This transcript reproduces Eileen Younghusband's writing as accurately as possible, including errors of spelling and punctuation. When personal and place names are misspelt, we have attempted to include the correct versions of the names in square brackets [ ] after the misspelling.

The language and opinions found in the diaries reflect the ideas, attitudes and events of the period. Some of the terminology and language used at that time may cause offence today but the content has been made available unedited. We hope that the context of the material will be taken into account and apologise for any offence caused.

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Suggested citation for this volume: Diary 15, Jun-Oct 1924; Eileen Younghusband archive, Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick (MSS.463/EY/J15)

Images of the original diaryLink opens in a new window are available through Warwick Digital Collections.

Monday June 23rd.

Tuesday June 3rd. I woke at 9.30 dressed very hastily and had breakfast and then went to have a music lesson after that I changed my book at the library and walked along Regent St. looking at the shops and then went to luncheon with Kathleen who was most hilarious, she had a friend called Rose Sparrow staying with her & after luncheon we telephoned to Anne to come along and all went along the Kings Road buying huge bags of fruit and lettices for her Derby party the next day and making tremendous jokes. I went to tea with Peggy and she told me about a row shes having with Gus Blackburn. I came back by the 6.34. Anna rang up about 8.45 to say would I go up again that evening and stay the night with them for the Derby Party the next day. We had great discussions about it and finally decided not to go which I was glad of in the end though not at the time because they had the most appaling weather a solid downpour and their bus stuck in the mud so they had to go back by train.

I found a letter from Aunt Bobs waiting for me asking me to go to Grove Place for Whitsun which pleased me very much.

Wednesday June 4th I practised and did odds and ends all day and for the first part of the day wished I had gone to the DerbyLink opens in a new window and for the second half was very glad I hadn't.

Thursday June 5th There was a rehearsal of the dancing at 2.30 but Edith never turned up with the music so we had to do our best without it and then go up to Chart's Edge for a rehearsal of the play

Friday June 6th I went to London by the 10.40 & was met at Charing X [ Cross ] by Miss Collins who took me and my luggage to Tilney St. The car came after I had been there a few minutes and took me to meet Aunt Bobs & Joan and Tony who were shopping at Selfridge. We had luncheon amidst great excitements of Cast packings and stacks of boxes in the hall and then all set off to Waterloo to catch the 2.30 to Southampton. The train was packed but we had two first class reserved carriages which we stepped leisurely into at the last moment. I dying of it all completely as Anna would say. We arrived at Groves PlaceLink opens in a new window at about 5 o'c to find a lovely sunny evening and the garden looking too glorious with irises, lupins wisteria, eremurus, catmint and rhododendrums, and roses and delphiniums just beginning. The children were all wild with excitement tearing about to see their rabbits and chickens and gardens and inventing a great game of hiding which consisted mainly in making me run as fast as possible whenever we saw Uncle Oswald and Aunt Bobs coming! We went to bed fairly early. I had the same room as when I stayed there last eight years ago.

Saturday June 7th. Very soon after breakfast I was pounced on by the children to come and give them swings and play sand castles.

Uncle Vesey arrived for the week-end at luncheon time. In the afternoon Aunt Bobs, the children, Miss Collins and I went to call on some people about 8 miles away; we went for a drive while she was with them and then came back and picked her up.

We picked flowers and played with the children after tea.

Sunday June 8th. I played with the children all the morning. Uncle Oswald and Uncle Vesey went fishing. Aunt Bobs and I talked and worked most of the afternoon and it rained intermittently. I played cricket with the children after tea. TonyLink opens in a new window is very attractive and terribly strong willed.

Monday June 9th. I again played with the children and tried to write a letter or two. In the afternoon Aunt Bobs, the children, Miss Collins and I went for a drive in the New Forest. I had never been there before and thought it too lovely for words; we got out of the car at one place and picked orchids.

A lady came over after tea to see the garden. Anne said to me "I don't like her, shes a rabbit-lady".

Uncle Vesey played a patience after dinner and we all grew sleepier and sleepier waiting for him to finish.

Aunt Bobs came along to my room while I was dressing for dinner and gave me a very pretty stone grey and fawn coloured knitted frock.

Tuesday June 10th. Uncle Vesey left in the morning. The children and I played cricket till Tony bowled gloomily and refused to play because he couldn't bat and bowl at the same time. So after that we hunted for caterpillars. In the afternoon Miss Collins and the children and I went over to Beaulieu and went all over the AbbeyLink opens in a new window which must have been huge and very beautiful when the monks were there but is now only a ruin.

Aunt Bobs sketched in the evening and I watched her and then Uncle Oswald and I went for a walk, I was horrified as we were starting to discover my pearl brooch had disappeared. Everyone hunted high and low for it but with no success.

After dinner I started to make a jumper in a Fair Island pattern with some very pretty silky wool in shades of browns and fawns and orange which Aunt Bobs gave me.

Wednesday June 11th. I played about with the children most of the morning and hunted for my brooch. After luncheon Aunt Bobs sent the children and Miss Collins and me back to Beaulieu to look there for it. We went all round the way we had been the day before and suddenly I saw it laying right in the middle of a path, it really was wonderful to get it back again. Tony asked most intelligent questions about the monastery and the monks and was most interested in them and to know how the monastery had looked before it became a ruin.

A nice Captain and Mrs Elliot came to tea, he is the agent at Broadlands.Link opens in a new window

We played cricket after tea; Anne was running along with the cricket stumps when she fell, I came along and found her lying crumpled up on the grass saying she'd hurt her leg and couldn't move so I rushed for Miss Collins and we rolled her onto an oilskin, then I ran down the garden for Aunt Bobs and we all made an encampment by Anne and sat there waiting for the doctor to come. Tony was very useful running to fetch rugs and cushions and finally he fetched the long antimacassar from the sofa in the hall spread it over Anne and said "I've brought this to make you look smarty". By the time the doctor came Anne's leg was swollen to an enormous size. We got her in-doors and he gave her electric treatment and then we carried her upstairs and got her to bed. Meanwhile Aunt Bobs' maid was taken ill and about 10.30 she went purple in the face and they thought she was dying so the doctor had to be sent for again and none of us got to bed till nearly midnight.

Thursday June 12th. Uncle Oswald and I motored over to Romsey in the morning to interview someone about some fishing he wants to take.

The doctor came to see Anne and said that owing to the swelling in her knee he couldn't feel what was wrong and she must be X rayed to see if any bones were broken or cracked so with great difficulty we got her dressed and into the car and took her into Southampton where she was X rayed and luckily no bones were broken. We did a little shopping and then came back to a late tea.

Friday June 13th. I left by the 11.18. Uncle Oswald and Aunt Bobs and Joan and Tony all came to the station to see me off and Uncle Oswald gave me my 1st class ticket to London and 5/- for other expenses. I felt very sorry at leaving, I had enjoyed being there enormously and they were all so kind.

I got back here at 3.19 and tore straight off to Chart's Edge for a rehearsal of "Henry VIII", Miss LallyLink opens in a new window was ill so Mrs Streatfeild directed things. It was freezing cold and we all shivered and thought how dreadful it would be if it was like that for the performance next week.

Mummy was alone when I got back as Daddie didn't appear till the 10.36.

Tuesday July 1st.

Saturday June 14th. Betty arrived for the week-end by the 12.31. After luncheon we went along to Mrs Farnworth and helped her with her dress for "Henry VIII". There was a rehearsal of the pageant outside the Women's InstituteLink opens in a new window in the evening to which I had to go and when it was over we went for a walk on the Chart.

Sunday June 15th. We all went to Church in the morning and in the afternoon Betty and I started off for a picnic in Squerryes. We sat down very frequently as it was grillingly hot and at one point I went to sleep and slept for nearly 1 1/2 hours with my head on the "New Statesman" leaving poor Betty nothing but a very dull book! We finally reached the rhododendruns which were marvellous, seething masses of them all through the valley. We got home in time for dinner.

Monday June 16th. Betty left by the 10.40. I had an early luncheon and went up to Chart's Edge for the dress rehearsal of "Henry VIII" I wore the very pretty green dress lent me by Miss Swan's sister. The setting of the play was extremely pretty, on two sides were a mass of pale mauve rhododendrans and at the back was a curtain dyed to match the rhodos and with the arms of England worked on it in crimson & gold. Miss Lally was there looking very ill. We were allowed to watch the play till our own scenes came along and it was really lovely at times with the brilliantly coloured processions coming along in the sunlight. Miss Lally got very excited at times and used very bad language which seems to have annoyed some people. We were at it from 1.45 till 8.45 and all went home feeling really nearly dead.

Tuesday June 17th. I managed to do a little practising in the morning. I went to luncheon with Miss Colville at 12.45. She came down to luncheon with her in tights and a muslin dressing gown & her hair in pig tails and was very nice. We got to Chart's Edge about 1.30 and found a crowd of reporters and photographers. I was photographed several times. The performance commenced at 3.30; I spent most of the afternoon sitting in the grass with Peggy Wilkins, Mrs Farnworth and Violet Hurry. Our dance went very badly because it had been changed so often that no one knew what to do. It was boiling hot and everyone nearly died in their thick clothes. It ended at about 7 o'c having gone off splendidly on the whole and Miss Lally was very pleased. Peggy Wilkins and I walked home together.

Wednesday July 18th. I got through a few things in the morning and then set out for Chart's Edge. The performance went off a good deal better and there was a considerably large audience. I spent most of the time with Peggy Wilkins & Violet Hurry and Edith paid us spasmodic visits.

Thursday July 3rd.

Thursday June 19th. I got a letter from Anne in the morning saying she was engaged to Philip Kenyon-Slaney,Link opens in a new window I was very excited although I had expected it for some time, and wrote her a long letter of congratulations. I liked him enormously on the one or two occasions I have met him and they seem to be head over heels in love with each other which is a good thing.

I had an early tea and went up to Chart's Edge for the final performance of Henry VIII which began at 6.30. The family came & enjoyed it greatly. There was a huge audience and the whole thing went with a swing and for the first time we did the dance without a mistake. There was a good deal of speech-making at the end and the principles:- Mrs Granville StreatfeildLink opens in a new window (Wolsey), Mrs Grace (Katherine of Aragon), Miss Gurney Fox (Henry) and Mrs Farnworth (Anne Boleyn) were clapped a great deal and presented with bouquets. Miss Lally made a speech and there was a good deal of enthusiasm all round. Edith and I danced a wild ring-a-ring o' roses when it was all over. When we got back I was told Uncle Oswald had rung up & would do so again; he rung up about 11.15 to say he would like to give me my dress for the Royal Garden Party which filled me with joy.

Friday June 20th. I went up to Whitechapel by the 9.38; there were a good many people there for luncheon & they sat & talked for hours so I only had time to do one or two visits before I dashed off to meet Aunt Bobs at Tilney Street at 2 o'c. We went first to MarshallLink opens in a new window but couldn't find anything we particularly liked there so we went on to DebenhamLink opens in a new window where we found and bought a lovely dress of ecru crêpe very long embroidered in round lumps of the same colour, with coarse lace let in and long streamers of different coloured ribbons coming from a silver & gold rosette at the side. Aunt Bobs said she wanted to give me my hat so we went to Wolland [ Woolland ] and spent a long time there till finally we got a very large semi-transparent apple green one with different coloured tinsel ribbons round it and a big green - blue - mauve flower at the side. Then we decided the streamers on the dress wouldn't go with the hat and we must get others to match so we tried Woolland & Harvey and then went to Marshall all of whom were no good but finally we got what we wanted at Evans. I went back to Tilney Street for tea, a sister-in-law of Aunt Bobs' was there and Geoffrey Blandy came in later. Aunt Bobs sent me in a taxi to Charing X to catch the 6.34. Altogether the whole thing was great fun.

Saturday June 21st. I did a good many odds and ends all day. Lady Emma Crichton arrived in her car for the week-end after tea.

Sunday June 22nd. I went to Church at 8 o'c and practised most of the morning till 12.30 when I went and fetched Edith and we had a picnic in the Tower Woods. It was lovely there but I had to rush away to go with Mummy and Daddie and Lady Emma to have tea with Sir WilliamLink opens in a new window and Lady Plender who live near Chevening. We found the Miss Liddells and various people from London there and I fell in love with Lady Plender who is a perfect old dear. They have a wonderful rock garden which was a mass of colour.

Monday June 23rd. I went to help Miss Bask at the Library. Lady Emma left about 11 o'c taking Mummy up with her. I went and helped at the library again after tea.

Tuesday June 24th. I went up to Whitechapel by Oxted and did variously card indexing and things like that before luncheon and after luncheon walked miles to find a certain street and when I got there the people didn't live there, from there I rushed off to York Terrace and spent about 3/4 of an hour with Anne. She says there is no chance of their being married at present because Philip has gone in for politics and she won't let him give it up and get a more renumerative job which he would hate; which is very noble of her. I went back to Osborn Place, saw Edith Ramsey and told her of Anne's engagement, then did a couple of visits and left Victoria by the 5.48.

Wednesday June 25th. I went to London by the 9.38 and at last had another music lesson. Miss Medd-Hall suggests I should pay for 1/2 hour lessons next term & have hour ones to make up all the ones I have had to miss this term. I went and bought a very smart pair of low heeled strap lizard skin shoes price 43/- for the Garden Party; then I went to Miss Heathcote in Hereford Gardens where I was staying till Saturday.

I was in great consternation by luncheon time because there was no sign of Shortie with my luggage and she should have been there at 12 o'c. Miss Heathcote got in a great state too and most kindly said she would take me to buy another dress for the Garden Party. We thought of every possible horror that could have happened when up drove Shortie having come by a later train. Mummy had told her she would telephone to me but Miss Heathcote hasn't got a telephone. I went up and dressed and Miss Heathcote lent me the car to go in. I went first to Tilney Street to show myself off and they all admired the whole thing very much; then I went to Buckingham Gate where I met Mummy and Daddie and we walked across into the Palace arriving about 4 o'c; it was so hot on the big lawn that one couldn't stay there so we made straight for the trees where everyone was huddled together in a mass. Daddie went and had a talk with the King about the Everest disasterLink opens in a new window - they rang up one evening to say Mallory & Irving had been killed on the mountain and we heard later that they were last seen at a height of 28,000 and for all we shall ever know may have reached the top; they did not return and their bodies were never discovered. All the usual people were at the G.P but as there were 10,000 people there it was only by pure fluke that one met anyone. I escaped at 6 o'c and went and met Uncle Oswald and Aunt Bobs and the children in the park and sat with them for a little time; Anne was very anxious to know how much strawberries and cream I had had! On the way back I met Mrs Leigh and Lady Dynevor.Link opens in a new window

A cousin of Miss Heathcote's, a young Mr Somthing or other came to dinner and we went to see a musical comedy "Madame Pompadour",Link opens in a new window it was well acted and the dresses were lovely.

Monday July 7th.

Thursday June 26th. I went down to Whitechapel in the morning and did about half a dozen visits.

Miss Heathcote had a most fearsome luncheon party of 16 people, I sat between a very affected fashionable clergyman and a rather acid Mr Hoare. They left about 4 o'c and as soon as they'd all gone I took my pearls to Frazer and Haws to be re-strung and then went to see Miss Wolff, I found Rosina Fillipi [ Filippi ]Link opens in a new window was taking an elocution class, so Betty Tanner who was also there, and I sat and listened and it was very amusing. From there I went to the Park to see Anne, Aunt Bobs came out after a little while and I sat and talked to them till I had to go back and dress for dinner. We dined at 7 o'c and then went to the Albert Hall and joined Lady Elizabeth Cochrane in a box for a Clara Butt, Kenneley [ Kennerley ] RumfordLink opens in a new window concert. There were also two nice Australians in the box, Lady Elizabeth was rather alarming. Clara Butt sang twelve songs including a wonderful thing of Ceasar [ Cesar ] Franck's "La Procession". The audience simply refused to let her she certainly has got a wonderful voice. Florence AustralLink opens in a new window also sang but I didn't care very much for her voice.

Friday June 27th. I went to see Peggy in the morning, Rowland and Christian Guthrie who is now "[ Christian ] Somthing else" were there. When I left finding I had a short time to spare I went along to York Terrace and saw Betty (who was staying there) and Christina. Betty has had her hair shingled and it suits her very well. Mummy came to luncheon at Hereford Gardens and at 2.30 she and I started off to go to the Prime Minister's Garden Party at Hampton Court. We went in a very crowded train from Waterloo and arrived a little after 4 o'c. The grounds were open to the public as usual so there were quantities of people but there was a small enclosure with the tea tents for the guests so we went there and had tea. The Garden PartyLink opens in a new window was for Colonials and there were practically nothing but Colonials there so we saw very few people we know, only Lady Jersey, Sir ReginaldLink opens in a new window and Lady Talbot, Miss Sorabji,Link opens in a new window Sir Charles and Lady Bailey, Sir HenryLink opens in a new window and Lady Maxwell-Lite [ Maxwell-Lyte ] and one or two more. The Prime MinisterLink opens in a new window was there and anyone could go and shake hands with him so we did so; he was charming and said somthing to every single person. He was very much cheered by the crowd as he left, a woman ran after him and he said "I'm so glad to see you, its very nice that you are here." Sir Henry & Lady Maxwell-Lite and Mummy and I walked through and through the State Apartments till I could have screamed with tiredness but they are lovely all the same. Miss Heathcote & I were alone for dinner and went to bed early. Shortie came up and stayed the night there because we were leaving for Cornbury (Mr and Lady Margaret Watney) at screech of dawn the next morning. We had been asked on Friday but put it off till Saturday because of the Garden Party which unfortunately Daddie was not able to go to owing to an Everest Committee meeting.

Saturday June 28th. Shortie and I left Hereford Gardens at 9 o'c and went to Paddington where we met Mummy and Daddie and caught the 9.45 to Charlbury. We arrived at 12.17 and were met by a motor and taken to CornburyLink opens in a new window which really is the most glorious place. Mr Watney appeared and welcomed us and we sat in the Garden and were joined by Sir Chartres BironLink opens in a new window who was staying there. Mr Watney, Daddie and I walked towards the kitchen garden and met Lady Margaret, Lady Burghclere and a Count Bobrinsky.Link opens in a new window Two more men appeared in from fishing at luncheon time. Mr Potchin and Mr Seymour the former was about four feet high and the latter about seven feet. Angela Manners arrived directly after luncheon and was followed during the course of the afternoon by Togo Watney, a charming Miss Campion an aunt of Simon's, a very nice Mrs Newman and her girl Joyce Newman, a tiresome Sir Roger Curtis and nice Mr Nesbit whom we met there before. Lady Burghclere's girl Evelyn GardnerLink opens in a new window was to have come but she hurt her foot and couldn't move.

Lady Margaret, Lady Burghclere, Mr Watney, Miss Manners, Daddie and I went for a walk in the Forest which was looking beautiful. Mr & Mrs John BuchanLink opens in a new window came to tea much to Daddie's joy. Mr Seymour took me in to dinner and we got on extremely well. After dinner Mr Watney showed Joyce Newman & me some of the beautiful things in the drawing room and then she & I and Togo and Mr Seymour played Mah Jongg and no one knew the rules and it was all quite mad.

Sunday June 29th. Everyone disappeared in the direction of Church (though I don't think they all went there) except Mummy, Miss Campion & me. Lady Margaret gave us permission to go over the house so we had a glorious time going everywhere and seeing everything. Except for a Tudor Wing the house was build by Clarendon and the Watneys have the most wonderful furniture and pictures

In the afternoon Joyce Newman, Togo Watney, Mr Seymour and I drove over to the Redesdales at Batsford.Link opens in a new window We found Lord & Lady Redesdale & a brother of her's there and a quantity of Mitford GirlsLink opens in a new window only one of whom was grown up; there was a charming and very good looking one of about 16 whose name, I think, was Diana.Link opens in a new window The others played tennis but I watched on the convenient protest of appendicitis. We left about 6.30. Sir Roger Curtis took me in to dinner, he was a tiresome contradictious creature and I nearly lost my temper with him. Joyce Newman, Togo, Mr Seymour and I played a word game till bed-time.

Saturday July 12th.

Monday June 30th. Lady Burghclere, Mrs & Joyce Newman, Mr Nesbitt, Miss Campion, Angela Manners and Count Bobrinsky left by a 10.17 train, the rest of the party having already scattered in various directions. Everyone except Mrs Nesbitt and Count Bobrinsky got out at Oxford. On arrival at Paddington I telephoned to Tilney Street to ask if I could go to luncheon there and went there after leaving my book at the Times Book Club and terminating my subscription for 3 months. Uncle Oswald and Aunt Bobs were very kind & nice but I had to rush away almost direction after luncheon to catch a 2.50 train from Victoria to Eynsford for a rehearsal of the Pageant at Lullingstone Castle.Link opens in a new window It was a mile from the station so I arrived at 4 o'c to find the rehearsal was just ending as it began at 2.30 which I didn't know. Edith was there and Mrs Streatfeild and Miss Gurney Fox and some of them stayed and went through the procession of the Shades again for my benefit. A nice Mrs Bitchenough [ Birchenough ] who lives at Sunridge and is a friend of Edith's gave her and me a lift as far as Chevening Halt where we caught the 5 o'c train to Westerham, dashed up here and swallowed a hasty tea and then went down to the library and watched another Pageant rehearsal going on on the green outside. I was very sad at leaving Cornbury as it was a very delightful and all too short week-end.

Tuesday July 1st. The only day of the week on which I was able to practise; practising has been a great problem this term. I went up to the Cottage for tea and Edith & I worked in the Garden after tea.

Monday July 14th.

Wednesday July 2nd. I went to London as usual. Anne met me at Trinity College and we went first to the Times Book Club, then to Harries where she bought a pair of shoes and then we walked to Piccadilly Circus and parted. I went to the Hotel MetropoleLink opens in a new window and met Kathleen and we had luncheon with a friend of her's a Mr Lutyens and a Dr Somthing and then went down to Ranelagh and watched a very exciting match between the English team for the next International Match and another team; the Internationals were beaten. I had to go off when it was over to catch the 6.34 and went the whole way by bus which was rather amusing.

Thursday July 3rd. I gardened a bit and after tea went to the Brownies but it was pouring with rain and there was no sign of anyone so I came home.

Friday July 4th. Shortie, Mrs Idie and I all went to London by Oxted. I went straight to Osborn Place and tried to get my card index etc straightened up before luncheon and after luncheon went and did a good many visits. One woman described how her child had caught cold being out in a storm in a thin frock and she said "it rained heaven's heart out". I got home soon after 7 o'c

Saturday July 5th. There was a dress rehearsal of the Pageant at Lullingstone. We left in a private bus at 11 o'c and arrived there about 12 o'c and were showned to an already very crowded tent where we changed throwing our things onto the floor. I found my Mrs Siddons costume difficult to put on under those conditions. A stand capable of holding 2500 people had been erected in the form of a semi-circle in front of the Gateway and we went and sat there to watch. There were 800 women taking part from Institutes all over West Kent. They did the Druids, Hengist and Hosea [ Horsa ], the Coming of the Vikings, William the Conquer [ Conqueror ], the Coming of Christianity, the Canterbury Pilgrims, the Black Death, Queen Elizabeth, Charles II and the oak tree, Merrie England, smugglers, the declaration of the Armistice and probably several others which I have forgotten and then at the last came our scene, a procession of the Shades of famous women - Deborah, Cornelia, Hypatia, Boadecia [ Boadicea ], the Abbess Hilda, Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth, Jane Austen, Jenny Lind, Mrs Siddons, Elizabeth Fry, Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria, a Woman of To-day and the Woman of the Future. We had to walk along in single file carrying torches till we came to an altar, the first person lit her torch from fire on the altar, then turned and lit the torch of the one behind who in her turn lit the one behind her and so on, then we formed in a semicircle round the Woman of the Future who unveiled revealing the face of Mrs Bremner.

We arrived back at 8.30 feeling very tired; Mrs Wilkins & I went into the hut on the way home & found poor Mrs Darkin still painting scenery; she'd been at it ever since we left.

Tuesday July 16th.

Sunday July 6th. We went to Church in the morning; the Canon is away on his holiday and a practically inaudible parson with both a Scotch & a Cockney accent was officiating. Sir Oswald Bosanquet & Colonel Gabriel came down for the day. Sir Oswald was very gloomy, I don't think he loves Colonel G but the latter was in great form. Mrs Farnworth, Edith and I met on the Kent Hatch Road at 4 o'c to go for a picnic. We found a lovely spot amongst the pine trees in Limpsfield Woods and sat there smoking & talking and having great jokes for a long time. I didn't get home till 8.30 and Colonel Gabriel left by the 8.30, Sir Oswald having already gone at 5.27.

Monday July 7th. I went to the hut in the morning and helped Miss Swan paint stained glass window saints part of the scenery for Lullingstone and did the same thing most of the afternoon. Directly after tea I went to help Mrs Busk get the library ready and we had to have it in rather a small space because a large part of the floor was still covered with scenery.

Tuesday July 8th. I practised and did odds and ends in the morning and almost directly after luncheon went up to the Cottage to help Miss Deane paint and wire the torches we were carrying in the procession. Mrs Farnworth came up and helped Edith make harness but had to leave before tea, however Miss Rennie-Taylour [ Renny-Tailyour ] came to tea and helped make harness afterwards. I packed up the torches in layers and layers of newspaper which took almost as long as the painting and wiring had done. When it was all finished Edith, Miss Deane & I (Miss Rennie-Taylour had gone) sat in exhausted heaps and smoked.

Wednesday July 9th. At 1 o'c all the performers from Westerham & Crockham Hill who were taking part in the Pageant left for Lullingstone in a char-à-banc. When we arrived I couldn't find my dress which had been sent over with other things early in the morning, however finally it appeared in Miss Streatfeild's room & she very kindly allowed me to dress there. We came on about 4.30. The place was absolutely crowded and masses of people were sitting on the grass or standing. I spotted Mummy and Daddie but tried to look as though I'd never set eyes on them before. The famous women were all photographed as soon as as we came off and then I went & ate the tea I'd brought with me with Mrs Farnworth and afterwards putting on an ancient overall helped Major Streatfeild re-make the torch wicks for the evening performance. Then Mrs Farnworth and I went in search of ices & were joined by Edith, Boadicea, & Cornelia. I spent the rest of the time wandering about with various people or lying on the grass till it was time for our next appearance. There wasn't nearly such a large audience but still there must have been about 2,000 people.

Miss Deane, Edith & I changed in Mrs Streatfeild's room and then climbed into the char-à-banc very glad it was over. Edith and I talked hard all the way back - at least I talked & she nearly fell asleep most of the way. I got back here at 10.45 to find Shortie waiting for me with sandwiches & milk which was very comforting.

Thursday July 17th.

Thursday July 10th. I went to London by the 12.45 train and went straight to York Terrace to see Anne before she went off to Devonshire for the summer the next day. She was inclined to be sensible but I was in a very silly mood and did nothing but make ribald jokes. We started out together about 4.30, she to go to a Conservative Garden Party at Portman House and I to see Peggy who was as usual involved in great complications & Rowly had been behaving tiresomely.

I went on to see Aunt Bobs and Uncle Oswald walked with me across the Park to Sloane Street as I was spending the night with the de Lyndens in Port Street to go with Barbara Liddell to the Christ Church Mission Ball at Chesham House. Aunt Mabel had asked me to dine at Culford Gardens and when I arrived I found Barbara doing hostess as Aunt Mabel & Uncle Eric were at Eastbourne. Barbara's partner one Bill Bovill and my partner Mr Seymour (the Cornbury one) dined with us and Bee Liddell & rather an awful Mr Treadwell came after dinner and we went on to the dance. Mr Seymour was very amusing and we had great jokes, the other two were not thrilling, though Mr Bovill seemed a nice youth. While we were dancing Mr Seymour said to me "who is that man over there?" pointing to a rather fat person. I said "I don't know but he looks like a butler, thats probably how you've met him" then I said "what will you give me if I'll go up to him and say "how are you Cousin Bertie?" & shake hands with him?" he said "5 bob" so I said "done" & at the end of a dance marched across the room clasped him firmly by the hand and said "how do you do Cousin Bertie, I haven't seen you for ages", then a look of horror crossed my face, I said "you are Bertie Newbolt aren't you?" and, on his replying "no, I'm afraid not" I said "oh, I'm so sorry I've made a mistake" & fled in fits of laughter. We left about 2.15.

Saturday July 19th.

Friday July 11th. I left Port Street soon after breakfast and took my luggage to Charing X [ Cross ] cloak room and then went to Tilney Street and Anne and I went together to the Eton & Harrow,Link opens in a new window she was fearfully excited and very interested in the cricket and announced that she was going to play at Lords when she grew up. We went back to Tilney Street for luncheon & then in the afternoon Uncle Oswald & Aunt Bobs and I went back to Lords, it was too hot to walk about so we went straight to the stand on the roof and watched the cricket. Harrow was batting and it was very slow. I got in a great fuss about my train - the 7.18 - thinking I was going to lose it but I caught it with 1/2 an hour to spare.

Saturday July 12th. I practised most of the morning. In the afternoon Edith and I went for a picnic in the woods to the left of the Chart and laid in the bracken talking & smoking which I thought superior to a second day of Lords in blazing sunshine.

Sunday July 13th. Mummy & I went to Church (Daddie was away at a philosophical conference at Reading) a nice old clergyman preached a sermon for the R.S.P.C.A. Uncle Douglas, Aunt Aimée, Uncle Vesey & Rosemary came down in the afternoon. Uncle Douglas is still very tottery after his illness but seemed very pleased to come down here. Rosemary is an attractive little thing and talks English with a French accent through having a French governess; I think she will be a bit of a handful later on if not dealt with firmly & she takes a good deal of amusing. They stayed till about 7 o'c & then I tore up to the Cottage with some things I'd bought for Edith in the village the day before & a cheque I'd changed for her. Only Miss Deane & Joyce Smith were there but just as I was leaving Edith appeared back from a walk with Mrs Streatfeild. It was a marvellous evening; we smoked a cigarette in the garden and then she walked part of the way back with me. There was a service broadcastLink opens in a new window from St Martin's in the evening, it was very clear but unfortunately Mr Sheppard had asthema & so was not preaching.

Monday July 14th. I went to the library in the morning and spent hours there sort & rearranging books as Mrs Bask being away I was left in charge. We were very short handed in the evening having only Mrs Farnworth, Mrs Darkin & Miss Stuart-Jones & Mrs Everdean.

Tuesday July 15th. I practised and did all sorts of things most of the day and after tea went for a walk on Farley Common in the most glorious sunshine.

Tuesday July 22nd.

Wednesday July 16th. I went to London at 9.38, the train was late as usual but I managed to get to Trinity College by 11 o'c and had my last lesson this term. I went and looked at the sales and bought a very good skirt at Debenham for 10/6. I went to luncheon with Kathleen, we were alone for luncheon and sat in the garden afterwards and had our usual jokes & a long talk on how very much less nice we are getting, then we had a good routle in her wardrobe & I examined all her new clothes and then she and I walked up Sloane Street and parted at the top, I went to tea with Peggy who is still as usual in the midst of worries. Mummy Daddie and I came down by the 7.10, the connection at Dunton Green waited there 3/4 of an hour and we reached Westerham at 9 o'c!

Thursday July 17th. I went up to Hosey Rigge in the morning to say goodbye to the Miss Liddells before they went away for the summer, they were both washing their hair when I arrived so I went for a walk on the Chart and then returned. They were very pleased at my coming and were altogether quite at their best.

I went to the Brownies after tea & several of them acted a little play they had got up themselves.

Friday July 18th. I went to Whitechapel via Oxted. Edith Ramsey was not there as she had 'flue. After luncheon I flew round doing visits and then went to the school where I found one Mrs Rampling who has turned my hair grey over holidays; she had come about her son Richard who had won a scholarship & is being sent to College where he will remain till he is at least 19, it sounds very good & Mr O'Kane says he is an extremely clever boy. I went back to the office and filled up various forms & came down here by the 5.48. Cousin Tottie arrived for the week-end. She is in England for a couple of months on business and is just the same, very lively and talks without ceasing at the top of her voice.

Tuesday July 29th.

Saturday July 19th. Kitty D'arcy (Nurse D'arcy of St John & St ElizabethLink opens in a new window) came down arriving at 12.26. She was very nice and talked a great deal about the hospital and Ireland and France; I took her for a walk on Hosey in the afternoon and dragged her along rough pathes through bushes in white shoes and stockings. She left at 4.45 and at 5 o'c Miss Gerry, who came back to England about a month ago, appeared for tea and was as amusing as usual. Cousin Tottie talked a great deal & told us about life in South Africa.

Sunday July 20th. I went to Church at 12 o'c. Uncle Douglas and Aunt Aimée & Rosemary came down for tea. Uncle Douglas looks much better and Rosemary was quieter than last time.

Monday July 21th Cousin Tottie left by the 9.38 calling out remarks as the train steamed away. I went to the library and did a good deal towards getting it ready on my own. In the afternoon I went to see Miss Renny-Talyour [ Renny-Tailyour ] about a caravan she has on Dartmoor which Kathleen wanted to take but she was out. I went on to the Cottage and picked up Edith and she came back to tea here and we went and finished getting the library ready after tea and had a terrible rush when it first opened because all the other helpers were late so we had the whole thing to grapple with.

Tuesday July 22nd. I was weeding in the garden in the morning when suddenly a baby thrush hopped out of the bushes and came right up to me looking for insects, he continued doing this the whole morning and didn't seem to mind me in the least even when I moved but I nearly struck when he disintered a large dead earwig on my hand! I did nothing in particular except oddments all day.

Wednesday July 23rd. I played with my friend the thrush a good part of the morning and he ate out of my hand. Miss Deane rang me up & asked if I'd like to go & watch some folk-dancing at Toy's HillLink opens in a new window that evening taking supper, I went round to Mrs Farnworth to ask if she'd like to go too & she said yes. Everyone met in the village at 6 o'c and a char-à-banc took us as far as the road west and then we walked across the hill to a flat open space in the middle of the heather where the dancing was held. There was the most glorious views over the Weald of Kent. The dancing was mainly done by children & was quite good. We had our supper & talked & laughed and then Miss Deane, Edith, Miss Colville & two Dutch guides who were staying with her, Mrs Farnworth, Miss Renny-Talyour [ Renny-Tailyour ] & I started off home through the woods nearly losing our way, we laughed & joked & were very merry. The path landed us on Hosey where Mrs Farnworth & I left the others & went down to the village together arriving home about 10.15.

Friday August 1st

Thursday July 24th. We went to London by the 9.38. Aunt Venetia who was in London for a few days met Mummy at Cannon Street. I went first to Culford Gardens & left my things as I was going to change there for the Royal Garden Party (we had been invited to a second one, goodness knows why). Then I went to Dibdin to have my watch seen to, then to Harvey Nichols where amongst other things I bought 3 1/2 yards of very pretty stuff for a cotton frock for 6/-. Then I went to Marshall & Snelgrove & walked along to Oxford Circus looking at the shops, then back to Marshall where I met Mummy, Aunt Venetia & Nina & we all had luncheon at a shop in Duke Street. Nina is going out to South Africa at the end of September to live with Cousin Tottie and she has also become engaged to a man out there who was Gilbert's great friend. After luncheon I went to Marshall again, then back to Harvey where I bought another remnant of cotton frock material for 5/6, then I tore to Culford Gardens & changed and went to Buckingham Gate to meet Mummy who arrived 1/2 an hour after I did. Daddie was speaking at a meeting of Mr Inge'sLink opens in a new window so had to come a good deal later. Mummy & I went across to Buckingham Palace & wandered about & saw various people we knew, Cousin Vie & Cousin Johnnie Bond, Mr Freddy & Mr Gerald Wallouph, Sir CharlesLink opens in a new window & Lady Oman, Cousin Mary Ilchester,Link opens in a new window Lady Elizabeth Dawson & Kateline Dawson, Lady Mary Crichow and Uncle JackLink opens in a new window & Aunt Madeleine. Daddie arrived about 5.30 & I had to leave soon after to go back to Culford Gardens & change again, after which I met Daddie at Charing Cross and we went down to Wembley to see the Empire Pageant.Link opens in a new window Wembley looked quite lovely at night, it was a very clear evening and looking from the balcony of the stadium at all the buildings lit up by coloured lights was really a beautiful sight. It was the final dress rehearsal of the Pageant & it was very amusing to see how like Miss Lally's method the producers were. All the part we saw was descriptive of the rise & growth of Newfoundland, the colourings were very well thought out & great quantities of people were taking part but each scene was a little too long winded and the whole thing was very long, we left after two hours & it wasn't nearly half over. We got to Charing X with such rapidity that we arrived at 11 o'c & the train didn't go till 11.45 so we had to spend all that time looking at the book stall and learning the departure times of trains. We got back first before 1 o'c

Thursday August 7th.

Friday July 25th. Mrs Farnworth rang up in the morning about the Naval ReviewLink opens in a new window at Spithead the next day which she had very kindly asked me to go to with her. She had heard from her son that we must be at Stokes Bay by 11.15 and it would be impossible to go up from here & then get down to Portsmouth in time to do that so she rang up to say we must spend the night in London. I telephoned to Cousin Tottie who said I could spend the night at Culford Gardens. Miss Renny Talyour [ Renny-Tailyour ] came to tea and a charming Mr Ellison who had come down from London to see Daddie. Mrs Farnworth, Mr Ellison & I went up to London by the 5.22. Mr Ellison is on the Council of the League of Nations Union and was most interesting on all sorts of subjects and about people he had met. Mrs Farnworth and I got out at Waterloo Junction & went to see about the trains to Portsmouth which was lucky as they'd all been changed. I arrived at Culford Gardens to find Cousin Florrie & Cousin Tottie in the middle of supper. Cousin Tottie said I mustn't call her Cousin Tottie any more because Cousin Dick didn't approve of the younger generation calling her by that name so I must call her Bee. I said I couldn't change after all this time, so Cousin Florrie said "Call her Toby, that gets in both" which I agreed to do. We went to Victoria to see Cousin Florrie off to Eastbourne by a 9 somthing train & then went back to bed.

Saturday July 26th. I slept intermittently and tried to get up at 3.15. Mrs Noyes brought me breakfast at 6.40 and I left soon after 7 arriving at Victoria at 7.20 to find Mrs Farnworth already waiting at the barrier. We had thought there would be a tremendous crowd on the train but our carriage was still empty when the train left at 7.45 & remained empty the whole way! We went through all that lovely Sussex country and arrived at Portsmouth Town about 10 o'c & took a tram to the Harbour and then got onto the ferry and went across to Gosport where we got into a char-a-banc and went to Stokes Bay. Mr Mallerson [ Malleson ]Link opens in a new window (Mrs Farnworth's son - she had been married twice) met us and took us off to the FermoyLink opens in a new window a converted mine sweeper, and the finest ship of the "k" submarinesLink opens in a new window one of which Mr Mallerson is in command of. There were about half a dozen other visitors on board. We had an excellent luncheon & then Mr Mallerson had to go off onto his submarine for the Review and a wretched youth was put in charge of the visitors. I don't think he had ever seen a female at close quarters before & he was perfectly miserable, every now & then he would say "would you excuse me?" & bolt away and then return to the charge; finally he stood in front of us & said "you know I don't know what to do with you or what to say to you" we howled with laughter & teased him badly. We were allowed to stay on deck for the Review, all the big ships like the Queen Elizabeth, the Warspite and the Barham were to the left of us and submarines, cruisers, destroyers & minesweepers to the right, in the distance to the left we could see the two enormous areoplane carriers the Argus & the Hermes and in front of us was the M.3 the submarine with a 12 inch gun of which by the Washington Convention we cannot build any more. About 2.30 the Victoria & Albert appeared followed by the Trinity House yacht, the Enchantress (the Admiralty yacht) and the Princess Margaret an old Cunard liner turned into a mine layer which was used to take round the press & Government visitors. A salute of 21 guns was fired from the big ships but the wind was blowing in the opposite direction so we didn't hear much and we couldn't hear the cheering very well for the same reason. After the Review was over areoplanes flew overhead looping the loop and doing all sorts of stunts.

We had tea on board the Fermoy and then Mr Mallerson took us ashore, he is extremely nice and is also the first V.C. of the Gallipoli campaign being mentioned in Masefield's "Gallipoli"Link opens in a new window. There were a great many people all over the place and when we got to the Harbour Station we saw special after special go off with Government visitors. About 1/2 an hour before our train was due to go a seething mass of people came in from the Isle of Wight steamer and swarmed onto our platform till they were about 10 deep and there were two police men keeping them back, we got up to the top thinking there would be more room up there but when the train came in there was a whole coach of locked up reserved carriages, everyone was furious but the officials refused to unlock them we flew to the back but there wasn't room to squeeze a fly in there so we went back to the front & found the reserved carriages were unlocked (people had read the names they were reserved for & said they were those people) so seeing two seats in one we got in. The train started 1/4 of an hour late for no apparent reason & absolutely packed. There was a fresh crowd at the Town station & we left there with 17 in the carriage. Then the engine wasn't strong enough to pull the train so all the hilly part before Petersfield we went at 10 miles an hour. When we finally reached Guildford there was another enormous crowd there who had been left to wait & never told the train was coming in full. I don't think half of them got in. We reached Waterloo 1 1/4 hours late & telephoned wildly to Westerham to try & stop Stone going to Sevenoaks to meet us by the 10 o'c train which we had missed. Then we went to Charing X & had ham sandwiches & coffee in the Restaurant & came down to Sevenoaks by the 11.45. When we arrived there was no sign of Stone but mercifully there was a taxi there so we had to take that although he charged us £1, & got back here more dead than alive at 1.15.

Friday August 8th.

Sunday July 27th. I had breakfast in bed and got up in a leisurely way & lay in the hammock reading & writing most of the morning. In the afternoon I gardened and played & read. Mr Dalton and Colonel & Mrs Tenison came to tea. Shortie & I went to Church in the evening & the holiday parson preached an excellent sermon.

Monday July 28th. I helped Mrs Bask at the library in the morning. Her sister was there too, she was fat with bobbed hair & no hat, although it was pouring, and white shoes & stockings very unlike Basky. When asked to open a folding table she struggled ineffectually with it for some time and then said "oh dear! I'm no good at mechanical things. I'm too artistic"! I went up to the Cottage in the afternoon to tell Edith she needn't come to the library and in the evening helped at the library.

Tuesday July 29th. Kathleen came down for the day arriving at 9.21 and had breakfast on arrival. We talked for a bit and I showed her various new garments of mine and then we set forth in pouring rain for a picnic a thing which, as we remarked, no one but us would have done. We went to Toy's Hill, a glorious walk of about three miles, the view over the Weald was looking lovely when we got there with patches of sunshine between the dark shadows of the clouds. It cleared up soon after we arrived & we ate our luncheon & then laid on the Burberry in the heather talking about what we should do in life. We had both been feeling cross and gloomy before we met but the mere sight of each other made us silly and cheerful. We went to see Miss Renny-Talyour [ Renny-Tailyour ] on the way back about her caravan which K wanted to take for a week in September but she was out so we walked back through Valence and arrived back very tired to find a very nice young Australian a Mr TerryLink opens in a new window who had just done a journey of 3,000 miles across a practically unknown part of Australia in a Ford car. He talked a good deal about his adventures and was very interesting. They both stayed for dinner and left by the 7.45.

Wednesday July 30th. We went to London by the 9.38. I went to Whiteley's sale but found it very bad indeed so I went on to Gorringe which was equally bad. I had luncheon with Kathleen and we had great jokes about a fur collar on an evening cloak of her's because it had once been on a purple suit of Mrs Corry's so we said it had a purple past. We started out together about 4.15; I went and picked up a small suit case I had left at Culford Gardens after staying there and put it in the cloakroom at Charing X then met Mummy and Daddie and went with them to a tea party of Lady Ilchester's at Holland House.Link opens in a new window Françoise de la Panouse (the daughter of the French Military AttacheLink opens in a new window & a friend of Anne's & Barbara's) was there, also Lady Northbrooke, the Spanish Ambassador Merry del Val,Link opens in a new window Mrs Stanley Baldwin,Link opens in a new window Mr Freddy Wallop and the famous Mrs James B. Corrigan.Link opens in a new window Lady Ilchester took us over the house after tea which was most interesting, there is a beautiful black oak staircase & very fine pictures and on the floor in a long gallery was a Persian rug worth between £14,000 and £15,000. The gardens were looking lovely and are enormous so that the whole thing looks like a country house entirely. A nice Mrs Somebody Somthing who is French & a friend of Uncle Douglas took us as far as Hyde Park Corner in her motor and we came down by the 7.10 train.

Thursday July 31st. Maurice came down for the night arriving at 3.11. Previous to his arrival I spent a hectic time trying to get a cotton frock finished. Maurice wanted to get his motor bike from Hosey Rigge and I had to go up Hosey for a Brownie Picnic so we went up there soon after he arrived. I met Miss Renny-Talyour [ Renny-Tailyour ] at the Cottage & we discovered that the picnic was at the hut owing to the unsettled weather so we tramped all the way down the hill again, and found Edith at the hut and helped her to get tea ready. The Brownies came at 5 o'c, there were 20 of our's and 10 from Crockham Hill. They ate a perfectly stupendous tea and drank about three mugs of tea apiece and then we went out into the field and played rounders and they ran races and did high jumps and played "flags" and they were given more cakes and sent home. Mrs Farnworth and General and Mrs Carrie [ Currie ] came to dine. I teased Maurice a good deal and he talked rather intelligently about whether the end justifies the means and politics; his attitude towards life is tremendously young - just what mine was at 18.

Friday August 1st. Maurice went off on the motor bike soon after 10.15 he was going up to London to see the dentist and then down to Eastbourne. I was going up to Edith and she was coming to luncheon here but Miss Deane telephoned to say she had forgotten an appointment with the dentist in Sevenoaks and had gone off there.

I went up to London by the 3.55 to go down to Ashtead for the week-end. I caught the 5.14 at London Bridge and Uncle Claude met me at Epsom in their funny new little two seater Singer.Link opens in a new window Aunt Di and Aunt Lil were at the Cottage and I nearly gave Aunt Di hysterics after dinner telling her of the doings of Percy (our boy).

Saturday August 2nd. I went over to Mr Meyer's in the morning to play tennis with his French neice Isette Woog, she naturally played better than I did but was nice to play against. We talked after we had played for some time and she was very anxious to hear about the Court and what the King and Queen looked like and how you made your curtsey and what you did.

A dear old Mr Keiss an Austrian came down for luncheon, he talked perfectly abominable English as far as pronounciation went but very fluent and grammatically correct. He has worked out the prophecies in Revealation and believes that there will be a tremendous War in Palestine over oil in 1934 or 1938 everyone fighting against everyone else and that that will be Armageddon and the end of the World. He talked a good deal about Buddhist philosophy too and says he never worries which was really the most sensible thing he said.

We went over to the Riccardo's [ Ricardo's ] for tea the two girls JanLink opens in a new window and Mary were there and a very attractive Mrs Sands an American. Uncle Claude and Aunt Di played Bridge and Jan & I danced & played ping pong and went over the house and talked. We didn't leave till 7.30 and arrived back to find the poor old Austrian who'd been waiting for us just on the point of departure, however he came back and stayed to dinner.

Saturday August 9th.

Sunday August 3rd. Aunt Di, Aunt Lil and I went to Church in the morning. Isette came to luncheon, we were going to play tennis but it poured unceasingly so we couldn't. Isette did my hair a new & very good way. She stayed to tea and her mother also came to tea and after tea Isette and Aunt Lil and I played trente et un.

Monday August 4th. It was 10 years to-day since the outbreak of war and all the papers were full of special articles and the Daily Mail very militant.

Isette came in the morning and played tennis with me. Mr Gordon came to luncheon and we started to play soon after, I was beginning to get better. Isette came later on and then Jan & Mary Riccardo [ Ricardo ] and a boy cousin at DartmouthLink opens in a new window called Seagreave [ Seagrave ] and Mrs Rowly Soames who motored them over. They all played tremendously well and I retired into private life having in any case played enough. They left about 7 o'c; Mrs Soames looking more than dangerous in her manipulation of her Ford car.

Tuesday August 5th. I left by the 9.57 and on arriving at Victoria went straight across to Paddington to meet Daddie and catch the 11.30 train to Marlow where we were going first to have luncheon with Uncle George and then going on to Sir Reginald and Lady Talbot for the Hambledon Coming of Age dance. Oonah Tighe suddenly appeared at the train and we travelled down together, there was no sign of Daddie when the train left but he appeared at Bourne End having caught it by one minute. Margaret met us at Marlow and took us in her car to Gyldernscroft where we found Cousin Nell & Uncle Vesey besides of course Uncle George and Cousin Roderick. Cousin Nell and Uncle Vesey got rather annoyed with Cousin Roderick and me at luncheon because we tried to incite them to go to the Amusement Park at Wembley with a bag of winkles and a pin, and a pack of greasy cards to play with on top of the 'bus going there. Some other people came over in the afternoon and they played tennis, I sat on the bank and watched them as I was feeling like nothing human. We stayed to tea and then went on to the Talbot's at States House Medmenham where we had another tea.

Gerald KearleyLink opens in a new window Lord Devonport's son was staying there too for the dance. It was a marvellous evening and the others went for a walk but I stayed in and slept. Mrs Hornby Lewis from Danesfield came to dinner and took us to the dance which was at Greenlands in her car. It was a first class dance & beautifully done, they had a ball room built out and huge lights in the garden and deck chairs. I danced a good deal with Gerald Kearley; he is a funny creature rather disgruntled with life and gets on badly with his fatherLink opens in a new window who I imagine is very difficult but is clever & interested in all sorts of things; he told me a good deal. I was introduced to a good many people and enjoyed it hugely. Mary Smith was there & Marlie Raphael & of course Margaret & Oonah, and Mr Seymour who was staying in the house, unfortunately I had to leave at the dance I was to have with him because Lady Talbot felt tired & wanted to go home. The Desboroughs were also there with most of their family & Daddie had a talk to Lord Desborough.Link opens in a new window Mrs Hornby Lewis took us home & we got back a little before 2 o'c.

Sunday August 10th.

Wednesday August 6th. Daddie and I breakfasted alone downstairs & walked in the garden till Lady TalbotLink opens in a new window came down; she is charming and so good looking. We left by an 11.8 train from Marlow; Oonah travelled up with us & a young Mr Lonsdale in the Navy who'd been staying with Margaret's Aunt for the dance. We all got into the same taxi at Paddington with much squeezing and first dropped Oonah at Marble Arch, then Mr Lonsdale at Victoria & then went to Charing Cross & put our luggage in the cloak room. After that we went to Victoria Street to enquire about a pipeless central heating invention; then I left Daddie and went to the Holeproof Hosiery CoLink opens in a new window & bought three pairs of lisle stockings and to Marshall where I got a pair of crêpe rubber soled brown shoes as my present ones have worn appalingly badly. Then I went back to Charing X and Daddie and I came down by the 3.34. Mummy was in London but got back at 7.30 with the most marvellous news, old Mrs Forbes Emerson's daughter, had written to say would we go out and stay with her & Mr Cameron Forbes in America for four or five months as far as I can make out & be her guests on the ship both ways. It is a wonderful invitation and I was wild with excitement over it and at the thought of seeing America.

Thursday August 7th. I did a lot of letter writing in the morning & gardening in the afternoon. Mummy and I went into Sevenoaks by the 4.2 bus to see Cousin Ruth and Miss Buxton who were staying at the Crown Hotel. We sat in the lovely garden for a bit & then Miss Buxton & I went to Ibett [ Ibbett ] the house agent to see about houses for Cousin Florrie and Mummy walked a little way with Cousin Ruth who was going to Knowle to retreive her umbrella which she had left there. Then Mummy rejoined us & we sat in the hotel for a bit and came home by the 6.37 bus.

Friday August 8th. I gardened very hard most of the day and took a good many cuttings and weeded and cut lavender and also dried a knitted coat & skirt very successfully.

Saturday August 9th. Peggy came down for the night arriving at 1.30. We set forth with picnic things in the afternoon and went into the woods on the edge of the Chart where we sat in the heather & bracken and talked & Peggy told me somthing very important and I told her about America. We looked up old diaries after dinner and howled with laughter over them. She is quite one of the nicest people in the world and one of the most fascinating. Also she grows nicer as the years go on not less nice like most of us.

Sunday August 11th. We all went to Church and Peggy & I cut lavender and talked afterwards till luncheon time. Mrs Forbes and her grandchild Edith Webster came to luncheon, nothing more definite is decided about going to America except that apparently there are no berths to be had on the BalticLink opens in a new window which they sail on on the 30th. Edith is about 15 and a nice child, she rattled on and on with a drawling American accent and asked me if I was still at school, I said "no" & a little later she said "how old are you" I told her 22 and she said "my! nearly old enough to be my grandmother!" Mr & Mrs Webster who had been for a drive in the car to see somthing of the country came back later & they all left about 4 o'c. Mrs Boyd came at tea time having had tea. Peggy & I walked in the garden for a bit & she left by the 5.25. I met Mrs & Miss Busk at the station & the latter very kindly took me up to Hosey in her car. I found Mrs Birtchenough [ Birchenough ] having tea with Edith & I had a second tea there; Mrs Birtchenough left after having been shown the Cottage & the garden & Edith & I sat in the garden & separated lavender from it's stalks & I told her about America under a ban of secrecy. I left about 7.15 & she walked part of the way back with me.

I am going to Dorset to stay with Barbara to-morrow.

Saturday August 23rd.

Monday August 11th. I went to London by the 10.40 and having put my luggage in the cloak-room at Waterloo went off to the Stores to buy a bathing cap and do one or two other things. I got back to the station before 1.30 so as to be in good time to get a seat on the 2.30 train for Corfe Castle, however, more and more people collected on the platform and the train didn't come in till 1/4 an hour before it was due to go so there was a free fight to get in. I managed to get a corner seat but there were a good many people standing in the corridor by the time we left. The train only stopped at Southampton, Bournmouth [ Bournemouth ], Poole & Wareham. It was a glorious sunshiny evening and it looked too beautiful going across Poole harbour to the hills and moors round Corfe.

When I arrived at Morton's HouseLink opens in a new window I found Barbara and two other people who were staying there had gone into Bournemouth. So I had dinner with Mr & Mrs Bentinck and Mrs Bentinck taught me an excellent patience called Fan TanLink opens in a new window after dinner. At about 9.30 Barbara, Lady Young and Kathleen Carnegie appeared looking more dead than alive & having missed every possible train and boat.

Tuesday August 12th. Barbara & I made Kathleen play tennis with us in the morning, she is very good and we are both excruciatingly bad, however we made her very nervous beforehand by talking about how much we had played together at Queen's. We laughed so much at our own badness when we did begin to play that we couldn't hit a ball.

In the afternoon we went into Swanage by train and then took a bus to Studland where we bathed and had a picnic tea on the sands. We became very rowdy afterwards and Kathleen put sand down Barbara's neck and we tried to do the same to Kathleen but she was so tall and strong that even the two of us couldn't do anything with her. We got back to Corfe by the same route about 7.30 and again played cards after dinner. Barbara came to me after we'd gone to bed and we crept along to an empty spare room next door to Kathleen's and made ghostey scratchings and knockings on the walls but Kathleen told us in the morning that she'd known all the time it was us.

Wednesday August 13th. Kathleen was leaving for Minehead and the Bentincks motored her into Dorchester which is a little over 20 miles to save her several changes and waits. Barbara & I went too and while we were waiting at the station for the booking office to open Barbara discovered a notice of a fête with "fireworks" printed in large capitals at the bottom, she tore off this & got hold of a pin and pinned it securely to Kathleen's back while she wasn't looking. There were a good many people in the station & they were all bursting with laughter while Barbara and I were doubled up with unsurpressable giggles, this made Kathleen suspicious and unfortunately she discovered what we had done. Her train left soon after 1 o'c. I like Kathleen very much but she leaves me quite cold. Barbara & I went & made a thorough study of the very dull Dorset MuseumLink opens in a new window and then scoured the town for an illuminated match box which Mrs Bentinck wanted and bought two post-cards of Thomas HardyLink opens in a new window which we sent to Kathleen with flippant messages on them. We went back by Bere Regis and we went so fast on the long straight road across the heath before Wareham that the engines rattled till we thought they would fall out and we clung on to the sides and were wildly excited. When we got back I discovered a telegram from Daddie saying Mummy & I sail in the Cedric on September 20th.

Barbara decided she must go into Swanage to fetch some shoes she'd bought there the day before so we went in by bus, got the shoes, continued the luminous match box search unsuccessfully, had ginger beer at a restaurant & came back by the 6.30 train.

After dinner we went out to see Corfe CastleLink opens in a new window by moonlight, it was a perfect night with a clean moon and we walked all round looking for ghosts but found none.

Sunday August 24th.

Wednesday August 14th. The parlour maid, Elizabeth, who rules the household with a rod of iron decided she didn't like Barbara's shoes so she & Mrs Bentinck & Barbara & I all set out in the car for Swanage after breakfast & changed the shoes for, I must say, a much nicer pair. We all did odds & ends of shopping and on the way back Mrs Bentinck, Barbara & I went to explore a new road which was being made from a point in the Worth road to Chapman's Pool. Barbara & I spent the afternoon & most of the evening looking up poetry quotations for a flippant purpose connected with Kathleen Carnegie. Mrs Bentick had every sort & kind of delight in the way of booksLink opens in a new window and I was thrilled at diving about in them.

Friday August 15th. To the best of my recollection nothing in particular happened in the morning. In the afternoon Mr Bentinck, Barbara & I set out in the car to pay calls, we went first to the Harry Bonds who lived some distance beyond Wool & found her at home, then we went to two lots of people in the direction of Blandford both of whom were mercifully out. On the way back we stopped in Wareham and Mr Bentinck bought some plums. Barbara & I sitting behind spent a very happy time in slinging them at other motors as we passed. We played tennis after tea & roared with laughter over it. After dinner as usual we played cards.

Saturday August 16th. Barbara and I went into Swanage & bathed in a very overcrowded and rather cold sea but it was great fun all the same. Then Barbara went & had her hair washed and re-shingled and we didn't get back for luncheon till 1.45. Mr Bentinck, Barbara & I again set out in the car in the afternoon. Barbara & I armed with a bag of overripe plums which we'd bought in Swanage, but I'm bound to say we practically never succeeded in hitting anything. We went first to a most lovely house called AthelhamptonLink opens in a new window somewhere between Wool & Dorchester. It belonged to a Mr & Mrs Cochrane & they were at home and showed us over the house which was old grey stone Tudor and contained the most wonderful panelling and ceilings. From there we went to Milton Abbas, a beautiful park and huge house all shut up which used to belong to the Dukes of Dorset & now belongs to some Hamboroughs [ Hambro ]. The village of Milton AbbasLink opens in a new window is on a long slope & is composed of thatched cottages with a wide strip of grass in front & woods behind. We came back by Blackmore Vale & Blandford. It started to rain & we didn't have the hood up thinking it would stop but it got worse & worse till finally we were soaked to the skin & nearly frozen.

After tea Barbara played the piano extremely well and after dinner she gave us imitations of the mistresses & girls at her school till Mrs Bentinck & I nearly choaked with laughter.

Tuesday August 26th.

Sunday August 17th. Barbara & Mr Bentinck went to Church. I stayed behind and read and talked to Mrs BentinckLink opens in a new window about politics. She is a most interesting woman, very good looking with an uncertain temper and can be quite terrifying; she is a rabid socialist bordering on Communist, a Pacifist and was a militant suffragette. It is very interesting to meet someone whose whole life is absorbed in Socialism living in Conservative surroundings. She had the effect of reviving very strongly my lagging political interests.

Barbara and I went to luncheon with a Sir Somthing and Lady Findlay who live at Moreton beyond Wool. They were charming people and there were masses of boys and girls, sons & daughters & nephews and neices there. We had a very hilarious luncheon all laughing and joking at once. There was a lady there who knows the St Maurs very well and she told me about the man Helen is engaged to, a Major GoslingLink opens in a new window in the 10th Hussars.

We went back by Bere Regis and stopped to look at the Church with it's funny painted roofLink opens in a new window and monuments to the D'Urbervilles.

After tea we played tennis and then went and hid behind a hedge and threw plums at motorists with singularly little success.

We played Dutch Whist and Fan-Tan after dinner.

Monday August 18th. Barbara and I played about doing odds and ends most of the morning. A nice artist of a name somthing like Seymour Wilson [ Seymore Wilson ] came to luncheon also has a little girl a delicious child of 10 or 11 who appeared in riding breeches and hob nail boots and talked a great deal. I packed and a great many deadly people came to tea and we all sat round discussing local gossip, luckily they didn't stay long. When they had left Barbara & I went over in the car to Creech Grange,Link opens in a new window Cousin Vie Bond's place where I was staying for a few days and she had very kindly asked Barbara too to keep me company but she could only stay one night because she was going off to stay with the Bevans in Cornwall.

Cousin Vie welcomed us very warmly and Johnny her husband whom I had only seen once before turned out to be a perfect angel. There was a Miss Blanche Cecil staying there also, quite one of the most insapid people I have ever seen.

Barbara and I went for a walk before dinner and sat on a gate discussing life. After dinner we taught them Fan Tan and they all became very enthusiastic over it.

Wednesday August 27th. After breakfast Barbara & I walked to the top of a hill called Creech Barrow from which we got one of the most wonderful views I have ever seen, we looked over the line of downs by Corfe, and Poole Harbour to Bournmouth [ Bournemouth ] and the Isle of Wight, then to the New Forest and Wiltshire with Dorset spread like a plain beneath us and in the West we could see Lulworth and Portland Bill and away towards Devonshire. Barbara left in the Bentinck car about 3.30. I was very sad when she went after having been with her so long. She is a very attractive little thing quite unlike anyone else.

Cousin Vie, Miss Cecil & I went out in the car to pay calls in the direction of Lulworth Cove; we went first to the large & hideous tank camp which has been erected above Lulworth, then to a house in West Lulworth at both of which mercifully we drew blanks, then we went to see a nice Mrs Forster who lived in a cottage near Lulworth Castle and then to Wareham Station where we picked up a nice Lady Rankin who was coming to stay. She & Cousin Vie & I went for a lovely walk in the woods after tea. After dinner we played Fan Tan again.

Wednesday August 20th. I sat in garden and wrote letters most of the morning. Cousin Vie & Lady Rankin went to a garden party in the afternoon and Miss Cecil left. I begged to be let off the G.P & went for a walk on a heath where I found lovely deep blue gentians. I had tea with Johnny who is an angel and after tea he left for London en route for Yorkshire.

We did nothing in particular in the evening.

Thursday August 21st. I went to the post office with Cousin Vie and Lady Rankin & then walked up Creech Barrow & was nearly carried off my feet by the wind and laid on the top for a long time drinking in the view. We went over to a place called Lychett in the afternoon to see Lady Cecil,Link opens in a new window the house was very ugly and although she is a great gardenerLink opens in a new window the general effect of that was a little depressing too. Cousin Vie & I took the dogs for a walk when we got back. Fan Tan again after dinner, Lady Rankin was very keen on it.

Friday August 22nd. Cousin Vie and I went for a long walk in the morning over heaths looking for blue gentians but we only found very few.

In the afternoon we motored to a place about 16 miles away in the direction of Blandford to see some friends of Lady Rankin's and Cousin Vie & I sat in the car while she went in. On the way back we went to Aune a big track of moor between Wareham & Poole Harbour.

Cousin Vie & I rambled about & got huge bunches of gentians & a beautiful dull red heath - ciliaris - which grows there in quantities.

After dinner we played Fan Tan & Lady Rankin couldn't be made to stop.

Thursday August 28th.

Saturday August 23rd. I left by the 10.2 train from Wareham very sad at saying goodbye to the wonderful Dorset country.

The train was packed & I got what was practically the last seat, however I had quite a happy journey with the aid of the "New Statesman" & the "Herald".Link opens in a new window We stopped at Poole, Bournmouth [ Bournemouth ] & Southampton but managed to be nearly 1/2 an hour late at Waterloo and I took another 1/4 of an hour to get my things into the cloak room with the result that I arrived at the Leighs for luncheon at nearly 2 o'c but they were very nice about it and didn't seem to mind. Peggy and I had a talk after luncheon & I came down here by the 4.8 train; it was 1/4 of an hour late at Waterloo Junction and at one time we had 4 people standing in the carriage. Daddie was here when I got back but Mummy was away staying the week-end with Miss Heathcote at Stoke Poges.

Sunday August 24th. Shortie & I went to the Congregational ChurchLink opens in a new window in the morning, very good singing, sensible hymns & I liked it very much. I went to tea at the Cottage; Miss Deane was at her very nicest and delightful in consequence. Edith & I went for a walk to find white heather which we didn't succeed in doing. When we came back Miss Deane gave me the address of a neice of her's in New York whom she wants me to see if I go there; she also read me extracts from her letters, the poor girl, who is clever & fond of seeing people is entirely on her own in America. She is working in New York & knows no one there & is pining to come back to England but she must work & so can't come back because of the uncertainty of getting work.

Monday August 25th. I woke to find a letter from Kathleen telling me she has got engaged to Bendy Lutyens. It was a great surprise as I hadn't the least idea there was anything on and didn't think she showed any sign of meaning to become engaged to anyone when I last saw her. He is the man whom she & I had luncheon with at the Metropole & then went to watch cricket at Hurlingham some time in the summer; I can't remember him very distinctly but I do hope he is good enough for her, she deserves someone quite charming.

Poor Shortie told me that her other "baby" Marjorie Murray, who she was with for 16 years and married a Major Hamilton in 1916, had been divorced by him in July and is now married to a Captain Scott who has also been divorced by his wife. She has three children; it does seem odd but Hamilton is a dull dog and probably she had reasons.

Toby (Cousin Tottie) came down for the night arriving by the 2.12 bus. It is needless to say that she did not sit silent and tongue tied all the afternoon!

I went to the library & we had a bit of a scramble at one time. I walked up through the field with Edith afterwards.

Toby talked 16 to the dozen after dinner and was very excited to hear about America.

Anna rang up & I arranged to go over to Friendly Green for the night on Tuesday.

Tuesday August 26th. Toby left by the 10.40. I went to tea with Edith and we went onto the Chart before tea to look for white heather, she found some which I had walked right over and not seen. I had to leave a little after 5.15 to catch the bus for Oxted; Meadows met me on the hill & very kindly gave me a lift down. Shortie met me in the village with my box, I only had a few minutes to wait at Oxted and arrived at Cowden at 6.28, Anna met me at the station with a pony cart which I drove rather precariously up to Friendly Green. On the way I told Anna about America and she quite collapsed with the thrill of it & nearly fell out of the cart. At Friendly Green I found Mr & Mrs Talbot, Dick and Esther Macartney they were all very cheerful & we talked a great deal about France till dinner time. After dinner we played racing demonLink opens in a new window with partners and at terrific speed till midnight by which time we were very nearly raving lunatics. Anna & I talked till 1.30 mostly about what we'd been doing.

Wednesday August 27th. They were all going to Brighton for the day to watch cricket. I went to the station and saw them off at 10.7 and then went back to the house because I couldn't get a connecting train till 11.10. I arrived back here soon after 12 o'c; Mummy, who had come back the night before was in London & so was Daddie. I found a telegram from Uncle Oswald asking me to join them on the yacht at Cowes & go for a cruise westwards.

I went to tea with Mrs Farnworth and found the nice V.C there. We went for a walk on Farley Common & looked at the new house Miss Swan & Miss Gosling are building.

Thursday August 28th. I had a long and ecstatic letter from Kathleen.

I went to the village three times to-day for various things & did a great many small things such as dying a frock & altering another & writing letters. In the evening I went up to the Cottage to say goodbye. They go away to-morrow having let the cottage for a month so I shan't see them again before I go. They were so nice.

I am going to the yacht to-morrow; Uncle Oswald has telegraphed that they will meet me at Southampton.

Tuesday Sept: 9th.

Friday August 29th. I went and saw Edith off by the 8.40 and went off myself at 10.40 and caught the 12.30 to Southampton it wasn't as full as they usually are and I had no difficulty in getting a corner seat. I arrived at Southampton West at 2.9 and Uncle Oswald and Aunt Bobs met me at the station

We got a taxi and took my luggage to the Hythe DockLink opens in a new window steps and it was taken off to the Rosalind; then we went shopping and hunted all over Southampton for shiny black mackintoshs and finally found just what they wanted at a little shop in a side street.

We went on board about 4.30 and sailed for Cowes after tea passing the MauritaniaLink opens in a new window as we went out of Southampton Harbour. It was lovely sailing down Southampton Water in the evening. I had a dear little cabin about 1 foot x 2 feet with a bunk and a tip up basin and electric light and plenty of drawers and hanging room. The Rosalind is a yawl of 68 tons & is very pretty and comfortable.

Saturday August 30th. Aunt Bobs and I spent most of the morning ashore looking at the shops in Cowes and joined Uncle Oswald at the SquadronLink opens in a new window in time to go off for luncheon and I went inside the sacred portals as there was no one about.

It rained most of the afternoon and we knitted and read and talked.

Sunday August 31st. We all got up very late and did nothing most of the morning. In the afternoon we motored over to Totland Bay to see the children who had a house there. Only Joan was in when we arrived because she'd been sick the night before but the others soon came in and were very excited when they saw us. We all ran races in the garden for a considerable time after tea.

When we got back to Cowes we discovered the Brittiania [ Britannia ]Link opens in a new window had come in and was lying along side us and the Valdora Sir William Portal's yacht was not far off. Uncle Oswald was going to dine at the Squadron but he got a fearful headache and didn't go.

Wednesday Sept: 10th.

Monday Sept: 1st. We didn't go ashore in the morning but in the afternoon when Uncle Oswald went to the Squadron I went all round the harbour in the motor boat and saw the LibertyLink opens in a new window which is the largest yacht over here and used to belong to Lord TredegarLink opens in a new window and alongside her was the Restless Lord Tredegar's present yacht. There were also several Greek battleships being overhauledLink opens in a new window and the town was full of Greek sailors. After tea we sailed for Southampton but there was practically no breeze so we took three hours to get there. The Olympia was in the harbour when we got there and we were moored quite near her. The harbour looked lovely at night in the moonlight and with all the lights from the ships reflected in the water.

Thursday Sept: 11th.

Tuesday Sept: 2nd. Uncle Oswald & Aunt Bobs had to go to London for the night because he had a board meeting so it was arranged I should go and stay with the children at Totland. They left at 11.18 and I went off in the opposite direction a few minutes later; I changed at Brockenhurst and went to Lymington where I got a steamer to Yarmouth and from there took a bus which landed me at the door of their house in time for luncheon. They were all very excited at my coming and showed a great reluctance to go and rest after luncheon.

In the afternoon we drove to Alum BayLink opens in a new window taking our tea. It is a wonderful place just by the Needles and the cliffs are composed of sands of different colours, red and pink and green and orange and yellow; we took bottles and filled them with the sand in layers of different colours and also found a great many cornelians on the beach. We got back in time for the children's bedtime and I tucked them up in bed and found their conversational powers greatly increased as it became time for the lights to go out. Nanny who used to be with the Rumbolds (he is in the DiplomaticLink opens in a new window) told me a good deal about her travels during and after supper and was very interesting.

Wednesday Sept: 3rd. We went down to the beach in the morning and Anne and I bathed together and we made castles and rivers and slopped pails of water all over the place. We went back to the beach in the afternoon and I knitted and read; we had a picnic tea and then went home.

Thursday Sept: 4th. It was a nasty cold day, we went to the beach and I knitted and read while the children made all sorts of things on the sand. It was too unsettled to go back to the beach in the afternoon so we played a great game of horses in the garden (Anne thought it was too young for her and went off and skipped!) till it began to pour when we went indoors and played beg o' my neighbour; Tony was very good and nearly won. Uncle Oswald and Aunt Bobs came after tea, they had taken from 11 o'c to come from Southampton because there was no breeze. I went back to the yacht with them and was very glad to see my little cabin again.

Friday Sept: 5th. We went ashore and spent the morning with the children on the beach. A cargoe ship on fire with fire boats beside her and clouds of smoke coming from the hold passed by which was rather thrilling; we saw in the paper afterwards that she was a ship called the Bosphorus and that they got the fire under. The children and Nanny and Doris the nursery-maid all came to luncheon on the Rosalind and fished over the side with lines but caught nothing. In the afternoon we all went out in the motor boat and the dinghy and they trawled for mackerel but didn't get any, we went right up to the Needles which looked very fine with their white teeth sticking up jagged against the blue sky. We landed at Alum Bay and hunted for cornelians and got more sand and then went back to the yacht for tea. Tony caught a fish on the way back but we learnt afterwards that the Captain had surreptitiously tied it on because he thought he would be so disappointed if he caught nothing. Tony was wild with excitement. They fished over the side again after tea and Joan caught a red mullet which she was very proud of.

Friday Sept: 12th.

Saturday Sept: 6th. It was a glorious day with a perfect breeze and there was a good deal of talk of sailing to the west but in the end nothing happened. We paddled with the children on the beach in the morning. In the afternoon they all came on to the yacht and we took them trawling again this time in the direction of Colwall [ Colwell ] Bay; it became very cloudy and rainy and none of us caught anything. When we got back Tony was very flushed and it was discovered he had got a temperature so he was wrapped up in innumerable blankets, coats and shawls and taken back and put to bed. Uncle Oswald, Aunt Bobs and I went to call at two lots of Hammersleys, Mr & Mrs Hugh HammersleyLink opens in a new window & Mrs Arthur Hammersley;Link opens in a new window they were all at home and both had the most attractive houses. Sir Chartres Biron whom we met at Cornbury was staying with Mrs Arthur Hammersley. We went to Heathside from there and found that Tony was asleep but had a temperature of 102 so Aunt Bobs sent for the doctor & Uncle Oswald persuaded her to stay there the night as he thought she would be happier. He and I left after the doctor had been and got on board the yacht for dinner about 9.30!

Saturday Sept: 13th.

Sunday Sept: 7th. Aunt Bobs came on board at 10 o'c just as we were having breakfast and we all went ashore after breakfast. Tony was much better and quite cheerful. I played with Anne & Joan most of the morning. We went onto the yacht for luncheon and back to Heathside for tea. Uncle Oswald and I went for a walk after tea & got drenched. Anne was very sad at thinking I was leaving the next day. We sat up very late & then I packed so I didn't get to bed till nearly 1 o'c.

Monday Sept: 8th. Aunt Bobs went ashore directly after breakfast and Uncle Oswald and I followed about 11.30. I was catching a bus at 12.45 to go to Yarmouth and there get the steamer to Lymington and so my luggage was taken up to the town. However when we got to Heathside everything was changed because the Captain had said they were running short of water and must go to Southampton or Cowes for some more. So when Uncle Oswald saw Aunt Bobs and told her this it was settled that as it was blowing a gale and a beautiful day it would be much better to take me to Southampton and let me go straight from there by a later train. I of course was delighted. Tony was much better but wouldn't have much to do with me. I said good bye to Anne & Joan, poor Anne very sad and then we went back to the yacht, which was rolling about like anything and the table swung to all angles during luncheon – or rather the yacht did. We sailed directly after luncheon and became quite steady as soon as we were sailing. It was a heavenly sail and without the mainsail we reached Southampton in just over two hours. The HomericLink opens in a new window was in the harbour with a life boat missing which got washed away in an awful storm she ran into on her last trip across.

I left at 5.26, Uncle Oswald and Aunt Bobs came to see me off and Uncle Oswald gave me a 1st class ticket to London. They gave me their Christmas and birthday presents in advance. Uncle Oswald a cheque for £25 and Aunt Bobs another for £10 which was tremendously nice of them, they are good to me.

The train was 20 minutes late at Waterloo with the result that I missed the 7.12 by five minutes and had to go on to Charing X and wait for the 9 o'c train

I went and telephoned to Westerham and then bought a 2d packet of stationary and wrote to Aunt Bobs. I arrived back at 10.30 to find Mummy and Daddie, and Lady Edith Drummond here.

Tuesday Sept: 9th. Lady Edith left by the 10.40. I wrote 10 letters and sorted and looked out things to go and altogether had a very full day.

Sunday Sept: 14th.

Wednesday Sept: 10th. We all went to London by the 9.38. I went for a minute with Mummy & Daddie to our lawyer Mr Heller to ask somthing about insurance and then walked on to St Paul's where I found Shortie and met a Mrs Callis whom Toby had told me of. She takes one to the wholesale shops and gets one the wholesale prices with the addition of her 10% commission. We went to a big clothes warehouse and I bought a beautiful red-brown cloth coat with a fur collar and deep embroidery in the same colour for 8 1/2 gns. then I got a frock cinamon coloured crêpe moracain with a darker brown introduced for 7 gns. and then a splendid coat and skirt also brown, the coat trimmed with buttons and a brown fur collar for 8 gns. Then we went to a millinary warehouse which wasn't so satisfactory for good hats, after a great deal of trying on I bought a red velvet toque trimmed with different coloured flowers for 2 gns, also I found a very smart little faun felt hat for 5/11 and a navy blue velour bound with ribbon & a cockade at the side for 8/11. Then we went to an underclothes place & I got two nightgowns a pair of evening knickers and a silk princess petticoat. Here we parted as it was nearly 2 o'c by this time; Shortie and I went to the passport office where by a pure coincidence but very luckily we met Daddie. I waited half an hour to get my passport renewed and endorsed and then tore off to the American Consulate in Cavendish Square for the visa but it was too late and they said I must come back another day. I went to Lyons and had coffee and a bun and then bought one or two oddments and went to tea with Peggy who seemed very pleased to see me; we talked and I arranged to go and spend the night there on Friday. I came down by the 6.34.

Thursday Sept: 11th. The coat, coat and skirt and frock arrived in the morning and there was a great trying on. Anna came over from Friendly Green arriving soon after 12 o'c. She told me all about Kathleen, it is too ghastly for words, Kathleen is sailing for India on December 19th to be married there in the New Year and won't be home till 1927. It is too awful, she will be gone before I come back and I shan't be at her wedding or be her bridesmaid and she'll probably be quite different when she does come back having been married for three years and anyway it won't ever be just the same again. Anna and I discussed it the whole time and made ourselves so miserable we didn't know what to do. She left at 5.45. Mrs Farnworth came after tea and was very excited to hear of our going to America. Kathleen rang up more or less incoherent and very cheerful and said she'd been buying the wedding ring that afternoon, she is coming down for the day on Monday.

Friday Sept: 12th. I went to London by the 10.40 and first of all went to the White Star office to ask all sorts of questions about insurance, reserving a table, deck chairs etc: then I went to the bank and cashed a cheque and asked about letters of credit and went on to the Westminster Bank to cash Uncle Oswald and Aunt Bobs' cheques but they wouldn't cash them because they were crossed so I went back to Lloyds Bank and opened an account of my own paying in those two cheques to start it. From there I went to Harvey Nichols and changed two pairs of gloves and one pair of stockings Wolfie had given me for other ones. Then I went to the American Consulate and after sitting on a bench with a great many other people for some time I was admitted to the passport room and tossed like a shuttlecock from one person to another but did finally emerge with my passport vised although I parted with £2.6.8d to get it done. Then I went to the High Life shoe shop & got a very nice pair of one strap silver evening shoes for 16/9; then to Bourne and HollingsworthLink opens in a new window for schappe and handkerchieves Lyons for coffee, Galeries Layfette [ Lafayette ]Link opens in a new window unsuccessfully, the LouvreLink opens in a new window for red braid to bind a woolie I'm knitting, Cozens for knitting needles, Boots for face powder and at last Peggy's for the night. Peggy disappeared off with David Tennant and while she was gone Mrs Leigh gave me a good many valuable hints about clothes and that sort of thing for America. Peggy, Rowly and I talked a bit and I wrote to Mummy telling her what I got settled and telephoned to Toby. Peggy, Rowly and I went to see the film of "Monsieur Beaucaire"Link opens in a new window after dinner; it was one of the best done films I have ever seen we were in fits of laughter the whole time at the very obvious remarks of two men behind us who always saw the point long after it was gone and said "oh that’s him, thats the heroLink opens in a new window" when everyone knew he'd been on the stage doing all sorts of things for quite a long while. Rowly left us when we came out and as it was a lovely night we started to walk back and ended by walking the whole way stopping at a little shop in Oxford Street for salad and coffee and a cigarette. When we got in we started talking and got onto the subject of Alice, Peggy declared she had treated me abominably in the way she dropped me suddenly with no explanation I said I didn't know what her reason was and didn't think she could be condemned if she had no chance to explain. We argued this up and down for hours and mixed up with it views on the obligations of friendship and an arguement on Socialism. I pretended to be angry with Peggy for calling Alice names (in a sort of way I was) and we laughed and contradicted each other flat and were very happy and didn't go to bed till 3.15.

Saturday Sept: 13th. Peggy and I had breakfast in bed about 9.30 and Rowly came up and talked to us and read us a very amusing poem he'd just written. We got dressed in slow stages and walked down Bond Street and had ices at Gunters still discussing Alice. We went to Martial ArmandLink opens in a new window to settle about a pattern of a frock and then went back to Upper Berkeley Street. I left at 12.30 and caught the 1.12 from Cannon Street, Edith Ramsey came down in the same train but we didn't meet till Dunton Green. Mr Freddy Wallop was staying here and the Gifferds were here for luncheon, so Edith and I crept in by the side door and got Shortie to get us some luncheon, then we went for a walk on Hosey and had a tremendous argument on politics and Socialism (she is one of course) and whether Care Committees etc: are a good thing, it was all great fun and she is a good person to argue with because she is keen and provided with experience and facts. She left by the 5.22. The Geoffry Blandys came after tea and offered to give me a Cocker Spaniel puppy which they couldn't keep because the little girl Elizabeth, was so afraid of it. I went up with them to see it, it was a perfect little dear, only four months old and very shy but alas! a lady so it was out of the question for us to have it. When I got back Mr & Mrs Whitting, the people who have taken the Cottage, were here, they seemed nice.

Tuesday Sept: 16th.

Sunday Sept: 14th. Shortie & I went to Church at Riverhead; it was very high and I liked it. Miss Wolff came down for luncheon & tea and also Mr Lawrence from Belgium. Wolfie was very interested to know all about our preparations. Daddie and Mr Wallop went over to the Plenders for tea.

Monday Sept: 16th. Kathleen came down arriving at 9.21. We howled with laughter and talked all at once the moment we saw each other. Mummy and Daddie both went to London for the day but luckily Mr Wallop took himself off for a long walk. I showed K all my new things and we talked all at once for all we were worth and went for a walk in Squerryes and ate blackberries and discussed life in India and she told me all about how it had all happened & how Bendy Lutyens had proposed to her in the Garden of the Metropole Hotel at Minehead & how she hadn't been sure whether to accept him or not and how she liked him much more since they were engaged, and all about her in laws to be. Mr Wallop was very amusing at luncheon and took himself for a walk directly after. Kathleen & I talked & joked all the afternoon and she left by the 5.42 bus to go to Friendly Green for a couple of nights. I went to the library for the last time.

Tuesday Sept: 16th. Mr Wallop left by the 9.38. I wrote letters and finished off clothes and altogether had a hectic day. We havn't started to pack yet and I've had no time to get excited or think ahead at all.

Thursday Sept: 18th.

Wednesday Sept: 17th. We went to London by the 9.38. I went across to the L.B.S.C.RLink opens in a new window section of London Bridge to meet Kathleen who was coming up from Cowden but she wasn't in the train when it came in so I left & went to meet Toby & Mrs Cullis (the wholesale woman) at St Paul's. We bought gloves for Mummy and I got a very pretty grey silk knitted jumper with a red design on it. Toby & I rushed away from the City together. I went to Sloane Gardens & found Kathleen had waited 3/4 of an hour for me in the S.E.C.RLink opens in a new window Section having come in a different part of the train, we said good bye as she'll probably be gone by the time I get back.

I went to luncheon at Culford Gardens & found Cousin Florrie & Cousin Lionel & several members of the Daniels family in addition to Toby. I said good bye to Toby for good when I left because she sails for South Africa on Friday. I went to Peter JonesLink opens in a new window and bought brown knitting wool, going up Bond Street in a bus I suddenly caught sight of Peggy so I leapt off the 'bus & went with her to Hooke Knowles but she took such a long time that I had to leave. I went to Marshall about shoes and then to a frock shop called Jacques Monet in Wigmore Street, it belongs to a charming Mrs Boynton who is a friend of Miss Wolff's; I wanted a light afternoon frock and she took endless trouble over it and is finally going to make me one & have it done by to-morrow. I went to tea with Peggy but arrived very late & had to leave fairly soon to catch my train. I arrived back here feeling more dead than alive.

Thursday Sept: 18th. Mummy & Daddie went to London to see Nina Meade who is going to South Africa to live with Toby & sails tomorrow but was going down to Southampton to-day.

We have had an awful day of packing & finish up last jobs, I suppose when I come back I shall think how lovely it must have been getting ready to go but at the moment its a bit too strenuous. The Canon came to say good bye in the afternoon.

I've been gardening - planting out delphiniums & taking carnation cuttings most of the time since tea.

Thursday Sept: 19th. We had a desperate morning packing and shoving in last things and settling up bills and making lists of the boxes & their contents and then the porter came to take the luggage to the station before it had been labelled & there was a wild scrimmage to get it done. Shortie & I left by the 1 o'c train bringing up a steamer trunk, two cabin trunks another small trunk & a suit case and there is a small trunk, a suit case, a hat box & a holdall to follow. Daddie came with us as far as Dunton Green. We got to London at 2.19; it was thrilling seeing the boxes in the van labelled White Star all over and knowing they were ours. Shortie took them to Euston dropping me at Moss Bros on the way, I went there to get a pair of riding boots as a present from Daddie, they only had one pair that fitted me & they were £5.10s but as they were slightly shop soiled he made them £5. From there I walked up Regents Street & tried unsuccessfully to get a cheap felt hat to go with my new brown coat & skirt at the Galeries Lafyette [ Lafayette ] & the Louvre, finally I got a moderately nice one for 9/11 at Harries, then I went to Marshall & got a pair of their wonderful 20/- brown strap shoes, when I asked for them on approval they said I should have to wait a month but to-day I walked in & got them straight off but as a matter of fact it was the only pair they had in my size. I next walked up Oxford Street & took a bus to Sloane Street & walked down that looking for snakeskin shoes, finally I plunged into GerrettLink opens in a new window and ended by buying a superb pair of 1 strap faun coloured snakeskin shoes for £3.10s, that is the last of Uncle Oswald's & Aunt Bobs' cheques & I have done very well on them as I also got a lovely rose coloured silk & batik jumper from Jacques Monet price 3 gns. I went to Harvey to get some ribbon for the hat & then to Jacques Monet to fetch the frock. Mrs Boynton was charming & insisted on giving me tea, the frock is flowery crêpe de chine trimmed with black & with very fine pleating in places; it is very pretty. I went to see Peggy, the poor dear had a cold & was dog tired but is nice as ever; she goes to Paris to-morrow for a week to stay with a friend. I am staying the night with Wolfie she is so kind & always wanting to do somthing for me. I'm writing this in bed feeling dog tired & longing to go to sleep. At times to-day I have felt desperately excited at the thought that I'm sailing for America to-morrow but there has been so much to do & remember that I havn't had much chance to work up excitement.

On board S.S. "Cedric" Tuesday Sept. 23rd.

Saturday Sept: 20th. I slept very intermittantly during the night, was called at 7 and had breakfast at 7.45. Shortie turned up from Streatham at 8.15 in a great state of agitation because the trains had been full & she hadn't been able to get along. Wolfie came with us to Euston and we found our reserved seats on the train, 3rd class but very comfortable. Mummy and Daddie appeared from Westerham about 1/4 of an hour after we arrived. Poor Shortie became rather tearful towards the end. We left at 9.30 with the whole of the carriage to ourselves; it was a dull gloomy day and not very interesting country. I dozed, read the "New Statesman" & started letters to Anne, Kathleen & Anna. We had our own luncheon which we had brought with us. We passed through Rugby, Stafford and Crewe. It was very interesting going into Liverpool,Link opens in a new window our engine was changed at an ordinary station and we went very slowly through warehousesLink opens in a new window and across streets to the Riverside StationLink opens in a new window where we just crossed over a road and found the "Cedric"Link opens in a new window waiting for us; there were of course crowds of people going on board and we had to show our passports and tickets as we went up the gangway. We very soon found our cabin, No: 25 on B deck, and having deposited our hand things went and stood in the queue to engage deckchairs, we got two on A deck and then I went to see if there were any letters and found three for me from Anne, Edith and Anna and several letters for Mummy also a telegram from Daddie and a cable from Mr Cameron ForbesLink opens in a new window saying they were looking forward so much to our visit which was nice of him. It was a great joy getting letters as we felt very much alone in a seething mass of strangers who all seemed to know exactly what to do and all seemed to be American. We left at 3 o'c and it was very pretty going down the Mersey and seeing the hills of Wales in the distance. They said tea would be at 4 o'c and having said that put the clocks back half an hour so it was well past 5 o'c by the time we got it. We talked to a nice lady during tea, she was a Mrs Culman, English but married to an American & as she was quite alone she felt very lonely. I finished my letters to Anne, Kathleen & Anna after tea and also wrote to Daddie, Shortie, Wolfie & Edith and gave them to be posted at Queenstown the next morning.

We sat at the Captain's table at dinner, he wasn't there & no one spoke to us. We went to bed very early and had a great hunt for night things and brushes & combs and sponges so altogether we didn't feel at all at our brightest and best.

Sunday Sept: 21st. We rolled a good deal in the night going down St George's Channel. I poked my head out of the porthole in the morning and found we were off the Coast of Ireland approaching Queenstown. Mummy woke with a most fearful head and couldn't get up so we both had breakfast in bed. Some Irish emigrants came on board and a good deal of mournful singing went on. QueenstownLink opens in a new window looked more or less uninteresting except for a fine Church dominating the town. I got up about 11.15 and read and watched the coast of Ireland going by till luncheon time. No one spoke to me at luncheon and I felt very gloomy and depressed all the afternoon and was only consoled by watching the coast of Ireland which was quite lovely, very wild and lonely and line upon line of hills like the west coast of Scotland. We finally lost sight of land sometime after tea. Mummy got up for and going on deck after tea made friends with a charming Dr and Mrs Bryant who it turned out know the Forbeses as well; we talked to them till dinner time. At dinner a dear old gentleman at the bottom of the table a Mr Runwold came up and said he knew some Younghusbands and introduced us to the man next to me a young Mr Chandler who is a nice youth but hasn't got much to say. The people opposite a Mrs Wonham & her daughter actually condesended to speak so we had a much more cheerful meal and went to bed feeling quite happy.

Monday Sept: 22nd. It was quite rough all day, the spray came over all the parts of the decks that weren't contained in and we rolled about quite a good deal. We sat on the deck all the morning and I was very happy watching the rough sea send up sheets of spray. I went and laid on my bed after luncheon and slept till tea time. Mr Runewold came and had tea with us and talked a great deal and kept us in fits of laughter, he has got a nice fat face like an old baby and although he is American lives in England nearly all the time.

I went and had a talk to Miss Cunningham a friend of the Bryant's before dinner. She has just been "doing" England for the first time and by an extraordinary coincidence her sisters live at Milton where the Forbes live and her brother is at this moment cruising (I suppose this means yachting) with Mr Alex Forbes.

We always go to bed pretty early as we are overcome by sleep due to overeating soon after dinner.

Tuesday Sept: 23rd. Mummy sat on deck all the morning talking to a most amusing old Irishman in the chair next to her. I went for a walk with Miss Cunningham and her friend Miss Bolles who bears a great resemblance to Vallie and is so nice.

We have a beautiful cabin painted very clean shiny white with two windows, two beds, two tip up basins, a wardrobe a great many hooks and electric lights and a chest of drawers also an electric heater which doesn't heat. There is a most luxious bath very big and deep and clean bath towels every day. In fact everything is most luxurious especially the food, there are the most immensely long menus and the food is a sort of mixture of English and American - for instance we have fruit and cereals to begin breakfast with. There is a very good library and masses of writing tables amply provided with stationary and picture post-cards of the ship. There is a very pretty little drawing room with pale grey walls and Persian rugs and chintz covered chairs and sofas, but horribly overheated. There is an orchestra which plays in the companion way at intervals and is, on the whole, a great nuisance. There is a paper published on board every day giving the latest news by wireless which you are presented with as you go into breakfast. There are time tables of all the American railway lines and a ship's log which tells you where you are and how far you have gone and a chart showing what other ships are crossing the Atlantic at the same time in fact you'll find a chart or a plan or a list of everything you can imagine somewhere or other. Time is rather a bore and a problem because of course we are gaining time so the clock has to be set back between an hour and half an hour every night and the consequence is you never quite know where you are next morning. How Anna would love it all – if she wasn't seasick! - I do wish she was here.

Commander Marshall has appeared at last & seems very nice, regular Naval Captain type.

Mummy seems very happy.

Saturday Sept: 27th.

Wednesday Sept: 24th. I sat on the deck reading most of the morning and towards luncheon time went for a walk with Miss Cunningham and her friend Miss Bolles who is extraordinarily like Vallie and a perfect dear. Most of the rest of the day was spent on deck reading Chesterton's "Irish Impressions".Link opens in a new window

Thursday Sept: 25th. I started to re-read "The Three Muskateers"Link opens in a new window

Mummy discovered a most amusing old Irish gentleman in the chair next to her and they told one another stories all the morning; he said someone else had a brogue you could hang your hat and stick on!

Miss Cunningham started to teach me how to play deck tennis after tea but a lot of other people came along and wanted to play so we soon left off & went & sat with Dr & Mrs Bryant & Miss Bolles. A band composed of firemenLink opens in a new window & all dressed up in fancy costumes came & played on the second class deck and we leant over our deck and watched; they got a very good collection thrown to them ranging from 1/2 ds to half crowns. I wrote letters after dinner and at dinner young Mr Chandler who sits next to me offered me a shilling if I would eat an ice cream with Worcester Sauce on it which I did much to the horror of everyone else.

Friday Sept: 26th. I was very lazy yesterday I read nearly all day with the exception of the latter part of the afternoon and evening. I went to the barber & had my hair cut and he has made it so short I can scarcely do anything with it, then I went to see Miss Cunningham and Miss Bolles & we were going to play tennis but all the courts were taken so we talked about the tip problem instead, they said it worries them to death too; we finally decided that we ought to give the steward and stewardess £1, the dining salon steward £1, the deck steward 10/-, the bath steward 5/- and the library steward 5/-; it seems a great deal for only a week! Mummy sent for me and a young Mr Forbes had suddenly appeared; he is a nephew of Mr Cameron Forbes who had cabelled to him that we were on board, he is travelling back 2nd class with a student friend of his; he seems a nice youth. I wrote letters after dinner, Mr Forbes came to see us and then we went & sat on deck with Miss Cunningham & Miss Bolles.

Saturday Sept: 27th. We talked to Mrs Culman for some time this morning and she has asked us to go and see them if we go to New York, I again sat on the deck reading nearly all the morning. It is the most marvellous day a deep blue sea and unclouded sunshine, quite like getting into a new world and one feels at last that we are approaching land. We are due at Boston some time to-morrow and have had to fill up a luggage form saying where we belong where we live and how long we've lived in our native country, then how much luggage we have and then a declaration that it is nothing but personal effects. Americans have to give a list of every single thing they have bought abroad with their prices & then pay duty on them in some cases 60% and 90% of their value.

I can't say we have on the whole been much impressed by either the good manners or the friendliness of the Americans on this boat and it is extraordinary what a contempt any of the crew one talks to seem to have for Americans as a whole. However, Mrs Culman says we mustn't judge them by the ones one sees here and truly adds that it is always the least attractive people of any nation whom one meets travelling.

I shall be sorry on the whole when the voyage is over but there is all the strangeness of America to look forward to. After all this long time of sea with never even a ship in sight it seems incredible that one will ever really get anywhere.

Sunday Sept: 28th.

Saturday Sept: 27th con: At luncheon the Captain told us that we ought to sight the Boston lighthouseLink opens in a new window at 3 o'c on Sunday but that owing to quarantine inspection etc: it was unlikely we should be able to land before 7 o'c.

Miss Bolles, Miss Cunningham, Dr Bryant & I played about six sets of deck tennis in the afternoon, its a good game & easy to play.

Young Mr Forbes came to see us after tea.

We had a very jolly party in the evening got up by Mrs Bryant. The Bryants, Miss Bolles & Miss Cunningham, Mr Parker (Mummy's Irish friend), Mr Forbes and Mummy & I all dined together & Mr Parker amused us all tremendously with Irish stories. We had a wonderful pudding composed of ice & caramel & frothy white stuff. After dinner we went up and watched the dancing on deck, it looked very pretty decorated with coloured lights and flags. I danced with Mr Forbes & Dr Bryant, the former was moderate & the latter good. We didn't go to bed till well after 11 o'c I dreamed I was having a most wonderful dance with Kathleen, we whirled & spun & glided and trod on air.

Sunday Sept: 28th. A perfect day and a great stir of excitement everywhere at the prospect of reaching America at last.

Mummy is doing her packing and I've got to go & grapple with mine as soon as shes finished.

Nauschon [ Naushon ] Island Tuesday Sept: 30th.

Sunday con: I had an awful time packing, the things wouldn't go in and it was difficult to get at the boxes so it took me more than an hour to finish and I wasn't able to go to the service. I sat up on deck when it was over and while I was walking with Mr Rodewald before luncheon I suddenly caught sight of a tall straight object sticking out of the sea, soon everyone was looking at it and it turned out to be the monument at Province TownLink opens in a new window which was the first place the Pilgrim Fathers landed at although they didn't stay there because they couldn't find water. After luncheon the Bryants & Miss Bolles & Miss Cunningham and I went onto the upper deck and soon quite a good deal of land began to be visible as we went up Massachusette [ Massachusetts ] Bay; they all became wildly excited as they recognized various lighthouses and islands and I felt very much a stranger. We passed the lightship about 3 o'c and the pilot came on board. When we reached the quarantineLink opens in a new window island a string of doctors & nurses came on board and we were all collected in the dining saloon and then made to walk past them but they didn't examine us or ask any questions. Boston was in full view with the tower of the customs house towering over everything.

We were kept at the quarantine place for nearly two hours and I only just realized that the sun was setting in time to rush onto the upper deck and take a photograph of Boston with a most glorious sunset behind it. It was semi dark as we came into the harbour and passed the "Leviathan"Link opens in a new window which had come in that day to be overhauled. We went to the Commonwealth Wharf,Link opens in a new window a huge concrete building. Before we were allowed to land the immigration officers came on board to see everyone's passports; they went through American citizens first so the Bryants & Miss Bolles & Miss Cunningham were off long before we were. A nice Customs official came to look for us and said that he'd been asked to see that we got through easily; I went ashore with him to the Customs place to unlock the boxes and while I was doing it Mr Webster who had come to meet us discovered me and was most useful with the boxes; they were beginning to take up all the gangways so I went back on board and left Mr Webster to look after the luggage. Mummy and I were the last people to have our passports and landing cards seen, it took some time to get through everyone because they went all through that immense form which we filled up before we left saying whether or not we were anarchists, polygamists, insane, illiterate, financially sound and so on. We said good bye to our friends who were going on to New York and got off the ship a little after 7 o'c. Dr & Mrs Bryant were still struggling with the Customs although they had got off getting on for an hour before we did. The heavy luggage was sent off to the railway station. Mr Webster had Mr Cameron Forbes' motor with him and he took us to Cambridge to spend the night with them because everyone else was on the island of Nauschon [ Naushon ].Link opens in a new window We drove through BostonLink opens in a new window and had a general impression of wide streets and big buildings and shops and very brilliantly lighted quick lunch places, then poorer streets rather like Whitechapel High St, then a river and a fine bridge, then Cambridge and big old houses in gardens and finally the Websters house and Mrs Webster to welcome us. Frederick the boy was there and Edith tore in just before supper having just got back from Naushon. We talked for a little and then went to bed early feeling desperately tired.

Wednesday Oct: 1st.

Monday Sept: 29th. We had breakfast at 8.15. Mr Cameron Forbes had very kindly said we were to be driven in his motor the 80 miles to Woods Hole the nearest point on the mainland to Naushon. We left at 9 o'c, there was a thick mist over everything earlier in the morning but it was beginning to lift as we started; we didn't go through Boston but skirted along on the right of it. The roads were crowded with motorsLink opens in a new window and I thought there was somthing very odd till I noticed there was no horse traffic at all. All the houses were built of wood with little gardens open to the road and we went for miles and miles without coming to any real open country except for a big public park at the foot of the Blue Hills, in fact I think it must have been a good 25 miles before we got clear of houses and then it was only for a short time because in all the towns the houses, except in the actual main street, were detached and with gardens so they naturally took up a great deal more room. There were a great many West Country names, Taunton and Bridgewater and Wareham and Falmouth. We passed through a town called Brockton which is the centre of the shoe industry in the U.S.A and was all decorated with flags for a fair.Link opens in a new window The roads were swarming with Ford cars and once three Red Indians in full war paint passed us in a Ford. We got into real country once we reached Cape Cod and it was very pretty indeed with the woods all turning. There were a great many little farms with stalls by the roadside on which were apples and cider for sale and often a notice, "Sunday Lunch $1.50". There were notices everywhere telling campers to be careful not to set fire to the woods and at one place where there had been a fire there was an immense hoarding which said "This fire was caused by carelessness" and then went on to say how fires could be avoided.

Mr Cameron Forbes met us at Woods HoleLink opens in a new window and welcomed us very kindly and we were taken in a beautiful steam launch to the Island which is about a mile across the sea from the mainland. It was lovely coming into the harbour, very wooded with the trees beginning to turn. We were met by a carriage and driven up to Mr Forbes' house arriving in time for luncheon. There was a cousin, Mrs Cunningham, staying here and a delightful Mr, Mrs & Miss Vincent, he is apparently a great speaker & also the man who administers the Rockefeller Trust.Link opens in a new window We all rested after luncheon and then later in the afternoon the Vincents and I went out riding through the most beautiful woods and later on sort of downs with great granite boulders and big clumps of huckleberry bushes turning red. We rode for two hours and of course I adored it. Elizabeth Vincent and I started talking after we got back she is on the staff of the "New Republic"Link opens in a new window which corresponds to the "New Statesman" she is very, very nice and interesting besides being extremely pretty with wavy red-gold hair and a clear skin. We ate apples and cookies and discussed the Presidential election which is in November. Supper was at 7 o'c and afterwards we all sat and talked and Mr Vincent was extremely interesting about various English political people he had met.

Thursday Oct: 2nd.

Tuesday Sept: 30th. The Vincents pressed us most warmly to go and stay with them at Greenwich near New York. They were delightful people, unfortunately they left after breakfast as also did Mrs Cunningham who was a nice amusing creature. Mr Forbes showed me his lovely Carpenter's shop and all the model yachts he makes. "Uncle Edward Emerson"Link opens in a new window came over from old Mrs Forbeses and we all went for a drive in the woods; there were trees down all over the place from a fearful storm about a month ago, the same storm from which the "Homeric" had lost a life boat when I saw her in Southampton Harbour.

After luncheon I tried to struggle with my diary and then Mr Forbes and I went for a ride in the woods and rode for about an hour and a half. After supper he read us several of the plays he has written for the family and others to act on the island; they were extraordinarily good.

Friday Oct: 3rd.

Wednesday Oct: 1st. Mr Forbes had to go round with the manager in the morning to tell him various things about the trees; we drove and went up hill and down dale in the woods with a most glorious disregard for pathes and boulders. All the pathes have names and a great many of the trees have been what they called "named for" different people and have their initials carved on them. A lot of the trees had dead boughs that wanted cutting and very nearly all of them seem to be rotted in the middle. They are mostly oaks and beeches with hollys, maples, cherries, sassafras, hornbeam and pines here and there.

After luncheon I read and wrote diary and then Mr Forbes & I went for a ride. Some rams had got loose on the island so we chased them back and rode down the sides of precipices over piles of boulders and fallen trees in the most any way. When the sheep were collected we had a very good ride and gallop and didn't get back till nearly dark.

We went to supper with old Mrs ForbesLink opens in a new window who looked so pretty in a pale grey dress. Her brother Mr Emerson and his wife, a dear old lady but very deaf, were there. Mr Emerson told me some very long and rambling stories after supper and explained to me what the Horse Guards in Whitehall are like; he is a very nice kind old gentleman but his memory has gone a little.

Saturday Oct: 4th.

Thursday Oct: 2nd. We went for a marvellous sail in the yacht, the Kalinga,Link opens in a new window in the morning. She is a cutter and quite beautiful and as there was quite a strong wind we went like anything. One side was right up in the air and the other side lying on the water and sheets of spray came over. I was allowed to take the wheel at one time and found it pretty difficult to keep her heading for the place I was steering to. We had ginger ale and cookies coming back & the steward bringing them up slipped and sat down heavily on Mummy's head!

Mrs Forbes and Mr & Mrs Emerson came to luncheon. I read on the piazza most of the afternoon.

A young Mrs Alan Forbes and her boy & girl, Bennett and Phyllis, arrived to stay and was immediately taken off for a drive in the woods with us. We went a fearful bump into a hole once but otherwise nothing in particular happened.

Mr Forbes read us another play after supper.

Friday Oct: 3rd. At 10.30 we all set out in two carriages to drive seven miles to the other end of the island and have a picnic. Mrs Forbes & I went in the second carriage which I drove and as I had a very large horse which pulled like anything our drive was to say the least of it precarious. It was the most glorious day with not a cloud in the sky and very warm. Our destination was a big fresh water lake where we were going to fish after luncheon. We set out all the things in the woods a little way from the lake and were joined by Mrs Forbes & the Emersons; we had such an enormous quantity of things to eat that I felt quite ill by the end of lunch and I hadn't sampled nearly all the things there were.

We rested for a bit and then went fishing for bass & perch, Mrs Alan Forbes & the children in one boat & Mr Forbes & I in the other. We fished with spinners & artificial minnows dragging the line but there was scarcely a ripple on the lake and it was quite clear to the bottom and although this was glorious from an artistic point of view it was not good for fishing and we caught nothing, though the others hooked a fish and lost him in the landing. We started back soon after 5 o'c; the horses who poor dears had been badly bitten by mosquitos, were extremely fresh and I had all I could do to hold mine. At one point we bumped over a huge boulder & were both nearly thrown out and at another time we came to a tree fallen right across the path & no means of getting round it so Mr Forbes had to get out and chop off the branches to clear a path.

The lovliness of the evening was indescribably, the sea was like an opal and beyond was the big island of Martha's VineyardLink opens in a new window deep blue and then pink with the sunset and all the trees of the woods were toutched to firey pink besides their own autumn colours. It was quite dark some time before we got back and was rather alarming driving along and not being able to see in the least where you were going.

Mrs Waldo Forbes & her two children, Amelia and Waldo arrived to stay. She is very nice but not thrilling.

We went to bed early.

Monday Oct: 6th.

Saturday Oct: 4th. Mrs Alan Forbes and Mummy and I sat in the piazza and talked after breakfast and later on we all went for a sail in the Kalinga. As we were starting off we were joined by young Mr Malcolm Forbes and a very nice girl called Ethel Cummings who was arriving to stay for the week-end. It was boiling hot and we had a very good sail; the children of course were thrilled and they were all allowed to steer. We got back very late for luncheon and in the afternoon the two Mrs Forbeses, Ethel Cummings, Phyllis, Ben, Amelia and I went for a ride; it was too glorious riding over downs and through woods in brilliant sunshine and the whole thing of downs and horses and riders with a marvellous sheen from the evening sun on them looked like a picture by Munnings.Link opens in a new window

I had developed a perfectly howling headache and felt rather sick so having done very inadequate justice to an excellent supper I slipped off to bed almost directly after.

Tuesday Oct: 7th.

Sunday Oct: 5th. Breakfast, thank goodness, was at 9 o'c because it was Sunday, usually it is 8 o'c and the effort to be ready in time is awful especially as one is never called in America.

A great quantity of us went sailing in the Kalinga, there was Mummy, Mrs Alan Forbes, Mr Leach, Phyllis, Ben, Amelia, Ethel Cummings, Malcolm Forbes, Catherine Forbes, Rosamund Forbes, a child - I think a Forbes called Baisy and two friends of theirs, besides of course Mr Cameron Forbes. It was very hot and we had a beautiful sail assisted by cookies and ginger ale. We got back at 1.40 luncheon being at 1 o'c.

In the afternoon Miss Cummings, Mr Leach and I rode for about two hours. I as usual had my beloved "Quarterback" who is an angel in the guise of a horse.

Malcolm Forbes came in after supper and he & Ethel Cummings disappeared together much to Mrs Alan Forbeses and my amusement. We think they must be engaged especially as they rode together for hours before breakfast. Several of us went and ate cookies and fruit in the pantry before going to bed.

Monday Oct: 6th. The Waldo Forbeses had already left on Sunday afternoon and Mrs Alan Forbes and her two children left soon after breakfast. She was so nice and so pretty and she has asked me to go and lunch with her in Boston when I get to Milton.

We packed very hard because we were moving over to stay with old Mrs Forbes at the Stone House. Mr Alexander ForbesLink opens in a new window who was also staying there came and asked if I would like to go sailing with him that morning so of course I said yes. I went down to meet him at the Wharf and found him seeing about some repairs that wanted doing to his yacht the Black Duck in which he had just been on a cruise to Jamaica; she is a schooner and not pretty because she is entirely built for utility and has no brass work and painted decks. We went sailing in one of the little 12 foot boats around the harbour and Mr Forbes was just explaining the theory of sailing to me and I was getting all tied up in knots when Mr Cameron and Mr Leach came along and invited us to go with them for a sail in the Kalinga, so we went and had the most glorious sail, it was very hot but there was a strong breeze and the sea was distinctly choppy. We sailed at a terrific angle and rolled about a good deal and the water came over in sheets.

Mr Alexander & I got up to the Stone House in time for luncheon and found besides Mrs Forbes and Mummy & the Emersons dear old Miss Anthony who was with Mrs Forbes in England the year before last and has a fat face and twinkling black eyes and a boot button nose and is the kindest person that ever lived - what the Americans would call a lovely creature.

Mr Alexander Forbes left soon after luncheon and I went off bathing much to the horror of everyone who said it would be much too cold in the afternoon, however I found it quite warm and delicious. There is a bathing cove with a line of bathing huts and very smooth white sands and a lovely clear sea.

We went to bed early.

Thursday Oct: 9th.

Tuesday Oct: 7th. I went over to the Mansion House soon after breakfast and found Mr Cameron just going out, he and I drove together to a tree on which he was going to carve the initials of a cousin who had died quite recently; it was great fun watching it being done. On the way back he dropped me at the bathing cove and I had a lovely bathe in the sunshine but the water was quite cool.

I sat out of doors reading all the afternoon. Mrs Forbes' great neice Margaret Forbes arrived to stay about 5 o'c and she and I went for a walk as it grew dark; she is a nice child of I gather about 18 as she is about to burst on the world almost immediately. She has just come back from the West and is very full of the Rockies and all the other delights of that part.

Friday Oct: 10th.

Wednesday Oct: 8th. Margaret and I went over to the Mansion House and discovered Mr Forbes at work on his model yachts in the carpenter's shop. We watched him for a time and then we all went upstairs and played Mah Jongg and were joined by Malcolm Forbes. I was Mah Jongg every time. Mr Forbes came over here for luncheon.

Margaret and I rode in the afternoon she on one of their horses and I on Quarterback. We were only able to ride for an hour because we were going sailing with Mr Forbes in the Kalinga. It was blowing hard and we had the best sail yet, the water came over in sheets, there was white from all round and we raced along. We had to come in quite soon because Mr Forbes had to get back to welcome a party of people who were arriving to stay with him for the deer hunt.

Miss Anthony left in the morning which was sad.

Thursday Oct: 9th. An absolutely perfect day. The deer hunt began at 8.30. We started off to join them for luncheon at about 12 o'c, Mrs Emerson and Margaret driving and I riding one of their ponies Chad! We met one of the gunners as they call them in this country who showed us where all the horses and carriages were so we went and tied up our horses. A deer hunt isn't a hunt at all as we understand it but the deer are driven by beaters just as we drive grouse in Scotland; it is a cruel amusement. A horn blew when the drive was over and then we all collected for luncheon and had a delightful party. Margaret's sister Ruth ForbesLink opens in a new window was there and some extremely nice men who were all charming to me when they found I was English. I didn't make out all their names but there was General BullardLink opens in a new window a dear old thing who commanded the 2nd army in the war; General Theyer [ Thayer ] who was Surgeon-General during the war; Mr CoolidgeLink opens in a new window who is the architect of Harvard; Mr WebsterLink opens in a new window who is the head of a great electrical engineering business and a multi-millionaire having started life on a few hundred dollars; Mr Lloyd Driscombe who knows Uncle Jack and has just had Thurso Castle in the north of Scotland; Mr Raymond EmersonLink opens in a new window the son of the Emersons who are staying here & very nice indeed; there was also someone called "Cousin Jim Russell", a Mr Emery and one or two other men whose names I didn't catch. Malcolm Forbes was also there. We started off after an enormous luncheon on horses and in carriages to the beginning of the next drive, we tied up the horses and then walked along dropping people at the particular stand they were to take. I went with Malcolm Forbes and we had a very comfortable position with a sort of semi-circle of boulders to lean against. He talked a good deal about Africa where he has just been big game shooting. Two deer passed us and he fired twice but I am glad to say they were too far off and he missed and so did the man in the next stand who also had a go at them. We all joined together when the drive was over and everyone discussed all their shots and what they had done just like people talking over a game of golf. Margaret and I decided we didn't at all like seeing deer shot although as a matter of fact we hadn't seen any because the two that were killed were not near us. We all walked on to the next positions for the last drive. I went with Mr Forbes and we sat on a fallen tree by the Bathing Beach Road and ate apples and talked but didn't see any sign of deer or hear a shot fired. More were killed that drive; they got seven altogether. The gunners all wear kaki coloured clothes, most of them had on riding breeches and fairly long boots and a short coat of either kaki stuff or leather and funny sailor shaped hats of kaki twill stuff. I walked back with Mr Coolidge as it wasn't worth while our going back to fetch our horses because we were so near home. He gave me very amusing imitations of how the Eastern farmers talk.

Mr Ralph Forbes,Link opens in a new window who is Margaret's father, arrived to stay here. Margaret and I sat on the piazza after dinner wrapped up in rugs discussing all the different expressions that English people and Americans use.

I had no letters at all from England till Wednesday when I heard from Peggy, Shortie and Daddie.

We have very good food here but different from England in many ways. There are all sorts of fancy breads and rolls and jellies and tea at supper and everyone drinks large glasses of milk at all meals. We had no tea at all at the Mansion House but here there is a faint shadow of tea at 5 o'c. The hours of meals take some getting used to, breakfast is at 8 o'c which is a most inhuman hour especially as one is never called and everything is handled at breakfast like any other meal so you have to be more or less punctual but here luckily everyone is late. Luncheon is at 1.30 which is quite human but supper is at 7 o'c so that by the time you have sat up till 10 o'c you feel as if the evening had lasted for untold ages and I should imagine in summer it cut the afternoon very short. The servants are very nice but there are much fewer of them and you never get hot water in your room. I am enjoying it all tremendously and of course the life on this island is heavenly.

Monday Oct: 13th.

Friday Oct 10th. It was a very dull cold grey day. We heard the hunt had been called off but later on we heard they were hunting the islands of Nonameset [ Nonamesset ] and Uncatina [ Uncatena ]. Mr Cameron Forbes sent to ask if Margaret and I would like to go but we decided not to. I wrote letters and diary and went for a short walk in the woods.

After luncheon I went out riding and got as far as Tarpaulin CoveLink opens in a new window between 3 & 4 miles from here, it is lovely there with all the huckleberry bushes turning scarlet on the hillsides. On the way back as I was nearly home I met the whole party from the Mansion House, with the exception of Ruth Forbes, going to name a tree for General Bullard. Mr Forbes invited me to ride along with them which I did. We came to the Pershing Grove where there are trees named after General PershingLink opens in a new window & other generals. Mr Cameron Forbes showed them all to General Bullard and then broke it to him that a tree was to be named for him; he was very much surprised & everyone laughed a good deal. A tracing of his name was nailed on the tree and we all dismounted & watched it being carved while Mr Forbes made a speech & General Bullard answered it. We all rode back in the semi-darkness & I arrived in at 6 o'c to find Mummy very anxious as I'd been out since 3 o'c.

Margaret and I went to the hunt dinner at the Mansion House that evening. There were 20 people including besides the people staying in the house, Malcolm Forbes & his sister Alice Howland (?) & two friends of her's Mr & Mrs Holmes, Mr & Mrs Raymond Emerson & a nice friend of theirs Mrs Purse, and also Mrs Webster wife of the millionaire who arrived to stay as we were going in to dinner. I sat between General Bullard and Malcolm Forbes. A haunch of venison was brought in half cooked and then cut into slices and re-cooked in a chafing dish with a thick sauce added in. Mr Forbes read out a couple of hunting poems during dinner and we were all very merry on undiluted water.

After dinner Ruth Forbes sang to the guitar rather indifferently. Margaret Forbes & I played Go BangLink opens in a new window an entralling game with counters. We got home about 10.45.

Wednesday Oct: 15th.

Saturday Oct: 11th. Mr & Mrs Emerson & Margaret left in the morning and Mr & Mrs Webster & Frederick, Rosamund Forbes & young Mr Will Forbes whom we met on the boat arrived to stay. I had a choice of nice things to do because Mrs Raymond Emerson came to ride with me to the West End which is right the other side of the island about 7 miles for the hunt luncheon, and then Mr Ralph Forbes asked if I would like to go with them in their motor launch over to Falmouth about 4 or 5 miles and sail back in their yacht which they wanted to bring over here. I finally decided in favour of the picnic and Mrs Emerson & I set out together. It was a lovely ride and we arrived to find them all nearly finished luncheon, however we got all we wanted to eat and then all laid down and rested before the first drive. I went with Mr Stone who is a nice old bird. I'm glad to say nothing came for him to shoot. We all went back to the horses when the drive was over and rode on to the next drive. Mr Cameron Forbes got very worried because everyone dawdled so, however finally they were all settled and I went with him for that drive; we saw a very fine buck but it was too far away to shoot. Again we all collected & rode on to the next drive. This time I went with Mr Russell who said amongst other things that it was time England gave up playing about with all this socialism and got down to business. Three deer were wounded in this and we hunted for their tracks for a long time but unsuccessfully. We all rode to Tarpaulin Cove where we were met by Mr Ralph Forbes and Will Forbes in the Sahara motor launch and brought home. It was the most amazing evening, there was a wonderful red sunset on one side and a great full moon coming up on the other, the water was absolutely smooth and the colours of fine opals.

A delightful Miss Williams had arrived to stay when I got back, she is the daughter of a Mrs Williams whom we met with Mrs Forbes at Bath before the war. After supper Mr Ralph Forbes, Mrs Webster & Miss Williams started singing old Scotch songs with Mummy playing their accompanyment and then Ruth Forbes came over and sang some of the Songs of the North.Link opens in a new window

Sunday Oct: 12th. Mr Cameron Forbes sent an invitation for anyone who liked to go for a sail on the Kalinga so Mummy, Miss Williams, Rosamund and I went. General Bullard was there and said some very nice things about Daddie which pleased Mummy very much. We went round by Woods Hole into Vineyard Sound;Link opens in a new window it was very smooth and warm and delicious and I was allowed to steer for some time. This alas! was our last sail.

In the afternoon Rosamund, Ruth, Will Forbes & I went riding we worked across from the south shore to the north shore; Rosamund is very nervous so we ambled along at a walk most of the time.

We all sat round talking after supper and I grew very sleepy.

Monday Oct: 13th. Mr Webster, Will Forbes, Ruth, Mr Cameron Forbes & I besides various farm hands & other men went out to round up some sheep and drive them onto the island of Nonameset [ Nonamesset ]. It was very exciting wondering which way they were going to turn and then riding to head them off. We got them all on without much difficulty except for one which got away completely. When it was over Mr Cameron Forbes took Mr Webster & me & showed us a proposed new path along by the sea on Nonameset; we rode up hill and down dale over boulders and fallen trees. I went for a ride by myself along Hill Top Road (road means path) to the top of a high hill from which one can see almost the whole length of the island.

Everyone except Mrs Webster left in the afternoon.

Mr Cameron Forbes came to supper and said he was going off to their ranch in Wyoming on Wednesday and would be away a fortnight.

Tuesday Oct: 14th. Mrs Webster & Mr Cameron Forbes both went in the morning, we went down to the wharf and saw them off.

I wrote a long letter to Kathleen and sat in the veheranda reading for a good part of the morning, then later on I took Mummy for a drive along the South Shore Road & back by the Main Road.

In the afternoon I went for a long exploring ride, Quarterback was sure I was hopelessly lost and tried very hard to guide me home. It was so beautiful on the downs with the sheep and the short grass and great grey boulders and huckleberry bushes all turning red and a calm blue sea and the glow of the sun over everything.

Mrs Forbes showed me pictures of Concord after supper and told me about her father, Emerson'sLink opens in a new window house and Louisa AlcottLink opens in a new window who also lived there and was a friend of their's.

Wednesday Oct: 15th. Mrs Forbes had a little cold and was staying in bed with it and Mrs Webster rang up to say would we go and stay there on Thursday for a day or two till Mrs Forbes was settled in at Milton.

I wrote letters and read and packed all the morning.

Malcolm Forbes rang up after luncheon and asked if I would go for a ride with him so we set off and went for a long ride and had a long talk about the League of Nations and politics and the rise of the American Nation and democracy & the British conviction that we are the finest people in the world. I went back with him to Uncatina [ Uncatena ] to see his mother who works very hard indeed to try and bring America into the League of Nations & is just resting after a breakdown brought on by overwork, she turned out to be charming, very gentle and quiet and we talked about the Labour Party in England and the League of Nations and disarmament and pacifism. They have the most fascinating long low house overlooking the harbour and the woods beyond and almost on the sea. I rode back on Quarterback very sad at the last ride. We sat in Mrs Forbes room after supper, she seems better and is very cheerful.

It will be horror leaving dear Naushon to-morrow and going to a town after the lovely wild free life and all the riding here.

Monday Oct: 20th.

Thursday Oct: 16th. We said good bye to Mrs Forbes and left Naushon very sadly on the launch. Just as we were starting a telegram came from Mr Alexander Forbes asking if we would go and stay with them at Milton for the night instead of going to the Websters and go to hear John BuchanLink opens in a new window lecture that evening. Mrs Forbeses car met us at Woods Hole and brought us to Milton. The autumn colours on the Cape were glorious but it is really rather an uninteresting drive when you get off the Cape and into the miles and miles of little wooden houses, one's eyes get positively physically tired with them and ache for the sight of somthing really old. All the roads are streets belonging to some town so no: 1534 Main Street may be a small cottage right out in the country. We arrived a little before 1 o'c and were met by Mrs Alexander Forbes, we had met her in England two or three years ago, she is very downright and a little difficult to talk to but awfully nice. Three of the children were there at luncheon Catherine whom we had already seen at Naushon and Janet & Florence; Irving who is rising two appeared after luncheon. I went with Mrs Forbes to fetch some cups & saucers from the Parish Hall, it was a beautiful building just like a house with a big hall and reading and writing and eating rooms and a kitchen. We went for a bit of a walk in the woods and then had tea.

John Buchan's lecture was at Milton AcademyLink opens in a new window in a big hall the acoustic properties of which were extremely bad. I was just going to sit down when I looked round and saw Mrs Bryant, I dashed over to her and we fell into each other's arms and I sat with her all the time. The lecture was on the American Civil War mostly it was good though a trifle heavy. Mummy went up & spoke to John Buchan afterwards and he said "Hello! What in the world are you doing here?" Dr Bryant was at the back of the hall having come in late. We had a great re-meeting and they both seemed very pleased to see us and were charming. We also saw the Ralph Forbeses and the Websters.

Friday Oct: 17th. I went to the village with Mrs Alexander in the morning, she did oddments of shopping and I made my first acquaintance with an American Drug Store.Link opens in a new window

Mrs Waldo Forbes came for me after luncheon in a most magnificent car and took me to a symphony concert in Boston. They have them twice a week during the season and they are a great feature; the large hall was quite packed. There was a very big orchestraLink opens in a new window conducted by the Russian Koussevitzky,Link opens in a new window it was by far the best I have ever heard and was really quite lovely, I enjoyed it tremendously. Mrs Bryant was sitting two rows off us. We came back here for a tea party of Mrs Alexander's and found about 20 people some of them nice but it was uninteresting on the whole and through being late I didn't get any tea which made me take a jauntdiced view of the whole thing.

I played with the children after the people had gone.

Mr Alexander has taken some wonderful stereoscopic colour photographs which he showed us; he has done some really beautiful ones of autumn colourings and Skye and Naushon and the scenery off the coast of Maine.

Sunday Oct: 26th.

Saturday Oct: 18th. Mrs Webster telephoned in the morning to say we weren't to go to Mrs Forbes till Monday as she had a cold. Mr Alexander and I went for a ride in the Blue Hills ReservationLink opens in a new window which looked too beautiful with maples, oaks, dogwood and Spanish chestnuts turning the most vivid reds and yellows. When we got back Mrs Forbes was at the house, she hadn't been told we weren't coming till Monday and had come over to fetch us, we were lunching with Miss Williams in Boston at 1 o'c and going to the theatre so we only just had time to see Mrs Forbes and tell her we were dashing off. She very kindly lent us the car which took us to the Chilton ClubLink opens in a new window which is the ladies club of Boston. Miss Williams and her very nice neice Martha Bigelow met us there and we had a first rate luncheon and then fell upon the English papers in the parlor until it was time to go to the theatre.

We saw Cyril MaudeLink opens in a new window and an English company in "Aren't We All"Link opens in a new window not a very good play and the acting was more or less indifferent except for Cyril Maude himself. Everyone takes off their hats in an American theatre and they give you the programmes for nothing.

Miss Williams took us out to their house in Brookline for tea, it is a big house with very high rooms, rather like an English house in the late Victorian florid style. Mr and Mrs Bigelow and their sons and a younger girl and a friend were there. Miss Williams took us back to Milton afterwards & we had to ring up the Alexander Forbeses to ask the way to their house! We went to bed very early.

Sunday Oct: 18th. We all went to the Unitarian Church in the morning; it was a large wooden building painted white with a Greek poritco & a steeple, all the pews were upholstered in pink brocade, the congregation all appeared to be very well off and there were a good 50 motors waiting on the green outside. The service was on the lines of a free church service. The minister is a Mr Pommeroy [ Pomeroy ]Link opens in a new window an Englishman he has only been here about a year and they are all crazy about him. He preached a very fine sermon on courage and he certainly ranks with all the best preachers I have ever heard.

A Dutchman, Professor EinthovenLink opens in a new window and his wife and her sister came to luncheon. Conversation languished to a considerable extent during luncheon, however it revived later on when they were taken for a walk in the woods. Mr Alexander motored them over to Cambridge to the house of an American professor and Mummy & I went too. We were all on terms of extreme friendliness by the time we parted. We had a look at the yard of HarvardLink opens in a new window on the way back, the dormitories are all built round it, they are nice red brick houses mostly 18th century though some are a good deal later. We came back through Watertown and Brookline and called at Mrs Forbes'es house to get thick coats because most of our luggage was there and it had become dark and freezing cold by this time.

After dinner Mr Alexander showed us some very good moving pictures he had taken and Margaret & Will Forbes came in in the middle and stayed till nearly 11 o'c.

Monday Oct: 20th. It was – as usual - a perfect day and I sat on the piazza reading and writing all the morning.

I was very worried to get a letter from Anne saying there were great complications about her engagement & at the time of writing she didn't know whether it was on or off; I don't know what has been happening.

Mrs Alexander took us for a drive in the Blue Hills Reservation in the afternoon. In the evening she & Mr Alexander & I went into Boston to drive with the dear Bryant's and go to the theatre. There was one other man there - what Mrs Bryant called a "beau" for me - a very nice Mr Rice who is a great friend of their's. We had a delightful dinner and then went to see a very amusing and also very pretty revue called "Stepping Stones"Link opens in a new window it is run by Fred StoneLink opens in a new window who is one of the chief clowns & funny men in the United States, his little daughter who is only 17 is the leading lady and his wife also acts in it. His great idea is to have nothing that is vulgar so that while it is fearfully funny, there is a very good chorus & songs & dances there are none of the eternal allusions to marriage and sex that one gets so weary of in the ordinary revue. They all had real and glorious American accents. Mrs Bryant showed some desire to go and dance afterwards but Mrs Alexander was all for home and bed. It was a lovely evening and Mrs Bryant was almost as excited as I was that it was my first evening party in America.

Tuesday Oct: 21st. Mrs Webster rang up and asked if we would go there for the night & go to a concert in Cambridge to hear Roland HayesLink opens in a new window the great negro tenor. Mummy said she didn't want to go but I decided I would and then of course there were ghastly complications with luggage & changing because I was going to Miss Anthony for one night & then to the Bryants for two nights.

Mrs Alexander motored us to Cohaset [ Cohasset ] to have luncheon with Miss Bolles and her mother. It was about 20 miles and we got lost in Quincy and went on to Weymouth and had to come back but we finally arrived there in plenty of time. It was a big house right on the sea with a very pretty view over Massachusetts Bay and back to Boston harbour. Miss Bolles and her married sister Mrs Hubby and Mrs Bolles were there and all so nice. We had a perfectly first class luncheon in fact the best food we've had since we've been in America and after luncheon went for a walk along the shore and back through some very pretty woods. We had to rather hurry away on account of my getting to Cambridge. I collected my things and said good bye to Mrs Alexander and came to Mrs Forbes' house where I met Mrs Webster and changed and went with her to Cambridge. She and I and a neice - Miss Webster - who was staying there went to the concert and I had my first experience of a trolley car. The concert was at the Harvard Memorial HallLink opens in a new window which is beige and red brick and Victorian and hideous. Roland Hayes gave the entire concert himself, he sang first a group of Italian songs, then German then English and then N***** Spirituals. He is a very fine artist with a beautiful voice under perfect control and he gets expression in his songs better than anyone I have ever heard. He was encored a good many times and sang "The Waters of Babylon" by request as one encore. We walked home.

Monday Oct: 27th.

Wednesday Oct: 22nd. Breakfast was at 7.30 on account of Fred having to get to school. I do not like the American hours of breakfast!

Mummy fetched me about 12 o'c in Mrs Forbes' car and we went to the LudlowLink opens in a new window in Boston (what we call flats and they call apartment houses) to stay with Miss Anthony. She has a very nice little apartment with three bedrooms & a parlour and looks towards Trinity Church & the Public Library one way and down St Jameses Avenue the other. There are no dining rooms or kitchens and you have all your meals in the restaurant. After luncheon we went to Brookline (still in Mrs Forbes' car) to see the private gallery belonging to Mr FitzgeraldLink opens in a new window whom we met on the boat. He had a small overcrowded Victorian house with very good modern pictures lying all over the place. The gallery, however, which he had built himself was very well done. He had a great many pictures by MacknightLink opens in a new window an American water colour artist who is especially good at snow scenes and autumn colouring and is often first rate if you get him at a distance. He also had one or two SargeantsLink opens in a new window both pencil drawings and oils, several MonetsLink opens in a new window and a great many other very good modern pictures. He was very kind in showing us everything and in fact he was so taken with Mummy that he asked us all to stay to dinner although it was then only 4 o'c!

When we got back we went & had tea at the Brunswick. I created consternation by asking for a Maple syrup ice cream soda but in the end they discovered they had it. It was rather sickly. We walked along Boyleston [ Boylston ] Street,Link opens in a new window which is where all the best shops are, and looked at the things. Miss Anthony marched into Yananaka the Chinese shop and we looked at all their beautiful carved stone orniments and pendants. They had a group of figures six or eight inches high carved out of a single acqumarine. After dinner Miss Anthony showed me her Royal families album.