind_ a street. - -My new piano, a Cottage Broadwood, arrived to-day. It is bought on the -three years' system. - -_Tuesday, March_ 17_th._ - -Dined with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur last night, in Eccleston -Square. A large dinner-party: a Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign -Affairs, the French Chargé d'Affaires and his wife, the Editor of _The -Whig_ and his wife, Lord and Lady Saint-Edith, Professor Miles, Sir -Herbert Wilmott and Lady Wilmott, Mr Julius K. Lee of the American -Embassy, and Mrs Lovell-Smythies, the novelist. - -As we were all waiting for dinner in the dark library downstairs a Miss -Magdalen Cross came in late, carrying a book in her hand. "This book," -she said to us all, "is well worth reading." It was a German novel by -Sudermann. An old lady who was standing next to her, and who I -afterwards discovered was the widow of the Bishop of Exminster, said: -"You prepared that entry in your cab, dear Magdalen." Miss Cross -blushed. I took her in to dinner. She talked of sculpture, the Chinese -nation, German novels, and Russian music. She has been three times round -the world. She has no liking for most German music and cannot abide -Brahms. She likes Wagner, Chopin, Russian Church music and Spanish -songs. On the other side I had the wife of the French Chargé d'Affaires. -She said: "J'adore l'odeur des paquets anglais." Her favourite English -author, she said, was Mrs Humphry Wood. I did not like to ask her if -she meant Mrs Humphry Ward or Mrs Henry Wood. She said the works of this -novelist made her weep. - -When we were left in the dining-room after dinner, Lord Saint-Edith, -Professor Miles and Hallam (of _The Whig_) had a long argument about -some lines in Dante, and this led them to the Baconian theory. Lord -Saint-Edith said he couldn't understand people thinking Bacon had -written Shakespeare's plays. If they said Shakespeare had written the -works of Bacon as a pastime he could understand it. He believed Homer -was written by Homer. The Professor was paradoxical and said he thought -the Odyssey was a forgery. "Tacitus," he said, "was known to be one." - -After dinner upstairs there was tea but no music. Uncle Arthur is -growing very deaf and forgetful and asked me how I was getting on at -Balliol. - -Aunt Ruth told me she had asked my new chief to dinner, but that he had -refused. "Of course," she said, "this is not the kind of house he would -find amusing. But considering how well I knew his father I think it -would be only civil for him to come to one of my Thursday evenings." - -_Wednesday, March_ 17_th._ - -I dined at the Housmans' last night. It was a dinner for A. He was the -guest of the evening. To meet him there were Lady Maria Lyneham, who -must be over seventy; a French lady of imposing presence called, if I -caught the name correctly, the Princesse de Carignan and who, Housman -whispered to me, was a Bourbon, and if she had her rights would be Queen -of France to-day; a secretary from the Italian Embassy; Mr and Mrs -Baines. Mr Baines is an official at the British Museum and is half -French. His wife, he told me, had once been taken for Sarah Bernhardt. -There were several other people: Sir Herbert Simcox, the K.C., and Lady -Simcox, an art critic, a lady journalist and Miss Housman. - -A. sat between Mrs Housman and Lady Simcox. Housman had the Princesse de -Carignan on his right and Lady Maria on his left. I sat between Lady -Maria and Miss Housman. Lady Maria told me she dined out whenever she -could, and asked me to luncheon on Sunday. "Don't come," she said, "if -you mind meeting lions; I like pleasant people. Only I warn you I have -an old-fashioned prejudice for good manners and I always ask their -wives." - -Mr Baines talked beautiful French to the Princesse. Lady Maria told me -she was neither French nor a princess, but the illegitimate daughter of -a Levantine. "But very respectable all the same, I'm afraid," she added. - -After dinner a few people came. Among others, Housman's partner and -Esther Lake, the contralto. She sang (she brought her own accompanist) -some Handel and _Che faro_ and, by request of Mr Housman, Gounod's -_There is a Green Hill._ - -I drove home with A. He told me he had enjoyed himself immensely and he -thought Esther Lake was the finest singer in the world. - -He said Miss Housman was a very clever woman and Housman appeared to be -quite a good sort. - -He said he liked this kind of dinner-party. - -_Thursday, March_ 18_th._ - -The first day there has been a feeling of spring in the air. I went to -St James's Park on the way to the office. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Friday, March_ 19_th._ - -A. asked me to spend Sunday with him in the country. I told him I was -sorry I was engaged to go out to luncheon on Sunday. He said I must come -the week after. - -_Saturday, March_ 20_th._ - -C. said it was a great pity A. did not go out more. He used to go out a -great deal, he said. "I suppose," he added, "it's because he doesn't -wast to meet Mrs Shamier." I said I thought C. had told me he was fond -of her. "Yes," said C, "he was very fond of her, but that is all over -now." - -_Sunday Evening, March_ _21_st. - -I went to St Paul's Cathedral in the morning. Then to luncheon with Lady -Maria in her house in Seymour Place. - -A curious luncheon. There were two actors and their wives, Father Seton, -and Mr Le Roy, who writes detective stories, and his wife, and Sir James -Croker. - -I sat next to Mrs Le Roy, who is, she told me, a Greek. She told me her -husband had written one hundred and ten books, but that she had read -none of them. She said it worried him if she read them. She said it was -a great sacrifice as she doted on detective stories and was told his -were very good. The actors, who were both actor managers, told us about -their forthcoming productions. Mr Vane said there was going to be a real -panther in his next production (a Shakespearean revival). Mr Jones Acre -is producing a play which is translated from the Swedish, and which -deals with the question of a man who has inoculated himself and his -whole family with a fatal disease, in the interests of science. - -Father Seton took a great interest in the stage, and said he considered -the Church and the stage should be close allies. The clergy took far too -little interest in these things. It was a pity, he said, to let the -Romans have the monopoly of that kind of thing. This surprised Mrs Le -Roy, who said she thought he was a Roman Catholic. He laughed and said -Rome would have to capitulate on many points before any idea of -corporate reunion could be entertained. - -Sir James Croker told stories of early days in the Foreign Office and -Lord Palmerston. - -We sat on talking until half-past three. I then went home and read _Jane -Eyre_. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _March_ 25_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I start on Thursday and shall arrive Thursday evening. I have got rooms -at the Ritz. Let us have dinner together Thursday night, and _not_ go to -a play. I shall stay in Paris a week and then go for four days to -Mentone. Then I shall come back to Paris for three days, and then home. -I suppose we shall have to dine at the Embassy one night. George is -going to the country for Easter with his sister. I want a really nice -screen (a small one). You must help me to find one, not too dear. I also -want something for the dining-room, which at present is coo bare. - -I won't write any more now. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, March_ 29_th. Hôtel St Romain, Rue St Roch, Paris_ - -Went to a concert at the _Cirque d'Été_ this afternoon, not a very -interesting programme. A great deal of Wagner, and _L'Après-midi d'un -Faune_. - -Dined by myself at a Duval. Start for Florence to-morrow morning. - -_Tuesday, March_ 30_th. Villa Fersen, Florence_ - -Arrived this morning before luncheon after an exhausting journey -second-class. In the carriage there was a soldier belonging to the -_Garde Républicaine_. He said he was on duty at the Opera and had he -known I was passing through Paris he could have given me a _billet de -faveur_. - -The Housmans' villa is at the top of a hill on the Bellosguardo side. It -is rather a large house, covered with wistaria, with high windows with -iron bars. It has a large empty _salon_ with a piano. A fine room for -sound. The garden is beautiful. - -_Wednesday, March_ 31_st_. - -I walked down into Florence very early in the morning. I reached the -town before anything was open and met a party of men in shorts and -flannels running back to a hotel. They were Eton masters taking -exercise. I didn't go to any picture galleries, but I walked about the -streets and went into the Duomo, an ugly building inside. I got back for -luncheon. - -Housman said that they must leave cards in the afternoon and take a -drive in the Cascine. They went out in a carriage and pair. I went for a -walk to the Boboli Gardens. At dinner Housman said they had met several -friends, and he is giving a dinner-party on Sunday. - -_Thursday, April_ 1_st_. - -The Housmans took me to luncheon with a banker called Baron Strong. What -the explanation of this title is I do not know. They live in the modern -part of the town. He was a genial host, portly, with long white -whiskers. His wife, the Baroness, an Italian, a distinguished lady. -There were present a Marchese whose real name I was told was -Goldschmidt, and his wife, a retired and talkative English diplomatist, -a Russian lady, an Italian, who talked English, French and Russian with -ease, called Scalchi, Professor Johnston-Wright, who is spending his -holiday here, and a Frenchman. When the latter heard Scalchi talk every -language successively he said to him: "Vous êtes une petite tour de -Babel." - -In the afternoon we left cards at several houses and villas and then -went for a drive in the Cascine. Some people called at tea-time, but I -escaped. After dinner Mrs Housman sang some Schumann, _Frühlingsnacht_, -and the _Dichterliebe._ These songs, she said, suit Florence. - -_Friday, April_ 2_nd_. - -I had a talk with the Italian gardener as far as my Italian permitted me -to. I pointed out a plant, a mauve-coloured plant, I don't know its -name, that seemed to grow in great profusion. He said: "Fiorisce come il -pensiere dell' uomo." More calls in the afternoon, and another drive in -the Cascine. - -Housman has bought a large modern statue representing _The Triumph of -Truth,_ a female figure carrying a torch, with a serpent at her feet. -She is triumphing, I suppose, over the snake. - -_Saturday, April_ 3_rd_. - -We went to see the Easter Saturday ceremony at the Duomo, and then to -luncheon at the Villa Michael Angelo. It belongs to a rich American -called Fisk. There were present besides Mr and Mrs Fisk an English -authoress, a picture connoisseur, Scalchi, an American archæologist, an -Italian man of letters, and a Miss Sinclair, also an archæologist. -Housman said afterwards this was the cream of intellectual Florence. - -I sat between two archæologists. I found their conversation difficult to -follow. - -After luncheon we called on the British Consul's wife, whose day it was. -Then after a drive in the Cascine we went home. - -_Easter Sunday, April_ 4_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass early. Went for a walk with Housman. On the -Ponte Vecchio we met Ayton and his sister, Mrs Campion. Mrs Campion, he -said, had insisted on him taking her to Florence. - -Housman asked them to dinner to-night; they accepted. A great many -people came to tea. - -The dinner-party to-night was quite a large one. Baron and Baroness -Strong, Lord Ayton, Mrs Campion, Mr and Mrs Fisk, Scalchi and the -Marchese and his wife, whom we met lately. I sat between Mrs Campion and -Baron Strong. After dinner Mrs Fisk played Chopin with astonishing -facility, but without any expression. - -A. intends to stay here another fortnight. - -Housman said he received a telegram which will necessitate his meeting -his partner at Genoa. His partner is on the way to the Riviera. He may -have to go to Paris too, but he hopes not, and intends to be back in a -few days if possible. - -_Monday, April_ 5_th._ - -Housman left to-day for Genoa. I went with Mrs Housman to San Marco and -the Accademia in the morning. In the afternoon to the Certosa with Mrs -Housman, A. and Mrs Campion. - -_Tuesday, April_ 6_th._ - -Mrs Campion and A. came to luncheon. Mrs Campion, who is an expert -gardener, told me the names of all the flowers in the garden. They have -not remained in my mind. - -_Wednesday, April_ 7_th_. - -We all spent a morning sight-seeing and had luncheon at a restaurant. In -the afternoon we drove to Fiesole. - -_Thursday, April_ 8_th._ - -Housman is not coming back. He is obliged to go to Paris and he will go -straight to London from there. - -We drove to Fiesole in the morning. Had luncheon with some Italian -friends of Mrs Campion, Count and Countess Alberti. Nobody there except -the host and hostess and their three children. A fine villa and no -garden. Countess Alberti said it was no use having a garden if one lived -here in summer, as everything dried up. She is a charming woman, natural -and unpretentious, and talks English like an Englishwoman. - -She asked A if he had met many people, and A. said he was a tourist and -had no time for visits. Countess Alberti said he was quite right and -that she knew nothing in the world more--_seccante_ was the word she -used, than Florentine society. - -She asked us all to come again next week. I am leaving on Sunday, and -A. and Mrs Campion are going to Paris on Monday. Mrs Housman remains -here another week. - -_Friday, April_ 9_th._ - -Mrs Housman had a headache and did not come down. I went to the town and -did some shopping and went over the Bargello. Mrs Housman came down to -dinner and sang afterwards, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. I had never -heard her sing _O Versenk o versenk dein Leid mein Kind, in die See_ -before. - -_Saturday, April_ 10_th._ - -We went to a great many churches in the morning and saw a number of -frescoes. Mrs Housman received a great many invitations, but refused -them all. A. and Mrs Campion and the Albertis came to dinner. Countess -Alberti persuaded Mrs Housman to sing. She sang some English songs: -_Passing By, Lord Randall_, etc., Gounod's _Chanson de Mai_, and some -Lully. Countess Alberti said it was a comfort to hear singing of which -you could hear every word. A. liked _Passing By_ best, and he made her -sing it twice. He asked me who the words were by. The tune is Edward -Purcell's. The words, although generally attributed to Herrick by -musical publishers, are by an anonymous poet, and occur in Thomas Ford's -_Music of Sundry Kinds_, 1607. They are as follows:-- - - There is a ladye sweet and kind, - Was never face so pleas'd my mind, - I did but see her passing by, - And yet I love her till I die. - - Her gestures, motions, and her smile, - Her wit, her voice my heart beguile, - Beguile my heart, I know not why; - And yet I love her till I die. - -There is also a third stanza. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA BEAU SITE, - MENTONE, - _Thursday, April_ 8_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -It is divine here and this villa is a dream. We went to Monte Carlo -yesterday and I won 300 francs and then lost it again. I saw hundreds of -people, _monde_ and _demi-monde_. Among the latter Celia Russell, having -luncheon with rather a gross-looking shiny financier. I asked who he was -and found out that he was Housman of Housman & Smith. Apparently C.R. -has been living with him for some time, ever since, in fact, L. went to -India. But the interesting thing to me is that Housman is the husband of -that beautiful Mrs Housman I told you about. M. knows them and knows all -about them. Mrs Housman was a Canadian, very poor, with no one to look -after her but an old aunt. He married her about ten years ago. Since -then he has become very rich. Carrington-Smith is now his partner. -Housman supplies the brains. They live somewhere in the suburbs and she -never goes anywhere. - -I am not coming back till next Monday. I shall be able to stop two or -three days in Paris, very likely longer. - - Yours, - G. - - HALKIN STREET, - - _Sunday, May_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have had a busy week since I have been back. Monday I dined with -George at his flat. A man's dinner to meet some French politicians who -are over here for a few days. I told you I was determined to make Mrs -Housman's acquaintance, and I have. I had luncheon on Tuesday with Jimmy -Randall, a city friend of mine. You don't know him. He knows the -Housmans intimately. I told him I wanted to know them and he asked me to -meet them last night. - -We dined at the Carlton, Randall, the Housmans and myself. I think she -is even more beautiful than I thought before. I couldn't take my eyes -off her. She was in black, with one row of very good pearls. I never saw -such eyes. Housman is too awful; sleek, fat and common beyond words, but -sharp as a needle. He has an extraordinary laugh, a high, nasal chuckle, -and says, "Ha! ha! ha!" after every sentence. They have asked me to -dinner next Tuesday. I will write to you about it in detail. Mrs H. is -charming. There is nothing American or Colonial about her, but she is -curiously un-English. I can't understand how she can have married him. I -caught sight of her again this morning at the Oratory, where I always go -if I am in London on Sundays, for the music. Randall told me she is -very musical, but I didn't get any speech with her. - -The flat looks quite transformed with all the Paris things. They are the -greatest success. - - Yours, - G. - - _Wednesday, May_ 12_th._ - - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -The dinner-party came off last night. They live in Campden Hill. I was -early and the parlour-maid said Mrs Housman would be down directly, and -I heard Housman shouting upstairs: "Clare, Clare, guests," but he did -not appear himself. I was shown into a large white and heavily gilded -drawing-room, with a candelabra, a Steinway grand, and light blue satin -and ebony furniture, a good many palms, but no flowers. The drawing-room -opened out on to an Oriental back drawing-room with low divans, small -stools inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and a silver lamp (from a mosque) -hanging from the ceiling, heavy curtains too, behind which I suspect -stained-glass windows. Over the chimney-piece an Alma Tadema (a group on -a marble seat against a violet sea). At the other end of the room Walter -Bell's picture. It _was_ the picture I saw before, but more about that -later. On another wall over a sofa a most extraordinary allegorical -picture: a precipice bridged by a large serpent, and walking on the -serpent two small figures, a woman in white draperies and a knight -dressed like Mephistopheles, all these painted in the crudest colours. -The Housmans then appeared, and Housman did the honours of the pictures, -faintly damned the Alma Tadema, and said the Snake Picture was by Mucius -of Munich in what he called _Moderne_ style. He had picked it up for -nothing; some day it would be worth pots of money. Ha! ha! Then the -guests arrived. Sir Herbert Simcox, K.C., Lady Simcox, dressed in amber -velvet and cairngorms; Housman's sister Miss Sarah, black, and very -large, in yellow satin, with enormous emerald ear-rings; -Carrington-Smith, Housman's partner; Mrs Carrington-Smith, naked except -for a kind of orange and red _Reform Kleid_, with a green complexion, -heavily blacked eyebrows, and a _Lalique_ necklace. Then, making a late -entrance, as if on the stage, a Princesse de Carignan, a fine figure, in -rich and tight black satin and a large black ruff, heavily powdered. -Housman whispered to me that she was a legitimate Bourbon. I think he -meant a Legitimist. We went down to dinner into a dark Gothic panelled -dining-room, with a shiny portrait of Mr Housman set in the panelling -over the chimney-piece. - -I sat between Mrs Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith. I talked to Mrs -Housman most of the time. Mrs Carrington-Smith asked me if I liked Henry -James's books. I said I liked the early ones. She said she preferred the -later ones, but she could never feel quite the same about Henry James -again since he had put her into a book. She was, she said, _Kate_ in -_The Wings of the Dove_. After dinner Housman moved up and sat next to -me. He talked about art and _bric-à-brac_. I asked him if I could -possibly have seen Bell's portrait of Mrs Housman in America. He said, -"Certainly." He had bought it cheap and sold it dear, anticipating a -slump in Bell, which was not slow in coming. He had then bought it back -directly Bell died, anticipating a boom, which had also occurred. "It is -now worth double what I gave for it. Ha! ha! ha!" - -Randall said he liked a picture to tell a plain story and he could make -nothing of the Snake Picture upstairs. Housman laughed loudly and said -it was the oldest story in the world: the man, the woman, and the -serpent. Ha! ha! We went upstairs, where there was a crowd. I was seized -upon by the Princesse de Carignan, and she whispered to me confidential -secrets about Europe. She preened herself and displayed the deportment -of a queen in exile. - -Then we had some music. Esther Lake bawled some Rubinstein, and Ronald -Solway played an interminable sonata by Haydn with variations and all -the repeats. Some of the guests went downstairs, but I was wedged in -between the Princesse and a Mrs Baines, a fluffy, sinuous woman, dressed -in a loose Byzantine robe. Her husband, who is an expert in French -furniture, told me she was once mistaken for _Sarah_, and she has -evidently been living up to the reputation for years. He was careful to -add that it was in the days when Sarah was thin--Mrs Baines being a -wisp. - -After the music, which I thought would never stop, we went downstairs -again for a stand-up supper and sweet champagne. I was introduced by -Housman to Ronald Solway. Housman told him I was a musical connoisseur, -so he bored me with technicalities for twenty minutes. I couldn't get -away. He had no mercy on me. Housman has got a box at the Opera. He told -me I must use it whenever I like. How can she have married that man? - - Yours, - G. - -_Wednesday,_ May 19_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your most amusing letter. I have been busy and not had a -moment to write. We have had a good deal of work to do. Last Friday I -had supper at Romano's after the play. Housman was there with Celia -Russell. I spent Saturday to Monday with the Shamiers. Lavroff was -there. Last night I went to the Opera to the Housmans' box. It was -_Bohème_. During the _entr'acte_ who should come into our box but -George. He stayed there the whole time, talking to Mrs H., and came back -during the next _entr'acte_. - -The next day at the office when I was in his room I said something about -the Housmans and began telling him about my dinner. He froze at once and -said Mrs Housman was an extremely nice woman. I said something about -Housman, and George said: "Oh, not at all a bad fellow." So I saw I was -on dangerous ground. Housman has asked me to spend next Sunday at his -country house, a small villa on the Thames near Staines. I am going. - -They are dining with me on Thursday. I asked George, too, and he -accepted joyfully. - - Yours, - G. - - _Monday, May_ 24_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am just back from the country. But first I must tell you about my -dinner. I had asked the Housmans, George, Eileen Hope, and Madame de -Saint Luce who is staying in London for three weeks. Just before dinner -I got a telegram saying that Mrs Housman was laid up and couldn't -possibly come. Housman arrived by himself. George was evidently -frightfully annoyed and hardly spoke. Madame de Saint Luce was amazed -and rather amused by Housman, and after dinner Eileen sang beautifully, -so it went off fairly well except for George. - -Saturday I went down to Staines. Housman had got an elegant villa on the -river. Very ugly, with red tiles, photogravures, and green wooden chairs -and a conservatory, full of calceolaria. But I must say his food is -delicious. George was there, Lady Jarvis, and Miss Sarah. - -After dinner on Saturday there was a slight fracas. George asked Mrs -Housman to sing. She didn't much want to, but finally said she would. -Miss Sarah, who is a brilliant pianist, said she would accompany her -(she evidently hates being accompanied). She sang a song of Schubert's, -_Gute Nacht_. Miss Sarah played it rather fast. Mrs Housman said it -ought to be slower. Miss Sarah said it was meant to be fast, and that -was her conception of the song in any case. - -Mrs Housman said she couldn't sing it like that, and didn't, and then -she said she couldn't sing at all. Afterwards she did sing some English -ballads and accompanied herself. - -She sings most beautifully, her voice is perfectly produced and you hear -every word. There is nothing throaty or operatic about it but her voice -goes straight through one. George was entranced. Sunday afternoon George -and Mrs H. went out on the river and stayed out all the afternoon. I -spent the afternoon with Lady Jarvis, who is most clever and amusing. -She told me all about the Housmans. Mrs H. is not Canadian but Irish. -She was brought up in a convent in French Canada. Directly she came out -of it her marriage with H., who was then in a Canadian firm, was -arranged by her aunt (her aunt was an imbecile and quite penniless). -They lived several years in Canada, California and other parts of -America, and came to England about three years ago. Housman was -unfaithful from the first. Lady Jarvis knew about Celia Russell. I asked -her if Mrs Housman knew. She said she--Lady Jarvis--didn't know, but it -wouldn't make any difference if Mrs H. did or not. She said: "There is -nothing about Albert Housman that Clare doesn't know." Then she said -that unless I was blind I must of course have seen George was madly in -love with her. - -I said I agreed. She said she thought Mrs Housman was madly in love with -him. I said I wasn't sure. Lady Jarvis said she was quite sure. - -They came back very late from the river and Mrs Housman didn't come -down to dinner. She said she had a headache. We had rather a gloomy -dinner although Miss Sarah and Lady Jarvis never stopped talking for a -moment, but George was silent. - -You know he sees nobody now except the Housmans. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 3_rd. Gray's Inn_. - -A. returned to London a day sooner than he was expected. His Secretary, -Tuke, had not returned. He had left his address with me. He spent his -holiday in the Guest House, Fort Augustus Abbey, a Benedictine -monastery. He returned this morning. A. asked me on Saturday where he -was. When I told him, A. showed great surprise. He said: "He has been -with me six years and I never knew he was an R.C. It's extraordinary -when a thing once turns up, you then meet with it every day. I seem -always to be coming across Catholics now." - -_Tuesday, May_ 4_th._ - -Alfred Riley telegraphed to me to know whether I could put him up -to-night. I have answered in the affirmative, but he will be, I fear, -most uncomfortable. - -_Wednesday, May_ 5_th._ - -Riley arrived last night. He has been in Paris for the last three months -working at the _Bibliothèque Nationale_. He told me he had something of -importance to tell me: that he was seriously thinking of becoming a -Roman Catholic. I was greatly surprised. He was the last person I would -expect to do such a thing. I told him I had no prejudice against Roman -Catholics, but it was very difficult for me to believe that a man of his -intellectual attainments could honestly believe the things he would be -expected to believe. Also, if he needed a Church I did not understand -why he could not be satisfied with the Church of England, which was a -historic Church. He said: "Do you remember when we were at Oxford that -we used to say it would be a great sell if we found out when we were -dead that Christianity was true after all? Well, I believe it is true. I -believe, not in spite of my reason, nor against my reason, nor apart -from my reason, but with my reason. Well, if one believes with one's -reason in the Christian revelation, that is to say, if one believes that -God has uttered Himself fully and uniquely through Christ, such a belief -has certain logical consequences." I said nothing, for indeed I did not -know what to say. Riley laughed and said: "Don't be alarmed; don't think -I am going to hand you a tract. For Heaven's sake let me be able to -speak out at least to one person about this." I begged him to go on, and -he said he thought Catholicism was the only logical consequence of a -belief in the Christian revelation. Anglicanism and all forms of -Protestantism seemed to him like the lopped off branches of a living -tree. - -I asked him what there was to prevent him worshipping in Roman Catholic -churches if he felt inclined that way without sacrificing his -intellectual freedom to their tenets. - -He said: "You talk as if it was ritual I cared for and wanted. One can -be glutted with ritual in the Anglican Church if one wants that." - -As for giving up one's freedom, he said I must agree that law, order and -discipline were the indispensable conditions of freedom. He had never -heard Catholics complain of any loss of freedom, indeed Catholic -philosophy, manners, customs, and even speech, seemed to him much freer -than Protestant or Agnostic philosophy, and what it stood for. He asked -me which I thought was freest, a Sunday in Paris or Rome or a Sunday in -Glasgow or London. - -I suggested his waiting a year. He said perhaps he would. - -_Thursday, May_ 6_th._ - -Riley talked of music, Wagner, _Parsifal._ He quoted some Frenchman who -said that _Parsifal_ was "_moins beau que n'importe quelle Messe Basse -dans n'importe quelle Église_." I said that I had never been to a Low -Mass in my life, but that I disliked the music at most High Masses I had -attended. I said I disliked Wagner, especially _Parsifal_. He said he -agreed about Wagner, but I did not understand what the Frenchman had -meant. I confessed I did not. He said: "It is like comparing a -description of something to the reality." I told him that I envied -people who were born Catholics, but I did not think it was a thing you -could become. He said it was not like becoming a Mussulman. He was -simply going back to the older tradition of his country, to what -Melanchthon and Dr Johnson called and what in the Highlands they still -call the Old Religion. I told him that I had once heard a man say, -talking of becoming a Roman Catholic, "if I could tell the first lie, -all the rest would be easy and follow naturally down to scapulars and -Holy Water." - -_Friday, May_ 7_th._ - -Riley left this morning. He has gone back to Paris. He is not going to -take any immediate step. - -_Sunday, May_ 9_th_ - -I went to see Mrs Housman yesterday afternoon. I told her what Riley had -told me. I asked her if she thought people could _become_ Roman -Catholics if they were not born so. She said she wished that she had not -been born a Catholic so as she might have become one. She envied those -who could make the choice. I asked her if she did not consider there was -something unreal about converts. She said she thought English converts -were in a very difficult situation which required the utmost tact. Many -perhaps lacked this tact. She said that in Canada and America, where she -had lived most of her life, the anti-Catholic prejudice as it existed in -England did not exist, at any rate it was not of the same kind. "The -nursery anti-Catholic tradition doesn't exist there." - -She asked me what I had advised Riley to do. I told her I had dissuaded -him from taking such a step and had begged him to wait. She said: "If he -is to become a Catholic there will be a moment when he will not be able -to help it. Faith is a gift. People do not become Catholics under the -influence of people or books, although people and books may sometimes -help or sometimes hinder, but because they are pulled over by an -invisible rope---what we call _Grace_." - -I told her I would find it difficult to believe that a man like Riley -would believe what he would have to believe. She asked me whether I -found it difficult to believe that she accepted the dogmas of the -Church. I said I was convinced she believed what she professed, but that -I thought that born Catholics believed things in a different way than we -did. I did not believe that this could be learnt by converts. - -She said I probably thought that Catholics believed all sorts of things -which they did not believe. Such at least was her experience of English -Protestants, who seemed to imbibe curious traditions in the nursery, on -the subject. - -I asked her if Mr Housman believed in Catholic dogma. She said: "Albert -has been baptized and brought up as a Catholic, but he is an Agnostic. -He is very charitable towards Catholic institutions." - -She asked me more about Riley and whether he had any Catholic friends. I -said: "Not to my knowledge." "Poor man, I am afraid he will be very -lonely," she said. - -She said that she herself knew hardly any Catholics in England, that is -to say she had no real Catholic friends, and that she felt as if she -were living in perpetual exile. - -"You see," she said, "your friend ought to realise that he will have to -face the prejudice and the dislike not only of narrow-minded people but -of very nice intelligent and broad-minded people, who agree with you -about almost everything else. The Church has always been hated from the -beginning, and it always will be hated. In the past it was people like -Marcus Aurelius who carried out the worst persecutions and hated the -Church most bitterly with the very best intentions, and it is in a -different way just the same now." - -I said that to me it was an impossible mental gymnastic to think that -Catholicism was the same thing as early Christianity. - -She said: "Because the tree has grown so big you think it is not the -same plant, but it is. When I go to Mass I feel as if I were looking -through the wrong end of a telescope right back into the catacombs and -farther." - -I told her Riley would take no decisive step. He had promised to wait. -She said there was no harm in that. There were many other things I -wished to ask her, but A. arrived, and after talking on various topics -for a few moments I left. - -_Monday, May_ 10_th._ - -A. told me he had been invited to dinner by Aunt Ruth next Thursday and -that he was going. He asked me whether I was invited. I said I was -invited. - -_Tuesday, May_ 11_th._ - -Cunninghame said he was dining at the Housmans' to-night. - -_Wednesday, May_ 12_th._ - -I asked C. whether he had enjoyed his dinner. He said it was very -pleasant, but that the music was too classical for his taste. A. was not -there. - -_Thursday, May_ 13_th._ - -I dined last night with A. in his flat. Nobody but ourselves. A. played -the pianola after dinner. He said I must come and stay with him in the -country soon. He would try and get the Housmans to come too. - -_Friday, May_ 14_th._ - -A. dined with Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth. So did I. It was a dinner for -the American Ambassador. I sat next to a Miss Audrey Bax, a lady of -decided views and picturesque appearance. She talked about Joan of Arc, -and asked me whether I had read Anatole France's book about her. I said -I had not, but I had read an English translation of Joan of Arc's trial -which I thought one of the most impressive records I had ever read. She -said: "Ah, you like the stained-glass-window point of view about those -sort of people." I was rather nettled and said I preferred facts to -fiction. I thought Joan of Arc as she appeared in her trial was a very -sensible as well as being a very remarkable person. She had not read -this. She said Anatole France told one all one wanted to know from a -rational point of view. It was a comfort to read common-sense about this -sort of hallucinated people. A man who was sitting opposite her joined -eagerly in the conversation, and said that the two people in the whole -of history who had made the finest defence when tried were Mary Queen -of Scots and Joan of Arc. Miss Bax said she supposed he looked upon Mary -Queen of Scots as a martyred saint. The other man, whose name I found -out afterwards was Ashfield, an American who is now at the American -Embassy, said that he regarded Mary Queen of Scots as a woman who was -tried for her life and who had defended herself without lawyers without -making a single mistake under the most difficult circumstances. He said -he had been a lawyer, and spoke from a lawyer's point of view. Miss Bax -went back to Joan of Arc and Anatole France and said his book was as -important a work as Renan's _Vie de Jésus_. Mr Ashfield said he thought -that work no improvement on the Gospel. I said I had not read it. Miss -Bax again said that if we preferred sentimental traditions we were at -liberty to do so. She preferred rational writers untainted by -superstition. Ashfield said he regarded Renan as a sentimental writer. -Miss Bax said: "No doubt you prefer Dean Farrar." Ashfield said he did -not think Renan's book was a more successful attempt to rewrite the -Gospels than Dean Farrar's although it was better written. She said that -proved her point, and as she seemed satisfied, we talked of other -things. But throughout her conversation she struck me for a professed -free-thinker to be singularly dogmatic and sometimes almost fanatical. - -_Saturday, May_ 15_th._ - -Spent the afternoon and evening with Solway at Woking but came back -after dinner. - -_Sunday, May_ 16_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon, but she was not at home. This -is the first time she has not been at home on Sunday afternoons for a -very long time. - -_Monday, May_ 17_th_. - -A. said he was going to the opera to-night. Housman, whom he had seen -yesterday, had told him it would be a very fine performance. - -_Tuesday, May_ 18_th._ - -Went to the opera in the gallery. Some fine singing. Cunninghame had -been in the Housmans' box. - -_Wednesday, May_ 19_th._ - -Was going to dine with the Housmans to-night, but Mrs Housman is unwell. - -_Thursday, May_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis has asked me to stay with her Sunday week. - -_Friday, May_ 21st. - -This morning a man called Barnes came to the office. He is an -acquaintance of Cunninghame's; he is in the F.O. He talked of various -things, and then he asked Cunninghame whether he knew Mrs Housman. He -said she was playing fast and loose with A.'s affections. She was doing -it, of course, to convert him. Catholics didn't mind how immoral they -were in such a cause. He said that she was well known for it. She had -refused to marry Housman till he had been converted. He had been so much -in love with her that he could not refuse. I said that I happened to -know that Housman had been baptized a Catholic when he was born. -Cunninghame bore me out and said it was all nonsense about A. He was -sure Catholicism had nothing to do with it. He knew Mrs Housman quite -well and she had never mentioned it to him. Barnes said we could say -what we liked, but all London was talking of A.'s unfortunate passion -and Mrs H.'s behaviour. - -"One sees them everywhere together," he said. - -C. said: "Where?" - -Barnes said: "Oh, at all the restaurants and at the opera." - -Cunninghame said he had expected Mrs Housman to dinner, but she had been -unable to come. - -_Saturday, May_ 22_nd_. - -Called on Mrs Housman to inquire. They have gone to the country until -Monday. - -_Monday, May_ 24_th._ - -I had luncheon with A. to-day at his flat. He said he had been staying -with the Housmans at their house on the Thames. He said he had put his -foot in it. On Saturday night at dinner they were talking about Ireland, -and he said he had no wish to go to a country full of priests. Mrs -Housman told him, laughing, she was a Catholic. He asked me if I had -known this. I told him I had always known it. He asked me whether she -was very devout. I said I knew she always went to Mass on Sundays, that -she had never mentioned the subject to me except once when I asked her a -question with reference to a friend of mine. He asked me whether Housman -was a Catholic too. I told him what I knew. - -_Tuesday, May_ 25_th._ - -Went to the opera, in the Housmans' box. Housman and Cunninghame were -there. Mrs Housman did not come. A. looked in during the _entr'acte_. - -_Wednesday, May_ 26_th._ - -A. gave a dinner at his Club. All politicians except myself and -Cunninghame. - -_Thursday, May_ 27_th._ - -Tuke asked me to take a ticket for a concert at Hammersmith at which his -sister is performing on the piano. I have done so. - -_Friday, May_ 28_th._ - -Luncheon with A. at his Club. He is staying with Lady Jarvis on -Saturday. The Housmans, he said, will be there. Cunninghame is going -also. A. told me Mrs Housman has not been well lately. I said I thought -she did too much. He asked me in what sort of way. I said she attended -to a great many charities and that as Housman entertained a great deal I -thought it tired her. Mrs Housman had told him I was very musical. He -asked me if I played any instrument. I said none except the penny -whistle. He asked me if I did not think Mrs Housman a very fine singer. -I said I did. He also said that he supposed she knew a lot of priests. I -said I had never met one in her house. - -_Sunday, May_ 30_th. Rosedale, Surrey._ - -I arrived rather late last night. Besides the guests I knew I was to -meet, was a Frenchman, M. Raphael Luc, and a Mrs Vaughan. After dinner -we had some music. M. Luc sang several French songs, by Lully, and -others that I had heard Mrs Housman sing. His singing was greatly -appreciated and applauded, and it is, I confess, as far as it goes, -perfection itself, as regards quality, taste and art, but I could not -help thinking the whole time that it would be impossible for him to -interpret Schubert. - -This morning I sat in the garden and read the newspapers. Mrs Housman -drove to Church which was some distance off. - -Mr Winchester Hill, the novelist, arrived for luncheon and brought with -him Miss Ella Dasent, the actress. At the end of the meal she gave us -some vivid impersonations of contemporary actors and actresses. - -We sat talking for some time in the verandah. Then Lady Jarvis took -Housman to show him the garden, and Cunninghame walked away with Mrs -Vaughan and M. Luc. - -Miss Housman, Mr Hill, Miss Dasent, and myself remained on long chairs -underneath a large tree. Miss Dasent and Mr Hill discussed at great -length a play that he is adapting for her from one of his novels. The -story seemed to me absurd--it was something about an Italian nobleman -strangling his wife's lover with a silk handkerchief. - -Towards five we had tea and after tea Mrs Vaughan took me for a stroll -round the garden. - -I found her a well-read woman who has lived a great deal in Paris and is -familiar with the Bohemian world in more than one continent. - -At dinner I sat between Mrs Housman and Cunninghame. Mrs Housman said -that Luc's singing made one despair, and she felt she could never sing -again after hearing him. I told her I doubted if he could interpret -German music. She was annoyed with me and said I was missing the point, -and that the songs he sang were exquisite. - -We sat in the verandah after dinner, while Luc sang to us from the -drawing-room. He sang Fauré's settings to Verlaine's words. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, May_ 21_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale, where I have been staying with Lady -Jarvis. It is an old Tudor house that was bodily transported from the -west of England. I believe it is quite genuine, but it looks unreal and -the rooms are like show rooms at a second-hand dealer's. The garden is -quite beautiful. We had a most amusing party. Jane Vaughan (looking very -pretty), Raphael Luc, George, the Housmans. Raphael sang both nights -quite divinely after dinner. On Saturday night we all sat in the big -downstairs room, but after he had sung two songs Mrs Housman went out on -the verandah. She is so musical that one could see it was more than she -could bear. I am certain she felt she was going to cry. Sunday morning I -had a long talk with Lady Jarvis. She told me Mrs Housman is a very -strict and devout Catholic. We both agreed that there is no doubt that -George is very much in love with her. She thinks she _is_ in love with -him. I am still not sure Lady Jarvis is right about her. I sat next to -her (Mrs H.) at dinner on Saturday night, and George was on her other -side. She was perfectly natural, but I thought miles _away_. During the -whole time we were there she didn't pay much attention to him and she -didn't avoid him. She went to church by herself on Sunday morning and -stayed in all the afternoon. I think she likes him, but nothing more -than that. - -Godfrey Mellor, the silent Secretary, is devoted to her too. The other -morning at the office a man came to see us and said all sorts of most -absurdly silly things about Mrs H. I could see he was furious. He has -known the Housmans quite a long time. - -More people came down to luncheon on Sunday, but nobody interesting. -George says he will be able to yacht now. I think Mrs H. is delightful. -I like her more and more. I have been to the opera twice, to a good many -dinners, and some balls. There may be a chance of Paris for a few days -later. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 31_st_. - -I travelled back from Rosedale with A. He asked me if I was fond of -yachting. I said I was a moderate sailor. He asked me to go next -Saturday to his house near Littlehampton. His sister is going to be -there, and perhaps the Housmans. Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, June_ 1_st._ - -There is going to be a large concert at the Albert Hall for the -Albemarle Relief Fund. Tuke brought the programme and placed it on my -table this morning. Esther Lake is singing, and the Housmans and A. are -among the patrons. Dined with A. at his Club. He told me he thought Mrs -Housman was far from well. He said what she wants is sea air. - -_Wednesday, June_ 2_nd_. - -Cunninghame told me he had dined at the Housmans' last night. He said -there was no one there but himself and Carrington-Smith. He said Mrs -Housman talks of going away soon. London tires her. Dined at the Club. - -_Thursday, June_ 3_rd_. - -I have just come back from a dinner-party at Aunt Ruth's. A great many -diplomats and politicians. I sat between Thornton-Davis, who is at the -F.O. now, and Mrs Vernon, who is French and a Legitimist and talks of -the Place de la Concorde as the _Place Louis XV_. Aunt Ruth said she -heard A. was doing very well and spoke well in the House. It's a pity, -she said, that he is such a Tory. - -_Friday, June_ 4_th._ - -Went this afternoon to the concert at the Albert Hall for the Relief -Fund in the Housmans' box. Miss Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith were -there, but neither Mrs nor Mr Housman. Miss Housman says that Mrs -Housman has not been well lately. She said she goes out far too much. I -enjoyed nothing in the programme. Dined at the Club. - -_Saturday, June_ 5_th._ - -A. told me he expected me at Littlehampton, but that I would find it -dull, as he had no party. - -_Sunday, June_ 6_th. Littlehampton_. - -A. has a nice and comfortable little house. His yacht, a small cutter -with room for two to sleep on board, is here. He took Mrs Campion and -myself out this morning. There was what is called a nice breeze. I -cannot say I enjoyed it very much. He told me that he had asked the -Housmans, but they could not come, Mrs Housman is going to Cornwall soon -for the rest of the summer. She has not been well, and the doctors told -her she must leave London. A. said he would miss them very much. He -liked them both exceedingly, and he thought Miss Sarah was such a good -sort. A. said the truth was that Mrs H. worked herself to death over -charities and things like that. He was sure the priests were greatly to -blame for this. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, June_ 7_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -There's not the slightest chance of my coming over to Paris now. I am -not going to Ascot at all this year. The Housmans thought of taking a -house for Ascot week, but she has not been well, and they are staying -out of London till they go down to Cornwall. They have taken a house -somewhere near the Lizard, and when she goes she will stay the whole -summer. - -Both George and poor little Mellor are in low spirits. I had a very nice -letter from Mrs H. asking me to go down there in August and to stay as -long as I liked. - -Housman has lent me his box for the whole of Ascot week. There is such a -rush that I haven't time to write properly to you. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Friday, June_ 18_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have spent the most perfect Ascot week in London. I have enjoyed every -moment of it. I went to the opera every night in the Housmans' box, -which besides being fun was most convenient as I was able to ask people -who had done things for me. I dined on Saturday with Jimmy Randall, who -had been at Ascot all the week. He says that Housman has fallen -violently in love with a Mrs Rachel Park. You may possibly have heard of -her. She used to sing at concerts under the name of Rose Sinclair. She -was quite beautiful, with enormous eyes and flaming hair, but quite -brainless and quite unmusical. She married a barrister who is now Park, -K.C. He works like a slave, but she spends money more quickly than he -can make it. This explains the Cornwall arrangement. Jimmy R. says that -H. has violent scenes with Celia R. and that the end of that idyll is -only a question of hours. He says Mrs P. will lead him a dance. She is -mercenary, stupid, common and a real harpy. Poor "Bert," as Jimmy -Randall calls Housman. He is so good-natured. And poor Mrs H.! Mellor -hardly speaks at all now, and George doesn't say much. He goes nowhere, -but talks of yachting on the west coast during the summer. - - Yours, - G. - -_P.S_.--Just got your telegram. I am delighted you are coming to London. -I particularly wanted you to meet Mrs Housman--and "Bert." You must -come. And now I shall just be able to manage this if you will dine with -me on Monday night. She leaves for Cornwall on Tuesday morning. I've -asked George too. He stays in London till Parliament is over, and then -he is going away and I shall be free. How much leave will Jack get? -Three weeks at least, I hope. The Shamiers want you to stay with them -Sunday week, and Lady Jarvis wants you to go down there. If you don't -want to stay there, we might go down for luncheon one day. I shall be in -London till the end of July. Then I am going to Worsel for a fortnight. -The Housmans have asked me to go to Cornwall, and I shall try and fit -that in between Worsel and the Shamiers. They have been lent a lodge in -Scotland and have asked me to go there in September. I have promised to -stay a few days at Edith's as well. - -There is a parcel for me at the Embassy. It is too big for the bag. -Could you bring it with you? - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, June_ 10_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame last night to meet his cousin, Mrs Caryl. She is -the wife of a diplomat who is Second Secretary at Paris. A pleasant -dinner. The Housmans were there, and A. and his sister. - -_Friday, June_ 25_th._. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman to-day. She says the change of air is -doing her good. She hopes I will come to Cornwall some time during my -holiday. - -_Monday, July_ 5_th._ - -Dined with Housman last night. Miss Housman was there, and the -Carrington-Smiths, and a Mrs Park who used to be a professional singer. -She sang after dinner. Miss Housman accompanied her. She sang Tosti's -_Ninon_, some Lassen, some Bemberg, a song by Lord Henry Somerset, and -E. Purcell's _Passing By_. Miss Housman said it was a comfort to -accompany someone who had a sense of time. She has a powerful voice and -has been well trained, but _Passing By_ did not suit her style of -singing, and I regretted that she had attempted that song. She was not -always in tune. - -Housman enjoyed it, and accompanied her himself afterwards in some coon -songs which he played by ear. - -Housman asked me to stay with them for the whole of August. He said he -was very anxious that I should go, as he would not be able to be much in -Cornwall and he was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. He asked -Cunninghame also. I accepted. - -A. spends all his spare time now on his yacht. I am going to stay with -him next Saturday. - -_Monday, July_ 12_th._ - -A. is going to the Cowes Regatta. He asked me to go with him, but I am -leaving on the 1st of August for Cornwall. - -_Sunday, August_ 1_st. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay, Cornwall_. - -I arrived here last night. A pleasant spot near the sea and not far from -a golf links. Mrs Housman and Housman are here alone. Housman is greatly -perturbed because Mrs Carrington-Smith is bringing a divorce suit -against her husband for infidelity. The other person concerned is Miss -Hope, whom I met at dinner one night at Cunninghame's flat. Housman says -that Miss Hope is neurotic and unhinged. Mrs Housman has never met Miss -Hope. - -Housman said he hoped I would be able to stay on here, as he would not -be able to spend much time in Cornwall. Carrington-Smith was so greatly -upset by this wretched business that he could not attend to the affairs -of the firm. He was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. Lady Jarvis had -promised to come later, and Cunninghame also, but he did not know when. -Miss Housman had been obliged to go to Vichy to take the waters. -Housman played golf in the afternoon with a member of the Club. I am not -a golf player, unfortunately. I told him that Cunninghame was an -admirable player. - -_Monday, August_ 2_nd_. - -Housman has been telegraphed for and left this morning. In the afternoon -we went for a long drive and had tea in a farm-house. The climate is -warm and agreeable. - -_Tuesday, August_ 3_rd_. - -Bathed in the sea this morning and went for a long walk in the afternoon -with Mrs H. After dinner she tried some new songs by Tchaikovsky. We did -not care for them much and fell back on Schubert. Schubert is her -favourite composer. She sang the _Gruppe aus Tartarus_. - -_Wednesday, August_ 4_th._ - -We went for an expedition to the Lizard. Mrs Housman told me that when -she was a girl she had much wanted to become a professional singer, and -that she was studying for the Concert Stage when she met Housman. - -_Thursday, August_ 5_th._ - -We sat on the beach all the afternoon. It was extremely hot and -enjoyable. Mrs Housman read _Consuelo_, by George Sand, aloud. She reads -French with great purity of accent. - -Father Stanway, the local priest, came to dinner, a cheerful man with a -venerable appearance. When we were left alone, after dinner, talking of -men in public offices, he said he knew Bowes, in the Foreign Office, who -had spent his Easter holidays here. I asked him whether he thought -converts of that description made satisfactory Catholics. He said he -thought Bowes would be an admirable Catholic. I said I thought it must -be very difficult for a man of his upbringing, as Bowes had been brought -up in a rigid Church of England family, and his father often wrote to -_The Times_, condemning ritualistic practices and innovations. Father -Stanway said it was not so complicated as I thought. There were only -three things indispensable to a man if he wished to become a Catholic: -To believe in God, to follow his conscience, to love his neighbour as -himself. If he did that all the rest was easy. He said he admired Bowes -greatly for taking the step. - -_Friday, August_ 6_th._ - -We went to the Land's End, where there were a great many tourists. Mrs -Housman continues to read out loud _Consuelo_ in the afternoons and -evenings. It is an interesting book, but I prefer _Jane Eyre_. - -_Saturday, August_ 7_th._ - -I received a letter from Riley this morning. He has been in London -nearly a month, and was there a fortnight before I left, but he did not -come to see me for the following reason. He has taken the step and has -been received into the Roman Catholic Church, and he says his first -intention was not to tell anyone of his conversion. He did not come to -see me because he knew he would not be able to help discussing it. He is -no longer making a secret of it now. He found this too difficult. Two or -three days after he had been received he happened to be dining out and -it was a Friday. His hostess said to him, in the course of conversation: -"You are not a Catholic, are you?" He resolved then and there to keep it -secret no longer. - -He tells me in his letter, "Your philosophy of the first lie is quite -right. Only I regard what you call the first lie as the _first Truth_. -Once this is so, all the rest follows." He says that after he left me in -Gray's Inn in May he resolved to put the matter from him for a time and -not to think about it. He went back to Paris and pursued his research. -One morning he woke up and felt he could not delay another moment. He -took the train for London the next day, where he intended to go soon in -any case for his holiday, and the day after his arrival he called at the -Brompton Oratory and asked to see a priest, as he knew no priests. He -sat in a small waiting-room downstairs, and presently an elderly priest, -Father X., arrived and asked him what he could do for him. He told him -he wished for instruction prior to becoming a Catholic. He called the -next day. Father X. told him after they had talked for some time that he -did not think he would need much instruction. But he continued to see -him for the next three weeks. He was then received. He says that what -seemed before a step of great difficulty now appeared quite -extraordinarily simple, and he cannot conceive why he did not take it a -long time ago. - -_Sunday, August_ 8_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass. I sat in the garden; when she returned from -Mass I told her about Riley. She asked me how old he was. I said I -thought he was about thirty-five. I told her he was a brilliant scholar, -and had taken high honours at Oxford. He had a post at the Liverpool -University. She said she had felt certain he would come into the Church. - -Lady Jarvis is coming here next week. - -_Monday, August_ 9_th_. - -We spent the whole day on the beach, reading aloud. Housman has written -to say that Mrs Carrington-Smith will insist on bringing their affairs -into court. Carrington-Smith is much worried. Mrs Housman says that Mrs -Carrington-Smith is an absurd woman. - -_Tuesday, August_ 10_th._ - -We spent the morning at St Ives, shopping. I bought _The Pickwick -Papers_ and an old silver teapot. We sat on the beach in the afternoon, -reading _Consuelo._ After dinner Mrs Housman sang a beautiful -French-Canadian song. - -_Wednesday, August_ 11_th._ - -Just as we were sitting down to luncheon A. walked into the room; he had -sailed here from Cowes in his yacht, which is anchored in the bay. He -could not stay to luncheon as he was lunching at the Golf Club with a -friend. Mrs Housman asked him to dinner. He accepted. He said he had -spent a most enjoyable week at Cowes in his yacht, but had not won any -races. His sister had been with him, only as she is a bad sailor she had -not enjoyed the sailing as much as he would have liked. Cunninghame has -been at Cowes for three days on board a Mr Venderling's steam yacht (an -American). A. says that he intends to spend some time here cruising -about the coast. - -_Thursday, August_ 12_th._ - -Lady Jarvis arrived this morning. She says she thinks that if Mrs -Carrington-Smith goes into court she will get a divorce. She has -substantial evidence. Carrington-Smith is most uneasy. - -A. came to luncheon and proposed that we should all go for a sail in the -afternoon together. Lady Jarvis and I declined, as we are both moderate -sailors. Mrs Housman went with him. They came back at six and she said -she had enjoyed it immensely. - -_Friday, August_ 13_th_. - -Mrs Housman received a telegram from Housman this morning, telling her -she must ask A. to stay here in the house. She had written to tell -him--Housman--A. was here. A. came to luncheon and Mrs Housman invited -him to stay. He said he would be pleased to do so for a few days, but -that he is due in his yacht early next week at Plymouth. Mrs Housman has -received a letter from Cunninghame, asking whether it would be -convenient for him to come next week. She has telegraphed to him that -she would be glad to receive him. - -_Saturday, August_ 14_th._ - -The weather was so beautiful and the sea was so smooth that we were all -persuaded to go on board the yacht, where we had luncheon. We went for -a short sail in the afternoon. Although I did not feel ill I cannot say -I enjoyed it, I prefer the dry land. Lady Jarvis said she enjoyed it -greatly, although she is a bad sailor as a rule. Mrs Housman is an -excellent sailor. - -_Sunday, August_ 15_th._ - -I am finishing _Consuelo_ by myself as we are not able to read aloud any -more. We all went for a drive in two carriages in the afternoon through -disused mines, and had tea in a farm-house. - -A. says he is enjoying his holiday immensely. - -Cunninghame arrives here to-morrow. We had some music in the evening. -A.'s favourite composer is Sullivan, but his favourite song is -Offenbach's _Chanson de Fortunio_, which Mrs Housman sang to-night. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, - CARBIS BAY, CORNWALL, - _Tuesday, August_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I arrived here from Worsel last night, and found Mrs Housman, Lady -Jarvis, George, who sailed here in his yacht from Cowes, and Godfrey -Mellor. It is the most delicious place. A blue sea with pink and purple -streaks in it, and a soft west wind, and wonderful sand beaches, thick -with people. It is the height of the season. The Housmans have got a -comfortable little house near a golf links. Housman has had to go to -London to see his partner, Carrington-Smith, who has been threatened -with divorce by his wife, who accuses him of infidelity with--who do you -think?--Eileen Hope. "Bert" is by way of coming down here on Saturday. -George is radiantly happy. I don't think she's thinking about him. He -wanted us all to go out in his yacht this afternoon, but as it was -blowing half a gale Mrs Housman was the only one who faced the elements. -She is a passionately good sailor and the rougher it is the more she -enjoys it. I played golf with a General York who lives here. Godfrey -Mellor doesn't play, which is tiresome. We are having the greatest fun. -Lady Jarvis is in the most splendid form. She told us some killing -stories about Mrs Carrington-Smith. She says that the whole of last year -she would only eat raw roots and uncooked fruit because she says in a -former existence she was a priestess of I sis, and that was the rule. -Lady Jarvis pointed out to her that she is not a priestess of I sis now, -but she said that if she ate meat it would spoil her chance of serving -Isis again in her next existence. She said, too, that it would displease -the elementals. Mrs Housman seems perfectly happy and cheerful. Mellor -is depressed, but I am terribly sorry for him. I feel he was having -such a divine time here before we all came. - - - GREY FARM, - _Monday, August_ 23_rd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -"Bert" came down on Saturday night, but went away this morning. He is -completely upset about Carrington-Smith, who says his wife is bent on -divorcing him. Now that he is gone one can laugh, but while he was there -we simply didn't dare. Eileen was apparently a most imprudent -correspondent. Housman says she will win her case without any doubt if -she brings it into court. I played golf with him all Sunday. - -We had great fun after dinner last night. Mrs Housman sang songs out of -the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and some Offenbach, too, the _Chanson -de Fortunio,_ too beautifully. George _is_ desperately in love--but I -still don't think _she_ is. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Tuesday, August_ 24_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am going to stay another week as Edith can't have me yet. George was -leaving to-day, as he has got to be at Plymouth for a regatta somewhere, -but he has put off going till to-morrow because of the weather. - -I am enjoying myself immensely. I have got to like Godfrey Mellor very -much. I went for a long walk with him one afternoon. When one gets him -quite alone like that he talks quite a lot and is delightful. - -Mrs Carrington-Smith _is_ going to insist on divorce. - -I am going to the Shamiers' on the 1st of October. I told you they have -been lent a lodge in Scotland on the coast. - - Yours etc., - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, August_ 16_th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay._ - -Cunninghame arrived late in the evening. We talked at dinner a great -deal about the likelihood of the Carrington-Smith divorce. We discussed -divorce in general. Mrs Housman was of course against divorce, but she -said that the rules of the Church were terribly hard on the individual -in many cases. She said: "We are allowed to separate." - -_Tuesday, August_ 17_th._ - -We all went for an expedition to the Land's End. - -_Wednesday, August_ 18_th_. - -We all bathed in the morning. Mrs Carrington-Smith has refused to relent -in spite of Housman's attempts at mediation--apparently she found some -letters addressed by Miss Hope to her husband and Miss Hope was an -imprudent correspondent. Lady Jarvis and I wondered why people kept -letters, especially when they were compromising. Mrs Housman said she -quite understood this. She never could bring herself to burn old -letters, although she never looked at them. - -_Thursday, August_ 19_th._ - -We had luncheon on board the yacht, but after luncheon we left A. on -board and went for a walk on the cliffs. - -_Friday, August_ 20_th._ - -I went for a walk with Cunninghame in the afternoon. He talked a great -deal about A. He said he ought to marry. He said he thought Mrs Housman -was one of the nicest people he had ever met in his life. - -_Saturday, August_ 21_st_. - -Housman arrived in the evening. It poured with rain all day, so we sat -indoors. Lady Jarvis played patience. Mrs Housman played some old songs -she found in the house. There is nothing, I think, more melancholy than -old or, rather, old-fashioned music. - -_Sunday, August_ 22_nd_. - -Housman announced his intention of going to Mass with Mrs Housman this -morning. He said he always did so at the seaside, he thought it right to -support poor Missions. Housman said at luncheon that Father Stanway had -preached an excellent sermon. He had said in his sermon that man was a -ridiculous animal, and that every time we slip on a piece of orange-peel -or sit down on a hat by mistake, we should give thanks for the Grace of -God that is teaching us humility. In the afternoon Cunninghame and -Housman played golf. Housman lost. He says Cunninghame is a very fine -player. - -_Monday, August_ 23_rd_. - -Housman left for London this morning. A. leaves to-morrow for Plymouth, -but the weather is still very unsettled and it has been blowing hard, -and I wonder whether he will be able to start. - -Last night after dinner Mrs Housman suggested reading aloud. A. asked -her to read some stories by an American called O. Henry, whose works -have not been published in England, and whom I had never heard of. A. -has travelled in America. Mrs Housman did so. She said she thought we -would find them difficult to understand as we did not know America. We -did, that is to say, Cunninghame and myself. But A. was greatly amused, -and Lady Jarvis said she thought they were clever. - -_Tuesday, August_ 24_th._ - -It is still blowing hard and A. has put off going to Plymouth -altogether, as he would not get there in time for the regatta. -Cunninghame and A. played golf to-day with a retired Indian General, who -lives in a house about three miles from here. His name is York. They -brought him back to tea, a brisk, direct man. He said something about -his wife and Mrs Housman asked if she might call on her. General York -said they would be delighted. - -More O. Henry was read out in the evening. I prefer Mrs Housman's -readings in French literature. A. enjoyed it immensely. - -_Wednesday, August_ 25_th._ - -Mrs Housman called on Mrs York this afternoon. Mrs York greeted her with -the words: "This is very unusual." Mrs Housman did not understand what -was unusual. Mrs York said she did not recollect having called. She was -the oldest inhabitant and had discovered the place. Mrs Housman -apologised. She has asked the General and Mrs York to luncheon on -Sunday. - -_Thursday, August_ 26_th._ - -Cunninghame played golf with the General. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis in the afternoon. She talked of a great many things; of music -and musical education abroad. She considers Mrs Housman a fine artist. -She talked of A., of his work and mine and my prospects for the future. -I told her I enjoyed routine work and had no ambition to do anything -else. She talked of marriage. She said A. ought certainly to marry soon -as he would be very lonely otherwise. His sister, Mrs Campion, could not -look after him, as she had her own children to look after. Her eldest -daughter would soon be out. She asked me whether I had ever thought of -marrying. She is a most intelligent and agreeable woman. - -_Friday, August_ 27_th._ - -A. was obliged to go to Penzance to-day for the day. We all went for a -walk in the afternoon. It is finer and quite warm, but the sea is still -very rough. Mrs Housman received a letter from Mrs York this morning -saying that she was unable to come to luncheon on Sunday, but that she -had no doubt the General would accept the invitation with pleasure. Mrs -Housman wrote back to say she would be delighted to see the General on -Sunday. - -The O. Henry book is finished. Mrs Housman is now reading us some -stories by another American author, Richard Harding Davis. I wish she -would return to European literature. But A. enjoys these American books. - -_Saturday, August_ 28_th._ - -The wind has gone down and A. went out sailing. Cunninghame played golf. -Mrs Housman spent the day at a convent which is some miles off, and she -did not come down to dinner. - -Lady Jarvis took me into the town in the morning, and in the afternoon -we went for a drive. We had no reading in the evening. - -_Sunday, August_ 29_th._ - -General York did not come to luncheon after all, he wrote a note -excusing himself. Mrs Housman went to Mass in the morning. A. and -Cunninghame played golf. Mrs Housman read out loud a story by Kipling -after dinner. I wonder what an E.P. tent means. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _August_ 30_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -The weather has been too awful, but now, thank heaven, it is fine again. -George was obliged to put off going to Plymouth by sea as it was too -rough. The Shamiers have put me off. They can't have the Lodge that was -going to be lent to them, so they won't go to Scotland at all this year. -This changes all my plans. Mrs Housman asked me to stay on another week -here, and I am going to as there is now no hurry to get to Edith's. I -shall then go back to Worsel for three days if they can have me, and -then stay with Edith for the rest of my holiday. She has got the whole -family there at this moment, so I shall enjoy going there later better. -I shall be back in London the first week in October. - -There is a charming old man here who plays golf with me, General York. -His wife, who was huffy because Mrs Housman "called," paid a call in -state this afternoon. She came in a barouche with an Indian servant on -the box. She is organising a bazaar and asked Lady Jarvis to help at her -stall. She said the bazaar was in the cause of the Church; she did not -ask Mrs Housman. She stayed seven minutes by the clock and refused tea, -which she said she never took as it was trying for the nerves. She was -dressed in black jet, and brought with her a small Pomeranian dog. She -said she and her husband had lived here eight years and that it used to -be a charming place when they discovered it. - -Write to me here and then to Edith's, but not to Worsel as that is -uncertain. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, August_ 30_th_. - -I am glad to say Cunninghame has put off going for a week. Mrs York -called chis afternoon. I was introduced to her, but she addressed no -remark to me. - -_Tuesday, August_ 31_st_. - -A. has gone away for a night as he is staying with someone in the -neighbourhood. Mrs Housman took Cunninghame to the Lizard, which he had -not yet seen. Lady Jarvis and I spent a lazy day in the garden and on -the cliffs. It is extremely hot. - -_Wednesday, September_ 1_st_. - -Cunninghame and A. played golf with General York and suggested his -coming back to tea, but he declined with much embarrassment. Mrs Housman -returned Mrs York's visit, but she was not at home. Mrs Housman sang -after dinner. A. does not care for German music, which limits the -programme; he is fond, however, of old English songs. - -_Thursday, September_ 2_nd_. - -A beautiful day for sailing, so they said. A. took Mrs Housman for a -sail. - -_Friday, September_ 3_rd_. - -I find A.'s spirits a little boisterous at times. He took us out fishing -this afternoon. After dinner he insisted on Mrs Housman playing some -American coon songs. - -_Saturday, September_ 4_th._ - -Housman arrived unexpectedly with Carrington-Smith this afternoon. -Carrington-Smith seems depressed about his coming divorce. Mrs Housman -was out sailing with A. and they did not come back until just before -dinner. Carrington-Smith is a great expert on boxing and gave us a -sparring exhibition after dinner. That is to say, he explained at great -length the nature of a straight left, and upset some of the furniture in -so doing. After dinner Housman, Carrington-Smith, Cunninghame and Lady -Jarvis played Bridge. - -_Sunday, September_ 5_th._ - -Housman played golf and met General York, knowing nothing of what had -occurred, and asked him and Mrs York to luncheon. The General was much -embarrassed and said his wife was an invalid. Housman then asked him to -come by himself. The General stammered and said they were having -luncheon out. But Housman would take no refusal and asked them to -dinner. The General said they didn't dine out on Sundays! His -wife----And then he got dreadfully confused, and Cunninghame came to the -rescue and said Housman had forgotten we were dining on board the yacht, -which we were of course not doing. - -Cunninghame leaves, I regret to say, to-morrow. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Sunday, September_ 5_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I leave to-morrow for Worsel. I am only stopping here a week. Then I go -on to Edith's where I shall stay to the end of the month. Most of the -family have gone. I spent a whole day with Mrs Housman on Tuesday and we -went to the Lizard. This is the first time I have had a real talk alone -with her since I have been here. We were talking about my plans and I -said that I had been going to stay with the Shamiers. She said: "Oh -yes," and paused a moment and then said: "She's a charming woman, isn't -she?" I could see she knew. Later on she talked of George and said how -nice Mrs Campion was and what a good thing it would be if George -married. I said: "Yes, what a good thing. It was the greatest mistake -his not marrying." Upon which she said: "Do you think he will?" And then -in a flash I knew that Lady Jarvis had been quite right and I had been -utterly wrong. What an idiot I have been! It must have been quite -obvious to a baby the whole time! I can't tell you how I mind it. I -think it is the greatest pity and really too awful! What are we to do? -That's just it--one can do nothing: there is nothing to be done, -absolutely nothing. Of course Godfrey Mellor must have seen it clearly -the whole time. I am sure he is miserable. It is all the greatest pity -and how I can have been so blind, I don't know, not that it would have -made any difference if I hadn't been. Housman, of course, sees nothing -and has begged George to stay on. As a matter of fact he (George) is -going away quite soon as he has to sail his yacht back and he is -stopping somewhere on the way. He will be back in London in October. It -is all very depressing and I am quite glad to be going. Lady Jarvis has -said nothing to me but I can see that she sees that I see. Godfrey -Mellor is staying on. Housman leaves to-morrow. Write to me at Edith's. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, September_ 6_th._ - -Housman and Cunninghame both left this morning. A. goes away on -Wednesday. A stormy day--too rough for sailing. Carrington-Smith, who is -remaining on, played golf with A. - -_Tuesday, September_ 7_th._ - -Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis. Carrington-Smith played golf: after dinner he sang _I'll sing -thee songs of Araby,_ Mrs Housman accompanied him: he has a tenor voice. - -_Wednesday, September_ 8_th_. - -A. left in his yacht this morning. Lady Jarvis took Carrington-Smith for -a walk. I went out with Mrs Housman. She suggested finishing _Consuelo_: -I told her I had already finished it. Miss Housman arrives on Saturday. - -_Thursday, September_ 9_th._ - -Mrs Housman received a telegram from Mrs Baines, who is in the -neighbourhood with her husband, proposing themselves. Mrs Housman has -asked them to stay. They will arrive to-morrow. Carrington-Smith sang -Tosti's _Good-bye_ after dinner. - -I went for a walk with Mrs Housman in the afternoon. She said she likes -Cunninghame particularly. She said that A. ought to marry. - -_Friday, September_ 10_th._ - -A rainy day, we remained indoors. Carrington-Smith went for a walk by -himself. Mr and Mrs Baines arrived in the afternoon. After dinner they -played bridge: Lady Jarvis, Carrington-Smith and Mr and Mrs Baines. Mrs -Baines said she greatly admired the works of Mrs Ella Wheeler Wilcox. -"She is," she said, "a true poet, or perhaps I should say a true -poetess." She said theatrical performances affected her so much that she -could seldom "sit out a piece." She had been obliged to take to her bed -after seeing _The Only Way_. Carrington-Smith said he preferred a prize -fight to any play. Mr Baines did not care for the English stage, but he -always went to a French play when there was one to see in London: he had -greatly admired Sarah Bernhardt in old days. His wife, he pensively -reminded us, had once been taken for her. Mrs Baines protested and said -that it was in the days when Sarah Bernhardt was quite thin. "Such a -beautiful voice," she said. "Quite the human violin in those days. Now, -of course, she rants and appears in such dreadful plays--so violent." - -_Saturday, September_ 11_th._ - -Mr and Mrs Baines left this morning. Miss Housman arrived in the -afternoon. Carrington-Smith played golf and I went out with Mrs Housman. -After dinner Miss Housman suggested Bridge, but there were only three -players, as Mrs Housman does not play. Miss Housman said I must play. I -said I did not know the rules. She said she would teach me. I played--I -was her partner. She became excited over what is called the "double -ruff," a point I have not yet grasped. Carrington-Smith, who is an -excellent player, explained me the rules with great patience. - -_Sunday, September_ 12_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon she went for a walk with Miss -Housman. We played Bridge again after dinner. Miss Housman was annoyed -with me as I neglected to finesse. - -_Monday, September_ 13_th._ - -The last week of my holiday. It becomes finer and warmer every day. Miss -Housman said she must see the Land's End. Mrs Housman took her there. I -went for a walk with Lady Jarvis in the evening. More Bridge after -dinner: I revoked, but my partner, Carrington-Smith, was most amiable -about it. - -_Tuesday, September_ 14_th._ - -Miss Housman took Mrs Housman into the town as she said she needed help -with her shopping: she did not make many purchases. As far as I -understood, only two yards of silk. I went out with Carrington-Smith in -the afternoon. Bridge in the evening--I do not yet understand the -"double ruff." - -_Wednesday, September_ 15_th._ - -We all went to the Lizard in two carriages. Miss Housman said she must -see the Lizard. She, Mrs Housman and myself went in one carriage; Lady -Jarvis and Carrington-Smith in the other. Bridge in the evening; Miss -Housman lost, which annoyed her. - -_Thursday, September_ 16_th._ - -A wet day. Miss Housman practised all the morning (Fantasia in C sharp -minor, Chopin); her touch is very metallic. We played Bridge in the -afternoon after tea, as well as after dinner. - -_Friday, September_ 17_th._ - -My last day. It cleared up. We all went out on to the beach. Miss -Housman read aloud a novel, which she had already begun and which we -will certainly not have time to finish, called _Queed_, by an American -author. After dinner we played Bridge. - -_Saturday, September_ 18_th._ - -Arrived at Gray's Inn. Travelled up with Carrington-Smith. - -_Sunday, October_ 3_rd. Gray's Inn_. - -Stayed at home in the morning and read the Sunday newspapers. In the -afternoon I went for a walk in Kensington Gardens. - -_Monday, October_ 4_th._ - -A. and Cunninghame returned to the office. A. told us that his sister, -Mrs Campion, had invited both of us to stay with her next Saturday at -her house in Oxfordshire. We have both accepted. - -_Tuesday, October_ 5_th._ - -Cunninghame asked me to dinner. We dined at his flat and sat up talking -until nearly one o'clock in the morning. I had a letter from Lady Jarvis -telling me she has returned to London and inviting me to visit her in -Mansfield Street whenever I felt inclined. - -_Wednesday, October_ 6_th_. - -Dined with A. at his Club. He told me that Mrs Housman arrives -to-morrow; he met Housman in the street this morning. - -_Thursday, October_ 7_th._ - -I called on Lady Jarvis late this evening and found her at home. She -said Cornwall had had a beneficial effect on Mrs Housman's health. I -stayed talking till nearly seven. - -_Friday, October_ 8_th._ - -Received a note from Mrs Housman asking me to dine there next Tuesday. -Went to a concert with Lady Jarvis at the Queen's Hall: the programme -was uninteresting, but I enjoyed my evening nevertheless. - -_Saturday, October_ 9_th. Wraxted Priory, Oxfordshire_. - -I travelled down with A. and Cunninghame and found a party consisting, -besides ourselves, of Mrs Campion and her three children, Fräulein -Brandes, the governess, Miss Macdonald, Cunninghame's cousin, and a Miss -Wray. I sat next to Mrs Campion at dinner: she said she hoped they would -go to Florence again next Easter. After dinner we played Consequences -and the letter game. - -_Sunday, October_ 10_th._ - -Everyone went to church this morning except Cunninghame and myself. At -luncheon I sat next to Fräulein Brandes. She said Shakespeare was badly -performed in England and that she preferred the German translation of -the plays to the original; she considered it superior. "_Aber das_," she -added, "_will kein Engländer gestehen_." She was shocked to hear I had -never read Shakespeare's plays. I told her I had no taste for verse. She -said this was _unglaublich_. I told her I was fond of German music. In -the afternoon Mrs Campion took me for a walk. Cunninghame went out with -his cousin. At dinner I sat next to Miss Wray. I found her most -agreeable. She has travelled a great deal and seems to have a real -appreciation of classical music. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, October_ 11_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We had a delightful Sunday at Mrs Campion's. A lovely old house not very -far from Oxford: grey stone walls, a hall with the walls left bare and a -few bits of good tapestry and another panelled room. Freda was there, -and Lavinia Wray, who has just come back from South America. She is -looking so well, her lovely skin whiter than ever and those huge -eyes--George liked her enormously. He had never met her before. How -wonderful it would be if that could come off. It would be exactly right. -Of course I am sure Mrs Campion wants it and is not likely to do -anything stupid. I shall get Edith to help later if possible. She is -still in the country now. Mrs Housman has come back to London and I -hear from Randall that Housman is mad about Mrs Park. I shall go and see -her next week. George is in good spirits. When I got back I couldn't -bear the sight of my flat with those glaring curtains and I have -committed the great extravagance of changing them. The new ones are -coming next week. I hope they will be a success as I shan't be able to -change them again. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 11_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, October_ 12_th._ - -Had luncheon with Cunninghame to meet his sister, Mrs Howard. She is -older than he is and less communicative. Her husband is on the Stock -Exchange. She was only in London for the day but she said she hoped I -would come and see her when she settled in London later. She has a house -in Chester Street. - -_Wednesday, October_ 13_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans last night. A. was there, Miss Housman and Mrs -Park. I sat next to Mrs Housman. Mrs Park contradicted A. when he -mentioned music and said something about the gross ignorance of English -amateurs. After dinner she asked Miss Housman to accompany her. She sang -some operatic airs and Gounod's _Ave Maria_. I drove home with A., who -told me he could not bear Mrs Park. - -_Thursday, October_ 14_th._ - -I am just back from dining with Lady Jarvis. A. was there, Miss Wray and -several other people. Lady Jarvis asked me if I had seen the Housmans. I -told her about my dinner there. She said that Mrs Park was an -intolerable woman: she knew her when she was a singer and she said she -had never met anyone who gave herself such airs. Walked home with -Cunninghame, who was dining there too. He is dining with the Housmans on -Sunday. The Carrington-Smith divorce case is in the newspapers. - -_Friday, October_ 15_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -Mrs Carrington-Smith has got her divorce. - -_Saturday, October_ 16_th._ - -Spent the day at Woking with Solway. He has finished his Sonata. - -_Sunday, October_ 17_th._ - -I went to see Mrs Housman this afternoon and found her at home. After I -had been there about five minutes a great many visitors arrived and I -left. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _Sunday, October_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am having a quiet Sunday in London. George is staying with the Prime -Minister. I dined last night with the Housmans. Mrs Park was there, -Randall and Miss Housman. Mrs Park is incredible: a magnificent figure, -hair dyed a rich bronze with flaming high lights, dressed in a flowing -robe of peach-coloured satin with a necklace of fire-opals and a large -diamond lyre on her shoulder; the semi-royal manner of an ex-Prima -Donna, at the same time making it quite clear that she no longer mixed -with the artistic world--she had soared to the top of it and out of it. -She said: "Years ago when I was at Balmoral the dear Queen told me she -reminded me of Grisi." I said: "I suppose you mean you reminded her of -Grisi," and she drew herself up stiffly and said she meant what she -said. She told me that Madame Cosima had implored her to sing at -Bayreuth but of course she couldn't think of doing such a thing. Poor -Theodore (her late husband) hated Wagner. After dinner she sang, Miss -Housman accompanied her, a song out of _Cavalleria._ They had a fierce -argument about the time. Mrs Park said she was playing too fast, which -she was, although I don't believe Mrs Park knew this. Miss Sarah stuck -to her guns and played, if anything, faster. Mrs Park then refused to -sing. Housman asked his wife to accompany her, which Mrs Housman most -good-naturedly said she would be delighted to do. This was more than -Miss Housman could bear--she said Mrs Housman was playing too slow and -Mrs Park agreed. Miss Housman tore Mrs Housman from the piano and sat -there herself, and the song was sung to the end. All seemed to be -peaceable but Miss Housman unfortunately couldn't refrain from saying -that Mascagni's music was rubbish, upon which Mrs Park burst into a -furious passion. Who was Miss Housman to judge? she screamed. Miss -Housman said she had studied music for five years under the best -musicians in the world at Leipzig. Mrs Park said she had sung to Patti, -who had said she was the only English artist worthy of the name of -"artist." Miss Housman, in a sardonic voice, said that Patti was so -kind. Mrs Park said that the arrogance of amateurs knew no bounds. She -had sung before the most critical public in two continents. Miss Housman -said she did not consider the Americans a critical public. Mrs Park then -said she would never sing again in the Housmans' house as long as she -lived, not if everyone went down on their knees to her. Housman became -greatly agitated and fussed about the room, saying: "Never mind, never -mind; we are all very tired to-night, it's the east wind." Mrs Park -said she always sang her best in an east wind. I caught Mrs Housman's -eye and we were seized with a fit of uncontrollable laughter. We laughed -till we shook. Randall caught it too. This made things much worse. Mrs -Park said she was being insulted and swept out of the room, Housman -running after her. He came back alone gibbering with agitation, and Miss -Housman then attacked him and said of course if Albert (rolling the "r" -with a rapid guttural) would invite such awful people, what could one -expect? Then "Bert" got really angry and we all sat in dead silence -while he and Miss Sarah abused each other like pickpockets. Then the -door opened and Mrs Park came back saying she had left her fan behind. -She took no notice of us but disappeared with Housman into the Oriental -lounge, and there we heard spirited skirmishes of talk going on in an -undertone. Miss Housman sat down defiantly at the piano and played, or -rather banged, the _Rapsodie Hongroise._ When this was over they both -came back and Housman suggested, with a nervous chuckle, that we should -all have some lemonade. We jumped at the idea and the evening ended -peaceably enough, but Mrs Park ignored Miss Housman, was icy towards Mrs -Housman, and made all her remarks to me and Randall. I then left the -house. Housman followed me nervously to the door and said that Mrs Park -had the artistic temperament and that I mustn't mind, and that it was -too bad of Sarah to provoke her. - - Yrs. - G. - -_P.S_.--I suppose you read about the Carrington-Smith case in the -newspapers. Mrs Housman and I laughed a good deal about it when "Bert" -wasn't listening, but I am very sorry for Eileen. Aren't you? - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 18_th._ - -A. has been staying with the Prime Minister. He does not appear to have -enjoyed himself very much. He asked me if I had seen the Housmans -lately. - -_Tuesday, October_ 19_th._ - -A. and I dined with Cunninghame. Miss Wray was there, Mrs Howard and -Lady Jarvis. A. said afterwards that Miss Wray was a charming girl--it -was a pity that she did not marry. - -_Wednesday, October_ 20_th_. - -I called on Mrs Housman late, but she was not at home. Housman came out -of the house as I was standing at the door. He asked me to dinner on -Sunday. I accepted. - -_Thursday, October_ 21_st._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Friday, October_ 22_nd_. - -Dined with Mrs Howard. A. was there, Cunninghame, Miss Wray, Miss -Macdonald, and others. Mr Howard is half-Irish and very boisterous. I -sat next to Miss Wray; she said Mrs Campion was the nicest woman she -knew. Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth have come back to London and are -starting their Thursday evenings. They have asked A. and myself to -dinner on Thursday week. - -_Saturday, October_ 23_rd_. - -A. has gone to the country to stay with a General; a military party. - -_Sunday, October_ 24_th._ - -I had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me she did not think Mrs -Housman would stay long in London, as the London winter was bad for her; -she said she thought she would most likely go to Florence. - -I dined with the Housmans. A strange party. Mrs Park was the only -person there I had met before. There was a South African magnate and -his wife, a retired Indian official, and a Mr Perry, an Australian, and -his wife, who were apparently intimate friends of Mrs Park's, at least -she called him Tom. I sat next to Mrs Perry, who told me that Paris had -been a disappointment to her. She told me, also, that the women in -England were, according to Australian standards, dowdy. On the other -side of me was Lady Bowles, the wife of the Indian official. She told me -she was Mrs Park's greatest friend; she said she lived at Cannes and -only spent a few weeks in London every year; they were staying at the -Hyde Park Hotel. She found London dreadfully slow: she was accustomed, -she said, always to smoke between the courses at dinner, and not to do -so was a great deprivation. She also said she was a great gambler and -was used to gambling all night. "Of course I find this exhausting," she -said; "and I always tell Harold I shall take to cocaine some day." -Housman seemed rather embarrassed. Miss Housman was not there. After -dinner Lady Bowles suggested a game of Poker. They all played except Mrs -Housman and they were still playing when I left. - -_Monday, October_ 25_th._ - -I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said A. had come back -from the country in a very bad temper and had said that nothing would -induce him to pay a visit anywhere again. - -_Tuesday, October_ 26_th._ - -Went to a concert at the Queen's Hall. Saw the Housmans in the distance, -and to my astonishment I met A. in the interval. He said he had been -dragged there by his sister. I met them again as we were going out. A. -asked me to dinner on Friday. - -_Wednesday, October_ 27_th._ - -Had luncheon with A. He seems in high spirits. He told me that his -sister had come up from London for the winter--she had taken a house -in Pont Street. He said the Housmans and Cunninghame were dining on -Friday and it would be a Cornwall party. - -_Thursday, October_ 28_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth--a large political dinner; the F.O. largely -represented, as usual. A. was there and sat next to the wife of the -French military attache, and on the other side of Aunt Ruth. I am afraid -he found the dinner tedious, but after dinner he talked to Miss Wray: I -sat next to her at dinner. She asked me if I had known A. long. She said -he was so like his sister. Uncle Arthur has not yet grasped I am working -in a public office. He asked me how I was getting on in the city. - -_Friday, October_ 29_th_. - -Dined with A. at his flat. Mr and Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, Miss Wray, -Cunninghame and Miss Macdonald, Mrs Campion was coming but had been -obliged to go down to the country. Mrs Housman said she was very likely -going abroad for the winter. - -_Saturday, October_ 30_th._ - -A. was engaged to go somewhere in the country but he has put off going. -He left a telegram at the office to his hostess but forgot to fill in -the address. Tuke brought it to me. It was to Mrs Legget, Miss Wray's -aunt. She is not in _Who's Who_, but I rang up Lady Jarvis on the -telephone and she knew. - -_Sunday, October_ 31_st_. - -I went to call on Mrs Housman but she was not at home. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, November_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I spent Sunday in London and had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me -the Housman _ménage_ was all upside down owing to Mrs Park, who refused -to let Housman see any of his old friends, insulted them all, and -quarrelled every day with Miss Housman, and insisted on her friends -being asked nightly to dinner--and what friends! Fast colonials, Lady -Jarvis says, and the dregs of the Riviera! Poor Mrs Housman is utterly -worn out. Mrs Park behaves exactly as if it were her house, orders the -servants about, complains of the food, and is always there! The result -is Mrs Housman has gone to Florence; she was to leave this morning and -she is going to stay there the whole winter. I did not know how George -would take this bit of news, but he knew already and seems, oddly -enough, in good spirits! Edith thinks he is fond of Lavinia Wray and -that he will end by marrying her, but Lady Jarvis does not agree, -although she said that his sister thinks the same thing. They can't -understand his being in such spirits otherwise. Last Friday we all had -dinner at George's flat. After dinner, so Lady Jarvis told me, before we -came out of the dining-room they were playing the game of saying who you -could marry and who you couldn't, and after mentioning a lot of people, -Godfrey Mellor among others, Freda Macdonald said: "George." Lady Jarvis -and Freda said: "Oh yes; we could marry him." Mrs Housman and Lavinia -Wray said: "No--quite impossible." - -Except Lady Jarvis, they are all extraordinarily optimistic about George -and think that there is nothing in the Housman thing and that it will -pass off and he will marry Lavinia. I am sure they are wrong, and I am -more depressed about it than words can say. Lavinia is fond of him, too, -and that is all that has been gained. There are now three miserable -people, instead of two! No letter from you this week, but I hope to get -one to-morrow. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, November_ 1_st. Gray's Inn_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman saying that she was leaving for -Florence this morning, She was sorry not to have seen me yesterday. She -is going to stay in Florence until the end of May. - -_Tuesday, November_ 2_nd_. - -Had dinner with A. alone at his flat. He was in low spirits and said -that he hates official life. - -_Tuesday, December_ 21_st_. - -My Christmas holidays begin to-morrow. I am going to Aunt Ruth's. -Cunninghame is staying with Lady Jarvis. A. said he would most probably -spend Christmas with his sister, but he was not sure. - -_Thursday, December_ 23_rd_. - -Received a telegram from Aunt Ruth saying the party was put off as Uncle -Arthur has got bronchitis. A telegram arrived for A. at the office this -morning. I telephoned to Tuke at his flat to know where to forward it. -Tuke said A.'s address for the next week would be Hotel Grande Bretagne, -Florence. - -_Christmas Day_. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, December_ 28_th_. - -Tuke telephoned to say not to forward any more letters to A. He was on -his way home. - -_Saturday, January_ 8_th_, 1910. - -Received a letter from A. from his sister's house. He is coming up next -week. Riley has written to me from Paris to know whether I could put him -up next month. He is going to spend a month in London. I have told him I -would be glad of his company. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - ROSEDALE, - _Saturday, January_ 1_st_, 1910. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been staying with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. There is a very -small party, only Jane Vaughan and Winchester Hill besides myself. Just -before I came down here Housman asked me to dine with him at the -Carlton. I went and he was alone. After talking nervously on ordinary -topics, he told me he did not know what to do. It gradually came out -that Mrs Park is making his life quite unbearable. She won't let him see -any of his friends; she quarrels with Sarah, and has the most violent -scenes; she makes scenes every day, and not long ago, he said, broke a -fine piece of Venetian glass. He is miserable; he says he can't call his -soul his own. I told Lady Jarvis all about this and she said the only -thing to be done would be for Housman to get Mrs Housman to come back. -She has been away two months, and if she comes back at the end of the -month the worst of the winter will be over. She is very much worried -about Mrs Housman and says this is most unfortunate, as it would be -better really in every way if she were to stay out there. You see Edith -and Mrs Campion and Freda all think that it is only a passing fancy of -George's and that he will get over it and marry Lavinia Wray! Lady -Jarvis says this is wrong; she knows they are wrong. She thinks George -and Mrs Housman are desperately in love with each other and she doesn't -know how it will end. She is so worried that she nearly went out to -Florence last week. She had heard from Mrs Housman quite lately. She -said in her last letter that George had suggested coming out to Florence -for Christmas with Mrs Campion. She had told him that she would most -likely not be in Florence as the Albertis had asked her to spend -Christmas with them at Ravenna; she was not sure, however, whether she -would go or not. Whether George went or not, I don't know. He told me he -was going to spend Christmas with Mrs Campion at the Priory. - -I am going back to London at the end of next week. - - Yrs. - G. - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, January_ 11_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came back to London on Monday. I asked Housman to dinner with me and -told him that he had much better get Mrs Housman back. He said he quite -agreed that it was the only thing to do. Things were now worse than -ever. Mrs Park was impossible. Poor little "Bert"! The worst of it is, -that directly this is over there is quite certain to be someone else and -perhaps someone worse. However, let us hope for the best. George came -to the office yesterday. He said he had been staying with his sister; he -said nothing about Florence. He is in low spirits. - -I shall certainly go abroad at Easter and spend a few days in Paris in -any case. Lady Jarvis is back in London, and the Shamiers. I dined there -last night. Lavroff was there and Louise is just as fond of him as ever. - -Poor Godfrey Mellor is terribly melancholy. He has got a friend staying -with him now and I don't see much of him. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, February_ 15_th_, 1910. - -Alfred Riley arrived last night. He is now professor at Shelborough -University and is editing _Propertius_. He has come to consult some -books at the British Museum. - -_Wednesday, February_ 16_th_. - -Sat up very late last night talking with Riley. He was amused by a -conversation he had overheard at a Club. Two men were talking about -someone who had become a Roman Catholic. Someone he didn't know. One of -them said to the other that it was a very pleasant solution if you could -do it. The other one said: "Certainly; no bother, no responsibility ... -everything settled for you." I said that I did think the Confessional -must be the negation of responsibility. Riley said that by becoming a -Catholic you became responsible for all your actions. He said that -before he was a Catholic he felt no responsibility at all to anything or -anyone, but that the moment you were a Catholic everything you did and -said counted. Every time you went to Confession you acknowledged and -confirmed your assumption of responsibility. I mentioned a common friend -of ours, O'Neil, who had been a Catholic all his life and who, though he -was married, had never ceased to live with a Miss Silvia Thorpe, whom I -had known as an artist. He didn't hide it, neither did she. Riley said -that this proved his point. O'Neil never dreamt of going to Confession; -he knew it would be useless, because he had no intention of giving up -Miss Thorpe, and that being so, he knew he couldn't get Absolution, It -was a sacrifice to him, a very great sacrifice, as he Was a believing -Catholic. "That shows," he went on, "that you don't understand how the -thing works. You and all Protestants think that one can stroll into the -Confessional, wipe the slate clean and go on with what you are doing, -however bad it is, with the implied sanction of the Church. But the fact -remains that practising Catholics who are living in a way which the -Church condemned do not go to Confession. Going to Confession entails -facing responsibility instead of evading it." He said that if what I -thought was true, people like O'Neil would go to Confession. I must face -the fact that he did not go to Confession and was extremely unhappy on -that account. He would like to go to the Sacraments but he had made this -great sacrifice with his eyes open. I said that I had always thought the -Church was lax about such matters. He said individuals might be lax. The -Church was not responsible for the conduct of individuals, but the rule -of the Church was absolutely uncompromising. I said O'Neil might be an -extreme case, but supposing a devout Catholic married woman had a great -man friend, supposing he was very much in love with her, but she was a -virtuous woman, faithful to her husband, she could go on seeing the -other man as much as she liked? Would the Church forbid it? Riley said -the Church would forbid _sin_. Any priest would tell her that if she -thought it might lead to sin, she must cut it out of her life. I said -that was quite clear, but he was not telling me what I wanted to know. -He said: "What is it that you want to know?" I said I must give it up. I -couldn't put it into words. I said Roman Catholics were always so -matter-of-fact. They handed one opinions and ideas like chocolates -wrapped up in silver paper. He said: "You think that, because you would -sooner walk naked in the streets than think things out, or call things -by their names. You like leaving them vague. 'Le vague,' Renan said, -'est pire que le faux.'" - -I said, going back to the question of responsibility, that I had often -heard Catholics themselves complain of the want of responsibility of -Catholics. Riley said that might very well be; they might lack a sense -of responsibility, just as they might lack a sense of charity or -honesty. "You think," he said, "that the Church is perpetually arranging -comfortable compromises. Nothing is further from the truth. Nothing is -harder on the individual than certain of the commandments of the Church -with regard to marriage: for instance, divorce, and the bearing of -children. Some of the Church's views were just as hard on the individual -as it was hard on a man, who is going to catch a train to see his dying -child, to be delayed by a policeman holding up the traffic, but in order -to make traffic possible, you had to have a policeman, and the -individual couldn't complain however much he might suffer. - -"I know a much harder case than O'Neil's," he said: "a colleague of mine -who is married and has been completely neglected by his wife. On the -other hand, he has been looked after devotedly for years by another -woman, who nursed him when he was ill and saved his life. He wants to -become a Catholic, but he knows quite well that the Church will not -receive him unless he were to give up this woman, whom he adores, and go -back to his wife, who is indifferent to him. What you don't understand," -he said, "is that the Church is not an air cushion but a rock." - -He said I accused the Church of being lax, but many people that he knew -found fault with what they called the _hardness_ of the Church. But as a -matter of fact they had generally to admit that as far as the human race -was concerned the Church in such matters of morals was always right. He -cited instances of what the Church was right in condemning. I said that -one did not need to be Roman Catholic to know that immorality was bad -for the State, and that vice was noxious to the individual. The -ordinary laymen reach the same conclusions merely by common-sense. - -Riley said there were only two points of view in the world: the Catholic -point of view or the non-Catholic point of view. All so-called religions -which I could mention, including my layman's common-sense view, were -either lopped-off branches of Catholicism or shadows of it, or a blind -aspiration towards it, or a misguided parallel of it, as of a train that -had gone off the rails, or a travesty of it, sometimes serious, and -sometimes grotesque: a distortion. The other point of view was the -materialist point of view, which he could perfectly well understand -anyone holding. It depends, he said, whether you think human life is -casual or divine. - -I said I could quite well conceive a philosophy which would be neither -materialist nor Catholic. He quoted Dr Johnson about everyone having a -right to his opinion, and martyrdom being the test. Catholicism, he -said, had survived the test; would my philosophy? - -As far as I was concerned I admitted that I held no opinion for which I -was ready to go to the stake, except, possibly, that _Jane Eyre_ was an -interesting book. - -_Monday, February_ 21_st_. - -I heard from Mrs Housman this morning. She returns to-morrow. - -_Saturday, February_ 26_th._ - -Called on Mrs Housman, and found her in. Housman was there also. They -asked me to dinner next Monday. - -_Sunday, February_ 27_th. Rosedale_. - -I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one else. Lady Jarvis said -she was glad Mrs Housman had returned to London. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Tuesday, March_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I dined with the Housmans last night. Only myself, Miss Sarah, Lady -Jarvis, and Godfrey Mellor. Everything as it used to be. -Carrington-Smith came in after dinner. He has not been inside the house -for months. I don't know what Mrs Housman did nor how it was done, but -it _was_ done, and done most successfully and quickly! She only came -back a week ago. "Bert" looks quite different and is perfectly radiant. - -George, I gather, hasn't seen her. They asked him to dinner last night, -but he had an official dinner and couldn't come. He asked me whether I -had seen her. He said he had been there several times, but she had -always been out. He is still most depressed and goes nowhere unless he -is absolutely obliged to. The Housmans have asked me to spend Easter at -their villa. Lady Jarvis is going, and Godfrey; and Housman told me he -was going to ask George. I am going and I shall stop two or three days -in Paris on the way. - -Lavinia Wray has gone to the south of France with her aunt. The Shamiers -are going to Paris next week. They will tell you all the news, not that -there is much. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, February_ 28_th._ - -A. told me he had not been to the country after all on Saturday. - -_Tuesday, March_ 1_st_. - -Dined with the Housmans, a very agreeable dinner. Mrs Housman played and -sang after dinner: Brahms' _Lieder_, and some Grieg. - -_Wednesday, March_ 2_nd_. - -A. asked me to luncheon. He told me he had been so sorry not to be able -to go to the Housmans' last night. He said he had not seen them yet. He -was so busy. He asked me how Mrs Housman was and whether Florence had -done her good. - -_Thursday, March_ 3_rd_. - -I told Riley I had been reading Renan's _Souvenirs d'enfance et de -jeunesse_, and that Renan said in this book that there was nothing in -Catholic dogmas which raised in him a contrary opinion; nothing either -in the political action or in the spirit of the Church, either in the -past or in the present, that led him to doubt; but directly he studied -the "Higher Criticism" and German text-books his faith in the Church -crumbled. I asked Riley what he thought of this. He said people treated -German text-books superstitiously then and they still did so now. If -German text-books dealt with Shakespeare people could see at once that -they were talking nonsense, and that mountains of erudition were being -built on a false base, a base which we knew to be false, because we were -English; but when they dealt with things more remote, like the Gospels, -people swallowed what they said, and accepted any of their theories as -infallible dogma. In twenty years' time, he said, nobody will care two -straws for the "Higher Criticism." - -Riley is going away to-morrow. - -_Friday, March_ 4_th._ - -Mrs Housman has written to ask me to come and see her on Sunday -afternoon if I am in London. - -Dined with Cunninghame at a restaurant and went to the Palace Music Hall -afterwards. - -_Saturday, March_ 5_th._ - -A. is much annoyed at having to stay with the Foreign Secretary. Dined -at the Club. - -_Sunday, March_ 6_th._ - -Spent the afternoon at Mrs Housman's. There was nobody there until -Housman came in late just when I was going. Housman said we must all -meet at Florence. He said he was going to ask A. "But we never see him -now," he added. He asked me what A. was doing. I told him he was staying -with the Foreign Secretary. He said, of course he was right to attend to -his official and especially to his social duties. He said he would ask -him to dinner next week. He asked me to dine on Wednesday. Mrs Housman -asked me to go to a concert with her on Tuesday. - -_Monday, March_ 7_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, March_ 8_th._ - -Went to a concert in Chelsea with Mrs Housman, Housman and Miss Housman. -Solway played, and an excellent violinist, Miss Bowden; Beethoven Sonata -(G Major) and Schubert Quartet (D Minor). We all enjoyed the music and -the playing. During the interval we went to see Solway. Housman asked -him to dinner to-morrow. - -_Wednesday, March_ 9_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans. Lady Jarvis, Mrs Campion, Solway, Cunninghame, -Mrs Baines, and A. and Miss Housman were there. I sat between Lady -Jarvis and Mrs Campion. After dinner Mrs Housman asked Solway to try a -song with her, a new English song by a boy who has just left the -College of Music. She sang this and after that she sang all the -_Winterreise_. Housman asked A. and Mrs Campion to stay with them in -Florence. Mrs Campion cannot get away this Easter. A. accepted the -invitation. - -_Thursday, March_ 10_th._ - -Went after dinner to Aunt Ruth's. Uncle Arthur is quite restored to -health. He asked me whether I had been appointed to Paris, still -thinking that I was in the F.O. There were a great many people there. -Aunt Ruth spoke severely about A. and said she heard he only went out in -the Bohemian world. I said he had stayed with the Foreign Secretary last -week. - -_Friday, March_ 11_th._ - -Dined with Mrs Campion. A. was there and the Albertis, who are over in -England. A. said he was much looking forward to Florence. Easter is -early this year. - -_Saturday, March_ 12_th._ - -A. has gone to Littlehampton. He has asked the Housmans and Cunninghame. -I am going to Woking. - -_Sunday, March_ 13_th._ - -Spent the day with Solway, who played Bach. Returned by the late train -after dinner. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Littlehampton, where I spent Sunday with -George and his sister. The Housmans were asked and Housman went, but Mrs -Housman was not well. I start on Thursday morning and shall be in Paris -Thursday night and stay there till Monday. Let us do something amusing. -I should like to go to the play one night. But you have probably seen -all the best things hundreds of times. I am going on co Florence on -Monday. I don't think George has seen much of Mrs Housman. I dined there -last Wednesday. Mrs Housman sang the whole evening so that he did not -get any talk with her. Godfrey has been much more cheerful lately and -even suggested going to a music-hall one night. Mrs Campion is coming -to Florence too. - -I'm sorry I've been so bad about writing lately. I seem to have had no -time and yet to have done nothing, and there have been a series of -rather tiresome episodes at the office. - -Au revoir till Thursday, - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 14_th_ - -A. came back from the country in a gloomy state of mind. He said it was -a great mistake to go to the country in March and that his party had -been a failure. He said bachelors should not give parties. He asked me -to dine with him, which I did. He says he is leaving on Wednesday but -will stop two nights in Paris. Mrs Campion is travelling with him. - -_Tuesday, March_ 15_th._ - -Mrs Housman rang up on the telephone and told me that a young vocalist -was dining with them to-morrow night. She wanted a few people to hear -her. Would I come? Solway was coming. - -Dined with Cunninghame at his Club. He says he has never seen A. so -depressed. - -_Wednesday, March_ 16_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans. Miss Housman, Solway and Lady Jarvis were -there. The vocalist, a Miss Byfield, did not arrive till after dinner. -Mrs Housman said Miss Byfield was shy and had refused to dine at the -last moment. After dinner she sang some songs from the classical -composers. She was extremely nervous. Mrs Housman and Solway say she has -promise. Housman said to me confidentially that he was sure there was no -money in her. The Housmans leave to-morrow. A. left to-day. - -_Thursday, March_ 17_th._ - -Cunninghame left to-day. I had dinner with Lady Jarvis. She asked me to -travel with her on Saturday. We are both stopping Sunday night in Paris. - -_Friday, March_ 18_th._ - -Lunched and dined at the Club. Packed up my things. Am taking some music -with me. - -_Saturday, March_ 19_th. Paris._ - -Arrived at the Hôtel Saint Romain. Had a pleasant journey with Lady -Jarvis. - -_Sunday, March_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis took me to see a French friend of hers, Madame Sainton. It -was her day. There was a large crowd of men and women in the -drawing-room and the dining-room, where there was tea, Madeira and -excellent sandwiches. The French take just as much trouble about -preparing a good tea as they do to write or to dress well. I was -introduced to a famous composer, who talked to me technically about -boxing. I was obliged to confess that I knew nothing of the art. It was -a pity, I thought, Carrington-Smith was not there. I was also introduced -to a French author, who asked me what was the place of Meredith in -modern literature, what _les jeunes_ thought about him. I was obliged to -confess I had never read one line of Meredith. The French author thought -I despised him. He asked me: "Quest qu'on lit en Angleterre maintenant -avant de se coucher?" I said that I had no idea what _les jeunes_ read -but that I personally, for a bedside book, preferred _Jane Eyre_. - -The French author said "_Tiens_!" He then asked me what I thought of -Bernard Shaw. I had again to confess that I had never seen his plays -acted. I told him that when I had time to spare I went to concerts. He -said: "Ah! la musique," and I felt he was generalising a whole movement -in young England towards music. - -In the evening we went to the Opéra Comique and heard _Carmen_, which I -greatly enjoyed. - -_Monday, March_ 21_st. Florence. Villa Fersen._ - -We arrived at Florence this morning. Cunninghame and A. and Mrs Campion -were in the same train. The Housmans had been there some days already. - -_Tuesday, March_ 22_nd_. - -Cunninghame, Mrs Housman, A. and Mrs Campion went out together. Lady -Jarvis stayed at home. I went later in the morning to the Pitti. In the -afternoon they went to Fiesole. Housman went to call on some friends. -Lady Jarvis and I went for a walk. - -_Wednesday, March_ 23_rd_. - -We were invited to luncheon by a Mr Eugene Lowe, a friend of Lady -Jarvis. He has a flat in the town on the Pitti side of the river. The -Housmans and Cunninghame and myself went. A. and his sister had luncheon -with the Albertis. Mr Lowe's flat had the peculiarity that everything in -it had been ingeniously diverted from its original purpose. The only -other guest besides ourselves was an ex-diplomatist whom I met last -year. - -_Thursday, March_ 24_th._ - -Lady Jarvis has gone to Venice, where she is staying with friends until -next Monday. While we were sight-seeing this morning we met a lady -called Mrs Fairburn, who claimed to be an old friend of Mrs Housman. Mrs -Housman told me she had met her in America soon after she married, but -that she had never known her well. She asked us all to luncheon on -Saturday. Mrs Housman accepted for herself and Housman. Cunninghame and -I also accepted. A. and his sister were engaged. - -In the afternoon Mrs Housman said she was going to hear a Dominican -preach. Cunninghame and I asked if we might accompany her. A. said it -was no use his going as he did not understand Italian. He was most -eloquent. - -_Friday (Good Friday), March_ 25_th._ - -Mrs Housman spent the whole morning in church. I went with Cunninghame -for a long walk. - -_Saturday, March_ 26_th._ - -We had luncheon with Mrs Fairburn, who has a villa on the Fiesole side. -She is a widow and always, she says, lives abroad; so much so, she told -us, that she had difficulty in speaking English correctly. She gave us -no evidence that she spoke any other language with great correctness. -She told me she was overjoyed at meeting Mrs Housman, who was her oldest -friend. Housman asked her to dinner to-morrow night. - -_Sunday (Easter Sunday), March_ 27_th._ - -I went for a walk by myself. When I got back I found various people at -the villa and escaped to my room. Mrs Fairburn came to dinner. When -Housman said he had been suffering from a headache she exclaimed: -"_Poveretto_!" and said she was feeling-rather "_Moche_" herself. -Looking at Mrs Housman, she said to me: "She is _ravissante, che -bellezza! E vero?_" - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA FERSEN, FLORENCE, - _Easter Monday, March_ 28_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We arrived safely and we are a very happy party. Lady Jarvis has gone to -Venice to stay with the Lumleys, but comes back to-morrow. George is, of -course, immensely happy at being here, but it isn't really satisfactory. -We haven't seen many people, though we have been out to luncheon twice: -once with that terrible bore, Eugene Lowe, who lives in a flat which is -the most monstrous ind absurd thing I have ever seen. The walls are hung -with Turkish carpets; the chairs and tables with Church vestments; the -books turn out to be cigarette lamps and cigar cases; the writing-table -is a gutted spinet; and in the middle of the room there is a large -Venetian well, which he uses for cigarette ashes. - -On Saturday we had luncheon with a Mrs Fairburn, who professed to be an -old friend of Mrs Housman's. This turned out to be a gross exaggeration. -She is an affected woman who dresses in what are meant to be -ultra-French clothes, and she speaks broken English on purpose. She -pretends to be silly, but is far from being anything of the kind. I can -see now that she has got her eye on Housman. He was quite charmed by -her. She has arranged an outing next week. I can see that she is going -to stick like a leech, and she will be, unless I am very much mistaken, -much worse than Mrs Park or any of them. - -Godfrey Mellor is, I think, liking it, but he insists on going out by -himself, and every day he goes to some gallery with a Baedeker, all -alone. We always ask him to come with us, but it is no use. He says he -has got things to do in the town and off he goes. - -We go about mostly all together except for Godfrey, who always manages -to elude us. - -I am staying till Monday, then two days at Mentone, and then home (via -Paris, but only for a night). - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday (Easter Monday), March_ 28_th._ - -We all had luncheon with the Albertis. Lady Jarvis returned in the -afternoon from Venice. - -_Tuesday, March_ 29_th._ - -Went to the Uffizzi. Housman said he was going to spend the day in -visits. - -_Wednesday, March_ 30_th._ - -Mrs Fairburn came to luncheon. Housman said when she had gone that she -was a very remarkable woman, so cultivated, so well read and widely -travelled. He said she ought to have held some great position. She -should have been an Empress. - -I went to the Pitti in the morning and to the Boboli Gardens in the -afternoon. - -_Thursday, March_ 31_st_. - -The Albertis came to luncheon. Baroness Strong and Mrs Fisk called in -the afternoon. They both asked us all to entertainments, but Housman -explained that we had guests ourselves every day. He asked them to -dinner on Sunday, but they declined. - -_Friday, April_ 1_st_. - -Housman has bought some miniatures by a young artist recommended by Mrs -Fairburn. I do not think they are well done, but I am no judge. A. and -Mrs Campion left. - -_Saturday, April_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Housman suggested having luncheon in the town and going to Fiesole -afterwards, but Housman explained, with some embarrassment, that he had -promised to go with Mrs Fairburn to see a studio and to have luncheon -with her afterwards. - -I leave for London to-night. I am going straight through. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA BEAU SITE, MENTONE, - _Wednesday, April_ 6_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Just a line to say I shall arrive the day after to-morrow, and I can -only stay one night. Godfrey Mellor left Florence on Saturday, and -George and his sister are on their way back. George was very sad at -going--I think he feels it's the end--Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis are -staying on till next Monday, and I think Housman also. What I fore-saw -has happened more quickly than I expected. Housman is now the devoted -slave of Mrs Fairburn, and she has announced her intention of coming to -London in the summer, so this will make fresh complications. - -I am having great fun here. The Shamiers are here, I am travelling back -with them. I am sorry not to be able to stop more than a night in -Paris, but it really is impossible. - -I can't dine at the Embassy on Friday, I am dining with the Shamiers -that night. But I will come and see you in the morning, and we might do -some shops and have luncheon together. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, April_ 4_th. London_. - -Back at the office. Tuke came this morning and said A. would not come to -the office till to-morrow. Cunninghame does not return until Friday. - -_Tuesday, April_ 5_th._ - -A. came to the office. He says that Housman has returned to London, but -that Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis will not be back before next Tuesday. - -_Thursday, April_ 7_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. I sat next to a Mrs de la Poer. She told me she -knew the Housmans. I said I had been staying with them in Florence. She -said: "I suppose Lord Ayton was there." I said that A. and his sister -always spent Easter in Italy. She said: "And he spends the summer in -Cornwall when Mrs Housman is there. It is extraordinary how far -virtuous Roman Catholics will go." I said Mrs Housman was an old friend -of mine and I preferred not to discuss her. She said: "Ah, you are right -to be loyal to your Chief, but all London knows about it." I changed the -subject. - -_Thursday, April_ 14_th._ - -Mrs Housman has put off coming till next week. Lady Jarvis spoke to me -on the telephone. - -_Wednesday, April_ 20_th._ - -Mrs Housman returned on Monday. She has asked me to dinner on Sunday. - -_Thursday, April_ 28_th._ - -A. dined with Aunt Ruth. I went there after dinner. Uncle Arthur told -us he thought A. would go far, but he thinks he is in the army. A. is -going to the country on Saturday. - -_Friday, April_ 29_th._ - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. The Housmans were there, and Cunninghame. -Cunninghame told me as we walked home that he had seen Housman with a -party of people at the Carlton last night. Mrs Fairburn was among them. -He says it is a great pity A. does not go out more. It annoys people. I -told him A. had dined with Aunt Ruth last night. - -The Housmans are not staying long in London. They have taken the same -house they had last year on the Thames near Staines. Housman can go up -every day to his office as it is so close to London. - -_Saturday, April_ 30_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame. He is staying in London this Sunday. I asked him -if he thought A. was likely to marry. He said: "Not yet." - -_Sunday, May_ 1_st_. - -Dined with the Housmans. Cunninghame was there, Mrs Fairburn and Miss -Housman. After dinner Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing. She said -she remembered her singing in America. Mrs Housman sang a few Scotch -ballads. Then Miss Housman played. The Housmans are letting their London -house for the season. They go down to their house on the Thames at the -end of this week. Housman told me I must come down often. - -Mrs Fairburn was very gushing about Mrs Housman's singing. I do not -think she is very musical. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 2_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have got two pieces of news for you. Ralph Logan proposed to Lavinia -Wray and she has refused him. I don't think you know him; he is in the -army. But he is Sir Walter Logan's heir and will inherit, besides a lot -of London property, a most beautiful old house in Essex, Tudor. Besides -that, he is charming and has been devoted to her for years. This is for -you only, of course. He told me himself. He has just come back from -India, where he has been for five years. The first thing he did was to -fly to Lavinia, who has come back from France and is now in London. He -came to see me yesterday afternoon and told me all about it. I said -something about her perhaps changing her mind if he was persistent. He -said there was no chance of this, he felt sure. Lavinia told him she -would never marry, and she said she was not going out after this year. I -believe she is going to be a nurse. She used to talk of this some time -ago. The second piece of news is that George has been offered to be -Governor of Madras. That is also a secret, of course. I don't know -whether he will accept it or not. Sir Henry, who is George's godfather, -is, George tells me, tremendously keen about his accepting it. - -I don't think he has been seeing much of the Housmans since she has been -back. She only came back last week. I don't think she wants to see him. -I dined there on Sunday. There was no one there except that extremely -tiresome Mrs Fairburn, who now does what she likes with Housman. They -are not going to be in London during the summer at all and are letting -their house. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Shamier has asked me to dinner next Thursday. The invitation -surprised me as I scarcely know her. - -_Tuesday, May_ 3_rd_. - -A. asked me to luncheon to meet Sir Henry St Clair. Sir Henry is an old -man, over seventy, with very strong views and a fiery temper. He is his -godfather. Mrs Campion was there. He lives in Scotland and said he had -not been to London for the last five years. But he said he was enjoying -himself and meant to go to the Derby. He looks surprisingly young for -his age, not more than sixty. - -_Wednesday, May_ 4_th._ - -Went with the Housmans to hear the Gilbert & Sullivan Company at -Hammersmith: _Patience_; we enjoyed it greatly. _Patience_ is a classic. -The performance was adequate. My enjoyment was marred by the comments -of Mrs Fairburn, who went with us. She said she thought it _vieux jeu_, -and preferred Debussy: a foolish comparison. - -_Thursday, May_ 5_th._ - -I dined with the Shamiers. They live in Upper Brook Street. Mrs Vaughan, -whom I had met staying with Lady Jarvis, was there; a young Guardsman -and a Miss Ivy Hollystrop, an American, who, I believe, is a beauty. - -I sat next to Mrs Shamier. She asked me where I had spent Easter. I told -her. She said she did not know the Housmans, but had heard a great deal -about her. Cunninghame had told her that she sang quite divinely. I said -that Mrs Housman had received a very sound musical education. She asked -me what kind of man Housman was. I said he was a very generous man and -did a lot for charities. She asked me if I had known them a long time. I -said yes, a long time. She said she remembered Walter Bell's picture -perfectly and if it was at all like her she must be a very beautiful -woman. I said it was generally considered to be a faithful portrait. She -asked me if the Housmans bad any children. I said no. Mrs Shamier said -she would like to meet Mrs Housman very much, but she understood they -did not go out much. I said they were living in the country. - -_Friday, May_ 6_th._ - -I dined with Lady Jarvis. She was alone. She asked me to spend Sunday -week with her in the country. She told me that Sir Henry St Clair had -gone back to Scotland, much displeased. He has had a difference with A. -He is, she said, a very dictatorial man. - -_Saturday, May_ 7_th._ - -Went down to the Housmans' villa on the Thames. Mrs Fairburn was there, -but no other guests. Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing after -dinner, but she declined. - -_Sunday, May_ 8_th_. - -Mrs Fairburn and Housman went out on the river. I sat with Mrs Housman -in the garden. She read aloud from Chateaubriand's _René_. It sounded, -as she read it, very fine. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -George has refused Madras. Sir Henry, who had heard about the offer from -H., who is an intimate friend of his, came up post haste from Scotland. -He told George he _must_ accept it. George said he would think it over, -and did so for forty-eight hours, then he made up his mind, and he -settled to refuse it. Sir Henry stormed and raved and said it would have -broken George's father's heart if he had been alive, but it was no use. -George was as obstinate as a mule. He said he liked his present work and -he did not want to leave England. Sir Henry went straight back to -Scotland. - -The Housmans have left. I spent Sunday at Rosedale with Lady Jarvis. She -says that Mrs Fairburn is always there and was staying there this -Saturday Quite apart from anything else she is a very tiresome woman. -But she is no fool. In Housman she had found a gold-mine. - -The Shamiers are back. I am dining there next week. George is depressed. -He is fond of old Sir H. and doesn't like having annoyed him. Sir H. -says he will never forgive him. I can't understand why people can't let -other people lead their own lives. - -The _Compagnie de Cristal_ haven't sent my little chandelier. If you are -passing that way could you ask about it? - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 9_th_. - -I was trying to remember the date a French colonel had called at the -office, and I consulted Tuke. He did not remember, but said he would -refer to his diary. I asked him if he kept a diary regularly. He said he -had kept his diary without missing a day for the last five years, but he -always burnt it every New Year's Day. - -_Tuesday, May_ 10_th._ - -A. asked me to dinner. He said he very seldom saw the Housmans now, but -Housman had asked him to stay there on Sunday week. He was going next -Sunday to Rosedale. He told me he had been offered the Governorship of -Madras, and had refused it. He said he could not live in tropical -climates. They made him ill. He said he hated the summer in London. He -would have a lot of tedious dinners. There were several next week he -would be obliged to go to. - -_Wednesday,_ May 11_th._ - -I dined with Cunninghame. He talked of the Madras appointment, and said -it was absurd offering it to A. The tropics made him ill. He was ill -even in Egypt. He said Housman had a small flat in London, where he -stays during the week. - -_Thursday, May_ 12_th._ - -Cunninghame dined at Aunt Ruth's. I went after dinner. So did A. I could -see Aunt Ruth was pleased. Uncle Arthur confused Cunninghame with A. and -congratulated C. on his answers in the House of Lords. - -_Friday, May_ 13_th._ - -Lady Jarvis gave a small musical party, which was what I call a large -musical party. Someone sang Russian songs, and Bernard Sachs played -Mozart on the harpsichord. It would have been very enjoyable had there -not been such a crowd. Housman was there, but not Mrs Housman. - -_Saturday, May_ 14_th. Rosedale_. - -Went down to Staines this afternoon. Mrs Housman, A., Cunninghame, Miss -Macdonald, and Mrs Campion were there. Housman was expected and had told -Mrs Housman he was coming by a later train, but he sent a telegram -saying he had been detained in London. - -_Sunday, May_ 15_th. Rosedale._ - -It poured with rain all day, so we sat indoors. Mrs Housman played and -sang. She drove to church in the morning in a shut fly. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 16_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale, where we had a most amusing Sunday, -rather spoilt by the incessant rain. Of course it cleared up _this_ -morning, and it's now a glorious day. The Housmans were asked and she -came, and he was expected by a later train, but chucked at the last -minute. Nobody was there except Mrs Campion, Freda, and Godfrey. - -We had a lot of music. Mrs Housman never let George have one moment's -conversation with her. He is quite miserable. It is quite clear that she -has cut him out of her life. I think it would have been better if he had -gone to Madras. It's too late now, they've appointed someone else. - -Last Tuesday I went to a huge dinner-party at Lady Arthur Mellor's, -Godfrey's aunt. Sir Arthur is quite gaga and took me for George the -whole evening. I sat between an English blue stocking and the wife of -one of the Russian secretaries. She told me rather pointedly that these -were the kind of people she preferred. "Ici," she said, "on voit de -vrais Anglais, des gens vraiment bien." There was no gainsaying that. - -But of course the chief news, which you probably have heard, is that -Louise Shamier has left her husband, and she is going to marry -Lavroff--that is to say, if she gets a divorce. He apparently refused to -do the necessary in the way of making a divorce possible, so she has -left him and has gone to Italy with Lavroff. Everybody thinks it is the -greatest pity, and I, personally, am miserable about it. The only -comfort is that it might have been George. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 16_th._ - -Caught a bad cold at Rosedale from walking in the wet. - -_Tuesday, May_ 17_th._ - -Cold worse. Saw the doctor, who said I must go to bed and not think of -going to the office. - -_Wednesday, May_ 18_th._ - -Stayed in bed all day and read a book called _Sir Archibald Malmaison_, -by Julian Hawthorne. - -_Thursday, May_ 19_th._ - -Better. Got up. - -_Friday, May_ 20_th._ - -Went to the office. - -_Saturday, May_ 21st. - -Went down to Staines to the Housmans'. Found Lady Jarvis, A. and Mrs -Fairburn. At dinner Mrs Fairburn talked of the Shamier divorce. Mrs -Housman said she admired people who behaved like that, and she thought -it far better than a hidden liaison. Mrs Fairburn agreed, and said there -was nothing she despised so much as dishonesty and concealment. - -_Sunday, May_ 22_nd_. - -It again rained all Sunday, so we were unable to go on the river. It -cleared up in the evening. Housman took Mrs Fairburn out in a punt. - -Housman told us he had taken for the summer the same house they had last -year at Carbis Bay. He invited A. to come there and to stay as long as -he liked. A. said he would be yachting on the west coast this summer and -he would certainly pay them a visit. Housman said Lady Jarvis must come, -and he is going to ask Cunninghame. Mrs Fairburn said it was a pity she -would not be able to come, but she always spent August and September in -France. - -_Monday, May_ 23_rd_. - -I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said that A. does not -seem quite so depressed as usual. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, May_ 24_th._ - -A. is giving a dinner to some French _députés_ at his Club. Cunninghame -and I have both been invited. - -_Wednesday, May_ 25_th._ - -Dined at the Club with Solway. Went to the Opera afterwards, for which -Solway had been given two places. Debussy's _Pelléas et Mélisande_. We -both enjoyed it. - -_Thursday, May_ 26_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. I had a long talk with her after dinner. She asked -after Riley, whom she knows well. "I hear," she said, "he has become a -Roman Catholic; of course he will always have a _parti-pris_ now. I -wonder if he has realised that." Uncle Arthur joined in the conversation -and thought we were talking of someone else, but of whom I have no -idea, as he said it all came from not going to school. Riley has been to -three schools, besides Oxford, Heidelberg and Berlin universities, and -has taken his degree in French law. He, Riley, is staying with me -to-morrow night. - -_Friday, May_ 27_th._ - -I told Riley that I had heard a lady discussing his conversion lately, -and that she had wondered whether he realised that he would have a -_parti-pris_ in future. Riley said: "I rather hope I shall. Do you -really think one becomes a Catholic to drift like a sponge on a sea of -indecision, or to be like an Æolian harp? Don't you yourself think," he -said, "that _parti-pris_ is rather a mild term for such a tremendous -decision, such a _venture_? Would your friend think _parti-pris_ the -right expression to use of a man who nailed his colours to the mast -during a sea-battle? It is a good example of _miosis_." I asked him what -_miosis_ meant. He said that if I wanted another example it would be -miosis to say that the French Revolution put Marie Antoinette to -considerable inconvenience. Besides which, it was putting the cart -before the horse to say you would be likely to have a _parti-pris,_ when -by the act of becoming a Catholic you had proclaimed the greatest of all -possible _parti-pris_. It was like saying to a man who had enlisted in -the Army: "You will probably become very pro-British." "You won't," he -said, "think things out." I said that it was not I who had made the -comment, but my aunt, Lady Mellor. - -_Saturday, May_ 28_th._ - -A. has gone to the country. Dined at the Club. - -_Sunday, May_ 29_th._ - -Had luncheon with Lady Maria. The company consisted of Hollis, the -play-wright, and his wife, Miss Flora Routledge, who, I believe, began -to write novels in the sixties, Sir Hubert Taylor, the Academician, and -his wife, and Sir Horace Main, K.C. I was the only person present not a -celebrity. - -Lady Maria asked me how the Housmans were. She had not seen them for an -age. I said the Housmans were living in the country. - -She said I must bring A. to luncheon one Sunday. "Who would he like to -meet?" she asked; "I am told he only likes musicians, and I am so -unmusical, I know so few. But perhaps he only likes beautiful -musicians." I said I was sure A. would be pleased to meet anyone she -asked. She said: "I'm sure it's no use asking him; he's sure to be away -on Sundays." I said A. usually spent Sunday at Littlehampton. "Or on the -Thames," Lady Maria said. - -She said she hadn't seen the Housmans for a year. She heard Mr Housman -had dropped all his old friends. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, May_ 30_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been terribly bad about writing, and I haven't written to you for -a fortnight. I got your letter last week, and was immensely amused by -all you say. Sunday week I stayed with Edith, a family party, but rather -fun all che same. I went to the opera twice this week and once the week -before. Nothing very exciting. The Housmans haven't got a box this year. -Yesterday I stayed with them at Staines. There was no one else there -except Miss Housman. Thank heaven, no Mrs Fairburn! George, by the way, -hasn't the remotest idea of "Bert's" infidelities. I believe he thinks -him a model husband. He is still in low spirits, but rather better -because he is fearfully busy. He has been going out more lately, which -is a good thing, and he has been entertaining foreigners and official -people, too. People are now saying he is going to marry Lavinia Wray -That story has only just reached the large public. They are a little bit -out of date. As a matter of fact, Lavinia has quite settled to go in for -nursing, but she hasn't broken it yet to her relations. Louise will, I -believe, get her divorce. They have left Italy and gone to Russia, where -Lavroff has got a large property. - -I have got a terribly busy week next week, dinners nearly every night, -besides balls. So don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for some -time. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 30_th._ - -Heard to-day from Gertrude. She and Anstruther arrive next week for -three months' leave from Buenos Aires. They are going to stay at the -Hans Crescent Hotel. Anstruther does not expect to go back to Buenos -Aires. They hope to get Christiania or Belgrade. They ask me to inform -Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur of their arrival, which I must try to -remember to do, as Gertrude is Aunt Ruth's favourite niece. - -_Tuesday, May_ 31_st_. - -A. is not at all well. He says he has got a bad headache, but he has to -go to an official dinner to-night. He is also most annoyed at having -been chosen as a delegate to the Conference that takes place in Canada -in August. This, he says, will prevent his doing any yachting this year -as he will not be back before the end of September. - -_Wednesday, June_ 1_st_. - -Riley came to see me at the office and asked me whether I could put him -up for a few nights. I would with pleasure, but I warned him that I -should be having most of my meals with Solway, who is up in London for a -week. - -_Thursday, June_ 2_nd_. - -Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner and remembered to tell her that -Gertrude was arriving next week. Aunt Ruth was glad to hear the news and -said she hoped Edmund would get promotion this time. He had been passed -over so often. I said I hoped so also, but I suppose I did not display -enough enthusiasm, as Aunt Ruth said I didn't seem to take much interest -in my brother-in-law's career. I assured her I was fond of Gertrude and -had the greatest respect for my brother-in-law. Uncle Arthur said: -"What, Anstruther? The man's a pompous ass." Aunt Ruth was rather -shocked. - -_Friday, July_ 3_rd_. - -Solway has arrived in London. He is staying at St Leonard's Terrace, -Chelsea. He is taking me to a concert to-morrow night. Riley has also -arrived. He said he would prefer not to go to a concert. - -_Saturday, June_ 4_th._ - -The concert last night was a success. Miss Bowden played Bach's -_Chaconne._ Solway was greatly excited and said loudly: "I knew she -could do it; I knew she could do it." - -_Sunday, June_ 5_th_. - -A. hasn't been at all well this week, and he has put off staying with -the Housmans to-day. They asked me, but as Solway and Riley were here I -did not like to go. Cunninghame has asked me to dinner next week to meet -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. I shall have to conceal from Gertrude that I am -going to meet them, as Caryl was promoted over his head and she would -think it disloyal on my part. Solway and Riley had luncheon with me at -the Club. In the afternoon I went to hear Miss Bowden play at a Mrs -Griffith's house, where Solway is staying. We could not persuade Riley -to come. I had supper there with Solway. Riley went to more literary -circles and had supper with Professor Langdon, the Shakespearean -critic. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, June_ 6_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Please write down in your engagement book that you are dining with me on -Thursday as well as on Monday. I have asked Godfrey Mellor to meet you -on Thursday. George is laid up with appendicitis, and I am afraid he is -_very_ bad indeed. The doctors are going to decide to-day whether they -are to operate immediately or not. He is at a nursing home in Welbeck -Street. His sister is looking after him. He was going to Canada in -August. I don't suppose he will be able to now. - -I am looking forward to seeing you quite tremendously. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, June_ 6_th._ - -A. has got appendicitis and has been taken to a nursing home. I have -just heard he is to have an operation to-morrow morning. - -_Tuesday, June_ 7_th._ - -A.'s operation was successfully performed, but he is still very ill. -Cunninghame has been to Welbeck Street this morning and saw his sister. -She is most anxious. He was, of course, not allowed to see A. - -_Wednesday, June_ 8_th._ - -I sat up late last night talking to Riley. - -_Thursday, June_ 9_th._ - -Cunninghame went to Welbeck Street and saw the doctor. He says there is -every chance of his recovery. Apparently the danger was in having to do -the operation at once, while there was still inflammation. It was not -exactly appendicitis, but Cunninghame's report was too technical for my -comprehension. - -I dined with Cunninghame to-day to meet Mrs Caryl. I had not met her -husband before. He is, I thought, slightly stiff. Lady Jarvis was there -also. She was much disturbed about A.'s illness. - -_Friday, June_ 10_th_. - -Gertrude and Edmund Anstruther arrived yesterday. I dined with them -to-night. Edmund said the way diplomats were treated was a scandal. The -hard-working members of the profession were always passed over. The best -posts were given to men outside the profession. No conscientious man -could expect to get on in such a profession. If he was passed over this -time he would not stand it any longer, but he would leave the Service -altogether. The Foreign Office, he said, was so weak. They never backed -up a subordinate who took a strong line. They always climbed down. I -wondered what Edmund had been taking a strong line about in Buenos -Aires. Gertrude agreed. She said they had been there for three years -without leave, and if they did not get a good post she would advise -Edmund to retire and get something in the City. There were plenty of -firms in the city who would jump at getting Edmund. She mentioned the -Housmans and said she knew they were friends of mine, and didn't want to -say anything against them, but she had met many people in Buenos Aires -who knew Mrs Housman intimately, and said she was rather a dangerous -woman. I asked in what way she was dangerous. Gertrude said: "Perhaps -you do not know she is a Roman Catholic." I said I had known this for -years, but she never talked of it. "That's just what I mean," said -Gertrude; "they are far too subtle, and I am afraid too underhand to -talk of it openly. They lead you on." I asked Gertrude if she thought -Mrs Housman wished to convert me. She said most certainly. Her friends -in Buenos Aires had told her she had made many converts. It was the only -thing she cared for, and even if she didn't, Roman Catholics were -obliged to do so. It was only natural, if they thought we all went to -hell if we were not converted. - -I said I was not sure Roman Catholics did believe that. Gertrude and -Edmund said I was wrong. I could ask anyone. Gertrude repeated she had -no wish to say anything against Mrs Housman, and she was convinced she -was a good woman according to her lights. - -Edmund said there had been many conversions in the Diplomatic Service. -He was convinced this was part of a general conspiracy. If you wanted to -get on in the Diplomatic Service you had better be a Roman Catholic. Of -course those who did not choose to sacrifice their conscience, their -independence, their traditions, and were loyal to the Church and the -State, suffered. I said I didn't quite see where loyalty to the State -came in. Edmund said: "How could you be loyal to the State when you were -under the authority of an Italian Bishop?" I must know that the Italian -Cardinals were always in the majority. I said that, considering the -number of Catholics in England, compared with the number of Catholics in -other countries, I should be surprised to see a majority of English -Cardinals at the Vatican. I said Edmund wanted England to be a -Protestant country, and at the same time to have the lion's share in -Catholic affairs. Edmund said that was not at all what he meant. What he -meant was that an Englishman should be loyal to his Church, which was an -integral part of the State. - -I said there were many Englishmen who would prefer the State to have -nothing to do with the Church. Edmund said there were many Englishmen -who did not deserve the name of Englishmen. For instance, Caryl, who was -now Second Secretary at Paris, had been promoted over his head three -years ago. What was the reason? Mrs Caryl was a Roman Catholic and Caryl -had been converted soon after his marriage. I foolishly said that the -Caryls were now in London, and when Edmund asked me how I knew this I -said that Aunt Ruth had told me. - -This raised a storm, as it appears that Aunt Ruth does know the Caryls -and asks them to dinner when they are in London. Edmund said he would -talk to Aunt Ruth about them seriously. I asked him as a favour to do no -such thing. And Gertrude told him not to be foolish, and added -magnanimously that Mrs Caryl was a nice woman, if a little fast. - -For a man who has lived all his life abroad Edmund Anstruther is -singularly deeply imbued with British prejudice. - -They are staying in London until the middle of July. Then they are going -on a round of visits. Edmund is confident that he will get Christiania. -I feel that it is more than doubtful. - -Riley went back to Shelborough to-day. - -_Saturday, June_ 11_th._ - -Received a telegram from Housman, asking me to go to Staines. I went -down by the afternoon train, and found Lady Jarvis, Miss Housman and -Carrington-Smith. Housman was anxious for news of A. I told him I -believed he was now out of danger, but that it would be a long time -before he was quite well again. Housman said he must certainly come to -Cornwall. I said he had intended to go to Canada for a Conference, but -would be unable to do so now. Housman said that was providential. - -_Sunday, June_ 12_th._ - -A fine day, but the river was crowded and hardly enjoyable. I sat with -Mrs Housman in the garden in the evening. The others went on the river -again. Mrs Housman asked me if I had seen A. I said he was not allowed -to see anyone. - -_Monday, June_ 13_th._ - -A. is getting on as well as can be expected. There appears to be no -doubt of his recovery. Cunninghame is going to see him to-day. - -_Tuesday, June_ 12_th._ - -Cunninghame says that A. wants to see me. I am to go there to-morrow. - -Dined with Hope, who was at Oxford with me. He is just back from Russia, -where he has been to make arrangements for producing some play in -London. He thinks of nothing now but the stage, and a play of his is -going to be produced at the Court Theatre. I promised to go and see it. -He spoke of Riley, and I told him he had become a Roman Catholic. Hope -said he regarded that as sinning against the light. He said no one _at -this time of day_ could believe such things. - -_Wednesday, June_ 15_th_. - -I went to see A. at Welbeck Street. He has been very ill and looks white -and thin. His sister was there, but I had some conversation with him -alone. I told him all the news I could think of, which was not much. He -said he liked seeing people, but was not allowed more than one visitor a -day. He had got a very good nurse. Housman had sent him grapes and -magnificent fruit every day. He said he would like to see Mrs Housman, -but supposed that was impossible, as she never came to London now. He -said Cunninghame had been very good to him, and had put off going to -Ascot to look after him. - -I wrote to Mrs Housman this evening and gave her A.'s message. - -_Thursday, June_ 16_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. Gertrude and Edmund were there. Edmund said to -Aunt Ruth that he had heard the Caryls were in London. Aunt Ruth said -she had no idea of this, and she would ask them to dinner next Thursday. -Aunt Ruth asked a good many diplomats to meet Edmund, and they had a -long talk after dinner about their posts. They called Edmund their -"_Cher collègue_." Edmund enjoyed himself immensely. Uncle Arthur cannot -bear him, nor, indeed, any diplomats, and it is, I think, the chief -cross of his life that Aunt Ruth asks so many of them to dinner. - -Aunt Ruth asked after A. and said that she had been to inquire. - -_Friday, June_ 17_th_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman, saying she was coming up to London -to-morrow, and was going to stay with Lady Jarvis till Monday. She would -go and see A. on Sunday afternoon if convenient. She asked me to ring up -the nurse and find out. I did so and arranged for her to call at four -o'clock. - -_Saturday, June_ 18_th._ - -I dined with Lady Jarvis. There was no one there but Mrs Housman and -myself. Cunninghame is staying somewhere with friends of the Caryls. - -_Sunday, June_ 19_th_. - -I had luncheon with Aunt Ruth. Edmund and Gertrude were there, but no -one else. Edmund has been appointed to Berne. It is not what he had -hoped, but better than any of us expected. He said Berne might become a -most important post in the event of a European war. - -_Monday, June_ 20_th._ - -Dined with the Caryls at the Ritz. Cunninghame was there and Miss -Hollystrop. Mrs Vaughan asked me whether it was true that A. had become -a Roman Catholic. She had heard Mrs Housman had converted him. -Cunninghame deftly turned the conversation on account of Mrs Caryl. - -We all went to the opera--_Faust_. - -_Tuesday, June_ 21_st_. - -I went to see A. He told me Mrs Housman had been to see him. He is still -in bed, but looks better. - -_Wednesday, June_ 22_nd_. - -Barnes of the F.O. came to the office this morning. He asked after A. -He said he had heard that the real cause of his illness was his passion -for Mrs Housman, who would have nothing to do with him unless he was -converted. Cunninghame said he wondered he could talk such nonsense. - -_Thursday, June_ 23_rd_. - -Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. The Caryls were there, and Gertrude -and Edmund came after dinner. Heated arguments were going on about the -situation in Russia, Edmund taking the ultra-conservative point of view, -much to the annoyance of Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur, who felt even more -strongly on the matter because he thought they were discussing the -French Revolution. - -_Friday, June_ 24_th_. - -Dined with Lady Jarvis; she was alone. She said Mrs Housman was coming -up again to-morrow. The fact is, she says, Staines is intolerable now on -Sundays. Mrs Fairburn comes down almost every Sunday. She overwhelms -Mrs Housman with her gush and her pretended silliness. Housman thinks -her the most wonderful woman he has ever met. - -_Saturday, June_ 25_th._ - -Went down to S---- to stay with Riley. Riley lives in a small villa -surrounded with laurels. A local magnate came to dinner, who is -suspected of being about to present some expensive masterpieces to the -public gallery. - -_Sunday, June_ 26_th_. - -Riley went to Mass in the morning. I sat in his smoking-room, which is a -litter of books and papers and exceedingly untidy. A geologist came to -luncheon, Professor Langer, a naturalised German. When we were walking -in the garden afterwards, he said he could not understand how Riley -reconciled his creed with plain facts of geology. But Riley's case -surprised him less than that of another of his colleagues, who was a -great authority on geology, and nevertheless a devout Catholic, and not -only never missed Mass on Sundays, but had told him, Langer, that he -fully subscribed to every point of the Catholic Faith. It was true he -was an Irishman, but politically he was not at all fanatical, and not -even a Home-Ruler. - -In the afternoon we had tea with the magnate, whose house is full of -Academy pictures. I now understand what happens to that great quantity -of pictures we see once at the Academy and then never again. An art -critic was invited to tea also. He had, I believe, been invited here to -persuade the magnate in question to present some very modern piece of -art to the city. He seemed disappointed when he saw the pictures on the -walls, and when the magnate asked his opinion of a composition called _A -Love Letter_, he said he did not think the picture a very good one. The -magnate said he regretted not having bought _Home Thoughts_, by the -same painter, which was undoubtedly superior. - -We dined alone, and I told Riley what Professor Langer had said. He -said: "Most Protestants, whether they have any religion or not, -attribute Protestant notions to the Catholic Church. What these people -say shows to what extent the conception of Rome has been distorted by -their being saturated with Protestant ideas. Mallock says somewhere that -the Anglicans talk of the Catholic Church as if she were a _lapsed -Protestant sect_, and they attack her for being false to what she has -never professed. He says they don't see the real difference between the -two Churches, which is not in this or that dogma, but in the authority -on which all dogma rests. The Professors you quote take for granted that -Catholics base their religion, as Protestants do, on the Bible _solely_, -and judged from that point of view she seems to them superstitious and -dishonest. But Catholics believe that Christ guaranteed infallibility -to the Church _in perpetuum: perpetual_ infallibility. Catholics -discover this not _at first_ from the Church as doctrine, but from -records as trustworthy human documents, and they believe that the Church -being perpetually infallible can only interpret the Bible in the right -way. They believe she is guided in the interpretation of the Bible by -the same Spirit which inspired the Bible. She teaches us _more_ about -the Bible. She says _this_ is what the Bible teaches." - -He said: "Mallock makes a further point. It is not only Protestant -divines who talk like that. It is your advanced thinkers, men like -Langer and his colleagues. They utterly disbelieve in the Protestant -religion; they trust the Protestants in nothing else, but at the same -time they take their word for it, without further inquiry, that -Protestantism is more reasonable than Catholicism. If they have -destroyed Protestantism they conclude they must have destroyed -Catholicism _a fortiori_. With regard to Langer's geological friend, it -doesn't make a pin's difference to a Catholic whether evolution or -natural selection is true or false. Neither of these theories pretends -to explain the origin of life. Catholics believe the origin of life is -God." He had heard a priest say, not long ago: "A Catholic can believe -in evolution, and in evolution before evolution, and in evolution before -that, if he likes, but what he must believe is that God made the world -and in it _mind,_ and that at some definite moment the mind of man -rebelled against God." - -_Monday, June_ 27_th_. - -A. telephoned for me. I saw him this afternoon. His room was full of -flowers. He will not be allowed to get up till the end of the week. As -soon as he is allowed to go out the doctor says he ought to go away and -get some sea air. There is no question of his going to Canada. The -Housmans have asked him to go to Cornwall and he is going there as soon -as he can. He asked me when I was going. I said at the end of the month, -if that would be convenient to him. - -_Tuesday, June_ 28_th._ - -Finished Renan's _Souvenirs d'Enfance et de Jeunesse_. He says: "Je -regrettais par moments de n'être pas protestant, afin de pouvoir être -philosophe sans cesser d'être Chrétien. Puis je reconnaissais qu'il n'y -a que les Catholiques qui soient conséquents." Riley's argument. Dined -at the Club. - -_Wednesday, June_ 29_th._ - -Dined with Hope at a restaurant in Soho. Quite a large gathering, with -no one I knew. We had dinner in a private room. Two journalists--Hoxton, -who writes in one of the Liberal newspapers, and Brice, who edits a -weekly newspaper--had a heated argument about religion. Brice is and -has always been an R.C. Hoxton's views seemed to me violent but -undefined. He said, as far as I understood, that the Eastern Church was -far nearer to early Christian tradition than the Western Church, and -that by not defining things too narrowly and by not having an infallible -Pope the Greeks had an inexpressible advantage over the Romans. Upon -which someone else who was there said that the Greeks believed in the -infallibility of the First Seven Councils; they believed their decisions -to be as infallible as any papal utterance, and that dogma had been -defined once and for all by the Councils. Brice said this was quite -true, and while the Greeks had shut the door, the Catholic Church had -left the door open. Besides which, he argued, what was the result of the -action of the Greeks? Look at the Russian Church. As soon as it was -separated it gave birth to another schism and that schism resulted in -the rise of about a hundred religions, one of which had for one of its -tenets that children should be strangled at their birth so as to -inherit the Kingdom of Heaven without delay. That, said Brice, is the -result of schism. - -The other man said that there was no religion so completely under the -control of the Government as the Russian. The Church was ultimately in -the hands of gendarmes. Hoxton said that in spite of schisms, and in -spite of anything the Government might do, the Eastern Church retained -the early traditions of Christianity. Therefore, if an Englishman wanted -to become a Catholic, it was absurd for him to become a Roman Catholic. -He should first think of joining the Eastern Church and becoming a Greek -Catholic. The other man, whose name I didn't catch, asked why, in that -case, did Russian philosophers become Catholics and why did Solovieff, -the Russian philosopher, talk of the pearl Christianity having -unfortunately reached Russia smothered under the dust of Byzantium? - -Brice said the Greek Church was schismatic and the Anglican Church was -heretical and that was the end of the matter. Hoxton said: "My -philosophy is quite as good as yours." Brice said it was a pity he could -neither define nor explain his philosophy. Hope, who was bored by the -whole argument, turned the conversation on to the Russian stage. - -_Thursday, June_ 30_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. After dinner I sat next to a Russian diplomatist -who knew Riley. He said he was glad he had become a Catholic--he himself -was Orthodox. He evidently admired the Catholic religion. He said, among -other things, how absurd it was to think that such floods of ink had -been used to prove the Gospel of St John had not been written by St -John. He said, even if it wasn't, the Church has said it was written by -St John for over a thousand years. She has made it her own. He himself -saw no reason to think it was not written by St John. Uncle Arthur, who -caught the tail end of this conversation, said the authorship of _John -Peel_ was a subject of much dispute. Gertrude wasn't there; they have -gone to the country. - -_Friday, July_ 1_st_. - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. Cunninghame was there and a large gathering of -people. More people came after dinner and there was music, but such a -crowd that I could not get near enough to listen so I gave it up and -stayed in another room. Lady Jarvis told me Mrs Housman is going down to -Cornwall next Monday. - -_Saturday, July_ 30_th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay._ - -Arrived this evening after a hot and disagreeable journey. The Housmans -are here alone. Housman goes back to London on Tuesday. A. is coming -down here as soon as he is fit to travel. He is still very weak. - -_Sunday, July_ 31_st_. - -The Housmans went to Mass. Father Stanway came to luncheon. He said he -had been giving instruction to an Indian boy who is being brought up as -an R.C. I asked him if it was difficult for an Indian to understand -Christian dogma. Father Stanway said that the child had amazed him. He -had been telling him about the Trinity and the Indian had said to him: -"I see--ice, snow, rain--all water." - -_Monday, August_ 1_st_. - -Housman played golf. Mrs Housman took me to the cliffs and began reading -out _Les Misérables_, which I have never read. - -_Tuesday, August_ 2_nd_. - -Housman left early this morning. We sat on the beach and read _Les -Misérables_. - -_Wednesday, August_ 3_rd_. - -Lady Jarvis arrives to-morrow. We continued _Les Misérables_ in the -afternoon and after dinner. Mrs Housman said that some conversations and -the reading of certain passages in books were like _events_. Once or -twice in her life she had come across sentences in a book which, -although they had nothing extraordinary about them and expressed things -anyone might have thought or said, were like a revelation, or a -solution, and seemed to be written in letters of flame and had a -permanent effect on her whole life; one such sentence was the following -from _Les Misérables_: "Ne craignons jamais les voleurs ni les -meurtriers. Ce sont là les dangers du dehors, les petits dangers. -Craignons nous-mêmes. Les préjugés, voila les voleurs; les vices, voila -les meurtriers. Les grands dangers sont au dedans de nous. Qu'importe ce -qui menace notre tête ou notre bourse!" She said: "Of course this has -never prevented me from feeling frightened when I hear a scratching -noise in the night. That paralyses me with terror." - -_Thursday, August_ 4_th._ - -We continued our reading. The weather has been propitious. Lady Jarvis -arrived in the evening. We continued our reading after dinner. - -_Friday, August_ 5_th._ - -A. arrived this evening. He was exhausted after the journey and went to -bed at once. Housman arrives to-morrow--he is only staying till Monday. - -_Saturday, August_ 6_th._ - -A. sat in the garden and Mrs Housman read out some stories by H.G. Wells -from a book called _The Plattner Story,_ which we all enjoyed. - -Housman arrived in the evening. A. is not yet strong enough to walk. He -sits in the garden all day. The weather is perfectly suited to an -invalid. - -_Sunday, August_ 7_th._ - -Housman invited Father Stanway to luncheon. He and Housman talked of -politicians and popularity and the Press and to what extent their -reputation depended on it. Housman said it was death to a politician not -to be mentioned. A politician needed popularity among the public as much -as an actor did. Father Stanway said it was a double-edged weapon and -that those who lived by it risked perishing by it. Housman said -Gladstone and Beaconsfield had lived by it successfully. Father Stanway -said it depends whether you want to be famous or whether you want to get -things done. A man can do anything in the world if he doesn't mind not -getting the credit for it. Father Stanway said nobody realised this -better than Lord Beaconsfield. He said somewhere that it was private -life that governs the world and that the more you were talked about the -less powerful you were. - -A. is a little better. I went for a walk with Father Stanway in the -afternoon. I asked him a few questions about the system of Confession. -He said the Sacrament of Penance was a Divine Institution. I asked him -if the practice did not lead to the shirking of responsibility and the -dulling of the conscience on the part of those who went to Confession. -He said Confession was not an opiate but a sharp and bitter medicine, -disagreeable to take but leaving a clean after-taste in the mouth I gave -him a hypothetical case of a man being in love with a Catholic married -woman. If the woman was a practising Catholic and faithful to her -husband, and if she continued to be friends with the man who was in love -with her, would she confess her conduct and, if so, would the priest -approve of the conduct? Father Stanway said it was difficult to judge -unless one knew the whole facts. If the woman knew she was acting in a -way which might lead to sin or even to scandal--that is to say, in a way -which would have a bad effect on others--she would be bound to confess -it. If a woman asked him his advice in such a case he would strongly -advise her to put an end to the relationship. I said: "You wouldn't -forbid it?" He said: "The Church forbids sin, and penitents when they -receive Absolution undertake to avoid the occasions of sin." He said he -could not tell me more without knowing more of the facts. Cases were -sometimes far more complicated than they appeared to be, but however -complicated they were, there was no doubt as to the attitude of the -Church towards that kind of sin and to the advisability of avoiding -occasions that might bring it about. - -_Monday, August_ 8_th._ - -Housman went back to London. Cunninghame arrives to-morrow. A. walked as -far as the beach this morning. In the afternoon Lady Jarvis took him for -a drive. Mrs Housman went into the town to do some shopping. - -_Tuesday, August_ 9_th._ - -We all went for a drive in a motor to a village with a curious name and -had tea in a farm-house. Cunninghame arrived in time for dinner. He has -been staying at Cowes. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - CARBIS BAY, - _Wednesday, August_ 10_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I arrived last night from Cowes. I found Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, -George and Godfrey. - -George is very much better, but he is still weak and can't get about -much. He is not allowed to play golf yet. He sits in the garden, and goes -for a mild walk once a day. Lady Jarvis says that Mrs Housman is very -unhappy. In the first place, her home is intolerable. Mrs Fairburn makes -London quite impossible for her. It is a wonder that she is not here, -but as Housman is in London there is nothing to be surprised at. In the -second place, Lady Jarvis thinks that Mrs Housman would much rather -George hadn't come, but she couldn't help it as Housman asked him. - -We do things mostly altogether now. I am staying a fortnight, then I go -to Worsel for a week and to Edith's till the end of September; then -London. Lady Jarvis says that she is sure Mrs Housman will not spend the -winter in London. - -Write to me here and tell me about the Mont Dore. I have been there once -and think it is an appalling place. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Wednesday, August_ 10_th_. - -A. has been doing too much, the doctor says, and he is not to be allowed -out of the garden for a few days. Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis take turns -in reading to him aloud. We have finished the Wells book and we are now -reading _Midshipman Easy_. - -_Thursday, August_ 11_th._ - -I went for a walk with Cunninghame. He said his favourite book was _John -Inglesant_ and was surprised that I had not read it. He has it with him -and has lent it to me. - -_Friday, August_ 12_th._ - -It rained all day. We spent the day reading aloud. - -_Saturday, August_ 13_th._ - -A. is much better and went for a walk with me this morning. - -_Sunday, August_ 14_th._ - -Housman was coming down yesterday but telegraphed to say he was -detained. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we received a visit -from an American who has come here in a yacht and met Cunninghame and -myself in the town this morning. His name is Harold C. Jefferson. When I -was introduced to him he said he did not quite catch my name. I said my -name was "Mellor"; he said: "Lord or Mister?" Cunninghame told him where -he was staying and he said he would call--he knew the Housmans in -America. He asked us all to go on board his yacht to-morrow. Mrs -Housman, Cunninghame and myself accepted. Lady Jarvis said she would -stop with A. who is not up to it. - -_Monday, August_ 15_th_. - -We had luncheon on board Mr Jefferson's yacht, a large steam vessel. It -has on board a piano and an organ, both of which are played by -electricity, which is in some respects satisfactory, but the _tempo_ of -the _Meistersinger_ Overture which was performed for us was accelerated -out of all recognition. - -_Tuesday, August_ 16_th_. - -A Miss Simpson called in the afternoon to ask Mrs Housman to help with -some local charity; she lives at the Hotel. She said she found it very -inconvenient not being able to go to Church. We wondered what prevented -her doing so, but she soon gave us the reason herself. She said that the -local clergyman was so low--no eastward position. - -A. is much better and went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. - -_Wednesday, August_ 17_th._ - -Housman has written to say that he will not be able to come down until -late in September. Carrington-Smith is unwell and he is overwhelmed with -business. He, Housman, may have to meet a man in Paris. - -_Thursday, August_ 18_th._ - -A rainy day. Cunninghame and I went out in spite of the rain. - -_Friday, August_ 19_th._ - -Cunninghame played golf with General York. - -_Saturday, August_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis, Mrs Housman and myself went for a drive. A. played golf -with Cunninghame. I began _John Inglesant_ last night. Mrs Housman has -never read it. After dinner we had some music. Mrs Housman played -Schubert's _Prometheus_ and hummed the tune. She says it is a man's -song. - -_Sunday, August_ 21_st_. - -A. says he is going to have his yacht sent up here--he will be able to -sail back in her. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we sat in -the garden and read out aloud _Cashel Byron's Profession,_ a novel by -Bernard Shaw. A. enjoyed it immensely. - -_Monday, August_ 22_nd_. - -We drove to the Lizard in a motor and had luncheon at the Hotel. A. -misses his yacht very much but he has sent for her. After dinner we -played Clumps. - -_Tuesday, August_ 23_rd_. - -Cunninghame was going to-morrow but he is staying till Saturday. Mrs -Housman went to Newquay to the convent for the day. Lady Jarvis took A. -for a drive. - -_Wednesday, August_ 24_th._ - -This morning A., Cunninghame and myself walked down to the town. We met -a friend of Cunninghame's called Randall, who is yachting. He has just -come from France. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Thursday, August_ 25_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am stopping here till Saturday, then Worsel, then Edith's. You had -better write to Edith's. Yesterday morning we were in the town, George, -Godfrey and I, and we met Jimmy Randall, who has come here in the -Goldberg's yacht. They had been to St Malo and other places in France. -When we said we were staying with the Housmans, Randall said there was -not much chance of our seeing Housman for some time as he was having the -time of his life with Mrs Fairburn at a little place near Deauville. - -This came as a revelation to George, who had no idea of Housman's -adventures. He has scarcely spoken since. We are having a very happy -time and I am miserable at having to go away. George is quite well. He -has sent for his yacht, but he is not staying on very long as he has got -to go to one or two places before he goes back to London. The weather -has been divine. Godfrey is quite cheerful. - -I shan't write again till I get to Edith's. I shan't stop more than a -night at Worsel on the way. - -Edith is clamouring for me to come. The Caryls are staying there. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Thursday, August_ 25_th._ - -I went out for a walk with Cunninghame; he asked me whether I had liked -_John Inglesant_. I said I had it read with interest but it gave me the -creeps; it had the chill of a dream world; I preferred the character of -Eustace Inglesant to that of his brother John. Cunninghame said he had -read it five times; that _John Inglesant_, Flaubert's _Trois Contes_ and -Anthony Hope's _The King's Mirror_ were his three favourite books. I had -read neither of the others. Mrs Housman and A. went for a walk in the -afternoon. After dinner Lady Jarvis read out a story by Stevenson. - -_Friday, August_ 26_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to the town in the afternoon. A. and Cunninghame played -golf. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. She talked about Mrs Housman. -She said it was wonderful what comfort she (Mrs H.) found in her -religion. As far as she herself was concerned, she had never ceased to -appreciate the luxury of not going to church on Sunday, so much had she -disliked being made to go to church before she was grown up. I said Mrs -Housman had told me that Roman Catholic children enjoyed going to -church. She said: "Yes, and their grown-up people too. Clare will -probably go to church this afternoon. If I was a Catholic I could -understand it." She said it was the only religion she could understand. -"Unhappily to be a Catholic," she said, "one must believe. I am not -talking of the ritual and the discipline--I mean one must _believe_, -have faith in the supernatural, and I have none." She said that she -thought religion was an instinct. Her religion consisted in trying not -to hurt other people's feelings. That was difficult enough. She said she -had once come across this phrase in a French book: "Aimez-vous les uns -les autres, c'est beaucoup dire supportez-vous les uns les autres, c'est -déjà assez difficile." Some people, she said, arrived at religion by -disbelieving in disbelief. She didn't believe in dogmatic _disbelief -but_ that didn't lead _her_ to anything positive. She said she was glad -for Mrs Housman that she had her religion. I asked her if she thought -Mrs Housman was very unhappy. She said: "Yes; but there comes a moment -in unhappiness when people realise that they must either live, or die. -Clare passed that moment a long time ago." People often made God in -their own image. Mrs Housman had a beautiful character. She, Lady -Jarvis, had no stuff in her to project a deity with. She thought that -religion seldom affected conduct. She thought Mrs Housman would have -been just the same if she had been brought up as a free-thinker or a -Presbyterian. She thought her marriage and her whole life had been a -gigantic mistake. She ought, she said, to have been a professional -singer. She was an artist by nature. I said I was struck by Mrs Housmans -strong common-sense and her tact in dealing with people. "That would -have made her all the greater as an artist," Lady Jarvis said. "In all -arts you want to be good at other things besides that art. Riding needs -mind." She said it was no good wishing to be otherwise but she thought -it was very tragic. She said: "If I believed there was another life, -this sort of thing wouldn't matter, but as I don't it matters very -much." I said it struck me the other way round. If one didn't believe in -a future life I didn't see that anything could matter very much. I asked -her if she positively believed there wasn't another life. She said: "I -don't know. I only know I don't believe in a future life." I asked her -if that wasn't faith. She said very possibly, but she at any rate hadn't -the fervent faith in no-God that some atheists had. In any case she was -not intolerant about it. I asked her if it had not often struck her -that agnostics and free-thinkers were still more intolerant than -religious people and that they had least business to be. She said that -was exactly what she had meant. The religion of other people irritated -them; they wanted people to share their particular form of unbelief. She -never did that. She thought dogmatic disbelief intolerable. She had the -greatest respect for Catholics and would give anything to be able to be -one. Mrs Housman never spoke about her religion. We talked about -reading. I said I always read the newspapers or rather _The Times_ every -day. I had done so for fifteen years. She said she never did except in -the train but she knew the news as well as I did. We talked about what -is good reading for the train and about journeys. I told her of a -journey I had once taken in France in a third-class carriage. She said -it was lucky one forgot physical discomfort at once unlike mental -discomfort. She said something about the appalling unnaturalness of -people when they had to deal with death, and then of the misery in -seeing other people suffer, of the hardness of some people, and of a -book she had just been reading, called _Katzensteg_, by Sudermann, and -then of Germans, and so, to music, of Housman's great undeveloped -musical talent, of Jews, how favourable the mixture of Jewish and German -blood was to music. I said something about Jews being rarely men of -creation or action. She said they were just as persistent in getting -what they wanted as men of action, so she supposed that it came to the -same. Disraeli was a man of action, she supposed, and all the great -socialists, Marx and Lassalle, they got what they wanted. "Un de nous a -voulu être Dieu et il l'a été," she said a Jewish financier had once -said. This led her to Heine. He was her favourite writer, both in prose -and verse. Had I ever read his prose? I ought to read _Geschichte der -Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland._ It was the most brilliant book -of criticism she knew. It was the Jews who had invented all great -religions, and socialism was the invention of the Jews. Some people said -the Russian revolution was Jewish in idea and leadership and might very -likely lead to a new political creed. She said she hated anti-Semitism. -This led us to Christianity. Christianity to her meant Catholicism. She -could not understand any other form of it. She thought there was nothing -in the world more silly than attempts to make a religion of Christianity -without the Church--there could only be one Church. "But," I said, "you -disbelieve in it." She said: "Yes; but the only thing that could tempt -me to believe in it is the continued existence of the Catholic Church." -She said: "It's there; it's a fact, whether one believes in its divine -origin, as Clare does, or whether one doesn't, as I don't. It must -either all hang together or not exist. You can't take a part of it and -make a satisfactory and reasonable religion." Not only that, -nothing seemed to her more foolish than the attempts to make a religion -of Christianity without the Divine element, in which Christ was only a -very good man. I said if she did not believe in the divinity of Christ -the story could be nothing more to her than a fable. She said: "If one -only regards it as a fable, as I suppose I do--but again I have no -dogmatic disbelief in it--it is still the most beautiful, impressive, -wonderful and tragic story ever invented and it seems to me to lose its -whole point if Christ was only a man with hypnotic powers and a head -turned by ambition or illusion." She quoted a Frenchman, who had said -that he adored Jesus Christ as his Lord and God, but "s'il n'est qu'un -homme je préfère Hannibal." Napoleon too had said that he knew men and -Jesus Christ was not a man. Regarded as a story the whole point and -beauty of the Gospel were lost in all modern versions, rewritings, -explanations and interpretations, and none of them held together. She -said it was as if one rewrote the fairy tales and made the fairies not -fairies but only clever conjurers. By this time we had reached home. - -_Saturday, August_ 27_th._ - -Cunninghame went away early this morning. Mrs Housman told me that she -was not going to spend the winter in London; she was going to Florence, -and it was possible she might be away for a whole year. A. went out this -afternoon with Lady Jarvis. - -_Sunday, August_ 28_th._ - -Mrs York called in the afternoon. Mrs Housman was out with A. Lady -Jarvis and myself entertained her. She was most affable and not at all -stiff, as she was last year. She said she had known several of A.'s -relations in India. As she went away she said to Lady Jarvis, in the -hall: "You never told me Mrs Housman was an _American_--that makes -_all_ the difference." - -_Monday, August_ 29_th._ - -We all went to the Land's End for the day. - -_Tuesday, August_ 30_th._ - -A.'s yacht has arrived. We had luncheon on board and went for a short -sail in the afternoon; the sea was reasonably smooth, but Lady Jarvis -said that the sea under any conditions gave her a headache. - -_Wednesday, August_ 31_st_. - -Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail in the morning and came back for -tea. A. says he will have to go away in a day or two. After dinner Mrs -Housman read out Burnand's _Happy Thoughts_. - -_Thursday, September_ 1_st_. - -A rainy day. Mrs Housman called on Mrs York and has asked her and the -General to luncheon next Sunday. I went out for a walk in the rain by -myself and got very wet. Mrs Housman said that the Indian servant stood -motionless behind Mrs York's chair during the whole of the visit. This -embarrassed her. She felt inclined to draw him into the conversation. - -_Friday, September_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Housman went to the convent by herself. Lady Jarvis and A. went out -for a walk and I stayed at home. It is quite fine again. A. leaves next -Monday. - -_Saturday, September_ 3_rd_. - -A. wanted to go out sailing but Mrs Housman thought it was too windy. We -all went for a drive instead. - -_Sunday, September_ 4_th_. - -General York and Mrs York came to luncheon. The General was a little -nervous, but Mrs York was affable and friendly. She said she had never -got used to the English climate. Lady Jarvis asked Mrs York if she had -been to church. Mrs York said they had a church quite close to their -house in the village but she always drove to our village church, -although it was three miles off. She could not go to their church as she -did not approve of the clergyman's ritualistic practices. He used white -vestments at Easter, changed the order of the service, and allowed a -picture in church. All that, of course, made it impossible. They went -away soon after luncheon. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. After -dinner A. asked Mrs Housman to sing, but she said she would rather read. -She read _Happy Thoughts_ aloud. - -_Monday, September_ 5_th._ - -A. left in his yacht. He said he would be back in London by the first of -October. He is stopping at Plymouth on the way. - -_Tuesday, September_ 6_th._ - -Mrs Housman asked me if I had finished _Les Misérables_. I said I had -not gone on with it. She read aloud from it in the afternoon. - -_Wednesday, September_ 7_th._ - -I leave to-morrow to stay with Aunt Ruth. I have to be in London on -the 19th. Lady Jarvis went to the village, we stayed in the garden. -After dinner, Mrs Housman sang some Schubert. She leaves Cornwall at the -end of the month and then goes to Florence, where she stays rill Easter -or perhaps longer. - -_Monday, October_ 3_rd. London, Gray's Inn_. - -Cunninghame and A. both came back to-day. Cunninghame asked me to dine -with him to-morrow. - -_Tuesday, October_ 4_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame alone in his flat. He said that he knew I had -some R.C. friends, perhaps I knew a priest. I said the only priest I had -ever spoken to was Father Stanway at Carbis Bay. He said he wanted to -consult a priest about certain rules in the R.C. Church. He wanted to -know under what conditions a marriage could be annulled. A friend of -his wanted a married woman to get her marriage annulled as her husband -was living with someone else. He wanted to know whether the marriage -could be annulled. I said I knew who he was talking about. He said he -had meant me to know. He had promised A. to find out from a priest. A. -had been told by her that it was out of the question to get the marriage -annulled. It had been a marriage entered into by her own free will and -performed with every necessary condition of validity. Of course she was -very young when she was married and didn't know what she was doing, but -that had nothing to do with it. Her aunt and the nuns in the convent -where she had been brought up had thought it was an excellent marriage, -as he was well off and a Catholic. Cunninghame begged me to go and see a -priest. I said I did not know how this was done. I suggested his asking -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. He said she was in Paris and that would be no -use, it would not satisfy A. I said I would think about it. - -_Wednesday, October_ 5_th_. - -I asked Tuke where and how one could find a priest who would be able to -tell one the rules of the Church with regard to marriage. Tuke said any -of the Fathers at Farm Street or the Oratory. In the afternoon I went to -the Oratory, sent in my card and asked to see a priest. I sat in a -little waiting-room downstairs. Presently a tall man came in with very -bright eyes and a face with nothing but character left in it. I told him -I had come for a friend. It was a case of divorce, or rather of -annulment. I knew his Church did not tolerate divorce. I was, myself, -not a Catholic. It was the case of a lady, a Catholic, who had married a -Catholic. The husband had always been unfaithful and was now almost -openly living with someone else. Could the marriage be annulled? The -priest asked whether she desired the marriage to be annulled. I told -him she had said it was impossible. He asked whether the marriage had -been performed under all conditions of validity. I said I did not myself -know what these conditions were, but that she had expressly said that -the marriage had been performed with her own free will, with every -necessary condition of validity. I knew she thought it was out of the -question to think of the marriage being annulled, but there was someone -who was most devoted to her and wanted to marry her, and he was not -satisfied with her saying it was impossible. He wanted the decision -confirmed by a priest and that was why I had come. The priest said he -was afraid from what I had told him that it was no use thinking of -annulment. It was clear from what I had said she knew quite well the -conditions that make it possible to apply for the annulment of a -marriage. He said he was sure it was a hard case. If I liked he would -lend me a book which went into the matter in detail. I said I would not -trouble him. It would be enough that I had seen him and heard this from -him. I then went away. I went straight back to the office and told C. -the result of my visit. He was most grateful to me for having done this. -He said he was dining with A. to-night. He said A. was in a terrible -state. - -_Thursday, October_ 6_th_. - -Cunninghame told me that he had dined with A. and given him the -information I had procured for him. He said A. was wretched. Mrs Housman -arrives in London on Saturday. She is only staying till Monday; she then -goes to Florence. - -_Friday, October_ 7_th._ - -Cunninghame told me that Housman has come back to London. They have got -their house back. Mrs Fairburn is in London also. - -_Saturday, October_ 8_th._ - -A. has gone down to Littlehampton. - -_Sunday, October_ 9_th._ - -I went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon--she was in. She leaves for -Florence to-morrow. She told me she was going to stay there a whole -year. She asked after A. and was pleased to hear he was still in good -health. Miss Housman came in later after we had finished tea. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Sunday, October_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your long letter. I am most worried about George. Mrs -Housman goes to Florence to-morrow and is not coming back for a whole -year. George has told me about the whole thing. She knows all about -Housman and has always known. George has implored her to divorce Housman -and to marry him. She can't divorce, as you know better than I do, and -she told George it was not a marriage that could be annulled. However, -this didn't satisfy him. He insisted on getting the opinion of a priest. -I thought of writing to you, but there wasn't time, and then I didn't -know whether it was the same in France or not. I got the opinion of a -priest, who said there wasn't the slightest chance of getting the -marriage annulled. I told George this and he won't believe it, even now. -He keeps on saying that we ought to go to Rome, but I don't suppose that -would be of the slightest use either, would it? In the meantime he is -perfectly wretched. Mrs Housman didn't see him after Cornwall. George -won't see anyone, or go anywhere now. He is at this moment down at -Littlehampton by himself. If you can think of anything one could do, let -me know at once, but I know there is nothing to be done. If the marriage -could be annulled I think she would marry him to-morrow. I can't write -about anything else, because I can't think about anything else. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 17_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman from Florence. She says the weather is beautiful -and she is having a very peaceful time. - -_Monday, November_ 7_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman. She has been to Rome, where she stayed a -fortnight. - -_Wednesday, November_ 9_th._ - -I met Housman in the street this morning. He said he had given up the -house near Staines. It was dismal in winter and not very pleasant in -summer. He had taken a small house in the north of London, not far from -Hendon. He could come up from there every day and the air was very good. -I was not to say a word about this to Mrs Housman, as it was a surprise. -He said he was going to Florence for Christmas if he could. He said I -must come down one Saturday and stay with him. - -_Saturday, November_ 19_th._ - -Staying with Riley at Shelborough. - -_Monday, December_ 12_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman. She is going to spend Christmas at Ravenna with -the Albertis. Housman has written to me saying he will not be able to -get to Florence at Christmas and asking me to spend it with him at his -house near Hendon. I have told him that I was staying with Aunt Ruth for -Christmas. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, October_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your letter. I quite understand all you say and I was -afraid it must be so, but thank you for taking all that trouble. George -is just the same. He sees nobody except Godfrey and me. I have heard -from Mrs Housman twice and I have written to her several times and given -her news of George. I haven't set eyes on Housman nor heard either from -him or of him. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, October_ 31_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I saw Jimmy Randall yesterday. He tells me that Housman is in London but -has taken a house near Hendon and comes up every day. He is just, as -infatuated as ever with Mrs Fairburn and has given her some handsome -jewels. - -I heard from Mrs Housman on Saturday. I am afraid she is quite -miserable. George won't even go to stay with his sister. He dines with -me sometimes. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _November_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Lady Jarvis is back from Ireland. I went down to Rosedale on Saturday. -There were a few people there, but I managed to have two long and good -talks with her. She is of course fearfully worried. She hears from Mrs -Housman constantly, she never mentions G. Lady Jarvis thinks of going -out there, only, apparently, Mrs Housman will not be at Florence for -Christmas. She tried to get George to come to Rosedale, but he -wouldn't. - -I have seen Housman for a moment at the play. He said I must see his -house at Hendon. He said he had meant it as a surprise for Mrs H., but -he had been obliged to tell her. He says he has bought a lot of new -pictures and that the house is very _moderne_ in arrangement. I can see -it. He wanted me to go there next Saturday. I said I couldn't. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Tuesday, November_ 29_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am sorry to have been so bad about writing, but we have been having -rather a busy time, which has been a good thing for George. I am going -to stay with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. She asked George and he is going -too. There is no party. He seems a little better, but he isn't really -better, and he talks of giving up his job altogether and going out to -Africa again. Will you choose me a small Christmas present for Lady -Jarvis, something that looks nice in the box or case. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, December_ 12_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Housman asked me so often to go down to Hendon that I was obliged to go -last Saturday. The house is decorated entirely in the _Art Nouveau_ -style. There is a small spiral staircase made of metal in the -drawing-room that goes nowhere. It is just a serpentine ornament. The -house is the last word of hideosity, but the pictures are rather good. -He gets good advice for these and never buys anything that, he thinks -won't go up. It was a bachelor party, Randall, Carrington-Smith and -myself. We played golf all the day, and Bridge all the evening. - -He said Mrs Housman was enjoying Florence very much and that we must -all go out there for Easter again. - -I heard from her three days ago. She said very little, and asked after -George. He never hears from her. He dines with me often. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - ROSEDALE, - _Saturday, December_ 31_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We have had rather a sad Christmas, only George and myself here, but -Lady Jarvis has been too kind for words, and quite splendid with George. -She has heard regularly from Mrs Housman and she thinks she will go out -to Florence in January if she can. - -Godfrey is staying with his uncle. Lady Jarvis says that Miss Sarah -Housman makes terrible scenes about Mrs Fairburn, so much so that Sarah -and he are no longer on speaking terms. I go back to London just after -the New Year, so does George. The Christmas present was a great success. -Lady Jarvis gave me a lovely table for my flat. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, January_ 2_nd_, 1911. - -Received a small Dante bound in white vellum from Mrs Housman. It had -been delayed in the post. - -_Tuesday, January_ 3_rd_. - -Cunninghame came to the office to-day. A. also. - -_Tuesday, April_ 12_th._ - -Riley is spending Easter in London. He wishes to attend the Holy Week -services. He is staying with me. - -_Wednesday, April_ 13_th_. - -Sat up with Riley, talking. I told him about Hope having said that he -considered that to become an R.C. was to sin against the light. Riley -said that Hope might very likely end by committing suicide, as views -such as he held led to despair. He said: "If the Catholic religion is -like what Hope and you think it to be, it must be inconceivable that -anyone whose character and whose intelligence you respect could belong -to such a Church, but, granting you do, does it not occur to you that it -is just possible the Catholic religion may be unlike what you think it -is, may indeed be something quite different?" - -I said that I did not at all share Hope's views. Indeed I did not know -what they were. I said that I agreed with him that when one got to know -R.C.'s one found they were quite different from what they were supposed -to be, and I was quite ready to believe this applied to their beliefs -also. - -I said something about the complication of the Catholic system, which -was difficult to reconcile with the simplicity of the early Church. He -said the services of the early Church were longer and more complicated -than they were now. The services of the Eastern Church were more -complicated than those of the Western Church, and to this day in the -Coptic Church it took eight hours to say Mass. The Church was -complicated when described, but simple when experienced. - -_Saturday, April_ 16_th._ - -Went with Riley to the ceremony of the Blessing of the Font at -Westminster Cathedral. Riley said he was sorry for people who had to go -to Maeterlinck for symbolism. - -Received a postcard from Florence. Housman did not go out after all. - -_Monday, May_ 1_st_. - -Cunninghame told us that Housman is laid up with pneumonia. - -_Thursday, May_ 4_th._ - -Housman is worse, and Mrs Housman has been telegraphed for. He is laid -up at Hendon. They don't think he will recover. - -_Friday, May_ 5_th._ - -Mrs Housman arrived last night. Housman is about the same. - -_Monday, May_ 8_th._ - -Had luncheon with Lady Jarvis yesterday. She says that Housman was a -shade better yesterday. He may recover, but it is thought very doubtful. -Mrs Housman has been up day and night nursing him. - -_Wednesday, May_ 10_th_. - -Housman has taken a turn for the better, but he is not yet out of -danger. - -_Saturday, May_ 13_th._ - -The doctors say Housman is out of danger. - -_Monday, May_ 15_th._ - -Cunninghame says Housman will recover. He has been very bad indeed. The -doctors say that it is entirely due to Mrs Housmans nursing that he has -pulled through. - -_Saturday, May_ 20_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman at Hendon. I was allowed to see Housman for a -few minutes. He likes visitors. Mrs Housman looked tired. Cunninghame -says that Housman has a weak heart. That was the danger. - -_Saturday, June_ 10_th._ - -The Housmans have gone to Brighton for a fortnight. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am delighted to hear you and Jack are coming to London so soon, but -very sad of course that you won't be going back to Paris. But I believe -Copenhagen is a delightful post, and they say it always leads to -something. - -Perhaps you will let me come and stay with you in the summer? - - Yrs. - G. - - - - _Saturday, June_ 10_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Your letter made me laugh a great deal. I expect you will get to like -the place. I am writing this from Rosedale, where I am in the middle of -a large musical and artistic party, one painter, two novelists, and two -pianists. They all hate each other like poison, and it is pain to all -the others when one of them performs. But the rest of us are enjoying it -immensely, and Lady Jarvis is being splendid. The Housmans have gone to -Brighton for a fortnight. Bert is quite well again, but Mrs Housman -looks fearfully ill. - -Write to me again soon. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - - _Monday, June_ 26_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Oakley, the Housmans' place, near Hendon. He -has quite recovered, and everything was going on there just as usual. -Jimmy Randall was there, and Mrs Fairburn. Housman said nothing about -the summer, but Mrs Housman told me she was not going to Cornwall this -year. I asked her if she was going to stay all the summer at Oakley, -the Hendon house. She said that Housman had hired a yacht for the summer -and asked several people. She said she couldn't bear steam yachting with -a large party, and she has taken a small house on the west coast of -Ireland, with Lady Jarvis. They would be there quite alone; she was -going there quite soon: "Albert would probably go to France." - -She told me Housman had wanted to take the house in Cornwall and ask us -all again, but that she had told him this was impossible. - -George has seen her once or twice, and he is of course happier, but -things are where they were. She won't think of divorcing. - -I shall start for Copenhagen at the end of July. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, June_ 27_th._ London. - -Housman has asked me to go to Oakley next Saturday. He has asked A. -also. - -_Wednesday, June_ 28_th._ London. - -Dined with A. and his sister. A. said he would be unable to go to Oakley -next week. He had some people staying with him. - -_Thursday, June_ 29_th._ London. - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. Apparently Gertrude is still annoyed at the Caryls -having got Copenhagen. She complains of this weekly. - -_Friday, June_ 30_th._ London. - -Solway is staying the night with me, his concert is to-morrow afternoon. - -_Saturday, July_ 1_st_. London. - -Went with Mrs Housman to Solway's concert in the afternoon, and she -drove me down to Hendon afterwards in her motor. Mrs Housman is going -to spend the summer in Ireland. - -_Sunday, July_ 2_nd. Oakley (near Hendon)_. - -Mrs Fairburn and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Mrs Housman leaves -to-morrow for Ireland. - - * * * * * - -_Saturday, October_ 28_th. London, Gray's Inn_. - -Mrs Housman returns from Ireland to-day. She spends Sunday in London, -and goes to Oakley, near Hendon, on Wednesday. I have not heard one word -from Mrs Housman since her long absence in Ireland. - -_Sunday, October_ 29_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon. Ireland has done her a great -deal of good, and she looks quite refreshed and rested. - -She asked after A. I told her he was due to arrive from Scotland -to-morrow, and that we expected him at the office. She asked me if I was -going to stay with Lady Jarvis next Saturday. She said we would meet -there. She said nothing about her plans for the future. - -_Monday, October_ 30_th._ - -A. has arrived from Scotland, and Cunninghame from Copenhagen, where he -has been staying for the last three months with his cousin. I called on -Lady Jarvis. She told me she thought Mrs Housman would not remain long -in England. She might go to Italy again. - -_Tuesday, October_ 31_st_. - -A. is going to Rosedale on Saturday. - -_Wednesday, November_ 1_st_. - -Dined with A. and Cunninghame. We went to a music hall after dinner. - -_Thursday, November_ 2_nd_. - -Cunninghame and I went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. When Cunninghame -said he had been at Copenhagen, Aunt Ruth said that she knew, of course, -Caryl was a brilliant diplomatist, but that Edmund Anstruther ought to -have had the post. Uncle Arthur said: "What, Edmund? Copenhagen? He -would have got us into war with the Danes." - -_Friday, November_ 3_rd_. - -Dined alone with A. He asked after Mrs Housman's health. - -_Saturday, November_ 4_th. Rosedale_. - -A.. Cunninghame, myself, and Mrs Vaughan are here. The Housmans were -unable to come at the last moment. - -_Monday, November_ 6_th._ - -Housman asked me to go to Oakley on Saturday, November 25th. Mrs -Housman has gone to Folkestone for a fortnight to stay with Miss -Housman. Cunninghame says that Housman and his sister have quarrelled, -and that she no longer goes to the house. - -_Saturday, November_ 25_th. Oakley_. - -Lady Jarvis, A. and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Cunninghame comes -down to-morrow for the day. Housman was obliged to go to Paris on -urgent business for a few days. - -_Sunday, November_ 26_th._ - -Cunninghame and Carrington-Smith played golf. I went for a walk with -Lady Jarvis. - -_Monday, November_ 27_th._ - -Dined with A. and went to the play, a farce. A. enjoyed it immensely. I -have written to Aunt Ruth to tell her I shall not be able to go there -this year. I shall remain in London, as Riley wishes to spend Christmas -with me. - -_Tuesday, November_ 28_th._ - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. Mrs Housman has gone back to Folkestone. She -stays there till Christmas, then she returns to London. - -A. is going abroad for Christmas. - -_Wednesday, December_ 20_th._ - -A. goes to Paris to-morrow night. Cunninghame is going to spend -Christmas with the Housmans at Oakley. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -As you see, I write from London. All my plans have been upset by an -unexpected catastrophe. I will try and begin at the beginning and tell -you everything in order as clearly as possible, but the fact is I am so -bewildered by everything that has happened that I find it difficult to -think clearly and to write at all. - -I think I told you in my last letter that Housman asked me to spend -Christmas with them at Oakley. I was to go down yesterday, Thursday, and -George was going to Paris by the night train. I think I told you, too, -that ever since we stayed at Oakley in November, George has been a -_changed man_ and in the highest spirits. On Thursday we had luncheon -together. I thought it rather odd that he should be going to Paris, but -he said he was tired of England and felt that he must have a change. I -wondered what this meant. I could have imagined his wanting to go away -if he had been like he was before, that is to say miserable, but now -that he seemed to be enjoying life it was rather extraordinary. I said I -was going to Oakley. He said nothing, and talked about his journey. -After luncheon he went to the office to give Mellor some final -instructions. He said he might be away for some time. I left him there -at about half-past three. I asked him why he was going by the night -train, and he said he hated a day in the train and always slept well in -the train at night. I said good-bye and went down to Oakley in a taxi. -Housman had not arrived, and the butler (who has taken the place of the -nice parlour-maid there used to be at Campden Hill) told me that Mrs -Housman had gone up to London. Her maid thought she was staying the -night at Garland's Hotel, but he, the butler, knew nothing of her -arrangements. This astonished me, but I supposed there were no servants -at Campden Hill. At a quarter to five Housman arrived in a motor with -Carrington-Smith. He looked more yellow than usual. I met him in the -hall and while we were talking the butler gave him a letter which he -said Mrs Housman had left for him. He said we would have tea at once in -the drawing-room. Then he said to Carrington-Smith: "I just want to show -you that thing," and to me: "We will be with you in one minute." He took -Carrington-Smith into his study and I went into the drawing-room. Tea -was brought in. I again tried the butler and asked him whether Mrs -Housman was coming back to-morrow morning. He said that she had left no -instructions, but Mr Housman was probably aware of her intentions. He -went out and almost directly I heard someone shouting and bells ringing, -violently. Carrington-Smith was calling me. I ran out and met him in -the hall; he said Housman had had a stroke, he thought it was fatal. - -It was like a thing on the stage. A breathless telephone to the doctor. -The motor sent to fetch him. Servants scurrying with blanched faces. -Housman lying on the sofa in the study, his collar undone, his face -ghastly. - -Carrington-Smith said: "We must telephone to Campden Hill for Mrs -Housman." - -I said: "She isn't there." Then told him about Garland's Hotel. He -seemed _dumbfounded_, sent for the butler, who confirmed this, and then -got on to the Hotel. Mrs Housman was in. He spoke to her and told her -Housman was dangerously ill and she must come at once. He said he would -get on to Miss Housman and tell her to bring Mrs Housman down in her -motor. This was arranged and he told Miss Housman the whole facts. In -the meantime the doctor arrived--an Australian. He examined Housman and -said it was heart failure and that he had always feared this. They had -known he had a weak heart after his last illness. It might have happened -any day. - -Then Carrington-Smith told me how it had happened. When they went into -the study Housman had sat down at his writing-table and read a letter -through twice quite slowly, torn it up and thrown it into the fire. He -had then said: "We will go," and at that moment fallen back and -collapsed on the sofa. - -He told me that Housman had had a terrific row with Mrs Fairburn -yesterday and had talked of nothing else on the way down. Probably the -letter was from her, he said. I said: "Yes, very likely"; but as a -matter of fact I knew it was from Mrs Housman. He had not noticed that, -or if he had he was lying on purpose. - -Mrs Housman and Miss Housman arrived about six. Mrs Housman almost -_frighteningly_ calm. - -She wanted to know every detail. She had a talk with Carrington-Smith -alone and then I saw her for a moment before going away. She asked me if -I had seen Housman before he died. Then she made all the arrangements -herself. I went back to London by train. - -I don't know what to think. Why did she go to London? Why did she stay -at Garland's Hotel? The Campden Hill house isn't shut up. Miss Housman -talked about going there. Did the letter which she left for Housman play -a part in the tragedy? - -I sent George a telegram. Possibly you may see him. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -I was rung up last night by Cunninghame, who had returned to London -unexpectedly. He had bad news to tell me. A tragedy had occurred at -Oakley and Housman had died suddenly of a heart attack. Mrs Housman was -informed at once and reached Oakley an hour after the tragedy occurred. - -Cunninghame has informed A. by telegram. - -Not unconnected with this tragic event a small incident has occurred to -me which leaves me stunned. - -I have unwittingly violated A.'s confidence, and as it were looked -through a keyhole into his private affairs. I am literally appalled by -what I have done. But after reviewing every detail and living again -every moment of yesterday, I do not see how I could have acted -otherwise than I did, nor do I see how things could have happened -differently. - -These are the facts: - -A. arrived at the office at half-past three on Thursday afternoon with -Cunninghame. Cunninghame left him. - -A. remained in his room until five o'clock, writing letters. - -At five he sent for me and told me he was leaving for Paris that night -by the night train. Tuke, he said, had gone on his holiday. He asked me -if I was going away. I said I should be in London during all the -Christmas holidays, as I had a friend staying with me. He said he would -most probably be away for some time, and he would be obliged if I could -look in at the office every now and then. He had told the clerks to -forward letters, but he wanted me to make sure they did not forward -circulars or any other useless documents to him. I was to open all -telegrams, whether private or not, and not to forward them unless they -were of real importance. "But," he said, "there won't be any telegrams. -Don't forward me invitations to luncheon or dinner." - -This morning I went to the office. There was a telegram for A. The clerk -gave it to me. I opened it. It had been sent off originally at five -yesterday afternoon and redirected from Stratton Street. Its contents -were: "Albert dangerously ill. Fear worst. Cannot come. Clare." - -I forwarded it to the Hôtel Meurice. He will know of course that I have -read it. I read it at one glance before I realised its nature. Then it -was too late. And so unwittingly I am guilty of the greatest breach of -confidence that I could possibly have committed. - -It was a fatality that this telegram should have missed him. The clerks -say he left the office soon after I did, a little after five. They say -the telegram did not reach the office till later. They didn't know where -A. was and he had told them not to forward any telegrams till I had -seen them. I remember his saying that he was not returning to his flat. -That he was dining at a club and going straight from thereto the -station, where his servant would meet him. I am truly appalled by what I -have done, but the more I think over it, the less I see how it could -have been otherwise. - -I had some conversation with Cunninghame on the telephone last night. He -had been talking to Lady Jarvis on the telephone. She had at once -offered to go to Oakley, but Mrs Housman said she would rather see no -one at present. - -Cunninghame went down to Rosedale at her urgent request this morning. He -did not call at the office on the way. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - ROSEDALE, - _Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came down here early this morning. Lady Jarvis heard the news from -Miss Housman last night and at once offered to go, but Mrs Housman said -she would rather see no one at present. Carrington-Smith was making all -the arrangements. The funeral is to be on Tuesday. I told Lady Jarvis -about Mrs Housman being in London. She said Mrs Housman often went up to -Garland's Hotel. She found it a complete rest and the house at Campden -Hill was very cold and there was no cook there. Lady Jarvis said it was -the most natural thing in the world. I told her about the letter. She -said Mrs Housman had no doubt written to Housman saying she had gone to -Garland's Hotel and was coming back. I also told her what -Carrington-Smith had said about Mrs Fairburn. She said: "That was it. -It was those terrible scenes which used to shatter him and no doubt -caused his death." Lady Jarvis says it will be a shock to Mrs Housman in -spite of everything. The fact of Housman having made her very unhappy, -or rather of her having been very unhappy as his wife, will make no -difference to the shock. Lately Lady Jarvis says he had made things very -difficult for her. Mrs Fairburn was always there. - -One can't help thinking--well you know, I needn't explain. I wonder what -will happen in the future. I have heard nothing from George yet. There -is no one here. Housman must have left an enormous fortune. He was very -canny about his investments, and very lucky too. Randall told me he had -almost doubled his fortune in the last three years, and he was rich -enough to start with. - - Yours, - G. - -_P.S._.--Lady Jarvis' explanation of the letter does not quite satisfy, -but what _did_ happen? What does it all mean? - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, January_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came up to-day for good. I went to Housman's funeral last Tuesday. Mrs -Housman went down to Rosedale directly after the funeral. She is going -to Florence next week and means to stay on there indefinitely. George -has come back. He never wrote and I did not hear from him till he -arrived at the office this morning. He is just the same as usual except -for being subtly different. - -Housman left everything to her. - - Yrs. - G. - -_P.S._--I told Godfrey everything that had happened at Oakley. He said -_nothing._ He appears incapable of discussing the matter. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, January_ 1_st_, 1912. - -A. arrived last night from Paris. He came to the office and he thanked -me for what I had done in his absence. "Everything was quite right," he -said. He conveyed to me without saying anything that I need not distress -myself about the telegram and that he still trusted me. - -He did not mention Mrs Housman nor the death of Housman. - -_Wednesday, February_ 28_th_. - -I heard to-day from Mrs Housman. She tells me she has entered the -Convent of the Presentation and intends to be a nun. I cannot say the -news surprised me, but to hear of the death in life of anyone one knows -well, is almost worse I think than to hear of their death. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, February_ 28_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just had a short letter from Lady Jarvis telling me that Mrs -Housman is going to be a nun. I have not set eyes on her since Housmans -funeral, and have only heard of her, and that not much, from time to -time from Lady Jarvis. - -I confess I am completely bewildered, and I hope you won't be shocked if -I tell you that I' can't help thinking it rather _selfish_. Do as I -will, I cannot see any possible reason for her taking such a step. Mrs -Housman seems to me the last person in the world who ought to be a nun. -Whether it will make her happy or not, I am afraid there is no doubt -that she will be causing a lot of intense misery. George is worse than -ever. He hasn't in the least got over it, and he never will, I feel -sure. He knows what has happened, but he can't even bring himself to -talk about it. I think he must have known of it for some time. In any -case he hasn't for one moment emerged from the real fog of gloom and -misery that has wrapped him up ever since Christmas. - -What is so extraordinary is that just before Christmas he was in radiant -spirits after all those months of sadness! - -I can't see that it _can_ be right, however good the motive, to destroy -and shatter someone's life! - -His life _is_ destroyed, shattered and shipwrecked! We must just face -that. - -I tried to think that we had always been wrong and that my first -impressions were right, that she had never really cared for him. But I -know this is not true. You will forgive me saying that I think your -religion has a terribly hard and cruel side. Nobody appreciates more -than I do all its good points, and nobody knows better than I do what a -lot of good is often done by Catholics. But it is just this sort of -thing that makes one _revolt_. - -I was reading Boswell last night before going to bed, and I came across -this sentence: "Madam," Dr Johnson said, to a nun in a convent, "you are -here not from love of virtue, but from fear of vice." Even this is not a -satisfactory explanation in Mrs Housmans case. It is obvious that she -had nothing to fear from vice. I can't help thinking she has been the -victim of an inexorable system and of a training which bends the human -mind into a twisted shape that can never be altered or put straight. - -Frankly, I think it is _more_ than sad, I think it is positively -_wicked_; not on her part, but on the part of those who have led her to -take such a mistaken view of ordinary human duty. After all, even if she -wants to be a nun, isn't it her duty to stay in the world? Isn't it a -more difficult duty? What is one's duty to one's neighbour? Forgive me -for saying all this. You know in my case that it isn't inspired by -prejudice. - -It is cruel to think that most probably George will never get over this, -and that she has sacrificed the certain happiness of two human beings -and the chance of doing any amount of good in the world. What for? For -nothing as far as I can see that can't be much better done by people far -more fitted to that kind of vocation. I am too sad to write any more. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Thursday, March_ 1_st_. - -I dined alone with Cunninghame at his flat last night. He had heard the -news about Mrs Housman. He was greatly upset about it, and thought it -very selfish. I said I believed the step was not irrevocable, as one had -to stay some time in a convent before taking final vows. - -He said: "That is just what I want to talk about, just what I want to -know. How long must one stay exactly?" - -I said I did not know, but I could find out. He said I want you to find -out all about it as soon as possible. A., he said, was in a dreadful -state. He had dined with him last night. He had said very little; -nothing personal, not a word about what he felt about it, but he had -asked him, Cunninghame, whether he knew what the rules were about taking -the veil. - -C. said he did not believe Mrs Housman would take an irrevocable -decision. He had told A. he would find out all about it. I could of -course ask Riley, but I don't know whether he would know. - -I decided I would apply to Father Stanway, the priest I met at Carbis -Bay, for information. I wrote to him, saying I wished to consult him on -a matter, and suggested going down to Cornwall on Saturday and spending -Sunday at Carbis Bay. - -_Friday, March_ 2_nd_. - -Received a telegram from Father Stanway, saying that he will not be in -Cornwall this week-end, but in London, where he will be staying four or -five days; and suggesting our meeting on Sunday afternoon. I sent him a -telegram asking him to luncheon on Sunday. - -_Sunday, March_ 4_th._ - -Father Stanway came to luncheon with me at the Club, and we talked of -the topics of the day. After luncheon I suggested a walk in the park. -We went for a walk in Kensington Gardens. I asked him first for the -information about the nuns. He said, as far as he could say off-hand, it -entailed six months' postulancy, two years' "Habit and White Veil," -three years' _simple_ vows of profession; and then solemn perpetual -vows. But he said he could write to a convent and get it quite accurate -for me. In any case he knew it was a matter of five years. - -I then said I would like, if he did not mind, to have his opinion on a -case which I had come across. He said he would be pleased to listen. - -I then told him the whole Housman story as a skeleton case, not -mentioning names, and calling the people X. and Y. Very possibly he knew -who I was talking about, almost certainly I think, although he never -betrayed this for a moment. I felt the knowledge, if there were -knowledge, would be as safe as though given in the confessional. I told -him everything, including a detailed account of Housman's death which -Cunninghame had given me. I referred to Housman as X., to Mrs Housman as -Mrs X. and to A. as Y. - -I then asked him if he thought Mrs X. was justified in taking such a -step, and whether it would not be nobler, a more unselfish course, to -remain in the world and to make Y. happy. - -I asked him whether, in his opinion, people would be justified in -calling Mrs X.'s step, were it to turn out to be irrevocable, a -_selfish_ act. - -And, thirdly, I asked if in the case of Mrs X. changing her mind she -would be allowed by the Church to marry Y. - -Father Stanway said if I wished to understand the question I must try -and turn my mind round, as it were, and start from the point of view -that what the world considers all-important the Church considers of no -importance _if it interferes with what God thinks important_. He said I -must start by remembering that Mrs X.'s conduct proceeded from that -idea--what was important in the eyes of God: she believed in God -_practically_ and not merely theoretically. This belief was the cardinal -fact and the compass of her life. He added that this did not mean the -Church was unsympathetic. No one understood human nature as well as she -did, nobody met it as she did at every point. That was why she helped it -to rise superior to its weakness and to do what it saw to be really -best. He said it was no disgrace to be weak, and vows helped one to do -what might be difficult without them. - -Then he said that if Mrs X. felt she was called to the religious life, -this vocation was the result of supernatural Grace; that she would not -be thinking of what was delightful or convenient to her, but of what was -pleasing and honourable to God. She was bound to follow the appointment -of God, if she felt certain that was His appointment, rather than her -own desire, and before anything she desired. - -Here I said the objection made (and I quoted Cunninghame without -mentioning him) was that her desire might be for the calm and security -of the religious life; but might it not be her duty, possibly a more -difficult, a more unselfish and less pleasant duty, to stay in the world -and not to shatter the happiness of another human being? - -Father Stanway then said it was very easy to delude oneself in most -things, but not in following a religious vocation. One might in _not_ -following it. It would be easy to pretend to oneself one was staying in -the world for someone else's sake. One's merely earthly happiness was -not a reason for _not_ following a vocation, nor was anyone else's, -because the religious life belonged not to things temporal but to things -eternal. However, if it were her duty to remain in the world she would -feel no call to leave the world. It was impossible for a human being to -gauge the vocation of another human being. A vocation was a -"categorical imperative" to the soul, and there was no mistaking its -presence. Mrs X. would know for certain after she had spent some time in -the Convent, she probably knew already, whether or no what she felt was -a vocation or not. Nobody else could judge, though her Director might -help her to decide. He would certainly not allow her to stay if he felt -she had no vocation. - -I said: "So, if after she has lived through her first period, or any -period of probation, she feels uncertain as to her vocation, there would -be no objection to her leaving the religious life, and marrying Y.? -Would the Church then allow her to marry Y., and allow her to go back to -the world, knowing she would in all probability marry Y.?" - -Father Stanway said: "Of course, and the Church would allow her to marry -Y. now." - -I said, perhaps a little impatiently: "Then why doesn't she?" - -"I think," said Father Stanway, "you are a musician, Mr Mellor?" - -I said music was my one and sole hobby. - -He said he would try and express himself in terms of harmony. - -"Perhaps Mrs X. has a great sense of harmony herself," he said. "If she -married Y. that would make a legitimate harmony certainly. But her very -feeling for the _full_ harmony of life would make it impossible" (and he -said this with startling emphasis) "_for her to use X.'s death as a -means for doing rightly what she had meant to do wrongly_, for her -intention to do it wrongly had in a measure caused his death. Within -the harmony of her marriage the memory of that discord would always be -present. And perhaps she is a woman who is able to have a vision of -perfect love and harmony. In that case she could not put up with an -imperfect one. She is now free to enter upon a perfect harmony and love, -by marrying Christ, which I imagine she always wanted to do, even in -the normal married state, in fact by means of the normal married state, -for it is a Sacrament and unites the soul to God by Grace. - -"But I understand from you that her marriage was such a travesty of -marriage that she felt she couldn't worship Christ through that, and so -swung across and decided she couldn't be in relation with Him at all. -Then comes this catastrophe and the pendulum swings back and stops up. - -"There is nothing selfish about this. For all we know it was the will of -God that all this should happen (the shipwreck of her marriage, Y.'s -love and present misery) solely to make her vocation certain, and as far -as Y. is concerned we don't know the end. Even from the worldly point of -view we don't know whether his marriage with Mrs X. would have made for -his ultimate happiness or for hers. His present unhappiness may be an -essential note in the full and total harmony of _his_ life. It may be a -beginning and not an end. It may lead him to some eventual happiness, it -may be welding his nature and his life for some undreamed-of purpose, a -purpose which he may afterwards be led to recognise and bless 'with -tears of recognition.' If Mrs X. is certain of her vocation, and -continues to be certain of it, you can be sure she is right, and that -whatever the world says it will be wrong. - -"The only way in which peace comes to the human soul is in accepting the -will of God, 'In la sua volontate e nostra pace.' - -"Mrs X. knows that, and perhaps Y. is on the road to learning it. I -daresay Mrs X. may have an element of fear of life _too_, but it will -thin out and float off and away from her; her act in choosing the -religious life will not be an escape nor a _flight_, but a positive -acceptance of the love of Christ. She is getting to and at the -mysterious spiritual thing which is in music, and which is as different -from sounds as sounds are different from printed notes. It is you -musicians who know." - -I said that although I did not pretend to understand the whole thing, -and the whole nature of the motive, I could understand that it could be -as he said, and I thanked him, telling him that I for one should never -cavil at her act nor criticise it, but always understand that there was -something to understand, although probably it would always be beyond my -understanding. - -I felt during all this conversation that the real problem was not why -she had become a nun, but what terrible thing had happened inside her -mind to make her take that step at Christmas, and decide on what seemed -to contradict all her life so far. - -I said something about religion not affecting conduct in a crisis. -Father Stanway seemed to read my thoughts. He said: "After a long stress -sometimes a tiny accident will suffice to make a nerve snap _suddenly_. -I should say that in this case long stress had pushed and pushed a soul -out of its real shape and pattern; an unknown factor sufficed to force -it into a coherent but false pattern; a new shock sufficed to liberate -it wholly and let it fall back into its original _true_ pattern. That -may account for half of it." - -_Wednesday, March_ 7_th._ - -I dined alone with Cunninghame last night, and told him what I had -ascertained respecting the rules for the period of probation of nuns. He -appeared to be relieved. I warned him that Mrs Housman's step might very -well prove to be irrevocable, as I didn't think she was a person to -change her mind easily. He said: "That's what I am afraid of. They never -do let people go. I feel that once in a convent they will never let her -go. But it will be a relief to A. to know that the step is not yet -irrevocable." - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, March_ 7_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Godfrey dined with me last night. I feel he thinks that Mrs Housmans -step will be irrevocable, although he didn't actually say so. He said he -didn't pretend to understand it, but he was convinced she knew best. I -talked of George's acute misery. He said it was all very difficult to -understand, and I saw he didn't want to discuss it, so I didn't say any -more. I feel he knows something that we don't know, but what? He told me -that he knew on good authority that going into Convent doesn't mean she -takes the veil for five years. An R.C. who knows all about it had told -him. I suppose this is right? Do ask a priest. I have seen George once -or twice. I don't talk about it to him. In fact, the rules about nuns -is the only point that has been mentioned between us as I see he simply -can't talk about it. He looks ten years older. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 12_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you very much for your letter and for the detailed information. I -told George at once that you had confirmed what Godfrey had said, and he -was really relieved. But he doesn't yet look like a man who has had a -_reprieve_, only a respite. - -I feel that he feels it is all over, but personally I shall go on -hoping. - -Lady Jarvis is away. - -I long to talk about it with her. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, August_ 19_th. Rosedale_. - -I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one here but myself and -Cunninghame. She told us she had heard from Mrs Housman, who has -finished her postulancy and received the novice's white veil. - -She had seen her. She says she is quite certain that it is irrevocable -and that Mrs Housman will never change her mind now. - -Cunninghame said he had hoped up till now this would not happen (though -he had always feared it might happen) and that Mrs Housman would think -better of it. He thought it very wrong and selfish and quite inexcusable -on the part of the Church authorities. - -Lady Jarvis said it must appear so to him. She herself would have no -sympathy with a vocation such as this one must appear to be to the -world in general, and even to people who knew Mrs Housman well, like -Cunninghame and myself; so Mrs Housman's act had not surprised her. - -"But," said Cunninghame, "do you approve of it?" - -"The person concerned," said Lady Jarvis, "is the only judge in such a -matter. Nobody else has the right to judge. It's a sacred thing, and the -approval or disapproval of an outsider is I think simply impertinent." - -We then talked of it no more. But in the afternoon I went out for a walk -with Lady Jarvis and she reverted to the question. - -She said: "I hope you understand I'm so far from disapproving of Clare's -act. I understand it and approve of it; but I don't expect you or anyone -else to do the same." - -I said she need not have told me that. I knew it already. - -She then said: "Clare knew you would understand, even if you didn't -understand." - -I said that was my exact position: "I did not understand, but I knew -there was something to understand, and that therefore she was right." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, August_ 10_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale. There is no one there except -Godfrey. Lady Jarvis told us that Mrs Housman has finished the first -period you told me about, and has taken the veil, though it isn't -irrevocable yet, but for all intents and purposes it is, as we are all -certain now that she will never leave the Convent. You know what I think -about it. I haven't changed my mind, but Lady Jarvis doesn't disapprove, -or is too loyal to say so. - -George knows, he is going to Ireland with his sister. - -I can't help thinking it is all a great, a wicked mistake, and I can't -help still thinking it _selfish_. - -George talked about Mrs Housman, at least he just alluded to her having -become a nun, as if it were a fact and quite irrevocable. He said: "Once -the priests get hold of someone they will never let them go, and in this -case it was a regular conspiracy." But somehow or other this did not -seem to me to ring quite true, from _him_, and I felt he was using this -as a shield or a disguise or mask. I said so to Godfrey, but found it -impossible to get any response. He won't talk about it. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, August_ 26_th. Carbis Bay Hotel_. - -I have come down here to spend a week by myself. It is three years ago -since I came here for the first time to stay with Mr and Mrs Housman. - -I hesitated about coming down here again, but I am now glad that I did -so. - -I went to Father Stanway's church this morning and heard him preach. He -is a good preacher, clear and unaffected. He quoted two sayings which -struck me. One was about going away from earthly solace, and the other I -cannot remember well enough to transcribe, but I have written him a post -card asking who said them and where I could find them. - -In the afternoon I went for a walk alone along the cliffs and passed the -place where we began _Les Misérables_. I am re-reading it, not where we -left off, but from the beginning. - -_Monday, August_ 27_th_. - -Father Stanway called this morning while I was out. He has left me the -quotations on a card. - -They are both from Thomas à Kempis. One of them is this: "By so much the -more does a man draw nigh to God as he goes away from all earthly -solace." The other: "Whosoever is not ready to suffer all things and to -stand resigned to the will of his beloved is not worthy to be called a -lover." - -_Tuesday, August_ 28_th_. - -I have resolved to give up keeping this diary. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Passing By, by Maurice Baring - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - -***** This file should be named 42702-8.txt or 42702-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/7/0/42702/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Passing By - -Author: Maurice Baring - -Release Date: May 12, 2013 [EBook #42702] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<h1>PASSING BY</h1> - -<h3>BY</h3> - -<h2>MAURICE BARING</h2> - - -<h5>LONDON: MARTIN SECKER</h5> - -<h5>1921</h5> - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Friday, December</i> 18<i>th</i>, 1908. <i>Gray's Inn</i>.</p> - -<p>I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off. They are -leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two -months. They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, December</i> 19<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>My Christmas holidays begin. I am spending Christmas with Uncle Arthur -and Aunt Ruth. I have to be back at the office on the first of January.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, January</i> 1<i>st</i>, 1909. <i>Gray's Inn</i>.</p> - -<p>Received a post-card from Mrs Housman, from Cairo.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, February</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Received a letter from Mrs Housman. They are returning to London.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, February</i> 8<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>The Housmans return to-morrow. They have been away one month and -twenty-one days.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, February</i> 9<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Went to meet the Housmans at the station. They are going straight into -their new house at Campden Hill and are giving a house-warming dinner -next Monday, to which I have been invited.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, February</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Lord Ayton has been made Parliamentary Under-Secretary. I do not know -him but I remain in the office. He is taking me on.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, February</i> 16<i>th. Gray's Inn</i>.</p> - -<p>The Housmans had their house-warming in their new house at Campden Hill. -I was the first to arrive.</p> - -<p>On one of the walls in the drawing-room there is the large portrait of -Mrs Housman by Walter Bell, which I had never seen since it was -exhibited in the New Gallery ten years ago. It was always being lent for -exhibitions when I went to the old house in Inverness Terrace. While I -was looking at this picture Housman joined me and apologised for being -late. He said the portrait of Mrs Housman was Bell's <i>chef-d'oeuvre</i>. -He liked it <i>now.</i> Then he said: "We are having some music to-night. -Solway is dining with us and will play afterwards. He plays for nothing -here, an old friend; you know him? Miss Singer is coming too. You know -her? She writes. I don't read her."</p> - -<p>At that moment Mrs Housman came in and almost immediately Mr and Mrs -Carrington-Smith were announced. Mr Carrington-Smith is Housman's -partner, an expert in deep-breathing besides being rich. Mrs -Carrington-Smith had lately arrived from Munich. The other guests -were—Miss Housman (Housman's sister), Lady Jarvis, Miss Singer, whom I -was to take in to dinner, a city friend of Mr Housman's, Mr James -Randall, a little man with a silk waistcoat, and, the last to arrive, -Solway. I sat on Mrs Housman's left, next to Miss Singer. -Carrington-Smith sat on Mrs Housmans right; Housman sat at the head of -the table, between Mrs Carrington-Smith and Lady Jarvis. Miss Singer -talked to me earnestly at first. She is writing on the Italian -Renaissance. I told her I was ignorant of the subject, upon which her -earnestness subsided, and she smiled. Then we talked of music, where I -felt more at home. She had been to all Solway's concerts. She is not a -Wagnerite. Just as we were beginning to get on smoothly there was a -shuffle in the conversation and Mrs Housman turned to me.</p> - -<p>I told her we had a new chief at the office—Lord Ayton.</p> - -<p>"We met him in Egypt," she said. "He had been big-game shooting. I had -no idea he was an official."</p> - -<p>I told her he was only a Parliamentary Under-Secretary. At that moment -there was a lull in the general conversation and Housman overheard us.</p> - -<p>"Ayton," he broke in. "A pleasant fellow, not too much money, some fine -things, furniture, at his place, but he won't go far, no grit."</p> - -<p>I asked Mrs Housman what he was like. She said they had made great -friends at Cairo but she did not think they would ever meet again.</p> - -<p>"You know," she said, "these great friends one makes travelling, people, -you know, who are just passing by."</p> - -<p>Miss Singer said he had an old house in Sussex. She had been over it. It -was let; there were some fine old things there.</p> - -<p>"But he won't sell," said Housman. "He's not a man of business."</p> - -<p>Mrs Carrington-Smith said she preferred impressionist pictures, -especially the Danish school. Housman laughed at her and said there was -no money in them. Miss Housman said she had heard from a dealer that -Lord Ayton had a remarkable set of Charles II. chairs and that she -wished he would sell them. Solway took no part in the conversation but -discussed music with Miss Singer. I caught the phrase, "trombones as -good as Baireuth." Mrs Housman asked me whether I had seen Ayton yet. I -told her he had not been to the office.</p> - -<p>"I think you will like him," she said. Then, as an afterthought. "He's -not a musician."</p> - -<p>She asked me whether there were any changes in the staff. I told her -none except for the arrival of a new Private Secretary (unpaid) whom -Lord Ayton is bringing with him, called Cunninghame. She had never heard -of him. We stayed a long time in the dining-room. Housman was proud of -his Madeira and annoyed with us for not drinking enough. Mr Randall said -he was sorry but he never mixed his wines, and he had some more -champagne. Randall, Carrington-Smith and Housman talked of the -international situation. Solway explained to me why portions of the -Ninth Symphony were always played too fast. He was most illuminating. -Then we went upstairs. More guests had arrived. A few people I knew, a -great many I had not seen before, Solway played some Bach preludes and -the Waldstein Sonata. The unmusical went downstairs. There were about a -dozen people left in the drawing-room.</p> - -<p>Afterwards there were some refreshments downstairs. I got away about -half-past twelve.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, February</i> 17<i>th. Gray's Inn</i>.</p> - -<p>Our first day under the new regime. The new chief came to the office -to-day. He looks young, and was friendly and unofficial. The new Private -Secretary came too, Mr Guy Cunninghame, an affable young man. He wears a -beautifully tied bow tie. I wonder how it is done and whether it takes a -long time or not. He is well dressed, but when it comes to describing -him he is dressed like anyone else, and yet he gives the impression of -being well dressed. I don't know why. I suppose it is an art like any -other. I could not tie a tie like that to save my life. <i>Equidem non -invideo magis miror</i>.</p> - -<p>He seems to have been everywhere, to have read everything and to know -everyone. He is not condescending, he is just naturally agreeable.</p> - -<p>I had to go over to the Foreign Office in the morning to see someone in -the Eastern Department. When I came back Cunninghame told me that a Mrs -Housman had been to see Ayton, about some billet for her brother-in-law. -She talked to him first. Cunninghame said he thought she did not like -coming on such an errand. She then saw A., who said he would do what he -could. He told C. afterwards he was sure he couldn't do anything for the -fellow. C. had never met her nor heard of her, but curiously enough he -said he recognised her from her picture which he had seen, Walter Bell's -picture. I asked him if he had seen it at the New Gallery. He said no, -at a dealer's in America two years ago.</p> - -<p>I asked him if he was sure it was the same picture. He said he was quite -sure. The picture was for sale.</p> - -<p class="p2">"One couldn't mistake the picture," he said. "It's the best thing Walter -Bell ever did. His pictures are valuable now he is dead, but there was a -slump in them before he died, or rather, there never was a boom in them. -That one picture attracted a great deal of attention when it was first -exhibited, and then one heard little of him till he died. Now, of -course, his pictures fetch high prices."</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to his cousin, Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>February</i> 19<i>th</i>, 1909.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Since my last letter I have been installed. I am George Ayton's -Secretary. I sit in the office with another man, who was there before -and has been taken on, called Mellor. He is as silent as a deaf-mute and -I have no doubt is the soul of discretion. There isn't much work to do -and Ayton has got a real Secretary of his own who writes shorthand and -typewrites without mistakes and lives in his house. He writes all his -private letters and does all his business for him. He is not supposed to -do official work, but George brings him to the office all the same, and -he has a typewriter in the clerk's room and is always ready to do any -odd job. I find him most useful. He is still more silent than Mellor. I -haven't much to tell you. I have got into my new flat in Halkin Street. -It will be presentable in time. The pictures are up, but not the -curtains. Let us hope they won't be a failure: They were promised last -week but have not yet arrived. If you have time and are passing that way -I wish you would get me from the Bon Marché half-a-dozen coloured -tablecloths.</p> - -<p>George has got a flat in Stratton Street. I dined with him alone last -night. We went to a Music Hall after dinner and heard Harry Lauder. His -sister, Mrs Campion, is in Paris. Perhaps you will see her. Yesterday a -lady came to the office to interview him and saw me first, a Mrs -Housman. Have you ever heard of her? I recognised her at once as the -subject of a picture by Walter Bell. Do you remember a large picture of -a lady in white playing the piano? Such a clever picture. I saw it in -New York at Altheim's shop, but I believe it was exhibited years ago at -the New Gallery. Well, she is far more beautiful than the picture. She -is not really tall, but she looks tall, with a wonderful walk, but I -can't describe her, she makes other people look unreal—like wax-works. -She was dressed anyhow and rather shabbily in black, wearing no gloves -but the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, a kind of double monogram, -probably old French. She came on business. I wonder who she is. She is -not a foreigner and not, I think, an American, but she is, looks and -talks, especially talks, not like an Englishwoman.</p> - -<p>I shall try to come to Paris for Easter.</p> - -<p>Don't forget the tablecloths.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">Guy.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, March</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>I dined last night with the Housmans, They were alone except for Solway, -and after dinner we had some music. Solway played the Schumann -Variations and then he asked Mrs Housman to sing. I hadn't heard her for -a long time as she hardly ever will sing now. She sang <i>Willst du dein -Herz mir schenken</i>. Solway says the song isn't by Bach really but by his -nephew. Then she sang a song from Purcell's <i>Dido</i>, some Schubert; among -others, <i>Wer nie sein Brot</i>, and the <i>Junge Nonne</i>. Solway said he had -never heard the last better sung. Housman then asked her to sing a song -from <i>The Merry Widow</i>, which she did.</p> - -<p>Housman plays himself by ear.</p> - -<p>She did not allude to having been at the office, nor did I.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, March</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with Cunninghame at his flat last night. A comfortable and -luxurious abode. I asked him if Ayton was likely to marry. He laughed. -He said he had been in love for years, with a Mrs Shamier. I had never -heard of her. Cunninghame said she was clever and accomplished, and had -been very pretty and painted by all the painters.</p> - -<p>He says A. will never marry. I asked him if Mrs Shamier was in London. -He said of course. She has a husband who is in Parliament, and several -children; a country house on the south coast; but they are not -particularly well off.</p> - -<p>"You must come and meet her at dinner," he said. "I am devoted to her."</p> - -<p>I asked him if she was fond of A.</p> - -<p>"Not so much now, but she won't let him go."</p> - -<p>I went away early as C. was going to a party.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Went to the British Museum before going to the office, to look up an old -English tune for Mrs Housman from Ford's <i>Music of Sundry Kinds</i> called -<i>The Doleful Lover</i>. I found it.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, March</i> 4<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Went to Solway's Chamber Music Concert last night.</p> - -<p>Brahms Quintet and a trio by Solway himself. Some Brahms <i>Lieder</i>. The -Housmans were there. I thought Solway's trio fine.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, March</i> 5<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>A. went to the country this afternoon to stay with the Shamiers; so C. -said, but, as a matter of fact, he told me he was going to his own -house. Cunninghame is going away himself to-morrow. He always goes away -on Saturdays, he says. I remain in London.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, March</i> 6<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Went to the London Library and got some books for Sunday: <i>Thaïs</i>, by -Anatole France, recommended to me by C.; a book called <i>A Human -Document</i>, recommended me by Mrs Housman. I do not think I shall read -any of them. The only literature I read without difficulty is <i>The -Times</i> and <i>Jane Eyre</i>, and <i>The Times</i> doesn't come out on Sunday.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday Night, March</i> 7<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Called on the Housmans in the afternoon. She was out. Luncheon at the -Club. Dinner at the Club. I began <i>A Human Document</i>, but could not read -more than five pages of it. I couldn't read any of the book by Anatole -France.</p> - -<p>Went to a concert in the afternoon. It was not enjoyable.</p> - -<p class="p2">Read <i>Jane Eyre</i>.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, March</i> 8<i>th</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I meant to write you a long letter yesterday from the country. I went to -stay with the Shamiers. I thought, of course, George would be there. He -didn't come near the office on Friday. He wasn't there and evidently -wasn't even expected.</p> - -<p>Louise in tearing spirits and a new man there called Lavroff, a Russian -philosopher; youngish and talking English better than any of us, except -that he always said "I <i>have been</i> seeing So-and-so to-day," "I <i>have -been to the concert yesterday</i>."</p> - -<p>Needless to say, I didn't have a moment to write to you, in fact the -only place where I get time to write you a line is at the office. -Everything is appallingly dull. Mellor, the Secretary, had dinner with -me one night. He spoke a little but not much. I think he is shy but not -stupid.</p> - -<p>George likes being in London, but Louise didn't mention him. It's -curious if after all this fuss and trouble to get this job and to be in -London it all comes to an end.</p> - -<p>The tablecloths have arrived. Thank you a thousand times. They are -exactly what I wanted. The curtains have arrived too but they are a -failure; too bright. I can't afford to get new ones yet. This week I -have got some dinners. George said something about giving a dinner this -week.</p> - -<p>Yours in great haste,</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 27em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, March</i> 8<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>A. asked me whether if I was free on Thursday I would dine with him. I -said f would be pleased to. He said he would try and get a few people.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, March</i> 9<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>A. has got a Secretary called Tuke. He writes all his private letters -and he comes down to the office in the mornings. This morning he came -and asked me Mrs Housman's address. It is curious that he should have -applied to me and not to C., as I was not here when she called, nor does -A. know that I know her. How can he have known that I know her?</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 10<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with Cunninghame last night at his flat. The guests were Mr and -Mrs Shamier, Miss Macdonald, C.'s cousin, M. Lavroff, a Russian, and a -Miss Hope. I sat between the Russian and Miss Macdonald. Miss Macdonald -is an elderly lady, kind and agreeable. Mr Shamier, M.P., was once, I -believe, an athlete, a cricket Blue. Miss Hope looked as if she were in -fancy dress; Lavroff, the Russian, is unkempt, with thick eyebrows and -dark eyes. Tolstoy was mentioned at dinner. Mrs Shamier said he was her -favourite novelist, upon which Lavroff became greatly excited and said -the day would come when, the world would perceive and be ashamed of -itself for perceiving that Tolstoy was not worthy to lick Dostoyevsky's -boots. Being asked my opinion I was obliged to confess that I had read -the works of neither novelist. Miss Macdonald asked me who was my -favourite novelist. I said Charlotte Brontë. She said she shared my -preference and couldn't read Russian books, they depressed her. After -dinner we had some music. Miss Hope sang and accompanied herself. She -sang songs by Fauré and Hahn; among others <i>La Prison</i>. She altered the -text of the last line, and instead of singing "Qu'as tu fait de ta -jeunesse?" she rendered it—"Qu'as tu fait dans ta jeunesse?": scarcely -an improvement. When she had finished Lavroff was asked to play. He -consented immediately and played some folk songs. Although he is in no -sense a pianist, they were beautifully played.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, March</i> 11<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Had dinner last night with Admiral Bowes in Hyde Park Gardens. The only -people there besides myself were Colonel Hamley and Grayson, who is, -they say, a rising M.P. The Admiral said his nephew, Bowes in the F.O. -(whom I know a little), had become a Roman Catholic.</p> - -<p>"What on earth made him do that?" said Colonel Hamley.</p> - -<p>"Got hold of by the priests," said the Admiral; and they all echoed the -phrase: "Got hold of by the priests" and passed on to other topics.</p> - -<p>I have often wondered what the process of being "got hold of by the -priests" consists of, and where and how it happens.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, March</i> 12<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined last night with A. at his flat. I was surprised to meet Mr and Mrs -Housman. The hostess was A.'s sister, Mrs Campion. She is a deal older -than he is, a widow and good company. There was also a Mrs Braham, and a -younger man called Clive. He is in a bank and is, I believe, a useful -man in a sailing boat.</p> - -<p>I sat between Mrs Campion and Mrs Housman.</p> - -<p>After dinner A. said to Mrs Housman that, knowing she liked music, he -had provided her with a musical treat. Mrs Braham would sing to us. She -sang, accompanying herself, <i>The Garden of Sleep, The Silver Ring, -Mélisande in the Wood</i>, and, by special request, <i>The Little Grey Home -in the West</i>. There was no other music.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, March</i> 13<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Had tea with the Housmans. They asked me to dinner next Tuesday to meet -A. Mrs Housman says that Mrs Campion is one of the most charming and -amusing people she has ever met. C. is staying in London. This Saturday -A. is going to his house in the country. He has a small house on the -coast near Littlehampton, where he keeps his yacht, but, of course, he -cannot yacht yet. He has a large house in Sussex which is let.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday Night, March</i> 14<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">Went down to Woking to spend the day with Solway in his cottage. He is -composing a Sonata for piano and violin. He played me the first -movement. He said he thought there was a certain amount of good music -being composed at the present day which nobody was taking notice of, but -which would probably come into its own some day. He said Mrs Housman was -the singer who gave him the most pleasure. He said: "Her singing is -<i>business-like</i>. She is divinely musical."</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Sunday, March</i> 14<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have been spending a perfect Saturday to Monday in London. I have had -a busy week and was glad to see no one and do nothing all to-day, that -is to say, comparatively no one and nothing, as I went to the play on -Saturday night, and to-day I went to a large luncheon party at Alice's, -who is back at Bruton Street. The news is that the Shamier episode is -over, quite, quite over. There is no doubt about it. She is madly in -love with Lavroff. I don't wonder. He is so intelligent and plays -wonderfully. As for George, I don't think he cares. You will at once ask -if there is no one else. Nobody that I know of. I don't know who he sees -and what he does. He hates going out, and talks every day of giving a -dinner at his flat, but as far as I know he hasn't entertained a cat -yet.</p> - -<p>I dined out every night last week, and gave one dinner at my flat. I -think it was a success. Freda Macdonald, Louise, Lavroff and Eileen -Hope, who sang quite beautifully. I asked Godfrey Mellor, but I really -don't know if I can ask him again to that sort of party as he didn't -utter a word. Freda liked him. But it does ruin a dinner to have a gulf -of silence in the middle of it, especially as when he does talk he can -be quite agreeable. George has gone down to the country. His sister is -here now, but she goes north next week. I believe London bores him to -death and he is longing for the summer and for his yacht. I am sorry you -can tell me nothing of Mrs Housman. I haven't seen or heard anything -more of her.</p> - -<p>Thank you very much for the <i>langues de chat</i>. They added to the success -of my dinner. Yours, etc.,</p> - -<p class="p2">GUY.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, March</i> 16<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I asked C. where he got his cigarettes. He said he got them from a -little man who lived <i>behind</i> the Haymarket. Everybody seems to get -their cigarettes and their shirts from a "little man." The little man -apparently never lives in a street but always <i>behind</i> a street.</p> - -<p>My new piano, a Cottage Broadwood, arrived to-day. It is bought on the -three years' system.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, March</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur last night, in Eccleston -Square. A large dinner-party: a Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign -Affairs, the French Chargé d'Affaires and his wife, the Editor of <i>The -Whig</i> and his wife, Lord and Lady Saint-Edith, Professor Miles, Sir -Herbert Wilmott and Lady Wilmott, Mr Julius K. Lee of the American -Embassy, and Mrs Lovell-Smythies, the novelist.</p> - -<p>As we were all waiting for dinner in the dark library downstairs a Miss -Magdalen Cross came in late, carrying a book in her hand. "This book," -she said to us all, "is well worth reading." It was a German novel by -Sudermann. An old lady who was standing next to her, and who I -afterwards discovered was the widow of the Bishop of Exminster, said: -"You prepared that entry in your cab, dear Magdalen." Miss Cross -blushed. I took her in to dinner. She talked of sculpture, the Chinese -nation, German novels, and Russian music. She has been three times round -the world. She has no liking for most German music and cannot abide -Brahms. She likes Wagner, Chopin, Russian Church music and Spanish -songs. On the other side I had the wife of the French Chargé d'Affaires. -She said: "J'adore l'odeur des paquets anglais." Her favourite English -author, she said, was Mrs Humphry Wood. I did not like to ask her if -she meant Mrs Humphry Ward or Mrs Henry Wood. She said the works of this -novelist made her weep.</p> - -<p>When we were left in the dining-room after dinner, Lord Saint-Edith, -Professor Miles and Hallam (of <i>The Whig</i>) had a long argument about -some lines in Dante, and this led them to the Baconian theory. Lord -Saint-Edith said he couldn't understand people thinking Bacon had -written Shakespeare's plays. If they said Shakespeare had written the -works of Bacon as a pastime he could understand it. He believed Homer -was written by Homer. The Professor was paradoxical and said he thought -the Odyssey was a forgery. "Tacitus," he said, "was known to be one."</p> - -<p>After dinner upstairs there was tea but no music. Uncle Arthur is -growing very deaf and forgetful and asked me how I was getting on at -Balliol.</p> - -<p>Aunt Ruth told me she had asked my new chief to dinner, but that he had -refused. "Of course," she said, "this is not the kind of house he would -find amusing. But considering how well I knew his father I think it -would be only civil for him to come to one of my Thursday evenings."</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I dined at the Housmans' last night. It was a dinner for A. He was the -guest of the evening. To meet him there were Lady Maria Lyneham, who -must be over seventy; a French lady of imposing presence called, if I -caught the name correctly, the Princesse de Carignan and who, Housman -whispered to me, was a Bourbon, and if she had her rights would be Queen -of France to-day; a secretary from the Italian Embassy; Mr and Mrs -Baines. Mr Baines is an official at the British Museum and is half -French. His wife, he told me, had once been taken for Sarah Bernhardt. -There were several other people: Sir Herbert Simcox, the K.C., and Lady -Simcox, an art critic, a lady journalist and Miss Housman.</p> - -<p>A. sat between Mrs Housman and Lady Simcox. Housman had the Princesse de -Carignan on his right and Lady Maria on his left. I sat between Lady -Maria and Miss Housman. Lady Maria told me she dined out whenever she -could, and asked me to luncheon on Sunday. "Don't come," she said, "if -you mind meeting lions; I like pleasant people. Only I warn you I have -an old-fashioned prejudice for good manners and I always ask their -wives."</p> - -<p>Mr Baines talked beautiful French to the Princesse. Lady Maria told me -she was neither French nor a princess, but the illegitimate daughter of -a Levantine. "But very respectable all the same, I'm afraid," she added.</p> - -<p>After dinner a few people came. Among others, Housman's partner and -Esther Lake, the contralto. She sang (she brought her own accompanist) -some Handel and <i>Che faro</i> and, by request of Mr Housman, Gounod's -<i>There is a Green Hill.</i></p> - -<p>I drove home with A. He told me he had enjoyed himself immensely and he -thought Esther Lake was the finest singer in the world.</p> - -<p>He said Miss Housman was a very clever woman and Housman appeared to be -quite a good sort.</p> - -<p>He said he liked this kind of dinner-party.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, March</i> 18<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>The first day there has been a feeling of spring in the air. I went to -St James's Park on the way to the office.</p> - -<p>Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, March</i> 19<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. asked me to spend Sunday with him in the country. I told him I was -sorry I was engaged to go out to luncheon on Sunday. He said I must come -the week after.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, March</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>C. said it was a great pity A. did not go out more. He used to go out a -great deal, he said. "I suppose," he added, "it's because he doesn't -wast to meet Mrs Shamier." I said I thought C. had told me he was fond -of her. "Yes," said C, "he was very fond of her, but that is all over -now."</p> - -<p><i>Sunday Evening, March</i> <i>21</i>st.</p> - -<p>I went to St Paul's Cathedral in the morning. Then to luncheon with Lady -Maria in her house in Seymour Place.</p> - -<p>A curious luncheon. There were two actors and their wives, Father Seton, -and Mr Le Roy, who writes detective stories, and his wife, and Sir James -Croker.</p> - -<p>I sat next to Mrs Le Roy, who is, she told me, a Greek. She told me her -husband had written one hundred and ten books, but that she had read -none of them. She said it worried him if she read them. She said it was -a great sacrifice as she doted on detective stories and was told his -were very good. The actors, who were both actor managers, told us about -their forthcoming productions. Mr Vane said there was going to be a real -panther in his next production (a Shakespearean revival). Mr Jones Acre -is producing a play which is translated from the Swedish, and which -deals with the question of a man who has inoculated himself and his -whole family with a fatal disease, in the interests of science.</p> - -<p>Father Seton took a great interest in the stage, and said he considered -the Church and the stage should be close allies. The clergy took far too -little interest in these things. It was a pity, he said, to let the -Romans have the monopoly of that kind of thing. This surprised Mrs Le -Roy, who said she thought he was a Roman Catholic. He laughed and said -Rome would have to capitulate on many points before any idea of -corporate reunion could be entertained.</p> - -<p>Sir James Croker told stories of early days in the Foreign Office and -Lord Palmerston.</p> - -<p class="p2">We sat on talking until half-past three. I then went home and read <i>Jane -Eyre</i>.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">HALKIN STREET,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>March</i> 25<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I start on Thursday and shall arrive Thursday evening. I have got rooms -at the Ritz. Let us have dinner together Thursday night, and <i>not</i> go to -a play. I shall stay in Paris a week and then go for four days to -Mentone. Then I shall come back to Paris for three days, and then home. -I suppose we shall have to dine at the Embassy one night. George is -going to the country for Easter with his sister. I want a really nice -screen (a small one). You must help me to find one, not too dear. I also -want something for the dining-room, which at present is coo bare.</p> - -<p>I won't write any more now.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Sunday, March</i> 29<i>th. Hôtel St Romain, Rue St Roch, Paris</i></p> - -<p>Went to a concert at the <i>Cirque d'Été</i> this afternoon, not a very -interesting programme. A great deal of Wagner, and <i>L'Après-midi d'un -Faune</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined by myself at a Duval. Start for Florence to-morrow morning.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, March</i> 30<i>th. Villa Fersen, Florence</i></p> - -<p>Arrived this morning before luncheon after an exhausting journey -second-class. In the carriage there was a soldier belonging to the -<i>Garde Républicaine</i>. He said he was on duty at the Opera and had he -known I was passing through Paris he could have given me a <i>billet de -faveur</i>.</p> - -<p>The Housmans' villa is at the top of a hill on the Bellosguardo side. It -is rather a large house, covered with wistaria, with high windows with -iron bars. It has a large empty <i>salon</i> with a piano. A fine room for -sound. The garden is beautiful.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 31<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>I walked down into Florence very early in the morning. I reached the -town before anything was open and met a party of men in shorts and -flannels running back to a hotel. They were Eton masters taking -exercise. I didn't go to any picture galleries, but I walked about the -streets and went into the Duomo, an ugly building inside. I got back for -luncheon.</p> - -<p>Housman said that they must leave cards in the afternoon and take a -drive in the Cascine. They went out in a carriage and pair. I went for a -walk to the Boboli Gardens. At dinner Housman said they had met several -friends, and he is giving a dinner-party on Sunday.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, April</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>The Housmans took me to luncheon with a banker called Baron Strong. What -the explanation of this title is I do not know. They live in the modern -part of the town. He was a genial host, portly, with long white -whiskers. His wife, the Baroness, an Italian, a distinguished lady. -There were present a Marchese whose real name I was told was -Goldschmidt, and his wife, a retired and talkative English diplomatist, -a Russian lady, an Italian, who talked English, French and Russian with -ease, called Scalchi, Professor Johnston-Wright, who is spending his -holiday here, and a Frenchman. When the latter heard Scalchi talk every -language successively he said to him: "Vous êtes une petite tour de -Babel."</p> - -<p>In the afternoon we left cards at several houses and villas and then -went for a drive in the Cascine. Some people called at tea-time, but I -escaped. After dinner Mrs Housman sang some Schumann, <i>Frühlingsnacht</i>, -and the <i>Dichterliebe.</i> These songs, she said, suit Florence.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, April</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>I had a talk with the Italian gardener as far as my Italian permitted me -to. I pointed out a plant, a mauve-coloured plant, I don't know its -name, that seemed to grow in great profusion. He said: "Fiorisce come il -pensiere dell' uomo." More calls in the afternoon, and another drive in -the Cascine.</p> - -<p>Housman has bought a large modern statue representing <i>The Triumph of -Truth,</i> a female figure carrying a torch, with a serpent at her feet. -She is triumphing, I suppose, over the snake.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, April</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>We went to see the Easter Saturday ceremony at the Duomo, and then to -luncheon at the Villa Michael Angelo. It belongs to a rich American -called Fisk. There were present besides Mr and Mrs Fisk an English -authoress, a picture connoisseur, Scalchi, an American archæologist, an -Italian man of letters, and a Miss Sinclair, also an archæologist. -Housman said afterwards this was the cream of intellectual Florence.</p> - -<p>I sat between two archæologists. I found their conversation difficult to -follow.</p> - -<p>After luncheon we called on the British Consul's wife, whose day it was. -Then after a drive in the Cascine we went home.</p> - -<p><i>Easter Sunday, April</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman went to Mass early. Went for a walk with Housman. On the -Ponte Vecchio we met Ayton and his sister, Mrs Campion. Mrs Campion, he -said, had insisted on him taking her to Florence.</p> - -<p>Housman asked them to dinner to-night; they accepted. A great many -people came to tea.</p> - -<p>The dinner-party to-night was quite a large one. Baron and Baroness -Strong, Lord Ayton, Mrs Campion, Mr and Mrs Fisk, Scalchi and the -Marchese and his wife, whom we met lately. I sat between Mrs Campion and -Baron Strong. After dinner Mrs Fisk played Chopin with astonishing -facility, but without any expression.</p> - -<p>A. intends to stay here another fortnight.</p> - -<p>Housman said he received a telegram which will necessitate his meeting -his partner at Genoa. His partner is on the way to the Riviera. He may -have to go to Paris too, but he hopes not, and intends to be back in a -few days if possible.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, April</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman left to-day for Genoa. I went with Mrs Housman to San Marco and -the Accademia in the morning. In the afternoon to the Certosa with Mrs -Housman, A. and Mrs Campion.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, April</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Campion and A. came to luncheon. Mrs Campion, who is an expert -gardener, told me the names of all the flowers in the garden. They have -not remained in my mind.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, April</i> 7<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>We all spent a morning sight-seeing and had luncheon at a restaurant. In -the afternoon we drove to Fiesole.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, April</i> 8<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman is not coming back. He is obliged to go to Paris and he will go -straight to London from there.</p> - -<p>We drove to Fiesole in the morning. Had luncheon with some Italian -friends of Mrs Campion, Count and Countess Alberti. Nobody there except -the host and hostess and their three children. A fine villa and no -garden. Countess Alberti said it was no use having a garden if one lived -here in summer, as everything dried up. She is a charming woman, natural -and unpretentious, and talks English like an Englishwoman.</p> - -<p>She asked A if he had met many people, and A. said he was a tourist and -had no time for visits. Countess Alberti said he was quite right and -that she knew nothing in the world more—<i>seccante</i> was the word she -used, than Florentine society.</p> - -<p>She asked us all to come again next week. I am leaving on Sunday, and -A. and Mrs Campion are going to Paris on Monday. Mrs Housman remains -here another week.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, April</i> 9<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman had a headache and did not come down. I went to the town and -did some shopping and went over the Bargello. Mrs Housman came down to -dinner and sang afterwards, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. I had never -heard her sing <i>O Versenk o versenk dein Leid mein Kind, in die See</i> -before.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, April</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We went to a great many churches in the morning and saw a number of -frescoes. Mrs Housman received a great many invitations, but refused -them all. A. and Mrs Campion and the Albertis came to dinner. Countess -Alberti persuaded Mrs Housman to sing. She sang some English songs: -<i>Passing By, Lord Randall</i>, etc., Gounod's <i>Chanson de Mai</i>, and some -Lully. Countess Alberti said it was a comfort to hear singing of which -you could hear every word. A. liked <i>Passing By</i> best, and he made her -sing it twice. He asked me who the words were by. The tune is Edward -Purcell's. The words, although generally attributed to Herrick by -musical publishers, are by an anonymous poet, and occur in Thomas Ford's -<i>Music of Sundry Kinds</i>, 1607. They are as follows:—</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">There is a ladye sweet and kind,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Was never face so pleas'd my mind,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">I did but see her passing by,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">And yet I love her till I die.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Her gestures, motions, and her smile,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Her wit, her voice my heart beguile,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Beguile my heart, I know not why;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">And yet I love her till I die.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p class="p2">There is also a third stanza.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">VILLA BEAU SITE,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 77.5%;">MENTONE,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Thursday, April</i> 8<i>th</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>It is divine here and this villa is a dream. We went to Monte Carlo -yesterday and I won 300 francs and then lost it again. I saw hundreds of -people, <i>monde</i> and <i>demi-monde</i>. Among the latter Celia Russell, having -luncheon with rather a gross-looking shiny financier. I asked who he was -and found out that he was Housman of Housman & Smith. Apparently C.R. -has been living with him for some time, ever since, in fact, L. went to -India. But the interesting thing to me is that Housman is the husband of -that beautiful Mrs Housman I told you about. M. knows them and knows all -about them. Mrs Housman was a Canadian, very poor, with no one to look -after her but an old aunt. He married her about ten years ago. Since -then he has become very rich. Carrington-Smith is now his partner. -Housman supplies the brains. They live somewhere in the suburbs and she -never goes anywhere.</p> - -<p>I am not coming back till next Monday. I shall be able to stop two or -three days in Paris, very likely longer.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">HALKIN STREET,</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Sunday, May</i> 9<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have had a busy week since I have been back. Monday I dined with -George at his flat. A man's dinner to meet some French politicians who -are over here for a few days. I told you I was determined to make Mrs -Housman's acquaintance, and I have. I had luncheon on Tuesday with Jimmy -Randall, a city friend of mine. You don't know him. He knows the -Housmans intimately. I told him I wanted to know them and he asked me to -meet them last night.</p> - -<p>We dined at the Carlton, Randall, the Housmans and myself. I think she -is even more beautiful than I thought before. I couldn't take my eyes -off her. She was in black, with one row of very good pearls. I never saw -such eyes. Housman is too awful; sleek, fat and common beyond words, but -sharp as a needle. He has an extraordinary laugh, a high, nasal chuckle, -and says, "Ha! ha! ha!" after every sentence. They have asked me to -dinner next Tuesday. I will write to you about it in detail. Mrs H. is -charming. There is nothing American or Colonial about her, but she is -curiously un-English. I can't understand how she can have married him. I -caught sight of her again this morning at the Oratory, where I always go -if I am in London on Sundays, for the music. Randall told me she is -very musical, but I didn't get any speech with her.</p> - -<p>The flat looks quite transformed with all the Paris things. They are the -greatest success.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Wednesday, May</i> 12<i>th.</i></span><br /> -<br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>The dinner-party came off last night. They live in Campden Hill. I was -early and the parlour-maid said Mrs Housman would be down directly, and -I heard Housman shouting upstairs: "Clare, Clare, guests," but he did -not appear himself. I was shown into a large white and heavily gilded -drawing-room, with a candelabra, a Steinway grand, and light blue satin -and ebony furniture, a good many palms, but no flowers. The drawing-room -opened out on to an Oriental back drawing-room with low divans, small -stools inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and a silver lamp (from a mosque) -hanging from the ceiling, heavy curtains too, behind which I suspect -stained-glass windows. Over the chimney-piece an Alma Tadema (a group on -a marble seat against a violet sea). At the other end of the room Walter -Bell's picture. It <i>was</i> the picture I saw before, but more about that -later. On another wall over a sofa a most extraordinary allegorical -picture: a precipice bridged by a large serpent, and walking on the -serpent two small figures, a woman in white draperies and a knight -dressed like Mephistopheles, all these painted in the crudest colours. -The Housmans then appeared, and Housman did the honours of the pictures, -faintly damned the Alma Tadema, and said the Snake Picture was by Mucius -of Munich in what he called <i>Moderne</i> style. He had picked it up for -nothing; some day it would be worth pots of money. Ha! ha! Then the -guests arrived. Sir Herbert Simcox, K.C., Lady Simcox, dressed in amber -velvet and cairngorms; Housman's sister Miss Sarah, black, and very -large, in yellow satin, with enormous emerald ear-rings; -Carrington-Smith, Housman's partner; Mrs Carrington-Smith, naked except -for a kind of orange and red <i>Reform Kleid</i>, with a green complexion, -heavily blacked eyebrows, and a <i>Lalique</i> necklace. Then, making a late -entrance, as if on the stage, a Princesse de Carignan, a fine figure, in -rich and tight black satin and a large black ruff, heavily powdered. -Housman whispered to me that she was a legitimate Bourbon. I think he -meant a Legitimist. We went down to dinner into a dark Gothic panelled -dining-room, with a shiny portrait of Mr Housman set in the panelling -over the chimney-piece.</p> - -<p>I sat between Mrs Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith. I talked to Mrs -Housman most of the time. Mrs Carrington-Smith asked me if I liked Henry -James's books. I said I liked the early ones. She said she preferred the -later ones, but she could never feel quite the same about Henry James -again since he had put her into a book. She was, she said, <i>Kate</i> in -<i>The Wings of the Dove</i>. After dinner Housman moved up and sat next to -me. He talked about art and <i>bric-à-brac</i>. I asked him if I could -possibly have seen Bell's portrait of Mrs Housman in America. He said, -"Certainly." He had bought it cheap and sold it dear, anticipating a -slump in Bell, which was not slow in coming. He had then bought it back -directly Bell died, anticipating a boom, which had also occurred. "It is -now worth double what I gave for it. Ha! ha! ha!"</p> - -<p>Randall said he liked a picture to tell a plain story and he could make -nothing of the Snake Picture upstairs. Housman laughed loudly and said -it was the oldest story in the world: the man, the woman, and the -serpent. Ha! ha! We went upstairs, where there was a crowd. I was seized -upon by the Princesse de Carignan, and she whispered to me confidential -secrets about Europe. She preened herself and displayed the deportment -of a queen in exile.</p> - -<p>Then we had some music. Esther Lake bawled some Rubinstein, and Ronald -Solway played an interminable sonata by Haydn with variations and all -the repeats. Some of the guests went downstairs, but I was wedged in -between the Princesse and a Mrs Baines, a fluffy, sinuous woman, dressed -in a loose Byzantine robe. Her husband, who is an expert in French -furniture, told me she was once mistaken for <i>Sarah</i>, and she has -evidently been living up to the reputation for years. He was careful to -add that it was in the days when Sarah was thin—Mrs Baines being a -wisp.</p> - -<p>After the music, which I thought would never stop, we went downstairs -again for a stand-up supper and sweet champagne. I was introduced by -Housman to Ronald Solway. Housman told him I was a musical connoisseur, -so he bored me with technicalities for twenty minutes. I couldn't get -away. He had no mercy on me. Housman has got a box at the Opera. He told -me I must use it whenever I like. How can she have married that man?</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 75%;"> -<i>Wednesday,</i> May 19<i>th</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Thank you for your most amusing letter. I have been busy and not had a -moment to write. We have had a good deal of work to do. Last Friday I -had supper at Romano's after the play. Housman was there with Celia -Russell. I spent Saturday to Monday with the Shamiers. Lavroff was -there. Last night I went to the Opera to the Housmans' box. It was -<i>Bohème</i>. During the <i>entr'acte</i> who should come into our box but -George. He stayed there the whole time, talking to Mrs H., and came back -during the next <i>entr'acte</i>.</p> - -<p>The next day at the office when I was in his room I said something about -the Housmans and began telling him about my dinner. He froze at once and -said Mrs Housman was an extremely nice woman. I said something about -Housman, and George said: "Oh, not at all a bad fellow." So I saw I was -on dangerous ground. Housman has asked me to spend next Sunday at his -country house, a small villa on the Thames near Staines. I am going.</p> - -<p>They are dining with me on Thursday. I asked George, too, and he -accepted joyfully.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, May</i> 24<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I am just back from the country. But first I must tell you about my -dinner. I had asked the Housmans, George, Eileen Hope, and Madame de -Saint Luce who is staying in London for three weeks. Just before dinner -I got a telegram saying that Mrs Housman was laid up and couldn't -possibly come. Housman arrived by himself. George was evidently -frightfully annoyed and hardly spoke. Madame de Saint Luce was amazed -and rather amused by Housman, and after dinner Eileen sang beautifully, -so it went off fairly well except for George.</p> - -<p>Saturday I went down to Staines. Housman had got an elegant villa on the -river. Very ugly, with red tiles, photogravures, and green wooden chairs -and a conservatory, full of calceolaria. But I must say his food is -delicious. George was there, Lady Jarvis, and Miss Sarah.</p> - -<p>After dinner on Saturday there was a slight fracas. George asked Mrs -Housman to sing. She didn't much want to, but finally said she would. -Miss Sarah, who is a brilliant pianist, said she would accompany her -(she evidently hates being accompanied). She sang a song of Schubert's, -<i>Gute Nacht</i>. Miss Sarah played it rather fast. Mrs Housman said it -ought to be slower. Miss Sarah said it was meant to be fast, and that -was her conception of the song in any case.</p> - -<p>Mrs Housman said she couldn't sing it like that, and didn't, and then -she said she couldn't sing at all. Afterwards she did sing some English -ballads and accompanied herself.</p> - -<p>She sings most beautifully, her voice is perfectly produced and you hear -every word. There is nothing throaty or operatic about it but her voice -goes straight through one. George was entranced. Sunday afternoon George -and Mrs H. went out on the river and stayed out all the afternoon. I -spent the afternoon with Lady Jarvis, who is most clever and amusing. -She told me all about the Housmans. Mrs H. is not Canadian but Irish. -She was brought up in a convent in French Canada. Directly she came out -of it her marriage with H., who was then in a Canadian firm, was -arranged by her aunt (her aunt was an imbecile and quite penniless). -They lived several years in Canada, California and other parts of -America, and came to England about three years ago. Housman was -unfaithful from the first. Lady Jarvis knew about Celia Russell. I asked -her if Mrs Housman knew. She said she—Lady Jarvis—didn't know, but it -wouldn't make any difference if Mrs H. did or not. She said: "There is -nothing about Albert Housman that Clare doesn't know." Then she said -that unless I was blind I must of course have seen George was madly in -love with her.</p> - -<p>I said I agreed. She said she thought Mrs Housman was madly in love with -him. I said I wasn't sure. Lady Jarvis said she was quite sure.</p> - -<p>They came back very late from the river and Mrs Housman didn't come -down to dinner. She said she had a headache. We had rather a gloomy -dinner although Miss Sarah and Lady Jarvis never stopped talking for a -moment, but George was silent.</p> - -<p>You know he sees nobody now except the Housmans.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 3<i>rd. Gray's Inn</i>.</p> - -<p>A. returned to London a day sooner than he was expected. His Secretary, -Tuke, had not returned. He had left his address with me. He spent his -holiday in the Guest House, Fort Augustus Abbey, a Benedictine -monastery. He returned this morning. A. asked me on Saturday where he -was. When I told him, A. showed great surprise. He said: "He has been -with me six years and I never knew he was an R.C. It's extraordinary -when a thing once turns up, you then meet with it every day. I seem -always to be coming across Catholics now."</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, May</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Alfred Riley telegraphed to me to know whether I could put him up -to-night. I have answered in the affirmative, but he will be, I fear, -most uncomfortable.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, May</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Riley arrived last night. He has been in Paris for the last three months -working at the <i>Bibliothèque Nationale</i>. He told me he had something of -importance to tell me: that he was seriously thinking of becoming a -Roman Catholic. I was greatly surprised. He was the last person I would -expect to do such a thing. I told him I had no prejudice against Roman -Catholics, but it was very difficult for me to believe that a man of his -intellectual attainments could honestly believe the things he would be -expected to believe. Also, if he needed a Church I did not understand -why he could not be satisfied with the Church of England, which was a -historic Church. He said: "Do you remember when we were at Oxford that -we used to say it would be a great sell if we found out when we were -dead that Christianity was true after all? Well, I believe it is true. I -believe, not in spite of my reason, nor against my reason, nor apart -from my reason, but with my reason. Well, if one believes with one's -reason in the Christian revelation, that is to say, if one believes that -God has uttered Himself fully and uniquely through Christ, such a belief -has certain logical consequences." I said nothing, for indeed I did not -know what to say. Riley laughed and said: "Don't be alarmed; don't think -I am going to hand you a tract. For Heaven's sake let me be able to -speak out at least to one person about this." I begged him to go on, and -he said he thought Catholicism was the only logical consequence of a -belief in the Christian revelation. Anglicanism and all forms of -Protestantism seemed to him like the lopped off branches of a living -tree.</p> - -<p>I asked him what there was to prevent him worshipping in Roman Catholic -churches if he felt inclined that way without sacrificing his -intellectual freedom to their tenets.</p> - -<p>He said: "You talk as if it was ritual I cared for and wanted. One can -be glutted with ritual in the Anglican Church if one wants that."</p> - -<p>As for giving up one's freedom, he said I must agree that law, order and -discipline were the indispensable conditions of freedom. He had never -heard Catholics complain of any loss of freedom, indeed Catholic -philosophy, manners, customs, and even speech, seemed to him much freer -than Protestant or Agnostic philosophy, and what it stood for. He asked -me which I thought was freest, a Sunday in Paris or Rome or a Sunday in -Glasgow or London.</p> - -<p>I suggested his waiting a year. He said perhaps he would.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, May</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Riley talked of music, Wagner, <i>Parsifal.</i> He quoted some Frenchman who -said that <i>Parsifal</i> was "<i>moins beau que n'importe quelle Messe Basse -dans n'importe quelle Église</i>." I said that I had never been to a Low -Mass in my life, but that I disliked the music at most High Masses I had -attended. I said I disliked Wagner, especially <i>Parsifal</i>. He said he -agreed about Wagner, but I did not understand what the Frenchman had -meant. I confessed I did not. He said: "It is like comparing a -description of something to the reality." I told him that I envied -people who were born Catholics, but I did not think it was a thing you -could become. He said it was not like becoming a Mussulman. He was -simply going back to the older tradition of his country, to what -Melanchthon and Dr Johnson called and what in the Highlands they still -call the Old Religion. I told him that I had once heard a man say, -talking of becoming a Roman Catholic, "if I could tell the first lie, -all the rest would be easy and follow naturally down to scapulars and -Holy Water."</p> - -<p><i>Friday, May</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Riley left this morning. He has gone back to Paris. He is not going to -take any immediate step.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, May</i> 9<i>th</i></p> - -<p>I went to see Mrs Housman yesterday afternoon. I told her what Riley had -told me. I asked her if she thought people could <i>become</i> Roman -Catholics if they were not born so. She said she wished that she had not -been born a Catholic so as she might have become one. She envied those -who could make the choice. I asked her if she did not consider there was -something unreal about converts. She said she thought English converts -were in a very difficult situation which required the utmost tact. Many -perhaps lacked this tact. She said that in Canada and America, where she -had lived most of her life, the anti-Catholic prejudice as it existed in -England did not exist, at any rate it was not of the same kind. "The -nursery anti-Catholic tradition doesn't exist there."</p> - -<p>She asked me what I had advised Riley to do. I told her I had dissuaded -him from taking such a step and had begged him to wait. She said: "If he -is to become a Catholic there will be a moment when he will not be able -to help it. Faith is a gift. People do not become Catholics under the -influence of people or books, although people and books may sometimes -help or sometimes hinder, but because they are pulled over by an -invisible rope—-what we call <i>Grace</i>."</p> - -<p>I told her I would find it difficult to believe that a man like Riley -would believe what he would have to believe. She asked me whether I -found it difficult to believe that she accepted the dogmas of the -Church. I said I was convinced she believed what she professed, but that -I thought that born Catholics believed things in a different way than we -did. I did not believe that this could be learnt by converts.</p> - -<p>She said I probably thought that Catholics believed all sorts of things -which they did not believe. Such at least was her experience of English -Protestants, who seemed to imbibe curious traditions in the nursery, on -the subject.</p> - -<p>I asked her if Mr Housman believed in Catholic dogma. She said: "Albert -has been baptized and brought up as a Catholic, but he is an Agnostic. -He is very charitable towards Catholic institutions."</p> - -<p>She asked me more about Riley and whether he had any Catholic friends. I -said: "Not to my knowledge." "Poor man, I am afraid he will be very -lonely," she said.</p> - -<p>She said that she herself knew hardly any Catholics in England, that is -to say she had no real Catholic friends, and that she felt as if she -were living in perpetual exile.</p> - -<p>"You see," she said, "your friend ought to realise that he will have to -face the prejudice and the dislike not only of narrow-minded people but -of very nice intelligent and broad-minded people, who agree with you -about almost everything else. The Church has always been hated from the -beginning, and it always will be hated. In the past it was people like -Marcus Aurelius who carried out the worst persecutions and hated the -Church most bitterly with the very best intentions, and it is in a -different way just the same now."</p> - -<p>I said that to me it was an impossible mental gymnastic to think that -Catholicism was the same thing as early Christianity.</p> - -<p>She said: "Because the tree has grown so big you think it is not the -same plant, but it is. When I go to Mass I feel as if I were looking -through the wrong end of a telescope right back into the catacombs and -farther."</p> - -<p>I told her Riley would take no decisive step. He had promised to wait. -She said there was no harm in that. There were many other things I -wished to ask her, but A. arrived, and after talking on various topics -for a few moments I left.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. told me he had been invited to dinner by Aunt Ruth next Thursday and -that he was going. He asked me whether I was invited. I said I was -invited.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, May</i> 11<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame said he was dining at the Housmans' to-night.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, May</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I asked C. whether he had enjoyed his dinner. He said it was very -pleasant, but that the music was too classical for his taste. A. was not -there.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, May</i> 13<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I dined last night with A. in his flat. Nobody but ourselves. A. played -the pianola after dinner. He said I must come and stay with him in the -country soon. He would try and get the Housmans to come too.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, May</i> 14<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. dined with Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth. So did I. It was a dinner for -the American Ambassador. I sat next to a Miss Audrey Bax, a lady of -decided views and picturesque appearance. She talked about Joan of Arc, -and asked me whether I had read Anatole France's book about her. I said -I had not, but I had read an English translation of Joan of Arc's trial -which I thought one of the most impressive records I had ever read. She -said: "Ah, you like the stained-glass-window point of view about those -sort of people." I was rather nettled and said I preferred facts to -fiction. I thought Joan of Arc as she appeared in her trial was a very -sensible as well as being a very remarkable person. She had not read -this. She said Anatole France told one all one wanted to know from a -rational point of view. It was a comfort to read common-sense about this -sort of hallucinated people. A man who was sitting opposite her joined -eagerly in the conversation, and said that the two people in the whole -of history who had made the finest defence when tried were Mary Queen -of Scots and Joan of Arc. Miss Bax said she supposed he looked upon Mary -Queen of Scots as a martyred saint. The other man, whose name I found -out afterwards was Ashfield, an American who is now at the American -Embassy, said that he regarded Mary Queen of Scots as a woman who was -tried for her life and who had defended herself without lawyers without -making a single mistake under the most difficult circumstances. He said -he had been a lawyer, and spoke from a lawyer's point of view. Miss Bax -went back to Joan of Arc and Anatole France and said his book was as -important a work as Renan's <i>Vie de Jésus</i>. Mr Ashfield said he thought -that work no improvement on the Gospel. I said I had not read it. Miss -Bax again said that if we preferred sentimental traditions we were at -liberty to do so. She preferred rational writers untainted by -superstition. Ashfield said he regarded Renan as a sentimental writer. -Miss Bax said: "No doubt you prefer Dean Farrar." Ashfield said he did -not think Renan's book was a more successful attempt to rewrite the -Gospels than Dean Farrar's although it was better written. She said that -proved her point, and as she seemed satisfied, we talked of other -things. But throughout her conversation she struck me for a professed -free-thinker to be singularly dogmatic and sometimes almost fanatical.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, May</i> 15<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Spent the afternoon and evening with Solway at Woking but came back -after dinner.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, May</i> 16<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon, but she was not at home. This -is the first time she has not been at home on Sunday afternoons for a -very long time.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 17<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>A. said he was going to the opera to-night. Housman, whom he had seen -yesterday, had told him it would be a very fine performance.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, May</i> 18<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went to the opera in the gallery. Some fine singing. Cunninghame had -been in the Housmans' box.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, May</i> 19<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Was going to dine with the Housmans to-night, but Mrs Housman is unwell.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, May</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis has asked me to stay with her Sunday week.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, May</i> 21st.</p> - -<p>This morning a man called Barnes came to the office. He is an -acquaintance of Cunninghame's; he is in the F.O. He talked of various -things, and then he asked Cunninghame whether he knew Mrs Housman. He -said she was playing fast and loose with A.'s affections. She was doing -it, of course, to convert him. Catholics didn't mind how immoral they -were in such a cause. He said that she was well known for it. She had -refused to marry Housman till he had been converted. He had been so much -in love with her that he could not refuse. I said that I happened to -know that Housman had been baptized a Catholic when he was born. -Cunninghame bore me out and said it was all nonsense about A. He was -sure Catholicism had nothing to do with it. He knew Mrs Housman quite -well and she had never mentioned it to him. Barnes said we could say -what we liked, but all London was talking of A.'s unfortunate passion -and Mrs H.'s behaviour.</p> - -<p>"One sees them everywhere together," he said.</p> - -<p>C. said: "Where?"</p> - -<p>Barnes said: "Oh, at all the restaurants and at the opera."</p> - -<p>Cunninghame said he had expected Mrs Housman to dinner, but she had been -unable to come.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, May</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Called on Mrs Housman to inquire. They have gone to the country until -Monday.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 24<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I had luncheon with A. to-day at his flat. He said he had been staying -with the Housmans at their house on the Thames. He said he had put his -foot in it. On Saturday night at dinner they were talking about Ireland, -and he said he had no wish to go to a country full of priests. Mrs -Housman told him, laughing, she was a Catholic. He asked me if I had -known this. I told him I had always known it. He asked me whether she -was very devout. I said I knew she always went to Mass on Sundays, that -she had never mentioned the subject to me except once when I asked her a -question with reference to a friend of mine. He asked me whether Housman -was a Catholic too. I told him what I knew.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, May</i> 25<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went to the opera, in the Housmans' box. Housman and Cunninghame were -there. Mrs Housman did not come. A. looked in during the <i>entr'acte</i>.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, May</i> 26<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. gave a dinner at his Club. All politicians except myself and -Cunninghame.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, May</i> 27<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Tuke asked me to take a ticket for a concert at Hammersmith at which his -sister is performing on the piano. I have done so.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, May</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Luncheon with A. at his Club. He is staying with Lady Jarvis on -Saturday. The Housmans, he said, will be there. Cunninghame is going -also. A. told me Mrs Housman has not been well lately. I said I thought -she did too much. He asked me in what sort of way. I said she attended -to a great many charities and that as Housman entertained a great deal I -thought it tired her. Mrs Housman had told him I was very musical. He -asked me if I played any instrument. I said none except the penny -whistle. He asked me if I did not think Mrs Housman a very fine singer. -I said I did. He also said that he supposed she knew a lot of priests. I -said I had never met one in her house.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, May</i> 30<i>th. Rosedale, Surrey.</i></p> - -<p>I arrived rather late last night. Besides the guests I knew I was to -meet, was a Frenchman, M. Raphael Luc, and a Mrs Vaughan. After dinner -we had some music. M. Luc sang several French songs, by Lully, and -others that I had heard Mrs Housman sing. His singing was greatly -appreciated and applauded, and it is, I confess, as far as it goes, -perfection itself, as regards quality, taste and art, but I could not -help thinking the whole time that it would be impossible for him to -interpret Schubert.</p> - -<p>This morning I sat in the garden and read the newspapers. Mrs Housman -drove to Church which was some distance off.</p> - -<p>Mr Winchester Hill, the novelist, arrived for luncheon and brought with -him Miss Ella Dasent, the actress. At the end of the meal she gave us -some vivid impersonations of contemporary actors and actresses.</p> - -<p>We sat talking for some time in the verandah. Then Lady Jarvis took -Housman to show him the garden, and Cunninghame walked away with Mrs -Vaughan and M. Luc.</p> - -<p>Miss Housman, Mr Hill, Miss Dasent, and myself remained on long chairs -underneath a large tree. Miss Dasent and Mr Hill discussed at great -length a play that he is adapting for her from one of his novels. The -story seemed to me absurd—it was something about an Italian nobleman -strangling his wife's lover with a silk handkerchief.</p> - -<p>Towards five we had tea and after tea Mrs Vaughan took me for a stroll -round the garden.</p> - -<p>I found her a well-read woman who has lived a great deal in Paris and is -familiar with the Bohemian world in more than one continent.</p> - -<p>At dinner I sat between Mrs Housman and Cunninghame. Mrs Housman said -that Luc's singing made one despair, and she felt she could never sing -again after hearing him. I told her I doubted if he could interpret -German music. She was annoyed with me and said I was missing the point, -and that the songs he sang were exquisite.</p> - -<p class="p2">We sat in the verandah after dinner, while Luc sang to us from the -drawing-room. He sang Fauré's settings to Verlaine's words.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, May</i> 21<i>st</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have just come back from Rosedale, where I have been staying with Lady -Jarvis. It is an old Tudor house that was bodily transported from the -west of England. I believe it is quite genuine, but it looks unreal and -the rooms are like show rooms at a second-hand dealer's. The garden is -quite beautiful. We had a most amusing party. Jane Vaughan (looking very -pretty), Raphael Luc, George, the Housmans. Raphael sang both nights -quite divinely after dinner. On Saturday night we all sat in the big -downstairs room, but after he had sung two songs Mrs Housman went out on -the verandah. She is so musical that one could see it was more than she -could bear. I am certain she felt she was going to cry. Sunday morning I -had a long talk with Lady Jarvis. She told me Mrs Housman is a very -strict and devout Catholic. We both agreed that there is no doubt that -George is very much in love with her. She thinks she <i>is</i> in love with -him. I am still not sure Lady Jarvis is right about her. I sat next to -her (Mrs H.) at dinner on Saturday night, and George was on her other -side. She was perfectly natural, but I thought miles <i>away</i>. During the -whole time we were there she didn't pay much attention to him and she -didn't avoid him. She went to church by herself on Sunday morning and -stayed in all the afternoon. I think she likes him, but nothing more -than that.</p> - -<p>Godfrey Mellor, the silent Secretary, is devoted to her too. The other -morning at the office a man came to see us and said all sorts of most -absurdly silly things about Mrs H. I could see he was furious. He has -known the Housmans quite a long time.</p> - -<p>More people came down to luncheon on Sunday, but nobody interesting. -George says he will be able to yacht now. I think Mrs H. is delightful. -I like her more and more. I have been to the opera twice, to a good many -dinners, and some balls. There may be a chance of Paris for a few days -later.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 31<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>I travelled back from Rosedale with A. He asked me if I was fond of -yachting. I said I was a moderate sailor. He asked me to go next -Saturday to his house near Littlehampton. His sister is going to be -there, and perhaps the Housmans. Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, June</i> 1<i>st.</i></p> - -<p>There is going to be a large concert at the Albert Hall for the -Albemarle Relief Fund. Tuke brought the programme and placed it on my -table this morning. Esther Lake is singing, and the Housmans and A. are -among the patrons. Dined with A. at his Club. He told me he thought Mrs -Housman was far from well. He said what she wants is sea air.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, June</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame told me he had dined at the Housmans' last night. He said -there was no one there but himself and Carrington-Smith. He said Mrs -Housman talks of going away soon. London tires her. Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, June</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>I have just come back from a dinner-party at Aunt Ruth's. A great many -diplomats and politicians. I sat between Thornton-Davis, who is at the -F.O. now, and Mrs Vernon, who is French and a Legitimist and talks of -the Place de la Concorde as the <i>Place Louis XV</i>. Aunt Ruth said she -heard A. was doing very well and spoke well in the House. It's a pity, -she said, that he is such a Tory.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, June</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went this afternoon to the concert at the Albert Hall for the Relief -Fund in the Housmans' box. Miss Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith were -there, but neither Mrs nor Mr Housman. Miss Housman says that Mrs -Housman has not been well lately. She said she goes out far too much. I -enjoyed nothing in the programme. Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, June</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. told me he expected me at Littlehampton, but that I would find it -dull, as he had no party.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, June</i> 6<i>th. Littlehampton</i>.</p> - -<p class="p2">A. has a nice and comfortable little house. His yacht, a small cutter -with room for two to sleep on board, is here. He took Mrs Campion and -myself out this morning. There was what is called a nice breeze. I -cannot say I enjoyed it very much. He told me that he had asked the -Housmans, but they could not come, Mrs Housman is going to Cornwall soon -for the rest of the summer. She has not been well, and the doctors told -her she must leave London. A. said he would miss them very much. He -liked them both exceedingly, and he thought Miss Sarah was such a good -sort. A. said the truth was that Mrs H. worked herself to death over -charities and things like that. He was sure the priests were greatly to -blame for this.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, June</i> 7<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>There's not the slightest chance of my coming over to Paris now. I am -not going to Ascot at all this year. The Housmans thought of taking a -house for Ascot week, but she has not been well, and they are staying -out of London till they go down to Cornwall. They have taken a house -somewhere near the Lizard, and when she goes she will stay the whole -summer.</p> - -<p>Both George and poor little Mellor are in low spirits. I had a very nice -letter from Mrs H. asking me to go down there in August and to stay as -long as I liked.</p> - -<p>Housman has lent me his box for the whole of Ascot week. There is such a -rush that I haven't time to write properly to you.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Friday, June</i> 18<i>th</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have spent the most perfect Ascot week in London. I have enjoyed every -moment of it. I went to the opera every night in the Housmans' box, -which besides being fun was most convenient as I was able to ask people -who had done things for me. I dined on Saturday with Jimmy Randall, who -had been at Ascot all the week. He says that Housman has fallen -violently in love with a Mrs Rachel Park. You may possibly have heard of -her. She used to sing at concerts under the name of Rose Sinclair. She -was quite beautiful, with enormous eyes and flaming hair, but quite -brainless and quite unmusical. She married a barrister who is now Park, -K.C. He works like a slave, but she spends money more quickly than he -can make it. This explains the Cornwall arrangement. Jimmy R. says that -H. has violent scenes with Celia R. and that the end of that idyll is -only a question of hours. He says Mrs P. will lead him a dance. She is -mercenary, stupid, common and a real harpy. Poor "Bert," as Jimmy -Randall calls Housman. He is so good-natured. And poor Mrs H.! Mellor -hardly speaks at all now, and George doesn't say much. He goes nowhere, -but talks of yachting on the west coast during the summer.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><i>P.S</i>.—Just got your telegram. I am delighted you are coming to London. -I particularly wanted you to meet Mrs Housman—and "Bert." You must -come. And now I shall just be able to manage this if you will dine with -me on Monday night. She leaves for Cornwall on Tuesday morning. I've -asked George too. He stays in London till Parliament is over, and then -he is going away and I shall be free. How much leave will Jack get? -Three weeks at least, I hope. The Shamiers want you to stay with them -Sunday week, and Lady Jarvis wants you to go down there. If you don't -want to stay there, we might go down for luncheon one day. I shall be in -London till the end of July. Then I am going to Worsel for a fortnight. -The Housmans have asked me to go to Cornwall, and I shall try and fit -that in between Worsel and the Shamiers. They have been lent a lodge in -Scotland and have asked me to go there in September. I have promised to -stay a few days at Edith's as well.</p> - -<p class="p2">There is a parcel for me at the Embassy. It is too big for the bag. -Could you bring it with you?</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Tuesday, June</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Cunninghame last night to meet his cousin, Mrs Caryl. She is -the wife of a diplomat who is Second Secretary at Paris. A pleasant -dinner. The Housmans were there, and A. and his sister.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, June</i> 25<i>th.</i>.</p> - -<p>Received a letter from Mrs Housman to-day. She says the change of air is -doing her good. She hopes I will come to Cornwall some time during my -holiday.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, July</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Housman last night. Miss Housman was there, and the -Carrington-Smiths, and a Mrs Park who used to be a professional singer. -She sang after dinner. Miss Housman accompanied her. She sang Tosti's -<i>Ninon</i>, some Lassen, some Bemberg, a song by Lord Henry Somerset, and -E. Purcell's <i>Passing By</i>. Miss Housman said it was a comfort to -accompany someone who had a sense of time. She has a powerful voice and -has been well trained, but <i>Passing By</i> did not suit her style of -singing, and I regretted that she had attempted that song. She was not -always in tune.</p> - -<p>Housman enjoyed it, and accompanied her himself afterwards in some coon -songs which he played by ear.</p> - -<p>Housman asked me to stay with them for the whole of August. He said he -was very anxious that I should go, as he would not be able to be much in -Cornwall and he was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. He asked -Cunninghame also. I accepted.</p> - -<p>A. spends all his spare time now on his yacht. I am going to stay with -him next Saturday.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, July</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. is going to the Cowes Regatta. He asked me to go with him, but I am -leaving on the 1st of August for Cornwall.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 1<i>st. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay, Cornwall</i>.</p> - -<p>I arrived here last night. A pleasant spot near the sea and not far from -a golf links. Mrs Housman and Housman are here alone. Housman is greatly -perturbed because Mrs Carrington-Smith is bringing a divorce suit -against her husband for infidelity. The other person concerned is Miss -Hope, whom I met at dinner one night at Cunninghame's flat. Housman says -that Miss Hope is neurotic and unhinged. Mrs Housman has never met Miss -Hope.</p> - -<p>Housman said he hoped I would be able to stay on here, as he would not -be able to spend much time in Cornwall. Carrington-Smith was so greatly -upset by this wretched business that he could not attend to the affairs -of the firm. He was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. Lady Jarvis had -promised to come later, and Cunninghame also, but he did not know when. -Miss Housman had been obliged to go to Vichy to take the waters. -Housman played golf in the afternoon with a member of the Club. I am not -a golf player, unfortunately. I told him that Cunninghame was an -admirable player.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Housman has been telegraphed for and left this morning. In the afternoon -we went for a long drive and had tea in a farm-house. The climate is -warm and agreeable.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Bathed in the sea this morning and went for a long walk in the afternoon -with Mrs H. After dinner she tried some new songs by Tchaikovsky. We did -not care for them much and fell back on Schubert. Schubert is her -favourite composer. She sang the <i>Gruppe aus Tartarus</i>.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, August</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We went for an expedition to the Lizard. Mrs Housman told me that when -she was a girl she had much wanted to become a professional singer, and -that she was studying for the Concert Stage when she met Housman.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, August</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We sat on the beach all the afternoon. It was extremely hot and -enjoyable. Mrs Housman read <i>Consuelo</i>, by George Sand, aloud. She reads -French with great purity of accent.</p> - -<p>Father Stanway, the local priest, came to dinner, a cheerful man with a -venerable appearance. When we were left alone, after dinner, talking of -men in public offices, he said he knew Bowes, in the Foreign Office, who -had spent his Easter holidays here. I asked him whether he thought -converts of that description made satisfactory Catholics. He said he -thought Bowes would be an admirable Catholic. I said I thought it must -be very difficult for a man of his upbringing, as Bowes had been brought -up in a rigid Church of England family, and his father often wrote to -<i>The Times</i>, condemning ritualistic practices and innovations. Father -Stanway said it was not so complicated as I thought. There were only -three things indispensable to a man if he wished to become a Catholic: -To believe in God, to follow his conscience, to love his neighbour as -himself. If he did that all the rest was easy. He said he admired Bowes -greatly for taking the step.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, August</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We went to the Land's End, where there were a great many tourists. Mrs -Housman continues to read out loud <i>Consuelo</i> in the afternoons and -evenings. It is an interesting book, but I prefer <i>Jane Eyre</i>.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, August</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I received a letter from Riley this morning. He has been in London -nearly a month, and was there a fortnight before I left, but he did not -come to see me for the following reason. He has taken the step and has -been received into the Roman Catholic Church, and he says his first -intention was not to tell anyone of his conversion. He did not come to -see me because he knew he would not be able to help discussing it. He is -no longer making a secret of it now. He found this too difficult. Two or -three days after he had been received he happened to be dining out and -it was a Friday. His hostess said to him, in the course of conversation: -"You are not a Catholic, are you?" He resolved then and there to keep it -secret no longer.</p> - -<p>He tells me in his letter, "Your philosophy of the first lie is quite -right. Only I regard what you call the first lie as the <i>first Truth</i>. -Once this is so, all the rest follows." He says that after he left me in -Gray's Inn in May he resolved to put the matter from him for a time and -not to think about it. He went back to Paris and pursued his research. -One morning he woke up and felt he could not delay another moment. He -took the train for London the next day, where he intended to go soon in -any case for his holiday, and the day after his arrival he called at the -Brompton Oratory and asked to see a priest, as he knew no priests. He -sat in a small waiting-room downstairs, and presently an elderly priest, -Father X., arrived and asked him what he could do for him. He told him -he wished for instruction prior to becoming a Catholic. He called the -next day. Father X. told him after they had talked for some time that he -did not think he would need much instruction. But he continued to see -him for the next three weeks. He was then received. He says that what -seemed before a step of great difficulty now appeared quite -extraordinarily simple, and he cannot conceive why he did not take it a -long time ago.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 8<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman went to Mass. I sat in the garden; when she returned from -Mass I told her about Riley. She asked me how old he was. I said I -thought he was about thirty-five. I told her he was a brilliant scholar, -and had taken high honours at Oxford. He had a post at the Liverpool -University. She said she had felt certain he would come into the Church.</p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis is coming here next week.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 9<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>We spent the whole day on the beach, reading aloud. Housman has written -to say that Mrs Carrington-Smith will insist on bringing their affairs -into court. Carrington-Smith is much worried. Mrs Housman says that Mrs -Carrington-Smith is an absurd woman.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We spent the morning at St Ives, shopping. I bought <i>The Pickwick -Papers</i> and an old silver teapot. We sat on the beach in the afternoon, -reading <i>Consuelo.</i> After dinner Mrs Housman sang a beautiful -French-Canadian song.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, August</i> 11<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Just as we were sitting down to luncheon A. walked into the room; he had -sailed here from Cowes in his yacht, which is anchored in the bay. He -could not stay to luncheon as he was lunching at the Golf Club with a -friend. Mrs Housman asked him to dinner. He accepted. He said he had -spent a most enjoyable week at Cowes in his yacht, but had not won any -races. His sister had been with him, only as she is a bad sailor she had -not enjoyed the sailing as much as he would have liked. Cunninghame has -been at Cowes for three days on board a Mr Venderling's steam yacht (an -American). A. says that he intends to spend some time here cruising -about the coast.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, August</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis arrived this morning. She says she thinks that if Mrs -Carrington-Smith goes into court she will get a divorce. She has -substantial evidence. Carrington-Smith is most uneasy.</p> - -<p>A. came to luncheon and proposed that we should all go for a sail in the -afternoon together. Lady Jarvis and I declined, as we are both moderate -sailors. Mrs Housman went with him. They came back at six and she said -she had enjoyed it immensely.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, August</i> 13<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Mrs Housman received a telegram from Housman this morning, telling her -she must ask A. to stay here in the house. She had written to tell -him—Housman—A. was here. A. came to luncheon and Mrs Housman invited -him to stay. He said he would be pleased to do so for a few days, but -that he is due in his yacht early next week at Plymouth. Mrs Housman has -received a letter from Cunninghame, asking whether it would be -convenient for him to come next week. She has telegraphed to him that -she would be glad to receive him.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, August</i> 14<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>The weather was so beautiful and the sea was so smooth that we were all -persuaded to go on board the yacht, where we had luncheon. We went for -a short sail in the afternoon. Although I did not feel ill I cannot say -I enjoyed it, I prefer the dry land. Lady Jarvis said she enjoyed it -greatly, although she is a bad sailor as a rule. Mrs Housman is an -excellent sailor.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 15<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I am finishing <i>Consuelo</i> by myself as we are not able to read aloud any -more. We all went for a drive in two carriages in the afternoon through -disused mines, and had tea in a farm-house.</p> - -<p>A. says he is enjoying his holiday immensely.</p> - -<p class="p2">Cunninghame arrives here to-morrow. We had some music in the evening. -A.'s favourite composer is Sullivan, but his favourite song is -Offenbach's <i>Chanson de Fortunio</i>, which Mrs Housman sang to-night.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">GREY FARM,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 72%;">CARBIS BAY, CORNWALL,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Tuesday, August</i> 17<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I arrived here from Worsel last night, and found Mrs Housman, Lady -Jarvis, George, who sailed here in his yacht from Cowes, and Godfrey -Mellor. It is the most delicious place. A blue sea with pink and purple -streaks in it, and a soft west wind, and wonderful sand beaches, thick -with people. It is the height of the season. The Housmans have got a -comfortable little house near a golf links. Housman has had to go to -London to see his partner, Carrington-Smith, who has been threatened -with divorce by his wife, who accuses him of infidelity with—who do you -think?—Eileen Hope. "Bert" is by way of coming down here on Saturday. -George is radiantly happy. I don't think she's thinking about him. He -wanted us all to go out in his yacht this afternoon, but as it was -blowing half a gale Mrs Housman was the only one who faced the elements. -She is a passionately good sailor and the rougher it is the more she -enjoys it. I played golf with a General York who lives here. Godfrey -Mellor doesn't play, which is tiresome. We are having the greatest fun. -Lady Jarvis is in the most splendid form. She told us some killing -stories about Mrs Carrington-Smith. She says that the whole of last year -she would only eat raw roots and uncooked fruit because she says in a -former existence she was a priestess of I sis, and that was the rule. -Lady Jarvis pointed out to her that she is not a priestess of I sis now, -but she said that if she ate meat it would spoil her chance of serving -Isis again in her next existence. She said, too, that it would displease -the elementals. Mrs Housman seems perfectly happy and cheerful. Mellor -is depressed, but I am terribly sorry for him. I feel he was having -such a divine time here before we all came.</p> - - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">GREY FARM,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, August</i> 23<i>rd</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>"Bert" came down on Saturday night, but went away this morning. He is -completely upset about Carrington-Smith, who says his wife is bent on -divorcing him. Now that he is gone one can laugh, but while he was there -we simply didn't dare. Eileen was apparently a most imprudent -correspondent. Housman says she will win her case without any doubt if -she brings it into court. I played golf with him all Sunday.</p> - -<p>We had great fun after dinner last night. Mrs Housman sang songs out of -the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and some Offenbach, too, the <i>Chanson -de Fortunio,</i> too beautifully. George <i>is</i> desperately in love—but I -still don't think <i>she</i> is.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 72.5%;">GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Tuesday, August</i> 24<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I am going to stay another week as Edith can't have me yet. George was -leaving to-day, as he has got to be at Plymouth for a regatta somewhere, -but he has put off going till to-morrow because of the weather.</p> - -<p>I am enjoying myself immensely. I have got to like Godfrey Mellor very -much. I went for a long walk with him one afternoon. When one gets him -quite alone like that he talks quite a lot and is delightful.</p> - -<p>Mrs Carrington-Smith <i>is</i> going to insist on divorce.</p> - -<p>I am going to the Shamiers' on the 1st of October. I told you they have -been lent a lodge in Scotland on the coast.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours etc.,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 16<i>th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame arrived late in the evening. We talked at dinner a great -deal about the likelihood of the Carrington-Smith divorce. We discussed -divorce in general. Mrs Housman was of course against divorce, but she -said that the rules of the Church were terribly hard on the individual -in many cases. She said: "We are allowed to separate."</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We all went for an expedition to the Land's End.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, August</i> 18<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>We all bathed in the morning. Mrs Carrington-Smith has refused to relent -in spite of Housman's attempts at mediation—apparently she found some -letters addressed by Miss Hope to her husband and Miss Hope was an -imprudent correspondent. Lady Jarvis and I wondered why people kept -letters, especially when they were compromising. Mrs Housman said she -quite understood this. She never could bring herself to burn old -letters, although she never looked at them.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, August</i> 19<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We had luncheon on board the yacht, but after luncheon we left A. on -board and went for a walk on the cliffs.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, August</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I went for a walk with Cunninghame in the afternoon. He talked a great -deal about A. He said he ought to marry. He said he thought Mrs Housman -was one of the nicest people he had ever met in his life.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, August</i> 21<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Housman arrived in the evening. It poured with rain all day, so we sat -indoors. Lady Jarvis played patience. Mrs Housman played some old songs -she found in the house. There is nothing, I think, more melancholy than -old or, rather, old-fashioned music.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Housman announced his intention of going to Mass with Mrs Housman this -morning. He said he always did so at the seaside, he thought it right to -support poor Missions. Housman said at luncheon that Father Stanway had -preached an excellent sermon. He had said in his sermon that man was a -ridiculous animal, and that every time we slip on a piece of orange-peel -or sit down on a hat by mistake, we should give thanks for the Grace of -God that is teaching us humility. In the afternoon Cunninghame and -Housman played golf. Housman lost. He says Cunninghame is a very fine -player.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 23<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Housman left for London this morning. A. leaves to-morrow for Plymouth, -but the weather is still very unsettled and it has been blowing hard, -and I wonder whether he will be able to start.</p> - -<p>Last night after dinner Mrs Housman suggested reading aloud. A. asked -her to read some stories by an American called O. Henry, whose works -have not been published in England, and whom I had never heard of. A. -has travelled in America. Mrs Housman did so. She said she thought we -would find them difficult to understand as we did not know America. We -did, that is to say, Cunninghame and myself. But A. was greatly amused, -and Lady Jarvis said she thought they were clever.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 24<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>It is still blowing hard and A. has put off going to Plymouth -altogether, as he would not get there in time for the regatta. -Cunninghame and A. played golf to-day with a retired Indian General, who -lives in a house about three miles from here. His name is York. They -brought him back to tea, a brisk, direct man. He said something about -his wife and Mrs Housman asked if she might call on her. General York -said they would be delighted.</p> - -<p>More O. Henry was read out in the evening. I prefer Mrs Housman's -readings in French literature. A. enjoyed it immensely.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, August</i> 25<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman called on Mrs York this afternoon. Mrs York greeted her with -the words: "This is very unusual." Mrs Housman did not understand what -was unusual. Mrs York said she did not recollect having called. She was -the oldest inhabitant and had discovered the place. Mrs Housman -apologised. She has asked the General and Mrs York to luncheon on -Sunday.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, August</i> 26<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame played golf with the General. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis in the afternoon. She talked of a great many things; of music -and musical education abroad. She considers Mrs Housman a fine artist. -She talked of A., of his work and mine and my prospects for the future. -I told her I enjoyed routine work and had no ambition to do anything -else. She talked of marriage. She said A. ought certainly to marry soon -as he would be very lonely otherwise. His sister, Mrs Campion, could not -look after him, as she had her own children to look after. Her eldest -daughter would soon be out. She asked me whether I had ever thought of -marrying. She is a most intelligent and agreeable woman.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, August</i> 27<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. was obliged to go to Penzance to-day for the day. We all went for a -walk in the afternoon. It is finer and quite warm, but the sea is still -very rough. Mrs Housman received a letter from Mrs York this morning -saying that she was unable to come to luncheon on Sunday, but that she -had no doubt the General would accept the invitation with pleasure. Mrs -Housman wrote back to say she would be delighted to see the General on -Sunday.</p> - -<p>The O. Henry book is finished. Mrs Housman is now reading us some -stories by another American author, Richard Harding Davis. I wish she -would return to European literature. But A. enjoys these American books.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, August</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>The wind has gone down and A. went out sailing. Cunninghame played golf. -Mrs Housman spent the day at a convent which is some miles off, and she -did not come down to dinner.</p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis took me into the town in the morning, and in the afternoon -we went for a drive. We had no reading in the evening.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 29<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">General York did not come to luncheon after all, he wrote a note -excusing himself. Mrs Housman went to Mass in the morning. A. and -Cunninghame played golf. Mrs Housman read out loud a story by Kipling -after dinner. I wonder what an E.P. tent means.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 72.5%;">GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>August</i> 30<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>The weather has been too awful, but now, thank heaven, it is fine again. -George was obliged to put off going to Plymouth by sea as it was too -rough. The Shamiers have put me off. They can't have the Lodge that was -going to be lent to them, so they won't go to Scotland at all this year. -This changes all my plans. Mrs Housman asked me to stay on another week -here, and I am going to as there is now no hurry to get to Edith's. I -shall then go back to Worsel for three days if they can have me, and -then stay with Edith for the rest of my holiday. She has got the whole -family there at this moment, so I shall enjoy going there later better. -I shall be back in London the first week in October.</p> - -<p>There is a charming old man here who plays golf with me, General York. -His wife, who was huffy because Mrs Housman "called," paid a call in -state this afternoon. She came in a barouche with an Indian servant on -the box. She is organising a bazaar and asked Lady Jarvis to help at her -stall. She said the bazaar was in the cause of the Church; she did not -ask Mrs Housman. She stayed seven minutes by the clock and refused tea, -which she said she never took as it was trying for the nerves. She was -dressed in black jet, and brought with her a small Pomeranian dog. She -said she and her husband had lived here eight years and that it used to -be a charming place when they discovered it.</p> - -<p>Write to me here and then to Edith's, but not to Worsel as that is -uncertain.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 30<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>I am glad to say Cunninghame has put off going for a week. Mrs York -called chis afternoon. I was introduced to her, but she addressed no -remark to me.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 31<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>A. has gone away for a night as he is staying with someone in the -neighbourhood. Mrs Housman took Cunninghame to the Lizard, which he had -not yet seen. Lady Jarvis and I spent a lazy day in the garden and on -the cliffs. It is extremely hot.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, September</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame and A. played golf with General York and suggested his -coming back to tea, but he declined with much embarrassment. Mrs Housman -returned Mrs York's visit, but she was not at home. Mrs Housman sang -after dinner. A. does not care for German music, which limits the -programme; he is fond, however, of old English songs.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, September</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>A beautiful day for sailing, so they said. A. took Mrs Housman for a -sail.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, September</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>I find A.'s spirits a little boisterous at times. He took us out fishing -this afternoon. After dinner he insisted on Mrs Housman playing some -American coon songs.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, September</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman arrived unexpectedly with Carrington-Smith this afternoon. -Carrington-Smith seems depressed about his coming divorce. Mrs Housman -was out sailing with A. and they did not come back until just before -dinner. Carrington-Smith is a great expert on boxing and gave us a -sparring exhibition after dinner. That is to say, he explained at great -length the nature of a straight left, and upset some of the furniture in -so doing. After dinner Housman, Carrington-Smith, Cunninghame and Lady -Jarvis played Bridge.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, September</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman played golf and met General York, knowing nothing of what had -occurred, and asked him and Mrs York to luncheon. The General was much -embarrassed and said his wife was an invalid. Housman then asked him to -come by himself. The General stammered and said they were having -luncheon out. But Housman would take no refusal and asked them to -dinner. The General said they didn't dine out on Sundays! His -wife——And then he got dreadfully confused, and Cunninghame came to the -rescue and said Housman had forgotten we were dining on board the yacht, -which we were of course not doing.</p> - -<p class="p2">Cunninghame leaves, I regret to say, to-morrow.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 72.5%;">GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Sunday, September</i> 5<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I leave to-morrow for Worsel. I am only stopping here a week. Then I go -on to Edith's where I shall stay to the end of the month. Most of the -family have gone. I spent a whole day with Mrs Housman on Tuesday and we -went to the Lizard. This is the first time I have had a real talk alone -with her since I have been here. We were talking about my plans and I -said that I had been going to stay with the Shamiers. She said: "Oh -yes," and paused a moment and then said: "She's a charming woman, isn't -she?" I could see she knew. Later on she talked of George and said how -nice Mrs Campion was and what a good thing it would be if George -married. I said: "Yes, what a good thing. It was the greatest mistake -his not marrying." Upon which she said: "Do you think he will?" And then -in a flash I knew that Lady Jarvis had been quite right and I had been -utterly wrong. What an idiot I have been! It must have been quite -obvious to a baby the whole time! I can't tell you how I mind it. I -think it is the greatest pity and really too awful! What are we to do? -That's just it—one can do nothing: there is nothing to be done, -absolutely nothing. Of course Godfrey Mellor must have seen it clearly -the whole time. I am sure he is miserable. It is all the greatest pity -and how I can have been so blind, I don't know, not that it would have -made any difference if I hadn't been. Housman, of course, sees nothing -and has begged George to stay on. As a matter of fact he (George) is -going away quite soon as he has to sail his yacht back and he is -stopping somewhere on the way. He will be back in London in October. It -is all very depressing and I am quite glad to be going. Lady Jarvis has -said nothing to me but I can see that she sees that I see. Godfrey -Mellor is staying on. Housman leaves to-morrow. Write to me at Edith's.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, September</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman and Cunninghame both left this morning. A. goes away on -Wednesday. A stormy day—too rough for sailing. Carrington-Smith, who is -remaining on, played golf with A.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, September</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis. Carrington-Smith played golf: after dinner he sang <i>I'll sing -thee songs of Araby,</i> Mrs Housman accompanied him: he has a tenor voice.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, September</i> 8<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>A. left in his yacht this morning. Lady Jarvis took Carrington-Smith for -a walk. I went out with Mrs Housman. She suggested finishing <i>Consuelo</i>: -I told her I had already finished it. Miss Housman arrives on Saturday.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, September</i> 9<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman received a telegram from Mrs Baines, who is in the -neighbourhood with her husband, proposing themselves. Mrs Housman has -asked them to stay. They will arrive to-morrow. Carrington-Smith sang -Tosti's <i>Good-bye</i> after dinner.</p> - -<p>I went for a walk with Mrs Housman in the afternoon. She said she likes -Cunninghame particularly. She said that A. ought to marry.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, September</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A rainy day, we remained indoors. Carrington-Smith went for a walk by -himself. Mr and Mrs Baines arrived in the afternoon. After dinner they -played bridge: Lady Jarvis, Carrington-Smith and Mr and Mrs Baines. Mrs -Baines said she greatly admired the works of Mrs Ella Wheeler Wilcox. -"She is," she said, "a true poet, or perhaps I should say a true -poetess." She said theatrical performances affected her so much that she -could seldom "sit out a piece." She had been obliged to take to her bed -after seeing <i>The Only Way</i>. Carrington-Smith said he preferred a prize -fight to any play. Mr Baines did not care for the English stage, but he -always went to a French play when there was one to see in London: he had -greatly admired Sarah Bernhardt in old days. His wife, he pensively -reminded us, had once been taken for her. Mrs Baines protested and said -that it was in the days when Sarah Bernhardt was quite thin. "Such a -beautiful voice," she said. "Quite the human violin in those days. Now, -of course, she rants and appears in such dreadful plays—so violent."</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, September</i> 11<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mr and Mrs Baines left this morning. Miss Housman arrived in the -afternoon. Carrington-Smith played golf and I went out with Mrs Housman. -After dinner Miss Housman suggested Bridge, but there were only three -players, as Mrs Housman does not play. Miss Housman said I must play. I -said I did not know the rules. She said she would teach me. I played—I -was her partner. She became excited over what is called the "double -ruff," a point I have not yet grasped. Carrington-Smith, who is an -excellent player, explained me the rules with great patience.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, September</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon she went for a walk with Miss -Housman. We played Bridge again after dinner. Miss Housman was annoyed -with me as I neglected to finesse.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, September</i> 13<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>The last week of my holiday. It becomes finer and warmer every day. Miss -Housman said she must see the Land's End. Mrs Housman took her there. I -went for a walk with Lady Jarvis in the evening. More Bridge after -dinner: I revoked, but my partner, Carrington-Smith, was most amiable -about it.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, September</i> 14<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Miss Housman took Mrs Housman into the town as she said she needed help -with her shopping: she did not make many purchases. As far as I -understood, only two yards of silk. I went out with Carrington-Smith in -the afternoon. Bridge in the evening—I do not yet understand the -"double ruff."</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, September</i> 15<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We all went to the Lizard in two carriages. Miss Housman said she must -see the Lizard. She, Mrs Housman and myself went in one carriage; Lady -Jarvis and Carrington-Smith in the other. Bridge in the evening; Miss -Housman lost, which annoyed her.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, September</i> 16<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A wet day. Miss Housman practised all the morning (Fantasia in C sharp -minor, Chopin); her touch is very metallic. We played Bridge in the -afternoon after tea, as well as after dinner.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, September</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>My last day. It cleared up. We all went out on to the beach. Miss -Housman read aloud a novel, which she had already begun and which we -will certainly not have time to finish, called <i>Queed</i>, by an American -author. After dinner we played Bridge.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, September</i> 18<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Arrived at Gray's Inn. Travelled up with Carrington-Smith.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, October</i> 3<i>rd. Gray's Inn</i>.</p> - -<p>Stayed at home in the morning and read the Sunday newspapers. In the -afternoon I went for a walk in Kensington Gardens.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, October</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. and Cunninghame returned to the office. A. told us that his sister, -Mrs Campion, had invited both of us to stay with her next Saturday at -her house in Oxfordshire. We have both accepted.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, October</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame asked me to dinner. We dined at his flat and sat up talking -until nearly one o'clock in the morning. I had a letter from Lady Jarvis -telling me she has returned to London and inviting me to visit her in -Mansfield Street whenever I felt inclined.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, October</i> 6<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with A. at his Club. He told me that Mrs Housman arrives -to-morrow; he met Housman in the street this morning.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, October</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I called on Lady Jarvis late this evening and found her at home. She -said Cornwall had had a beneficial effect on Mrs Housman's health. I -stayed talking till nearly seven.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, October</i> 8<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Received a note from Mrs Housman asking me to dine there next Tuesday. -Went to a concert with Lady Jarvis at the Queen's Hall: the programme -was uninteresting, but I enjoyed my evening nevertheless.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, October</i> 9<i>th. Wraxted Priory, Oxfordshire</i>.</p> - -<p>I travelled down with A. and Cunninghame and found a party consisting, -besides ourselves, of Mrs Campion and her three children, Fräulein -Brandes, the governess, Miss Macdonald, Cunninghame's cousin, and a Miss -Wray. I sat next to Mrs Campion at dinner: she said she hoped they would -go to Florence again next Easter. After dinner we played Consequences -and the letter game.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, October</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">Everyone went to church this morning except Cunninghame and myself. At -luncheon I sat next to Fräulein Brandes. She said Shakespeare was badly -performed in England and that she preferred the German translation of -the plays to the original; she considered it superior. "<i>Aber das</i>," she -added, "<i>will kein Engländer gestehen</i>." She was shocked to hear I had -never read Shakespeare's plays. I told her I had no taste for verse. She -said this was <i>unglaublich</i>. I told her I was fond of German music. In -the afternoon Mrs Campion took me for a walk. Cunninghame went out with -his cousin. At dinner I sat next to Miss Wray. I found her most -agreeable. She has travelled a great deal and seems to have a real -appreciation of classical music.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, October</i> 11<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>We had a delightful Sunday at Mrs Campion's. A lovely old house not very -far from Oxford: grey stone walls, a hall with the walls left bare and a -few bits of good tapestry and another panelled room. Freda was there, -and Lavinia Wray, who has just come back from South America. She is -looking so well, her lovely skin whiter than ever and those huge -eyes—George liked her enormously. He had never met her before. How -wonderful it would be if that could come off. It would be exactly right. -Of course I am sure Mrs Campion wants it and is not likely to do -anything stupid. I shall get Edith to help later if possible. She is -still in the country now. Mrs Housman has come back to London and I -hear from Randall that Housman is mad about Mrs Park. I shall go and see -her next week. George is in good spirits. When I got back I couldn't -bear the sight of my flat with those glaring curtains and I have -committed the great extravagance of changing them. The new ones are -coming next week. I hope they will be a success as I shan't be able to -change them again.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, October</i> 11<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, October</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Had luncheon with Cunninghame to meet his sister, Mrs Howard. She is -older than he is and less communicative. Her husband is on the Stock -Exchange. She was only in London for the day but she said she hoped I -would come and see her when she settled in London later. She has a house -in Chester Street.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, October</i> 13<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with the Housmans last night. A. was there, Miss Housman and Mrs -Park. I sat next to Mrs Housman. Mrs Park contradicted A. when he -mentioned music and said something about the gross ignorance of English -amateurs. After dinner she asked Miss Housman to accompany her. She sang -some operatic airs and Gounod's <i>Ave Maria</i>. I drove home with A., who -told me he could not bear Mrs Park.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, October</i> 14<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I am just back from dining with Lady Jarvis. A. was there, Miss Wray and -several other people. Lady Jarvis asked me if I had seen the Housmans. I -told her about my dinner there. She said that Mrs Park was an -intolerable woman: she knew her when she was a singer and she said she -had never met anyone who gave herself such airs. Walked home with -Cunninghame, who was dining there too. He is dining with the Housmans on -Sunday. The Carrington-Smith divorce case is in the newspapers.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, October</i> 15<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p>Mrs Carrington-Smith has got her divorce.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, October</i> 16<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Spent the day at Woking with Solway. He has finished his Sonata.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, October</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">I went to see Mrs Housman this afternoon and found her at home. After I -had been there about five minutes a great many visitors arrived and I -left.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">HALKIN STREET,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Sunday, October</i> 17<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I am having a quiet Sunday in London. George is staying with the Prime -Minister. I dined last night with the Housmans. Mrs Park was there, -Randall and Miss Housman. Mrs Park is incredible: a magnificent figure, -hair dyed a rich bronze with flaming high lights, dressed in a flowing -robe of peach-coloured satin with a necklace of fire-opals and a large -diamond lyre on her shoulder; the semi-royal manner of an ex-Prima -Donna, at the same time making it quite clear that she no longer mixed -with the artistic world—she had soared to the top of it and out of it. -She said: "Years ago when I was at Balmoral the dear Queen told me she -reminded me of Grisi." I said: "I suppose you mean you reminded her of -Grisi," and she drew herself up stiffly and said she meant what she -said. She told me that Madame Cosima had implored her to sing at -Bayreuth but of course she couldn't think of doing such a thing. Poor -Theodore (her late husband) hated Wagner. After dinner she sang, Miss -Housman accompanied her, a song out of <i>Cavalleria.</i> They had a fierce -argument about the time. Mrs Park said she was playing too fast, which -she was, although I don't believe Mrs Park knew this. Miss Sarah stuck -to her guns and played, if anything, faster. Mrs Park then refused to -sing. Housman asked his wife to accompany her, which Mrs Housman most -good-naturedly said she would be delighted to do. This was more than -Miss Housman could bear—she said Mrs Housman was playing too slow and -Mrs Park agreed. Miss Housman tore Mrs Housman from the piano and sat -there herself, and the song was sung to the end. All seemed to be -peaceable but Miss Housman unfortunately couldn't refrain from saying -that Mascagni's music was rubbish, upon which Mrs Park burst into a -furious passion. Who was Miss Housman to judge? she screamed. Miss -Housman said she had studied music for five years under the best -musicians in the world at Leipzig. Mrs Park said she had sung to Patti, -who had said she was the only English artist worthy of the name of -"artist." Miss Housman, in a sardonic voice, said that Patti was so -kind. Mrs Park said that the arrogance of amateurs knew no bounds. She -had sung before the most critical public in two continents. Miss Housman -said she did not consider the Americans a critical public. Mrs Park then -said she would never sing again in the Housmans' house as long as she -lived, not if everyone went down on their knees to her. Housman became -greatly agitated and fussed about the room, saying: "Never mind, never -mind; we are all very tired to-night, it's the east wind." Mrs Park -said she always sang her best in an east wind. I caught Mrs Housman's -eye and we were seized with a fit of uncontrollable laughter. We laughed -till we shook. Randall caught it too. This made things much worse. Mrs -Park said she was being insulted and swept out of the room, Housman -running after her. He came back alone gibbering with agitation, and Miss -Housman then attacked him and said of course if Albert (rolling the "r" -with a rapid guttural) would invite such awful people, what could one -expect? Then "Bert" got really angry and we all sat in dead silence -while he and Miss Sarah abused each other like pickpockets. Then the -door opened and Mrs Park came back saying she had left her fan behind. -She took no notice of us but disappeared with Housman into the Oriental -lounge, and there we heard spirited skirmishes of talk going on in an -undertone. Miss Housman sat down defiantly at the piano and played, or -rather banged, the <i>Rapsodie Hongroise.</i> When this was over they both -came back and Housman suggested, with a nervous chuckle, that we should -all have some lemonade. We jumped at the idea and the evening ended -peaceably enough, but Mrs Park ignored Miss Housman, was icy towards Mrs -Housman, and made all her remarks to me and Randall. I then left the -house. Housman followed me nervously to the door and said that Mrs Park -had the artistic temperament and that I mustn't mind, and that it was -too bad of Sarah to provoke her.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p class="p2"><i>P.S</i>.—I suppose you read about the Carrington-Smith case in the -newspapers. Mrs Housman and I laughed a good deal about it when "Bert" -wasn't listening, but I am very sorry for Eileen. Aren't you?</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, October</i> 18<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. has been staying with the Prime Minister. He does not appear to have -enjoyed himself very much. He asked me if I had seen the Housmans -lately.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, October</i> 19<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. and I dined with Cunninghame. Miss Wray was there, Mrs Howard and -Lady Jarvis. A. said afterwards that Miss Wray was a charming girl—it -was a pity that she did not marry.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, October</i> 20<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>I called on Mrs Housman late, but she was not at home. Housman came out -of the house as I was standing at the door. He asked me to dinner on -Sunday. I accepted.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, October</i> 21<i>st.</i></p> - -<p>Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, October</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with Mrs Howard. A. was there, Cunninghame, Miss Wray, Miss -Macdonald, and others. Mr Howard is half-Irish and very boisterous. I -sat next to Miss Wray; she said Mrs Campion was the nicest woman she -knew. Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth have come back to London and are -starting their Thursday evenings. They have asked A. and myself to -dinner on Thursday week.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, October</i> 23<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>A. has gone to the country to stay with a General; a military party.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, October</i> 24<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me she did not think Mrs -Housman would stay long in London, as the London winter was bad for her; -she said she thought she would most likely go to Florence.</p> - -<p>I dined with the Housmans. A strange party. Mrs Park was the only -person there I had met before. There was a South African magnate and -his wife, a retired Indian official, and a Mr Perry, an Australian, and -his wife, who were apparently intimate friends of Mrs Park's, at least -she called him Tom. I sat next to Mrs Perry, who told me that Paris had -been a disappointment to her. She told me, also, that the women in -England were, according to Australian standards, dowdy. On the other -side of me was Lady Bowles, the wife of the Indian official. She told me -she was Mrs Park's greatest friend; she said she lived at Cannes and -only spent a few weeks in London every year; they were staying at the -Hyde Park Hotel. She found London dreadfully slow: she was accustomed, -she said, always to smoke between the courses at dinner, and not to do -so was a great deprivation. She also said she was a great gambler and -was used to gambling all night. "Of course I find this exhausting," she -said; "and I always tell Harold I shall take to cocaine some day." -Housman seemed rather embarrassed. Miss Housman was not there. After -dinner Lady Bowles suggested a game of Poker. They all played except Mrs -Housman and they were still playing when I left.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, October</i> 25<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said A. had come back -from the country in a very bad temper and had said that nothing would -induce him to pay a visit anywhere again.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, October</i> 26<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went to a concert at the Queen's Hall. Saw the Housmans in the distance, -and to my astonishment I met A. in the interval. He said he had been -dragged there by his sister. I met them again as we were going out. A. -asked me to dinner on Friday.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, October</i> 27<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Had luncheon with A. He seems in high spirits. He told me that his -sister had come up from London for the winter—she had taken a house -in Pont Street. He said the Housmans and Cunninghame were dining on -Friday and it would be a Cornwall party.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, October</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Aunt Ruth—a large political dinner; the F.O. largely -represented, as usual. A. was there and sat next to the wife of the -French military attache, and on the other side of Aunt Ruth. I am afraid -he found the dinner tedious, but after dinner he talked to Miss Wray: I -sat next to her at dinner. She asked me if I had known A. long. She said -he was so like his sister. Uncle Arthur has not yet grasped I am working -in a public office. He asked me how I was getting on in the city.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, October</i> 29<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with A. at his flat. Mr and Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, Miss Wray, -Cunninghame and Miss Macdonald, Mrs Campion was coming but had been -obliged to go down to the country. Mrs Housman said she was very likely -going abroad for the winter.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, October</i> 30<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. was engaged to go somewhere in the country but he has put off going. -He left a telegram at the office to his hostess but forgot to fill in -the address. Tuke brought it to me. It was to Mrs Legget, Miss Wray's -aunt. She is not in <i>Who's Who</i>, but I rang up Lady Jarvis on the -telephone and she knew.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, October</i> 31<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p class="p2">I went to call on Mrs Housman but she was not at home.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, November</i> 1<i>st</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I spent Sunday in London and had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me -the Housman <i>ménage</i> was all upside down owing to Mrs Park, who refused -to let Housman see any of his old friends, insulted them all, and -quarrelled every day with Miss Housman, and insisted on her friends -being asked nightly to dinner—and what friends! Fast colonials, Lady -Jarvis says, and the dregs of the Riviera! Poor Mrs Housman is utterly -worn out. Mrs Park behaves exactly as if it were her house, orders the -servants about, complains of the food, and is always there! The result -is Mrs Housman has gone to Florence; she was to leave this morning and -she is going to stay there the whole winter. I did not know how George -would take this bit of news, but he knew already and seems, oddly -enough, in good spirits! Edith thinks he is fond of Lavinia Wray and -that he will end by marrying her, but Lady Jarvis does not agree, -although she said that his sister thinks the same thing. They can't -understand his being in such spirits otherwise. Last Friday we all had -dinner at George's flat. After dinner, so Lady Jarvis told me, before we -came out of the dining-room they were playing the game of saying who you -could marry and who you couldn't, and after mentioning a lot of people, -Godfrey Mellor among others, Freda Macdonald said: "George." Lady Jarvis -and Freda said: "Oh yes; we could marry him." Mrs Housman and Lavinia -Wray said: "No—quite impossible."</p> - -<p>Except Lady Jarvis, they are all extraordinarily optimistic about George -and think that there is nothing in the Housman thing and that it will -pass off and he will marry Lavinia. I am sure they are wrong, and I am -more depressed about it than words can say. Lavinia is fond of him, too, -and that is all that has been gained. There are now three miserable -people, instead of two! No letter from you this week, but I hope to get -one to-morrow.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, November</i> 1<i>st. Gray's Inn</i>.</p> - -<p>Received a letter from Mrs Housman saying that she was leaving for -Florence this morning, She was sorry not to have seen me yesterday. She -is going to stay in Florence until the end of May.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, November</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Had dinner with A. alone at his flat. He was in low spirits and said -that he hates official life.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, December</i> 21<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>My Christmas holidays begin to-morrow. I am going to Aunt Ruth's. -Cunninghame is staying with Lady Jarvis. A. said he would most probably -spend Christmas with his sister, but he was not sure.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, December</i> 23<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Received a telegram from Aunt Ruth saying the party was put off as Uncle -Arthur has got bronchitis. A telegram arrived for A. at the office this -morning. I telephoned to Tuke at his flat to know where to forward it. -Tuke said A.'s address for the next week would be Hotel Grande Bretagne, -Florence.</p> - -<p><i>Christmas Day</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, December</i> 28<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Tuke telephoned to say not to forward any more letters to A. He was on -his way home.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, January</i> 8<i>th</i>, 1910.</p> - -<p class="p2">Received a letter from A. from his sister's house. He is coming up next -week. Riley has written to me from Paris to know whether I could put him -up next month. He is going to spend a month in London. I have told him I -would be glad of his company.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">ROSEDALE,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Saturday, January</i> 1<i>st</i>, 1910.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have been staying with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. There is a very -small party, only Jane Vaughan and Winchester Hill besides myself. Just -before I came down here Housman asked me to dine with him at the -Carlton. I went and he was alone. After talking nervously on ordinary -topics, he told me he did not know what to do. It gradually came out -that Mrs Park is making his life quite unbearable. She won't let him see -any of his friends; she quarrels with Sarah, and has the most violent -scenes; she makes scenes every day, and not long ago, he said, broke a -fine piece of Venetian glass. He is miserable; he says he can't call his -soul his own. I told Lady Jarvis all about this and she said the only -thing to be done would be for Housman to get Mrs Housman to come back. -She has been away two months, and if she comes back at the end of the -month the worst of the winter will be over. She is very much worried -about Mrs Housman and says this is most unfortunate, as it would be -better really in every way if she were to stay out there. You see Edith -and Mrs Campion and Freda all think that it is only a passing fancy of -George's and that he will get over it and marry Lavinia Wray! Lady -Jarvis says this is wrong; she knows they are wrong. She thinks George -and Mrs Housman are desperately in love with each other and she doesn't -know how it will end. She is so worried that she nearly went out to -Florence last week. She had heard from Mrs Housman quite lately. She -said in her last letter that George had suggested coming out to Florence -for Christmas with Mrs Campion. She had told him that she would most -likely not be in Florence as the Albertis had asked her to spend -Christmas with them at Ravenna; she was not sure, however, whether she -would go or not. Whether George went or not, I don't know. He told me he -was going to spend Christmas with Mrs Campion at the Priory.</p> - -<p>I am going back to London at the end of next week.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Wednesday, January</i> 11<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I came back to London on Monday. I asked Housman to dinner with me and -told him that he had much better get Mrs Housman back. He said he quite -agreed that it was the only thing to do. Things were now worse than -ever. Mrs Park was impossible. Poor little "Bert"! The worst of it is, -that directly this is over there is quite certain to be someone else and -perhaps someone worse. However, let us hope for the best. George came -to the office yesterday. He said he had been staying with his sister; he -said nothing about Florence. He is in low spirits.</p> - -<p>I shall certainly go abroad at Easter and spend a few days in Paris in -any case. Lady Jarvis is back in London, and the Shamiers. I dined there -last night. Lavroff was there and Louise is just as fond of him as ever.</p> - -<p>Poor Godfrey Mellor is terribly melancholy. He has got a friend staying -with him now and I don't see much of him.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Tuesday, February</i> 15<i>th</i>, 1910.</p> - -<p>Alfred Riley arrived last night. He is now professor at Shelborough -University and is editing <i>Propertius</i>. He has come to consult some -books at the British Museum.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, February</i> 16<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Sat up very late last night talking with Riley. He was amused by a -conversation he had overheard at a Club. Two men were talking about -someone who had become a Roman Catholic. Someone he didn't know. One of -them said to the other that it was a very pleasant solution if you could -do it. The other one said: "Certainly; no bother, no responsibility ... -everything settled for you." I said that I did think the Confessional -must be the negation of responsibility. Riley said that by becoming a -Catholic you became responsible for all your actions. He said that -before he was a Catholic he felt no responsibility at all to anything or -anyone, but that the moment you were a Catholic everything you did and -said counted. Every time you went to Confession you acknowledged and -confirmed your assumption of responsibility. I mentioned a common friend -of ours, O'Neil, who had been a Catholic all his life and who, though he -was married, had never ceased to live with a Miss Silvia Thorpe, whom I -had known as an artist. He didn't hide it, neither did she. Riley said -that this proved his point. O'Neil never dreamt of going to Confession; -he knew it would be useless, because he had no intention of giving up -Miss Thorpe, and that being so, he knew he couldn't get Absolution, It -was a sacrifice to him, a very great sacrifice, as he Was a believing -Catholic. "That shows," he went on, "that you don't understand how the -thing works. You and all Protestants think that one can stroll into the -Confessional, wipe the slate clean and go on with what you are doing, -however bad it is, with the implied sanction of the Church. But the fact -remains that practising Catholics who are living in a way which the -Church condemned do not go to Confession. Going to Confession entails -facing responsibility instead of evading it." He said that if what I -thought was true, people like O'Neil would go to Confession. I must face -the fact that he did not go to Confession and was extremely unhappy on -that account. He would like to go to the Sacraments but he had made this -great sacrifice with his eyes open. I said that I had always thought the -Church was lax about such matters. He said individuals might be lax. The -Church was not responsible for the conduct of individuals, but the rule -of the Church was absolutely uncompromising. I said O'Neil might be an -extreme case, but supposing a devout Catholic married woman had a great -man friend, supposing he was very much in love with her, but she was a -virtuous woman, faithful to her husband, she could go on seeing the -other man as much as she liked? Would the Church forbid it? Riley said -the Church would forbid <i>sin</i>. Any priest would tell her that if she -thought it might lead to sin, she must cut it out of her life. I said -that was quite clear, but he was not telling me what I wanted to know. -He said: "What is it that you want to know?" I said I must give it up. I -couldn't put it into words. I said Roman Catholics were always so -matter-of-fact. They handed one opinions and ideas like chocolates -wrapped up in silver paper. He said: "You think that, because you would -sooner walk naked in the streets than think things out, or call things -by their names. You like leaving them vague. 'Le vague,' Renan said, -'est pire que le faux.'"</p> - -<p>I said, going back to the question of responsibility, that I had often -heard Catholics themselves complain of the want of responsibility of -Catholics. Riley said that might very well be; they might lack a sense -of responsibility, just as they might lack a sense of charity or -honesty. "You think," he said, "that the Church is perpetually arranging -comfortable compromises. Nothing is further from the truth. Nothing is -harder on the individual than certain of the commandments of the Church -with regard to marriage: for instance, divorce, and the bearing of -children. Some of the Church's views were just as hard on the individual -as it was hard on a man, who is going to catch a train to see his dying -child, to be delayed by a policeman holding up the traffic, but in order -to make traffic possible, you had to have a policeman, and the -individual couldn't complain however much he might suffer.</p> - -<p>"I know a much harder case than O'Neil's," he said: "a colleague of mine -who is married and has been completely neglected by his wife. On the -other hand, he has been looked after devotedly for years by another -woman, who nursed him when he was ill and saved his life. He wants to -become a Catholic, but he knows quite well that the Church will not -receive him unless he were to give up this woman, whom he adores, and go -back to his wife, who is indifferent to him. What you don't understand," -he said, "is that the Church is not an air cushion but a rock."</p> - -<p>He said I accused the Church of being lax, but many people that he knew -found fault with what they called the <i>hardness</i> of the Church. But as a -matter of fact they had generally to admit that as far as the human race -was concerned the Church in such matters of morals was always right. He -cited instances of what the Church was right in condemning. I said that -one did not need to be Roman Catholic to know that immorality was bad -for the State, and that vice was noxious to the individual. The -ordinary laymen reach the same conclusions merely by common-sense.</p> - -<p>Riley said there were only two points of view in the world: the Catholic -point of view or the non-Catholic point of view. All so-called religions -which I could mention, including my layman's common-sense view, were -either lopped-off branches of Catholicism or shadows of it, or a blind -aspiration towards it, or a misguided parallel of it, as of a train that -had gone off the rails, or a travesty of it, sometimes serious, and -sometimes grotesque: a distortion. The other point of view was the -materialist point of view, which he could perfectly well understand -anyone holding. It depends, he said, whether you think human life is -casual or divine.</p> - -<p>I said I could quite well conceive a philosophy which would be neither -materialist nor Catholic. He quoted Dr Johnson about everyone having a -right to his opinion, and martyrdom being the test. Catholicism, he -said, had survived the test; would my philosophy?</p> - -<p>As far as I was concerned I admitted that I held no opinion for which I -was ready to go to the stake, except, possibly, that <i>Jane Eyre</i> was an -interesting book.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, February</i> 21<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>I heard from Mrs Housman this morning. She returns to-morrow.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, February</i> 26<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Called on Mrs Housman, and found her in. Housman was there also. They -asked me to dinner next Monday.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, February</i> 27<i>th. Rosedale</i>.</p> - -<p class="p2">I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one else. Lady Jarvis said -she was glad Mrs Housman had returned to London.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Tuesday, March</i> 1<i>st</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I dined with the Housmans last night. Only myself, Miss Sarah, Lady -Jarvis, and Godfrey Mellor. Everything as it used to be. -Carrington-Smith came in after dinner. He has not been inside the house -for months. I don't know what Mrs Housman did nor how it was done, but -it <i>was</i> done, and done most successfully and quickly! She only came -back a week ago. "Bert" looks quite different and is perfectly radiant.</p> - -<p>George, I gather, hasn't seen her. They asked him to dinner last night, -but he had an official dinner and couldn't come. He asked me whether I -had seen her. He said he had been there several times, but she had -always been out. He is still most depressed and goes nowhere unless he -is absolutely obliged to. The Housmans have asked me to spend Easter at -their villa. Lady Jarvis is going, and Godfrey; and Housman told me he -was going to ask George. I am going and I shall stop two or three days -in Paris on the way.</p> - -<p>Lavinia Wray has gone to the south of France with her aunt. The Shamiers -are going to Paris next week. They will tell you all the news, not that -there is much.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, February</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. told me he had not been to the country after all on Saturday.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, March</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with the Housmans, a very agreeable dinner. Mrs Housman played and -sang after dinner: Brahms' <i>Lieder</i>, and some Grieg.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>A. asked me to luncheon. He told me he had been so sorry not to be able -to go to the Housmans' last night. He said he had not seen them yet. He -was so busy. He asked me how Mrs Housman was and whether Florence had -done her good.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, March</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>I told Riley I had been reading Renan's <i>Souvenirs d'enfance et de -jeunesse</i>, and that Renan said in this book that there was nothing in -Catholic dogmas which raised in him a contrary opinion; nothing either -in the political action or in the spirit of the Church, either in the -past or in the present, that led him to doubt; but directly he studied -the "Higher Criticism" and German text-books his faith in the Church -crumbled. I asked Riley what he thought of this. He said people treated -German text-books superstitiously then and they still did so now. If -German text-books dealt with Shakespeare people could see at once that -they were talking nonsense, and that mountains of erudition were being -built on a false base, a base which we knew to be false, because we were -English; but when they dealt with things more remote, like the Gospels, -people swallowed what they said, and accepted any of their theories as -infallible dogma. In twenty years' time, he said, nobody will care two -straws for the "Higher Criticism."</p> - -<p>Riley is going away to-morrow.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, March</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman has written to ask me to come and see her on Sunday -afternoon if I am in London.</p> - -<p>Dined with Cunninghame at a restaurant and went to the Palace Music Hall -afterwards.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, March</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. is much annoyed at having to stay with the Foreign Secretary. Dined -at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, March</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Spent the afternoon at Mrs Housman's. There was nobody there until -Housman came in late just when I was going. Housman said we must all -meet at Florence. He said he was going to ask A. "But we never see him -now," he added. He asked me what A. was doing. I told him he was staying -with the Foreign Secretary. He said, of course he was right to attend to -his official and especially to his social duties. He said he would ask -him to dinner next week. He asked me to dine on Wednesday. Mrs Housman -asked me to go to a concert with her on Tuesday.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, March</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, March</i> 8<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went to a concert in Chelsea with Mrs Housman, Housman and Miss Housman. -Solway played, and an excellent violinist, Miss Bowden; Beethoven Sonata -(G Major) and Schubert Quartet (D Minor). We all enjoyed the music and -the playing. During the interval we went to see Solway. Housman asked -him to dinner to-morrow.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 9<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with the Housmans. Lady Jarvis, Mrs Campion, Solway, Cunninghame, -Mrs Baines, and A. and Miss Housman were there. I sat between Lady -Jarvis and Mrs Campion. After dinner Mrs Housman asked Solway to try a -song with her, a new English song by a boy who has just left the -College of Music. She sang this and after that she sang all the -<i>Winterreise</i>. Housman asked A. and Mrs Campion to stay with them in -Florence. Mrs Campion cannot get away this Easter. A. accepted the -invitation.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, March</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went after dinner to Aunt Ruth's. Uncle Arthur is quite restored to -health. He asked me whether I had been appointed to Paris, still -thinking that I was in the F.O. There were a great many people there. -Aunt Ruth spoke severely about A. and said she heard he only went out in -the Bohemian world. I said he had stayed with the Foreign Secretary last -week.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, March</i> 11<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Mrs Campion. A. was there and the Albertis, who are over in -England. A. said he was much looking forward to Florence. Easter is -early this year.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, March</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. has gone to Littlehampton. He has asked the Housmans and Cunninghame. -I am going to Woking.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, March</i> 13<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">Spent the day with Solway, who played Bach. Returned by the late train -after dinner.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, March</i> 14<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have just come back from Littlehampton, where I spent Sunday with -George and his sister. The Housmans were asked and Housman went, but Mrs -Housman was not well. I start on Thursday morning and shall be in Paris -Thursday night and stay there till Monday. Let us do something amusing. -I should like to go to the play one night. But you have probably seen -all the best things hundreds of times. I am going on co Florence on -Monday. I don't think George has seen much of Mrs Housman. I dined there -last Wednesday. Mrs Housman sang the whole evening so that he did not -get any talk with her. Godfrey has been much more cheerful lately and -even suggested going to a music-hall one night. Mrs Campion is coming -to Florence too.</p> - -<p>I'm sorry I've been so bad about writing lately. I seem to have had no -time and yet to have done nothing, and there have been a series of -rather tiresome episodes at the office.</p> - -<p>Au revoir till Thursday,</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, March</i> 14<i>th</i></p> - -<p>A. came back from the country in a gloomy state of mind. He said it was -a great mistake to go to the country in March and that his party had -been a failure. He said bachelors should not give parties. He asked me -to dine with him, which I did. He says he is leaving on Wednesday but -will stop two nights in Paris. Mrs Campion is travelling with him.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, March</i> 15<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman rang up on the telephone and told me that a young vocalist -was dining with them to-morrow night. She wanted a few people to hear -her. Would I come? Solway was coming.</p> - -<p>Dined with Cunninghame at his Club. He says he has never seen A. so -depressed.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 16<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with the Housmans. Miss Housman, Solway and Lady Jarvis were -there. The vocalist, a Miss Byfield, did not arrive till after dinner. -Mrs Housman said Miss Byfield was shy and had refused to dine at the -last moment. After dinner she sang some songs from the classical -composers. She was extremely nervous. Mrs Housman and Solway say she has -promise. Housman said to me confidentially that he was sure there was no -money in her. The Housmans leave to-morrow. A. left to-day.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, March</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame left to-day. I had dinner with Lady Jarvis. She asked me to -travel with her on Saturday. We are both stopping Sunday night in Paris.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, March</i> 18<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Lunched and dined at the Club. Packed up my things. Am taking some music -with me.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, March</i> 19<i>th. Paris.</i></p> - -<p>Arrived at the Hôtel Saint Romain. Had a pleasant journey with Lady -Jarvis.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, March</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis took me to see a French friend of hers, Madame Sainton. It -was her day. There was a large crowd of men and women in the -drawing-room and the dining-room, where there was tea, Madeira and -excellent sandwiches. The French take just as much trouble about -preparing a good tea as they do to write or to dress well. I was -introduced to a famous composer, who talked to me technically about -boxing. I was obliged to confess that I knew nothing of the art. It was -a pity, I thought, Carrington-Smith was not there. I was also introduced -to a French author, who asked me what was the place of Meredith in -modern literature, what <i>les jeunes</i> thought about him. I was obliged to -confess I had never read one line of Meredith. The French author thought -I despised him. He asked me: "Quest qu'on lit en Angleterre maintenant -avant de se coucher?" I said that I had no idea what <i>les jeunes</i> read -but that I personally, for a bedside book, preferred <i>Jane Eyre</i>.</p> - -<p>The French author said "<i>Tiens</i>!" He then asked me what I thought of -Bernard Shaw. I had again to confess that I had never seen his plays -acted. I told him that when I had time to spare I went to concerts. He -said: "Ah! la musique," and I felt he was generalising a whole movement -in young England towards music.</p> - -<p>In the evening we went to the Opéra Comique and heard <i>Carmen</i>, which I -greatly enjoyed.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, March</i> 21<i>st. Florence. Villa Fersen.</i></p> - -<p>We arrived at Florence this morning. Cunninghame and A. and Mrs Campion -were in the same train. The Housmans had been there some days already.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, March</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame, Mrs Housman, A. and Mrs Campion went out together. Lady -Jarvis stayed at home. I went later in the morning to the Pitti. In the -afternoon they went to Fiesole. Housman went to call on some friends. -Lady Jarvis and I went for a walk.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 23<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>We were invited to luncheon by a Mr Eugene Lowe, a friend of Lady -Jarvis. He has a flat in the town on the Pitti side of the river. The -Housmans and Cunninghame and myself went. A. and his sister had luncheon -with the Albertis. Mr Lowe's flat had the peculiarity that everything in -it had been ingeniously diverted from its original purpose. The only -other guest besides ourselves was an ex-diplomatist whom I met last -year.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, March</i> 24<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis has gone to Venice, where she is staying with friends until -next Monday. While we were sight-seeing this morning we met a lady -called Mrs Fairburn, who claimed to be an old friend of Mrs Housman. Mrs -Housman told me she had met her in America soon after she married, but -that she had never known her well. She asked us all to luncheon on -Saturday. Mrs Housman accepted for herself and Housman. Cunninghame and -I also accepted. A. and his sister were engaged.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon Mrs Housman said she was going to hear a Dominican -preach. Cunninghame and I asked if we might accompany her. A. said it -was no use his going as he did not understand Italian. He was most -eloquent.</p> - -<p><i>Friday (Good Friday), March</i> 25<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman spent the whole morning in church. I went with Cunninghame -for a long walk.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, March</i> 26<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We had luncheon with Mrs Fairburn, who has a villa on the Fiesole side. -She is a widow and always, she says, lives abroad; so much so, she told -us, that she had difficulty in speaking English correctly. She gave us -no evidence that she spoke any other language with great correctness. -She told me she was overjoyed at meeting Mrs Housman, who was her oldest -friend. Housman asked her to dinner to-morrow night.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday (Easter Sunday), March</i> 27<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">I went for a walk by myself. When I got back I found various people at -the villa and escaped to my room. Mrs Fairburn came to dinner. When -Housman said he had been suffering from a headache she exclaimed: -"<i>Poveretto</i>!" and said she was feeling-rather "<i>Moche</i>" herself. -Looking at Mrs Housman, she said to me: "She is <i>ravissante, che -bellezza! E vero?</i>"</p> - - - -<p><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">VILLA FERSEN, FLORENCE,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Easter Monday, March</i> 28<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>We arrived safely and we are a very happy party. Lady Jarvis has gone to -Venice to stay with the Lumleys, but comes back to-morrow. George is, of -course, immensely happy at being here, but it isn't really satisfactory. -We haven't seen many people, though we have been out to luncheon twice: -once with that terrible bore, Eugene Lowe, who lives in a flat which is -the most monstrous ind absurd thing I have ever seen. The walls are hung -with Turkish carpets; the chairs and tables with Church vestments; the -books turn out to be cigarette lamps and cigar cases; the writing-table -is a gutted spinet; and in the middle of the room there is a large -Venetian well, which he uses for cigarette ashes.</p> - -<p>On Saturday we had luncheon with a Mrs Fairburn, who professed to be an -old friend of Mrs Housman's. This turned out to be a gross exaggeration. -She is an affected woman who dresses in what are meant to be -ultra-French clothes, and she speaks broken English on purpose. She -pretends to be silly, but is far from being anything of the kind. I can -see now that she has got her eye on Housman. He was quite charmed by -her. She has arranged an outing next week. I can see that she is going -to stick like a leech, and she will be, unless I am very much mistaken, -much worse than Mrs Park or any of them.</p> - -<p>Godfrey Mellor is, I think, liking it, but he insists on going out by -himself, and every day he goes to some gallery with a Baedeker, all -alone. We always ask him to come with us, but it is no use. He says he -has got things to do in the town and off he goes.</p> - -<p>We go about mostly all together except for Godfrey, who always manages -to elude us.</p> - -<p>I am staying till Monday, then two days at Mentone, and then home (via -Paris, but only for a night).</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday (Easter Monday), March</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We all had luncheon with the Albertis. Lady Jarvis returned in the -afternoon from Venice.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, March</i> 29<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went to the Uffizzi. Housman said he was going to spend the day in -visits.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 30<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Fairburn came to luncheon. Housman said when she had gone that she -was a very remarkable woman, so cultivated, so well read and widely -travelled. He said she ought to have held some great position. She -should have been an Empress.</p> - -<p>I went to the Pitti in the morning and to the Boboli Gardens in the -afternoon.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, March</i> 31<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>The Albertis came to luncheon. Baroness Strong and Mrs Fisk called in -the afternoon. They both asked us all to entertainments, but Housman -explained that we had guests ourselves every day. He asked them to -dinner on Sunday, but they declined.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, April</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Housman has bought some miniatures by a young artist recommended by Mrs -Fairburn. I do not think they are well done, but I am no judge. A. and -Mrs Campion left.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, April</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Mrs Housman suggested having luncheon in the town and going to Fiesole -afterwards, but Housman explained, with some embarrassment, that he had -promised to go with Mrs Fairburn to see a studio and to have luncheon -with her afterwards.</p> - -<p class="p2">I leave for London to-night. I am going straight through.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 72.5%;">VILLA BEAU SITE, MENTONE,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Wednesday, April</i> 6<i>th</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Just a line to say I shall arrive the day after to-morrow, and I can -only stay one night. Godfrey Mellor left Florence on Saturday, and -George and his sister are on their way back. George was very sad at -going—I think he feels it's the end—Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis are -staying on till next Monday, and I think Housman also. What I fore-saw -has happened more quickly than I expected. Housman is now the devoted -slave of Mrs Fairburn, and she has announced her intention of coming to -London in the summer, so this will make fresh complications.</p> - -<p>I am having great fun here. The Shamiers are here, I am travelling back -with them. I am sorry not to be able to stop more than a night in -Paris, but it really is impossible.</p> - -<p>I can't dine at the Embassy on Friday, I am dining with the Shamiers -that night. But I will come and see you in the morning, and we might do -some shops and have luncheon together.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, April</i> 4<i>th. London</i>.</p> - -<p>Back at the office. Tuke came this morning and said A. would not come to -the office till to-morrow. Cunninghame does not return until Friday.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, April</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. came to the office. He says that Housman has returned to London, but -that Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis will not be back before next Tuesday.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, April</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Aunt Ruth. I sat next to a Mrs de la Poer. She told me she -knew the Housmans. I said I had been staying with them in Florence. She -said: "I suppose Lord Ayton was there." I said that A. and his sister -always spent Easter in Italy. She said: "And he spends the summer in -Cornwall when Mrs Housman is there. It is extraordinary how far -virtuous Roman Catholics will go." I said Mrs Housman was an old friend -of mine and I preferred not to discuss her. She said: "Ah, you are right -to be loyal to your Chief, but all London knows about it." I changed the -subject.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, April</i> 14<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman has put off coming till next week. Lady Jarvis spoke to me -on the telephone.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, April</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman returned on Monday. She has asked me to dinner on Sunday.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, April</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. dined with Aunt Ruth. I went there after dinner. Uncle Arthur told -us he thought A. would go far, but he thinks he is in the army. A. is -going to the country on Saturday.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, April</i> 29<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Lady Jarvis. The Housmans were there, and Cunninghame. -Cunninghame told me as we walked home that he had seen Housman with a -party of people at the Carlton last night. Mrs Fairburn was among them. -He says it is a great pity A. does not go out more. It annoys people. I -told him A. had dined with Aunt Ruth last night.</p> - -<p>The Housmans are not staying long in London. They have taken the same -house they had last year on the Thames near Staines. Housman can go up -every day to his office as it is so close to London.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, April</i> 30<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Cunninghame. He is staying in London this Sunday. I asked him -if he thought A. was likely to marry. He said: "Not yet."</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, May</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with the Housmans. Cunninghame was there, Mrs Fairburn and Miss -Housman. After dinner Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing. She said -she remembered her singing in America. Mrs Housman sang a few Scotch -ballads. Then Miss Housman played. The Housmans are letting their London -house for the season. They go down to their house on the Thames at the -end of this week. Housman told me I must come down often.</p> - -<p class="p2">Mrs Fairburn was very gushing about Mrs Housman's singing. I do not -think she is very musical.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, May</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have got two pieces of news for you. Ralph Logan proposed to Lavinia -Wray and she has refused him. I don't think you know him; he is in the -army. But he is Sir Walter Logan's heir and will inherit, besides a lot -of London property, a most beautiful old house in Essex, Tudor. Besides -that, he is charming and has been devoted to her for years. This is for -you only, of course. He told me himself. He has just come back from -India, where he has been for five years. The first thing he did was to -fly to Lavinia, who has come back from France and is now in London. He -came to see me yesterday afternoon and told me all about it. I said -something about her perhaps changing her mind if he was persistent. He -said there was no chance of this, he felt sure. Lavinia told him she -would never marry, and she said she was not going out after this year. I -believe she is going to be a nurse. She used to talk of this some time -ago. The second piece of news is that George has been offered to be -Governor of Madras. That is also a secret, of course. I don't know -whether he will accept it or not. Sir Henry, who is George's godfather, -is, George tells me, tremendously keen about his accepting it.</p> - -<p>I don't think he has been seeing much of the Housmans since she has been -back. She only came back last week. I don't think she wants to see him. -I dined there on Sunday. There was no one there except that extremely -tiresome Mrs Fairburn, who now does what she likes with Housman. They -are not going to be in London during the summer at all and are letting -their house.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Mrs Shamier has asked me to dinner next Thursday. The invitation -surprised me as I scarcely know her.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, May</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>A. asked me to luncheon to meet Sir Henry St Clair. Sir Henry is an old -man, over seventy, with very strong views and a fiery temper. He is his -godfather. Mrs Campion was there. He lives in Scotland and said he had -not been to London for the last five years. But he said he was enjoying -himself and meant to go to the Derby. He looks surprisingly young for -his age, not more than sixty.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, May</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went with the Housmans to hear the Gilbert & Sullivan Company at -Hammersmith: <i>Patience</i>; we enjoyed it greatly. <i>Patience</i> is a classic. -The performance was adequate. My enjoyment was marred by the comments -of Mrs Fairburn, who went with us. She said she thought it <i>vieux jeu</i>, -and preferred Debussy: a foolish comparison.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, May</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I dined with the Shamiers. They live in Upper Brook Street. Mrs Vaughan, -whom I had met staying with Lady Jarvis, was there; a young Guardsman -and a Miss Ivy Hollystrop, an American, who, I believe, is a beauty.</p> - -<p>I sat next to Mrs Shamier. She asked me where I had spent Easter. I told -her. She said she did not know the Housmans, but had heard a great deal -about her. Cunninghame had told her that she sang quite divinely. I said -that Mrs Housman had received a very sound musical education. She asked -me what kind of man Housman was. I said he was a very generous man and -did a lot for charities. She asked me if I had known them a long time. I -said yes, a long time. She said she remembered Walter Bell's picture -perfectly and if it was at all like her she must be a very beautiful -woman. I said it was generally considered to be a faithful portrait. She -asked me if the Housmans bad any children. I said no. Mrs Shamier said -she would like to meet Mrs Housman very much, but she understood they -did not go out much. I said they were living in the country.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, May</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I dined with Lady Jarvis. She was alone. She asked me to spend Sunday -week with her in the country. She told me that Sir Henry St Clair had -gone back to Scotland, much displeased. He has had a difference with A. -He is, she said, a very dictatorial man.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, May</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went down to the Housmans' villa on the Thames. Mrs Fairburn was there, -but no other guests. Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing after -dinner, but she declined.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, May</i> 8<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p class="p2">Mrs Fairburn and Housman went out on the river. I sat with Mrs Housman -in the garden. She read aloud from Chateaubriand's <i>René</i>. It sounded, -as she read it, very fine.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, May</i> 9<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>George has refused Madras. Sir Henry, who had heard about the offer from -H., who is an intimate friend of his, came up post haste from Scotland. -He told George he <i>must</i> accept it. George said he would think it over, -and did so for forty-eight hours, then he made up his mind, and he -settled to refuse it. Sir Henry stormed and raved and said it would have -broken George's father's heart if he had been alive, but it was no use. -George was as obstinate as a mule. He said he liked his present work and -he did not want to leave England. Sir Henry went straight back to -Scotland.</p> - -<p>The Housmans have left. I spent Sunday at Rosedale with Lady Jarvis. She -says that Mrs Fairburn is always there and was staying there this -Saturday Quite apart from anything else she is a very tiresome woman. -But she is no fool. In Housman she had found a gold-mine.</p> - -<p>The Shamiers are back. I am dining there next week. George is depressed. -He is fond of old Sir H. and doesn't like having annoyed him. Sir H. -says he will never forgive him. I can't understand why people can't let -other people lead their own lives.</p> - -<p>The <i>Compagnie de Cristal</i> haven't sent my little chandelier. If you are -passing that way could you ask about it?</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 9<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>I was trying to remember the date a French colonel had called at the -office, and I consulted Tuke. He did not remember, but said he would -refer to his diary. I asked him if he kept a diary regularly. He said he -had kept his diary without missing a day for the last five years, but he -always burnt it every New Year's Day.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, May</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. asked me to dinner. He said he very seldom saw the Housmans now, but -Housman had asked him to stay there on Sunday week. He was going next -Sunday to Rosedale. He told me he had been offered the Governorship of -Madras, and had refused it. He said he could not live in tropical -climates. They made him ill. He said he hated the summer in London. He -would have a lot of tedious dinners. There were several next week he -would be obliged to go to.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday,</i> May 11<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I dined with Cunninghame. He talked of the Madras appointment, and said -it was absurd offering it to A. The tropics made him ill. He was ill -even in Egypt. He said Housman had a small flat in London, where he -stays during the week.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, May</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame dined at Aunt Ruth's. I went after dinner. So did A. I could -see Aunt Ruth was pleased. Uncle Arthur confused Cunninghame with A. and -congratulated C. on his answers in the House of Lords.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, May</i> 13<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis gave a small musical party, which was what I call a large -musical party. Someone sang Russian songs, and Bernard Sachs played -Mozart on the harpsichord. It would have been very enjoyable had there -not been such a crowd. Housman was there, but not Mrs Housman.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, May</i> 14<i>th. Rosedale</i>.</p> - -<p>Went down to Staines this afternoon. Mrs Housman, A., Cunninghame, Miss -Macdonald, and Mrs Campion were there. Housman was expected and had told -Mrs Housman he was coming by a later train, but he sent a telegram -saying he had been detained in London.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, May</i> 15<i>th. Rosedale.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">It poured with rain all day, so we sat indoors. Mrs Housman played and -sang. She drove to church in the morning in a shut fly.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, May</i> 16<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have just come back from Rosedale, where we had a most amusing Sunday, -rather spoilt by the incessant rain. Of course it cleared up <i>this</i> -morning, and it's now a glorious day. The Housmans were asked and she -came, and he was expected by a later train, but chucked at the last -minute. Nobody was there except Mrs Campion, Freda, and Godfrey.</p> - -<p>We had a lot of music. Mrs Housman never let George have one moment's -conversation with her. He is quite miserable. It is quite clear that she -has cut him out of her life. I think it would have been better if he had -gone to Madras. It's too late now, they've appointed someone else.</p> - -<p>Last Tuesday I went to a huge dinner-party at Lady Arthur Mellor's, -Godfrey's aunt. Sir Arthur is quite gaga and took me for George the -whole evening. I sat between an English blue stocking and the wife of -one of the Russian secretaries. She told me rather pointedly that these -were the kind of people she preferred. "Ici," she said, "on voit de -vrais Anglais, des gens vraiment bien." There was no gainsaying that.</p> - -<p>But of course the chief news, which you probably have heard, is that -Louise Shamier has left her husband, and she is going to marry -Lavroff—that is to say, if she gets a divorce. He apparently refused to -do the necessary in the way of making a divorce possible, so she has -left him and has gone to Italy with Lavroff. Everybody thinks it is the -greatest pity, and I, personally, am miserable about it. The only -comfort is that it might have been George.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 16<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Caught a bad cold at Rosedale from walking in the wet.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, May</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cold worse. Saw the doctor, who said I must go to bed and not think of -going to the office.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, May</i> 18<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Stayed in bed all day and read a book called <i>Sir Archibald Malmaison</i>, -by Julian Hawthorne.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, May</i> 19<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Better. Got up.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, May</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went to the office.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, May</i> 21st.</p> - -<p>Went down to Staines to the Housmans'. Found Lady Jarvis, A. and Mrs -Fairburn. At dinner Mrs Fairburn talked of the Shamier divorce. Mrs -Housman said she admired people who behaved like that, and she thought -it far better than a hidden liaison. Mrs Fairburn agreed, and said there -was nothing she despised so much as dishonesty and concealment.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, May</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>It again rained all Sunday, so we were unable to go on the river. It -cleared up in the evening. Housman took Mrs Fairburn out in a punt.</p> - -<p>Housman told us he had taken for the summer the same house they had last -year at Carbis Bay. He invited A. to come there and to stay as long as -he liked. A. said he would be yachting on the west coast this summer and -he would certainly pay them a visit. Housman said Lady Jarvis must come, -and he is going to ask Cunninghame. Mrs Fairburn said it was a pity she -would not be able to come, but she always spent August and September in -France.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 23<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said that A. does not -seem quite so depressed as usual.</p> - -<p>Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, May</i> 24<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. is giving a dinner to some French <i>députés</i> at his Club. Cunninghame -and I have both been invited.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, May</i> 25<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined at the Club with Solway. Went to the Opera afterwards, for which -Solway had been given two places. Debussy's <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i>. We -both enjoyed it.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, May</i> 26<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Aunt Ruth. I had a long talk with her after dinner. She asked -after Riley, whom she knows well. "I hear," she said, "he has become a -Roman Catholic; of course he will always have a <i>parti-pris</i> now. I -wonder if he has realised that." Uncle Arthur joined in the conversation -and thought we were talking of someone else, but of whom I have no -idea, as he said it all came from not going to school. Riley has been to -three schools, besides Oxford, Heidelberg and Berlin universities, and -has taken his degree in French law. He, Riley, is staying with me -to-morrow night.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, May</i> 27<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I told Riley that I had heard a lady discussing his conversion lately, -and that she had wondered whether he realised that he would have a -<i>parti-pris</i> in future. Riley said: "I rather hope I shall. Do you -really think one becomes a Catholic to drift like a sponge on a sea of -indecision, or to be like an Æolian harp? Don't you yourself think," he -said, "that <i>parti-pris</i> is rather a mild term for such a tremendous -decision, such a <i>venture</i>? Would your friend think <i>parti-pris</i> the -right expression to use of a man who nailed his colours to the mast -during a sea-battle? It is a good example of <i>miosis</i>." I asked him what -<i>miosis</i> meant. He said that if I wanted another example it would be -miosis to say that the French Revolution put Marie Antoinette to -considerable inconvenience. Besides which, it was putting the cart -before the horse to say you would be likely to have a <i>parti-pris,</i> when -by the act of becoming a Catholic you had proclaimed the greatest of all -possible <i>parti-pris</i>. It was like saying to a man who had enlisted in -the Army: "You will probably become very pro-British." "You won't," he -said, "think things out." I said that it was not I who had made the -comment, but my aunt, Lady Mellor.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, May</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. has gone to the country. Dined at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, May</i> 29<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Had luncheon with Lady Maria. The company consisted of Hollis, the -play-wright, and his wife, Miss Flora Routledge, who, I believe, began -to write novels in the sixties, Sir Hubert Taylor, the Academician, and -his wife, and Sir Horace Main, K.C. I was the only person present not a -celebrity.</p> - -<p>Lady Maria asked me how the Housmans were. She had not seen them for an -age. I said the Housmans were living in the country.</p> - -<p>She said I must bring A. to luncheon one Sunday. "Who would he like to -meet?" she asked; "I am told he only likes musicians, and I am so -unmusical, I know so few. But perhaps he only likes beautiful -musicians." I said I was sure A. would be pleased to meet anyone she -asked. She said: "I'm sure it's no use asking him; he's sure to be away -on Sundays." I said A. usually spent Sunday at Littlehampton. "Or on the -Thames," Lady Maria said.</p> - -<p class="p2">She said she hadn't seen the Housmans for a year. She heard Mr Housman -had dropped all his old friends.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, May</i> 30<i>th</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have been terribly bad about writing, and I haven't written to you for -a fortnight. I got your letter last week, and was immensely amused by -all you say. Sunday week I stayed with Edith, a family party, but rather -fun all che same. I went to the opera twice this week and once the week -before. Nothing very exciting. The Housmans haven't got a box this year. -Yesterday I stayed with them at Staines. There was no one else there -except Miss Housman. Thank heaven, no Mrs Fairburn! George, by the way, -hasn't the remotest idea of "Bert's" infidelities. I believe he thinks -him a model husband. He is still in low spirits, but rather better -because he is fearfully busy. He has been going out more lately, which -is a good thing, and he has been entertaining foreigners and official -people, too. People are now saying he is going to marry Lavinia Wray -That story has only just reached the large public. They are a little bit -out of date. As a matter of fact, Lavinia has quite settled to go in for -nursing, but she hasn't broken it yet to her relations. Louise will, I -believe, get her divorce. They have left Italy and gone to Russia, where -Lavroff has got a large property.</p> - -<p>I have got a terribly busy week next week, dinners nearly every night, -besides balls. So don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for some -time.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 30<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Heard to-day from Gertrude. She and Anstruther arrive next week for -three months' leave from Buenos Aires. They are going to stay at the -Hans Crescent Hotel. Anstruther does not expect to go back to Buenos -Aires. They hope to get Christiania or Belgrade. They ask me to inform -Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur of their arrival, which I must try to -remember to do, as Gertrude is Aunt Ruth's favourite niece.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, May</i> 31<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>A. is not at all well. He says he has got a bad headache, but he has to -go to an official dinner to-night. He is also most annoyed at having -been chosen as a delegate to the Conference that takes place in Canada -in August. This, he says, will prevent his doing any yachting this year -as he will not be back before the end of September.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, June</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Riley came to see me at the office and asked me whether I could put him -up for a few nights. I would with pleasure, but I warned him that I -should be having most of my meals with Solway, who is up in London for a -week.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, June</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner and remembered to tell her that -Gertrude was arriving next week. Aunt Ruth was glad to hear the news and -said she hoped Edmund would get promotion this time. He had been passed -over so often. I said I hoped so also, but I suppose I did not display -enough enthusiasm, as Aunt Ruth said I didn't seem to take much interest -in my brother-in-law's career. I assured her I was fond of Gertrude and -had the greatest respect for my brother-in-law. Uncle Arthur said: -"What, Anstruther? The man's a pompous ass." Aunt Ruth was rather -shocked.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, July</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Solway has arrived in London. He is staying at St Leonard's Terrace, -Chelsea. He is taking me to a concert to-morrow night. Riley has also -arrived. He said he would prefer not to go to a concert.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, June</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>The concert last night was a success. Miss Bowden played Bach's -<i>Chaconne.</i> Solway was greatly excited and said loudly: "I knew she -could do it; I knew she could do it."</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, June</i> 5<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p class="p2">A. hasn't been at all well this week, and he has put off staying with -the Housmans to-day. They asked me, but as Solway and Riley were here I -did not like to go. Cunninghame has asked me to dinner next week to meet -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. I shall have to conceal from Gertrude that I am -going to meet them, as Caryl was promoted over his head and she would -think it disloyal on my part. Solway and Riley had luncheon with me at -the Club. In the afternoon I went to hear Miss Bowden play at a Mrs -Griffith's house, where Solway is staying. We could not persuade Riley -to come. I had supper there with Solway. Riley went to more literary -circles and had supper with Professor Langdon, the Shakespearean -critic.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, June</i> 6<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Please write down in your engagement book that you are dining with me on -Thursday as well as on Monday. I have asked Godfrey Mellor to meet you -on Thursday. George is laid up with appendicitis, and I am afraid he is -<i>very</i> bad indeed. The doctors are going to decide to-day whether they -are to operate immediately or not. He is at a nursing home in Welbeck -Street. His sister is looking after him. He was going to Canada in -August. I don't suppose he will be able to now.</p> - -<p>I am looking forward to seeing you quite tremendously.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, June</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. has got appendicitis and has been taken to a nursing home. I have -just heard he is to have an operation to-morrow morning.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, June</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A.'s operation was successfully performed, but he is still very ill. -Cunninghame has been to Welbeck Street this morning and saw his sister. -She is most anxious. He was, of course, not allowed to see A.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, June</i> 8<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I sat up late last night talking to Riley.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, June</i> 9<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame went to Welbeck Street and saw the doctor. He says there is -every chance of his recovery. Apparently the danger was in having to do -the operation at once, while there was still inflammation. It was not -exactly appendicitis, but Cunninghame's report was too technical for my -comprehension.</p> - -<p>I dined with Cunninghame to-day to meet Mrs Caryl. I had not met her -husband before. He is, I thought, slightly stiff. Lady Jarvis was there -also. She was much disturbed about A.'s illness.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, June</i> 10<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Gertrude and Edmund Anstruther arrived yesterday. I dined with them -to-night. Edmund said the way diplomats were treated was a scandal. The -hard-working members of the profession were always passed over. The best -posts were given to men outside the profession. No conscientious man -could expect to get on in such a profession. If he was passed over this -time he would not stand it any longer, but he would leave the Service -altogether. The Foreign Office, he said, was so weak. They never backed -up a subordinate who took a strong line. They always climbed down. I -wondered what Edmund had been taking a strong line about in Buenos -Aires. Gertrude agreed. She said they had been there for three years -without leave, and if they did not get a good post she would advise -Edmund to retire and get something in the City. There were plenty of -firms in the city who would jump at getting Edmund. She mentioned the -Housmans and said she knew they were friends of mine, and didn't want to -say anything against them, but she had met many people in Buenos Aires -who knew Mrs Housman intimately, and said she was rather a dangerous -woman. I asked in what way she was dangerous. Gertrude said: "Perhaps -you do not know she is a Roman Catholic." I said I had known this for -years, but she never talked of it. "That's just what I mean," said -Gertrude; "they are far too subtle, and I am afraid too underhand to -talk of it openly. They lead you on." I asked Gertrude if she thought -Mrs Housman wished to convert me. She said most certainly. Her friends -in Buenos Aires had told her she had made many converts. It was the only -thing she cared for, and even if she didn't, Roman Catholics were -obliged to do so. It was only natural, if they thought we all went to -hell if we were not converted.</p> - -<p>I said I was not sure Roman Catholics did believe that. Gertrude and -Edmund said I was wrong. I could ask anyone. Gertrude repeated she had -no wish to say anything against Mrs Housman, and she was convinced she -was a good woman according to her lights.</p> - -<p>Edmund said there had been many conversions in the Diplomatic Service. -He was convinced this was part of a general conspiracy. If you wanted to -get on in the Diplomatic Service you had better be a Roman Catholic. Of -course those who did not choose to sacrifice their conscience, their -independence, their traditions, and were loyal to the Church and the -State, suffered. I said I didn't quite see where loyalty to the State -came in. Edmund said: "How could you be loyal to the State when you were -under the authority of an Italian Bishop?" I must know that the Italian -Cardinals were always in the majority. I said that, considering the -number of Catholics in England, compared with the number of Catholics in -other countries, I should be surprised to see a majority of English -Cardinals at the Vatican. I said Edmund wanted England to be a -Protestant country, and at the same time to have the lion's share in -Catholic affairs. Edmund said that was not at all what he meant. What he -meant was that an Englishman should be loyal to his Church, which was an -integral part of the State.</p> - -<p>I said there were many Englishmen who would prefer the State to have -nothing to do with the Church. Edmund said there were many Englishmen -who did not deserve the name of Englishmen. For instance, Caryl, who was -now Second Secretary at Paris, had been promoted over his head three -years ago. What was the reason? Mrs Caryl was a Roman Catholic and Caryl -had been converted soon after his marriage. I foolishly said that the -Caryls were now in London, and when Edmund asked me how I knew this I -said that Aunt Ruth had told me.</p> - -<p>This raised a storm, as it appears that Aunt Ruth does know the Caryls -and asks them to dinner when they are in London. Edmund said he would -talk to Aunt Ruth about them seriously. I asked him as a favour to do no -such thing. And Gertrude told him not to be foolish, and added -magnanimously that Mrs Caryl was a nice woman, if a little fast.</p> - -<p>For a man who has lived all his life abroad Edmund Anstruther is -singularly deeply imbued with British prejudice.</p> - -<p>They are staying in London until the middle of July. Then they are going -on a round of visits. Edmund is confident that he will get Christiania. -I feel that it is more than doubtful.</p> - -<p>Riley went back to Shelborough to-day.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, June</i> 11<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Received a telegram from Housman, asking me to go to Staines. I went -down by the afternoon train, and found Lady Jarvis, Miss Housman and -Carrington-Smith. Housman was anxious for news of A. I told him I -believed he was now out of danger, but that it would be a long time -before he was quite well again. Housman said he must certainly come to -Cornwall. I said he had intended to go to Canada for a Conference, but -would be unable to do so now. Housman said that was providential.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, June</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A fine day, but the river was crowded and hardly enjoyable. I sat with -Mrs Housman in the garden in the evening. The others went on the river -again. Mrs Housman asked me if I had seen A. I said he was not allowed -to see anyone.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, June</i> 13<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. is getting on as well as can be expected. There appears to be no -doubt of his recovery. Cunninghame is going to see him to-day.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, June</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame says that A. wants to see me. I am to go there to-morrow.</p> - -<p>Dined with Hope, who was at Oxford with me. He is just back from Russia, -where he has been to make arrangements for producing some play in -London. He thinks of nothing now but the stage, and a play of his is -going to be produced at the Court Theatre. I promised to go and see it. -He spoke of Riley, and I told him he had become a Roman Catholic. Hope -said he regarded that as sinning against the light. He said no one <i>at -this time of day</i> could believe such things.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, June</i> 15<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>I went to see A. at Welbeck Street. He has been very ill and looks white -and thin. His sister was there, but I had some conversation with him -alone. I told him all the news I could think of, which was not much. He -said he liked seeing people, but was not allowed more than one visitor a -day. He had got a very good nurse. Housman had sent him grapes and -magnificent fruit every day. He said he would like to see Mrs Housman, -but supposed that was impossible, as she never came to London now. He -said Cunninghame had been very good to him, and had put off going to -Ascot to look after him.</p> - -<p>I wrote to Mrs Housman this evening and gave her A.'s message.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, June</i> 16<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Aunt Ruth. Gertrude and Edmund were there. Edmund said to -Aunt Ruth that he had heard the Caryls were in London. Aunt Ruth said -she had no idea of this, and she would ask them to dinner next Thursday. -Aunt Ruth asked a good many diplomats to meet Edmund, and they had a -long talk after dinner about their posts. They called Edmund their -"<i>Cher collègue</i>." Edmund enjoyed himself immensely. Uncle Arthur cannot -bear him, nor, indeed, any diplomats, and it is, I think, the chief -cross of his life that Aunt Ruth asks so many of them to dinner.</p> - -<p>Aunt Ruth asked after A. and said that she had been to inquire.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, June</i> 17<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Received a letter from Mrs Housman, saying she was coming up to London -to-morrow, and was going to stay with Lady Jarvis till Monday. She would -go and see A. on Sunday afternoon if convenient. She asked me to ring up -the nurse and find out. I did so and arranged for her to call at four -o'clock.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, June</i> 18<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I dined with Lady Jarvis. There was no one there but Mrs Housman and -myself. Cunninghame is staying somewhere with friends of the Caryls.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, June</i> 19<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>I had luncheon with Aunt Ruth. Edmund and Gertrude were there, but no -one else. Edmund has been appointed to Berne. It is not what he had -hoped, but better than any of us expected. He said Berne might become a -most important post in the event of a European war.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, June</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with the Caryls at the Ritz. Cunninghame was there and Miss -Hollystrop. Mrs Vaughan asked me whether it was true that A. had become -a Roman Catholic. She had heard Mrs Housman had converted him. -Cunninghame deftly turned the conversation on account of Mrs Caryl.</p> - -<p>We all went to the opera—<i>Faust</i>.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, June</i> 21<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>I went to see A. He told me Mrs Housman had been to see him. He is still -in bed, but looks better.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, June</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Barnes of the F.O. came to the office this morning. He asked after A. -He said he had heard that the real cause of his illness was his passion -for Mrs Housman, who would have nothing to do with him unless he was -converted. Cunninghame said he wondered he could talk such nonsense.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, June</i> 23<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. The Caryls were there, and Gertrude -and Edmund came after dinner. Heated arguments were going on about the -situation in Russia, Edmund taking the ultra-conservative point of view, -much to the annoyance of Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur, who felt even more -strongly on the matter because he thought they were discussing the -French Revolution.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, June</i> 24<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with Lady Jarvis; she was alone. She said Mrs Housman was coming -up again to-morrow. The fact is, she says, Staines is intolerable now on -Sundays. Mrs Fairburn comes down almost every Sunday. She overwhelms -Mrs Housman with her gush and her pretended silliness. Housman thinks -her the most wonderful woman he has ever met.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, June</i> 25<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went down to S—— to stay with Riley. Riley lives in a small villa -surrounded with laurels. A local magnate came to dinner, who is -suspected of being about to present some expensive masterpieces to the -public gallery.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, June</i> 26<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Riley went to Mass in the morning. I sat in his smoking-room, which is a -litter of books and papers and exceedingly untidy. A geologist came to -luncheon, Professor Langer, a naturalised German. When we were walking -in the garden afterwards, he said he could not understand how Riley -reconciled his creed with plain facts of geology. But Riley's case -surprised him less than that of another of his colleagues, who was a -great authority on geology, and nevertheless a devout Catholic, and not -only never missed Mass on Sundays, but had told him, Langer, that he -fully subscribed to every point of the Catholic Faith. It was true he -was an Irishman, but politically he was not at all fanatical, and not -even a Home-Ruler.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon we had tea with the magnate, whose house is full of -Academy pictures. I now understand what happens to that great quantity -of pictures we see once at the Academy and then never again. An art -critic was invited to tea also. He had, I believe, been invited here to -persuade the magnate in question to present some very modern piece of -art to the city. He seemed disappointed when he saw the pictures on the -walls, and when the magnate asked his opinion of a composition called <i>A -Love Letter</i>, he said he did not think the picture a very good one. The -magnate said he regretted not having bought <i>Home Thoughts</i>, by the -same painter, which was undoubtedly superior.</p> - -<p>We dined alone, and I told Riley what Professor Langer had said. He -said: "Most Protestants, whether they have any religion or not, -attribute Protestant notions to the Catholic Church. What these people -say shows to what extent the conception of Rome has been distorted by -their being saturated with Protestant ideas. Mallock says somewhere that -the Anglicans talk of the Catholic Church as if she were a <i>lapsed -Protestant sect</i>, and they attack her for being false to what she has -never professed. He says they don't see the real difference between the -two Churches, which is not in this or that dogma, but in the authority -on which all dogma rests. The Professors you quote take for granted that -Catholics base their religion, as Protestants do, on the Bible <i>solely</i>, -and judged from that point of view she seems to them superstitious and -dishonest. But Catholics believe that Christ guaranteed infallibility -to the Church <i>in perpetuum: perpetual</i> infallibility. Catholics -discover this not <i>at first</i> from the Church as doctrine, but from -records as trustworthy human documents, and they believe that the Church -being perpetually infallible can only interpret the Bible in the right -way. They believe she is guided in the interpretation of the Bible by -the same Spirit which inspired the Bible. She teaches us <i>more</i> about -the Bible. She says <i>this</i> is what the Bible teaches."</p> - -<p>He said: "Mallock makes a further point. It is not only Protestant -divines who talk like that. It is your advanced thinkers, men like -Langer and his colleagues. They utterly disbelieve in the Protestant -religion; they trust the Protestants in nothing else, but at the same -time they take their word for it, without further inquiry, that -Protestantism is more reasonable than Catholicism. If they have -destroyed Protestantism they conclude they must have destroyed -Catholicism <i>a fortiori</i>. With regard to Langer's geological friend, it -doesn't make a pin's difference to a Catholic whether evolution or -natural selection is true or false. Neither of these theories pretends -to explain the origin of life. Catholics believe the origin of life is -God." He had heard a priest say, not long ago: "A Catholic can believe -in evolution, and in evolution before evolution, and in evolution before -that, if he likes, but what he must believe is that God made the world -and in it <i>mind,</i> and that at some definite moment the mind of man -rebelled against God."</p> - -<p><i>Monday, June</i> 27<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>A. telephoned for me. I saw him this afternoon. His room was full of -flowers. He will not be allowed to get up till the end of the week. As -soon as he is allowed to go out the doctor says he ought to go away and -get some sea air. There is no question of his going to Canada. The -Housmans have asked him to go to Cornwall and he is going there as soon -as he can. He asked me when I was going. I said at the end of the month, -if that would be convenient to him.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, June</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Finished Renan's <i>Souvenirs d'Enfance et de Jeunesse</i>. He says: "Je -regrettais par moments de n'être pas protestant, afin de pouvoir être -philosophe sans cesser d'être Chrétien. Puis je reconnaissais qu'il n'y -a que les Catholiques qui soient conséquents." Riley's argument. Dined -at the Club.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, June</i> 29<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Hope at a restaurant in Soho. Quite a large gathering, with -no one I knew. We had dinner in a private room. Two journalists—Hoxton, -who writes in one of the Liberal newspapers, and Brice, who edits a -weekly newspaper—had a heated argument about religion. Brice is and -has always been an R.C. Hoxton's views seemed to me violent but -undefined. He said, as far as I understood, that the Eastern Church was -far nearer to early Christian tradition than the Western Church, and -that by not defining things too narrowly and by not having an infallible -Pope the Greeks had an inexpressible advantage over the Romans. Upon -which someone else who was there said that the Greeks believed in the -infallibility of the First Seven Councils; they believed their decisions -to be as infallible as any papal utterance, and that dogma had been -defined once and for all by the Councils. Brice said this was quite -true, and while the Greeks had shut the door, the Catholic Church had -left the door open. Besides which, he argued, what was the result of the -action of the Greeks? Look at the Russian Church. As soon as it was -separated it gave birth to another schism and that schism resulted in -the rise of about a hundred religions, one of which had for one of its -tenets that children should be strangled at their birth so as to -inherit the Kingdom of Heaven without delay. That, said Brice, is the -result of schism.</p> - -<p>The other man said that there was no religion so completely under the -control of the Government as the Russian. The Church was ultimately in -the hands of gendarmes. Hoxton said that in spite of schisms, and in -spite of anything the Government might do, the Eastern Church retained -the early traditions of Christianity. Therefore, if an Englishman wanted -to become a Catholic, it was absurd for him to become a Roman Catholic. -He should first think of joining the Eastern Church and becoming a Greek -Catholic. The other man, whose name I didn't catch, asked why, in that -case, did Russian philosophers become Catholics and why did Solovieff, -the Russian philosopher, talk of the pearl Christianity having -unfortunately reached Russia smothered under the dust of Byzantium?</p> - -<p>Brice said the Greek Church was schismatic and the Anglican Church was -heretical and that was the end of the matter. Hoxton said: "My -philosophy is quite as good as yours." Brice said it was a pity he could -neither define nor explain his philosophy. Hope, who was bored by the -whole argument, turned the conversation on to the Russian stage.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, June</i> 30<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Aunt Ruth. After dinner I sat next to a Russian diplomatist -who knew Riley. He said he was glad he had become a Catholic—he himself -was Orthodox. He evidently admired the Catholic religion. He said, among -other things, how absurd it was to think that such floods of ink had -been used to prove the Gospel of St John had not been written by St -John. He said, even if it wasn't, the Church has said it was written by -St John for over a thousand years. She has made it her own. He himself -saw no reason to think it was not written by St John. Uncle Arthur, who -caught the tail end of this conversation, said the authorship of <i>John -Peel</i> was a subject of much dispute. Gertrude wasn't there; they have -gone to the country.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, July</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with Lady Jarvis. Cunninghame was there and a large gathering of -people. More people came after dinner and there was music, but such a -crowd that I could not get near enough to listen so I gave it up and -stayed in another room. Lady Jarvis told me Mrs Housman is going down to -Cornwall next Monday.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, July</i> 30<i>th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay.</i></p> - -<p>Arrived this evening after a hot and disagreeable journey. The Housmans -are here alone. Housman goes back to London on Tuesday. A. is coming -down here as soon as he is fit to travel. He is still very weak.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, July</i> 31<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>The Housmans went to Mass. Father Stanway came to luncheon. He said he -had been giving instruction to an Indian boy who is being brought up as -an R.C. I asked him if it was difficult for an Indian to understand -Christian dogma. Father Stanway said that the child had amazed him. He -had been telling him about the Trinity and the Indian had said to him: -"I see—ice, snow, rain—all water."</p> - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Housman played golf. Mrs Housman took me to the cliffs and began reading -out <i>Les Misérables</i>, which I have never read.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Housman left early this morning. We sat on the beach and read <i>Les -Misérables</i>.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, August</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis arrives to-morrow. We continued <i>Les Misérables</i> in the -afternoon and after dinner. Mrs Housman said that some conversations and -the reading of certain passages in books were like <i>events</i>. Once or -twice in her life she had come across sentences in a book which, -although they had nothing extraordinary about them and expressed things -anyone might have thought or said, were like a revelation, or a -solution, and seemed to be written in letters of flame and had a -permanent effect on her whole life; one such sentence was the following -from <i>Les Misérables</i>: "Ne craignons jamais les voleurs ni les -meurtriers. Ce sont là les dangers du dehors, les petits dangers. -Craignons nous-mêmes. Les préjugés, voila les voleurs; les vices, voila -les meurtriers. Les grands dangers sont au dedans de nous. Qu'importe ce -qui menace notre tête ou notre bourse!" She said: "Of course this has -never prevented me from feeling frightened when I hear a scratching -noise in the night. That paralyses me with terror."</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, August</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We continued our reading. The weather has been propitious. Lady Jarvis -arrived in the evening. We continued our reading after dinner.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, August</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. arrived this evening. He was exhausted after the journey and went to -bed at once. Housman arrives to-morrow—he is only staying till Monday.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, August</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. sat in the garden and Mrs Housman read out some stories by H.G. Wells -from a book called <i>The Plattner Story,</i> which we all enjoyed.</p> - -<p>Housman arrived in the evening. A. is not yet strong enough to walk. He -sits in the garden all day. The weather is perfectly suited to an -invalid.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman invited Father Stanway to luncheon. He and Housman talked of -politicians and popularity and the Press and to what extent their -reputation depended on it. Housman said it was death to a politician not -to be mentioned. A politician needed popularity among the public as much -as an actor did. Father Stanway said it was a double-edged weapon and -that those who lived by it risked perishing by it. Housman said -Gladstone and Beaconsfield had lived by it successfully. Father Stanway -said it depends whether you want to be famous or whether you want to get -things done. A man can do anything in the world if he doesn't mind not -getting the credit for it. Father Stanway said nobody realised this -better than Lord Beaconsfield. He said somewhere that it was private -life that governs the world and that the more you were talked about the -less powerful you were.</p> - -<p>A. is a little better. I went for a walk with Father Stanway in the -afternoon. I asked him a few questions about the system of Confession. -He said the Sacrament of Penance was a Divine Institution. I asked him -if the practice did not lead to the shirking of responsibility and the -dulling of the conscience on the part of those who went to Confession. -He said Confession was not an opiate but a sharp and bitter medicine, -disagreeable to take but leaving a clean after-taste in the mouth I gave -him a hypothetical case of a man being in love with a Catholic married -woman. If the woman was a practising Catholic and faithful to her -husband, and if she continued to be friends with the man who was in love -with her, would she confess her conduct and, if so, would the priest -approve of the conduct? Father Stanway said it was difficult to judge -unless one knew the whole facts. If the woman knew she was acting in a -way which might lead to sin or even to scandal—that is to say, in a way -which would have a bad effect on others—she would be bound to confess -it. If a woman asked him his advice in such a case he would strongly -advise her to put an end to the relationship. I said: "You wouldn't -forbid it?" He said: "The Church forbids sin, and penitents when they -receive Absolution undertake to avoid the occasions of sin." He said he -could not tell me more without knowing more of the facts. Cases were -sometimes far more complicated than they appeared to be, but however -complicated they were, there was no doubt as to the attitude of the -Church towards that kind of sin and to the advisability of avoiding -occasions that might bring it about.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 8<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman went back to London. Cunninghame arrives to-morrow. A. walked as -far as the beach this morning. In the afternoon Lady Jarvis took him for -a drive. Mrs Housman went into the town to do some shopping.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 9<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">We all went for a drive in a motor to a village with a curious name and -had tea in a farm-house. Cunninghame arrived in time for dinner. He has -been staying at Cowes.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">CARBIS BAY,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Wednesday, August</i> 10<i>th</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I arrived last night from Cowes. I found Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, -George and Godfrey.</p> - -<p>George is very much better, but he is still weak and can't get about -much. He is not allowed to play golf yet. He sits in the garden, and goes -for a mild walk once a day. Lady Jarvis says that Mrs Housman is very -unhappy. In the first place, her home is intolerable. Mrs Fairburn makes -London quite impossible for her. It is a wonder that she is not here, -but as Housman is in London there is nothing to be surprised at. In the -second place, Lady Jarvis thinks that Mrs Housman would much rather -George hadn't come, but she couldn't help it as Housman asked him.</p> - -<p>We do things mostly altogether now. I am staying a fortnight, then I go -to Worsel for a week and to Edith's till the end of September; then -London. Lady Jarvis says that she is sure Mrs Housman will not spend the -winter in London.</p> - -<p>Write to me here and tell me about the Mont Dore. I have been there once -and think it is an appalling place.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Wednesday, August</i> 10<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>A. has been doing too much, the doctor says, and he is not to be allowed -out of the garden for a few days. Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis take turns -in reading to him aloud. We have finished the Wells book and we are now -reading <i>Midshipman Easy</i>.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, August</i> 11<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I went for a walk with Cunninghame. He said his favourite book was <i>John -Inglesant</i> and was surprised that I had not read it. He has it with him -and has lent it to me.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, August</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>It rained all day. We spent the day reading aloud.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, August</i> 13<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. is much better and went for a walk with me this morning.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 14<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman was coming down yesterday but telegraphed to say he was -detained. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we received a visit -from an American who has come here in a yacht and met Cunninghame and -myself in the town this morning. His name is Harold C. Jefferson. When I -was introduced to him he said he did not quite catch my name. I said my -name was "Mellor"; he said: "Lord or Mister?" Cunninghame told him where -he was staying and he said he would call—he knew the Housmans in -America. He asked us all to go on board his yacht to-morrow. Mrs -Housman, Cunninghame and myself accepted. Lady Jarvis said she would -stop with A. who is not up to it.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 15<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>We had luncheon on board Mr Jefferson's yacht, a large steam vessel. It -has on board a piano and an organ, both of which are played by -electricity, which is in some respects satisfactory, but the <i>tempo</i> of -the <i>Meistersinger</i> Overture which was performed for us was accelerated -out of all recognition.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 16<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>A Miss Simpson called in the afternoon to ask Mrs Housman to help with -some local charity; she lives at the Hotel. She said she found it very -inconvenient not being able to go to Church. We wondered what prevented -her doing so, but she soon gave us the reason herself. She said that the -local clergyman was so low—no eastward position.</p> - -<p>A. is much better and went for a walk with Lady Jarvis.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, August</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman has written to say that he will not be able to come down until -late in September. Carrington-Smith is unwell and he is overwhelmed with -business. He, Housman, may have to meet a man in Paris.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, August</i> 18<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A rainy day. Cunninghame and I went out in spite of the rain.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, August</i> 19<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame played golf with General York.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, August</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis, Mrs Housman and myself went for a drive. A. played golf -with Cunninghame. I began <i>John Inglesant</i> last night. Mrs Housman has -never read it. After dinner we had some music. Mrs Housman played -Schubert's <i>Prometheus</i> and hummed the tune. She says it is a man's -song.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 21<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>A. says he is going to have his yacht sent up here—he will be able to -sail back in her. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we sat in -the garden and read out aloud <i>Cashel Byron's Profession,</i> a novel by -Bernard Shaw. A. enjoyed it immensely.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>We drove to the Lizard in a motor and had luncheon at the Hotel. A. -misses his yacht very much but he has sent for her. After dinner we -played Clumps.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 23<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame was going to-morrow but he is staying till Saturday. Mrs -Housman went to Newquay to the convent for the day. Lady Jarvis took A. -for a drive.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, August</i> 24<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">This morning A., Cunninghame and myself walked down to the town. We met -a friend of Cunninghame's called Randall, who is yachting. He has just -come from France.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 72.5%;">GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Thursday, August</i> 25<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I am stopping here till Saturday, then Worsel, then Edith's. You had -better write to Edith's. Yesterday morning we were in the town, George, -Godfrey and I, and we met Jimmy Randall, who has come here in the -Goldberg's yacht. They had been to St Malo and other places in France. -When we said we were staying with the Housmans, Randall said there was -not much chance of our seeing Housman for some time as he was having the -time of his life with Mrs Fairburn at a little place near Deauville.</p> - -<p>This came as a revelation to George, who had no idea of Housman's -adventures. He has scarcely spoken since. We are having a very happy -time and I am miserable at having to go away. George is quite well. He -has sent for his yacht, but he is not staying on very long as he has got -to go to one or two places before he goes back to London. The weather -has been divine. Godfrey is quite cheerful.</p> - -<p>I shan't write again till I get to Edith's. I shan't stop more than a -night at Worsel on the way.</p> - -<p>Edith is clamouring for me to come. The Caryls are staying there.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 25em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Thursday, August</i> 25<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I went out for a walk with Cunninghame; he asked me whether I had liked -<i>John Inglesant</i>. I said I had it read with interest but it gave me the -creeps; it had the chill of a dream world; I preferred the character of -Eustace Inglesant to that of his brother John. Cunninghame said he had -read it five times; that <i>John Inglesant</i>, Flaubert's <i>Trois Contes</i> and -Anthony Hope's <i>The King's Mirror</i> were his three favourite books. I had -read neither of the others. Mrs Housman and A. went for a walk in the -afternoon. After dinner Lady Jarvis read out a story by Stevenson.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, August</i> 26<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman went to the town in the afternoon. A. and Cunninghame played -golf. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. She talked about Mrs Housman. -She said it was wonderful what comfort she (Mrs H.) found in her -religion. As far as she herself was concerned, she had never ceased to -appreciate the luxury of not going to church on Sunday, so much had she -disliked being made to go to church before she was grown up. I said Mrs -Housman had told me that Roman Catholic children enjoyed going to -church. She said: "Yes, and their grown-up people too. Clare will -probably go to church this afternoon. If I was a Catholic I could -understand it." She said it was the only religion she could understand. -"Unhappily to be a Catholic," she said, "one must believe. I am not -talking of the ritual and the discipline—I mean one must <i>believe</i>, -have faith in the supernatural, and I have none." She said that she -thought religion was an instinct. Her religion consisted in trying not -to hurt other people's feelings. That was difficult enough. She said she -had once come across this phrase in a French book: "Aimez-vous les uns -les autres, c'est beaucoup dire supportez-vous les uns les autres, c'est -déjà assez difficile." Some people, she said, arrived at religion by -disbelieving in disbelief. She didn't believe in dogmatic <i>disbelief -but</i> that didn't lead <i>her</i> to anything positive. She said she was glad -for Mrs Housman that she had her religion. I asked her if she thought -Mrs Housman was very unhappy. She said: "Yes; but there comes a moment -in unhappiness when people realise that they must either live, or die. -Clare passed that moment a long time ago." People often made God in -their own image. Mrs Housman had a beautiful character. She, Lady -Jarvis, had no stuff in her to project a deity with. She thought that -religion seldom affected conduct. She thought Mrs Housman would have -been just the same if she had been brought up as a free-thinker or a -Presbyterian. She thought her marriage and her whole life had been a -gigantic mistake. She ought, she said, to have been a professional -singer. She was an artist by nature. I said I was struck by Mrs Housmans -strong common-sense and her tact in dealing with people. "That would -have made her all the greater as an artist," Lady Jarvis said. "In all -arts you want to be good at other things besides that art. Riding needs -mind." She said it was no good wishing to be otherwise but she thought -it was very tragic. She said: "If I believed there was another life, -this sort of thing wouldn't matter, but as I don't it matters very -much." I said it struck me the other way round. If one didn't believe in -a future life I didn't see that anything could matter very much. I asked -her if she positively believed there wasn't another life. She said: "I -don't know. I only know I don't believe in a future life." I asked her -if that wasn't faith. She said very possibly, but she at any rate hadn't -the fervent faith in no-God that some atheists had. In any case she was -not intolerant about it. I asked her if it had not often struck her -that agnostics and free-thinkers were still more intolerant than -religious people and that they had least business to be. She said that -was exactly what she had meant. The religion of other people irritated -them; they wanted people to share their particular form of unbelief. She -never did that. She thought dogmatic disbelief intolerable. She had the -greatest respect for Catholics and would give anything to be able to be -one. Mrs Housman never spoke about her religion. We talked about -reading. I said I always read the newspapers or rather <i>The Times</i> every -day. I had done so for fifteen years. She said she never did except in -the train but she knew the news as well as I did. We talked about what -is good reading for the train and about journeys. I told her of a -journey I had once taken in France in a third-class carriage. She said -it was lucky one forgot physical discomfort at once unlike mental -discomfort. She said something about the appalling unnaturalness of -people when they had to deal with death, and then of the misery in -seeing other people suffer, of the hardness of some people, and of a -book she had just been reading, called <i>Katzensteg</i>, by Sudermann, and -then of Germans, and so, to music, of Housman's great undeveloped -musical talent, of Jews, how favourable the mixture of Jewish and German -blood was to music. I said something about Jews being rarely men of -creation or action. She said they were just as persistent in getting -what they wanted as men of action, so she supposed that it came to the -same. Disraeli was a man of action, she supposed, and all the great -socialists, Marx and Lassalle, they got what they wanted. "Un de nous a -voulu être Dieu et il l'a été," she said a Jewish financier had once -said. This led her to Heine. He was her favourite writer, both in prose -and verse. Had I ever read his prose? I ought to read <i>Geschichte der -Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland.</i> It was the most brilliant book -of criticism she knew. It was the Jews who had invented all great -religions, and socialism was the invention of the Jews. Some people said -the Russian revolution was Jewish in idea and leadership and might very -likely lead to a new political creed. She said she hated anti-Semitism. -This led us to Christianity. Christianity to her meant Catholicism. She -could not understand any other form of it. She thought there was nothing -in the world more silly than attempts to make a religion of Christianity -without the Church—there could only be one Church. "But," I said, "you -disbelieve in it." She said: "Yes; but the only thing that could tempt -me to believe in it is the continued existence of the Catholic Church." -She said: "It's there; it's a fact, whether one believes in its divine -origin, as Clare does, or whether one doesn't, as I don't. It must -either all hang together or not exist. You can't take a part of it and -make a satisfactory and reasonable religion." Not only that, -nothing seemed to her more foolish than the attempts to make a religion -of Christianity without the Divine element, in which Christ was only a -very good man. I said if she did not believe in the divinity of Christ -the story could be nothing more to her than a fable. She said: "If one -only regards it as a fable, as I suppose I do—but again I have no -dogmatic disbelief in it—it is still the most beautiful, impressive, -wonderful and tragic story ever invented and it seems to me to lose its -whole point if Christ was only a man with hypnotic powers and a head -turned by ambition or illusion." She quoted a Frenchman, who had said -that he adored Jesus Christ as his Lord and God, but "s'il n'est qu'un -homme je préfère Hannibal." Napoleon too had said that he knew men and -Jesus Christ was not a man. Regarded as a story the whole point and -beauty of the Gospel were lost in all modern versions, rewritings, -explanations and interpretations, and none of them held together. She -said it was as if one rewrote the fairy tales and made the fairies not -fairies but only clever conjurers. By this time we had reached home.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, August</i> 27<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame went away early this morning. Mrs Housman told me that she -was not going to spend the winter in London; she was going to Florence, -and it was possible she might be away for a whole year. A. went out this -afternoon with Lady Jarvis.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs York called in the afternoon. Mrs Housman was out with A. Lady -Jarvis and myself entertained her. She was most affable and not at all -stiff, as she was last year. She said she had known several of A.'s -relations in India. As she went away she said to Lady Jarvis, in the -hall: "You never told me Mrs Housman was an <i>American</i>—that makes -<i>all</i> the difference."</p> - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 29<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>We all went to the Land's End for the day.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 30<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A.'s yacht has arrived. We had luncheon on board and went for a short -sail in the afternoon; the sea was reasonably smooth, but Lady Jarvis -said that the sea under any conditions gave her a headache.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, August</i> 31<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail in the morning and came back for -tea. A. says he will have to go away in a day or two. After dinner Mrs -Housman read out Burnand's <i>Happy Thoughts</i>.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, September</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>A rainy day. Mrs Housman called on Mrs York and has asked her and the -General to luncheon next Sunday. I went out for a walk in the rain by -myself and got very wet. Mrs Housman said that the Indian servant stood -motionless behind Mrs York's chair during the whole of the visit. This -embarrassed her. She felt inclined to draw him into the conversation.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, September</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Mrs Housman went to the convent by herself. Lady Jarvis and A. went out -for a walk and I stayed at home. It is quite fine again. A. leaves next -Monday.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, September</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>A. wanted to go out sailing but Mrs Housman thought it was too windy. We -all went for a drive instead.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, September</i> 4<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>General York and Mrs York came to luncheon. The General was a little -nervous, but Mrs York was affable and friendly. She said she had never -got used to the English climate. Lady Jarvis asked Mrs York if she had -been to church. Mrs York said they had a church quite close to their -house in the village but she always drove to our village church, -although it was three miles off. She could not go to their church as she -did not approve of the clergyman's ritualistic practices. He used white -vestments at Easter, changed the order of the service, and allowed a -picture in church. All that, of course, made it impossible. They went -away soon after luncheon. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. After -dinner A. asked Mrs Housman to sing, but she said she would rather read. -She read <i>Happy Thoughts</i> aloud.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, September</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. left in his yacht. He said he would be back in London by the first of -October. He is stopping at Plymouth on the way.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, September</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman asked me if I had finished <i>Les Misérables</i>. I said I had -not gone on with it. She read aloud from it in the afternoon.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, September</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I leave to-morrow to stay with Aunt Ruth. I have to be in London on -the 19th. Lady Jarvis went to the village, we stayed in the garden. -After dinner, Mrs Housman sang some Schubert. She leaves Cornwall at the -end of the month and then goes to Florence, where she stays rill Easter -or perhaps longer.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, October</i> 3<i>rd. London, Gray's Inn</i>.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame and A. both came back to-day. Cunninghame asked me to dine -with him to-morrow.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, October</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Cunninghame alone in his flat. He said that he knew I had -some R.C. friends, perhaps I knew a priest. I said the only priest I had -ever spoken to was Father Stanway at Carbis Bay. He said he wanted to -consult a priest about certain rules in the R.C. Church. He wanted to -know under what conditions a marriage could be annulled. A friend of -his wanted a married woman to get her marriage annulled as her husband -was living with someone else. He wanted to know whether the marriage -could be annulled. I said I knew who he was talking about. He said he -had meant me to know. He had promised A. to find out from a priest. A. -had been told by her that it was out of the question to get the marriage -annulled. It had been a marriage entered into by her own free will and -performed with every necessary condition of validity. Of course she was -very young when she was married and didn't know what she was doing, but -that had nothing to do with it. Her aunt and the nuns in the convent -where she had been brought up had thought it was an excellent marriage, -as he was well off and a Catholic. Cunninghame begged me to go and see a -priest. I said I did not know how this was done. I suggested his asking -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. He said she was in Paris and that would be no -use, it would not satisfy A. I said I would think about it.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, October</i> 5<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>I asked Tuke where and how one could find a priest who would be able to -tell one the rules of the Church with regard to marriage. Tuke said any -of the Fathers at Farm Street or the Oratory. In the afternoon I went to -the Oratory, sent in my card and asked to see a priest. I sat in a -little waiting-room downstairs. Presently a tall man came in with very -bright eyes and a face with nothing but character left in it. I told him -I had come for a friend. It was a case of divorce, or rather of -annulment. I knew his Church did not tolerate divorce. I was, myself, -not a Catholic. It was the case of a lady, a Catholic, who had married a -Catholic. The husband had always been unfaithful and was now almost -openly living with someone else. Could the marriage be annulled? The -priest asked whether she desired the marriage to be annulled. I told -him she had said it was impossible. He asked whether the marriage had -been performed under all conditions of validity. I said I did not myself -know what these conditions were, but that she had expressly said that -the marriage had been performed with her own free will, with every -necessary condition of validity. I knew she thought it was out of the -question to think of the marriage being annulled, but there was someone -who was most devoted to her and wanted to marry her, and he was not -satisfied with her saying it was impossible. He wanted the decision -confirmed by a priest and that was why I had come. The priest said he -was afraid from what I had told him that it was no use thinking of -annulment. It was clear from what I had said she knew quite well the -conditions that make it possible to apply for the annulment of a -marriage. He said he was sure it was a hard case. If I liked he would -lend me a book which went into the matter in detail. I said I would not -trouble him. It would be enough that I had seen him and heard this from -him. I then went away. I went straight back to the office and told C. -the result of my visit. He was most grateful to me for having done this. -He said he was dining with A. to-night. He said A. was in a terrible -state.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, October</i> 6<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame told me that he had dined with A. and given him the -information I had procured for him. He said A. was wretched. Mrs Housman -arrives in London on Saturday. She is only staying till Monday; she then -goes to Florence.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, October</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame told me that Housman has come back to London. They have got -their house back. Mrs Fairburn is in London also.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, October</i> 8<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. has gone down to Littlehampton.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, October</i> 9<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">I went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon—she was in. She leaves for -Florence to-morrow. She told me she was going to stay there a whole -year. She asked after A. and was pleased to hear he was still in good -health. Miss Housman came in later after we had finished tea.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Sunday, October</i> 9<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Thank you for your long letter. I am most worried about George. Mrs -Housman goes to Florence to-morrow and is not coming back for a whole -year. George has told me about the whole thing. She knows all about -Housman and has always known. George has implored her to divorce Housman -and to marry him. She can't divorce, as you know better than I do, and -she told George it was not a marriage that could be annulled. However, -this didn't satisfy him. He insisted on getting the opinion of a priest. -I thought of writing to you, but there wasn't time, and then I didn't -know whether it was the same in France or not. I got the opinion of a -priest, who said there wasn't the slightest chance of getting the -marriage annulled. I told George this and he won't believe it, even now. -He keeps on saying that we ought to go to Rome, but I don't suppose that -would be of the slightest use either, would it? In the meantime he is -perfectly wretched. Mrs Housman didn't see him after Cornwall. George -won't see anyone, or go anywhere now. He is at this moment down at -Littlehampton by himself. If you can think of anything one could do, let -me know at once, but I know there is nothing to be done. If the marriage -could be annulled I think she would marry him to-morrow. I can't write -about anything else, because I can't think about anything else.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, October</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Heard from Mrs Housman from Florence. She says the weather is beautiful -and she is having a very peaceful time.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, November</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Heard from Mrs Housman. She has been to Rome, where she stayed a -fortnight.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, November</i> 9<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>I met Housman in the street this morning. He said he had given up the -house near Staines. It was dismal in winter and not very pleasant in -summer. He had taken a small house in the north of London, not far from -Hendon. He could come up from there every day and the air was very good. -I was not to say a word about this to Mrs Housman, as it was a surprise. -He said he was going to Florence for Christmas if he could. He said I -must come down one Saturday and stay with him.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, November</i> 19<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Staying with Riley at Shelborough.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, December</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">Heard from Mrs Housman. She is going to spend Christmas at Ravenna with -the Albertis. Housman has written to me saying he will not be able to -get to Florence at Christmas and asking me to spend it with him at his -house near Hendon. I have told him that I was staying with Aunt Ruth for -Christmas.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, October</i> 17<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Thank you for your letter. I quite understand all you say and I was -afraid it must be so, but thank you for taking all that trouble. George -is just the same. He sees nobody except Godfrey and me. I have heard -from Mrs Housman twice and I have written to her several times and given -her news of George. I haven't set eyes on Housman nor heard either from -him or of him.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, October</i> 31<i>st</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I saw Jimmy Randall yesterday. He tells me that Housman is in London but -has taken a house near Hendon and comes up every day. He is just, as -infatuated as ever with Mrs Fairburn and has given her some handsome -jewels.</p> - -<p>I heard from Mrs Housman on Saturday. I am afraid she is quite -miserable. George won't even go to stay with his sister. He dines with -me sometimes.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>November</i> 14<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis is back from Ireland. I went down to Rosedale on Saturday. -There were a few people there, but I managed to have two long and good -talks with her. She is of course fearfully worried. She hears from Mrs -Housman constantly, she never mentions G. Lady Jarvis thinks of going -out there, only, apparently, Mrs Housman will not be at Florence for -Christmas. She tried to get George to come to Rosedale, but he -wouldn't.</p> - -<p>I have seen Housman for a moment at the play. He said I must see his -house at Hendon. He said he had meant it as a surprise for Mrs H., but -he had been obliged to tell her. He says he has bought a lot of new -pictures and that the house is very <i>moderne</i> in arrangement. I can see -it. He wanted me to go there next Saturday. I said I couldn't.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -<br /> -</p> - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Tuesday, November</i> 29<i>th</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I am sorry to have been so bad about writing, but we have been having -rather a busy time, which has been a good thing for George. I am going -to stay with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. She asked George and he is going -too. There is no party. He seems a little better, but he isn't really -better, and he talks of giving up his job altogether and going out to -Africa again. Will you choose me a small Christmas present for Lady -Jarvis, something that looks nice in the box or case.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, December</i> 12<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Housman asked me so often to go down to Hendon that I was obliged to go -last Saturday. The house is decorated entirely in the <i>Art Nouveau</i> -style. There is a small spiral staircase made of metal in the -drawing-room that goes nowhere. It is just a serpentine ornament. The -house is the last word of hideosity, but the pictures are rather good. -He gets good advice for these and never buys anything that, he thinks -won't go up. It was a bachelor party, Randall, Carrington-Smith and -myself. We played golf all the day, and Bridge all the evening.</p> - -<p>He said Mrs Housman was enjoying Florence very much and that we must -all go out there for Easter again.</p> - -<p>I heard from her three days ago. She said very little, and asked after -George. He never hears from her. He dines with me often.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">ROSEDALE,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Saturday, December</i> 31<i>st</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>We have had rather a sad Christmas, only George and myself here, but -Lady Jarvis has been too kind for words, and quite splendid with George. -She has heard regularly from Mrs Housman and she thinks she will go out -to Florence in January if she can.</p> - -<p>Godfrey is staying with his uncle. Lady Jarvis says that Miss Sarah -Housman makes terrible scenes about Mrs Fairburn, so much so that Sarah -and he are no longer on speaking terms. I go back to London just after -the New Year, so does George. The Christmas present was a great success. -Lady Jarvis gave me a lovely table for my flat.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, January</i> 2<i>nd</i>, 1911.</p> - -<p>Received a small Dante bound in white vellum from Mrs Housman. It had -been delayed in the post.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, January</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame came to the office to-day. A. also.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, April</i> 12<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Riley is spending Easter in London. He wishes to attend the Holy Week -services. He is staying with me.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, April</i> 13<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Sat up with Riley, talking. I told him about Hope having said that he -considered that to become an R.C. was to sin against the light. Riley -said that Hope might very likely end by committing suicide, as views -such as he held led to despair. He said: "If the Catholic religion is -like what Hope and you think it to be, it must be inconceivable that -anyone whose character and whose intelligence you respect could belong -to such a Church, but, granting you do, does it not occur to you that it -is just possible the Catholic religion may be unlike what you think it -is, may indeed be something quite different?"</p> - -<p>I said that I did not at all share Hope's views. Indeed I did not know -what they were. I said that I agreed with him that when one got to know -R.C.'s one found they were quite different from what they were supposed -to be, and I was quite ready to believe this applied to their beliefs -also.</p> - -<p>I said something about the complication of the Catholic system, which -was difficult to reconcile with the simplicity of the early Church. He -said the services of the early Church were longer and more complicated -than they were now. The services of the Eastern Church were more -complicated than those of the Western Church, and to this day in the -Coptic Church it took eight hours to say Mass. The Church was -complicated when described, but simple when experienced.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, April</i> 16<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went with Riley to the ceremony of the Blessing of the Font at -Westminster Cathedral. Riley said he was sorry for people who had to go -to Maeterlinck for symbolism.</p> - -<p>Received a postcard from Florence. Housman did not go out after all.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame told us that Housman is laid up with pneumonia.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, May</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman is worse, and Mrs Housman has been telegraphed for. He is laid -up at Hendon. They don't think he will recover.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, May</i> 5<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Mrs Housman arrived last night. Housman is about the same.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 8<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Had luncheon with Lady Jarvis yesterday. She says that Housman was a -shade better yesterday. He may recover, but it is thought very doubtful. -Mrs Housman has been up day and night nursing him.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, May</i> 10<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Housman has taken a turn for the better, but he is not yet out of -danger.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, May</i> 13<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>The doctors say Housman is out of danger.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, May</i> 15<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame says Housman will recover. He has been very bad indeed. The -doctors say that it is entirely due to Mrs Housmans nursing that he has -pulled through.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, May</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went to see Mrs Housman at Hendon. I was allowed to see Housman for a -few minutes. He likes visitors. Mrs Housman looked tired. Cunninghame -says that Housman has a weak heart. That was the danger.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, June</i> 10<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">The Housmans have gone to Brighton for a fortnight.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, May</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I am delighted to hear you and Jack are coming to London so soon, but -very sad of course that you won't be going back to Paris. But I believe -Copenhagen is a delightful post, and they say it always leads to -something.</p> - -<p>Perhaps you will let me come and stay with you in the summer?</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Saturday, June</i> 10<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Your letter made me laugh a great deal. I expect you will get to like -the place. I am writing this from Rosedale, where I am in the middle of -a large musical and artistic party, one painter, two novelists, and two -pianists. They all hate each other like poison, and it is pain to all -the others when one of them performs. But the rest of us are enjoying it -immensely, and Lady Jarvis is being splendid. The Housmans have gone to -Brighton for a fortnight. Bert is quite well again, but Mrs Housman -looks fearfully ill.</p> - -<p>Write to me again soon.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, June</i> 26<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have just come back from Oakley, the Housmans' place, near Hendon. He -has quite recovered, and everything was going on there just as usual. -Jimmy Randall was there, and Mrs Fairburn. Housman said nothing about -the summer, but Mrs Housman told me she was not going to Cornwall this -year. I asked her if she was going to stay all the summer at Oakley, -the Hendon house. She said that Housman had hired a yacht for the summer -and asked several people. She said she couldn't bear steam yachting with -a large party, and she has taken a small house on the west coast of -Ireland, with Lady Jarvis. They would be there quite alone; she was -going there quite soon: "Albert would probably go to France."</p> - -<p>She told me Housman had wanted to take the house in Cornwall and ask us -all again, but that she had told him this was impossible.</p> - -<p>George has seen her once or twice, and he is of course happier, but -things are where they were. She won't think of divorcing.</p> - -<p>I shall start for Copenhagen at the end of July.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Tuesday, June</i> 27<i>th. London</i>.</p> - -<p>Housman has asked me to go to Oakley next Saturday. He has asked A. -also.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, June</i> 28<i>th. London</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with A. and his sister. A. said he would be unable to go to Oakley -next week. He had some people staying with him.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, June</i> 29<i>th. London</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with Aunt Ruth. Apparently Gertrude is still annoyed at the Caryls -having got Copenhagen. She complains of this weekly.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, June</i> 30<i>th. London</i>.</p> - -<p>Solway is staying the night with me, his concert is to-morrow afternoon.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, July</i> 1<i>st. London</i>.</p> - -<p>Went with Mrs Housman to Solway's concert in the afternoon, and she -drove me down to Hendon afterwards in her motor. Mrs Housman is going -to spend the summer in Ireland.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, July</i> 2<i>nd. Oakley (near Hendon)</i>.</p> - -<p>Mrs Fairburn and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Mrs Housman leaves -to-morrow for Ireland.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p><i>Saturday, October</i> 28<i>th. London, Gray's Inn</i>.</p> - -<p>Mrs Housman returns from Ireland to-day. She spends Sunday in London, -and goes to Oakley, near Hendon, on Wednesday. I have not heard one word -from Mrs Housman since her long absence in Ireland.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, October</i> 29<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon. Ireland has done her a great -deal of good, and she looks quite refreshed and rested.</p> - -<p>She asked after A. I told her he was due to arrive from Scotland -to-morrow, and that we expected him at the office. She asked me if I was -going to stay with Lady Jarvis next Saturday. She said we would meet -there. She said nothing about her plans for the future.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, October</i> 30<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>A. has arrived from Scotland, and Cunninghame from Copenhagen, where he -has been staying for the last three months with his cousin. I called on -Lady Jarvis. She told me she thought Mrs Housman would not remain long -in England. She might go to Italy again.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, October</i> 31<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>A. is going to Rosedale on Saturday.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, November</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined with A. and Cunninghame. We went to a music hall after dinner.</p> - -<p><i>Thursday, November</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame and I went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. When Cunninghame -said he had been at Copenhagen, Aunt Ruth said that she knew, of course, -Caryl was a brilliant diplomatist, but that Edmund Anstruther ought to -have had the post. Uncle Arthur said: "What, Edmund? Copenhagen? He -would have got us into war with the Danes."</p> - -<p><i>Friday, November</i> 3<i>rd</i>.</p> - -<p>Dined alone with A. He asked after Mrs Housman's health.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, November</i> 4<i>th. Rosedale</i>.</p> - -<p>A.. Cunninghame, myself, and Mrs Vaughan are here. The Housmans were -unable to come at the last moment.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, November</i> 6<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Housman asked me to go to Oakley on Saturday, November 25th. Mrs -Housman has gone to Folkestone for a fortnight to stay with Miss -Housman. Cunninghame says that Housman and his sister have quarrelled, -and that she no longer goes to the house.</p> - -<p><i>Saturday, November</i> 25<i>th. Oakley</i>.</p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis, A. and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Cunninghame comes -down to-morrow for the day. Housman was obliged to go to Paris on -urgent business for a few days.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, November</i> 26<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Cunninghame and Carrington-Smith played golf. I went for a walk with -Lady Jarvis.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, November</i> 27<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with A. and went to the play, a farce. A. enjoyed it immensely. I -have written to Aunt Ruth to tell her I shall not be able to go there -this year. I shall remain in London, as Riley wishes to spend Christmas -with me.</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, November</i> 28<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Dined with Lady Jarvis. Mrs Housman has gone back to Folkestone. She -stays there till Christmas, then she returns to London.</p> - -<p>A. is going abroad for Christmas.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, December</i> 20<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">A. goes to Paris to-morrow night. Cunninghame is going to spend -Christmas with the Housmans at Oakley.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">HALKIN STREET,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Friday, December</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>As you see, I write from London. All my plans have been upset by an -unexpected catastrophe. I will try and begin at the beginning and tell -you everything in order as clearly as possible, but the fact is I am so -bewildered by everything that has happened that I find it difficult to -think clearly and to write at all.</p> - -<p>I think I told you in my last letter that Housman asked me to spend -Christmas with them at Oakley. I was to go down yesterday, Thursday, and -George was going to Paris by the night train. I think I told you, too, -that ever since we stayed at Oakley in November, George has been a -<i>changed man</i> and in the highest spirits. On Thursday we had luncheon -together. I thought it rather odd that he should be going to Paris, but -he said he was tired of England and felt that he must have a change. I -wondered what this meant. I could have imagined his wanting to go away -if he had been like he was before, that is to say miserable, but now -that he seemed to be enjoying life it was rather extraordinary. I said I -was going to Oakley. He said nothing, and talked about his journey. -After luncheon he went to the office to give Mellor some final -instructions. He said he might be away for some time. I left him there -at about half-past three. I asked him why he was going by the night -train, and he said he hated a day in the train and always slept well in -the train at night. I said good-bye and went down to Oakley in a taxi. -Housman had not arrived, and the butler (who has taken the place of the -nice parlour-maid there used to be at Campden Hill) told me that Mrs -Housman had gone up to London. Her maid thought she was staying the -night at Garland's Hotel, but he, the butler, knew nothing of her -arrangements. This astonished me, but I supposed there were no servants -at Campden Hill. At a quarter to five Housman arrived in a motor with -Carrington-Smith. He looked more yellow than usual. I met him in the -hall and while we were talking the butler gave him a letter which he -said Mrs Housman had left for him. He said we would have tea at once in -the drawing-room. Then he said to Carrington-Smith: "I just want to show -you that thing," and to me: "We will be with you in one minute." He took -Carrington-Smith into his study and I went into the drawing-room. Tea -was brought in. I again tried the butler and asked him whether Mrs -Housman was coming back to-morrow morning. He said that she had left no -instructions, but Mr Housman was probably aware of her intentions. He -went out and almost directly I heard someone shouting and bells ringing, -violently. Carrington-Smith was calling me. I ran out and met him in -the hall; he said Housman had had a stroke, he thought it was fatal.</p> - -<p>It was like a thing on the stage. A breathless telephone to the doctor. -The motor sent to fetch him. Servants scurrying with blanched faces. -Housman lying on the sofa in the study, his collar undone, his face -ghastly.</p> - -<p>Carrington-Smith said: "We must telephone to Campden Hill for Mrs -Housman."</p> - -<p>I said: "She isn't there." Then told him about Garland's Hotel. He -seemed <i>dumbfounded</i>, sent for the butler, who confirmed this, and then -got on to the Hotel. Mrs Housman was in. He spoke to her and told her -Housman was dangerously ill and she must come at once. He said he would -get on to Miss Housman and tell her to bring Mrs Housman down in her -motor. This was arranged and he told Miss Housman the whole facts. In -the meantime the doctor arrived—an Australian. He examined Housman and -said it was heart failure and that he had always feared this. They had -known he had a weak heart after his last illness. It might have happened -any day.</p> - -<p>Then Carrington-Smith told me how it had happened. When they went into -the study Housman had sat down at his writing-table and read a letter -through twice quite slowly, torn it up and thrown it into the fire. He -had then said: "We will go," and at that moment fallen back and -collapsed on the sofa.</p> - -<p>He told me that Housman had had a terrific row with Mrs Fairburn -yesterday and had talked of nothing else on the way down. Probably the -letter was from her, he said. I said: "Yes, very likely"; but as a -matter of fact I knew it was from Mrs Housman. He had not noticed that, -or if he had he was lying on purpose.</p> - -<p>Mrs Housman and Miss Housman arrived about six. Mrs Housman almost -<i>frighteningly</i> calm.</p> - -<p>She wanted to know every detail. She had a talk with Carrington-Smith -alone and then I saw her for a moment before going away. She asked me if -I had seen Housman before he died. Then she made all the arrangements -herself. I went back to London by train.</p> - -<p>I don't know what to think. Why did she go to London? Why did she stay -at Garland's Hotel? The Campden Hill house isn't shut up. Miss Housman -talked about going there. Did the letter which she left for Housman play -a part in the tragedy?</p> - -<p>I sent George a telegram. Possibly you may see him.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Friday, December</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>I was rung up last night by Cunninghame, who had returned to London -unexpectedly. He had bad news to tell me. A tragedy had occurred at -Oakley and Housman had died suddenly of a heart attack. Mrs Housman was -informed at once and reached Oakley an hour after the tragedy occurred.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame has informed A. by telegram.</p> - -<p>Not unconnected with this tragic event a small incident has occurred to -me which leaves me stunned.</p> - -<p>I have unwittingly violated A.'s confidence, and as it were looked -through a keyhole into his private affairs. I am literally appalled by -what I have done. But after reviewing every detail and living again -every moment of yesterday, I do not see how I could have acted -otherwise than I did, nor do I see how things could have happened -differently.</p> - -<p>These are the facts:</p> - -<p>A. arrived at the office at half-past three on Thursday afternoon with -Cunninghame. Cunninghame left him.</p> - -<p>A. remained in his room until five o'clock, writing letters.</p> - -<p>At five he sent for me and told me he was leaving for Paris that night -by the night train. Tuke, he said, had gone on his holiday. He asked me -if I was going away. I said I should be in London during all the -Christmas holidays, as I had a friend staying with me. He said he would -most probably be away for some time, and he would be obliged if I could -look in at the office every now and then. He had told the clerks to -forward letters, but he wanted me to make sure they did not forward -circulars or any other useless documents to him. I was to open all -telegrams, whether private or not, and not to forward them unless they -were of real importance. "But," he said, "there won't be any telegrams. -Don't forward me invitations to luncheon or dinner."</p> - -<p>This morning I went to the office. There was a telegram for A. The clerk -gave it to me. I opened it. It had been sent off originally at five -yesterday afternoon and redirected from Stratton Street. Its contents -were: "Albert dangerously ill. Fear worst. Cannot come. Clare."</p> - -<p>I forwarded it to the Hôtel Meurice. He will know of course that I have -read it. I read it at one glance before I realised its nature. Then it -was too late. And so unwittingly I am guilty of the greatest breach of -confidence that I could possibly have committed.</p> - -<p>It was a fatality that this telegram should have missed him. The clerks -say he left the office soon after I did, a little after five. They say -the telegram did not reach the office till later. They didn't know where -A. was and he had told them not to forward any telegrams till I had -seen them. I remember his saying that he was not returning to his flat. -That he was dining at a club and going straight from thereto the -station, where his servant would meet him. I am truly appalled by what I -have done, but the more I think over it, the less I see how it could -have been otherwise.</p> - -<p>I had some conversation with Cunninghame on the telephone last night. He -had been talking to Lady Jarvis on the telephone. She had at once -offered to go to Oakley, but Mrs Housman said she would rather see no -one at present.</p> - -<p class="p2">Cunninghame went down to Rosedale at her urgent request this morning. He -did not call at the office on the way.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">ROSEDALE,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Friday, December</i> 22<i>nd</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I came down here early this morning. Lady Jarvis heard the news from -Miss Housman last night and at once offered to go, but Mrs Housman said -she would rather see no one at present. Carrington-Smith was making all -the arrangements. The funeral is to be on Tuesday. I told Lady Jarvis -about Mrs Housman being in London. She said Mrs Housman often went up to -Garland's Hotel. She found it a complete rest and the house at Campden -Hill was very cold and there was no cook there. Lady Jarvis said it was -the most natural thing in the world. I told her about the letter. She -said Mrs Housman had no doubt written to Housman saying she had gone to -Garland's Hotel and was coming back. I also told her what -Carrington-Smith had said about Mrs Fairburn. She said: "That was it. -It was those terrible scenes which used to shatter him and no doubt -caused his death." Lady Jarvis says it will be a shock to Mrs Housman in -spite of everything. The fact of Housman having made her very unhappy, -or rather of her having been very unhappy as his wife, will make no -difference to the shock. Lately Lady Jarvis says he had made things very -difficult for her. Mrs Fairburn was always there.</p> - -<p>One can't help thinking—well you know, I needn't explain. I wonder what -will happen in the future. I have heard nothing from George yet. There -is no one here. Housman must have left an enormous fortune. He was very -canny about his investments, and very lucky too. Randall told me he had -almost doubled his fortune in the last three years, and he was rich -enough to start with.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p class="p2"><i>P.S.</i>.—Lady Jarvis' explanation of the letter does not quite satisfy, -but what <i>did</i> happen? What does it all mean?</p> - - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, January</i> 1<i>st</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I came up to-day for good. I went to Housman's funeral last Tuesday. Mrs -Housman went down to Rosedale directly after the funeral. She is going -to Florence next week and means to stay on there indefinitely. George -has come back. He never wrote and I did not hear from him till he -arrived at the office this morning. He is just the same as usual except -for being subtly different.</p> - -<p>Housman left everything to her.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p class="p2"><i>P.S.</i>—I told Godfrey everything that had happened at Oakley. He said -<i>nothing.</i> He appears incapable of discussing the matter.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Monday, January</i> 1<i>st</i>, 1912.</p> - -<p>A. arrived last night from Paris. He came to the office and he thanked -me for what I had done in his absence. "Everything was quite right," he -said. He conveyed to me without saying anything that I need not distress -myself about the telegram and that he still trusted me.</p> - -<p>He did not mention Mrs Housman nor the death of Housman.</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, February</i> 28<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p class="p2">I heard to-day from Mrs Housman. She tells me she has entered the -Convent of the Presentation and intends to be a nun. I cannot say the -news surprised me, but to hear of the death in life of anyone one knows -well, is almost worse I think than to hear of their death.</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Wednesday, February</i> 28<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have just had a short letter from Lady Jarvis telling me that Mrs -Housman is going to be a nun. I have not set eyes on her since Housmans -funeral, and have only heard of her, and that not much, from time to -time from Lady Jarvis.</p> - -<p>I confess I am completely bewildered, and I hope you won't be shocked if -I tell you that I' can't help thinking it rather <i>selfish</i>. Do as I -will, I cannot see any possible reason for her taking such a step. Mrs -Housman seems to me the last person in the world who ought to be a nun. -Whether it will make her happy or not, I am afraid there is no doubt -that she will be causing a lot of intense misery. George is worse than -ever. He hasn't in the least got over it, and he never will, I feel -sure. He knows what has happened, but he can't even bring himself to -talk about it. I think he must have known of it for some time. In any -case he hasn't for one moment emerged from the real fog of gloom and -misery that has wrapped him up ever since Christmas.</p> - -<p>What is so extraordinary is that just before Christmas he was in radiant -spirits after all those months of sadness!</p> - -<p>I can't see that it <i>can</i> be right, however good the motive, to destroy -and shatter someone's life!</p> - -<p>His life <i>is</i> destroyed, shattered and shipwrecked! We must just face -that.</p> - -<p>I tried to think that we had always been wrong and that my first -impressions were right, that she had never really cared for him. But I -know this is not true. You will forgive me saying that I think your -religion has a terribly hard and cruel side. Nobody appreciates more -than I do all its good points, and nobody knows better than I do what a -lot of good is often done by Catholics. But it is just this sort of -thing that makes one <i>revolt</i>.</p> - -<p>I was reading Boswell last night before going to bed, and I came across -this sentence: "Madam," Dr Johnson said, to a nun in a convent, "you are -here not from love of virtue, but from fear of vice." Even this is not a -satisfactory explanation in Mrs Housmans case. It is obvious that she -had nothing to fear from vice. I can't help thinking she has been the -victim of an inexorable system and of a training which bends the human -mind into a twisted shape that can never be altered or put straight.</p> - -<p>Frankly, I think it is <i>more</i> than sad, I think it is positively -<i>wicked</i>; not on her part, but on the part of those who have led her to -take such a mistaken view of ordinary human duty. After all, even if she -wants to be a nun, isn't it her duty to stay in the world? Isn't it a -more difficult duty? What is one's duty to one's neighbour? Forgive me -for saying all this. You know in my case that it isn't inspired by -prejudice.</p> - -<p>It is cruel to think that most probably George will never get over this, -and that she has sacrificed the certain happiness of two human beings -and the chance of doing any amount of good in the world. What for? For -nothing as far as I can see that can't be much better done by people far -more fitted to that kind of vocation. I am too sad to write any more.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Thursday, March</i> 1<i>st</i>.</p> - -<p>I dined alone with Cunninghame at his flat last night. He had heard the -news about Mrs Housman. He was greatly upset about it, and thought it -very selfish. I said I believed the step was not irrevocable, as one had -to stay some time in a convent before taking final vows.</p> - -<p>He said: "That is just what I want to talk about, just what I want to -know. How long must one stay exactly?"</p> - -<p>I said I did not know, but I could find out. He said I want you to find -out all about it as soon as possible. A., he said, was in a dreadful -state. He had dined with him last night. He had said very little; -nothing personal, not a word about what he felt about it, but he had -asked him, Cunninghame, whether he knew what the rules were about taking -the veil.</p> - -<p>C. said he did not believe Mrs Housman would take an irrevocable -decision. He had told A. he would find out all about it. I could of -course ask Riley, but I don't know whether he would know.</p> - -<p>I decided I would apply to Father Stanway, the priest I met at Carbis -Bay, for information. I wrote to him, saying I wished to consult him on -a matter, and suggested going down to Cornwall on Saturday and spending -Sunday at Carbis Bay.</p> - -<p><i>Friday, March</i> 2<i>nd</i>.</p> - -<p>Received a telegram from Father Stanway, saying that he will not be in -Cornwall this week-end, but in London, where he will be staying four or -five days; and suggesting our meeting on Sunday afternoon. I sent him a -telegram asking him to luncheon on Sunday.</p> - -<p><i>Sunday, March</i> 4<i>th.</i></p> - -<p>Father Stanway came to luncheon with me at the Club, and we talked of -the topics of the day. After luncheon I suggested a walk in the park. -We went for a walk in Kensington Gardens. I asked him first for the -information about the nuns. He said, as far as he could say off-hand, it -entailed six months' postulancy, two years' "Habit and White Veil," -three years' <i>simple</i> vows of profession; and then solemn perpetual -vows. But he said he could write to a convent and get it quite accurate -for me. In any case he knew it was a matter of five years.</p> - -<p>I then said I would like, if he did not mind, to have his opinion on a -case which I had come across. He said he would be pleased to listen.</p> - -<p>I then told him the whole Housman story as a skeleton case, not -mentioning names, and calling the people X. and Y. Very possibly he knew -who I was talking about, almost certainly I think, although he never -betrayed this for a moment. I felt the knowledge, if there were -knowledge, would be as safe as though given in the confessional. I told -him everything, including a detailed account of Housman's death which -Cunninghame had given me. I referred to Housman as X., to Mrs Housman as -Mrs X. and to A. as Y.</p> - -<p>I then asked him if he thought Mrs X. was justified in taking such a -step, and whether it would not be nobler, a more unselfish course, to -remain in the world and to make Y. happy.</p> - -<p>I asked him whether, in his opinion, people would be justified in -calling Mrs X.'s step, were it to turn out to be irrevocable, a -<i>selfish</i> act.</p> - -<p>And, thirdly, I asked if in the case of Mrs X. changing her mind she -would be allowed by the Church to marry Y.</p> - -<p>Father Stanway said if I wished to understand the question I must try -and turn my mind round, as it were, and start from the point of view -that what the world considers all-important the Church considers of no -importance <i>if it interferes with what God thinks important</i>. He said I -must start by remembering that Mrs X.'s conduct proceeded from that -idea—what was important in the eyes of God: she believed in God -<i>practically</i> and not merely theoretically. This belief was the cardinal -fact and the compass of her life. He added that this did not mean the -Church was unsympathetic. No one understood human nature as well as she -did, nobody met it as she did at every point. That was why she helped it -to rise superior to its weakness and to do what it saw to be really -best. He said it was no disgrace to be weak, and vows helped one to do -what might be difficult without them.</p> - -<p>Then he said that if Mrs X. felt she was called to the religious life, -this vocation was the result of supernatural Grace; that she would not -be thinking of what was delightful or convenient to her, but of what was -pleasing and honourable to God. She was bound to follow the appointment -of God, if she felt certain that was His appointment, rather than her -own desire, and before anything she desired.</p> - -<p>Here I said the objection made (and I quoted Cunninghame without -mentioning him) was that her desire might be for the calm and security -of the religious life; but might it not be her duty, possibly a more -difficult, a more unselfish and less pleasant duty, to stay in the world -and not to shatter the happiness of another human being?</p> - -<p>Father Stanway then said it was very easy to delude oneself in most -things, but not in following a religious vocation. One might in <i>not</i> -following it. It would be easy to pretend to oneself one was staying in -the world for someone else's sake. One's merely earthly happiness was -not a reason for <i>not</i> following a vocation, nor was anyone else's, -because the religious life belonged not to things temporal but to things -eternal. However, if it were her duty to remain in the world she would -feel no call to leave the world. It was impossible for a human being to -gauge the vocation of another human being. A vocation was a -"categorical imperative" to the soul, and there was no mistaking its -presence. Mrs X. would know for certain after she had spent some time in -the Convent, she probably knew already, whether or no what she felt was -a vocation or not. Nobody else could judge, though her Director might -help her to decide. He would certainly not allow her to stay if he felt -she had no vocation.</p> - -<p>I said: "So, if after she has lived through her first period, or any -period of probation, she feels uncertain as to her vocation, there would -be no objection to her leaving the religious life, and marrying Y.? -Would the Church then allow her to marry Y., and allow her to go back to -the world, knowing she would in all probability marry Y.?"</p> - -<p>Father Stanway said: "Of course, and the Church would allow her to marry -Y. now."</p> - -<p>I said, perhaps a little impatiently: "Then why doesn't she?"</p> - -<p>"I think," said Father Stanway, "you are a musician, Mr Mellor?"</p> - -<p>I said music was my one and sole hobby.</p> - -<p>He said he would try and express himself in terms of harmony.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps Mrs X. has a great sense of harmony herself," he said. "If she -married Y. that would make a legitimate harmony certainly. But her very -feeling for the <i>full</i> harmony of life would make it impossible" (and he -said this with startling emphasis) "<i>for her to use X.'s death as a -means for doing rightly what she had meant to do wrongly</i>, for her -intention to do it wrongly had in a measure caused his death. Within -the harmony of her marriage the memory of that discord would always be -present. And perhaps she is a woman who is able to have a vision of -perfect love and harmony. In that case she could not put up with an -imperfect one. She is now free to enter upon a perfect harmony and love, -by marrying Christ, which I imagine she always wanted to do, even in -the normal married state, in fact by means of the normal married state, -for it is a Sacrament and unites the soul to God by Grace.</p> - -<p>"But I understand from you that her marriage was such a travesty of -marriage that she felt she couldn't worship Christ through that, and so -swung across and decided she couldn't be in relation with Him at all. -Then comes this catastrophe and the pendulum swings back and stops up.</p> - -<p>"There is nothing selfish about this. For all we know it was the will of -God that all this should happen (the shipwreck of her marriage, Y.'s -love and present misery) solely to make her vocation certain, and as far -as Y. is concerned we don't know the end. Even from the worldly point of -view we don't know whether his marriage with Mrs X. would have made for -his ultimate happiness or for hers. His present unhappiness may be an -essential note in the full and total harmony of <i>his</i> life. It may be a -beginning and not an end. It may lead him to some eventual happiness, it -may be welding his nature and his life for some undreamed-of purpose, a -purpose which he may afterwards be led to recognise and bless 'with -tears of recognition.' If Mrs X. is certain of her vocation, and -continues to be certain of it, you can be sure she is right, and that -whatever the world says it will be wrong.</p> - -<p>"The only way in which peace comes to the human soul is in accepting the -will of God, 'In la sua volontate e nostra pace.'</p> - -<p>"Mrs X. knows that, and perhaps Y. is on the road to learning it. I -daresay Mrs X. may have an element of fear of life <i>too</i>, but it will -thin out and float off and away from her; her act in choosing the -religious life will not be an escape nor a <i>flight</i>, but a positive -acceptance of the love of Christ. She is getting to and at the -mysterious spiritual thing which is in music, and which is as different -from sounds as sounds are different from printed notes. It is you -musicians who know."</p> - -<p>I said that although I did not pretend to understand the whole thing, -and the whole nature of the motive, I could understand that it could be -as he said, and I thanked him, telling him that I for one should never -cavil at her act nor criticise it, but always understand that there was -something to understand, although probably it would always be beyond my -understanding.</p> - -<p>I felt during all this conversation that the real problem was not why -she had become a nun, but what terrible thing had happened inside her -mind to make her take that step at Christmas, and decide on what seemed -to contradict all her life so far.</p> - -<p>I said something about religion not affecting conduct in a crisis. -Father Stanway seemed to read my thoughts. He said: "After a long stress -sometimes a tiny accident will suffice to make a nerve snap <i>suddenly</i>. -I should say that in this case long stress had pushed and pushed a soul -out of its real shape and pattern; an unknown factor sufficed to force -it into a coherent but false pattern; a new shock sufficed to liberate -it wholly and let it fall back into its original <i>true</i> pattern. That -may account for half of it."</p> - -<p><i>Wednesday, March</i> 7<i>th.</i></p> - -<p class="p2">I dined alone with Cunninghame last night, and told him what I had -ascertained respecting the rules for the period of probation of nuns. He -appeared to be relieved. I warned him that Mrs Housman's step might very -well prove to be irrevocable, as I didn't think she was a person to -change her mind easily. He said: "That's what I am afraid of. They never -do let people go. I feel that once in a convent they will never let her -go. But it will be a relief to A. to know that the step is not yet -irrevocable."</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Wednesday, March</i> 7<i>th</i>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Godfrey dined with me last night. I feel he thinks that Mrs Housmans -step will be irrevocable, although he didn't actually say so. He said he -didn't pretend to understand it, but he was convinced she knew best. I -talked of George's acute misery. He said it was all very difficult to -understand, and I saw he didn't want to discuss it, so I didn't say any -more. I feel he knows something that we don't know, but what? He told me -that he knew on good authority that going into Convent doesn't mean she -takes the veil for five years. An R.C. who knows all about it had told -him. I suppose this is right? Do ask a priest. I have seen George once -or twice. I don't talk about it to him. In fact, the rules about nuns -is the only point that has been mentioned between us as I see he simply -can't talk about it. He looks ten years older.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, March</i> 12<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>Thank you very much for your letter and for the detailed information. I -told George at once that you had confirmed what Godfrey had said, and he -was really relieved. But he doesn't yet look like a man who has had a -<i>reprieve</i>, only a respite.</p> - -<p>I feel that he feels it is all over, but personally I shall go on -hoping.</p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis is away.</p> - -<p>I long to talk about it with her.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 19<i>th. Rosedale</i>.</p> - -<p>I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one here but myself and -Cunninghame. She told us she had heard from Mrs Housman, who has -finished her postulancy and received the novice's white veil.</p> - -<p>She had seen her. She says she is quite certain that it is irrevocable -and that Mrs Housman will never change her mind now.</p> - -<p>Cunninghame said he had hoped up till now this would not happen (though -he had always feared it might happen) and that Mrs Housman would think -better of it. He thought it very wrong and selfish and quite inexcusable -on the part of the Church authorities.</p> - -<p>Lady Jarvis said it must appear so to him. She herself would have no -sympathy with a vocation such as this one must appear to be to the -world in general, and even to people who knew Mrs Housman well, like -Cunninghame and myself; so Mrs Housman's act had not surprised her.</p> - -<p>"But," said Cunninghame, "do you approve of it?"</p> - -<p>"The person concerned," said Lady Jarvis, "is the only judge in such a -matter. Nobody else has the right to judge. It's a sacred thing, and the -approval or disapproval of an outsider is I think simply impertinent."</p> - -<p>We then talked of it no more. But in the afternoon I went out for a walk -with Lady Jarvis and she reverted to the question.</p> - -<p>She said: "I hope you understand I'm so far from disapproving of Clare's -act. I understand it and approve of it; but I don't expect you or anyone -else to do the same."</p> - -<p>I said she need not have told me that. I knew it already.</p> - -<p>She then said: "Clare knew you would understand, even if you didn't -understand."</p> - -<p class="p2">I said that was my exact position: "I did not understand, but I knew -there was something to understand, and that therefore she was right."</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl</i></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;">LONDON,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 75%;"><i>Monday, August</i> 10<i>th.</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DEAREST ELSIE,</p> - -<p>I have just come back from Rosedale. There is no one there except -Godfrey. Lady Jarvis told us that Mrs Housman has finished the first -period you told me about, and has taken the veil, though it isn't -irrevocable yet, but for all intents and purposes it is, as we are all -certain now that she will never leave the Convent. You know what I think -about it. I haven't changed my mind, but Lady Jarvis doesn't disapprove, -or is too loyal to say so.</p> - -<p>George knows, he is going to Ireland with his sister.</p> - -<p>I can't help thinking it is all a great, a wicked mistake, and I can't -help still thinking it <i>selfish</i>.</p> - -<p>George talked about Mrs Housman, at least he just alluded to her having -become a nun, as if it were a fact and quite irrevocable. He said: "Once -the priests get hold of someone they will never let them go, and in this -case it was a regular conspiracy." But somehow or other this did not -seem to me to ring quite true, from <i>him</i>, and I felt he was using this -as a shield or a disguise or mask. I said so to Godfrey, but found it -impossible to get any response. He won't talk about it.</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span style="margin-left: 15em;">Yours,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 27.5em;">G.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption"><i>From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor</i></p> - - -<p><i>Sunday, August</i> 26<i>th. Carbis Bay Hotel</i>.</p> - -<p>I have come down here to spend a week by myself. It is three years ago -since I came here for the first time to stay with Mr and Mrs Housman.</p> - -<p>I hesitated about coming down here again, but I am now glad that I did -so.</p> - -<p>I went to Father Stanway's church this morning and heard him preach. He -is a good preacher, clear and unaffected. He quoted two sayings which -struck me. One was about going away from earthly solace, and the other I -cannot remember well enough to transcribe, but I have written him a post -card asking who said them and where I could find them.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon I went for a walk alone along the cliffs and passed the -place where we began <i>Les Misérables</i>. I am re-reading it, not where we -left off, but from the beginning.</p> - -<p><i>Monday, August</i> 27<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>Father Stanway called this morning while I was out. He has left me the -quotations on a card.</p> - -<p>They are both from Thomas à Kempis. One of them is this: "By so much the -more does a man draw nigh to God as he goes away from all earthly -solace." The other: "Whosoever is not ready to suffer all things and to -stand resigned to the will of his beloved is not worthy to be called a -lover."</p> - -<p><i>Tuesday, August</i> 28<i>th</i>.</p> - -<p>I have resolved to give up keeping this diary.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Passing By, by Maurice Baring - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - -***** This file should be named 42702-h.htm or 42702-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/7/0/42702/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Passing By - -Author: Maurice Baring - -Release Date: May 12, 2013 [EBook #42702] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - - - - -PASSING BY - -BY MAURICE BARING - - -LONDON: MARTIN SECKER - -1921 - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908. _Gray's Inn_. - -I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off. They are -leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two -months. They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way. - -_Saturday, December_ 19_th_. - -My Christmas holidays begin. I am spending Christmas with Uncle Arthur -and Aunt Ruth. I have to be back at the office on the first of January. - -_Thursday, January_ 1_st_, 1909. _Gray's Inn_. - -Received a post-card from Mrs Housman, from Cairo. - -_Monday, February_ 2_nd_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman. They are returning to London. - -_Sunday, February_ 8_th_. - -The Housmans return to-morrow. They have been away one month and -twenty-one days. - -_Monday, February_ 9_th_. - -Went to meet the Housmans at the station. They are going straight into -their new house at Campden Hill and are giving a house-warming dinner -next Monday, to which I have been invited. - -_Tuesday, February_ 10_th._ - -Lord Ayton has been made Parliamentary Under-Secretary. I do not know -him but I remain in the office. He is taking me on. - -_Monday, February_ 16_th. Gray's Inn_. - -The Housmans had their house-warming in their new house at Campden Hill. -I was the first to arrive. - -On one of the walls in the drawing-room there is the large portrait of -Mrs Housman by Walter Bell, which I had never seen since it was -exhibited in the New Gallery ten years ago. It was always being lent for -exhibitions when I went to the old house in Inverness Terrace. While I -was looking at this picture Housman joined me and apologised for being -late. He said the portrait of Mrs Housman was Bell's _chef-d'oeuvre_. -He liked it _now._ Then he said: "We are having some music to-night. -Solway is dining with us and will play afterwards. He plays for nothing -here, an old friend; you know him? Miss Singer is coming too. You know -her? She writes. I don't read her." - -At that moment Mrs Housman came in and almost immediately Mr and Mrs -Carrington-Smith were announced. Mr Carrington-Smith is Housman's -partner, an expert in deep-breathing besides being rich. Mrs -Carrington-Smith had lately arrived from Munich. The other guests -were--Miss Housman (Housman's sister), Lady Jarvis, Miss Singer, whom I -was to take in to dinner, a city friend of Mr Housman's, Mr James -Randall, a little man with a silk waistcoat, and, the last to arrive, -Solway. I sat on Mrs Housman's left, next to Miss Singer. -Carrington-Smith sat on Mrs Housmans right; Housman sat at the head of -the table, between Mrs Carrington-Smith and Lady Jarvis. Miss Singer -talked to me earnestly at first. She is writing on the Italian -Renaissance. I told her I was ignorant of the subject, upon which her -earnestness subsided, and she smiled. Then we talked of music, where I -felt more at home. She had been to all Solway's concerts. She is not a -Wagnerite. Just as we were beginning to get on smoothly there was a -shuffle in the conversation and Mrs Housman turned to me. - -I told her we had a new chief at the office--Lord Ayton. - -"We met him in Egypt," she said. "He had been big-game shooting. I had -no idea he was an official." - -I told her he was only a Parliamentary Under-Secretary. At that moment -there was a lull in the general conversation and Housman overheard us. - -"Ayton," he broke in. "A pleasant fellow, not too much money, some fine -things, furniture, at his place, but he won't go far, no grit." - -I asked Mrs Housman what he was like. She said they had made great -friends at Cairo but she did not think they would ever meet again. - -"You know," she said, "these great friends one makes travelling, people, -you know, who are just passing by." - -Miss Singer said he had an old house in Sussex. She had been over it. It -was let; there were some fine old things there. - -"But he won't sell," said Housman. "He's not a man of business." - -Mrs Carrington-Smith said she preferred impressionist pictures, -especially the Danish school. Housman laughed at her and said there was -no money in them. Miss Housman said she had heard from a dealer that -Lord Ayton had a remarkable set of Charles II. chairs and that she -wished he would sell them. Solway took no part in the conversation but -discussed music with Miss Singer. I caught the phrase, "trombones as -good as Baireuth." Mrs Housman asked me whether I had seen Ayton yet. I -told her he had not been to the office. - -"I think you will like him," she said. Then, as an afterthought, "He's -not a musician." - -She asked me whether there were any changes in the staff. I told her -none except for the arrival of a new Private Secretary (unpaid) whom -Lord Ayton is bringing with him, called Cunninghame. She had never heard -of him. We stayed a long time in the dining-room. Housman was proud of -his Madeira and annoyed with us for not drinking enough. Mr Randall said -he was sorry but he never mixed his wines, and he had some more -champagne. Randall, Carrington-Smith and Housman talked of the -international situation. Solway explained to me why portions of the -Ninth Symphony were always played too fast. He was most illuminating. -Then we went upstairs. More guests had arrived. A few people I knew, a -great many I had not seen before, Solway played some Bach preludes and -the Waldstein Sonata. The unmusical went downstairs. There were about a -dozen people left in the drawing-room. - -Afterwards there were some refreshments downstairs. I got away about -half-past twelve. - -_Tuesday, February_ 17_th. Gray's Inn_. - -Our first day under the new regime. The new chief came to the office -to-day. He looks young, and was friendly and unofficial. The new Private -Secretary came too, Mr Guy Cunninghame, an affable young man. He wears a -beautifully tied bow tie. I wonder how it is done and whether it takes a -long time or not. He is well dressed, but when it comes to describing -him he is dressed like anyone else, and yet he gives the impression of -being well dressed. I don't know why. I suppose it is an art like any -other. I could not tie a tie like that to save my life. _Equidem non -invideo magis miror_. - -He seems to have been everywhere, to have read everything and to know -everyone. He is not condescending, he is just naturally agreeable. - -I had to go over to the Foreign Office in the morning to see someone in -the Eastern Department. When I came back Cunninghame told me that a Mrs -Housman had been to see Ayton, about some billet for her brother-in-law. -She talked to him first. Cunninghame said he thought she did not like -coming on such an errand. She then saw A., who said he would do what he -could. He told C. afterwards he was sure he couldn't do anything for the -fellow. C. had never met her nor heard of her, but curiously enough he -said he recognised her from her picture which he had seen, Walter Bell's -picture. I asked him if he had seen it at the New Gallery. He said no, -at a dealer's in America two years ago. - -I asked him if he was sure it was the same picture. He said he was quite -sure. The picture was for sale. - -"One couldn't mistake the picture," he said. "It's the best thing Walter -Bell ever did. His pictures are valuable now he is dead, but there was a -slump in them before he died, or rather, there never was a boom in them. -That one picture attracted a great deal of attention when it was first -exhibited, and then one heard little of him till he died. Now, of -course, his pictures fetch high prices." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to his cousin, Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _February_ 19_th_, 1909. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Since my last letter I have been installed. I am George Ayton's -Secretary. I sit in the office with another man, who was there before -and has been taken on, called Mellor. He is as silent as a deaf-mute and -I have no doubt is the soul of discretion. There isn't much work to do -and Ayton has got a real Secretary of his own who writes shorthand and -typewrites without mistakes and lives in his house. He writes all his -private letters and does all his business for him. He is not supposed to -do official work, but George brings him to the office all the same, and -he has a typewriter in the clerk's room and is always ready to do any -odd job. I find him most useful. He is still more silent than Mellor. I -haven't much to tell you. I have got into my new flat in Halkin Street. -It will be presentable in time. The pictures are up, but not the -curtains. Let us hope they won't be a failure: They were promised last -week but have not yet arrived. If you have time and are passing that way -I wish you would get me from the Bon Marche half-a-dozen coloured -tablecloths. - -George has got a flat in Stratton Street. I dined with him alone last -night. We went to a Music Hall after dinner and heard Harry Lauder. His -sister, Mrs Campion, is in Paris. Perhaps you will see her. Yesterday a -lady came to the office to interview him and saw me first, a Mrs -Housman. Have you ever heard of her? I recognised her at once as the -subject of a picture by Walter Bell. Do you remember a large picture of -a lady in white playing the piano? Such a clever picture. I saw it in -New York at Altheim's shop, but I believe it was exhibited years ago at -the New Gallery. Well, she is far more beautiful than the picture. She -is not really tall, but she looks tall, with a wonderful walk, but I -can't describe her, she makes other people look unreal--like wax-works. -She was dressed anyhow and rather shabbily in black, wearing no gloves -but the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, a kind of double monogram, -probably old French. She came on business. I wonder who she is. She is -not a foreigner and not, I think, an American, but she is, looks and -talks, especially talks, not like an Englishwoman. - -I shall try to come to Paris for Easter. - -Don't forget the tablecloths. - - Yours, - Guy. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 1_st_. - -I dined last night with the Housmans, They were alone except for Solway, -and after dinner we had some music. Solway played the Schumann -Variations and then he asked Mrs Housman to sing. I hadn't heard her for -a long time as she hardly ever will sing now. She sang _Willst du dein -Herz mir schenken_. Solway says the song isn't by Bach really but by his -nephew. Then she sang a song from Purcell's _Dido_, some Schubert; among -others, _Wer nie sein Brot_, and the _Junge Nonne_. Solway said he had -never heard the last better sung. Housman then asked her to sing a song -from _The Merry Widow_, which she did. - -Housman plays himself by ear. - -She did not allude to having been at the office, nor did I. - -_Tuesday, March_ 2_nd_. - -Dined with Cunninghame at his flat last night. A comfortable and -luxurious abode. I asked him if Ayton was likely to marry. He laughed. -He said he had been in love for years, with a Mrs Shamier. I had never -heard of her. Cunninghame said she was clever and accomplished, and had -been very pretty and painted by all the painters. - -He says A. will never marry. I asked him if Mrs Shamier was in London. -He said of course. She has a husband who is in Parliament, and several -children; a country house on the south coast; but they are not -particularly well off. - -"You must come and meet her at dinner," he said. "I am devoted to her." - -I asked him if she was fond of A. - -"Not so much now, but she won't let him go." - -I went away early as C. was going to a party. - -_Wednesday, March_ 3_rd_. - -Went to the British Museum before going to the office, to look up an old -English tune for Mrs Housman from Ford's _Music of Sundry Kinds_ called -_The Doleful Lover_. I found it. - -_Thursday, March_ _4th_. - -Went to Solway's Chamber Music Concert last night. - -Brahms Quintet and a trio by Solway himself. Some Brahms _Lieder_. The -Housmans were there. I thought Solway's trio fine. - -_Friday, March_ 5_th_. - -A. went to the country this afternoon to stay with the Shamiers; so C. -said, but, as a matter of fact, he told me he was going to his own -house. Cunninghame is going away himself to-morrow. He always goes away -on Saturdays, he says. I remain in London. - -_Saturday, March_ 6_th_. - -Went to the London Library and got some books for Sunday: _Thais_, by -Anatole France, recommended to me by C.; a book called _A Human -Document_, recommended me by Mrs Housman. I do not think I shall read -any of them. The only literature I read without difficulty is _The -Times_ and _Jane Eyre_, and _The Times_ doesn't come out on Sunday. - -_Sunday Night, March_ 7_th_. - -Called on the Housmans in the afternoon. She was out. Luncheon at the -Club. Dinner at the Club. I began _A Human Document_, but could not read -more than five pages of it. I couldn't read any of the book by Anatole -France. - -Went to a concert in the afternoon. It was not enjoyable. - -Read _Jane Eyre_. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 8_th_. - - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I meant to write you a long letter yesterday from the country. I went to -stay with the Shamiers. I thought, of course, George would be there. He -didn't come near the office on Friday. He wasn't there and evidently -wasn't even expected. - -Louise in tearing spirits and a new man there called Lavroff, a Russian -philosopher; youngish and talking English better than any of us, except -that he always said "I _have been_ seeing So-and-so to-day," "I _have -been to the concert yesterday_." - -Needless to say, I didn't have a moment to write to you, in fact the -only place where I get time to write you a line is at the office. -Everything is appallingly dull. Mellor, the Secretary, had dinner with -me one night. He spoke a little but not much. I think he is shy but not -stupid. - -George likes being in London, but Louise didn't mention him. It's -curious if after all this fuss and trouble to get this job and to be in -London it all comes to an end. - -The tablecloths have arrived. Thank you a thousand times. They are -exactly what I wanted. The curtains have arrived too but they are a -failure; too bright. I can't afford to get new ones yet. This week I -have got some dinners. George said something about giving a dinner this -week. - -Yours in great haste, - - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 8_th_. - -A. asked me whether if I was free on Thursday I would dine with him. I -said f would be pleased to. He said he would try and get a few people. - -_Tuesday, March_ 9_th_. - -A. has got a Secretary called Tuke. He writes all his private letters -and he comes down to the office in the mornings. This morning he came -and asked me Mrs Housman's address. It is curious that he should have -applied to me and not to C., as I was not here when she called, nor does -A. know that I know her. How can he have known that I know her? - -_Wednesday, March_ 10_th_. - -Dined with Cunninghame last night at his flat. The guests were Mr and -Mrs Shamier, Miss Macdonald, C.'s cousin, M. Lavroff, a Russian, and a -Miss Hope. I sat between the Russian and Miss Macdonald. Miss Macdonald -is an elderly lady, kind and agreeable. Mr Shamier, M.P., was once, I -believe, an athlete, a cricket Blue. Miss Hope looked as if she were in -fancy dress; Lavroff, the Russian, is unkempt, with thick eyebrows and -dark eyes. Tolstoy was mentioned at dinner. Mrs Shamier said he was her -favourite novelist, upon which Lavroff became greatly excited and said -the day would come when, the world would perceive and be ashamed of -itself for perceiving that Tolstoy was not worthy to lick Dostoyevsky's -boots. Being asked my opinion I was obliged to confess that I had read -the works of neither novelist. Miss Macdonald asked me who was my -favourite novelist. I said Charlotte Bronte. She said she shared my -preference and couldn't read Russian books, they depressed her. After -dinner we had some music. Miss Hope sang and accompanied herself. She -sang songs by Faure and Hahn; among others _La Prison_. She altered the -text of the last line, and instead of singing "Qu'as tu fait de ta -jeunesse?" she rendered it--"Qu'as tu fait dans ta jeunesse?": scarcely -an improvement. When she had finished Lavroff was asked to play. He -consented immediately and played some folk songs. Although he is in no -sense a pianist, they were beautifully played. - -_Thursday, March_ 11_th_. - -Had dinner last night with Admiral Bowes in Hyde Park Gardens. The only -people there besides myself were Colonel Hamley and Grayson, who is, -they say, a rising M.P. The Admiral said his nephew, Bowes in the F.O. -(whom I know a little), had become a Roman Catholic. - -"What on earth made him do that?" said Colonel Hamley. - -"Got hold of by the priests," said the Admiral; and they all echoed the -phrase: "Got hold of by the priests" and passed on to other topics. - -I have often wondered what the process of being "got hold of by the -priests" consists of, and where and how it happens. - -_Friday, March_ 12_th_. - -Dined last night with A. at his flat. I was surprised to meet Mr and Mrs -Housman. The hostess was A.'s sister, Mrs Campion. She is a deal older -than he is, a widow and good company. There was also a Mrs Braham, and a -younger man called Clive. He is in a bank and is, I believe, a useful -man in a sailing boat. - -I sat between Mrs Campion and Mrs Housman. - -After dinner A. said to Mrs Housman that, knowing she liked music, he -had provided her with a musical treat. Mrs Braham would sing to us. She -sang, accompanying herself, _The Garden of Sleep, The Silver Ring, -Melisande in the Wood_, and, by special request, _The Little Grey Home -in the West_. There was no other music. - -_Saturday, March_ 13_th._ - -Had tea with the Housmans. They asked me to dinner next Tuesday to meet -A. Mrs Housman says that Mrs Campion is one of the most charming and -amusing people she has ever met. C. is staying in London. This Saturday -A. is going to his house in the country. He has a small house on the -coast near Littlehampton, where he keeps his yacht, but, of course, he -cannot yacht yet. He has a large house in Sussex which is let. - -_Sunday Night, March_ 14_th._ - -Went down to Woking to spend the day with Solway in his cottage. He is -composing a Sonata for piano and violin. He played me the first -movement. He said he thought there was a certain amount of good music -being composed at the present day which nobody was taking notice of, but -which would probably come into its own some day. He said Mrs Housman was -the singer who gave him the most pleasure. He said: "Her singing is -_business-like_. She is divinely musical." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Sunday, March_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been spending a perfect Saturday to Monday in London. I have had -a busy week and was glad to see no one and do nothing all to-day, that -is to say, comparatively no one and nothing, as I went to the play on -Saturday night, and to-day I went to a large luncheon party at Alice's, -who is back at Bruton Street. The news is that the Shamier episode is -over, quite, quite over. There is no doubt about it. She is madly in -love with Lavroff. I don't wonder. He is so intelligent and plays -wonderfully. As for George, I don't think he cares. You will at once ask -if there is no one else. Nobody that I know of. I don't know who he sees -and what he does. He hates going out, and talks every day of giving a -dinner at his flat, but as far as I know he hasn't entertained a cat -yet. - -I dined out every night last week, and gave one dinner at my flat. I -think it was a success. Freda Macdonald, Louise, Lavroff and Eileen -Hope, who sang quite beautifully. I asked Godfrey Mellor, but I really -don't know if I can ask him again to that sort of party as he didn't -utter a word. Freda liked him. But it does ruin a dinner to have a gulf -of silence in the middle of it, especially as when he does talk he can -be quite agreeable. George has gone down to the country. His sister is -here now, but she goes north next week. I believe London bores him to -death and he is longing for the summer and for his yacht. I am sorry you -can tell me nothing of Mrs Housman. I haven't seen or heard anything -more of her. - -Thank you very much for the _langues de chat_. They added to the success -of my dinner. Yours, etc., - -GUY. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 16_th._ - -I asked C. where he got his cigarettes. He said he got them from a -little man who lived _behind_ the Haymarket. Everybody seems to get -their cigarettes and their shirts from a "little man." The little man -apparently never lives in a street but always _behind_ a street. - -My new piano, a Cottage Broadwood, arrived to-day. It is bought on the -three years' system. - -_Tuesday, March_ 17_th._ - -Dined with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur last night, in Eccleston -Square. A large dinner-party: a Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign -Affairs, the French Charge d'Affaires and his wife, the Editor of _The -Whig_ and his wife, Lord and Lady Saint-Edith, Professor Miles, Sir -Herbert Wilmott and Lady Wilmott, Mr Julius K. Lee of the American -Embassy, and Mrs Lovell-Smythies, the novelist. - -As we were all waiting for dinner in the dark library downstairs a Miss -Magdalen Cross came in late, carrying a book in her hand. "This book," -she said to us all, "is well worth reading." It was a German novel by -Sudermann. An old lady who was standing next to her, and who I -afterwards discovered was the widow of the Bishop of Exminster, said: -"You prepared that entry in your cab, dear Magdalen." Miss Cross -blushed. I took her in to dinner. She talked of sculpture, the Chinese -nation, German novels, and Russian music. She has been three times round -the world. She has no liking for most German music and cannot abide -Brahms. She likes Wagner, Chopin, Russian Church music and Spanish -songs. On the other side I had the wife of the French Charge d'Affaires. -She said: "J'adore l'odeur des paquets anglais." Her favourite English -author, she said, was Mrs Humphry Wood. I did not like to ask her if -she meant Mrs Humphry Ward or Mrs Henry Wood. She said the works of this -novelist made her weep. - -When we were left in the dining-room after dinner, Lord Saint-Edith, -Professor Miles and Hallam (of _The Whig_) had a long argument about -some lines in Dante, and this led them to the Baconian theory. Lord -Saint-Edith said he couldn't understand people thinking Bacon had -written Shakespeare's plays. If they said Shakespeare had written the -works of Bacon as a pastime he could understand it. He believed Homer -was written by Homer. The Professor was paradoxical and said he thought -the Odyssey was a forgery. "Tacitus," he said, "was known to be one." - -After dinner upstairs there was tea but no music. Uncle Arthur is -growing very deaf and forgetful and asked me how I was getting on at -Balliol. - -Aunt Ruth told me she had asked my new chief to dinner, but that he had -refused. "Of course," she said, "this is not the kind of house he would -find amusing. But considering how well I knew his father I think it -would be only civil for him to come to one of my Thursday evenings." - -_Wednesday, March_ 17_th._ - -I dined at the Housmans' last night. It was a dinner for A. He was the -guest of the evening. To meet him there were Lady Maria Lyneham, who -must be over seventy; a French lady of imposing presence called, if I -caught the name correctly, the Princesse de Carignan and who, Housman -whispered to me, was a Bourbon, and if she had her rights would be Queen -of France to-day; a secretary from the Italian Embassy; Mr and Mrs -Baines. Mr Baines is an official at the British Museum and is half -French. His wife, he told me, had once been taken for Sarah Bernhardt. -There were several other people: Sir Herbert Simcox, the K.C., and Lady -Simcox, an art critic, a lady journalist and Miss Housman. - -A. sat between Mrs Housman and Lady Simcox. Housman had the Princesse de -Carignan on his right and Lady Maria on his left. I sat between Lady -Maria and Miss Housman. Lady Maria told me she dined out whenever she -could, and asked me to luncheon on Sunday. "Don't come," she said, "if -you mind meeting lions; I like pleasant people. Only I warn you I have -an old-fashioned prejudice for good manners and I always ask their -wives." - -Mr Baines talked beautiful French to the Princesse. Lady Maria told me -she was neither French nor a princess, but the illegitimate daughter of -a Levantine. "But very respectable all the same, I'm afraid," she added. - -After dinner a few people came. Among others, Housman's partner and -Esther Lake, the contralto. She sang (she brought her own accompanist) -some Handel and _Che faro_ and, by request of Mr Housman, Gounod's -_There is a Green Hill._ - -I drove home with A. He told me he had enjoyed himself immensely and he -thought Esther Lake was the finest singer in the world. - -He said Miss Housman was a very clever woman and Housman appeared to be -quite a good sort. - -He said he liked this kind of dinner-party. - -_Thursday, March_ 18_th._ - -The first day there has been a feeling of spring in the air. I went to -St James's Park on the way to the office. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Friday, March_ 19_th._ - -A. asked me to spend Sunday with him in the country. I told him I was -sorry I was engaged to go out to luncheon on Sunday. He said I must come -the week after. - -_Saturday, March_ 20_th._ - -C. said it was a great pity A. did not go out more. He used to go out a -great deal, he said. "I suppose," he added, "it's because he doesn't -wast to meet Mrs Shamier." I said I thought C. had told me he was fond -of her. "Yes," said C, "he was very fond of her, but that is all over -now." - -_Sunday Evening, March_ _21_st. - -I went to St Paul's Cathedral in the morning. Then to luncheon with Lady -Maria in her house in Seymour Place. - -A curious luncheon. There were two actors and their wives, Father Seton, -and Mr Le Roy, who writes detective stories, and his wife, and Sir James -Croker. - -I sat next to Mrs Le Roy, who is, she told me, a Greek. She told me her -husband had written one hundred and ten books, but that she had read -none of them. She said it worried him if she read them. She said it was -a great sacrifice as she doted on detective stories and was told his -were very good. The actors, who were both actor managers, told us about -their forthcoming productions. Mr Vane said there was going to be a real -panther in his next production (a Shakespearean revival). Mr Jones Acre -is producing a play which is translated from the Swedish, and which -deals with the question of a man who has inoculated himself and his -whole family with a fatal disease, in the interests of science. - -Father Seton took a great interest in the stage, and said he considered -the Church and the stage should be close allies. The clergy took far too -little interest in these things. It was a pity, he said, to let the -Romans have the monopoly of that kind of thing. This surprised Mrs Le -Roy, who said she thought he was a Roman Catholic. He laughed and said -Rome would have to capitulate on many points before any idea of -corporate reunion could be entertained. - -Sir James Croker told stories of early days in the Foreign Office and -Lord Palmerston. - -We sat on talking until half-past three. I then went home and read _Jane -Eyre_. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _March_ 25_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I start on Thursday and shall arrive Thursday evening. I have got rooms -at the Ritz. Let us have dinner together Thursday night, and _not_ go to -a play. I shall stay in Paris a week and then go for four days to -Mentone. Then I shall come back to Paris for three days, and then home. -I suppose we shall have to dine at the Embassy one night. George is -going to the country for Easter with his sister. I want a really nice -screen (a small one). You must help me to find one, not too dear. I also -want something for the dining-room, which at present is coo bare. - -I won't write any more now. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, March_ 29_th. Hotel St Romain, Rue St Roch, Paris_ - -Went to a concert at the _Cirque d'Ete_ this afternoon, not a very -interesting programme. A great deal of Wagner, and _L'Apres-midi d'un -Faune_. - -Dined by myself at a Duval. Start for Florence to-morrow morning. - -_Tuesday, March_ 30_th. Villa Fersen, Florence_ - -Arrived this morning before luncheon after an exhausting journey -second-class. In the carriage there was a soldier belonging to the -_Garde Republicaine_. He said he was on duty at the Opera and had he -known I was passing through Paris he could have given me a _billet de -faveur_. - -The Housmans' villa is at the top of a hill on the Bellosguardo side. It -is rather a large house, covered with wistaria, with high windows with -iron bars. It has a large empty _salon_ with a piano. A fine room for -sound. The garden is beautiful. - -_Wednesday, March_ 31_st_. - -I walked down into Florence very early in the morning. I reached the -town before anything was open and met a party of men in shorts and -flannels running back to a hotel. They were Eton masters taking -exercise. I didn't go to any picture galleries, but I walked about the -streets and went into the Duomo, an ugly building inside. I got back for -luncheon. - -Housman said that they must leave cards in the afternoon and take a -drive in the Cascine. They went out in a carriage and pair. I went for a -walk to the Boboli Gardens. At dinner Housman said they had met several -friends, and he is giving a dinner-party on Sunday. - -_Thursday, April_ 1_st_. - -The Housmans took me to luncheon with a banker called Baron Strong. What -the explanation of this title is I do not know. They live in the modern -part of the town. He was a genial host, portly, with long white -whiskers. His wife, the Baroness, an Italian, a distinguished lady. -There were present a Marchese whose real name I was told was -Goldschmidt, and his wife, a retired and talkative English diplomatist, -a Russian lady, an Italian, who talked English, French and Russian with -ease, called Scalchi, Professor Johnston-Wright, who is spending his -holiday here, and a Frenchman. When the latter heard Scalchi talk every -language successively he said to him: "Vous etes une petite tour de -Babel." - -In the afternoon we left cards at several houses and villas and then -went for a drive in the Cascine. Some people called at tea-time, but I -escaped. After dinner Mrs Housman sang some Schumann, _Fruehlingsnacht_, -and the _Dichterliebe._ These songs, she said, suit Florence. - -_Friday, April_ 2_nd_. - -I had a talk with the Italian gardener as far as my Italian permitted me -to. I pointed out a plant, a mauve-coloured plant, I don't know its -name, that seemed to grow in great profusion. He said: "Fiorisce come il -pensiere dell' uomo." More calls in the afternoon, and another drive in -the Cascine. - -Housman has bought a large modern statue representing _The Triumph of -Truth,_ a female figure carrying a torch, with a serpent at her feet. -She is triumphing, I suppose, over the snake. - -_Saturday, April_ 3_rd_. - -We went to see the Easter Saturday ceremony at the Duomo, and then to -luncheon at the Villa Michael Angelo. It belongs to a rich American -called Fisk. There were present besides Mr and Mrs Fisk an English -authoress, a picture connoisseur, Scalchi, an American archaeologist, an -Italian man of letters, and a Miss Sinclair, also an archaeologist. -Housman said afterwards this was the cream of intellectual Florence. - -I sat between two archaeologists. I found their conversation difficult to -follow. - -After luncheon we called on the British Consul's wife, whose day it was. -Then after a drive in the Cascine we went home. - -_Easter Sunday, April_ 4_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass early. Went for a walk with Housman. On the -Ponte Vecchio we met Ayton and his sister, Mrs Campion. Mrs Campion, he -said, had insisted on him taking her to Florence. - -Housman asked them to dinner to-night; they accepted. A great many -people came to tea. - -The dinner-party to-night was quite a large one. Baron and Baroness -Strong, Lord Ayton, Mrs Campion, Mr and Mrs Fisk, Scalchi and the -Marchese and his wife, whom we met lately. I sat between Mrs Campion and -Baron Strong. After dinner Mrs Fisk played Chopin with astonishing -facility, but without any expression. - -A. intends to stay here another fortnight. - -Housman said he received a telegram which will necessitate his meeting -his partner at Genoa. His partner is on the way to the Riviera. He may -have to go to Paris too, but he hopes not, and intends to be back in a -few days if possible. - -_Monday, April_ 5_th._ - -Housman left to-day for Genoa. I went with Mrs Housman to San Marco and -the Accademia in the morning. In the afternoon to the Certosa with Mrs -Housman, A. and Mrs Campion. - -_Tuesday, April_ 6_th._ - -Mrs Campion and A. came to luncheon. Mrs Campion, who is an expert -gardener, told me the names of all the flowers in the garden. They have -not remained in my mind. - -_Wednesday, April_ 7_th_. - -We all spent a morning sight-seeing and had luncheon at a restaurant. In -the afternoon we drove to Fiesole. - -_Thursday, April_ 8_th._ - -Housman is not coming back. He is obliged to go to Paris and he will go -straight to London from there. - -We drove to Fiesole in the morning. Had luncheon with some Italian -friends of Mrs Campion, Count and Countess Alberti. Nobody there except -the host and hostess and their three children. A fine villa and no -garden. Countess Alberti said it was no use having a garden if one lived -here in summer, as everything dried up. She is a charming woman, natural -and unpretentious, and talks English like an Englishwoman. - -She asked A if he had met many people, and A. said he was a tourist and -had no time for visits. Countess Alberti said he was quite right and -that she knew nothing in the world more--_seccante_ was the word she -used, than Florentine society. - -She asked us all to come again next week. I am leaving on Sunday, and -A. and Mrs Campion are going to Paris on Monday. Mrs Housman remains -here another week. - -_Friday, April_ 9_th._ - -Mrs Housman had a headache and did not come down. I went to the town and -did some shopping and went over the Bargello. Mrs Housman came down to -dinner and sang afterwards, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. I had never -heard her sing _O Versenk o versenk dein Leid mein Kind, in die See_ -before. - -_Saturday, April_ 10_th._ - -We went to a great many churches in the morning and saw a number of -frescoes. Mrs Housman received a great many invitations, but refused -them all. A. and Mrs Campion and the Albertis came to dinner. Countess -Alberti persuaded Mrs Housman to sing. She sang some English songs: -_Passing By, Lord Randall_, etc., Gounod's _Chanson de Mai_, and some -Lully. Countess Alberti said it was a comfort to hear singing of which -you could hear every word. A. liked _Passing By_ best, and he made her -sing it twice. He asked me who the words were by. The tune is Edward -Purcell's. The words, although generally attributed to Herrick by -musical publishers, are by an anonymous poet, and occur in Thomas Ford's -_Music of Sundry Kinds_, 1607. They are as follows:-- - - There is a ladye sweet and kind, - Was never face so pleas'd my mind, - I did but see her passing by, - And yet I love her till I die. - - Her gestures, motions, and her smile, - Her wit, her voice my heart beguile, - Beguile my heart, I know not why; - And yet I love her till I die. - -There is also a third stanza. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA BEAU SITE, - MENTONE, - _Thursday, April_ 8_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -It is divine here and this villa is a dream. We went to Monte Carlo -yesterday and I won 300 francs and then lost it again. I saw hundreds of -people, _monde_ and _demi-monde_. Among the latter Celia Russell, having -luncheon with rather a gross-looking shiny financier. I asked who he was -and found out that he was Housman of Housman & Smith. Apparently C.R. -has been living with him for some time, ever since, in fact, L. went to -India. But the interesting thing to me is that Housman is the husband of -that beautiful Mrs Housman I told you about. M. knows them and knows all -about them. Mrs Housman was a Canadian, very poor, with no one to look -after her but an old aunt. He married her about ten years ago. Since -then he has become very rich. Carrington-Smith is now his partner. -Housman supplies the brains. They live somewhere in the suburbs and she -never goes anywhere. - -I am not coming back till next Monday. I shall be able to stop two or -three days in Paris, very likely longer. - - Yours, - G. - - HALKIN STREET, - - _Sunday, May_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have had a busy week since I have been back. Monday I dined with -George at his flat. A man's dinner to meet some French politicians who -are over here for a few days. I told you I was determined to make Mrs -Housman's acquaintance, and I have. I had luncheon on Tuesday with Jimmy -Randall, a city friend of mine. You don't know him. He knows the -Housmans intimately. I told him I wanted to know them and he asked me to -meet them last night. - -We dined at the Carlton, Randall, the Housmans and myself. I think she -is even more beautiful than I thought before. I couldn't take my eyes -off her. She was in black, with one row of very good pearls. I never saw -such eyes. Housman is too awful; sleek, fat and common beyond words, but -sharp as a needle. He has an extraordinary laugh, a high, nasal chuckle, -and says, "Ha! ha! ha!" after every sentence. They have asked me to -dinner next Tuesday. I will write to you about it in detail. Mrs H. is -charming. There is nothing American or Colonial about her, but she is -curiously un-English. I can't understand how she can have married him. I -caught sight of her again this morning at the Oratory, where I always go -if I am in London on Sundays, for the music. Randall told me she is -very musical, but I didn't get any speech with her. - -The flat looks quite transformed with all the Paris things. They are the -greatest success. - - Yours, - G. - - _Wednesday, May_ 12_th._ - - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -The dinner-party came off last night. They live in Campden Hill. I was -early and the parlour-maid said Mrs Housman would be down directly, and -I heard Housman shouting upstairs: "Clare, Clare, guests," but he did -not appear himself. I was shown into a large white and heavily gilded -drawing-room, with a candelabra, a Steinway grand, and light blue satin -and ebony furniture, a good many palms, but no flowers. The drawing-room -opened out on to an Oriental back drawing-room with low divans, small -stools inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and a silver lamp (from a mosque) -hanging from the ceiling, heavy curtains too, behind which I suspect -stained-glass windows. Over the chimney-piece an Alma Tadema (a group on -a marble seat against a violet sea). At the other end of the room Walter -Bell's picture. It _was_ the picture I saw before, but more about that -later. On another wall over a sofa a most extraordinary allegorical -picture: a precipice bridged by a large serpent, and walking on the -serpent two small figures, a woman in white draperies and a knight -dressed like Mephistopheles, all these painted in the crudest colours. -The Housmans then appeared, and Housman did the honours of the pictures, -faintly damned the Alma Tadema, and said the Snake Picture was by Mucius -of Munich in what he called _Moderne_ style. He had picked it up for -nothing; some day it would be worth pots of money. Ha! ha! Then the -guests arrived. Sir Herbert Simcox, K.C., Lady Simcox, dressed in amber -velvet and cairngorms; Housman's sister Miss Sarah, black, and very -large, in yellow satin, with enormous emerald ear-rings; -Carrington-Smith, Housman's partner; Mrs Carrington-Smith, naked except -for a kind of orange and red _Reform Kleid_, with a green complexion, -heavily blacked eyebrows, and a _Lalique_ necklace. Then, making a late -entrance, as if on the stage, a Princesse de Carignan, a fine figure, in -rich and tight black satin and a large black ruff, heavily powdered. -Housman whispered to me that she was a legitimate Bourbon. I think he -meant a Legitimist. We went down to dinner into a dark Gothic panelled -dining-room, with a shiny portrait of Mr Housman set in the panelling -over the chimney-piece. - -I sat between Mrs Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith. I talked to Mrs -Housman most of the time. Mrs Carrington-Smith asked me if I liked Henry -James's books. I said I liked the early ones. She said she preferred the -later ones, but she could never feel quite the same about Henry James -again since he had put her into a book. She was, she said, _Kate_ in -_The Wings of the Dove_. After dinner Housman moved up and sat next to -me. He talked about art and _bric-a-brac_. I asked him if I could -possibly have seen Bell's portrait of Mrs Housman in America. He said, -"Certainly." He had bought it cheap and sold it dear, anticipating a -slump in Bell, which was not slow in coming. He had then bought it back -directly Bell died, anticipating a boom, which had also occurred. "It is -now worth double what I gave for it. Ha! ha! ha!" - -Randall said he liked a picture to tell a plain story and he could make -nothing of the Snake Picture upstairs. Housman laughed loudly and said -it was the oldest story in the world: the man, the woman, and the -serpent. Ha! ha! We went upstairs, where there was a crowd. I was seized -upon by the Princesse de Carignan, and she whispered to me confidential -secrets about Europe. She preened herself and displayed the deportment -of a queen in exile. - -Then we had some music. Esther Lake bawled some Rubinstein, and Ronald -Solway played an interminable sonata by Haydn with variations and all -the repeats. Some of the guests went downstairs, but I was wedged in -between the Princesse and a Mrs Baines, a fluffy, sinuous woman, dressed -in a loose Byzantine robe. Her husband, who is an expert in French -furniture, told me she was once mistaken for _Sarah_, and she has -evidently been living up to the reputation for years. He was careful to -add that it was in the days when Sarah was thin--Mrs Baines being a -wisp. - -After the music, which I thought would never stop, we went downstairs -again for a stand-up supper and sweet champagne. I was introduced by -Housman to Ronald Solway. Housman told him I was a musical connoisseur, -so he bored me with technicalities for twenty minutes. I couldn't get -away. He had no mercy on me. Housman has got a box at the Opera. He told -me I must use it whenever I like. How can she have married that man? - - Yours, - G. - -_Wednesday,_ May 19_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your most amusing letter. I have been busy and not had a -moment to write. We have had a good deal of work to do. Last Friday I -had supper at Romano's after the play. Housman was there with Celia -Russell. I spent Saturday to Monday with the Shamiers. Lavroff was -there. Last night I went to the Opera to the Housmans' box. It was -_Boheme_. During the _entr'acte_ who should come into our box but -George. He stayed there the whole time, talking to Mrs H., and came back -during the next _entr'acte_. - -The next day at the office when I was in his room I said something about -the Housmans and began telling him about my dinner. He froze at once and -said Mrs Housman was an extremely nice woman. I said something about -Housman, and George said: "Oh, not at all a bad fellow." So I saw I was -on dangerous ground. Housman has asked me to spend next Sunday at his -country house, a small villa on the Thames near Staines. I am going. - -They are dining with me on Thursday. I asked George, too, and he -accepted joyfully. - - Yours, - G. - - _Monday, May_ 24_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am just back from the country. But first I must tell you about my -dinner. I had asked the Housmans, George, Eileen Hope, and Madame de -Saint Luce who is staying in London for three weeks. Just before dinner -I got a telegram saying that Mrs Housman was laid up and couldn't -possibly come. Housman arrived by himself. George was evidently -frightfully annoyed and hardly spoke. Madame de Saint Luce was amazed -and rather amused by Housman, and after dinner Eileen sang beautifully, -so it went off fairly well except for George. - -Saturday I went down to Staines. Housman had got an elegant villa on the -river. Very ugly, with red tiles, photogravures, and green wooden chairs -and a conservatory, full of calceolaria. But I must say his food is -delicious. George was there, Lady Jarvis, and Miss Sarah. - -After dinner on Saturday there was a slight fracas. George asked Mrs -Housman to sing. She didn't much want to, but finally said she would. -Miss Sarah, who is a brilliant pianist, said she would accompany her -(she evidently hates being accompanied). She sang a song of Schubert's, -_Gute Nacht_. Miss Sarah played it rather fast. Mrs Housman said it -ought to be slower. Miss Sarah said it was meant to be fast, and that -was her conception of the song in any case. - -Mrs Housman said she couldn't sing it like that, and didn't, and then -she said she couldn't sing at all. Afterwards she did sing some English -ballads and accompanied herself. - -She sings most beautifully, her voice is perfectly produced and you hear -every word. There is nothing throaty or operatic about it but her voice -goes straight through one. George was entranced. Sunday afternoon George -and Mrs H. went out on the river and stayed out all the afternoon. I -spent the afternoon with Lady Jarvis, who is most clever and amusing. -She told me all about the Housmans. Mrs H. is not Canadian but Irish. -She was brought up in a convent in French Canada. Directly she came out -of it her marriage with H., who was then in a Canadian firm, was -arranged by her aunt (her aunt was an imbecile and quite penniless). -They lived several years in Canada, California and other parts of -America, and came to England about three years ago. Housman was -unfaithful from the first. Lady Jarvis knew about Celia Russell. I asked -her if Mrs Housman knew. She said she--Lady Jarvis--didn't know, but it -wouldn't make any difference if Mrs H. did or not. She said: "There is -nothing about Albert Housman that Clare doesn't know." Then she said -that unless I was blind I must of course have seen George was madly in -love with her. - -I said I agreed. She said she thought Mrs Housman was madly in love with -him. I said I wasn't sure. Lady Jarvis said she was quite sure. - -They came back very late from the river and Mrs Housman didn't come -down to dinner. She said she had a headache. We had rather a gloomy -dinner although Miss Sarah and Lady Jarvis never stopped talking for a -moment, but George was silent. - -You know he sees nobody now except the Housmans. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 3_rd. Gray's Inn_. - -A. returned to London a day sooner than he was expected. His Secretary, -Tuke, had not returned. He had left his address with me. He spent his -holiday in the Guest House, Fort Augustus Abbey, a Benedictine -monastery. He returned this morning. A. asked me on Saturday where he -was. When I told him, A. showed great surprise. He said: "He has been -with me six years and I never knew he was an R.C. It's extraordinary -when a thing once turns up, you then meet with it every day. I seem -always to be coming across Catholics now." - -_Tuesday, May_ 4_th._ - -Alfred Riley telegraphed to me to know whether I could put him up -to-night. I have answered in the affirmative, but he will be, I fear, -most uncomfortable. - -_Wednesday, May_ 5_th._ - -Riley arrived last night. He has been in Paris for the last three months -working at the _Bibliotheque Nationale_. He told me he had something of -importance to tell me: that he was seriously thinking of becoming a -Roman Catholic. I was greatly surprised. He was the last person I would -expect to do such a thing. I told him I had no prejudice against Roman -Catholics, but it was very difficult for me to believe that a man of his -intellectual attainments could honestly believe the things he would be -expected to believe. Also, if he needed a Church I did not understand -why he could not be satisfied with the Church of England, which was a -historic Church. He said: "Do you remember when we were at Oxford that -we used to say it would be a great sell if we found out when we were -dead that Christianity was true after all? Well, I believe it is true. I -believe, not in spite of my reason, nor against my reason, nor apart -from my reason, but with my reason. Well, if one believes with one's -reason in the Christian revelation, that is to say, if one believes that -God has uttered Himself fully and uniquely through Christ, such a belief -has certain logical consequences." I said nothing, for indeed I did not -know what to say. Riley laughed and said: "Don't be alarmed; don't think -I am going to hand you a tract. For Heaven's sake let me be able to -speak out at least to one person about this." I begged him to go on, and -he said he thought Catholicism was the only logical consequence of a -belief in the Christian revelation. Anglicanism and all forms of -Protestantism seemed to him like the lopped off branches of a living -tree. - -I asked him what there was to prevent him worshipping in Roman Catholic -churches if he felt inclined that way without sacrificing his -intellectual freedom to their tenets. - -He said: "You talk as if it was ritual I cared for and wanted. One can -be glutted with ritual in the Anglican Church if one wants that." - -As for giving up one's freedom, he said I must agree that law, order and -discipline were the indispensable conditions of freedom. He had never -heard Catholics complain of any loss of freedom, indeed Catholic -philosophy, manners, customs, and even speech, seemed to him much freer -than Protestant or Agnostic philosophy, and what it stood for. He asked -me which I thought was freest, a Sunday in Paris or Rome or a Sunday in -Glasgow or London. - -I suggested his waiting a year. He said perhaps he would. - -_Thursday, May_ 6_th._ - -Riley talked of music, Wagner, _Parsifal._ He quoted some Frenchman who -said that _Parsifal_ was "_moins beau que n'importe quelle Messe Basse -dans n'importe quelle Eglise_." I said that I had never been to a Low -Mass in my life, but that I disliked the music at most High Masses I had -attended. I said I disliked Wagner, especially _Parsifal_. He said he -agreed about Wagner, but I did not understand what the Frenchman had -meant. I confessed I did not. He said: "It is like comparing a -description of something to the reality." I told him that I envied -people who were born Catholics, but I did not think it was a thing you -could become. He said it was not like becoming a Mussulman. He was -simply going back to the older tradition of his country, to what -Melanchthon and Dr Johnson called and what in the Highlands they still -call the Old Religion. I told him that I had once heard a man say, -talking of becoming a Roman Catholic, "if I could tell the first lie, -all the rest would be easy and follow naturally down to scapulars and -Holy Water." - -_Friday, May_ 7_th._ - -Riley left this morning. He has gone back to Paris. He is not going to -take any immediate step. - -_Sunday, May_ 9_th_ - -I went to see Mrs Housman yesterday afternoon. I told her what Riley had -told me. I asked her if she thought people could _become_ Roman -Catholics if they were not born so. She said she wished that she had not -been born a Catholic so as she might have become one. She envied those -who could make the choice. I asked her if she did not consider there was -something unreal about converts. She said she thought English converts -were in a very difficult situation which required the utmost tact. Many -perhaps lacked this tact. She said that in Canada and America, where she -had lived most of her life, the anti-Catholic prejudice as it existed in -England did not exist, at any rate it was not of the same kind. "The -nursery anti-Catholic tradition doesn't exist there." - -She asked me what I had advised Riley to do. I told her I had dissuaded -him from taking such a step and had begged him to wait. She said: "If he -is to become a Catholic there will be a moment when he will not be able -to help it. Faith is a gift. People do not become Catholics under the -influence of people or books, although people and books may sometimes -help or sometimes hinder, but because they are pulled over by an -invisible rope---what we call _Grace_." - -I told her I would find it difficult to believe that a man like Riley -would believe what he would have to believe. She asked me whether I -found it difficult to believe that she accepted the dogmas of the -Church. I said I was convinced she believed what she professed, but that -I thought that born Catholics believed things in a different way than we -did. I did not believe that this could be learnt by converts. - -She said I probably thought that Catholics believed all sorts of things -which they did not believe. Such at least was her experience of English -Protestants, who seemed to imbibe curious traditions in the nursery, on -the subject. - -I asked her if Mr Housman believed in Catholic dogma. She said: "Albert -has been baptized and brought up as a Catholic, but he is an Agnostic. -He is very charitable towards Catholic institutions." - -She asked me more about Riley and whether he had any Catholic friends. I -said: "Not to my knowledge." "Poor man, I am afraid he will be very -lonely," she said. - -She said that she herself knew hardly any Catholics in England, that is -to say she had no real Catholic friends, and that she felt as if she -were living in perpetual exile. - -"You see," she said, "your friend ought to realise that he will have to -face the prejudice and the dislike not only of narrow-minded people but -of very nice intelligent and broad-minded people, who agree with you -about almost everything else. The Church has always been hated from the -beginning, and it always will be hated. In the past it was people like -Marcus Aurelius who carried out the worst persecutions and hated the -Church most bitterly with the very best intentions, and it is in a -different way just the same now." - -I said that to me it was an impossible mental gymnastic to think that -Catholicism was the same thing as early Christianity. - -She said: "Because the tree has grown so big you think it is not the -same plant, but it is. When I go to Mass I feel as if I were looking -through the wrong end of a telescope right back into the catacombs and -farther." - -I told her Riley would take no decisive step. He had promised to wait. -She said there was no harm in that. There were many other things I -wished to ask her, but A. arrived, and after talking on various topics -for a few moments I left. - -_Monday, May_ 10_th._ - -A. told me he had been invited to dinner by Aunt Ruth next Thursday and -that he was going. He asked me whether I was invited. I said I was -invited. - -_Tuesday, May_ 11_th._ - -Cunninghame said he was dining at the Housmans' to-night. - -_Wednesday, May_ 12_th._ - -I asked C. whether he had enjoyed his dinner. He said it was very -pleasant, but that the music was too classical for his taste. A. was not -there. - -_Thursday, May_ 13_th._ - -I dined last night with A. in his flat. Nobody but ourselves. A. played -the pianola after dinner. He said I must come and stay with him in the -country soon. He would try and get the Housmans to come too. - -_Friday, May_ 14_th._ - -A. dined with Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth. So did I. It was a dinner for -the American Ambassador. I sat next to a Miss Audrey Bax, a lady of -decided views and picturesque appearance. She talked about Joan of Arc, -and asked me whether I had read Anatole France's book about her. I said -I had not, but I had read an English translation of Joan of Arc's trial -which I thought one of the most impressive records I had ever read. She -said: "Ah, you like the stained-glass-window point of view about those -sort of people." I was rather nettled and said I preferred facts to -fiction. I thought Joan of Arc as she appeared in her trial was a very -sensible as well as being a very remarkable person. She had not read -this. She said Anatole France told one all one wanted to know from a -rational point of view. It was a comfort to read common-sense about this -sort of hallucinated people. A man who was sitting opposite her joined -eagerly in the conversation, and said that the two people in the whole -of history who had made the finest defence when tried were Mary Queen -of Scots and Joan of Arc. Miss Bax said she supposed he looked upon Mary -Queen of Scots as a martyred saint. The other man, whose name I found -out afterwards was Ashfield, an American who is now at the American -Embassy, said that he regarded Mary Queen of Scots as a woman who was -tried for her life and who had defended herself without lawyers without -making a single mistake under the most difficult circumstances. He said -he had been a lawyer, and spoke from a lawyer's point of view. Miss Bax -went back to Joan of Arc and Anatole France and said his book was as -important a work as Renan's _Vie de Jesus_. Mr Ashfield said he thought -that work no improvement on the Gospel. I said I had not read it. Miss -Bax again said that if we preferred sentimental traditions we were at -liberty to do so. She preferred rational writers untainted by -superstition. Ashfield said he regarded Renan as a sentimental writer. -Miss Bax said: "No doubt you prefer Dean Farrar." Ashfield said he did -not think Renan's book was a more successful attempt to rewrite the -Gospels than Dean Farrar's although it was better written. She said that -proved her point, and as she seemed satisfied, we talked of other -things. But throughout her conversation she struck me for a professed -free-thinker to be singularly dogmatic and sometimes almost fanatical. - -_Saturday, May_ 15_th._ - -Spent the afternoon and evening with Solway at Woking but came back -after dinner. - -_Sunday, May_ 16_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon, but she was not at home. This -is the first time she has not been at home on Sunday afternoons for a -very long time. - -_Monday, May_ 17_th_. - -A. said he was going to the opera to-night. Housman, whom he had seen -yesterday, had told him it would be a very fine performance. - -_Tuesday, May_ 18_th._ - -Went to the opera in the gallery. Some fine singing. Cunninghame had -been in the Housmans' box. - -_Wednesday, May_ 19_th._ - -Was going to dine with the Housmans to-night, but Mrs Housman is unwell. - -_Thursday, May_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis has asked me to stay with her Sunday week. - -_Friday, May_ 21st. - -This morning a man called Barnes came to the office. He is an -acquaintance of Cunninghame's; he is in the F.O. He talked of various -things, and then he asked Cunninghame whether he knew Mrs Housman. He -said she was playing fast and loose with A.'s affections. She was doing -it, of course, to convert him. Catholics didn't mind how immoral they -were in such a cause. He said that she was well known for it. She had -refused to marry Housman till he had been converted. He had been so much -in love with her that he could not refuse. I said that I happened to -know that Housman had been baptized a Catholic when he was born. -Cunninghame bore me out and said it was all nonsense about A. He was -sure Catholicism had nothing to do with it. He knew Mrs Housman quite -well and she had never mentioned it to him. Barnes said we could say -what we liked, but all London was talking of A.'s unfortunate passion -and Mrs H.'s behaviour. - -"One sees them everywhere together," he said. - -C. said: "Where?" - -Barnes said: "Oh, at all the restaurants and at the opera." - -Cunninghame said he had expected Mrs Housman to dinner, but she had been -unable to come. - -_Saturday, May_ 22_nd_. - -Called on Mrs Housman to inquire. They have gone to the country until -Monday. - -_Monday, May_ 24_th._ - -I had luncheon with A. to-day at his flat. He said he had been staying -with the Housmans at their house on the Thames. He said he had put his -foot in it. On Saturday night at dinner they were talking about Ireland, -and he said he had no wish to go to a country full of priests. Mrs -Housman told him, laughing, she was a Catholic. He asked me if I had -known this. I told him I had always known it. He asked me whether she -was very devout. I said I knew she always went to Mass on Sundays, that -she had never mentioned the subject to me except once when I asked her a -question with reference to a friend of mine. He asked me whether Housman -was a Catholic too. I told him what I knew. - -_Tuesday, May_ 25_th._ - -Went to the opera, in the Housmans' box. Housman and Cunninghame were -there. Mrs Housman did not come. A. looked in during the _entr'acte_. - -_Wednesday, May_ 26_th._ - -A. gave a dinner at his Club. All politicians except myself and -Cunninghame. - -_Thursday, May_ 27_th._ - -Tuke asked me to take a ticket for a concert at Hammersmith at which his -sister is performing on the piano. I have done so. - -_Friday, May_ 28_th._ - -Luncheon with A. at his Club. He is staying with Lady Jarvis on -Saturday. The Housmans, he said, will be there. Cunninghame is going -also. A. told me Mrs Housman has not been well lately. I said I thought -she did too much. He asked me in what sort of way. I said she attended -to a great many charities and that as Housman entertained a great deal I -thought it tired her. Mrs Housman had told him I was very musical. He -asked me if I played any instrument. I said none except the penny -whistle. He asked me if I did not think Mrs Housman a very fine singer. -I said I did. He also said that he supposed she knew a lot of priests. I -said I had never met one in her house. - -_Sunday, May_ 30_th. Rosedale, Surrey._ - -I arrived rather late last night. Besides the guests I knew I was to -meet, was a Frenchman, M. Raphael Luc, and a Mrs Vaughan. After dinner -we had some music. M. Luc sang several French songs, by Lully, and -others that I had heard Mrs Housman sing. His singing was greatly -appreciated and applauded, and it is, I confess, as far as it goes, -perfection itself, as regards quality, taste and art, but I could not -help thinking the whole time that it would be impossible for him to -interpret Schubert. - -This morning I sat in the garden and read the newspapers. Mrs Housman -drove to Church which was some distance off. - -Mr Winchester Hill, the novelist, arrived for luncheon and brought with -him Miss Ella Dasent, the actress. At the end of the meal she gave us -some vivid impersonations of contemporary actors and actresses. - -We sat talking for some time in the verandah. Then Lady Jarvis took -Housman to show him the garden, and Cunninghame walked away with Mrs -Vaughan and M. Luc. - -Miss Housman, Mr Hill, Miss Dasent, and myself remained on long chairs -underneath a large tree. Miss Dasent and Mr Hill discussed at great -length a play that he is adapting for her from one of his novels. The -story seemed to me absurd--it was something about an Italian nobleman -strangling his wife's lover with a silk handkerchief. - -Towards five we had tea and after tea Mrs Vaughan took me for a stroll -round the garden. - -I found her a well-read woman who has lived a great deal in Paris and is -familiar with the Bohemian world in more than one continent. - -At dinner I sat between Mrs Housman and Cunninghame. Mrs Housman said -that Luc's singing made one despair, and she felt she could never sing -again after hearing him. I told her I doubted if he could interpret -German music. She was annoyed with me and said I was missing the point, -and that the songs he sang were exquisite. - -We sat in the verandah after dinner, while Luc sang to us from the -drawing-room. He sang Faure's settings to Verlaine's words. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, May_ 21_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale, where I have been staying with Lady -Jarvis. It is an old Tudor house that was bodily transported from the -west of England. I believe it is quite genuine, but it looks unreal and -the rooms are like show rooms at a second-hand dealer's. The garden is -quite beautiful. We had a most amusing party. Jane Vaughan (looking very -pretty), Raphael Luc, George, the Housmans. Raphael sang both nights -quite divinely after dinner. On Saturday night we all sat in the big -downstairs room, but after he had sung two songs Mrs Housman went out on -the verandah. She is so musical that one could see it was more than she -could bear. I am certain she felt she was going to cry. Sunday morning I -had a long talk with Lady Jarvis. She told me Mrs Housman is a very -strict and devout Catholic. We both agreed that there is no doubt that -George is very much in love with her. She thinks she _is_ in love with -him. I am still not sure Lady Jarvis is right about her. I sat next to -her (Mrs H.) at dinner on Saturday night, and George was on her other -side. She was perfectly natural, but I thought miles _away_. During the -whole time we were there she didn't pay much attention to him and she -didn't avoid him. She went to church by herself on Sunday morning and -stayed in all the afternoon. I think she likes him, but nothing more -than that. - -Godfrey Mellor, the silent Secretary, is devoted to her too. The other -morning at the office a man came to see us and said all sorts of most -absurdly silly things about Mrs H. I could see he was furious. He has -known the Housmans quite a long time. - -More people came down to luncheon on Sunday, but nobody interesting. -George says he will be able to yacht now. I think Mrs H. is delightful. -I like her more and more. I have been to the opera twice, to a good many -dinners, and some balls. There may be a chance of Paris for a few days -later. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 31_st_. - -I travelled back from Rosedale with A. He asked me if I was fond of -yachting. I said I was a moderate sailor. He asked me to go next -Saturday to his house near Littlehampton. His sister is going to be -there, and perhaps the Housmans. Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, June_ 1_st._ - -There is going to be a large concert at the Albert Hall for the -Albemarle Relief Fund. Tuke brought the programme and placed it on my -table this morning. Esther Lake is singing, and the Housmans and A. are -among the patrons. Dined with A. at his Club. He told me he thought Mrs -Housman was far from well. He said what she wants is sea air. - -_Wednesday, June_ 2_nd_. - -Cunninghame told me he had dined at the Housmans' last night. He said -there was no one there but himself and Carrington-Smith. He said Mrs -Housman talks of going away soon. London tires her. Dined at the Club. - -_Thursday, June_ 3_rd_. - -I have just come back from a dinner-party at Aunt Ruth's. A great many -diplomats and politicians. I sat between Thornton-Davis, who is at the -F.O. now, and Mrs Vernon, who is French and a Legitimist and talks of -the Place de la Concorde as the _Place Louis XV_. Aunt Ruth said she -heard A. was doing very well and spoke well in the House. It's a pity, -she said, that he is such a Tory. - -_Friday, June_ 4_th._ - -Went this afternoon to the concert at the Albert Hall for the Relief -Fund in the Housmans' box. Miss Housman and Mrs Carrington-Smith were -there, but neither Mrs nor Mr Housman. Miss Housman says that Mrs -Housman has not been well lately. She said she goes out far too much. I -enjoyed nothing in the programme. Dined at the Club. - -_Saturday, June_ 5_th._ - -A. told me he expected me at Littlehampton, but that I would find it -dull, as he had no party. - -_Sunday, June_ 6_th. Littlehampton_. - -A. has a nice and comfortable little house. His yacht, a small cutter -with room for two to sleep on board, is here. He took Mrs Campion and -myself out this morning. There was what is called a nice breeze. I -cannot say I enjoyed it very much. He told me that he had asked the -Housmans, but they could not come, Mrs Housman is going to Cornwall soon -for the rest of the summer. She has not been well, and the doctors told -her she must leave London. A. said he would miss them very much. He -liked them both exceedingly, and he thought Miss Sarah was such a good -sort. A. said the truth was that Mrs H. worked herself to death over -charities and things like that. He was sure the priests were greatly to -blame for this. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, June_ 7_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -There's not the slightest chance of my coming over to Paris now. I am -not going to Ascot at all this year. The Housmans thought of taking a -house for Ascot week, but she has not been well, and they are staying -out of London till they go down to Cornwall. They have taken a house -somewhere near the Lizard, and when she goes she will stay the whole -summer. - -Both George and poor little Mellor are in low spirits. I had a very nice -letter from Mrs H. asking me to go down there in August and to stay as -long as I liked. - -Housman has lent me his box for the whole of Ascot week. There is such a -rush that I haven't time to write properly to you. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Friday, June_ 18_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have spent the most perfect Ascot week in London. I have enjoyed every -moment of it. I went to the opera every night in the Housmans' box, -which besides being fun was most convenient as I was able to ask people -who had done things for me. I dined on Saturday with Jimmy Randall, who -had been at Ascot all the week. He says that Housman has fallen -violently in love with a Mrs Rachel Park. You may possibly have heard of -her. She used to sing at concerts under the name of Rose Sinclair. She -was quite beautiful, with enormous eyes and flaming hair, but quite -brainless and quite unmusical. She married a barrister who is now Park, -K.C. He works like a slave, but she spends money more quickly than he -can make it. This explains the Cornwall arrangement. Jimmy R. says that -H. has violent scenes with Celia R. and that the end of that idyll is -only a question of hours. He says Mrs P. will lead him a dance. She is -mercenary, stupid, common and a real harpy. Poor "Bert," as Jimmy -Randall calls Housman. He is so good-natured. And poor Mrs H.! Mellor -hardly speaks at all now, and George doesn't say much. He goes nowhere, -but talks of yachting on the west coast during the summer. - - Yours, - G. - -_P.S_.--Just got your telegram. I am delighted you are coming to London. -I particularly wanted you to meet Mrs Housman--and "Bert." You must -come. And now I shall just be able to manage this if you will dine with -me on Monday night. She leaves for Cornwall on Tuesday morning. I've -asked George too. He stays in London till Parliament is over, and then -he is going away and I shall be free. How much leave will Jack get? -Three weeks at least, I hope. The Shamiers want you to stay with them -Sunday week, and Lady Jarvis wants you to go down there. If you don't -want to stay there, we might go down for luncheon one day. I shall be in -London till the end of July. Then I am going to Worsel for a fortnight. -The Housmans have asked me to go to Cornwall, and I shall try and fit -that in between Worsel and the Shamiers. They have been lent a lodge in -Scotland and have asked me to go there in September. I have promised to -stay a few days at Edith's as well. - -There is a parcel for me at the Embassy. It is too big for the bag. -Could you bring it with you? - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, June_ 10_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame last night to meet his cousin, Mrs Caryl. She is -the wife of a diplomat who is Second Secretary at Paris. A pleasant -dinner. The Housmans were there, and A. and his sister. - -_Friday, June_ 25_th._. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman to-day. She says the change of air is -doing her good. She hopes I will come to Cornwall some time during my -holiday. - -_Monday, July_ 5_th._ - -Dined with Housman last night. Miss Housman was there, and the -Carrington-Smiths, and a Mrs Park who used to be a professional singer. -She sang after dinner. Miss Housman accompanied her. She sang Tosti's -_Ninon_, some Lassen, some Bemberg, a song by Lord Henry Somerset, and -E. Purcell's _Passing By_. Miss Housman said it was a comfort to -accompany someone who had a sense of time. She has a powerful voice and -has been well trained, but _Passing By_ did not suit her style of -singing, and I regretted that she had attempted that song. She was not -always in tune. - -Housman enjoyed it, and accompanied her himself afterwards in some coon -songs which he played by ear. - -Housman asked me to stay with them for the whole of August. He said he -was very anxious that I should go, as he would not be able to be much in -Cornwall and he was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. He asked -Cunninghame also. I accepted. - -A. spends all his spare time now on his yacht. I am going to stay with -him next Saturday. - -_Monday, July_ 12_th._ - -A. is going to the Cowes Regatta. He asked me to go with him, but I am -leaving on the 1st of August for Cornwall. - -_Sunday, August_ 1_st. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay, Cornwall_. - -I arrived here last night. A pleasant spot near the sea and not far from -a golf links. Mrs Housman and Housman are here alone. Housman is greatly -perturbed because Mrs Carrington-Smith is bringing a divorce suit -against her husband for infidelity. The other person concerned is Miss -Hope, whom I met at dinner one night at Cunninghame's flat. Housman says -that Miss Hope is neurotic and unhinged. Mrs Housman has never met Miss -Hope. - -Housman said he hoped I would be able to stay on here, as he would not -be able to spend much time in Cornwall. Carrington-Smith was so greatly -upset by this wretched business that he could not attend to the affairs -of the firm. He was afraid Mrs Housman would be lonely. Lady Jarvis had -promised to come later, and Cunninghame also, but he did not know when. -Miss Housman had been obliged to go to Vichy to take the waters. -Housman played golf in the afternoon with a member of the Club. I am not -a golf player, unfortunately. I told him that Cunninghame was an -admirable player. - -_Monday, August_ 2_nd_. - -Housman has been telegraphed for and left this morning. In the afternoon -we went for a long drive and had tea in a farm-house. The climate is -warm and agreeable. - -_Tuesday, August_ 3_rd_. - -Bathed in the sea this morning and went for a long walk in the afternoon -with Mrs H. After dinner she tried some new songs by Tchaikovsky. We did -not care for them much and fell back on Schubert. Schubert is her -favourite composer. She sang the _Gruppe aus Tartarus_. - -_Wednesday, August_ 4_th._ - -We went for an expedition to the Lizard. Mrs Housman told me that when -she was a girl she had much wanted to become a professional singer, and -that she was studying for the Concert Stage when she met Housman. - -_Thursday, August_ 5_th._ - -We sat on the beach all the afternoon. It was extremely hot and -enjoyable. Mrs Housman read _Consuelo_, by George Sand, aloud. She reads -French with great purity of accent. - -Father Stanway, the local priest, came to dinner, a cheerful man with a -venerable appearance. When we were left alone, after dinner, talking of -men in public offices, he said he knew Bowes, in the Foreign Office, who -had spent his Easter holidays here. I asked him whether he thought -converts of that description made satisfactory Catholics. He said he -thought Bowes would be an admirable Catholic. I said I thought it must -be very difficult for a man of his upbringing, as Bowes had been brought -up in a rigid Church of England family, and his father often wrote to -_The Times_, condemning ritualistic practices and innovations. Father -Stanway said it was not so complicated as I thought. There were only -three things indispensable to a man if he wished to become a Catholic: -To believe in God, to follow his conscience, to love his neighbour as -himself. If he did that all the rest was easy. He said he admired Bowes -greatly for taking the step. - -_Friday, August_ 6_th._ - -We went to the Land's End, where there were a great many tourists. Mrs -Housman continues to read out loud _Consuelo_ in the afternoons and -evenings. It is an interesting book, but I prefer _Jane Eyre_. - -_Saturday, August_ 7_th._ - -I received a letter from Riley this morning. He has been in London -nearly a month, and was there a fortnight before I left, but he did not -come to see me for the following reason. He has taken the step and has -been received into the Roman Catholic Church, and he says his first -intention was not to tell anyone of his conversion. He did not come to -see me because he knew he would not be able to help discussing it. He is -no longer making a secret of it now. He found this too difficult. Two or -three days after he had been received he happened to be dining out and -it was a Friday. His hostess said to him, in the course of conversation: -"You are not a Catholic, are you?" He resolved then and there to keep it -secret no longer. - -He tells me in his letter, "Your philosophy of the first lie is quite -right. Only I regard what you call the first lie as the _first Truth_. -Once this is so, all the rest follows." He says that after he left me in -Gray's Inn in May he resolved to put the matter from him for a time and -not to think about it. He went back to Paris and pursued his research. -One morning he woke up and felt he could not delay another moment. He -took the train for London the next day, where he intended to go soon in -any case for his holiday, and the day after his arrival he called at the -Brompton Oratory and asked to see a priest, as he knew no priests. He -sat in a small waiting-room downstairs, and presently an elderly priest, -Father X., arrived and asked him what he could do for him. He told him -he wished for instruction prior to becoming a Catholic. He called the -next day. Father X. told him after they had talked for some time that he -did not think he would need much instruction. But he continued to see -him for the next three weeks. He was then received. He says that what -seemed before a step of great difficulty now appeared quite -extraordinarily simple, and he cannot conceive why he did not take it a -long time ago. - -_Sunday, August_ 8_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass. I sat in the garden; when she returned from -Mass I told her about Riley. She asked me how old he was. I said I -thought he was about thirty-five. I told her he was a brilliant scholar, -and had taken high honours at Oxford. He had a post at the Liverpool -University. She said she had felt certain he would come into the Church. - -Lady Jarvis is coming here next week. - -_Monday, August_ 9_th_. - -We spent the whole day on the beach, reading aloud. Housman has written -to say that Mrs Carrington-Smith will insist on bringing their affairs -into court. Carrington-Smith is much worried. Mrs Housman says that Mrs -Carrington-Smith is an absurd woman. - -_Tuesday, August_ 10_th._ - -We spent the morning at St Ives, shopping. I bought _The Pickwick -Papers_ and an old silver teapot. We sat on the beach in the afternoon, -reading _Consuelo._ After dinner Mrs Housman sang a beautiful -French-Canadian song. - -_Wednesday, August_ 11_th._ - -Just as we were sitting down to luncheon A. walked into the room; he had -sailed here from Cowes in his yacht, which is anchored in the bay. He -could not stay to luncheon as he was lunching at the Golf Club with a -friend. Mrs Housman asked him to dinner. He accepted. He said he had -spent a most enjoyable week at Cowes in his yacht, but had not won any -races. His sister had been with him, only as she is a bad sailor she had -not enjoyed the sailing as much as he would have liked. Cunninghame has -been at Cowes for three days on board a Mr Venderling's steam yacht (an -American). A. says that he intends to spend some time here cruising -about the coast. - -_Thursday, August_ 12_th._ - -Lady Jarvis arrived this morning. She says she thinks that if Mrs -Carrington-Smith goes into court she will get a divorce. She has -substantial evidence. Carrington-Smith is most uneasy. - -A. came to luncheon and proposed that we should all go for a sail in the -afternoon together. Lady Jarvis and I declined, as we are both moderate -sailors. Mrs Housman went with him. They came back at six and she said -she had enjoyed it immensely. - -_Friday, August_ 13_th_. - -Mrs Housman received a telegram from Housman this morning, telling her -she must ask A. to stay here in the house. She had written to tell -him--Housman--A. was here. A. came to luncheon and Mrs Housman invited -him to stay. He said he would be pleased to do so for a few days, but -that he is due in his yacht early next week at Plymouth. Mrs Housman has -received a letter from Cunninghame, asking whether it would be -convenient for him to come next week. She has telegraphed to him that -she would be glad to receive him. - -_Saturday, August_ 14_th._ - -The weather was so beautiful and the sea was so smooth that we were all -persuaded to go on board the yacht, where we had luncheon. We went for -a short sail in the afternoon. Although I did not feel ill I cannot say -I enjoyed it, I prefer the dry land. Lady Jarvis said she enjoyed it -greatly, although she is a bad sailor as a rule. Mrs Housman is an -excellent sailor. - -_Sunday, August_ 15_th._ - -I am finishing _Consuelo_ by myself as we are not able to read aloud any -more. We all went for a drive in two carriages in the afternoon through -disused mines, and had tea in a farm-house. - -A. says he is enjoying his holiday immensely. - -Cunninghame arrives here to-morrow. We had some music in the evening. -A.'s favourite composer is Sullivan, but his favourite song is -Offenbach's _Chanson de Fortunio_, which Mrs Housman sang to-night. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, - CARBIS BAY, CORNWALL, - _Tuesday, August_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I arrived here from Worsel last night, and found Mrs Housman, Lady -Jarvis, George, who sailed here in his yacht from Cowes, and Godfrey -Mellor. It is the most delicious place. A blue sea with pink and purple -streaks in it, and a soft west wind, and wonderful sand beaches, thick -with people. It is the height of the season. The Housmans have got a -comfortable little house near a golf links. Housman has had to go to -London to see his partner, Carrington-Smith, who has been threatened -with divorce by his wife, who accuses him of infidelity with--who do you -think?--Eileen Hope. "Bert" is by way of coming down here on Saturday. -George is radiantly happy. I don't think she's thinking about him. He -wanted us all to go out in his yacht this afternoon, but as it was -blowing half a gale Mrs Housman was the only one who faced the elements. -She is a passionately good sailor and the rougher it is the more she -enjoys it. I played golf with a General York who lives here. Godfrey -Mellor doesn't play, which is tiresome. We are having the greatest fun. -Lady Jarvis is in the most splendid form. She told us some killing -stories about Mrs Carrington-Smith. She says that the whole of last year -she would only eat raw roots and uncooked fruit because she says in a -former existence she was a priestess of I sis, and that was the rule. -Lady Jarvis pointed out to her that she is not a priestess of I sis now, -but she said that if she ate meat it would spoil her chance of serving -Isis again in her next existence. She said, too, that it would displease -the elementals. Mrs Housman seems perfectly happy and cheerful. Mellor -is depressed, but I am terribly sorry for him. I feel he was having -such a divine time here before we all came. - - - GREY FARM, - _Monday, August_ 23_rd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -"Bert" came down on Saturday night, but went away this morning. He is -completely upset about Carrington-Smith, who says his wife is bent on -divorcing him. Now that he is gone one can laugh, but while he was there -we simply didn't dare. Eileen was apparently a most imprudent -correspondent. Housman says she will win her case without any doubt if -she brings it into court. I played golf with him all Sunday. - -We had great fun after dinner last night. Mrs Housman sang songs out of -the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and some Offenbach, too, the _Chanson -de Fortunio,_ too beautifully. George _is_ desperately in love--but I -still don't think _she_ is. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Tuesday, August_ 24_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am going to stay another week as Edith can't have me yet. George was -leaving to-day, as he has got to be at Plymouth for a regatta somewhere, -but he has put off going till to-morrow because of the weather. - -I am enjoying myself immensely. I have got to like Godfrey Mellor very -much. I went for a long walk with him one afternoon. When one gets him -quite alone like that he talks quite a lot and is delightful. - -Mrs Carrington-Smith _is_ going to insist on divorce. - -I am going to the Shamiers' on the 1st of October. I told you they have -been lent a lodge in Scotland on the coast. - - Yours etc., - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, August_ 16_th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay._ - -Cunninghame arrived late in the evening. We talked at dinner a great -deal about the likelihood of the Carrington-Smith divorce. We discussed -divorce in general. Mrs Housman was of course against divorce, but she -said that the rules of the Church were terribly hard on the individual -in many cases. She said: "We are allowed to separate." - -_Tuesday, August_ 17_th._ - -We all went for an expedition to the Land's End. - -_Wednesday, August_ 18_th_. - -We all bathed in the morning. Mrs Carrington-Smith has refused to relent -in spite of Housman's attempts at mediation--apparently she found some -letters addressed by Miss Hope to her husband and Miss Hope was an -imprudent correspondent. Lady Jarvis and I wondered why people kept -letters, especially when they were compromising. Mrs Housman said she -quite understood this. She never could bring herself to burn old -letters, although she never looked at them. - -_Thursday, August_ 19_th._ - -We had luncheon on board the yacht, but after luncheon we left A. on -board and went for a walk on the cliffs. - -_Friday, August_ 20_th._ - -I went for a walk with Cunninghame in the afternoon. He talked a great -deal about A. He said he ought to marry. He said he thought Mrs Housman -was one of the nicest people he had ever met in his life. - -_Saturday, August_ 21_st_. - -Housman arrived in the evening. It poured with rain all day, so we sat -indoors. Lady Jarvis played patience. Mrs Housman played some old songs -she found in the house. There is nothing, I think, more melancholy than -old or, rather, old-fashioned music. - -_Sunday, August_ 22_nd_. - -Housman announced his intention of going to Mass with Mrs Housman this -morning. He said he always did so at the seaside, he thought it right to -support poor Missions. Housman said at luncheon that Father Stanway had -preached an excellent sermon. He had said in his sermon that man was a -ridiculous animal, and that every time we slip on a piece of orange-peel -or sit down on a hat by mistake, we should give thanks for the Grace of -God that is teaching us humility. In the afternoon Cunninghame and -Housman played golf. Housman lost. He says Cunninghame is a very fine -player. - -_Monday, August_ 23_rd_. - -Housman left for London this morning. A. leaves to-morrow for Plymouth, -but the weather is still very unsettled and it has been blowing hard, -and I wonder whether he will be able to start. - -Last night after dinner Mrs Housman suggested reading aloud. A. asked -her to read some stories by an American called O. Henry, whose works -have not been published in England, and whom I had never heard of. A. -has travelled in America. Mrs Housman did so. She said she thought we -would find them difficult to understand as we did not know America. We -did, that is to say, Cunninghame and myself. But A. was greatly amused, -and Lady Jarvis said she thought they were clever. - -_Tuesday, August_ 24_th._ - -It is still blowing hard and A. has put off going to Plymouth -altogether, as he would not get there in time for the regatta. -Cunninghame and A. played golf to-day with a retired Indian General, who -lives in a house about three miles from here. His name is York. They -brought him back to tea, a brisk, direct man. He said something about -his wife and Mrs Housman asked if she might call on her. General York -said they would be delighted. - -More O. Henry was read out in the evening. I prefer Mrs Housman's -readings in French literature. A. enjoyed it immensely. - -_Wednesday, August_ 25_th._ - -Mrs Housman called on Mrs York this afternoon. Mrs York greeted her with -the words: "This is very unusual." Mrs Housman did not understand what -was unusual. Mrs York said she did not recollect having called. She was -the oldest inhabitant and had discovered the place. Mrs Housman -apologised. She has asked the General and Mrs York to luncheon on -Sunday. - -_Thursday, August_ 26_th._ - -Cunninghame played golf with the General. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis in the afternoon. She talked of a great many things; of music -and musical education abroad. She considers Mrs Housman a fine artist. -She talked of A., of his work and mine and my prospects for the future. -I told her I enjoyed routine work and had no ambition to do anything -else. She talked of marriage. She said A. ought certainly to marry soon -as he would be very lonely otherwise. His sister, Mrs Campion, could not -look after him, as she had her own children to look after. Her eldest -daughter would soon be out. She asked me whether I had ever thought of -marrying. She is a most intelligent and agreeable woman. - -_Friday, August_ 27_th._ - -A. was obliged to go to Penzance to-day for the day. We all went for a -walk in the afternoon. It is finer and quite warm, but the sea is still -very rough. Mrs Housman received a letter from Mrs York this morning -saying that she was unable to come to luncheon on Sunday, but that she -had no doubt the General would accept the invitation with pleasure. Mrs -Housman wrote back to say she would be delighted to see the General on -Sunday. - -The O. Henry book is finished. Mrs Housman is now reading us some -stories by another American author, Richard Harding Davis. I wish she -would return to European literature. But A. enjoys these American books. - -_Saturday, August_ 28_th._ - -The wind has gone down and A. went out sailing. Cunninghame played golf. -Mrs Housman spent the day at a convent which is some miles off, and she -did not come down to dinner. - -Lady Jarvis took me into the town in the morning, and in the afternoon -we went for a drive. We had no reading in the evening. - -_Sunday, August_ 29_th._ - -General York did not come to luncheon after all, he wrote a note -excusing himself. Mrs Housman went to Mass in the morning. A. and -Cunninghame played golf. Mrs Housman read out loud a story by Kipling -after dinner. I wonder what an E.P. tent means. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _August_ 30_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -The weather has been too awful, but now, thank heaven, it is fine again. -George was obliged to put off going to Plymouth by sea as it was too -rough. The Shamiers have put me off. They can't have the Lodge that was -going to be lent to them, so they won't go to Scotland at all this year. -This changes all my plans. Mrs Housman asked me to stay on another week -here, and I am going to as there is now no hurry to get to Edith's. I -shall then go back to Worsel for three days if they can have me, and -then stay with Edith for the rest of my holiday. She has got the whole -family there at this moment, so I shall enjoy going there later better. -I shall be back in London the first week in October. - -There is a charming old man here who plays golf with me, General York. -His wife, who was huffy because Mrs Housman "called," paid a call in -state this afternoon. She came in a barouche with an Indian servant on -the box. She is organising a bazaar and asked Lady Jarvis to help at her -stall. She said the bazaar was in the cause of the Church; she did not -ask Mrs Housman. She stayed seven minutes by the clock and refused tea, -which she said she never took as it was trying for the nerves. She was -dressed in black jet, and brought with her a small Pomeranian dog. She -said she and her husband had lived here eight years and that it used to -be a charming place when they discovered it. - -Write to me here and then to Edith's, but not to Worsel as that is -uncertain. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, August_ 30_th_. - -I am glad to say Cunninghame has put off going for a week. Mrs York -called chis afternoon. I was introduced to her, but she addressed no -remark to me. - -_Tuesday, August_ 31_st_. - -A. has gone away for a night as he is staying with someone in the -neighbourhood. Mrs Housman took Cunninghame to the Lizard, which he had -not yet seen. Lady Jarvis and I spent a lazy day in the garden and on -the cliffs. It is extremely hot. - -_Wednesday, September_ 1_st_. - -Cunninghame and A. played golf with General York and suggested his -coming back to tea, but he declined with much embarrassment. Mrs Housman -returned Mrs York's visit, but she was not at home. Mrs Housman sang -after dinner. A. does not care for German music, which limits the -programme; he is fond, however, of old English songs. - -_Thursday, September_ 2_nd_. - -A beautiful day for sailing, so they said. A. took Mrs Housman for a -sail. - -_Friday, September_ 3_rd_. - -I find A.'s spirits a little boisterous at times. He took us out fishing -this afternoon. After dinner he insisted on Mrs Housman playing some -American coon songs. - -_Saturday, September_ 4_th._ - -Housman arrived unexpectedly with Carrington-Smith this afternoon. -Carrington-Smith seems depressed about his coming divorce. Mrs Housman -was out sailing with A. and they did not come back until just before -dinner. Carrington-Smith is a great expert on boxing and gave us a -sparring exhibition after dinner. That is to say, he explained at great -length the nature of a straight left, and upset some of the furniture in -so doing. After dinner Housman, Carrington-Smith, Cunninghame and Lady -Jarvis played Bridge. - -_Sunday, September_ 5_th._ - -Housman played golf and met General York, knowing nothing of what had -occurred, and asked him and Mrs York to luncheon. The General was much -embarrassed and said his wife was an invalid. Housman then asked him to -come by himself. The General stammered and said they were having -luncheon out. But Housman would take no refusal and asked them to -dinner. The General said they didn't dine out on Sundays! His -wife----And then he got dreadfully confused, and Cunninghame came to the -rescue and said Housman had forgotten we were dining on board the yacht, -which we were of course not doing. - -Cunninghame leaves, I regret to say, to-morrow. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Sunday, September_ 5_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I leave to-morrow for Worsel. I am only stopping here a week. Then I go -on to Edith's where I shall stay to the end of the month. Most of the -family have gone. I spent a whole day with Mrs Housman on Tuesday and we -went to the Lizard. This is the first time I have had a real talk alone -with her since I have been here. We were talking about my plans and I -said that I had been going to stay with the Shamiers. She said: "Oh -yes," and paused a moment and then said: "She's a charming woman, isn't -she?" I could see she knew. Later on she talked of George and said how -nice Mrs Campion was and what a good thing it would be if George -married. I said: "Yes, what a good thing. It was the greatest mistake -his not marrying." Upon which she said: "Do you think he will?" And then -in a flash I knew that Lady Jarvis had been quite right and I had been -utterly wrong. What an idiot I have been! It must have been quite -obvious to a baby the whole time! I can't tell you how I mind it. I -think it is the greatest pity and really too awful! What are we to do? -That's just it--one can do nothing: there is nothing to be done, -absolutely nothing. Of course Godfrey Mellor must have seen it clearly -the whole time. I am sure he is miserable. It is all the greatest pity -and how I can have been so blind, I don't know, not that it would have -made any difference if I hadn't been. Housman, of course, sees nothing -and has begged George to stay on. As a matter of fact he (George) is -going away quite soon as he has to sail his yacht back and he is -stopping somewhere on the way. He will be back in London in October. It -is all very depressing and I am quite glad to be going. Lady Jarvis has -said nothing to me but I can see that she sees that I see. Godfrey -Mellor is staying on. Housman leaves to-morrow. Write to me at Edith's. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, September_ 6_th._ - -Housman and Cunninghame both left this morning. A. goes away on -Wednesday. A stormy day--too rough for sailing. Carrington-Smith, who is -remaining on, played golf with A. - -_Tuesday, September_ 7_th._ - -Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail. I went for a walk with Lady -Jarvis. Carrington-Smith played golf: after dinner he sang _I'll sing -thee songs of Araby,_ Mrs Housman accompanied him: he has a tenor voice. - -_Wednesday, September_ 8_th_. - -A. left in his yacht this morning. Lady Jarvis took Carrington-Smith for -a walk. I went out with Mrs Housman. She suggested finishing _Consuelo_: -I told her I had already finished it. Miss Housman arrives on Saturday. - -_Thursday, September_ 9_th._ - -Mrs Housman received a telegram from Mrs Baines, who is in the -neighbourhood with her husband, proposing themselves. Mrs Housman has -asked them to stay. They will arrive to-morrow. Carrington-Smith sang -Tosti's _Good-bye_ after dinner. - -I went for a walk with Mrs Housman in the afternoon. She said she likes -Cunninghame particularly. She said that A. ought to marry. - -_Friday, September_ 10_th._ - -A rainy day, we remained indoors. Carrington-Smith went for a walk by -himself. Mr and Mrs Baines arrived in the afternoon. After dinner they -played bridge: Lady Jarvis, Carrington-Smith and Mr and Mrs Baines. Mrs -Baines said she greatly admired the works of Mrs Ella Wheeler Wilcox. -"She is," she said, "a true poet, or perhaps I should say a true -poetess." She said theatrical performances affected her so much that she -could seldom "sit out a piece." She had been obliged to take to her bed -after seeing _The Only Way_. Carrington-Smith said he preferred a prize -fight to any play. Mr Baines did not care for the English stage, but he -always went to a French play when there was one to see in London: he had -greatly admired Sarah Bernhardt in old days. His wife, he pensively -reminded us, had once been taken for her. Mrs Baines protested and said -that it was in the days when Sarah Bernhardt was quite thin. "Such a -beautiful voice," she said. "Quite the human violin in those days. Now, -of course, she rants and appears in such dreadful plays--so violent." - -_Saturday, September_ 11_th._ - -Mr and Mrs Baines left this morning. Miss Housman arrived in the -afternoon. Carrington-Smith played golf and I went out with Mrs Housman. -After dinner Miss Housman suggested Bridge, but there were only three -players, as Mrs Housman does not play. Miss Housman said I must play. I -said I did not know the rules. She said she would teach me. I played--I -was her partner. She became excited over what is called the "double -ruff," a point I have not yet grasped. Carrington-Smith, who is an -excellent player, explained me the rules with great patience. - -_Sunday, September_ 12_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon she went for a walk with Miss -Housman. We played Bridge again after dinner. Miss Housman was annoyed -with me as I neglected to finesse. - -_Monday, September_ 13_th._ - -The last week of my holiday. It becomes finer and warmer every day. Miss -Housman said she must see the Land's End. Mrs Housman took her there. I -went for a walk with Lady Jarvis in the evening. More Bridge after -dinner: I revoked, but my partner, Carrington-Smith, was most amiable -about it. - -_Tuesday, September_ 14_th._ - -Miss Housman took Mrs Housman into the town as she said she needed help -with her shopping: she did not make many purchases. As far as I -understood, only two yards of silk. I went out with Carrington-Smith in -the afternoon. Bridge in the evening--I do not yet understand the -"double ruff." - -_Wednesday, September_ 15_th._ - -We all went to the Lizard in two carriages. Miss Housman said she must -see the Lizard. She, Mrs Housman and myself went in one carriage; Lady -Jarvis and Carrington-Smith in the other. Bridge in the evening; Miss -Housman lost, which annoyed her. - -_Thursday, September_ 16_th._ - -A wet day. Miss Housman practised all the morning (Fantasia in C sharp -minor, Chopin); her touch is very metallic. We played Bridge in the -afternoon after tea, as well as after dinner. - -_Friday, September_ 17_th._ - -My last day. It cleared up. We all went out on to the beach. Miss -Housman read aloud a novel, which she had already begun and which we -will certainly not have time to finish, called _Queed_, by an American -author. After dinner we played Bridge. - -_Saturday, September_ 18_th._ - -Arrived at Gray's Inn. Travelled up with Carrington-Smith. - -_Sunday, October_ 3_rd. Gray's Inn_. - -Stayed at home in the morning and read the Sunday newspapers. In the -afternoon I went for a walk in Kensington Gardens. - -_Monday, October_ 4_th._ - -A. and Cunninghame returned to the office. A. told us that his sister, -Mrs Campion, had invited both of us to stay with her next Saturday at -her house in Oxfordshire. We have both accepted. - -_Tuesday, October_ 5_th._ - -Cunninghame asked me to dinner. We dined at his flat and sat up talking -until nearly one o'clock in the morning. I had a letter from Lady Jarvis -telling me she has returned to London and inviting me to visit her in -Mansfield Street whenever I felt inclined. - -_Wednesday, October_ 6_th_. - -Dined with A. at his Club. He told me that Mrs Housman arrives -to-morrow; he met Housman in the street this morning. - -_Thursday, October_ 7_th._ - -I called on Lady Jarvis late this evening and found her at home. She -said Cornwall had had a beneficial effect on Mrs Housman's health. I -stayed talking till nearly seven. - -_Friday, October_ 8_th._ - -Received a note from Mrs Housman asking me to dine there next Tuesday. -Went to a concert with Lady Jarvis at the Queen's Hall: the programme -was uninteresting, but I enjoyed my evening nevertheless. - -_Saturday, October_ 9_th. Wraxted Priory, Oxfordshire_. - -I travelled down with A. and Cunninghame and found a party consisting, -besides ourselves, of Mrs Campion and her three children, Fraeulein -Brandes, the governess, Miss Macdonald, Cunninghame's cousin, and a Miss -Wray. I sat next to Mrs Campion at dinner: she said she hoped they would -go to Florence again next Easter. After dinner we played Consequences -and the letter game. - -_Sunday, October_ 10_th._ - -Everyone went to church this morning except Cunninghame and myself. At -luncheon I sat next to Fraeulein Brandes. She said Shakespeare was badly -performed in England and that she preferred the German translation of -the plays to the original; she considered it superior. "_Aber das_," she -added, "_will kein Englaender gestehen_." She was shocked to hear I had -never read Shakespeare's plays. I told her I had no taste for verse. She -said this was _unglaublich_. I told her I was fond of German music. In -the afternoon Mrs Campion took me for a walk. Cunninghame went out with -his cousin. At dinner I sat next to Miss Wray. I found her most -agreeable. She has travelled a great deal and seems to have a real -appreciation of classical music. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, October_ 11_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We had a delightful Sunday at Mrs Campion's. A lovely old house not very -far from Oxford: grey stone walls, a hall with the walls left bare and a -few bits of good tapestry and another panelled room. Freda was there, -and Lavinia Wray, who has just come back from South America. She is -looking so well, her lovely skin whiter than ever and those huge -eyes--George liked her enormously. He had never met her before. How -wonderful it would be if that could come off. It would be exactly right. -Of course I am sure Mrs Campion wants it and is not likely to do -anything stupid. I shall get Edith to help later if possible. She is -still in the country now. Mrs Housman has come back to London and I -hear from Randall that Housman is mad about Mrs Park. I shall go and see -her next week. George is in good spirits. When I got back I couldn't -bear the sight of my flat with those glaring curtains and I have -committed the great extravagance of changing them. The new ones are -coming next week. I hope they will be a success as I shan't be able to -change them again. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 11_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, October_ 12_th._ - -Had luncheon with Cunninghame to meet his sister, Mrs Howard. She is -older than he is and less communicative. Her husband is on the Stock -Exchange. She was only in London for the day but she said she hoped I -would come and see her when she settled in London later. She has a house -in Chester Street. - -_Wednesday, October_ 13_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans last night. A. was there, Miss Housman and Mrs -Park. I sat next to Mrs Housman. Mrs Park contradicted A. when he -mentioned music and said something about the gross ignorance of English -amateurs. After dinner she asked Miss Housman to accompany her. She sang -some operatic airs and Gounod's _Ave Maria_. I drove home with A., who -told me he could not bear Mrs Park. - -_Thursday, October_ 14_th._ - -I am just back from dining with Lady Jarvis. A. was there, Miss Wray and -several other people. Lady Jarvis asked me if I had seen the Housmans. I -told her about my dinner there. She said that Mrs Park was an -intolerable woman: she knew her when she was a singer and she said she -had never met anyone who gave herself such airs. Walked home with -Cunninghame, who was dining there too. He is dining with the Housmans on -Sunday. The Carrington-Smith divorce case is in the newspapers. - -_Friday, October_ 15_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -Mrs Carrington-Smith has got her divorce. - -_Saturday, October_ 16_th._ - -Spent the day at Woking with Solway. He has finished his Sonata. - -_Sunday, October_ 17_th._ - -I went to see Mrs Housman this afternoon and found her at home. After I -had been there about five minutes a great many visitors arrived and I -left. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _Sunday, October_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am having a quiet Sunday in London. George is staying with the Prime -Minister. I dined last night with the Housmans. Mrs Park was there, -Randall and Miss Housman. Mrs Park is incredible: a magnificent figure, -hair dyed a rich bronze with flaming high lights, dressed in a flowing -robe of peach-coloured satin with a necklace of fire-opals and a large -diamond lyre on her shoulder; the semi-royal manner of an ex-Prima -Donna, at the same time making it quite clear that she no longer mixed -with the artistic world--she had soared to the top of it and out of it. -She said: "Years ago when I was at Balmoral the dear Queen told me she -reminded me of Grisi." I said: "I suppose you mean you reminded her of -Grisi," and she drew herself up stiffly and said she meant what she -said. She told me that Madame Cosima had implored her to sing at -Bayreuth but of course she couldn't think of doing such a thing. Poor -Theodore (her late husband) hated Wagner. After dinner she sang, Miss -Housman accompanied her, a song out of _Cavalleria._ They had a fierce -argument about the time. Mrs Park said she was playing too fast, which -she was, although I don't believe Mrs Park knew this. Miss Sarah stuck -to her guns and played, if anything, faster. Mrs Park then refused to -sing. Housman asked his wife to accompany her, which Mrs Housman most -good-naturedly said she would be delighted to do. This was more than -Miss Housman could bear--she said Mrs Housman was playing too slow and -Mrs Park agreed. Miss Housman tore Mrs Housman from the piano and sat -there herself, and the song was sung to the end. All seemed to be -peaceable but Miss Housman unfortunately couldn't refrain from saying -that Mascagni's music was rubbish, upon which Mrs Park burst into a -furious passion. Who was Miss Housman to judge? she screamed. Miss -Housman said she had studied music for five years under the best -musicians in the world at Leipzig. Mrs Park said she had sung to Patti, -who had said she was the only English artist worthy of the name of -"artist." Miss Housman, in a sardonic voice, said that Patti was so -kind. Mrs Park said that the arrogance of amateurs knew no bounds. She -had sung before the most critical public in two continents. Miss Housman -said she did not consider the Americans a critical public. Mrs Park then -said she would never sing again in the Housmans' house as long as she -lived, not if everyone went down on their knees to her. Housman became -greatly agitated and fussed about the room, saying: "Never mind, never -mind; we are all very tired to-night, it's the east wind." Mrs Park -said she always sang her best in an east wind. I caught Mrs Housman's -eye and we were seized with a fit of uncontrollable laughter. We laughed -till we shook. Randall caught it too. This made things much worse. Mrs -Park said she was being insulted and swept out of the room, Housman -running after her. He came back alone gibbering with agitation, and Miss -Housman then attacked him and said of course if Albert (rolling the "r" -with a rapid guttural) would invite such awful people, what could one -expect? Then "Bert" got really angry and we all sat in dead silence -while he and Miss Sarah abused each other like pickpockets. Then the -door opened and Mrs Park came back saying she had left her fan behind. -She took no notice of us but disappeared with Housman into the Oriental -lounge, and there we heard spirited skirmishes of talk going on in an -undertone. Miss Housman sat down defiantly at the piano and played, or -rather banged, the _Rapsodie Hongroise._ When this was over they both -came back and Housman suggested, with a nervous chuckle, that we should -all have some lemonade. We jumped at the idea and the evening ended -peaceably enough, but Mrs Park ignored Miss Housman, was icy towards Mrs -Housman, and made all her remarks to me and Randall. I then left the -house. Housman followed me nervously to the door and said that Mrs Park -had the artistic temperament and that I mustn't mind, and that it was -too bad of Sarah to provoke her. - - Yrs. - G. - -_P.S_.--I suppose you read about the Carrington-Smith case in the -newspapers. Mrs Housman and I laughed a good deal about it when "Bert" -wasn't listening, but I am very sorry for Eileen. Aren't you? - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 18_th._ - -A. has been staying with the Prime Minister. He does not appear to have -enjoyed himself very much. He asked me if I had seen the Housmans -lately. - -_Tuesday, October_ 19_th._ - -A. and I dined with Cunninghame. Miss Wray was there, Mrs Howard and -Lady Jarvis. A. said afterwards that Miss Wray was a charming girl--it -was a pity that she did not marry. - -_Wednesday, October_ 20_th_. - -I called on Mrs Housman late, but she was not at home. Housman came out -of the house as I was standing at the door. He asked me to dinner on -Sunday. I accepted. - -_Thursday, October_ 21_st._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Friday, October_ 22_nd_. - -Dined with Mrs Howard. A. was there, Cunninghame, Miss Wray, Miss -Macdonald, and others. Mr Howard is half-Irish and very boisterous. I -sat next to Miss Wray; she said Mrs Campion was the nicest woman she -knew. Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ruth have come back to London and are -starting their Thursday evenings. They have asked A. and myself to -dinner on Thursday week. - -_Saturday, October_ 23_rd_. - -A. has gone to the country to stay with a General; a military party. - -_Sunday, October_ 24_th._ - -I had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me she did not think Mrs -Housman would stay long in London, as the London winter was bad for her; -she said she thought she would most likely go to Florence. - -I dined with the Housmans. A strange party. Mrs Park was the only -person there I had met before. There was a South African magnate and -his wife, a retired Indian official, and a Mr Perry, an Australian, and -his wife, who were apparently intimate friends of Mrs Park's, at least -she called him Tom. I sat next to Mrs Perry, who told me that Paris had -been a disappointment to her. She told me, also, that the women in -England were, according to Australian standards, dowdy. On the other -side of me was Lady Bowles, the wife of the Indian official. She told me -she was Mrs Park's greatest friend; she said she lived at Cannes and -only spent a few weeks in London every year; they were staying at the -Hyde Park Hotel. She found London dreadfully slow: she was accustomed, -she said, always to smoke between the courses at dinner, and not to do -so was a great deprivation. She also said she was a great gambler and -was used to gambling all night. "Of course I find this exhausting," she -said; "and I always tell Harold I shall take to cocaine some day." -Housman seemed rather embarrassed. Miss Housman was not there. After -dinner Lady Bowles suggested a game of Poker. They all played except Mrs -Housman and they were still playing when I left. - -_Monday, October_ 25_th._ - -I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said A. had come back -from the country in a very bad temper and had said that nothing would -induce him to pay a visit anywhere again. - -_Tuesday, October_ 26_th._ - -Went to a concert at the Queen's Hall. Saw the Housmans in the distance, -and to my astonishment I met A. in the interval. He said he had been -dragged there by his sister. I met them again as we were going out. A. -asked me to dinner on Friday. - -_Wednesday, October_ 27_th._ - -Had luncheon with A. He seems in high spirits. He told me that his -sister had come up from London for the winter--she had taken a house -in Pont Street. He said the Housmans and Cunninghame were dining on -Friday and it would be a Cornwall party. - -_Thursday, October_ 28_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth--a large political dinner; the F.O. largely -represented, as usual. A. was there and sat next to the wife of the -French military attache, and on the other side of Aunt Ruth. I am afraid -he found the dinner tedious, but after dinner he talked to Miss Wray: I -sat next to her at dinner. She asked me if I had known A. long. She said -he was so like his sister. Uncle Arthur has not yet grasped I am working -in a public office. He asked me how I was getting on in the city. - -_Friday, October_ 29_th_. - -Dined with A. at his flat. Mr and Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, Miss Wray, -Cunninghame and Miss Macdonald, Mrs Campion was coming but had been -obliged to go down to the country. Mrs Housman said she was very likely -going abroad for the winter. - -_Saturday, October_ 30_th._ - -A. was engaged to go somewhere in the country but he has put off going. -He left a telegram at the office to his hostess but forgot to fill in -the address. Tuke brought it to me. It was to Mrs Legget, Miss Wray's -aunt. She is not in _Who's Who_, but I rang up Lady Jarvis on the -telephone and she knew. - -_Sunday, October_ 31_st_. - -I went to call on Mrs Housman but she was not at home. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, November_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I spent Sunday in London and had luncheon with Lady Jarvis. She told me -the Housman _menage_ was all upside down owing to Mrs Park, who refused -to let Housman see any of his old friends, insulted them all, and -quarrelled every day with Miss Housman, and insisted on her friends -being asked nightly to dinner--and what friends! Fast colonials, Lady -Jarvis says, and the dregs of the Riviera! Poor Mrs Housman is utterly -worn out. Mrs Park behaves exactly as if it were her house, orders the -servants about, complains of the food, and is always there! The result -is Mrs Housman has gone to Florence; she was to leave this morning and -she is going to stay there the whole winter. I did not know how George -would take this bit of news, but he knew already and seems, oddly -enough, in good spirits! Edith thinks he is fond of Lavinia Wray and -that he will end by marrying her, but Lady Jarvis does not agree, -although she said that his sister thinks the same thing. They can't -understand his being in such spirits otherwise. Last Friday we all had -dinner at George's flat. After dinner, so Lady Jarvis told me, before we -came out of the dining-room they were playing the game of saying who you -could marry and who you couldn't, and after mentioning a lot of people, -Godfrey Mellor among others, Freda Macdonald said: "George." Lady Jarvis -and Freda said: "Oh yes; we could marry him." Mrs Housman and Lavinia -Wray said: "No--quite impossible." - -Except Lady Jarvis, they are all extraordinarily optimistic about George -and think that there is nothing in the Housman thing and that it will -pass off and he will marry Lavinia. I am sure they are wrong, and I am -more depressed about it than words can say. Lavinia is fond of him, too, -and that is all that has been gained. There are now three miserable -people, instead of two! No letter from you this week, but I hope to get -one to-morrow. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, November_ 1_st. Gray's Inn_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman saying that she was leaving for -Florence this morning, She was sorry not to have seen me yesterday. She -is going to stay in Florence until the end of May. - -_Tuesday, November_ 2_nd_. - -Had dinner with A. alone at his flat. He was in low spirits and said -that he hates official life. - -_Tuesday, December_ 21_st_. - -My Christmas holidays begin to-morrow. I am going to Aunt Ruth's. -Cunninghame is staying with Lady Jarvis. A. said he would most probably -spend Christmas with his sister, but he was not sure. - -_Thursday, December_ 23_rd_. - -Received a telegram from Aunt Ruth saying the party was put off as Uncle -Arthur has got bronchitis. A telegram arrived for A. at the office this -morning. I telephoned to Tuke at his flat to know where to forward it. -Tuke said A.'s address for the next week would be Hotel Grande Bretagne, -Florence. - -_Christmas Day_. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, December_ 28_th_. - -Tuke telephoned to say not to forward any more letters to A. He was on -his way home. - -_Saturday, January_ 8_th_, 1910. - -Received a letter from A. from his sister's house. He is coming up next -week. Riley has written to me from Paris to know whether I could put him -up next month. He is going to spend a month in London. I have told him I -would be glad of his company. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - ROSEDALE, - _Saturday, January_ 1_st_, 1910. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been staying with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. There is a very -small party, only Jane Vaughan and Winchester Hill besides myself. Just -before I came down here Housman asked me to dine with him at the -Carlton. I went and he was alone. After talking nervously on ordinary -topics, he told me he did not know what to do. It gradually came out -that Mrs Park is making his life quite unbearable. She won't let him see -any of his friends; she quarrels with Sarah, and has the most violent -scenes; she makes scenes every day, and not long ago, he said, broke a -fine piece of Venetian glass. He is miserable; he says he can't call his -soul his own. I told Lady Jarvis all about this and she said the only -thing to be done would be for Housman to get Mrs Housman to come back. -She has been away two months, and if she comes back at the end of the -month the worst of the winter will be over. She is very much worried -about Mrs Housman and says this is most unfortunate, as it would be -better really in every way if she were to stay out there. You see Edith -and Mrs Campion and Freda all think that it is only a passing fancy of -George's and that he will get over it and marry Lavinia Wray! Lady -Jarvis says this is wrong; she knows they are wrong. She thinks George -and Mrs Housman are desperately in love with each other and she doesn't -know how it will end. She is so worried that she nearly went out to -Florence last week. She had heard from Mrs Housman quite lately. She -said in her last letter that George had suggested coming out to Florence -for Christmas with Mrs Campion. She had told him that she would most -likely not be in Florence as the Albertis had asked her to spend -Christmas with them at Ravenna; she was not sure, however, whether she -would go or not. Whether George went or not, I don't know. He told me he -was going to spend Christmas with Mrs Campion at the Priory. - -I am going back to London at the end of next week. - - Yrs. - G. - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, January_ 11_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came back to London on Monday. I asked Housman to dinner with me and -told him that he had much better get Mrs Housman back. He said he quite -agreed that it was the only thing to do. Things were now worse than -ever. Mrs Park was impossible. Poor little "Bert"! The worst of it is, -that directly this is over there is quite certain to be someone else and -perhaps someone worse. However, let us hope for the best. George came -to the office yesterday. He said he had been staying with his sister; he -said nothing about Florence. He is in low spirits. - -I shall certainly go abroad at Easter and spend a few days in Paris in -any case. Lady Jarvis is back in London, and the Shamiers. I dined there -last night. Lavroff was there and Louise is just as fond of him as ever. - -Poor Godfrey Mellor is terribly melancholy. He has got a friend staying -with him now and I don't see much of him. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, February_ 15_th_, 1910. - -Alfred Riley arrived last night. He is now professor at Shelborough -University and is editing _Propertius_. He has come to consult some -books at the British Museum. - -_Wednesday, February_ 16_th_. - -Sat up very late last night talking with Riley. He was amused by a -conversation he had overheard at a Club. Two men were talking about -someone who had become a Roman Catholic. Someone he didn't know. One of -them said to the other that it was a very pleasant solution if you could -do it. The other one said: "Certainly; no bother, no responsibility ... -everything settled for you." I said that I did think the Confessional -must be the negation of responsibility. Riley said that by becoming a -Catholic you became responsible for all your actions. He said that -before he was a Catholic he felt no responsibility at all to anything or -anyone, but that the moment you were a Catholic everything you did and -said counted. Every time you went to Confession you acknowledged and -confirmed your assumption of responsibility. I mentioned a common friend -of ours, O'Neil, who had been a Catholic all his life and who, though he -was married, had never ceased to live with a Miss Silvia Thorpe, whom I -had known as an artist. He didn't hide it, neither did she. Riley said -that this proved his point. O'Neil never dreamt of going to Confession; -he knew it would be useless, because he had no intention of giving up -Miss Thorpe, and that being so, he knew he couldn't get Absolution, It -was a sacrifice to him, a very great sacrifice, as he Was a believing -Catholic. "That shows," he went on, "that you don't understand how the -thing works. You and all Protestants think that one can stroll into the -Confessional, wipe the slate clean and go on with what you are doing, -however bad it is, with the implied sanction of the Church. But the fact -remains that practising Catholics who are living in a way which the -Church condemned do not go to Confession. Going to Confession entails -facing responsibility instead of evading it." He said that if what I -thought was true, people like O'Neil would go to Confession. I must face -the fact that he did not go to Confession and was extremely unhappy on -that account. He would like to go to the Sacraments but he had made this -great sacrifice with his eyes open. I said that I had always thought the -Church was lax about such matters. He said individuals might be lax. The -Church was not responsible for the conduct of individuals, but the rule -of the Church was absolutely uncompromising. I said O'Neil might be an -extreme case, but supposing a devout Catholic married woman had a great -man friend, supposing he was very much in love with her, but she was a -virtuous woman, faithful to her husband, she could go on seeing the -other man as much as she liked? Would the Church forbid it? Riley said -the Church would forbid _sin_. Any priest would tell her that if she -thought it might lead to sin, she must cut it out of her life. I said -that was quite clear, but he was not telling me what I wanted to know. -He said: "What is it that you want to know?" I said I must give it up. I -couldn't put it into words. I said Roman Catholics were always so -matter-of-fact. They handed one opinions and ideas like chocolates -wrapped up in silver paper. He said: "You think that, because you would -sooner walk naked in the streets than think things out, or call things -by their names. You like leaving them vague. 'Le vague,' Renan said, -'est pire que le faux.'" - -I said, going back to the question of responsibility, that I had often -heard Catholics themselves complain of the want of responsibility of -Catholics. Riley said that might very well be; they might lack a sense -of responsibility, just as they might lack a sense of charity or -honesty. "You think," he said, "that the Church is perpetually arranging -comfortable compromises. Nothing is further from the truth. Nothing is -harder on the individual than certain of the commandments of the Church -with regard to marriage: for instance, divorce, and the bearing of -children. Some of the Church's views were just as hard on the individual -as it was hard on a man, who is going to catch a train to see his dying -child, to be delayed by a policeman holding up the traffic, but in order -to make traffic possible, you had to have a policeman, and the -individual couldn't complain however much he might suffer. - -"I know a much harder case than O'Neil's," he said: "a colleague of mine -who is married and has been completely neglected by his wife. On the -other hand, he has been looked after devotedly for years by another -woman, who nursed him when he was ill and saved his life. He wants to -become a Catholic, but he knows quite well that the Church will not -receive him unless he were to give up this woman, whom he adores, and go -back to his wife, who is indifferent to him. What you don't understand," -he said, "is that the Church is not an air cushion but a rock." - -He said I accused the Church of being lax, but many people that he knew -found fault with what they called the _hardness_ of the Church. But as a -matter of fact they had generally to admit that as far as the human race -was concerned the Church in such matters of morals was always right. He -cited instances of what the Church was right in condemning. I said that -one did not need to be Roman Catholic to know that immorality was bad -for the State, and that vice was noxious to the individual. The -ordinary laymen reach the same conclusions merely by common-sense. - -Riley said there were only two points of view in the world: the Catholic -point of view or the non-Catholic point of view. All so-called religions -which I could mention, including my layman's common-sense view, were -either lopped-off branches of Catholicism or shadows of it, or a blind -aspiration towards it, or a misguided parallel of it, as of a train that -had gone off the rails, or a travesty of it, sometimes serious, and -sometimes grotesque: a distortion. The other point of view was the -materialist point of view, which he could perfectly well understand -anyone holding. It depends, he said, whether you think human life is -casual or divine. - -I said I could quite well conceive a philosophy which would be neither -materialist nor Catholic. He quoted Dr Johnson about everyone having a -right to his opinion, and martyrdom being the test. Catholicism, he -said, had survived the test; would my philosophy? - -As far as I was concerned I admitted that I held no opinion for which I -was ready to go to the stake, except, possibly, that _Jane Eyre_ was an -interesting book. - -_Monday, February_ 21_st_. - -I heard from Mrs Housman this morning. She returns to-morrow. - -_Saturday, February_ 26_th._ - -Called on Mrs Housman, and found her in. Housman was there also. They -asked me to dinner next Monday. - -_Sunday, February_ 27_th. Rosedale_. - -I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one else. Lady Jarvis said -she was glad Mrs Housman had returned to London. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Tuesday, March_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I dined with the Housmans last night. Only myself, Miss Sarah, Lady -Jarvis, and Godfrey Mellor. Everything as it used to be. -Carrington-Smith came in after dinner. He has not been inside the house -for months. I don't know what Mrs Housman did nor how it was done, but -it _was_ done, and done most successfully and quickly! She only came -back a week ago. "Bert" looks quite different and is perfectly radiant. - -George, I gather, hasn't seen her. They asked him to dinner last night, -but he had an official dinner and couldn't come. He asked me whether I -had seen her. He said he had been there several times, but she had -always been out. He is still most depressed and goes nowhere unless he -is absolutely obliged to. The Housmans have asked me to spend Easter at -their villa. Lady Jarvis is going, and Godfrey; and Housman told me he -was going to ask George. I am going and I shall stop two or three days -in Paris on the way. - -Lavinia Wray has gone to the south of France with her aunt. The Shamiers -are going to Paris next week. They will tell you all the news, not that -there is much. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, February_ 28_th._ - -A. told me he had not been to the country after all on Saturday. - -_Tuesday, March_ 1_st_. - -Dined with the Housmans, a very agreeable dinner. Mrs Housman played and -sang after dinner: Brahms' _Lieder_, and some Grieg. - -_Wednesday, March_ 2_nd_. - -A. asked me to luncheon. He told me he had been so sorry not to be able -to go to the Housmans' last night. He said he had not seen them yet. He -was so busy. He asked me how Mrs Housman was and whether Florence had -done her good. - -_Thursday, March_ 3_rd_. - -I told Riley I had been reading Renan's _Souvenirs d'enfance et de -jeunesse_, and that Renan said in this book that there was nothing in -Catholic dogmas which raised in him a contrary opinion; nothing either -in the political action or in the spirit of the Church, either in the -past or in the present, that led him to doubt; but directly he studied -the "Higher Criticism" and German text-books his faith in the Church -crumbled. I asked Riley what he thought of this. He said people treated -German text-books superstitiously then and they still did so now. If -German text-books dealt with Shakespeare people could see at once that -they were talking nonsense, and that mountains of erudition were being -built on a false base, a base which we knew to be false, because we were -English; but when they dealt with things more remote, like the Gospels, -people swallowed what they said, and accepted any of their theories as -infallible dogma. In twenty years' time, he said, nobody will care two -straws for the "Higher Criticism." - -Riley is going away to-morrow. - -_Friday, March_ 4_th._ - -Mrs Housman has written to ask me to come and see her on Sunday -afternoon if I am in London. - -Dined with Cunninghame at a restaurant and went to the Palace Music Hall -afterwards. - -_Saturday, March_ 5_th._ - -A. is much annoyed at having to stay with the Foreign Secretary. Dined -at the Club. - -_Sunday, March_ 6_th._ - -Spent the afternoon at Mrs Housman's. There was nobody there until -Housman came in late just when I was going. Housman said we must all -meet at Florence. He said he was going to ask A. "But we never see him -now," he added. He asked me what A. was doing. I told him he was staying -with the Foreign Secretary. He said, of course he was right to attend to -his official and especially to his social duties. He said he would ask -him to dinner next week. He asked me to dine on Wednesday. Mrs Housman -asked me to go to a concert with her on Tuesday. - -_Monday, March_ 7_th._ - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, March_ 8_th._ - -Went to a concert in Chelsea with Mrs Housman, Housman and Miss Housman. -Solway played, and an excellent violinist, Miss Bowden; Beethoven Sonata -(G Major) and Schubert Quartet (D Minor). We all enjoyed the music and -the playing. During the interval we went to see Solway. Housman asked -him to dinner to-morrow. - -_Wednesday, March_ 9_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans. Lady Jarvis, Mrs Campion, Solway, Cunninghame, -Mrs Baines, and A. and Miss Housman were there. I sat between Lady -Jarvis and Mrs Campion. After dinner Mrs Housman asked Solway to try a -song with her, a new English song by a boy who has just left the -College of Music. She sang this and after that she sang all the -_Winterreise_. Housman asked A. and Mrs Campion to stay with them in -Florence. Mrs Campion cannot get away this Easter. A. accepted the -invitation. - -_Thursday, March_ 10_th._ - -Went after dinner to Aunt Ruth's. Uncle Arthur is quite restored to -health. He asked me whether I had been appointed to Paris, still -thinking that I was in the F.O. There were a great many people there. -Aunt Ruth spoke severely about A. and said she heard he only went out in -the Bohemian world. I said he had stayed with the Foreign Secretary last -week. - -_Friday, March_ 11_th._ - -Dined with Mrs Campion. A. was there and the Albertis, who are over in -England. A. said he was much looking forward to Florence. Easter is -early this year. - -_Saturday, March_ 12_th._ - -A. has gone to Littlehampton. He has asked the Housmans and Cunninghame. -I am going to Woking. - -_Sunday, March_ 13_th._ - -Spent the day with Solway, who played Bach. Returned by the late train -after dinner. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Littlehampton, where I spent Sunday with -George and his sister. The Housmans were asked and Housman went, but Mrs -Housman was not well. I start on Thursday morning and shall be in Paris -Thursday night and stay there till Monday. Let us do something amusing. -I should like to go to the play one night. But you have probably seen -all the best things hundreds of times. I am going on co Florence on -Monday. I don't think George has seen much of Mrs Housman. I dined there -last Wednesday. Mrs Housman sang the whole evening so that he did not -get any talk with her. Godfrey has been much more cheerful lately and -even suggested going to a music-hall one night. Mrs Campion is coming -to Florence too. - -I'm sorry I've been so bad about writing lately. I seem to have had no -time and yet to have done nothing, and there have been a series of -rather tiresome episodes at the office. - -Au revoir till Thursday, - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, March_ 14_th_ - -A. came back from the country in a gloomy state of mind. He said it was -a great mistake to go to the country in March and that his party had -been a failure. He said bachelors should not give parties. He asked me -to dine with him, which I did. He says he is leaving on Wednesday but -will stop two nights in Paris. Mrs Campion is travelling with him. - -_Tuesday, March_ 15_th._ - -Mrs Housman rang up on the telephone and told me that a young vocalist -was dining with them to-morrow night. She wanted a few people to hear -her. Would I come? Solway was coming. - -Dined with Cunninghame at his Club. He says he has never seen A. so -depressed. - -_Wednesday, March_ 16_th._ - -Dined with the Housmans. Miss Housman, Solway and Lady Jarvis were -there. The vocalist, a Miss Byfield, did not arrive till after dinner. -Mrs Housman said Miss Byfield was shy and had refused to dine at the -last moment. After dinner she sang some songs from the classical -composers. She was extremely nervous. Mrs Housman and Solway say she has -promise. Housman said to me confidentially that he was sure there was no -money in her. The Housmans leave to-morrow. A. left to-day. - -_Thursday, March_ 17_th._ - -Cunninghame left to-day. I had dinner with Lady Jarvis. She asked me to -travel with her on Saturday. We are both stopping Sunday night in Paris. - -_Friday, March_ 18_th._ - -Lunched and dined at the Club. Packed up my things. Am taking some music -with me. - -_Saturday, March_ 19_th. Paris._ - -Arrived at the Hotel Saint Romain. Had a pleasant journey with Lady -Jarvis. - -_Sunday, March_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis took me to see a French friend of hers, Madame Sainton. It -was her day. There was a large crowd of men and women in the -drawing-room and the dining-room, where there was tea, Madeira and -excellent sandwiches. The French take just as much trouble about -preparing a good tea as they do to write or to dress well. I was -introduced to a famous composer, who talked to me technically about -boxing. I was obliged to confess that I knew nothing of the art. It was -a pity, I thought, Carrington-Smith was not there. I was also introduced -to a French author, who asked me what was the place of Meredith in -modern literature, what _les jeunes_ thought about him. I was obliged to -confess I had never read one line of Meredith. The French author thought -I despised him. He asked me: "Quest qu'on lit en Angleterre maintenant -avant de se coucher?" I said that I had no idea what _les jeunes_ read -but that I personally, for a bedside book, preferred _Jane Eyre_. - -The French author said "_Tiens_!" He then asked me what I thought of -Bernard Shaw. I had again to confess that I had never seen his plays -acted. I told him that when I had time to spare I went to concerts. He -said: "Ah! la musique," and I felt he was generalising a whole movement -in young England towards music. - -In the evening we went to the Opera Comique and heard _Carmen_, which I -greatly enjoyed. - -_Monday, March_ 21_st. Florence. Villa Fersen._ - -We arrived at Florence this morning. Cunninghame and A. and Mrs Campion -were in the same train. The Housmans had been there some days already. - -_Tuesday, March_ 22_nd_. - -Cunninghame, Mrs Housman, A. and Mrs Campion went out together. Lady -Jarvis stayed at home. I went later in the morning to the Pitti. In the -afternoon they went to Fiesole. Housman went to call on some friends. -Lady Jarvis and I went for a walk. - -_Wednesday, March_ 23_rd_. - -We were invited to luncheon by a Mr Eugene Lowe, a friend of Lady -Jarvis. He has a flat in the town on the Pitti side of the river. The -Housmans and Cunninghame and myself went. A. and his sister had luncheon -with the Albertis. Mr Lowe's flat had the peculiarity that everything in -it had been ingeniously diverted from its original purpose. The only -other guest besides ourselves was an ex-diplomatist whom I met last -year. - -_Thursday, March_ 24_th._ - -Lady Jarvis has gone to Venice, where she is staying with friends until -next Monday. While we were sight-seeing this morning we met a lady -called Mrs Fairburn, who claimed to be an old friend of Mrs Housman. Mrs -Housman told me she had met her in America soon after she married, but -that she had never known her well. She asked us all to luncheon on -Saturday. Mrs Housman accepted for herself and Housman. Cunninghame and -I also accepted. A. and his sister were engaged. - -In the afternoon Mrs Housman said she was going to hear a Dominican -preach. Cunninghame and I asked if we might accompany her. A. said it -was no use his going as he did not understand Italian. He was most -eloquent. - -_Friday (Good Friday), March_ 25_th._ - -Mrs Housman spent the whole morning in church. I went with Cunninghame -for a long walk. - -_Saturday, March_ 26_th._ - -We had luncheon with Mrs Fairburn, who has a villa on the Fiesole side. -She is a widow and always, she says, lives abroad; so much so, she told -us, that she had difficulty in speaking English correctly. She gave us -no evidence that she spoke any other language with great correctness. -She told me she was overjoyed at meeting Mrs Housman, who was her oldest -friend. Housman asked her to dinner to-morrow night. - -_Sunday (Easter Sunday), March_ 27_th._ - -I went for a walk by myself. When I got back I found various people at -the villa and escaped to my room. Mrs Fairburn came to dinner. When -Housman said he had been suffering from a headache she exclaimed: -"_Poveretto_!" and said she was feeling-rather "_Moche_" herself. -Looking at Mrs Housman, she said to me: "She is _ravissante, che -bellezza! E vero?_" - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA FERSEN, FLORENCE, - _Easter Monday, March_ 28_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We arrived safely and we are a very happy party. Lady Jarvis has gone to -Venice to stay with the Lumleys, but comes back to-morrow. George is, of -course, immensely happy at being here, but it isn't really satisfactory. -We haven't seen many people, though we have been out to luncheon twice: -once with that terrible bore, Eugene Lowe, who lives in a flat which is -the most monstrous ind absurd thing I have ever seen. The walls are hung -with Turkish carpets; the chairs and tables with Church vestments; the -books turn out to be cigarette lamps and cigar cases; the writing-table -is a gutted spinet; and in the middle of the room there is a large -Venetian well, which he uses for cigarette ashes. - -On Saturday we had luncheon with a Mrs Fairburn, who professed to be an -old friend of Mrs Housman's. This turned out to be a gross exaggeration. -She is an affected woman who dresses in what are meant to be -ultra-French clothes, and she speaks broken English on purpose. She -pretends to be silly, but is far from being anything of the kind. I can -see now that she has got her eye on Housman. He was quite charmed by -her. She has arranged an outing next week. I can see that she is going -to stick like a leech, and she will be, unless I am very much mistaken, -much worse than Mrs Park or any of them. - -Godfrey Mellor is, I think, liking it, but he insists on going out by -himself, and every day he goes to some gallery with a Baedeker, all -alone. We always ask him to come with us, but it is no use. He says he -has got things to do in the town and off he goes. - -We go about mostly all together except for Godfrey, who always manages -to elude us. - -I am staying till Monday, then two days at Mentone, and then home (via -Paris, but only for a night). - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday (Easter Monday), March_ 28_th._ - -We all had luncheon with the Albertis. Lady Jarvis returned in the -afternoon from Venice. - -_Tuesday, March_ 29_th._ - -Went to the Uffizzi. Housman said he was going to spend the day in -visits. - -_Wednesday, March_ 30_th._ - -Mrs Fairburn came to luncheon. Housman said when she had gone that she -was a very remarkable woman, so cultivated, so well read and widely -travelled. He said she ought to have held some great position. She -should have been an Empress. - -I went to the Pitti in the morning and to the Boboli Gardens in the -afternoon. - -_Thursday, March_ 31_st_. - -The Albertis came to luncheon. Baroness Strong and Mrs Fisk called in -the afternoon. They both asked us all to entertainments, but Housman -explained that we had guests ourselves every day. He asked them to -dinner on Sunday, but they declined. - -_Friday, April_ 1_st_. - -Housman has bought some miniatures by a young artist recommended by Mrs -Fairburn. I do not think they are well done, but I am no judge. A. and -Mrs Campion left. - -_Saturday, April_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Housman suggested having luncheon in the town and going to Fiesole -afterwards, but Housman explained, with some embarrassment, that he had -promised to go with Mrs Fairburn to see a studio and to have luncheon -with her afterwards. - -I leave for London to-night. I am going straight through. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - VILLA BEAU SITE, MENTONE, - _Wednesday, April_ 6_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Just a line to say I shall arrive the day after to-morrow, and I can -only stay one night. Godfrey Mellor left Florence on Saturday, and -George and his sister are on their way back. George was very sad at -going--I think he feels it's the end--Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis are -staying on till next Monday, and I think Housman also. What I fore-saw -has happened more quickly than I expected. Housman is now the devoted -slave of Mrs Fairburn, and she has announced her intention of coming to -London in the summer, so this will make fresh complications. - -I am having great fun here. The Shamiers are here, I am travelling back -with them. I am sorry not to be able to stop more than a night in -Paris, but it really is impossible. - -I can't dine at the Embassy on Friday, I am dining with the Shamiers -that night. But I will come and see you in the morning, and we might do -some shops and have luncheon together. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, April_ 4_th. London_. - -Back at the office. Tuke came this morning and said A. would not come to -the office till to-morrow. Cunninghame does not return until Friday. - -_Tuesday, April_ 5_th._ - -A. came to the office. He says that Housman has returned to London, but -that Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis will not be back before next Tuesday. - -_Thursday, April_ 7_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. I sat next to a Mrs de la Poer. She told me she -knew the Housmans. I said I had been staying with them in Florence. She -said: "I suppose Lord Ayton was there." I said that A. and his sister -always spent Easter in Italy. She said: "And he spends the summer in -Cornwall when Mrs Housman is there. It is extraordinary how far -virtuous Roman Catholics will go." I said Mrs Housman was an old friend -of mine and I preferred not to discuss her. She said: "Ah, you are right -to be loyal to your Chief, but all London knows about it." I changed the -subject. - -_Thursday, April_ 14_th._ - -Mrs Housman has put off coming till next week. Lady Jarvis spoke to me -on the telephone. - -_Wednesday, April_ 20_th._ - -Mrs Housman returned on Monday. She has asked me to dinner on Sunday. - -_Thursday, April_ 28_th._ - -A. dined with Aunt Ruth. I went there after dinner. Uncle Arthur told -us he thought A. would go far, but he thinks he is in the army. A. is -going to the country on Saturday. - -_Friday, April_ 29_th._ - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. The Housmans were there, and Cunninghame. -Cunninghame told me as we walked home that he had seen Housman with a -party of people at the Carlton last night. Mrs Fairburn was among them. -He says it is a great pity A. does not go out more. It annoys people. I -told him A. had dined with Aunt Ruth last night. - -The Housmans are not staying long in London. They have taken the same -house they had last year on the Thames near Staines. Housman can go up -every day to his office as it is so close to London. - -_Saturday, April_ 30_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame. He is staying in London this Sunday. I asked him -if he thought A. was likely to marry. He said: "Not yet." - -_Sunday, May_ 1_st_. - -Dined with the Housmans. Cunninghame was there, Mrs Fairburn and Miss -Housman. After dinner Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing. She said -she remembered her singing in America. Mrs Housman sang a few Scotch -ballads. Then Miss Housman played. The Housmans are letting their London -house for the season. They go down to their house on the Thames at the -end of this week. Housman told me I must come down often. - -Mrs Fairburn was very gushing about Mrs Housman's singing. I do not -think she is very musical. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 2_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have got two pieces of news for you. Ralph Logan proposed to Lavinia -Wray and she has refused him. I don't think you know him; he is in the -army. But he is Sir Walter Logan's heir and will inherit, besides a lot -of London property, a most beautiful old house in Essex, Tudor. Besides -that, he is charming and has been devoted to her for years. This is for -you only, of course. He told me himself. He has just come back from -India, where he has been for five years. The first thing he did was to -fly to Lavinia, who has come back from France and is now in London. He -came to see me yesterday afternoon and told me all about it. I said -something about her perhaps changing her mind if he was persistent. He -said there was no chance of this, he felt sure. Lavinia told him she -would never marry, and she said she was not going out after this year. I -believe she is going to be a nurse. She used to talk of this some time -ago. The second piece of news is that George has been offered to be -Governor of Madras. That is also a secret, of course. I don't know -whether he will accept it or not. Sir Henry, who is George's godfather, -is, George tells me, tremendously keen about his accepting it. - -I don't think he has been seeing much of the Housmans since she has been -back. She only came back last week. I don't think she wants to see him. -I dined there on Sunday. There was no one there except that extremely -tiresome Mrs Fairburn, who now does what she likes with Housman. They -are not going to be in London during the summer at all and are letting -their house. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Shamier has asked me to dinner next Thursday. The invitation -surprised me as I scarcely know her. - -_Tuesday, May_ 3_rd_. - -A. asked me to luncheon to meet Sir Henry St Clair. Sir Henry is an old -man, over seventy, with very strong views and a fiery temper. He is his -godfather. Mrs Campion was there. He lives in Scotland and said he had -not been to London for the last five years. But he said he was enjoying -himself and meant to go to the Derby. He looks surprisingly young for -his age, not more than sixty. - -_Wednesday, May_ 4_th._ - -Went with the Housmans to hear the Gilbert & Sullivan Company at -Hammersmith: _Patience_; we enjoyed it greatly. _Patience_ is a classic. -The performance was adequate. My enjoyment was marred by the comments -of Mrs Fairburn, who went with us. She said she thought it _vieux jeu_, -and preferred Debussy: a foolish comparison. - -_Thursday, May_ 5_th._ - -I dined with the Shamiers. They live in Upper Brook Street. Mrs Vaughan, -whom I had met staying with Lady Jarvis, was there; a young Guardsman -and a Miss Ivy Hollystrop, an American, who, I believe, is a beauty. - -I sat next to Mrs Shamier. She asked me where I had spent Easter. I told -her. She said she did not know the Housmans, but had heard a great deal -about her. Cunninghame had told her that she sang quite divinely. I said -that Mrs Housman had received a very sound musical education. She asked -me what kind of man Housman was. I said he was a very generous man and -did a lot for charities. She asked me if I had known them a long time. I -said yes, a long time. She said she remembered Walter Bell's picture -perfectly and if it was at all like her she must be a very beautiful -woman. I said it was generally considered to be a faithful portrait. She -asked me if the Housmans bad any children. I said no. Mrs Shamier said -she would like to meet Mrs Housman very much, but she understood they -did not go out much. I said they were living in the country. - -_Friday, May_ 6_th._ - -I dined with Lady Jarvis. She was alone. She asked me to spend Sunday -week with her in the country. She told me that Sir Henry St Clair had -gone back to Scotland, much displeased. He has had a difference with A. -He is, she said, a very dictatorial man. - -_Saturday, May_ 7_th._ - -Went down to the Housmans' villa on the Thames. Mrs Fairburn was there, -but no other guests. Mrs Fairburn asked Mrs Housman to sing after -dinner, but she declined. - -_Sunday, May_ 8_th_. - -Mrs Fairburn and Housman went out on the river. I sat with Mrs Housman -in the garden. She read aloud from Chateaubriand's _Rene_. It sounded, -as she read it, very fine. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -George has refused Madras. Sir Henry, who had heard about the offer from -H., who is an intimate friend of his, came up post haste from Scotland. -He told George he _must_ accept it. George said he would think it over, -and did so for forty-eight hours, then he made up his mind, and he -settled to refuse it. Sir Henry stormed and raved and said it would have -broken George's father's heart if he had been alive, but it was no use. -George was as obstinate as a mule. He said he liked his present work and -he did not want to leave England. Sir Henry went straight back to -Scotland. - -The Housmans have left. I spent Sunday at Rosedale with Lady Jarvis. She -says that Mrs Fairburn is always there and was staying there this -Saturday Quite apart from anything else she is a very tiresome woman. -But she is no fool. In Housman she had found a gold-mine. - -The Shamiers are back. I am dining there next week. George is depressed. -He is fond of old Sir H. and doesn't like having annoyed him. Sir H. -says he will never forgive him. I can't understand why people can't let -other people lead their own lives. - -The _Compagnie de Cristal_ haven't sent my little chandelier. If you are -passing that way could you ask about it? - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 9_th_. - -I was trying to remember the date a French colonel had called at the -office, and I consulted Tuke. He did not remember, but said he would -refer to his diary. I asked him if he kept a diary regularly. He said he -had kept his diary without missing a day for the last five years, but he -always burnt it every New Year's Day. - -_Tuesday, May_ 10_th._ - -A. asked me to dinner. He said he very seldom saw the Housmans now, but -Housman had asked him to stay there on Sunday week. He was going next -Sunday to Rosedale. He told me he had been offered the Governorship of -Madras, and had refused it. He said he could not live in tropical -climates. They made him ill. He said he hated the summer in London. He -would have a lot of tedious dinners. There were several next week he -would be obliged to go to. - -_Wednesday,_ May 11_th._ - -I dined with Cunninghame. He talked of the Madras appointment, and said -it was absurd offering it to A. The tropics made him ill. He was ill -even in Egypt. He said Housman had a small flat in London, where he -stays during the week. - -_Thursday, May_ 12_th._ - -Cunninghame dined at Aunt Ruth's. I went after dinner. So did A. I could -see Aunt Ruth was pleased. Uncle Arthur confused Cunninghame with A. and -congratulated C. on his answers in the House of Lords. - -_Friday, May_ 13_th._ - -Lady Jarvis gave a small musical party, which was what I call a large -musical party. Someone sang Russian songs, and Bernard Sachs played -Mozart on the harpsichord. It would have been very enjoyable had there -not been such a crowd. Housman was there, but not Mrs Housman. - -_Saturday, May_ 14_th. Rosedale_. - -Went down to Staines this afternoon. Mrs Housman, A., Cunninghame, Miss -Macdonald, and Mrs Campion were there. Housman was expected and had told -Mrs Housman he was coming by a later train, but he sent a telegram -saying he had been detained in London. - -_Sunday, May_ 15_th. Rosedale._ - -It poured with rain all day, so we sat indoors. Mrs Housman played and -sang. She drove to church in the morning in a shut fly. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 16_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale, where we had a most amusing Sunday, -rather spoilt by the incessant rain. Of course it cleared up _this_ -morning, and it's now a glorious day. The Housmans were asked and she -came, and he was expected by a later train, but chucked at the last -minute. Nobody was there except Mrs Campion, Freda, and Godfrey. - -We had a lot of music. Mrs Housman never let George have one moment's -conversation with her. He is quite miserable. It is quite clear that she -has cut him out of her life. I think it would have been better if he had -gone to Madras. It's too late now, they've appointed someone else. - -Last Tuesday I went to a huge dinner-party at Lady Arthur Mellor's, -Godfrey's aunt. Sir Arthur is quite gaga and took me for George the -whole evening. I sat between an English blue stocking and the wife of -one of the Russian secretaries. She told me rather pointedly that these -were the kind of people she preferred. "Ici," she said, "on voit de -vrais Anglais, des gens vraiment bien." There was no gainsaying that. - -But of course the chief news, which you probably have heard, is that -Louise Shamier has left her husband, and she is going to marry -Lavroff--that is to say, if she gets a divorce. He apparently refused to -do the necessary in the way of making a divorce possible, so she has -left him and has gone to Italy with Lavroff. Everybody thinks it is the -greatest pity, and I, personally, am miserable about it. The only -comfort is that it might have been George. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 16_th._ - -Caught a bad cold at Rosedale from walking in the wet. - -_Tuesday, May_ 17_th._ - -Cold worse. Saw the doctor, who said I must go to bed and not think of -going to the office. - -_Wednesday, May_ 18_th._ - -Stayed in bed all day and read a book called _Sir Archibald Malmaison_, -by Julian Hawthorne. - -_Thursday, May_ 19_th._ - -Better. Got up. - -_Friday, May_ 20_th._ - -Went to the office. - -_Saturday, May_ 21st. - -Went down to Staines to the Housmans'. Found Lady Jarvis, A. and Mrs -Fairburn. At dinner Mrs Fairburn talked of the Shamier divorce. Mrs -Housman said she admired people who behaved like that, and she thought -it far better than a hidden liaison. Mrs Fairburn agreed, and said there -was nothing she despised so much as dishonesty and concealment. - -_Sunday, May_ 22_nd_. - -It again rained all Sunday, so we were unable to go on the river. It -cleared up in the evening. Housman took Mrs Fairburn out in a punt. - -Housman told us he had taken for the summer the same house they had last -year at Carbis Bay. He invited A. to come there and to stay as long as -he liked. A. said he would be yachting on the west coast this summer and -he would certainly pay them a visit. Housman said Lady Jarvis must come, -and he is going to ask Cunninghame. Mrs Fairburn said it was a pity she -would not be able to come, but she always spent August and September in -France. - -_Monday, May_ 23_rd_. - -I had luncheon with Cunninghame at his Club. He said that A. does not -seem quite so depressed as usual. - -Dined at the Club. - -_Tuesday, May_ 24_th._ - -A. is giving a dinner to some French _deputes_ at his Club. Cunninghame -and I have both been invited. - -_Wednesday, May_ 25_th._ - -Dined at the Club with Solway. Went to the Opera afterwards, for which -Solway had been given two places. Debussy's _Pelleas et Melisande_. We -both enjoyed it. - -_Thursday, May_ 26_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. I had a long talk with her after dinner. She asked -after Riley, whom she knows well. "I hear," she said, "he has become a -Roman Catholic; of course he will always have a _parti-pris_ now. I -wonder if he has realised that." Uncle Arthur joined in the conversation -and thought we were talking of someone else, but of whom I have no -idea, as he said it all came from not going to school. Riley has been to -three schools, besides Oxford, Heidelberg and Berlin universities, and -has taken his degree in French law. He, Riley, is staying with me -to-morrow night. - -_Friday, May_ 27_th._ - -I told Riley that I had heard a lady discussing his conversion lately, -and that she had wondered whether he realised that he would have a -_parti-pris_ in future. Riley said: "I rather hope I shall. Do you -really think one becomes a Catholic to drift like a sponge on a sea of -indecision, or to be like an AEolian harp? Don't you yourself think," he -said, "that _parti-pris_ is rather a mild term for such a tremendous -decision, such a _venture_? Would your friend think _parti-pris_ the -right expression to use of a man who nailed his colours to the mast -during a sea-battle? It is a good example of _miosis_." I asked him what -_miosis_ meant. He said that if I wanted another example it would be -miosis to say that the French Revolution put Marie Antoinette to -considerable inconvenience. Besides which, it was putting the cart -before the horse to say you would be likely to have a _parti-pris,_ when -by the act of becoming a Catholic you had proclaimed the greatest of all -possible _parti-pris_. It was like saying to a man who had enlisted in -the Army: "You will probably become very pro-British." "You won't," he -said, "think things out." I said that it was not I who had made the -comment, but my aunt, Lady Mellor. - -_Saturday, May_ 28_th._ - -A. has gone to the country. Dined at the Club. - -_Sunday, May_ 29_th._ - -Had luncheon with Lady Maria. The company consisted of Hollis, the -play-wright, and his wife, Miss Flora Routledge, who, I believe, began -to write novels in the sixties, Sir Hubert Taylor, the Academician, and -his wife, and Sir Horace Main, K.C. I was the only person present not a -celebrity. - -Lady Maria asked me how the Housmans were. She had not seen them for an -age. I said the Housmans were living in the country. - -She said I must bring A. to luncheon one Sunday. "Who would he like to -meet?" she asked; "I am told he only likes musicians, and I am so -unmusical, I know so few. But perhaps he only likes beautiful -musicians." I said I was sure A. would be pleased to meet anyone she -asked. She said: "I'm sure it's no use asking him; he's sure to be away -on Sundays." I said A. usually spent Sunday at Littlehampton. "Or on the -Thames," Lady Maria said. - -She said she hadn't seen the Housmans for a year. She heard Mr Housman -had dropped all his old friends. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, May_ 30_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have been terribly bad about writing, and I haven't written to you for -a fortnight. I got your letter last week, and was immensely amused by -all you say. Sunday week I stayed with Edith, a family party, but rather -fun all che same. I went to the opera twice this week and once the week -before. Nothing very exciting. The Housmans haven't got a box this year. -Yesterday I stayed with them at Staines. There was no one else there -except Miss Housman. Thank heaven, no Mrs Fairburn! George, by the way, -hasn't the remotest idea of "Bert's" infidelities. I believe he thinks -him a model husband. He is still in low spirits, but rather better -because he is fearfully busy. He has been going out more lately, which -is a good thing, and he has been entertaining foreigners and official -people, too. People are now saying he is going to marry Lavinia Wray -That story has only just reached the large public. They are a little bit -out of date. As a matter of fact, Lavinia has quite settled to go in for -nursing, but she hasn't broken it yet to her relations. Louise will, I -believe, get her divorce. They have left Italy and gone to Russia, where -Lavroff has got a large property. - -I have got a terribly busy week next week, dinners nearly every night, -besides balls. So don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for some -time. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, May_ 30_th._ - -Heard to-day from Gertrude. She and Anstruther arrive next week for -three months' leave from Buenos Aires. They are going to stay at the -Hans Crescent Hotel. Anstruther does not expect to go back to Buenos -Aires. They hope to get Christiania or Belgrade. They ask me to inform -Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur of their arrival, which I must try to -remember to do, as Gertrude is Aunt Ruth's favourite niece. - -_Tuesday, May_ 31_st_. - -A. is not at all well. He says he has got a bad headache, but he has to -go to an official dinner to-night. He is also most annoyed at having -been chosen as a delegate to the Conference that takes place in Canada -in August. This, he says, will prevent his doing any yachting this year -as he will not be back before the end of September. - -_Wednesday, June_ 1_st_. - -Riley came to see me at the office and asked me whether I could put him -up for a few nights. I would with pleasure, but I warned him that I -should be having most of my meals with Solway, who is up in London for a -week. - -_Thursday, June_ 2_nd_. - -Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner and remembered to tell her that -Gertrude was arriving next week. Aunt Ruth was glad to hear the news and -said she hoped Edmund would get promotion this time. He had been passed -over so often. I said I hoped so also, but I suppose I did not display -enough enthusiasm, as Aunt Ruth said I didn't seem to take much interest -in my brother-in-law's career. I assured her I was fond of Gertrude and -had the greatest respect for my brother-in-law. Uncle Arthur said: -"What, Anstruther? The man's a pompous ass." Aunt Ruth was rather -shocked. - -_Friday, July_ 3_rd_. - -Solway has arrived in London. He is staying at St Leonard's Terrace, -Chelsea. He is taking me to a concert to-morrow night. Riley has also -arrived. He said he would prefer not to go to a concert. - -_Saturday, June_ 4_th._ - -The concert last night was a success. Miss Bowden played Bach's -_Chaconne._ Solway was greatly excited and said loudly: "I knew she -could do it; I knew she could do it." - -_Sunday, June_ 5_th_. - -A. hasn't been at all well this week, and he has put off staying with -the Housmans to-day. They asked me, but as Solway and Riley were here I -did not like to go. Cunninghame has asked me to dinner next week to meet -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. I shall have to conceal from Gertrude that I am -going to meet them, as Caryl was promoted over his head and she would -think it disloyal on my part. Solway and Riley had luncheon with me at -the Club. In the afternoon I went to hear Miss Bowden play at a Mrs -Griffith's house, where Solway is staying. We could not persuade Riley -to come. I had supper there with Solway. Riley went to more literary -circles and had supper with Professor Langdon, the Shakespearean -critic. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, June_ 6_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Please write down in your engagement book that you are dining with me on -Thursday as well as on Monday. I have asked Godfrey Mellor to meet you -on Thursday. George is laid up with appendicitis, and I am afraid he is -_very_ bad indeed. The doctors are going to decide to-day whether they -are to operate immediately or not. He is at a nursing home in Welbeck -Street. His sister is looking after him. He was going to Canada in -August. I don't suppose he will be able to now. - -I am looking forward to seeing you quite tremendously. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, June_ 6_th._ - -A. has got appendicitis and has been taken to a nursing home. I have -just heard he is to have an operation to-morrow morning. - -_Tuesday, June_ 7_th._ - -A.'s operation was successfully performed, but he is still very ill. -Cunninghame has been to Welbeck Street this morning and saw his sister. -She is most anxious. He was, of course, not allowed to see A. - -_Wednesday, June_ 8_th._ - -I sat up late last night talking to Riley. - -_Thursday, June_ 9_th._ - -Cunninghame went to Welbeck Street and saw the doctor. He says there is -every chance of his recovery. Apparently the danger was in having to do -the operation at once, while there was still inflammation. It was not -exactly appendicitis, but Cunninghame's report was too technical for my -comprehension. - -I dined with Cunninghame to-day to meet Mrs Caryl. I had not met her -husband before. He is, I thought, slightly stiff. Lady Jarvis was there -also. She was much disturbed about A.'s illness. - -_Friday, June_ 10_th_. - -Gertrude and Edmund Anstruther arrived yesterday. I dined with them -to-night. Edmund said the way diplomats were treated was a scandal. The -hard-working members of the profession were always passed over. The best -posts were given to men outside the profession. No conscientious man -could expect to get on in such a profession. If he was passed over this -time he would not stand it any longer, but he would leave the Service -altogether. The Foreign Office, he said, was so weak. They never backed -up a subordinate who took a strong line. They always climbed down. I -wondered what Edmund had been taking a strong line about in Buenos -Aires. Gertrude agreed. She said they had been there for three years -without leave, and if they did not get a good post she would advise -Edmund to retire and get something in the City. There were plenty of -firms in the city who would jump at getting Edmund. She mentioned the -Housmans and said she knew they were friends of mine, and didn't want to -say anything against them, but she had met many people in Buenos Aires -who knew Mrs Housman intimately, and said she was rather a dangerous -woman. I asked in what way she was dangerous. Gertrude said: "Perhaps -you do not know she is a Roman Catholic." I said I had known this for -years, but she never talked of it. "That's just what I mean," said -Gertrude; "they are far too subtle, and I am afraid too underhand to -talk of it openly. They lead you on." I asked Gertrude if she thought -Mrs Housman wished to convert me. She said most certainly. Her friends -in Buenos Aires had told her she had made many converts. It was the only -thing she cared for, and even if she didn't, Roman Catholics were -obliged to do so. It was only natural, if they thought we all went to -hell if we were not converted. - -I said I was not sure Roman Catholics did believe that. Gertrude and -Edmund said I was wrong. I could ask anyone. Gertrude repeated she had -no wish to say anything against Mrs Housman, and she was convinced she -was a good woman according to her lights. - -Edmund said there had been many conversions in the Diplomatic Service. -He was convinced this was part of a general conspiracy. If you wanted to -get on in the Diplomatic Service you had better be a Roman Catholic. Of -course those who did not choose to sacrifice their conscience, their -independence, their traditions, and were loyal to the Church and the -State, suffered. I said I didn't quite see where loyalty to the State -came in. Edmund said: "How could you be loyal to the State when you were -under the authority of an Italian Bishop?" I must know that the Italian -Cardinals were always in the majority. I said that, considering the -number of Catholics in England, compared with the number of Catholics in -other countries, I should be surprised to see a majority of English -Cardinals at the Vatican. I said Edmund wanted England to be a -Protestant country, and at the same time to have the lion's share in -Catholic affairs. Edmund said that was not at all what he meant. What he -meant was that an Englishman should be loyal to his Church, which was an -integral part of the State. - -I said there were many Englishmen who would prefer the State to have -nothing to do with the Church. Edmund said there were many Englishmen -who did not deserve the name of Englishmen. For instance, Caryl, who was -now Second Secretary at Paris, had been promoted over his head three -years ago. What was the reason? Mrs Caryl was a Roman Catholic and Caryl -had been converted soon after his marriage. I foolishly said that the -Caryls were now in London, and when Edmund asked me how I knew this I -said that Aunt Ruth had told me. - -This raised a storm, as it appears that Aunt Ruth does know the Caryls -and asks them to dinner when they are in London. Edmund said he would -talk to Aunt Ruth about them seriously. I asked him as a favour to do no -such thing. And Gertrude told him not to be foolish, and added -magnanimously that Mrs Caryl was a nice woman, if a little fast. - -For a man who has lived all his life abroad Edmund Anstruther is -singularly deeply imbued with British prejudice. - -They are staying in London until the middle of July. Then they are going -on a round of visits. Edmund is confident that he will get Christiania. -I feel that it is more than doubtful. - -Riley went back to Shelborough to-day. - -_Saturday, June_ 11_th._ - -Received a telegram from Housman, asking me to go to Staines. I went -down by the afternoon train, and found Lady Jarvis, Miss Housman and -Carrington-Smith. Housman was anxious for news of A. I told him I -believed he was now out of danger, but that it would be a long time -before he was quite well again. Housman said he must certainly come to -Cornwall. I said he had intended to go to Canada for a Conference, but -would be unable to do so now. Housman said that was providential. - -_Sunday, June_ 12_th._ - -A fine day, but the river was crowded and hardly enjoyable. I sat with -Mrs Housman in the garden in the evening. The others went on the river -again. Mrs Housman asked me if I had seen A. I said he was not allowed -to see anyone. - -_Monday, June_ 13_th._ - -A. is getting on as well as can be expected. There appears to be no -doubt of his recovery. Cunninghame is going to see him to-day. - -_Tuesday, June_ 12_th._ - -Cunninghame says that A. wants to see me. I am to go there to-morrow. - -Dined with Hope, who was at Oxford with me. He is just back from Russia, -where he has been to make arrangements for producing some play in -London. He thinks of nothing now but the stage, and a play of his is -going to be produced at the Court Theatre. I promised to go and see it. -He spoke of Riley, and I told him he had become a Roman Catholic. Hope -said he regarded that as sinning against the light. He said no one _at -this time of day_ could believe such things. - -_Wednesday, June_ 15_th_. - -I went to see A. at Welbeck Street. He has been very ill and looks white -and thin. His sister was there, but I had some conversation with him -alone. I told him all the news I could think of, which was not much. He -said he liked seeing people, but was not allowed more than one visitor a -day. He had got a very good nurse. Housman had sent him grapes and -magnificent fruit every day. He said he would like to see Mrs Housman, -but supposed that was impossible, as she never came to London now. He -said Cunninghame had been very good to him, and had put off going to -Ascot to look after him. - -I wrote to Mrs Housman this evening and gave her A.'s message. - -_Thursday, June_ 16_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. Gertrude and Edmund were there. Edmund said to -Aunt Ruth that he had heard the Caryls were in London. Aunt Ruth said -she had no idea of this, and she would ask them to dinner next Thursday. -Aunt Ruth asked a good many diplomats to meet Edmund, and they had a -long talk after dinner about their posts. They called Edmund their -"_Cher collegue_." Edmund enjoyed himself immensely. Uncle Arthur cannot -bear him, nor, indeed, any diplomats, and it is, I think, the chief -cross of his life that Aunt Ruth asks so many of them to dinner. - -Aunt Ruth asked after A. and said that she had been to inquire. - -_Friday, June_ 17_th_. - -Received a letter from Mrs Housman, saying she was coming up to London -to-morrow, and was going to stay with Lady Jarvis till Monday. She would -go and see A. on Sunday afternoon if convenient. She asked me to ring up -the nurse and find out. I did so and arranged for her to call at four -o'clock. - -_Saturday, June_ 18_th._ - -I dined with Lady Jarvis. There was no one there but Mrs Housman and -myself. Cunninghame is staying somewhere with friends of the Caryls. - -_Sunday, June_ 19_th_. - -I had luncheon with Aunt Ruth. Edmund and Gertrude were there, but no -one else. Edmund has been appointed to Berne. It is not what he had -hoped, but better than any of us expected. He said Berne might become a -most important post in the event of a European war. - -_Monday, June_ 20_th._ - -Dined with the Caryls at the Ritz. Cunninghame was there and Miss -Hollystrop. Mrs Vaughan asked me whether it was true that A. had become -a Roman Catholic. She had heard Mrs Housman had converted him. -Cunninghame deftly turned the conversation on account of Mrs Caryl. - -We all went to the opera--_Faust_. - -_Tuesday, June_ 21_st_. - -I went to see A. He told me Mrs Housman had been to see him. He is still -in bed, but looks better. - -_Wednesday, June_ 22_nd_. - -Barnes of the F.O. came to the office this morning. He asked after A. -He said he had heard that the real cause of his illness was his passion -for Mrs Housman, who would have nothing to do with him unless he was -converted. Cunninghame said he wondered he could talk such nonsense. - -_Thursday, June_ 23_rd_. - -Went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. The Caryls were there, and Gertrude -and Edmund came after dinner. Heated arguments were going on about the -situation in Russia, Edmund taking the ultra-conservative point of view, -much to the annoyance of Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arthur, who felt even more -strongly on the matter because he thought they were discussing the -French Revolution. - -_Friday, June_ 24_th_. - -Dined with Lady Jarvis; she was alone. She said Mrs Housman was coming -up again to-morrow. The fact is, she says, Staines is intolerable now on -Sundays. Mrs Fairburn comes down almost every Sunday. She overwhelms -Mrs Housman with her gush and her pretended silliness. Housman thinks -her the most wonderful woman he has ever met. - -_Saturday, June_ 25_th._ - -Went down to S---- to stay with Riley. Riley lives in a small villa -surrounded with laurels. A local magnate came to dinner, who is -suspected of being about to present some expensive masterpieces to the -public gallery. - -_Sunday, June_ 26_th_. - -Riley went to Mass in the morning. I sat in his smoking-room, which is a -litter of books and papers and exceedingly untidy. A geologist came to -luncheon, Professor Langer, a naturalised German. When we were walking -in the garden afterwards, he said he could not understand how Riley -reconciled his creed with plain facts of geology. But Riley's case -surprised him less than that of another of his colleagues, who was a -great authority on geology, and nevertheless a devout Catholic, and not -only never missed Mass on Sundays, but had told him, Langer, that he -fully subscribed to every point of the Catholic Faith. It was true he -was an Irishman, but politically he was not at all fanatical, and not -even a Home-Ruler. - -In the afternoon we had tea with the magnate, whose house is full of -Academy pictures. I now understand what happens to that great quantity -of pictures we see once at the Academy and then never again. An art -critic was invited to tea also. He had, I believe, been invited here to -persuade the magnate in question to present some very modern piece of -art to the city. He seemed disappointed when he saw the pictures on the -walls, and when the magnate asked his opinion of a composition called _A -Love Letter_, he said he did not think the picture a very good one. The -magnate said he regretted not having bought _Home Thoughts_, by the -same painter, which was undoubtedly superior. - -We dined alone, and I told Riley what Professor Langer had said. He -said: "Most Protestants, whether they have any religion or not, -attribute Protestant notions to the Catholic Church. What these people -say shows to what extent the conception of Rome has been distorted by -their being saturated with Protestant ideas. Mallock says somewhere that -the Anglicans talk of the Catholic Church as if she were a _lapsed -Protestant sect_, and they attack her for being false to what she has -never professed. He says they don't see the real difference between the -two Churches, which is not in this or that dogma, but in the authority -on which all dogma rests. The Professors you quote take for granted that -Catholics base their religion, as Protestants do, on the Bible _solely_, -and judged from that point of view she seems to them superstitious and -dishonest. But Catholics believe that Christ guaranteed infallibility -to the Church _in perpetuum: perpetual_ infallibility. Catholics -discover this not _at first_ from the Church as doctrine, but from -records as trustworthy human documents, and they believe that the Church -being perpetually infallible can only interpret the Bible in the right -way. They believe she is guided in the interpretation of the Bible by -the same Spirit which inspired the Bible. She teaches us _more_ about -the Bible. She says _this_ is what the Bible teaches." - -He said: "Mallock makes a further point. It is not only Protestant -divines who talk like that. It is your advanced thinkers, men like -Langer and his colleagues. They utterly disbelieve in the Protestant -religion; they trust the Protestants in nothing else, but at the same -time they take their word for it, without further inquiry, that -Protestantism is more reasonable than Catholicism. If they have -destroyed Protestantism they conclude they must have destroyed -Catholicism _a fortiori_. With regard to Langer's geological friend, it -doesn't make a pin's difference to a Catholic whether evolution or -natural selection is true or false. Neither of these theories pretends -to explain the origin of life. Catholics believe the origin of life is -God." He had heard a priest say, not long ago: "A Catholic can believe -in evolution, and in evolution before evolution, and in evolution before -that, if he likes, but what he must believe is that God made the world -and in it _mind,_ and that at some definite moment the mind of man -rebelled against God." - -_Monday, June_ 27_th_. - -A. telephoned for me. I saw him this afternoon. His room was full of -flowers. He will not be allowed to get up till the end of the week. As -soon as he is allowed to go out the doctor says he ought to go away and -get some sea air. There is no question of his going to Canada. The -Housmans have asked him to go to Cornwall and he is going there as soon -as he can. He asked me when I was going. I said at the end of the month, -if that would be convenient to him. - -_Tuesday, June_ 28_th._ - -Finished Renan's _Souvenirs d'Enfance et de Jeunesse_. He says: "Je -regrettais par moments de n'etre pas protestant, afin de pouvoir etre -philosophe sans cesser d'etre Chretien. Puis je reconnaissais qu'il n'y -a que les Catholiques qui soient consequents." Riley's argument. Dined -at the Club. - -_Wednesday, June_ 29_th._ - -Dined with Hope at a restaurant in Soho. Quite a large gathering, with -no one I knew. We had dinner in a private room. Two journalists--Hoxton, -who writes in one of the Liberal newspapers, and Brice, who edits a -weekly newspaper--had a heated argument about religion. Brice is and -has always been an R.C. Hoxton's views seemed to me violent but -undefined. He said, as far as I understood, that the Eastern Church was -far nearer to early Christian tradition than the Western Church, and -that by not defining things too narrowly and by not having an infallible -Pope the Greeks had an inexpressible advantage over the Romans. Upon -which someone else who was there said that the Greeks believed in the -infallibility of the First Seven Councils; they believed their decisions -to be as infallible as any papal utterance, and that dogma had been -defined once and for all by the Councils. Brice said this was quite -true, and while the Greeks had shut the door, the Catholic Church had -left the door open. Besides which, he argued, what was the result of the -action of the Greeks? Look at the Russian Church. As soon as it was -separated it gave birth to another schism and that schism resulted in -the rise of about a hundred religions, one of which had for one of its -tenets that children should be strangled at their birth so as to -inherit the Kingdom of Heaven without delay. That, said Brice, is the -result of schism. - -The other man said that there was no religion so completely under the -control of the Government as the Russian. The Church was ultimately in -the hands of gendarmes. Hoxton said that in spite of schisms, and in -spite of anything the Government might do, the Eastern Church retained -the early traditions of Christianity. Therefore, if an Englishman wanted -to become a Catholic, it was absurd for him to become a Roman Catholic. -He should first think of joining the Eastern Church and becoming a Greek -Catholic. The other man, whose name I didn't catch, asked why, in that -case, did Russian philosophers become Catholics and why did Solovieff, -the Russian philosopher, talk of the pearl Christianity having -unfortunately reached Russia smothered under the dust of Byzantium? - -Brice said the Greek Church was schismatic and the Anglican Church was -heretical and that was the end of the matter. Hoxton said: "My -philosophy is quite as good as yours." Brice said it was a pity he could -neither define nor explain his philosophy. Hope, who was bored by the -whole argument, turned the conversation on to the Russian stage. - -_Thursday, June_ 30_th._ - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. After dinner I sat next to a Russian diplomatist -who knew Riley. He said he was glad he had become a Catholic--he himself -was Orthodox. He evidently admired the Catholic religion. He said, among -other things, how absurd it was to think that such floods of ink had -been used to prove the Gospel of St John had not been written by St -John. He said, even if it wasn't, the Church has said it was written by -St John for over a thousand years. She has made it her own. He himself -saw no reason to think it was not written by St John. Uncle Arthur, who -caught the tail end of this conversation, said the authorship of _John -Peel_ was a subject of much dispute. Gertrude wasn't there; they have -gone to the country. - -_Friday, July_ 1_st_. - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. Cunninghame was there and a large gathering of -people. More people came after dinner and there was music, but such a -crowd that I could not get near enough to listen so I gave it up and -stayed in another room. Lady Jarvis told me Mrs Housman is going down to -Cornwall next Monday. - -_Saturday, July_ 30_th. Grey Farm, Carbis Bay._ - -Arrived this evening after a hot and disagreeable journey. The Housmans -are here alone. Housman goes back to London on Tuesday. A. is coming -down here as soon as he is fit to travel. He is still very weak. - -_Sunday, July_ 31_st_. - -The Housmans went to Mass. Father Stanway came to luncheon. He said he -had been giving instruction to an Indian boy who is being brought up as -an R.C. I asked him if it was difficult for an Indian to understand -Christian dogma. Father Stanway said that the child had amazed him. He -had been telling him about the Trinity and the Indian had said to him: -"I see--ice, snow, rain--all water." - -_Monday, August_ 1_st_. - -Housman played golf. Mrs Housman took me to the cliffs and began reading -out _Les Miserables_, which I have never read. - -_Tuesday, August_ 2_nd_. - -Housman left early this morning. We sat on the beach and read _Les -Miserables_. - -_Wednesday, August_ 3_rd_. - -Lady Jarvis arrives to-morrow. We continued _Les Miserables_ in the -afternoon and after dinner. Mrs Housman said that some conversations and -the reading of certain passages in books were like _events_. Once or -twice in her life she had come across sentences in a book which, -although they had nothing extraordinary about them and expressed things -anyone might have thought or said, were like a revelation, or a -solution, and seemed to be written in letters of flame and had a -permanent effect on her whole life; one such sentence was the following -from _Les Miserables_: "Ne craignons jamais les voleurs ni les -meurtriers. Ce sont la les dangers du dehors, les petits dangers. -Craignons nous-memes. Les prejuges, voila les voleurs; les vices, voila -les meurtriers. Les grands dangers sont au dedans de nous. Qu'importe ce -qui menace notre tete ou notre bourse!" She said: "Of course this has -never prevented me from feeling frightened when I hear a scratching -noise in the night. That paralyses me with terror." - -_Thursday, August_ 4_th._ - -We continued our reading. The weather has been propitious. Lady Jarvis -arrived in the evening. We continued our reading after dinner. - -_Friday, August_ 5_th._ - -A. arrived this evening. He was exhausted after the journey and went to -bed at once. Housman arrives to-morrow--he is only staying till Monday. - -_Saturday, August_ 6_th._ - -A. sat in the garden and Mrs Housman read out some stories by H.G. Wells -from a book called _The Plattner Story,_ which we all enjoyed. - -Housman arrived in the evening. A. is not yet strong enough to walk. He -sits in the garden all day. The weather is perfectly suited to an -invalid. - -_Sunday, August_ 7_th._ - -Housman invited Father Stanway to luncheon. He and Housman talked of -politicians and popularity and the Press and to what extent their -reputation depended on it. Housman said it was death to a politician not -to be mentioned. A politician needed popularity among the public as much -as an actor did. Father Stanway said it was a double-edged weapon and -that those who lived by it risked perishing by it. Housman said -Gladstone and Beaconsfield had lived by it successfully. Father Stanway -said it depends whether you want to be famous or whether you want to get -things done. A man can do anything in the world if he doesn't mind not -getting the credit for it. Father Stanway said nobody realised this -better than Lord Beaconsfield. He said somewhere that it was private -life that governs the world and that the more you were talked about the -less powerful you were. - -A. is a little better. I went for a walk with Father Stanway in the -afternoon. I asked him a few questions about the system of Confession. -He said the Sacrament of Penance was a Divine Institution. I asked him -if the practice did not lead to the shirking of responsibility and the -dulling of the conscience on the part of those who went to Confession. -He said Confession was not an opiate but a sharp and bitter medicine, -disagreeable to take but leaving a clean after-taste in the mouth I gave -him a hypothetical case of a man being in love with a Catholic married -woman. If the woman was a practising Catholic and faithful to her -husband, and if she continued to be friends with the man who was in love -with her, would she confess her conduct and, if so, would the priest -approve of the conduct? Father Stanway said it was difficult to judge -unless one knew the whole facts. If the woman knew she was acting in a -way which might lead to sin or even to scandal--that is to say, in a way -which would have a bad effect on others--she would be bound to confess -it. If a woman asked him his advice in such a case he would strongly -advise her to put an end to the relationship. I said: "You wouldn't -forbid it?" He said: "The Church forbids sin, and penitents when they -receive Absolution undertake to avoid the occasions of sin." He said he -could not tell me more without knowing more of the facts. Cases were -sometimes far more complicated than they appeared to be, but however -complicated they were, there was no doubt as to the attitude of the -Church towards that kind of sin and to the advisability of avoiding -occasions that might bring it about. - -_Monday, August_ 8_th._ - -Housman went back to London. Cunninghame arrives to-morrow. A. walked as -far as the beach this morning. In the afternoon Lady Jarvis took him for -a drive. Mrs Housman went into the town to do some shopping. - -_Tuesday, August_ 9_th._ - -We all went for a drive in a motor to a village with a curious name and -had tea in a farm-house. Cunninghame arrived in time for dinner. He has -been staying at Cowes. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - CARBIS BAY, - _Wednesday, August_ 10_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I arrived last night from Cowes. I found Mrs Housman, Lady Jarvis, -George and Godfrey. - -George is very much better, but he is still weak and can't get about -much. He is not allowed to play golf yet. He sits in the garden, and goes -for a mild walk once a day. Lady Jarvis says that Mrs Housman is very -unhappy. In the first place, her home is intolerable. Mrs Fairburn makes -London quite impossible for her. It is a wonder that she is not here, -but as Housman is in London there is nothing to be surprised at. In the -second place, Lady Jarvis thinks that Mrs Housman would much rather -George hadn't come, but she couldn't help it as Housman asked him. - -We do things mostly altogether now. I am staying a fortnight, then I go -to Worsel for a week and to Edith's till the end of September; then -London. Lady Jarvis says that she is sure Mrs Housman will not spend the -winter in London. - -Write to me here and tell me about the Mont Dore. I have been there once -and think it is an appalling place. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Wednesday, August_ 10_th_. - -A. has been doing too much, the doctor says, and he is not to be allowed -out of the garden for a few days. Mrs Housman and Lady Jarvis take turns -in reading to him aloud. We have finished the Wells book and we are now -reading _Midshipman Easy_. - -_Thursday, August_ 11_th._ - -I went for a walk with Cunninghame. He said his favourite book was _John -Inglesant_ and was surprised that I had not read it. He has it with him -and has lent it to me. - -_Friday, August_ 12_th._ - -It rained all day. We spent the day reading aloud. - -_Saturday, August_ 13_th._ - -A. is much better and went for a walk with me this morning. - -_Sunday, August_ 14_th._ - -Housman was coming down yesterday but telegraphed to say he was -detained. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we received a visit -from an American who has come here in a yacht and met Cunninghame and -myself in the town this morning. His name is Harold C. Jefferson. When I -was introduced to him he said he did not quite catch my name. I said my -name was "Mellor"; he said: "Lord or Mister?" Cunninghame told him where -he was staying and he said he would call--he knew the Housmans in -America. He asked us all to go on board his yacht to-morrow. Mrs -Housman, Cunninghame and myself accepted. Lady Jarvis said she would -stop with A. who is not up to it. - -_Monday, August_ 15_th_. - -We had luncheon on board Mr Jefferson's yacht, a large steam vessel. It -has on board a piano and an organ, both of which are played by -electricity, which is in some respects satisfactory, but the _tempo_ of -the _Meistersinger_ Overture which was performed for us was accelerated -out of all recognition. - -_Tuesday, August_ 16_th_. - -A Miss Simpson called in the afternoon to ask Mrs Housman to help with -some local charity; she lives at the Hotel. She said she found it very -inconvenient not being able to go to Church. We wondered what prevented -her doing so, but she soon gave us the reason herself. She said that the -local clergyman was so low--no eastward position. - -A. is much better and went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. - -_Wednesday, August_ 17_th._ - -Housman has written to say that he will not be able to come down until -late in September. Carrington-Smith is unwell and he is overwhelmed with -business. He, Housman, may have to meet a man in Paris. - -_Thursday, August_ 18_th._ - -A rainy day. Cunninghame and I went out in spite of the rain. - -_Friday, August_ 19_th._ - -Cunninghame played golf with General York. - -_Saturday, August_ 20_th._ - -Lady Jarvis, Mrs Housman and myself went for a drive. A. played golf -with Cunninghame. I began _John Inglesant_ last night. Mrs Housman has -never read it. After dinner we had some music. Mrs Housman played -Schubert's _Prometheus_ and hummed the tune. She says it is a man's -song. - -_Sunday, August_ 21_st_. - -A. says he is going to have his yacht sent up here--he will be able to -sail back in her. Mrs Housman went to Mass. In the afternoon we sat in -the garden and read out aloud _Cashel Byron's Profession,_ a novel by -Bernard Shaw. A. enjoyed it immensely. - -_Monday, August_ 22_nd_. - -We drove to the Lizard in a motor and had luncheon at the Hotel. A. -misses his yacht very much but he has sent for her. After dinner we -played Clumps. - -_Tuesday, August_ 23_rd_. - -Cunninghame was going to-morrow but he is staying till Saturday. Mrs -Housman went to Newquay to the convent for the day. Lady Jarvis took A. -for a drive. - -_Wednesday, August_ 24_th._ - -This morning A., Cunninghame and myself walked down to the town. We met -a friend of Cunninghame's called Randall, who is yachting. He has just -come from France. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - GREY FARM, CARBIS BAY, - _Thursday, August_ 25_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am stopping here till Saturday, then Worsel, then Edith's. You had -better write to Edith's. Yesterday morning we were in the town, George, -Godfrey and I, and we met Jimmy Randall, who has come here in the -Goldberg's yacht. They had been to St Malo and other places in France. -When we said we were staying with the Housmans, Randall said there was -not much chance of our seeing Housman for some time as he was having the -time of his life with Mrs Fairburn at a little place near Deauville. - -This came as a revelation to George, who had no idea of Housman's -adventures. He has scarcely spoken since. We are having a very happy -time and I am miserable at having to go away. George is quite well. He -has sent for his yacht, but he is not staying on very long as he has got -to go to one or two places before he goes back to London. The weather -has been divine. Godfrey is quite cheerful. - -I shan't write again till I get to Edith's. I shan't stop more than a -night at Worsel on the way. - -Edith is clamouring for me to come. The Caryls are staying there. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Thursday, August_ 25_th._ - -I went out for a walk with Cunninghame; he asked me whether I had liked -_John Inglesant_. I said I had it read with interest but it gave me the -creeps; it had the chill of a dream world; I preferred the character of -Eustace Inglesant to that of his brother John. Cunninghame said he had -read it five times; that _John Inglesant_, Flaubert's _Trois Contes_ and -Anthony Hope's _The King's Mirror_ were his three favourite books. I had -read neither of the others. Mrs Housman and A. went for a walk in the -afternoon. After dinner Lady Jarvis read out a story by Stevenson. - -_Friday, August_ 26_th._ - -Mrs Housman went to the town in the afternoon. A. and Cunninghame played -golf. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. She talked about Mrs Housman. -She said it was wonderful what comfort she (Mrs H.) found in her -religion. As far as she herself was concerned, she had never ceased to -appreciate the luxury of not going to church on Sunday, so much had she -disliked being made to go to church before she was grown up. I said Mrs -Housman had told me that Roman Catholic children enjoyed going to -church. She said: "Yes, and their grown-up people too. Clare will -probably go to church this afternoon. If I was a Catholic I could -understand it." She said it was the only religion she could understand. -"Unhappily to be a Catholic," she said, "one must believe. I am not -talking of the ritual and the discipline--I mean one must _believe_, -have faith in the supernatural, and I have none." She said that she -thought religion was an instinct. Her religion consisted in trying not -to hurt other people's feelings. That was difficult enough. She said she -had once come across this phrase in a French book: "Aimez-vous les uns -les autres, c'est beaucoup dire supportez-vous les uns les autres, c'est -deja assez difficile." Some people, she said, arrived at religion by -disbelieving in disbelief. She didn't believe in dogmatic _disbelief -but_ that didn't lead _her_ to anything positive. She said she was glad -for Mrs Housman that she had her religion. I asked her if she thought -Mrs Housman was very unhappy. She said: "Yes; but there comes a moment -in unhappiness when people realise that they must either live, or die. -Clare passed that moment a long time ago." People often made God in -their own image. Mrs Housman had a beautiful character. She, Lady -Jarvis, had no stuff in her to project a deity with. She thought that -religion seldom affected conduct. She thought Mrs Housman would have -been just the same if she had been brought up as a free-thinker or a -Presbyterian. She thought her marriage and her whole life had been a -gigantic mistake. She ought, she said, to have been a professional -singer. She was an artist by nature. I said I was struck by Mrs Housmans -strong common-sense and her tact in dealing with people. "That would -have made her all the greater as an artist," Lady Jarvis said. "In all -arts you want to be good at other things besides that art. Riding needs -mind." She said it was no good wishing to be otherwise but she thought -it was very tragic. She said: "If I believed there was another life, -this sort of thing wouldn't matter, but as I don't it matters very -much." I said it struck me the other way round. If one didn't believe in -a future life I didn't see that anything could matter very much. I asked -her if she positively believed there wasn't another life. She said: "I -don't know. I only know I don't believe in a future life." I asked her -if that wasn't faith. She said very possibly, but she at any rate hadn't -the fervent faith in no-God that some atheists had. In any case she was -not intolerant about it. I asked her if it had not often struck her -that agnostics and free-thinkers were still more intolerant than -religious people and that they had least business to be. She said that -was exactly what she had meant. The religion of other people irritated -them; they wanted people to share their particular form of unbelief. She -never did that. She thought dogmatic disbelief intolerable. She had the -greatest respect for Catholics and would give anything to be able to be -one. Mrs Housman never spoke about her religion. We talked about -reading. I said I always read the newspapers or rather _The Times_ every -day. I had done so for fifteen years. She said she never did except in -the train but she knew the news as well as I did. We talked about what -is good reading for the train and about journeys. I told her of a -journey I had once taken in France in a third-class carriage. She said -it was lucky one forgot physical discomfort at once unlike mental -discomfort. She said something about the appalling unnaturalness of -people when they had to deal with death, and then of the misery in -seeing other people suffer, of the hardness of some people, and of a -book she had just been reading, called _Katzensteg_, by Sudermann, and -then of Germans, and so, to music, of Housman's great undeveloped -musical talent, of Jews, how favourable the mixture of Jewish and German -blood was to music. I said something about Jews being rarely men of -creation or action. She said they were just as persistent in getting -what they wanted as men of action, so she supposed that it came to the -same. Disraeli was a man of action, she supposed, and all the great -socialists, Marx and Lassalle, they got what they wanted. "Un de nous a -voulu etre Dieu et il l'a ete," she said a Jewish financier had once -said. This led her to Heine. He was her favourite writer, both in prose -and verse. Had I ever read his prose? I ought to read _Geschichte der -Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland._ It was the most brilliant book -of criticism she knew. It was the Jews who had invented all great -religions, and socialism was the invention of the Jews. Some people said -the Russian revolution was Jewish in idea and leadership and might very -likely lead to a new political creed. She said she hated anti-Semitism. -This led us to Christianity. Christianity to her meant Catholicism. She -could not understand any other form of it. She thought there was nothing -in the world more silly than attempts to make a religion of Christianity -without the Church--there could only be one Church. "But," I said, "you -disbelieve in it." She said: "Yes; but the only thing that could tempt -me to believe in it is the continued existence of the Catholic Church." -She said: "It's there; it's a fact, whether one believes in its divine -origin, as Clare does, or whether one doesn't, as I don't. It must -either all hang together or not exist. You can't take a part of it and -make a satisfactory and reasonable religion." Not only that, -nothing seemed to her more foolish than the attempts to make a religion -of Christianity without the Divine element, in which Christ was only a -very good man. I said if she did not believe in the divinity of Christ -the story could be nothing more to her than a fable. She said: "If one -only regards it as a fable, as I suppose I do--but again I have no -dogmatic disbelief in it--it is still the most beautiful, impressive, -wonderful and tragic story ever invented and it seems to me to lose its -whole point if Christ was only a man with hypnotic powers and a head -turned by ambition or illusion." She quoted a Frenchman, who had said -that he adored Jesus Christ as his Lord and God, but "s'il n'est qu'un -homme je prefere Hannibal." Napoleon too had said that he knew men and -Jesus Christ was not a man. Regarded as a story the whole point and -beauty of the Gospel were lost in all modern versions, rewritings, -explanations and interpretations, and none of them held together. She -said it was as if one rewrote the fairy tales and made the fairies not -fairies but only clever conjurers. By this time we had reached home. - -_Saturday, August_ 27_th._ - -Cunninghame went away early this morning. Mrs Housman told me that she -was not going to spend the winter in London; she was going to Florence, -and it was possible she might be away for a whole year. A. went out this -afternoon with Lady Jarvis. - -_Sunday, August_ 28_th._ - -Mrs York called in the afternoon. Mrs Housman was out with A. Lady -Jarvis and myself entertained her. She was most affable and not at all -stiff, as she was last year. She said she had known several of A.'s -relations in India. As she went away she said to Lady Jarvis, in the -hall: "You never told me Mrs Housman was an _American_--that makes -_all_ the difference." - -_Monday, August_ 29_th._ - -We all went to the Land's End for the day. - -_Tuesday, August_ 30_th._ - -A.'s yacht has arrived. We had luncheon on board and went for a short -sail in the afternoon; the sea was reasonably smooth, but Lady Jarvis -said that the sea under any conditions gave her a headache. - -_Wednesday, August_ 31_st_. - -Mrs Housman and A. went out for a sail in the morning and came back for -tea. A. says he will have to go away in a day or two. After dinner Mrs -Housman read out Burnand's _Happy Thoughts_. - -_Thursday, September_ 1_st_. - -A rainy day. Mrs Housman called on Mrs York and has asked her and the -General to luncheon next Sunday. I went out for a walk in the rain by -myself and got very wet. Mrs Housman said that the Indian servant stood -motionless behind Mrs York's chair during the whole of the visit. This -embarrassed her. She felt inclined to draw him into the conversation. - -_Friday, September_ 2_nd_. - -Mrs Housman went to the convent by herself. Lady Jarvis and A. went out -for a walk and I stayed at home. It is quite fine again. A. leaves next -Monday. - -_Saturday, September_ 3_rd_. - -A. wanted to go out sailing but Mrs Housman thought it was too windy. We -all went for a drive instead. - -_Sunday, September_ 4_th_. - -General York and Mrs York came to luncheon. The General was a little -nervous, but Mrs York was affable and friendly. She said she had never -got used to the English climate. Lady Jarvis asked Mrs York if she had -been to church. Mrs York said they had a church quite close to their -house in the village but she always drove to our village church, -although it was three miles off. She could not go to their church as she -did not approve of the clergyman's ritualistic practices. He used white -vestments at Easter, changed the order of the service, and allowed a -picture in church. All that, of course, made it impossible. They went -away soon after luncheon. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis. After -dinner A. asked Mrs Housman to sing, but she said she would rather read. -She read _Happy Thoughts_ aloud. - -_Monday, September_ 5_th._ - -A. left in his yacht. He said he would be back in London by the first of -October. He is stopping at Plymouth on the way. - -_Tuesday, September_ 6_th._ - -Mrs Housman asked me if I had finished _Les Miserables_. I said I had -not gone on with it. She read aloud from it in the afternoon. - -_Wednesday, September_ 7_th._ - -I leave to-morrow to stay with Aunt Ruth. I have to be in London on -the 19th. Lady Jarvis went to the village, we stayed in the garden. -After dinner, Mrs Housman sang some Schubert. She leaves Cornwall at the -end of the month and then goes to Florence, where she stays rill Easter -or perhaps longer. - -_Monday, October_ 3_rd. London, Gray's Inn_. - -Cunninghame and A. both came back to-day. Cunninghame asked me to dine -with him to-morrow. - -_Tuesday, October_ 4_th._ - -Dined with Cunninghame alone in his flat. He said that he knew I had -some R.C. friends, perhaps I knew a priest. I said the only priest I had -ever spoken to was Father Stanway at Carbis Bay. He said he wanted to -consult a priest about certain rules in the R.C. Church. He wanted to -know under what conditions a marriage could be annulled. A friend of -his wanted a married woman to get her marriage annulled as her husband -was living with someone else. He wanted to know whether the marriage -could be annulled. I said I knew who he was talking about. He said he -had meant me to know. He had promised A. to find out from a priest. A. -had been told by her that it was out of the question to get the marriage -annulled. It had been a marriage entered into by her own free will and -performed with every necessary condition of validity. Of course she was -very young when she was married and didn't know what she was doing, but -that had nothing to do with it. Her aunt and the nuns in the convent -where she had been brought up had thought it was an excellent marriage, -as he was well off and a Catholic. Cunninghame begged me to go and see a -priest. I said I did not know how this was done. I suggested his asking -his cousin, Mrs Caryl. He said she was in Paris and that would be no -use, it would not satisfy A. I said I would think about it. - -_Wednesday, October_ 5_th_. - -I asked Tuke where and how one could find a priest who would be able to -tell one the rules of the Church with regard to marriage. Tuke said any -of the Fathers at Farm Street or the Oratory. In the afternoon I went to -the Oratory, sent in my card and asked to see a priest. I sat in a -little waiting-room downstairs. Presently a tall man came in with very -bright eyes and a face with nothing but character left in it. I told him -I had come for a friend. It was a case of divorce, or rather of -annulment. I knew his Church did not tolerate divorce. I was, myself, -not a Catholic. It was the case of a lady, a Catholic, who had married a -Catholic. The husband had always been unfaithful and was now almost -openly living with someone else. Could the marriage be annulled? The -priest asked whether she desired the marriage to be annulled. I told -him she had said it was impossible. He asked whether the marriage had -been performed under all conditions of validity. I said I did not myself -know what these conditions were, but that she had expressly said that -the marriage had been performed with her own free will, with every -necessary condition of validity. I knew she thought it was out of the -question to think of the marriage being annulled, but there was someone -who was most devoted to her and wanted to marry her, and he was not -satisfied with her saying it was impossible. He wanted the decision -confirmed by a priest and that was why I had come. The priest said he -was afraid from what I had told him that it was no use thinking of -annulment. It was clear from what I had said she knew quite well the -conditions that make it possible to apply for the annulment of a -marriage. He said he was sure it was a hard case. If I liked he would -lend me a book which went into the matter in detail. I said I would not -trouble him. It would be enough that I had seen him and heard this from -him. I then went away. I went straight back to the office and told C. -the result of my visit. He was most grateful to me for having done this. -He said he was dining with A. to-night. He said A. was in a terrible -state. - -_Thursday, October_ 6_th_. - -Cunninghame told me that he had dined with A. and given him the -information I had procured for him. He said A. was wretched. Mrs Housman -arrives in London on Saturday. She is only staying till Monday; she then -goes to Florence. - -_Friday, October_ 7_th._ - -Cunninghame told me that Housman has come back to London. They have got -their house back. Mrs Fairburn is in London also. - -_Saturday, October_ 8_th._ - -A. has gone down to Littlehampton. - -_Sunday, October_ 9_th._ - -I went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon--she was in. She leaves for -Florence to-morrow. She told me she was going to stay there a whole -year. She asked after A. and was pleased to hear he was still in good -health. Miss Housman came in later after we had finished tea. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Sunday, October_ 9_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your long letter. I am most worried about George. Mrs -Housman goes to Florence to-morrow and is not coming back for a whole -year. George has told me about the whole thing. She knows all about -Housman and has always known. George has implored her to divorce Housman -and to marry him. She can't divorce, as you know better than I do, and -she told George it was not a marriage that could be annulled. However, -this didn't satisfy him. He insisted on getting the opinion of a priest. -I thought of writing to you, but there wasn't time, and then I didn't -know whether it was the same in France or not. I got the opinion of a -priest, who said there wasn't the slightest chance of getting the -marriage annulled. I told George this and he won't believe it, even now. -He keeps on saying that we ought to go to Rome, but I don't suppose that -would be of the slightest use either, would it? In the meantime he is -perfectly wretched. Mrs Housman didn't see him after Cornwall. George -won't see anyone, or go anywhere now. He is at this moment down at -Littlehampton by himself. If you can think of anything one could do, let -me know at once, but I know there is nothing to be done. If the marriage -could be annulled I think she would marry him to-morrow. I can't write -about anything else, because I can't think about anything else. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, October_ 17_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman from Florence. She says the weather is beautiful -and she is having a very peaceful time. - -_Monday, November_ 7_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman. She has been to Rome, where she stayed a -fortnight. - -_Wednesday, November_ 9_th._ - -I met Housman in the street this morning. He said he had given up the -house near Staines. It was dismal in winter and not very pleasant in -summer. He had taken a small house in the north of London, not far from -Hendon. He could come up from there every day and the air was very good. -I was not to say a word about this to Mrs Housman, as it was a surprise. -He said he was going to Florence for Christmas if he could. He said I -must come down one Saturday and stay with him. - -_Saturday, November_ 19_th._ - -Staying with Riley at Shelborough. - -_Monday, December_ 12_th._ - -Heard from Mrs Housman. She is going to spend Christmas at Ravenna with -the Albertis. Housman has written to me saying he will not be able to -get to Florence at Christmas and asking me to spend it with him at his -house near Hendon. I have told him that I was staying with Aunt Ruth for -Christmas. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - _Monday, October_ 17_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you for your letter. I quite understand all you say and I was -afraid it must be so, but thank you for taking all that trouble. George -is just the same. He sees nobody except Godfrey and me. I have heard -from Mrs Housman twice and I have written to her several times and given -her news of George. I haven't set eyes on Housman nor heard either from -him or of him. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, October_ 31_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I saw Jimmy Randall yesterday. He tells me that Housman is in London but -has taken a house near Hendon and comes up every day. He is just, as -infatuated as ever with Mrs Fairburn and has given her some handsome -jewels. - -I heard from Mrs Housman on Saturday. I am afraid she is quite -miserable. George won't even go to stay with his sister. He dines with -me sometimes. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _November_ 14_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Lady Jarvis is back from Ireland. I went down to Rosedale on Saturday. -There were a few people there, but I managed to have two long and good -talks with her. She is of course fearfully worried. She hears from Mrs -Housman constantly, she never mentions G. Lady Jarvis thinks of going -out there, only, apparently, Mrs Housman will not be at Florence for -Christmas. She tried to get George to come to Rosedale, but he -wouldn't. - -I have seen Housman for a moment at the play. He said I must see his -house at Hendon. He said he had meant it as a surprise for Mrs H., but -he had been obliged to tell her. He says he has bought a lot of new -pictures and that the house is very _moderne_ in arrangement. I can see -it. He wanted me to go there next Saturday. I said I couldn't. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Tuesday, November_ 29_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am sorry to have been so bad about writing, but we have been having -rather a busy time, which has been a good thing for George. I am going -to stay with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. She asked George and he is going -too. There is no party. He seems a little better, but he isn't really -better, and he talks of giving up his job altogether and going out to -Africa again. Will you choose me a small Christmas present for Lady -Jarvis, something that looks nice in the box or case. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, December_ 12_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Housman asked me so often to go down to Hendon that I was obliged to go -last Saturday. The house is decorated entirely in the _Art Nouveau_ -style. There is a small spiral staircase made of metal in the -drawing-room that goes nowhere. It is just a serpentine ornament. The -house is the last word of hideosity, but the pictures are rather good. -He gets good advice for these and never buys anything that, he thinks -won't go up. It was a bachelor party, Randall, Carrington-Smith and -myself. We played golf all the day, and Bridge all the evening. - -He said Mrs Housman was enjoying Florence very much and that we must -all go out there for Easter again. - -I heard from her three days ago. She said very little, and asked after -George. He never hears from her. He dines with me often. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - ROSEDALE, - _Saturday, December_ 31_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -We have had rather a sad Christmas, only George and myself here, but -Lady Jarvis has been too kind for words, and quite splendid with George. -She has heard regularly from Mrs Housman and she thinks she will go out -to Florence in January if she can. - -Godfrey is staying with his uncle. Lady Jarvis says that Miss Sarah -Housman makes terrible scenes about Mrs Fairburn, so much so that Sarah -and he are no longer on speaking terms. I go back to London just after -the New Year, so does George. The Christmas present was a great success. -Lady Jarvis gave me a lovely table for my flat. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, January_ 2_nd_, 1911. - -Received a small Dante bound in white vellum from Mrs Housman. It had -been delayed in the post. - -_Tuesday, January_ 3_rd_. - -Cunninghame came to the office to-day. A. also. - -_Tuesday, April_ 12_th._ - -Riley is spending Easter in London. He wishes to attend the Holy Week -services. He is staying with me. - -_Wednesday, April_ 13_th_. - -Sat up with Riley, talking. I told him about Hope having said that he -considered that to become an R.C. was to sin against the light. Riley -said that Hope might very likely end by committing suicide, as views -such as he held led to despair. He said: "If the Catholic religion is -like what Hope and you think it to be, it must be inconceivable that -anyone whose character and whose intelligence you respect could belong -to such a Church, but, granting you do, does it not occur to you that it -is just possible the Catholic religion may be unlike what you think it -is, may indeed be something quite different?" - -I said that I did not at all share Hope's views. Indeed I did not know -what they were. I said that I agreed with him that when one got to know -R.C.'s one found they were quite different from what they were supposed -to be, and I was quite ready to believe this applied to their beliefs -also. - -I said something about the complication of the Catholic system, which -was difficult to reconcile with the simplicity of the early Church. He -said the services of the early Church were longer and more complicated -than they were now. The services of the Eastern Church were more -complicated than those of the Western Church, and to this day in the -Coptic Church it took eight hours to say Mass. The Church was -complicated when described, but simple when experienced. - -_Saturday, April_ 16_th._ - -Went with Riley to the ceremony of the Blessing of the Font at -Westminster Cathedral. Riley said he was sorry for people who had to go -to Maeterlinck for symbolism. - -Received a postcard from Florence. Housman did not go out after all. - -_Monday, May_ 1_st_. - -Cunninghame told us that Housman is laid up with pneumonia. - -_Thursday, May_ 4_th._ - -Housman is worse, and Mrs Housman has been telegraphed for. He is laid -up at Hendon. They don't think he will recover. - -_Friday, May_ 5_th._ - -Mrs Housman arrived last night. Housman is about the same. - -_Monday, May_ 8_th._ - -Had luncheon with Lady Jarvis yesterday. She says that Housman was a -shade better yesterday. He may recover, but it is thought very doubtful. -Mrs Housman has been up day and night nursing him. - -_Wednesday, May_ 10_th_. - -Housman has taken a turn for the better, but he is not yet out of -danger. - -_Saturday, May_ 13_th._ - -The doctors say Housman is out of danger. - -_Monday, May_ 15_th._ - -Cunninghame says Housman will recover. He has been very bad indeed. The -doctors say that it is entirely due to Mrs Housmans nursing that he has -pulled through. - -_Saturday, May_ 20_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman at Hendon. I was allowed to see Housman for a -few minutes. He likes visitors. Mrs Housman looked tired. Cunninghame -says that Housman has a weak heart. That was the danger. - -_Saturday, June_ 10_th._ - -The Housmans have gone to Brighton for a fortnight. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, May_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I am delighted to hear you and Jack are coming to London so soon, but -very sad of course that you won't be going back to Paris. But I believe -Copenhagen is a delightful post, and they say it always leads to -something. - -Perhaps you will let me come and stay with you in the summer? - - Yrs. - G. - - - - _Saturday, June_ 10_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Your letter made me laugh a great deal. I expect you will get to like -the place. I am writing this from Rosedale, where I am in the middle of -a large musical and artistic party, one painter, two novelists, and two -pianists. They all hate each other like poison, and it is pain to all -the others when one of them performs. But the rest of us are enjoying it -immensely, and Lady Jarvis is being splendid. The Housmans have gone to -Brighton for a fortnight. Bert is quite well again, but Mrs Housman -looks fearfully ill. - -Write to me again soon. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - - - _Monday, June_ 26_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Oakley, the Housmans' place, near Hendon. He -has quite recovered, and everything was going on there just as usual. -Jimmy Randall was there, and Mrs Fairburn. Housman said nothing about -the summer, but Mrs Housman told me she was not going to Cornwall this -year. I asked her if she was going to stay all the summer at Oakley, -the Hendon house. She said that Housman had hired a yacht for the summer -and asked several people. She said she couldn't bear steam yachting with -a large party, and she has taken a small house on the west coast of -Ireland, with Lady Jarvis. They would be there quite alone; she was -going there quite soon: "Albert would probably go to France." - -She told me Housman had wanted to take the house in Cornwall and ask us -all again, but that she had told him this was impossible. - -George has seen her once or twice, and he is of course happier, but -things are where they were. She won't think of divorcing. - -I shall start for Copenhagen at the end of July. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Tuesday, June_ 27_th._ London. - -Housman has asked me to go to Oakley next Saturday. He has asked A. -also. - -_Wednesday, June_ 28_th._ London. - -Dined with A. and his sister. A. said he would be unable to go to Oakley -next week. He had some people staying with him. - -_Thursday, June_ 29_th._ London. - -Dined with Aunt Ruth. Apparently Gertrude is still annoyed at the Caryls -having got Copenhagen. She complains of this weekly. - -_Friday, June_ 30_th._ London. - -Solway is staying the night with me, his concert is to-morrow afternoon. - -_Saturday, July_ 1_st_. London. - -Went with Mrs Housman to Solway's concert in the afternoon, and she -drove me down to Hendon afterwards in her motor. Mrs Housman is going -to spend the summer in Ireland. - -_Sunday, July_ 2_nd. Oakley (near Hendon)_. - -Mrs Fairburn and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Mrs Housman leaves -to-morrow for Ireland. - - * * * * * - -_Saturday, October_ 28_th. London, Gray's Inn_. - -Mrs Housman returns from Ireland to-day. She spends Sunday in London, -and goes to Oakley, near Hendon, on Wednesday. I have not heard one word -from Mrs Housman since her long absence in Ireland. - -_Sunday, October_ 29_th._ - -Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon. Ireland has done her a great -deal of good, and she looks quite refreshed and rested. - -She asked after A. I told her he was due to arrive from Scotland -to-morrow, and that we expected him at the office. She asked me if I was -going to stay with Lady Jarvis next Saturday. She said we would meet -there. She said nothing about her plans for the future. - -_Monday, October_ 30_th._ - -A. has arrived from Scotland, and Cunninghame from Copenhagen, where he -has been staying for the last three months with his cousin. I called on -Lady Jarvis. She told me she thought Mrs Housman would not remain long -in England. She might go to Italy again. - -_Tuesday, October_ 31_st_. - -A. is going to Rosedale on Saturday. - -_Wednesday, November_ 1_st_. - -Dined with A. and Cunninghame. We went to a music hall after dinner. - -_Thursday, November_ 2_nd_. - -Cunninghame and I went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. When Cunninghame -said he had been at Copenhagen, Aunt Ruth said that she knew, of course, -Caryl was a brilliant diplomatist, but that Edmund Anstruther ought to -have had the post. Uncle Arthur said: "What, Edmund? Copenhagen? He -would have got us into war with the Danes." - -_Friday, November_ 3_rd_. - -Dined alone with A. He asked after Mrs Housman's health. - -_Saturday, November_ 4_th. Rosedale_. - -A.. Cunninghame, myself, and Mrs Vaughan are here. The Housmans were -unable to come at the last moment. - -_Monday, November_ 6_th._ - -Housman asked me to go to Oakley on Saturday, November 25th. Mrs -Housman has gone to Folkestone for a fortnight to stay with Miss -Housman. Cunninghame says that Housman and his sister have quarrelled, -and that she no longer goes to the house. - -_Saturday, November_ 25_th. Oakley_. - -Lady Jarvis, A. and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Cunninghame comes -down to-morrow for the day. Housman was obliged to go to Paris on -urgent business for a few days. - -_Sunday, November_ 26_th._ - -Cunninghame and Carrington-Smith played golf. I went for a walk with -Lady Jarvis. - -_Monday, November_ 27_th._ - -Dined with A. and went to the play, a farce. A. enjoyed it immensely. I -have written to Aunt Ruth to tell her I shall not be able to go there -this year. I shall remain in London, as Riley wishes to spend Christmas -with me. - -_Tuesday, November_ 28_th._ - -Dined with Lady Jarvis. Mrs Housman has gone back to Folkestone. She -stays there till Christmas, then she returns to London. - -A. is going abroad for Christmas. - -_Wednesday, December_ 20_th._ - -A. goes to Paris to-morrow night. Cunninghame is going to spend -Christmas with the Housmans at Oakley. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - HALKIN STREET, - _Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -As you see, I write from London. All my plans have been upset by an -unexpected catastrophe. I will try and begin at the beginning and tell -you everything in order as clearly as possible, but the fact is I am so -bewildered by everything that has happened that I find it difficult to -think clearly and to write at all. - -I think I told you in my last letter that Housman asked me to spend -Christmas with them at Oakley. I was to go down yesterday, Thursday, and -George was going to Paris by the night train. I think I told you, too, -that ever since we stayed at Oakley in November, George has been a -_changed man_ and in the highest spirits. On Thursday we had luncheon -together. I thought it rather odd that he should be going to Paris, but -he said he was tired of England and felt that he must have a change. I -wondered what this meant. I could have imagined his wanting to go away -if he had been like he was before, that is to say miserable, but now -that he seemed to be enjoying life it was rather extraordinary. I said I -was going to Oakley. He said nothing, and talked about his journey. -After luncheon he went to the office to give Mellor some final -instructions. He said he might be away for some time. I left him there -at about half-past three. I asked him why he was going by the night -train, and he said he hated a day in the train and always slept well in -the train at night. I said good-bye and went down to Oakley in a taxi. -Housman had not arrived, and the butler (who has taken the place of the -nice parlour-maid there used to be at Campden Hill) told me that Mrs -Housman had gone up to London. Her maid thought she was staying the -night at Garland's Hotel, but he, the butler, knew nothing of her -arrangements. This astonished me, but I supposed there were no servants -at Campden Hill. At a quarter to five Housman arrived in a motor with -Carrington-Smith. He looked more yellow than usual. I met him in the -hall and while we were talking the butler gave him a letter which he -said Mrs Housman had left for him. He said we would have tea at once in -the drawing-room. Then he said to Carrington-Smith: "I just want to show -you that thing," and to me: "We will be with you in one minute." He took -Carrington-Smith into his study and I went into the drawing-room. Tea -was brought in. I again tried the butler and asked him whether Mrs -Housman was coming back to-morrow morning. He said that she had left no -instructions, but Mr Housman was probably aware of her intentions. He -went out and almost directly I heard someone shouting and bells ringing, -violently. Carrington-Smith was calling me. I ran out and met him in -the hall; he said Housman had had a stroke, he thought it was fatal. - -It was like a thing on the stage. A breathless telephone to the doctor. -The motor sent to fetch him. Servants scurrying with blanched faces. -Housman lying on the sofa in the study, his collar undone, his face -ghastly. - -Carrington-Smith said: "We must telephone to Campden Hill for Mrs -Housman." - -I said: "She isn't there." Then told him about Garland's Hotel. He -seemed _dumbfounded_, sent for the butler, who confirmed this, and then -got on to the Hotel. Mrs Housman was in. He spoke to her and told her -Housman was dangerously ill and she must come at once. He said he would -get on to Miss Housman and tell her to bring Mrs Housman down in her -motor. This was arranged and he told Miss Housman the whole facts. In -the meantime the doctor arrived--an Australian. He examined Housman and -said it was heart failure and that he had always feared this. They had -known he had a weak heart after his last illness. It might have happened -any day. - -Then Carrington-Smith told me how it had happened. When they went into -the study Housman had sat down at his writing-table and read a letter -through twice quite slowly, torn it up and thrown it into the fire. He -had then said: "We will go," and at that moment fallen back and -collapsed on the sofa. - -He told me that Housman had had a terrific row with Mrs Fairburn -yesterday and had talked of nothing else on the way down. Probably the -letter was from her, he said. I said: "Yes, very likely"; but as a -matter of fact I knew it was from Mrs Housman. He had not noticed that, -or if he had he was lying on purpose. - -Mrs Housman and Miss Housman arrived about six. Mrs Housman almost -_frighteningly_ calm. - -She wanted to know every detail. She had a talk with Carrington-Smith -alone and then I saw her for a moment before going away. She asked me if -I had seen Housman before he died. Then she made all the arrangements -herself. I went back to London by train. - -I don't know what to think. Why did she go to London? Why did she stay -at Garland's Hotel? The Campden Hill house isn't shut up. Miss Housman -talked about going there. Did the letter which she left for Housman play -a part in the tragedy? - -I sent George a telegram. Possibly you may see him. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -I was rung up last night by Cunninghame, who had returned to London -unexpectedly. He had bad news to tell me. A tragedy had occurred at -Oakley and Housman had died suddenly of a heart attack. Mrs Housman was -informed at once and reached Oakley an hour after the tragedy occurred. - -Cunninghame has informed A. by telegram. - -Not unconnected with this tragic event a small incident has occurred to -me which leaves me stunned. - -I have unwittingly violated A.'s confidence, and as it were looked -through a keyhole into his private affairs. I am literally appalled by -what I have done. But after reviewing every detail and living again -every moment of yesterday, I do not see how I could have acted -otherwise than I did, nor do I see how things could have happened -differently. - -These are the facts: - -A. arrived at the office at half-past three on Thursday afternoon with -Cunninghame. Cunninghame left him. - -A. remained in his room until five o'clock, writing letters. - -At five he sent for me and told me he was leaving for Paris that night -by the night train. Tuke, he said, had gone on his holiday. He asked me -if I was going away. I said I should be in London during all the -Christmas holidays, as I had a friend staying with me. He said he would -most probably be away for some time, and he would be obliged if I could -look in at the office every now and then. He had told the clerks to -forward letters, but he wanted me to make sure they did not forward -circulars or any other useless documents to him. I was to open all -telegrams, whether private or not, and not to forward them unless they -were of real importance. "But," he said, "there won't be any telegrams. -Don't forward me invitations to luncheon or dinner." - -This morning I went to the office. There was a telegram for A. The clerk -gave it to me. I opened it. It had been sent off originally at five -yesterday afternoon and redirected from Stratton Street. Its contents -were: "Albert dangerously ill. Fear worst. Cannot come. Clare." - -I forwarded it to the Hotel Meurice. He will know of course that I have -read it. I read it at one glance before I realised its nature. Then it -was too late. And so unwittingly I am guilty of the greatest breach of -confidence that I could possibly have committed. - -It was a fatality that this telegram should have missed him. The clerks -say he left the office soon after I did, a little after five. They say -the telegram did not reach the office till later. They didn't know where -A. was and he had told them not to forward any telegrams till I had -seen them. I remember his saying that he was not returning to his flat. -That he was dining at a club and going straight from thereto the -station, where his servant would meet him. I am truly appalled by what I -have done, but the more I think over it, the less I see how it could -have been otherwise. - -I had some conversation with Cunninghame on the telephone last night. He -had been talking to Lady Jarvis on the telephone. She had at once -offered to go to Oakley, but Mrs Housman said she would rather see no -one at present. - -Cunninghame went down to Rosedale at her urgent request this morning. He -did not call at the office on the way. - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - ROSEDALE, - _Friday, December_ 22_nd_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came down here early this morning. Lady Jarvis heard the news from -Miss Housman last night and at once offered to go, but Mrs Housman said -she would rather see no one at present. Carrington-Smith was making all -the arrangements. The funeral is to be on Tuesday. I told Lady Jarvis -about Mrs Housman being in London. She said Mrs Housman often went up to -Garland's Hotel. She found it a complete rest and the house at Campden -Hill was very cold and there was no cook there. Lady Jarvis said it was -the most natural thing in the world. I told her about the letter. She -said Mrs Housman had no doubt written to Housman saying she had gone to -Garland's Hotel and was coming back. I also told her what -Carrington-Smith had said about Mrs Fairburn. She said: "That was it. -It was those terrible scenes which used to shatter him and no doubt -caused his death." Lady Jarvis says it will be a shock to Mrs Housman in -spite of everything. The fact of Housman having made her very unhappy, -or rather of her having been very unhappy as his wife, will make no -difference to the shock. Lately Lady Jarvis says he had made things very -difficult for her. Mrs Fairburn was always there. - -One can't help thinking--well you know, I needn't explain. I wonder what -will happen in the future. I have heard nothing from George yet. There -is no one here. Housman must have left an enormous fortune. He was very -canny about his investments, and very lucky too. Randall told me he had -almost doubled his fortune in the last three years, and he was rich -enough to start with. - - Yours, - G. - -_P.S._.--Lady Jarvis' explanation of the letter does not quite satisfy, -but what _did_ happen? What does it all mean? - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, January_ 1_st_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I came up to-day for good. I went to Housman's funeral last Tuesday. Mrs -Housman went down to Rosedale directly after the funeral. She is going -to Florence next week and means to stay on there indefinitely. George -has come back. He never wrote and I did not hear from him till he -arrived at the office this morning. He is just the same as usual except -for being subtly different. - -Housman left everything to her. - - Yrs. - G. - -_P.S._--I told Godfrey everything that had happened at Oakley. He said -_nothing._ He appears incapable of discussing the matter. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Monday, January_ 1_st_, 1912. - -A. arrived last night from Paris. He came to the office and he thanked -me for what I had done in his absence. "Everything was quite right," he -said. He conveyed to me without saying anything that I need not distress -myself about the telegram and that he still trusted me. - -He did not mention Mrs Housman nor the death of Housman. - -_Wednesday, February_ 28_th_. - -I heard to-day from Mrs Housman. She tells me she has entered the -Convent of the Presentation and intends to be a nun. I cannot say the -news surprised me, but to hear of the death in life of anyone one knows -well, is almost worse I think than to hear of their death. - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, February_ 28_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just had a short letter from Lady Jarvis telling me that Mrs -Housman is going to be a nun. I have not set eyes on her since Housmans -funeral, and have only heard of her, and that not much, from time to -time from Lady Jarvis. - -I confess I am completely bewildered, and I hope you won't be shocked if -I tell you that I' can't help thinking it rather _selfish_. Do as I -will, I cannot see any possible reason for her taking such a step. Mrs -Housman seems to me the last person in the world who ought to be a nun. -Whether it will make her happy or not, I am afraid there is no doubt -that she will be causing a lot of intense misery. George is worse than -ever. He hasn't in the least got over it, and he never will, I feel -sure. He knows what has happened, but he can't even bring himself to -talk about it. I think he must have known of it for some time. In any -case he hasn't for one moment emerged from the real fog of gloom and -misery that has wrapped him up ever since Christmas. - -What is so extraordinary is that just before Christmas he was in radiant -spirits after all those months of sadness! - -I can't see that it _can_ be right, however good the motive, to destroy -and shatter someone's life! - -His life _is_ destroyed, shattered and shipwrecked! We must just face -that. - -I tried to think that we had always been wrong and that my first -impressions were right, that she had never really cared for him. But I -know this is not true. You will forgive me saying that I think your -religion has a terribly hard and cruel side. Nobody appreciates more -than I do all its good points, and nobody knows better than I do what a -lot of good is often done by Catholics. But it is just this sort of -thing that makes one _revolt_. - -I was reading Boswell last night before going to bed, and I came across -this sentence: "Madam," Dr Johnson said, to a nun in a convent, "you are -here not from love of virtue, but from fear of vice." Even this is not a -satisfactory explanation in Mrs Housmans case. It is obvious that she -had nothing to fear from vice. I can't help thinking she has been the -victim of an inexorable system and of a training which bends the human -mind into a twisted shape that can never be altered or put straight. - -Frankly, I think it is _more_ than sad, I think it is positively -_wicked_; not on her part, but on the part of those who have led her to -take such a mistaken view of ordinary human duty. After all, even if she -wants to be a nun, isn't it her duty to stay in the world? Isn't it a -more difficult duty? What is one's duty to one's neighbour? Forgive me -for saying all this. You know in my case that it isn't inspired by -prejudice. - -It is cruel to think that most probably George will never get over this, -and that she has sacrificed the certain happiness of two human beings -and the chance of doing any amount of good in the world. What for? For -nothing as far as I can see that can't be much better done by people far -more fitted to that kind of vocation. I am too sad to write any more. - - Yrs. - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Thursday, March_ 1_st_. - -I dined alone with Cunninghame at his flat last night. He had heard the -news about Mrs Housman. He was greatly upset about it, and thought it -very selfish. I said I believed the step was not irrevocable, as one had -to stay some time in a convent before taking final vows. - -He said: "That is just what I want to talk about, just what I want to -know. How long must one stay exactly?" - -I said I did not know, but I could find out. He said I want you to find -out all about it as soon as possible. A., he said, was in a dreadful -state. He had dined with him last night. He had said very little; -nothing personal, not a word about what he felt about it, but he had -asked him, Cunninghame, whether he knew what the rules were about taking -the veil. - -C. said he did not believe Mrs Housman would take an irrevocable -decision. He had told A. he would find out all about it. I could of -course ask Riley, but I don't know whether he would know. - -I decided I would apply to Father Stanway, the priest I met at Carbis -Bay, for information. I wrote to him, saying I wished to consult him on -a matter, and suggested going down to Cornwall on Saturday and spending -Sunday at Carbis Bay. - -_Friday, March_ 2_nd_. - -Received a telegram from Father Stanway, saying that he will not be in -Cornwall this week-end, but in London, where he will be staying four or -five days; and suggesting our meeting on Sunday afternoon. I sent him a -telegram asking him to luncheon on Sunday. - -_Sunday, March_ 4_th._ - -Father Stanway came to luncheon with me at the Club, and we talked of -the topics of the day. After luncheon I suggested a walk in the park. -We went for a walk in Kensington Gardens. I asked him first for the -information about the nuns. He said, as far as he could say off-hand, it -entailed six months' postulancy, two years' "Habit and White Veil," -three years' _simple_ vows of profession; and then solemn perpetual -vows. But he said he could write to a convent and get it quite accurate -for me. In any case he knew it was a matter of five years. - -I then said I would like, if he did not mind, to have his opinion on a -case which I had come across. He said he would be pleased to listen. - -I then told him the whole Housman story as a skeleton case, not -mentioning names, and calling the people X. and Y. Very possibly he knew -who I was talking about, almost certainly I think, although he never -betrayed this for a moment. I felt the knowledge, if there were -knowledge, would be as safe as though given in the confessional. I told -him everything, including a detailed account of Housman's death which -Cunninghame had given me. I referred to Housman as X., to Mrs Housman as -Mrs X. and to A. as Y. - -I then asked him if he thought Mrs X. was justified in taking such a -step, and whether it would not be nobler, a more unselfish course, to -remain in the world and to make Y. happy. - -I asked him whether, in his opinion, people would be justified in -calling Mrs X.'s step, were it to turn out to be irrevocable, a -_selfish_ act. - -And, thirdly, I asked if in the case of Mrs X. changing her mind she -would be allowed by the Church to marry Y. - -Father Stanway said if I wished to understand the question I must try -and turn my mind round, as it were, and start from the point of view -that what the world considers all-important the Church considers of no -importance _if it interferes with what God thinks important_. He said I -must start by remembering that Mrs X.'s conduct proceeded from that -idea--what was important in the eyes of God: she believed in God -_practically_ and not merely theoretically. This belief was the cardinal -fact and the compass of her life. He added that this did not mean the -Church was unsympathetic. No one understood human nature as well as she -did, nobody met it as she did at every point. That was why she helped it -to rise superior to its weakness and to do what it saw to be really -best. He said it was no disgrace to be weak, and vows helped one to do -what might be difficult without them. - -Then he said that if Mrs X. felt she was called to the religious life, -this vocation was the result of supernatural Grace; that she would not -be thinking of what was delightful or convenient to her, but of what was -pleasing and honourable to God. She was bound to follow the appointment -of God, if she felt certain that was His appointment, rather than her -own desire, and before anything she desired. - -Here I said the objection made (and I quoted Cunninghame without -mentioning him) was that her desire might be for the calm and security -of the religious life; but might it not be her duty, possibly a more -difficult, a more unselfish and less pleasant duty, to stay in the world -and not to shatter the happiness of another human being? - -Father Stanway then said it was very easy to delude oneself in most -things, but not in following a religious vocation. One might in _not_ -following it. It would be easy to pretend to oneself one was staying in -the world for someone else's sake. One's merely earthly happiness was -not a reason for _not_ following a vocation, nor was anyone else's, -because the religious life belonged not to things temporal but to things -eternal. However, if it were her duty to remain in the world she would -feel no call to leave the world. It was impossible for a human being to -gauge the vocation of another human being. A vocation was a -"categorical imperative" to the soul, and there was no mistaking its -presence. Mrs X. would know for certain after she had spent some time in -the Convent, she probably knew already, whether or no what she felt was -a vocation or not. Nobody else could judge, though her Director might -help her to decide. He would certainly not allow her to stay if he felt -she had no vocation. - -I said: "So, if after she has lived through her first period, or any -period of probation, she feels uncertain as to her vocation, there would -be no objection to her leaving the religious life, and marrying Y.? -Would the Church then allow her to marry Y., and allow her to go back to -the world, knowing she would in all probability marry Y.?" - -Father Stanway said: "Of course, and the Church would allow her to marry -Y. now." - -I said, perhaps a little impatiently: "Then why doesn't she?" - -"I think," said Father Stanway, "you are a musician, Mr Mellor?" - -I said music was my one and sole hobby. - -He said he would try and express himself in terms of harmony. - -"Perhaps Mrs X. has a great sense of harmony herself," he said. "If she -married Y. that would make a legitimate harmony certainly. But her very -feeling for the _full_ harmony of life would make it impossible" (and he -said this with startling emphasis) "_for her to use X.'s death as a -means for doing rightly what she had meant to do wrongly_, for her -intention to do it wrongly had in a measure caused his death. Within -the harmony of her marriage the memory of that discord would always be -present. And perhaps she is a woman who is able to have a vision of -perfect love and harmony. In that case she could not put up with an -imperfect one. She is now free to enter upon a perfect harmony and love, -by marrying Christ, which I imagine she always wanted to do, even in -the normal married state, in fact by means of the normal married state, -for it is a Sacrament and unites the soul to God by Grace. - -"But I understand from you that her marriage was such a travesty of -marriage that she felt she couldn't worship Christ through that, and so -swung across and decided she couldn't be in relation with Him at all. -Then comes this catastrophe and the pendulum swings back and stops up. - -"There is nothing selfish about this. For all we know it was the will of -God that all this should happen (the shipwreck of her marriage, Y.'s -love and present misery) solely to make her vocation certain, and as far -as Y. is concerned we don't know the end. Even from the worldly point of -view we don't know whether his marriage with Mrs X. would have made for -his ultimate happiness or for hers. His present unhappiness may be an -essential note in the full and total harmony of _his_ life. It may be a -beginning and not an end. It may lead him to some eventual happiness, it -may be welding his nature and his life for some undreamed-of purpose, a -purpose which he may afterwards be led to recognise and bless 'with -tears of recognition.' If Mrs X. is certain of her vocation, and -continues to be certain of it, you can be sure she is right, and that -whatever the world says it will be wrong. - -"The only way in which peace comes to the human soul is in accepting the -will of God, 'In la sua volontate e nostra pace.' - -"Mrs X. knows that, and perhaps Y. is on the road to learning it. I -daresay Mrs X. may have an element of fear of life _too_, but it will -thin out and float off and away from her; her act in choosing the -religious life will not be an escape nor a _flight_, but a positive -acceptance of the love of Christ. She is getting to and at the -mysterious spiritual thing which is in music, and which is as different -from sounds as sounds are different from printed notes. It is you -musicians who know." - -I said that although I did not pretend to understand the whole thing, -and the whole nature of the motive, I could understand that it could be -as he said, and I thanked him, telling him that I for one should never -cavil at her act nor criticise it, but always understand that there was -something to understand, although probably it would always be beyond my -understanding. - -I felt during all this conversation that the real problem was not why -she had become a nun, but what terrible thing had happened inside her -mind to make her take that step at Christmas, and decide on what seemed -to contradict all her life so far. - -I said something about religion not affecting conduct in a crisis. -Father Stanway seemed to read my thoughts. He said: "After a long stress -sometimes a tiny accident will suffice to make a nerve snap _suddenly_. -I should say that in this case long stress had pushed and pushed a soul -out of its real shape and pattern; an unknown factor sufficed to force -it into a coherent but false pattern; a new shock sufficed to liberate -it wholly and let it fall back into its original _true_ pattern. That -may account for half of it." - -_Wednesday, March_ 7_th._ - -I dined alone with Cunninghame last night, and told him what I had -ascertained respecting the rules for the period of probation of nuns. He -appeared to be relieved. I warned him that Mrs Housman's step might very -well prove to be irrevocable, as I didn't think she was a person to -change her mind easily. He said: "That's what I am afraid of. They never -do let people go. I feel that once in a convent they will never let her -go. But it will be a relief to A. to know that the step is not yet -irrevocable." - - - - -_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Wednesday, March_ 7_th_. - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Godfrey dined with me last night. I feel he thinks that Mrs Housmans -step will be irrevocable, although he didn't actually say so. He said he -didn't pretend to understand it, but he was convinced she knew best. I -talked of George's acute misery. He said it was all very difficult to -understand, and I saw he didn't want to discuss it, so I didn't say any -more. I feel he knows something that we don't know, but what? He told me -that he knew on good authority that going into Convent doesn't mean she -takes the veil for five years. An R.C. who knows all about it had told -him. I suppose this is right? Do ask a priest. I have seen George once -or twice. I don't talk about it to him. In fact, the rules about nuns -is the only point that has been mentioned between us as I see he simply -can't talk about it. He looks ten years older. - - Yours, - G. - - - - - LONDON, - _Monday, March_ 12_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -Thank you very much for your letter and for the detailed information. I -told George at once that you had confirmed what Godfrey had said, and he -was really relieved. But he doesn't yet look like a man who has had a -_reprieve_, only a respite. - -I feel that he feels it is all over, but personally I shall go on -hoping. - -Lady Jarvis is away. - -I long to talk about it with her. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, August_ 19_th. Rosedale_. - -I am staying with Lady Jarvis. There is no one here but myself and -Cunninghame. She told us she had heard from Mrs Housman, who has -finished her postulancy and received the novice's white veil. - -She had seen her. She says she is quite certain that it is irrevocable -and that Mrs Housman will never change her mind now. - -Cunninghame said he had hoped up till now this would not happen (though -he had always feared it might happen) and that Mrs Housman would think -better of it. He thought it very wrong and selfish and quite inexcusable -on the part of the Church authorities. - -Lady Jarvis said it must appear so to him. She herself would have no -sympathy with a vocation such as this one must appear to be to the -world in general, and even to people who knew Mrs Housman well, like -Cunninghame and myself; so Mrs Housman's act had not surprised her. - -"But," said Cunninghame, "do you approve of it?" - -"The person concerned," said Lady Jarvis, "is the only judge in such a -matter. Nobody else has the right to judge. It's a sacred thing, and the -approval or disapproval of an outsider is I think simply impertinent." - -We then talked of it no more. But in the afternoon I went out for a walk -with Lady Jarvis and she reverted to the question. - -She said: "I hope you understand I'm so far from disapproving of Clare's -act. I understand it and approve of it; but I don't expect you or anyone -else to do the same." - -I said she need not have told me that. I knew it already. - -She then said: "Clare knew you would understand, even if you didn't -understand." - -I said that was my exact position: "I did not understand, but I knew -there was something to understand, and that therefore she was right." - - - - -_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_ - - LONDON, - _Monday, August_ 10_th._ - -DEAREST ELSIE, - -I have just come back from Rosedale. There is no one there except -Godfrey. Lady Jarvis told us that Mrs Housman has finished the first -period you told me about, and has taken the veil, though it isn't -irrevocable yet, but for all intents and purposes it is, as we are all -certain now that she will never leave the Convent. You know what I think -about it. I haven't changed my mind, but Lady Jarvis doesn't disapprove, -or is too loyal to say so. - -George knows, he is going to Ireland with his sister. - -I can't help thinking it is all a great, a wicked mistake, and I can't -help still thinking it _selfish_. - -George talked about Mrs Housman, at least he just alluded to her having -become a nun, as if it were a fact and quite irrevocable. He said: "Once -the priests get hold of someone they will never let them go, and in this -case it was a regular conspiracy." But somehow or other this did not -seem to me to ring quite true, from _him_, and I felt he was using this -as a shield or a disguise or mask. I said so to Godfrey, but found it -impossible to get any response. He won't talk about it. - - Yours, - G. - - - - -_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ - - -_Sunday, August_ 26_th. Carbis Bay Hotel_. - -I have come down here to spend a week by myself. It is three years ago -since I came here for the first time to stay with Mr and Mrs Housman. - -I hesitated about coming down here again, but I am now glad that I did -so. - -I went to Father Stanway's church this morning and heard him preach. He -is a good preacher, clear and unaffected. He quoted two sayings which -struck me. One was about going away from earthly solace, and the other I -cannot remember well enough to transcribe, but I have written him a post -card asking who said them and where I could find them. - -In the afternoon I went for a walk alone along the cliffs and passed the -place where we began _Les Miserables_. I am re-reading it, not where we -left off, but from the beginning. - -_Monday, August_ 27_th_. - -Father Stanway called this morning while I was out. He has left me the -quotations on a card. - -They are both from Thomas a Kempis. One of them is this: "By so much the -more does a man draw nigh to God as he goes away from all earthly -solace." The other: "Whosoever is not ready to suffer all things and to -stand resigned to the will of his beloved is not worthy to be called a -lover." - -_Tuesday, August_ 28_th_. - -I have resolved to give up keeping this diary. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Passing By, by Maurice Baring - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PASSING BY *** - -***** This file should be named 42702.txt or 42702.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/7/0/42702/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org -(Images generously made available by the Internet Archive -- Cornell University) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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