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.

Links in the text highlight images, publications, biographical information and other contextual material, including primary sources held by other archives, museums and libraries.

Suggested citation for this volume: Diary 21, Jul 1926-Nov 1928; Eileen Younghusband archive, Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick (MSS.463/EY/J21)

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

Convent des Benedictines, Bayeux

Tuesday July 27th.

We went over to Dell Park after breakfast & there was another short & very nice session. A good many people left during the course of the morning & we all stood about in groups saying good bye. I had a talk with Buckman [ Buchman ]Link opens in a new window and he told me that conservation was one of my worst stumbling blocks.

We went to the White Cottage & packed & then returned to Dell Park for luncheon. Betty & one or two others sang & played after luncheon.

They were all motoring up to London to have tea with Buckman at Brown's Hotel. Dorothy & I went up together & discussed all the way up the appalling pigheadedness of our former behaviour and how we had simply got to get permanently the frame of mind that would make it impossible for that to happen again.

We left my luggage at Charing X [ Cross ] & then went to St Martin's & remained there for a long time & came out feeling very much better. We were very late for the tea party at Brown's Hotel. Most of the house party were there. I sat next to Lucy Bentinck at tea & was presented to the ex-King & Queen of Greece.Link opens in a new window

I went home by the 7.30 train.

Currant Hill

Oct: 19th. Tuesday

For a variety of reasons this diary has remained unwritten for nearly three months & it is now of course impossible to go over every day separately.

I was home from July 27^th till the following Sunday when I went back to stay with Dorothee. Various members of the house party all went including Buchman, reappeared on the Monday & there was an extraordinarily good meeting at Dr Shaw's house lasting from 4 o'c till about 11 o'c. It was far, far better than any of the other meeting had been & we discussed the question of how to become "lapse proof".

I left next day & went to the Cottage at Wrotham. Edith & Budgie were there. I tried to tell Edith about the week-ends, not very successfully – she left next day. I stayed on one more day (most of which was spent in taking Carrie Fenton to the dentist!) and then came back here for the night.

Next day - Friday Aug: 6th Edith, Aida Tennent, Helen Mason & I crossed by night to go to Bayeux in Normandy via Southampton. Through a muddle in the tickets Aida & Helen went direct to Caen while Edith & I went by Havre. It was a wonderful starlight night & we lay on the deck wrapped up in rugs. The little French boat from Havre to Caen rolled like fury & Edith was violently sick all the way. We met the others at Caen & motored out to the Convent at Bayeux where we were staying. There were about 60 other English women there but mercifully we only saw them at meals. Bayeux was a nice old place with old carved wood houses & a fine Cathedral. We went twice to the sea to places called Arromanches & Port-en-Bessin & spent a day at Liseux [ Lisieux ] a lovely old town full of pilgrims from all over the world to the shrine of Saint Therese.

I left on the Friday & had a ghastly journey there was no boat from Caen to Southampton & no boat to Havre except early in the morning which wasn't much use. We left Bayeux at 9.15, did some sightseeing in Caen. I left about 1 o'c, changed at Liseux catching the connection to Trouville by the skin of my teeth; drove across Troville [ Trouville ] to the quay, left my luggage there & spent three hours wandering about in a boiling sun. I crossed over to Havre on a boat packed full of jolly French trippers in a wonderful sunset with the whole sea & sky like transluscent mother o' pearl. At Havre I had an enormous dinner of soup, fish meat & vegetables, & fruit with a bottle of white wine & a bottle of mineral water for 10 francs 50 – the equivalent of 1/6! My boat sailed at midnight, I lay on the deck all night but it was cold & gloomy & I didn't sleep much.

Miss Constance Waldegrave had very kindly suggested my going to their house, Mayfield near Southampton to rest. The bus took me three miles out of my way, I had to wait 1/2 an hour & go back in it & then walk ¾ of a mile in boiling sun to the house. However when I got there they were more than kind & gave me food & hot water & a bed to rest on which were the things I wanted most on earth.

I was meeting Anne at Southampton on a 2.7 train to go to Rempstone for the weekend, & then to go on to the Bentincks together. The train came in simply packed, no sign of Anne & I had to stand in the corridor all the way to Wareham. I waited there ¾ of an hour till another train came in with Anne in it & we drove out to Rempstone, a charming old house in the middle of that glorious country between Corfe & Rempstone. It was a most pleasant week-end & Captain Marsdon was very nice & sent us for long drives in the car. But it took me the whole week-end to recover from the effects of that awful journey.

We went over to Corfe on Monday (August 16th) & had a most pleasant & amusing week there together. Barbara was at her very best & huge fun. Mr B was in a very good mood but Mrs B was rather piano. There was a nice young German, a Prince von Leyen there part of the time & also Marie Edwards who is a friend of Barbara's. We went for long motor drives, & bathed & played practical jokes & did all the things one does do at Corfe.

Anne went on to Lulworth Castle on Tuesday August 24th. We went down to Arishmel [ Arish Mel ] Cove on the way there. I lay on the beach & got up with a violent headache which got worse & worse. It ramped & burned all round the back of my head with particular pain spots in different places & when I moved my head I was dizzy with the pain of it & couldn't see. Everyone suggested different - and ineffectual - remedies and on the third day Barbara got the doctor who discovered I had got a temperature and sent me to bed. The temperature continued for a week being latterly sub-normal in the morning & up in the evening. The headache lasted for five days & I can safely say I never felt so ill in my life. The Bentincks were more kind than words can say especially Mrs BentinckLink opens in a new window who took endless trouble over my food & in looking after me. Barbara was charming alternately very effecient & completely irresponsible. Daddie was telegraphed for & was there a week. Walking across my bed-room one day I suddenly sat down in the middle of the room & had great difficulty in getting up again. When I started to go downstairs again my legs were very weak & I had to walk clinging on to things & had to be pulled out of chairs when I wanted to stand up. The doctor thought I had sunstroke. We came home on Saturday Sept: 4th. An awful journey from London to here; two changes & the train so full at Orpington that we had to go in the Guard's van. I fell down several times getting in & out of carriages, & once on the stairs at Orpington. My left knee was so weak that it gave way if I put any weight on it & I could not walk alone. Mummy came back from Bradfield the same day.

Cousin Ruth arrived to stay that day & Freddy Wallop next day.

Dr Cotton saw me on the Sunday. I was very stiff & sore & thought I had got rheumatism but he said it wasn't that. I showed him the knee & he said to bathe it in Tidman's salts. To take things easy for a fortnight & lie in the garden as much as possible. I had been going to Colworth for a week on Sept: 1st but of course that was completely knocked on the head.

Monday I went up to the village to be weighed & found walking very slow & difficult. About 4 o'c in the morning I used to wake so stiff & sore that I could not lie on either side or on my back & had to get up & walk about & then sit up in chair on a very soft eiderdown.

Sir John BroadbentLink opens in a new window came down to see me Tuesday. Discovered at once that the reflex of my left knee had completely gone, was very worried about things generally & sent me off to bed to remain there. Dr Cotton came in the evening & rubbed me with embrocation & packed me round with hot water bottles (the opposite of the ice bags I had had on my head at Corfe!) these prevented the pain & stiffness from becoming unbearable. I could only sit up in bed if I was hoisted up & propped with innumerable pillows. I remained in bed for about ten days & was then allowed to lie on a sofa in the window.

Anne came to stay from Monday Sept: 15th to the Friday which was a great joy & we talked about all sorts of things.

I was able to read very little as I got neuralgia within a few minutes of starting to do so. The other pain had, however, practically gone leaving only an extreme stiffness.

By the Monday after that - Sept: 22nd I was able to be carried downstairs to lie out in the garden & later to walk up & downstairs once a day.

I had piles of letters, especially from Edith who was quite wonderful & wrote almost every day.

People were very good in coming down to see me – those who came were:- Rosalind Chambers, Peggy, Miss Brodigan, Edie & Susey, Esther, Louie & Edith.

I went up to stay with the Waldegraves the week-end of Oct: 9th-11th for a farewell Buchman party. Dorothee came over here & took me up in the car & the Waldegraves gave me John's bedroom on the ground floor & were frantically kind. Sir John came to see me & was very pleased indeed, said I was going on splendidly & should be normal in three weeks - this has since proved to be a very optimistic estimate. There was a prolonged party of about 50 people including Clara Butt & Kenneley RumfordLink opens in a new window & also dear Shaw who was extremely amusing. It lasted from 4 o'c till long after midnight but I left it about 10 o'c. It was only fairly good & I was too muzzy in the head at being amongst people again for the first time to take it in at all well.

Edith came to see me the next morning - the first time I'd seen her for two months - & told me all about her new work as social science teacher at Avery Hill L.C.C [ London County Council ] Training CollegeLink opens in a new window for elementary school teachers.

I went with Esther & Mr & Mrs Waldegrave to the meeting at Brown's Hotel in the afternoon & I was there from 3 o'c - 10.30, though as a matter of fact nothing happened till after tea. I had a talk with Harold BegbieLink opens in a new window who was rather silly & told Buchman I had a beautiful personality; Shaw & I were very flippant about everything. I sat next to Prince Nicholas of RomaniaLink opens in a new window at dinner; he was a charming boy, completely child like and unspoilt. Various people spoke well at the meeting & it was far better than the day before - also I felt less muzzy. Dorothee sent her car for me after luncheon on Monday & it brought me down here. She was extraordinarily good altogether about the week-end.

Edith came down for tea on the Friday.

Nothing much happened till Thursday 21st when Dorothee came over for luncheon & took me back to Englefield Green - about 40 miles to stay with her. She had a cold when she came & was in bed for two days after I first got there with a mild attack of 'flue. Marga took me to tea with Helga Bauermann on Friday & we had a most amusing time roasting chestnuts.

I lunched at Dell Park on Saturday. Dorothee arranged massage for me & a very nice Miss Dempster gave me massage every day.

I lunched with Shaw on Sunday at his father's house at Old Windsor. We discussed Guidance & the Buchman thing in general. He came back to tea at the Cottage. We dined at Dell Park & Sir Maurice de BunsenLink opens in a new window was there.

Nothing happened on Monday or Tuesday. Dorothee & I talked a good deal about religion. She motored me up to the Waldegraves on Wednesday. Only Esther & Betty were there. Several girls & John & some friend from Greenwich came & did reels in the afternoon. Gates came to luncheon on Thursday full of plans for bringing hordes of the better class prostitutes to Eton Place to be converted!

Sir John Broadbent came to see me on Friday morning. He put me through all sorts of contortions and at the end told me - which of course he had known all the time - that the thing I have got is infantile paralysis.Link opens in a new window He was very worried that day he saw me down here because there was quite a chance that it might have spread so that I should never be able to walk again. All danger of that is past but the microbe has eaten away some of the back muscles in my left thigh which means that I shall never be able to run, or play tennis, or do any of those kind of things because a sudden strain might make the muscle snap; for the same reason I have got to be very careful for the next six months not to fall or take any risk of a sudden strain. He doesn't want the family to know all this because of all the worry it would be - though I suppose they will have to know in the end. Anne Dickinson arrived to see me while he was there & I told her & Esther & Betty.

Daddie came & picked me up there in the afternoon & we came down here by train to find Mrs Corry who had come down all unbeknown to see how I was getting on.

Edith came for luncheon & tea on Sunday - the 31st - I told her all about my illness of course & she was charming & very sensible about it.

January 9th 1927.

Pretty hopeless to try & write up this huge gap properly so I'm only going to put it in vaguely.

On Nov: 1st I went up to London to stay with the Waldegraves, & as Sir John said the train journey down here at the week-ends was too much for me. I remained there till the 27th.

The Schröeders motored me with them to Oxford on the 4th. We were joined there by Esther & stayed two nights at the Randolph HotelLink opens in a new window holding Buchman meetings run by Hamilton, Nick Wade & Ken Twitchell. Some of the meetings were good & we laughed & joked & had great fun in the intervals.

I started work at the L.S.E on the 9th & thenceforth went on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays spending about 3 hours there in the morning attending lectures & occasionally staying for luncheon. I had to go there & back in taxis all the term which was very expensive & tiresome. My lectures were – Economics (twice weekly) Mr Robbins,Link opens in a new window Problems of Modern Industry, Mr Lloyd;Link opens in a new window Development of Modern Social Theories, Mr Martin;Link opens in a new window Growth of Industry, Dr Power;Link opens in a new window Introduction to Social Science, Miss Eckhard; History of the Western World in the 19^th Century, Dr Power; and an hour fortnightly with my tutor Miss HaskinsLink opens in a new window who is an angel. Rosalind Chambers was extraordinarily kind in showing me round & looking after me & I am thoroughly happy there & interested in the work. I tried to read about 3 hours daily but am afraid I did not always succeed in bringing this off through the difficulty of doing much reading when one is staying with other people.

The Waldegraves were kindness personified & it was extraordinarily nice staying there. We had meetings for the Buchmanites every Tuesday & they were mostly conducted by me - on very different lines to Buchman's!

I saw a certain amount of Barbara & Ruby Smith & various other people & the Waldegraves had hordes of people coming & going all day.

I went to several plays, "The Constant Nymph" with Charlie Fraser; "The Ringer" with Sir Ernest Wilton; "Berkeley Square" with Marga & "Yellow Sands" with Mrs Corry.

The afternoon was very cut up because I had to have massage & electrical treatment from 4 till 5 every day & then rest for about a couple of hours after it. However it did an enormous amount of good & now they do not think there is any reason why I should not get quite well & the left leg has made up an inch of what it had wasted & is now practically the same as the right.

I came down here for the week-end of Nov: 27th - 29^th and on the Monday went to stay with Mrs Corry at her flat in Hans Mansions. She was tremendously kind & looked after me to end.

Anne was married at St Margarets Westminster on Dec: 1st. She looked lovely of course. There was a great squash at the reception which was in the Waldegrave's house. They went to the New Forest for their honeymoon.

Anne Talbot suddenly appeared back from India the same day. She had been away nearly a year & had a wonderful time.

The term ended at the School on the 10th. I left Mrs Corry the next day & went to spend the week-end with Miss Wolff. Esther & I went down to Windsor on the Sunday to spend the day with Dr Shaw. We went to Eton College Chapel in the afternoon & it was all very nice.

I came down here on Monday. Edith came for the night on Friday - the beginning of her holidays - groaning bitterly how she hated going to stay with people. We played hymn games most of the morning & talked a certain amount of "shop".

Mummy went to Miss Heathcote for Christmas & Daddie & I went to Didlington, the Smiths, from Thursday till Tuesday. There were about 25 people of all ages there and it was fun. I saw a great deal of Ruby whom I like enormously. On the way back I went & spent a night with Anne at their little flat, 36, Park Village EastLink opens in a new window on the Regents Park Canal. Charlie had to go up to Chester so Anne & I were alone which was more fun. It was very amusing seeing her married & trying to housekeep! I went about on buses all Wednesday & was none the worse which pleased me very greatly.

Barbara came here for the night on Friday 31st. We two sat up to see the New Year in, & she had a heart attack just as it was coming in!

Anne T came over from Falconhurst for the day on the 3^rd and Betty came to stay the next day & was here till Saturday. We both read all day & so she was a most easy visitor. She & I walked up to Hosey one day & as it is nearly two miles there & back & uphill one way I was very proud of myself.

Jan 10th. - 16th.

I went to stay with Sybil Buxton from Monday till Saturday.

Monday afternoon we all went to Ian's wedding with Catherine Fisher. It was at St Saviours, Walton St, & the reception at the Hans Crescent Hotel.Link opens in a new window Anne was there (being in some vague way by marriage related to the bride) but otherwise it was not at all thrilling.

Tuesday I went to the School glad in many ways that it had begun again. I dined with the Waldegraves & there was the usual meeting; Esther conducted it. I was 3/4 asleep nearly all the way through.

Wednesday nothing much happened except that Cousin Ruth came to tea & promised to take me over a workhouse.

Thursday being the off day from the School I went to luncheon with Aunt Mabel; Maurice & Bridget were there. Betty came to tea with me & we had a nice long talk.

Friday I went on from the School to see Sir John who says I may go in buses & undergrounds but must take things very easily for the next 2 or 3 months & rest for an hour every day. I went to the sales in the afternoon & got a pair of brown strap shoes reduced from 58/6 to 20/-. Hazel Goldman came to tea. It was nice to see her again. A nice girl, Jean Hamilton, who runs a girls club in Lambeth came to dinner.

Saturday I came home by a morning train.

Sunday Anne & Charlie came to fetch Daddie & me over to luncheon and tea at Buckland, Charlie's people's home near Reigate, which was fun. Mrs Stanhope was here for the week-end.

Jan: 17th - 23rd.

[ Monday ] I went to the School & then on to Miss Wolff. She is in great agitation over servants.

Tuesday I went to the meeting which was at Celia Brinton's house & conducted by Canon Woods who is an extraordinarily fine person.

Wednesday I came home for the night after the School.

Thursday I went up by the 5.2 & went to see Betty on my way to Miss Wolff's.

Friday I came down here in the afternoon after the School.

Saturday Mummy & Daddie went to spend the week-end with the DeanLink opens in a new window & Mrs Inge. I worked almost all day Saturday & Sunday.

Jan: 24th - 30th.

Monday I went to the Club for luncheon - thrilled to be back there after six months. Everyone was so nice. Edith came in the afternoon & I went "up west" with her, changed a book at the School, went to Miss Wolff's, packed & met Mummy & went to Aunt Mabel where I was staying that week.

Tuesday I rested most of the afternoon, dined with the Waldegraves, Shaw conducted the meeting well but everyone was rather silent.

Wednesday I went to tea with Daisy & saw Alice for a few minutes. Went to see Esther & Betty on the way back.

Thursday I shopped in the morning & again with Anne Talbot in the afternoon.

Friday I came down here by an afternoon train. Aunt Mabel was extraordinarily kind, making me rest & understanding exactly what one wanted.

I worked over the week-end.

Jan: 31st - Feb: 6th

Monday I went to see Anne Dickinson in the afternoon and then onto the School.

Tuesday was the first day of a League of Nations Union minimum wage Conference at the School. Beatrice & Budgett came to it. Ellen WilkinsonLink opens in a new window was far the best speaker in the morning & Mrs WintringhamLink opens in a new window in the afternoon. Budgett had to leave early, Beatrice & I lunched together & then went & sat in Lincoln's Inn Fields Gardens till the afternoon session began. Afterwards we went & had tea at an A.B.C in the Strand.Link opens in a new window

I went to the meeting in the evening. It was conducted by nice fat Mary Dunell & was fairly good but we have all said all we have got to say.

Wednesday Miss DingmanLink opens in a new window the nice American Industrial Secretary of the Y.W.C.A who was attending the Conference lunched with me at the School. She has been all over the world & knows all sorts of interesting people. We met Barnes in the hall & she introduced me to him.

The conference was very dull & I didn't stay long. I felt like death for the next few days & thought I was in for flue.

Thursday I went to the Conference in the afternoon. Miss Brodigan & Budgett were there. Professor Gilbert MurrayLink opens in a new window spoke well but otherwise it was dull.

Betty came to see me at Miss Wolff's after tea.

Friday I went to the Conference for a bit in the morning. Miss Brodigan was there & Mr Albert ThomasLink opens in a new window the Director of the International Labour Office made a splendid speech.

I came down here in the afternoon.

Feb 7th - 13th.

I went to see Anne on Monday afternoon & she was so nice & amusing.

Tuesday Ruby came to see me after tea, she was dead tired poor dear & rather gloomy. The meeting was at the house of two talkative & platitudious Americans in Gt Cumberland Place & was excruciatingly funny in parts.

Wednesday I dashed straight from the School down to Bermondsey; had luncheon at the Club and went on to a C.C meeting at Albion St at which I took the Chair. It was delightful to be back there again & they were all so nice & pleased to see me. Edith was there & I walked back with her to the Club afterwards & we had tea there & then went as far as London Bridge together. I found a note from Barbara when I got back & went & dined with her alone that evening.

Thursday I lunched with Mrs Corry. Kathleen & Ben sail for England on March 5th. I went on to the Waldegraves & had a long talk with Conti about the Tuesday meetings which we both think want drastic overhauling. I had tea with Sybil Buxton.

Friday Celia Brinton lunched with me at the School & I came down here by the 3.25.

Feb: 14th - 20th.

I went to the Club to see Alice Penny as soon as I got to London on Monday. She was most entertaining & full of jokes.

I stayed on because Edith was coming to give some students from S. Christophers College a talk on the "Aims of Club work". I trotted them round & showed them the Peter Rabbits & Brown Hares & then we both gave them a talk for an hour & told more untruths than I have ever heard in the same space of time before.

We showed them the senior club in the evening & I saw many old friends including the Intermediates & Florrie Page. It was very nice to be there in the evening again.

Tuesday I went to tea with Ruby & found we'd muddled the day & she wasn't there. I led the group at Celia's house in the evening. Edith had been going to do it but she fell through so I read her paper (an old John Knox one).

Wednesday Studdert-KennedyLink opens in a new window was speaking at the School all the week as part of a S.C.M [ Student Christian Movement ] mission in all the Colleges of London. I went to hear him for 1/2 an hour after luncheon & then dashed off to an After Care Conference at Albion St. Edith came in to the Club later & she & I had tea with sister up in the Hostel. I went to supper with Mary Dunnell one of the Tuesday group who has a delightful flat of her own in Gledhow Gdns [ Gardens ].

Thursday I went to luncheon & tea with Anne & we discussed at great length all the muddles & excitements there have been over Esther & Gates. I went on afterwards to see Aunt Mabel & Bridget.

"Toby" (Cousin Tottie) arrives home on Monday week.

Friday I went to hear Studdert-Kennedy again. He was very good but there were not many people there.

Edith Hanmer came to see me on Sunday morning & I went to tea with Miss Bartlett.

Feb: 21st - 27th.

Monday I went to a lecture at the Waldegraves by Miss Dingman of the Y.W.C.A on China, & then on to the School.

Tuesday I went to tea with Miss Constance Waldegrave who runs an ex-service mens' hostel. We had a long talk about Gates & she was most sensible about him.

Wednesday I had tea with Ruby. A girl's tea party but I stayed on and saw her afterwards.

Thursday I went to luncheon with Cousin Ruth & she took me over the Fulham workhouseLink opens in a new window (she is a Guardian) in the afternoon. It was most interesting but of course very depressing in many ways. I went on down to the Club where they were having a mission and spent the night there. Ina was all of a twitter over the mission & the household very indifferent. The Missioner - a Mr Lang, was excellent.

Friday I left the Club fairly early, went to the School & then on to luncheon at Eaton Place. Esther was just back from the country in a fearful fuss over the Gates affair but taking a very sensible view of it. I went down to Bath by the 4.30 train to spend the weekend with Uncle Claude & Di who had taken a very attractive house in Queen's Parade for the winter. Uncle Claude had just had 'flue & was not at all well.

Saturday I went to luncheon with Hugolyne Gwynne-James and then to see Miss Sartois.

Sunday. A nice Mr & Mrs Nicholas Bacon from Norfolk came to luncheon. They are cousins of the Smiths. Di motored me over to Wolverton in the afternoon & Uncle Romer & Aunt Alys were very pleased to see us. Uncle Claude was very kind & gave me a £5 note.

Feb: 28th - March 6th.

Monday. It poured all the week-end & I left in pouring rain on Monday morning. Helen Mason came & had supper with me at the School but had to tear away soon after to go & do country dancing.

Tuesday. Esther came to see me in the afternoon & seemed happier. About 6 o'c Howard Jones came & said would I dine with Japs Shaw at 7, so I dashed off & dined with him at the Florence. He was so nice & so sane & sensible about Gates.

Wednesday Esther & I had tea with Japs at Rumpelmayer'sLink opens in a new window & talked over the whole thing. She went off to Italy next day.

Thursday. I lunched with Anne & we had a terrific gossip lasting till nearly tea-time. I met Edith at the Grocers - no Drapers - Hall at 5 to see a display by children from play centres, it was quite good but we left before the end. We had dinner expensively at Stewarts at Marble Arch & after she came back to Miss Wolff's for an hour or so.

Friday I went & had tea tête a tête with Mrs Bentinck she was excessively kind but I shook in my shoes & got stickier & stickier. Mummy, Daddie & I dined at the Wellington Club & then went to a perfectly deadly party at the Speaker's.

Saturday I came down here in the morning & spent a peaceful week-end.

March 7th - 13th.

I did nothing on Monday except go to the School & have supper there.

Tuesday I dined with Peggy who was just back from America & she & I and Charles went to a movie.

Wednesday I went to tea with Lil Macdonald but there were other people there & I saw nothing of her.

Thursday I had luncheon with Anne & in the evening went with Helen Mason to hear Fr Vernon at S. Pauls Knightsbridge, there was a huge crowd, she arrived late & we had to stand all the time. We had supper together afterwards & a long argument on Catholicism. She is a passionate Anglo-Catholic & Fr Vernon had been, I thought, very dull & dogmatic on the Authority of the Church.

Friday I came down home at 3.25.

Saturday & Sunday I worked hard for the exam.

[ March 14th-26th ]

Monday I went to the School but otherwise nothing happened.

Tuesday I worked all day.

Wednesday I had tea with Japs at Rumpelmayer's.

Thursday was the exam from 10.30 - 1.30. It was a very good paper, I did six questions, which is the maximum one is allowed to do, & enjoyed it thoroughly. We all discussed the paper for ages afterwards in the Refractory. I went down to Esther at 3.30, Edith met me at the station & took me out to Avery Hill and I spent the afternoon & evening with her leaving at 10.15. She was in one of her very nicest moods, we laughed & joked a great deal & I enjoyed it enormously.

Friday I came down here at 3.25.

Saturday nothing happened.

Sunday I went to Church & to luncheon at the cottage & Edith walked back with me.

Monday I lunched with Mrs Bullough who is very amusing.

Tuesday read all day.

Wednesday I went to London, went first to the School to change a book (Rosalind had let me know I'd passed the exam) and then on to Anne who was delightful & with whom I had an early & hurried luncheon, then I dashed off to Miss Wolff's and we went on the long planned expedition in a friend's car down to the Blue Coat School near Horsham to see Maurice Seal the child of a pier [ peer ] & of her's at Oxford. It was a nice drive but unfortunately pelting with rain. We gave Maurice & two other small boys a large tea at the tuck shop to their great delight. Christ's HospitalLink opens in a new window is a huge & very fine place but we didn't have time to see much. We got back to London at 6.15. I got out of the car at Sloane Square & took a flying leap down to the Club where I unexpectedly found Edith & went to London Bridge with her coming down here by the 7.30.

Thursday, Friday & Saturday I read & wrote most of the day.

March 27th - April 3rd.

Daddie & I left here at 9.15 on Sunday to go down to Southampton to meet Kathleen. Mrs Corry was at Waterloo & we went down by the 11.30, had luncheon on the train & when we arrived drove straight to the South Western Hotel opposite the docks where we were staying. Daddie & I went off to look at the docksLink opens in a new window & found that the Mauretania [ Mauritania ], Homeric, Aquatania [ Aquitania ] & Leviathan were all in. We got on board the LeviathanLink opens in a new window & were allowed to go all over her by ourselves which was great fun. She is huge with enormous public rooms & luxurious cabins with every possible convenience (including a telephone!) and the size of an ordinary small bedroom. The 2nd class is like the 1^st class on an average small ship & the steerage looked quite comfortable though of course very cramped.

They told me that Kathleen's boat – the City of Marseilles wld be in at 8 o'c next morning so we went to bed early.

We were up early on Monday, had breakfast & drove to the dock just as the boat was coming in. I spotted Kathleen first & then frantic wavings & catcalls went on for some time as it was a long while before she cld get off, or we on. Finally she slipped down a gangway & there were great greetings & much conversation. She is not in the least changed except that she is thinner. Ben came along later & took Daddie & me on board & gave us coffee & then there was much rushing abt & confusion with the Customs & one thing & another, finally Ben & his men went off to Newcastle & we four with piles of luggage went to the Station where we had to wait abt ½ an hour & then got a 12 somthing train for London. We scattered at Waterloo & I went to Lil Macdonald who was having me to stay. Miss Lucy Mowett who is most amusing came to tea & made us rock with laughter the whole time.

Tuesday I went to see Kathleen at Mrs Corry's new flat in Rutland Court in the morning & found her deep in unpacking, we went out & both had our hair cut & then I joined Lil for luncheon with the Russells in Princes Gardens. Mrs Russell is Miss Lucy Mowett's sister & both she & her sister Miss Maggie Mowett were there. We all went afterwards to the Amateur Arts Exhibition where there were some wonderfully good pictures worked in petit point. I went to tea with Peggy & stayed with her some time.

Wednesday I went to the school to change a book & then went to luncheon with Miss Brodigan at the Club, only Louie was there besides & I must say it was rather dull. "Ina" is retiring at the end of the summer term & we discussed what she shd do afterwards. I went on to see Mrs Taylor who was most nice & welcoming. I went to tea with Kathleen & stayed on for dinner. She is going to have a baby at the end of August & we talked abt that & all sorts of other things.

Thursday I went to luncheon with the Bentincks to meet the two Krassin [ Krasin ]Link opens in a new window girls whom I thought delightful. There was rather a tiresome little man there, Seymour Leslie the brother of Shane Leslie,Link opens in a new window and Anne besides of course "Pa" & "Ma". Afterwards Anne, Barbara & I went to look at the new Mayfair HotelLink opens in a new window which is both prententious & florid inside, then we parted & I returned to Lil for tea. I dined with Peggy & we went to see "Madame X" at the Lyceum with Pauline FrederickLink opens in a new window (who really is first rate) as leading lady. It was good old Lyceum tragic melodrama & we enjoyed ourselves very much.

Friday I went to luncheon with Daisy & on from there to the Waldegraves where I found Barbara & Anne came in later. I had tea with Miss Constance SmithLink opens in a new window at the Halcyon Club. She was for a time the chief lady Inspector of FactoriesLink opens in a new window & is a great bug. Conti arranged the meeting for me & she was most interesting about factory conditions, Poor Relief etc. I went on to see Anna and then back to Lil's.

Saturday Daddie had Kathleen, Ben & Mrs Corry to luncheon at the Wellington Club & we went to see "Cosi Fan Tutte" the Mozart opera in which Betty has a place in the chorus. It was very well produced & most amusing. Betty met us afterwards & she & Kathleen fell into each other's arms.

Sunday Lil was in bed with a cold. I met Kathleen & Mrs Corry at S. Marks North Audley St to hear Fr Vernon. There was a huge queue when we arrived there half an hour before the service, however we got in but only to a gallery where we couldn't see. He was good but it was all abt the authority of the Church again & I think he is better on other subjects. I went to luncheon with the Russells (Lil had been taking me there). I went back to see Lil in the afternoon, then to see Toby for a few minutes & then to tea with Anna who was going off to Belgium the next day. I went to the evening service at S. Mary's Graham St & heard Fr Underhill preach; it was terrificly high & ended up with Benediction.

April 4th - 11th.

Monday I said farwell to Lil who had been an angel & the most perfect hostess. I lunched with Kathleen in the crypt of St Martin's and we went shopping afterwards, finally emerging so dog tired that we flung ourselves into a taxi & she went home dropping me at Eaton Place on the way. At E.P I found Celia & a young Mr & Mrs Purdey two Buchmanites just over from America. I did a good stroke of business at tea by selling them a 2nd hand car left to Peggy by "Aunt Daisy" for which I get £15 commission & the gratitude of both parties! I came home by the 6.30.

Nothing happened all the week except that Beatrice came down for the afternoon on Saturday & was charming as usual. She is leaving the Club next term & going to be matron of Edith's hostel at Avery Hill.

April 11th-18th.

The Canon brought a Mr Brooks a clergyman attached to the Industrial Christian Fellowship to tea the other day. He lives in Stepney, knows the slums thoroughly & was all over the mining areas during the Strike; he says the people were actually starving in many places & that conditions in some of the pits are excessively bad.

Rosalie arrived down on Thursday & I had luncheon & tea at the Cottage with her on Good Friday. She had got the County Librarianship of Leicestershire & moves there at the beginning of May.

Saturday I went to spend Easter at Ashtead. Di & Lil met me at the station. Uncle Claude had had a fearful attack of asthma the Monday before & they did not think he wld live through the night. He was a good deal better when I arrived but still had a night nurse.

Sunday Di, Lil & I went to Church at 8 o'c & I went to the church in Ashtead at 11.30. Uncle Claude came down in the afternoon & they played Bridge.

Monday a glorious day & crowds of people everywhere. We went into Epsom in the afternoon.

Tuesday Lil & I left & arrived in London about 10 o'c, I went to luncheon with Anne & spent the afternoon with her. She is doing all the cooking & did not seem very well. I went to the School to change my books but found the wretched place closed. I had tea with Peggy & she gave me a cheque for £15 being 10% commission on the car left her by Mrs Lowe wh I had sold for her to some Americans I met at tea at the Waldegraves. I came down here at 6.30; Shortie & Daddie were still away & Mrs Idie seemed a little better.

Wednesday Daddie & Shortie returned but otherwise nothing happened.

Thursday Rosalie came & spent the afternoon. It was very warm & I put on a cotton frock.

Friday I went up to the Cottage & Rosalie came down for luncheon. Edith came to tea.

Saturday Daisy came down for the day & was very nice & full of talk about all the family. We dined with the Plenders & found a Lady Elizabeth Babington-SmithLink opens in a new window & her son who is an Eton Master there, also a boy & girl names unknown. The Plenders were charming & he has offered to give me an introduction to Sir William Beveridge the Director of the School.

Sunday Mrs Farnworth came after tea & stayed for dinner.

April 25th - May 1st.

Monday. The School began again. I went up by the 1 o'c train & straight there. The Broadbents were very kindly putting me up for the inside of the week. It was nerve-racking in a way because they practically never utter but were very kind.

Tuesday. I lunched with Anne who was completely servantless & doing all the work - far too much for her. We started out together in the afternoon & I went to the School only to find that the lecture I had gone for was off. So I strolled along to St Martin's Club where by an extraordinary fluke I met Violet Grenfell who I used to work there with & whom I had stayed with & afterwards neglected & treated abominably & not seen for years. She was extremely nice & I hope to see more of her when she comes to live in London in September. I went to the Group in the evening; it was at Marion Dunnell's flat & led by her; we all strayed miles from the subject & were very pointless.

Wednesday. I lunched in the crypt of S. Martin's then went to leave my pearls to be re-strung; then to the bank, & then to the Y.W.C.A in Clifford St about a meeting Conti had written & asked me to help with. I saw a nice & whirlwind enthusiastic Miss Carcaud just back from India & a Mrs Fox an American with a great sense of humour. They are having a drawing-room meeting to interest girls in the international work of the Y.W. and as a result of this they want to start a discussion circle. I gave them much good advice but told them I shd not be much good at girl producing. I went to tea with Miss Waldegrave ("Aunt Con") & stayed ages.

Thursday. I lunched at S. Martin's Club & had gt. jokes with Miss Simpson. I read in the Temple Gardens in the afternoon & went to see Wolfie who was away. I went to tea with Betty & found Anne there & Betty & three other girls (including Rutland Boughton'sLink opens in a new window daughter) rehearsing "Cosi fan tutte" because they are understudying the understudies. They were acting it too & it was very funny to watch. I came home by the 6.30.

Friday I sat in the garden & read.

Saturday I sat in the garden & read.

Sunday Anna came down for the day & told me all about her Easter trip to France & Belgium. Daddie's reminiscences are to be published on Thursday they are dedicated to me.

May 2nd - 8th.

Monday I went along to the Club to see Alice Penny as soon as I got to London. She was most amusing & we had a very cheerful afternoon. I went on to the School for a lecture & then to Culford Gdns [ Gardens ] where I was staying for the week.

Tuesday I went to the School twice and went in to see Sybil Buxton for a few minutes on my way back the second time.

Wednesday Anna & I went shopping in the afternoon & both got ourselves very smart navy blue stockinette jumper suits at the Galeries Lafayette for 45/- I had tea with her.

Thursday I went to see Esther & Betty in the morning and in the afternoon met Anne in the Park. It was boiling hot & so we sat there & gossiped for a time & I went back to tea with her.

Friday I met Anne at the Queen's Theatre at 2 o'c for the dress rehearsal of the touring company of "The Fanatics" a play in which Juliet ManselLink opens in a new window is playing the leading woman's part. All the acting was good but it was a frantically bad & psychologically impossible sex problem play. I came down here at 5.18.

Saturday I spent a pleasant day writing an essay on "the Place of Mind in the Evolutionary Process" for Minnie.

Sunday. Daddie & I went to London at 1.12 because we were going to the Savage ClubLink opens in a new window dinner at the Hotel Victoria & taking Barbara with us. I went straight to Mrs Corry's where I was spending the night & rested till it was time to start. Different members of the Club got up & sang & recited & played after dinner & it was most entertaining & went on for ages. Barbara was in her element & enjoyed it very much.

May 9th - 15th.

Monday I went first to Warwick Square to deposit my suit case at Cousin Ruth's new flat where I was staying, & then went on to the School where I spent the rest of the day. Cousin Ruth & I had dinner at a little restaurant by Chelsea Barracks. She has a very nice flat but no servants so she has to be out to all meals except breakfast which a char gets ready.

Tuesday I lunched with Cecil at a restaurant in Basil St, then picked up the things I had left behind at Culford Gdns, saw Bridget & then went on to St Martin's Club to see Margaret. I found her deep in preparation for a committee meeting about the new hostel in Grosvenor Rd & helped her to draw up rules for it. I dined with the Waldegraves & went on with Esther & an American Y.W.C.A lady to the group meeting at Celia's house. We were very considerably more sensible than usual & didn't wander nearly so far from the point.

Wednesday I became so sleepy by the afternoon that I deserted the School and came down here at 3.25.

Thursday I spent the day in going through the Factory Bill 1926 and annoting it with the provisions of previous acts.

Friday. Toby and Mrs Remington Robert a relation of hers motored down for luncheon & tea.

Saturday I went to London at 9.45 meeting at London Bridge a Miss Blew-Jones whom Miss Eckhard thought might be suitable as the new Warden of the Club. I had a talk with her & liked her very much so I took her down to the Club & she & I & Miss Brodigan had a long talk & then Anne came in. She is only 28 but has had a good deal of experience & they both thought very well of her. I dashed on to Marylebone Station where I met Marion Dunnell & we went down to Jordans HostelLink opens in a new window near Beaconsfield for the week-end got up by Japs & Celia. Japs & Esther met us at the station & motored us to Jordans which is a beautiful old red brick Quaker house with a lovely garden & very pretty country all round. There were about 25 people there including a good many whom I didn't know.

Marga came over for tea & we had a meeting after tea & another after dinner both conducted by Japs who did it most excessively well.

Sunday we all went in a body to communion at the parish Church at 8 o'c. We sat about & talked in the morning & then there was a meeting later on conducted by Celia. Esther, Celia & I had a discussion on Transubstantion [ Transubstantiation ] in the afternoon, on which it is hardly necessary to say we reached no conclusion. Japs led two more meetings after tea & in the evening & we did a great deal of hymn singing & it was all awfully nice. All quite unlike a Buchman week-end & no stress & strain of wondering who was going to go off like a rocket next & no personalities.

May 16th - 23rd.

Mrs Buxton, Celia, Esther & I came up by a 9 somthing train all the rest having already left. I went to Warwick Square with my box as Cousin Ruth has very kindly asked me to go there till Miss Wolff can have me.

I went to the School & had luncheon there & then started off to go down to Avery Hill to see Beatrice. Like a fool I left too little time & so arrived at London Bridge as the train went & so had to wait ½ an hour for another & Beatrice had ordered a taxi to meet me which also waited at the other end. Beatrice was very nice & welcoming but I think she is finding the job of matron at Fry Hall rather boring. Edith came in about 6 o'c very tired & snappy in consequence. I stayed for supper & came up by a 10.10 train.

Tuesday. I had luncheon at S. Martin's Club, went back to Warwick Square & rested for a bit & then went to the Y.W.C.A meeting at Prince Gate which Conti had asked me to help with. I took a girl called Harris from the School & met Esther & Celia there. Maud RoydenLink opens in a new window spoke well. We talked with Miss Carcaurd afterwards & discussed getting up a group. I went back to Eaton Place with Esther & stayed on for dinner & the group in the evening. Japs came to dinner & led the group very well on the Cross.

Wednesday I spent the whole day at the School & Cousin Ruth & I went out to a restaurant together in the evening.

Thursday I lunched with Miss Wolff & then met Anne & we went coat & skirt hunting for me & found nothing except a very pretty French blue one at the Stores which was too expensive. She had tea with me at the School & then I went down to Bermondsey to spend the night with Anne Dickinson. We went round to the Club after supper & I saw Florrie Page & Lizzie Burke & various other girls - very nice to be with them again. Anne, Miss Brodigan & I had a long talk about Miss Blew-Jones but reached no conclusion.

Friday I left Anne's soon after 10 & went to the School & then came down here at 3.30. Daddie was away till Monday.

Saturday & Sunday I worked.

May 23rd - 29th.

Monday. I went straight to the School & worked till 6 o'c. Then to Cousin Ruth's & we had dinner together at the Garden Restaurant in Ebury St.

Tuesday I went with another girl from the School to hear Sir Josiah StampLink opens in a new window speak (very good said standard of life wld be raised 10% by disarmament) at an L.N.U [ League of Nations Union ] disarmament conference at Kingsway Hall. Coming out I ran into Edith & her father & went had tea with them in a tea shop & then she & I went & sat in the Temple Gardens & amended her letter applying for this new job of organizing secretary to the Child Guidance CouncilLink opens in a new window an American thing wh. is starting psychological clinics for children in this country.

I went on to Peter Jones where I bought a navy blue coat & skirt price 6 gns for the yachting trip, then I had supper at an A.B.C, went back & changed & went to the Group. Esther & I sat together, giggling the whole time & behaving disgracefully. Colonel Foster kept saying the end of the world was coming.

Wednesday. I read a paper in Miss Eckhard's class on the Need for Further Factory Legislation. Unfortunately it's full beauty was spoilt because I'd inadvertently written an impassioned paper on the wrong bill but however it went off all right. I tore off from there to meet Edith at Riley St M.D ['Mental Deficiency'] school for a medical but she'd got the date wrong & there wasn't any medical so we went on to the Club & had some food & then to our After Care Conf. later bringing Miss HawtreyLink opens in a new window (the Principal of Avery Hill) & an American to see the Peter Rabbits. We were going out to supper together but she couldn't get away from Miss Hawtrey, so I had supper at the Club.

Thursday - Ascencion [ Ascension ] Day. I went to church at S. Martin's at 11.30 & there met Celia. We had luncheon together in the crypt & then I went & did some shopping. I met Edith at Marble Arch at 4.15 & we went & had a tea picnic in Hyde Park. She attacked me with not having enough food when I was on my own. I resented the method of attack & we bickered foolishly for the rest of the time. Budgie had a theatre party that evening to wh. we both went. It consisted of Ina, Anne D, Beatrice, Titmuss, Miss Cooke & Sister from Avery Hill. We went on to see "Broadway" a most entertaining American bootlegging play but largely incomprehensible owing to the strong American accents of the cast.

Friday I came down here by the 1.10.

Saturday & Sunday I spent reading up for and writing an essay on "Law & Opinion in England in the 19th Century". Blew-Jones has got the post of Warden of the Club.

May 30th - June 5th.

Mon. I went to London by the 9.48 & tore off to see the dentist who stopped two teeth. I lunched with Kathleen who got back to London the night before and we went shopping in the afternoon.

Tuesday I spent a hectic afternoon finishing my essay, then went off to buy a pair of white shoes & then back to Warwick Square. I led the Group in the evening (very badly) it was the last one till the autumn.

Wednesday I took a flying leap from the School to Bermondsey to meet Edith at a medical in the M.D. dept. of Riley St. There was a perfectly charming doctor & it was most interesting but unfortunately I had to leave before the mental tests to catch a train home to get ready for this yachting trip to Holland with the Farquars.

Thursday. Mummy & I went down to Harwich by a 2 somthing train & met Mr Farquar, a Mr & Mrs Hay & a cousin Guy Farquar. Miss Farquar was on board the Medusa.Link opens in a new window It is a large steam yacht over 600 tons & very luxurious. Daddie arrived about 9 o'c from a Clifton College beano with the Prince of WalesLink opens in a new window & then we set off for Holland.

Friday We arrived at a place called Y Muriden [ IJmuiden ] about 11 o'c and went up a canal for a couple of hours to Amsterdam where we tied up. After luncheon a courier came on board & we went in the motor launch up & down the canals looking at the town & then went to the Riuks [ Rijks ] Museum & wandered through looking at the pictures which are very fine, especially of course Rembrandt's wonderful "night watch".Link opens in a new window

Saturday We wandered about Amsterdam shopping in the morning. It is a fascinating town with little old red brick houses, and canals & avenues of lime trees. In the afternoon we motored to Haarlem and saw the Franz Hals in the museum there & went over the Cathedral which is of course pre-Reformation, & looking most incongrous turned into a Lutheran church. We motored on over the sandunes to a place on the coast called Zandfort [ Zandvoort ], and then back to Amsterdam. The country is all very flat & monotonous and only made bearable by the long avenues of trees.

Sunday. Some of us motored over to the Hague. Mr Farquar & the Hays went to luncheon at the Embassy and Mummy, Daddie & I wandered about a bit and had luncheon in a pothouse and then went to the Mauritzhuis [ Mauritshuis ] where the others joined us & we looked at the pictures. Rembrandt's "School of Anatomy"Link opens in a new window I thought marvellous, Paul [ Paulus ] Potter's "Bull"Link opens in a new window left me cold but the nicest thing of all was Vermeers "View of Delft".Link opens in a new window We went out to Schevenigen [ Sheveningen ]Link opens in a new window for tea - an absolutely hideous, glaring, vulgar place - and then back the 30 miles to Amsterdam.

June 6th - 12th.

Monday We went in the morning to a most thrilling acquarium full of fish from all over the world. In the afternoon we motored to various most attractive little old deserted looking red brick towns on the Zuider Zee. At one of them, Volendam,Link opens in a new window the people (children & everyone) still wear their national dress & it was just like being at a fancy dress dance to walk about among them.

Tuesday We shopped in Amsterdam in the morning. Any form of glass or china was extraordinarily cheap & nearly all the shop people speak English.

We started off back for England about luncheon time. I was badly sold because there had been a very high wind the day before & I did nothing but say how much I hoped it would continue & that the sea would be rough. When we did get out to sea it was rather choppy & the infernal yacht rolled like any thing I felt very groggy indeed inside & had to retire to bed directly after dinner!

Wednesday

We ran onto a sandbank for no apparent reason in the early hours of the morning but the tide floated us off in a couple of hours.

Mummy went off to stay with Miss Fitzroy from Harwich and Daddie & I came on to London. I went straight to the School & went up to ask Miss Eckhard about my doing probation work in July & she asked me to go & have tea with her which was rather fun.

I went back to Warwick Square & Cousin Ruth & I went out to dinner together & I told her about Holland.

Thursday I went to the dentist in the morning and then to luncheon with Kathleen. She & I shopped together in the afternoon. I had tea with the Waldegraves and then went on to see Miss Wolff who was in the middle of supper so I stayed & had some with her.

Friday I came down here by the 3.25 & nothing much happened over the week-end.

June 13th - 19th.

Mon. Mary Meade came to luncheon with me at the School. She wants to come to London in October to do a course of art needlework.

Tuesday Kathleen lunched with me at the School & I went with her to Holborn afterwards to try & pop a sextant. And then we said farewell because she was going back to Newcastle & would not be back in London till August for the arrival of the infant. I had tea with "Minnie" (my tutor) which was very pleasant.

Wednesday I worked all day.

Thursday I went down to Hoxton in the morning to see Miss Wilcox the probation officer (juvenile) for that district & arranged with her that I should go & work there three days a week during July. I went on from there to Anne & had luncheon & spent the afternoon with her. Then I went on to Eaton Place to join the Waldegraves & we were picked up by a Dr Robinson & his wife who motored us down to Windsor for Japs's searchlight Tattoo party. The road going down was one solid stream of cars returning from Gold cup day at Ascot. There were about 12 people at dinner and after dinner we went on in three cars to Aldershot which is about 15 miles away. We again got into a solid stream of cars, this time going in the same direction as ourselves, & so it took us a long time to get there. The tattooLink opens in a new window itself was one of the most lovely things I have ever seen with woods & moors in the background & searchlights casting wonderful shadows making all sorts of colour-combinations. There was among other things a sham Battle of Blenheim followed by modern warfare – which looked infinitely more unpleasant. There were about 40,000 people there & all the parking arrangements were done most perfectly. We all went back to Burfield LodgeLink opens in a new window afterwards & had refreshments & then started off for London getting back at 2.45 a.m!

Friday I came down here & nothing happened at the week-end except that I went up to the Cottage for tea one day.

June 20th - 26th.

Monday I went to stay with Anne for a day or two as Charlie was going over to Ireland. Barbara came to dinner & we had a very amusing time.

Tuesday I worked all day. Anne & I started an argument after dinner on the higher education of women & nearly came to blows over it but laughed afterwards to think how silly we'd been!

Wednesday I went to tea with Daisy, & Anne & I spent a much more amiable evening talking scandal about our friends.

Thursday Anne got an order to view a flat in Greycoat Gardens by the post in the morning, so we hurried off to see it & decided she'd better take it because it was very nice, & being extremely cheap those flats are snapped up at once. We did some shopping & then went back for luncheon. Anne had been complaining all the morning of pains in her tummy & as she seemed really bad when we got back I made her go to bed & stayed with her till 5 o'c when I had to leave because I was going to a theatre with Celia & her brother & another girl. A day or two later I heard from Anne that she'd got the doctor as the pains continued & he says they are probably the beginnings of a baby (I had said it was either that or watercress) which is very exciting. I dined with Celia & Co at the Florence and we went to see "Marigold" a charming old fashioned Scotch play, & it was a very nice evening altogether.

Friday I went in the afternoon to Marylebone InfirmaryLink opens in a new window where Miss Broadbent (who is one of the Marylebone Guardians) had asked Daddie to give away the prizes to nurses. It is the best Poor Law Hospital I've been into, very light & airy & well painted & I should imagine very well run. There was a Nurse Macintyre who seemed to get all the prizes including a gold medal for the best all round nurse of the year. "Johnny B" was there & he gave me a lift in his car as far as the top of Kingsway. I dashed back to the School & Budgie came to tea with me there for the speech day oration by Graham WallasLink opens in a new window & the presentation of his portrait to the Director (Sir William Beveridge), that was the last day of the term.

Saturday Hilary Bonham Carter & Edith H came to tea.

Sunday I went over to Oxford by bus to have tea with Edith's sister in her very pretty cottage there. Edith herself was there & we came back here together.

June 27th - July 3rd

I was here on Monday & Tuesday doing nothing much, except reading.

Wednesday The great eclipse of the sun took place in the early hours of the morning but the sky was thickly overcast with clouds & it was pelting so there was nothing to see. I went up by the 9.42 to start my probation work. The office is in Hoxton House, Hoxton St.Link opens in a new window just by Old St. & Miss Wilcox was at Times & Talents & is young & excessively nice. We arranged that I should spend half the day in the office writing letters & writing up case papers etc. and only do about 3-4 visits a day which is alas! as much as I can manage. The visiting mostly consists of arranging holidays, friendly visits, telling the mother it is time a child reported again & such like things. I went on to Warwick Square afterwards.

Thursday I was in Hoxton all day & had supper at S. Martin's Club on my way back to Warwick Square in the evening.

Friday I went to Hoxton. Miss Wilcox' district is very large & covers Finsbury, Hackney, Shoreditch, Betnal [ Bethnal ] Green & Old Ford. Most of my visiting is done in Hackney. I dined with Sybil Buxton.

Saturday I went to see Aunt Mabel in the morning. Cousin Ruth & I lunched at Victoria & she took me down to Queen Mary's HospitalLink opens in a new window at Carshalton for the annual inspection (it is one of the hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board of which she is a member). It is a huge place built on the cottage plan with accomodation for 900 children and all the most modern forms of treatment for the diseases it caters for. It was very sad to see the children with tuberculous hip who spend years on their backs but they were all out of doors, very sunburnt & seemed very happy. Unfortunately I had to leave early to catch a train back here. Joyce Gurdon Colonel Gurdon's girl of 16 came here for the night.

Sunday Joyce is a very nice girl indeed. We motored her over to Oxted in the evening & Daddie took her back to Crowborough and spent the night there himself.

July 4th - 10th

Monday I went up at 1 o'c & dashed straight off to the dentist who gave me a horrid time. I had tea with Peggy but didn't see much of her because she came in late & I had to leave early. I dined with Margaret Adam - a dinner party of 14 composed of some of the bridesmaids & ushers for her wedding to Anthony Wingfield the following Monday. I sat next to a most amusing Captain Dunstan who was a very good mimic & told endless funny stories.

Tuesday I went down to Hoxton. In the evening I went to a dinner at the American Women's Club for about 100 American students just arrived from the States. Esther was there & each table had a hostess & one English guest; the nice Miss Dingman of the Y.W.C.A was the hostess at my table & I sat next to a fearfully attractive German American girl called Myers. Mallon,Link opens in a new window the warden of Toynbee Hall, who was in the chair made a most amusing speech, & the other speakers were Lord ThompsonLink opens in a new window & Maud Roydon, the latter was quite excellent. Altogether it was a most delightful evening.

Wednesday I was in Hoxton all day.

Thursday I was in Hoxton all day and I came home by the 5.18 train in order to see our delightful American friend Mrs Vincent who was in England & staying here for a couple of nights. I also found Uncle Claude here when I got back.

Friday Mrs Vincent was nice & more attractive than ever & we felt very sad when she left in the early afternoon.

Saturday The de Lyndens motored down for tea & she was full of awful stories about The Princess (Marie Louise).Link opens in a new window Marguerite Tenison came to dinner.

Sunday A boiling hot day & we did nothing.

July 11th - 17th.

Monday We all three went up by Oxted for Margaret Adam's wedding. I did one or two oddments & then went to dress at S. Martin's Club. The bridesmaids' dresses were a wedgewood blue chiffon & very pretty, the hats were crinoline of the same colour trimmed with gold ribbon, & gold shoes & stockings.

The wedding was at S. Margaret's Westminster & there were 9 bridesmaids & one page. Anthony Wingfield gave us all wrist watches which was a very magnificent bridesmaids present. Margaret looked lovely & it all went off well in spite of a terrific thunderstorm which raged nearly the whole time. The reception was at Claridges - very good food! - & there I met Anne & Conti & various other people. I changed at S. Martin's Club again & had a talk with Margaret Magniac & we all came back here at 5.48.

Tuesday Read & did oddments.

Wednesday I went up to Hoxton & in the afternoon Miss Wilcox took me to the children's Court which is presided over by Mr Clarke HallLink opens in a new window & was most interesting. I left before it ended to meet Edith for tea at Hills near the Monument. We talked there for a bit & then I went with her to see someone off the Walworth Rd., & then back to London Bridge to catch the 6.30 down here.

Thursday A horrid day. I went up to Hoxton for the day & paddled about in the rain.

Friday I went up to Hoxton & had a very pleasant day there and in the evening went on to the Club for Miss Brodigan's farewell party. Edith was there too & it was great fun. They had the jazz band & the ordinary mixed club dancing. It was very nice to see the girls again & they were all so friendly. At the end they chaired Miss Brodigan & carried her round the hall singing the Froth Blower'sLink opens in a new window Anthem. Edith stayed the night too & we talked till 12.30.

Saturday. Edith left at 6.45 a.m to get back to Avery Hill by 8 o'c. I stayed at the Club & wrote letters in the morning & then went to luncheon with Aunt Mabel. I had tea with Miss Constance Smith in Hamilton Terrace & she asked me to become a member of the Industrial Law Committee of the Y.W.C.A; it is apparently a terrificly swish thing, half composed of experts in the subject with her as Chairwoman & so it will be very interesting & most enlightening to be on it. Rosalind is in for the job of secretary to it & I put in a good word for her. I came down by the 6.15, & Uncle Leslie was here for the weekend.

Sunday. Daddie went to London for the day & Uncle Leslie, Mummy & I sat about & talked.

July 18th - 24th

[ Monday ] I went to London at 1 o'c. Took my things from Cousin Ruth's to Miss Wolff's & then went on to the R.G.S., Lowther Lodge, where Daddie had a tea party consisting of Sybil Buxton, Miss Farquhar, the Gloomy Dean, Mrs Adam, Mrs Wingfield & a dear old Prof. & Mrs Drewitt.

Tuesday I was in Hoxton all day & went to dinner with the Henrys (who had taken a house in South St.) in the evening.

Wednesday Miss Wilcox took me to the Children's Court in the afternoon & I had a talk with Miss Moses Edith's friend who is a J.P.

Thursday I spent a glorious afternoon visiting in Hoxton. Celia had supper with me in the Fellowship Rooms at S. Martin's. Marion Dunnell was also there having supper with someone else & we went & listened to part of a Parochial Church Council meeting afterwards.

Friday I shopped all the morning, getting a coat & skirt for Kathleen's coming nurse, a coat for myself at Fisher's - navy blue, 7 1/2 gns - & a lot of 2nd hand boys books for Miss Wilcox with some money that had been given her to get books for her library. We went to the Buckingham Palace Garden PartyLink opens in a new window in the afternoon; it was freezing cold & poured in torrents at intervals.

Saturday Daddie & I went to Hilary Bonham Carter's wedding (Mummy was in London) which was beautifully done & very nice. I went to London by the 5.2 train to spend the night with Edith in College Bdgs [ Buildings ], Whitechapel. When I got there she said she had a great deal to do at Avery Hill & must go back there for the night, however afterwards she decided to stay. We had supper in her room at C.B., then walked about the streets for a bit, then some of the boys in the Buildings came along & sat talking for some time, and then we went to bed & talked about various things & she was so nice.

Sunday. We had breakfast in bed & didn't get up till about 10 o'c. Then we walked down "the Lane"Link opens in a new window which is just like an Eastern bazaar with all the stalls & the foreigners from all over the world. We went to Church at John Knox, it was Communion Sunday & a wonderful service. We had luncheon at C.B. & some of the children came in & talked to us afterwards. Then I went with Edith to the Club where she was going to fetch away a lot of things, and I came down here by a 3.40 train having had a lovely time.

July 25th - 31st

Monday Daisy motored over for the day & took me for a drive in the afternoon.

Tuesday The holiday party from Wrotham & Miss Brodigan came over here for a picnic on Hosey Chart & I went up & joined them there. Florrie Page was in the party & various others I knew. They all came down here afterwards & we showed them various Thibetan [ Tibetan ] things & they were fearfully pleased with everything.

Wednesday I went up to Hoxton but Miss Wilcox couldn't get me into the Court that day. I went to see Mrs Corry on the way back to Miss Wolff's & found her very agitated because Kathleen having got 'ideas' from "that wicked man Bernard Shaw" was contemplation not having "Horace" baptised!

Thursday Again in Hoxton & visiting in Hackney which is not nearly so attractive as the real slums but just as poor. I dined with Peggy & we went to see "Blue Skies", quite an amusing revue. Peggy was the nicest.

Friday I did a little shopping & then went to Hoxton for the last time. I was very sorry to leave it because I liked the work & Miss Wilcox is delightful & absolutely first rate at it. I took on the reporting in the evening - the boys on probation are supposed to report once a week - it was very entertaining & they are for the most part a very attractive lot. I came down here by the 9.30 train.

Saturday I spent the day in struggling with an article I had been asked to write on settlements for the G.D.A. & Time & Talents Quarterly magazine.

Sunday I went to tea at the Cottage & Edith & I went to the evening service together. The new vicar, Mr Castle, preached his first sermon & a very good one too. He seems an extraordinarily nice person very much of the type of Canon Woods, & will make a great difference here.

Aug 1st - 7th

Monday. I played about with the typewriter & typed my article on Settlements - which was excessively incoherent & dull.

Tuesday. We went to call on the Castles but there was a crowd of other people doing the same thing so we didn't see much of them.

Wednesday. Shortened frocks & gardened & typed. Edith H came to tea. The other Edith has gone to Germany for a month with Dr & Mrs Ramsay.

Thursday. I went to London at 10.40 – dashed round doing several oddments & went down to Corfe by the 2.30 train. Barbara & Mr & Mrs Bentinck & Joseph were alone there. Mr B very cheerful & Mrs B very gloomy. Barbara & I went for a walk by moonlight.

Friday. Barbara & I went into Swanage to bathe. It was very cold & nasty. Some people came for luncheon & Barbara & I read in the afternoon.

Saturday Barbara's cousin Richard Sykes suddenly appeared for luncheon & stayed all the afternoon writing introductions for America for Barbara.

Sunday Barbara & I spent the morning reading on the downs. In the afternoon we motored over to Dancing LedgeLink opens in a new window a heavenly bit of coast near Langton Matravers.

Aug 8th - 14th

Monday We all started off to go over to Milton in the morning but a sparking plug went wrong & we had to come back. We started off again in the afternoon & had a most lovely drive there. After tea Barbara took me over to Creech where I was going to stay with Vie & Johnny Bond. Daddie met me there & there was no one else staying in the house except a rather dull Lady Vansittart Neale (of Bisham Abbey) who left next day.

Tuesday We went over to the Cecils at Lytchett for tea & saw their beautiful garden.

Wednesday A fine & sunny afternoon & we went over to Wirbarrow [ Worbarrow ] BayLink opens in a new window which was looking quite lovely with a translucent blue & green sea & white breakers & cliffs.

Thursday We went over to tea with the Bentincks there were several other people there & we didn't stay long.

Friday We motored over to Bournmouth [ Bournemouth ] taking our luncheon which we ate down by the seashore. It is a huge, hideous place worth going to for the pleasure of getting away from it.

Saturday Barbara came over in the morning & Mr Bentinck joined her later for luncheon. We went to tea with some people over at Osmington called Shepherd who live in a lovely house by the sea. She was a funny little thing & tried to make us paddle in spite of its being a wet day with a thick sea mist! Major & Mrs Sotham arrived to stay, he for the night & she for the week-end. They are great friends of the Bentinck's, she is delightful & he is clever & very nice, though gloomy looking & shy.

Sunday We walked up Creech Barrow in the afternoon & got a wonderful view all over the country. Some people came to tea & we went to Church in the evening.

August 15th - 21st

Monday Daddie & I left in the morning having had a very pleasant visit. I went straight to Mrs Corry's where I was going to stay for a day or two to see Kathleen who was there. However soon after my arrival her baby began to announce his arrival 10 days ahead of time, the doctor came & said she'd better go to the nursing home that evening, so she went off about 9 o'c, Mrs Corry came back frantically agitated & the doctor rang up at 1.45 a.m to say all was well, the baby – a boy - was born.

Tuesday We got round to Welbeck St at 9 a.m and first saw the infant who weighed 7 1/2 lbs, had a very large spreading nose & a thick crop of brown hair, & was sleeping heavily in spite of the presence of several other squawking infants in the room. We were allowed to see Kathleen who looked extraordinarily well & was sitting up in bed writing to Ben. It all seems to have been a great rush, the doctors weren't there till the last minute & the Matron had to give her chloroform. Anyway its all most satisfactory.

I shopped all the morning, went back to Rutland Court for luncheon, did other oddments in the afternoon & came down here by the 4.30.

Wednesday. Daddie went to stay with the Tuckers in Shropshire. I went up to the Cottage but there was no one in.

Thursday Rosalind Chambers came over for tea. She has got the job of secretary to the Industrial Law Bureau of the Y.W.C.A. We had a long gossip about the School & I walked part of the way back with her.

Friday. Nothing happened except that I got a telegram from Phyllis putting off my visit for a week (I'd been going up there on Monday) as she was in a nursing home in Edinburgh with a poisoned foot & had got to have an operation.

Saturday A Captain Spink of Spink & Sons came to look at some of our Chinese things with a view to Barbara taking them to America to sell, but none of them were suitable.

Sunday I went to Church at 10 o'c & to tea at the Cottage.

August 22nd - 28th.

Monday A letter from Phyllis saying the house would be full up to the end of Sept. after she got back & so putting off my visit which was very disappointing.

Tuesday I went to London at 1 o'c & went to Bermondsey to see Florrie Miller (Goddard) whose husband has deserted her. It is all a most tragic story & she is a dear little thing & so brave about it though minding horribly. It was an unsatisfactory visit because Eva Barrett was there so I couldn't talk to Florrie or hear about it. I went on to have tea with Kathleen in the nursing home she & Horace were both looking very blooming but the latter was bright yellow. I went down to Ashtead by a 6.30 train & Di met me at the Station. Lil was there in bed with rheumatism.

Wednesday. Uncle Claude motored me over to Betchworth to see old Robert Allan who is nearly 90 & was at ColworthLink opens in a new window in 1846 & talked glibly of the Irish potato famine.

Thursday Di went to London for the day. It poured most of the time but Uncle Claude & I went to Leatherhead to pay a bill at the Royal School for the Blind,Link opens in a new window unfortunately the holidays were on so we didn't see them at work, but it is a fine building & they make beautiful things.

Friday Uncle Claude & I motored over to Leith Hill in the afternoon - a beautiful place & a fine view from the top.

Saturday I came up in the morning & went to see Kathleen who had quite forgotten I was coming. I changed a book at the School, had luncheon at S. Martin's Club & then went out to Finchley to spend the afternoon with Edith who got back from Germany on Monday, we went for a walk & then sat in the garden. I came home by the 7.30 train.

Sunday Shortie was still in bed & seemed very weak with a good deal of pain. We got her out in the garden in the afternoon. Mummy & I went to Church in the evening.

August 29th - Sept: 4th.

Monday A boiling day - the first this summer! - & we sat in the garden all day. Daddie got back from the Modern Churchmen's Congress at Birmingham in the evening.

Tuesday. It was suddenly sprung on me at breakfast that I was to go to Scotland on Saturday to join Daddie (who goes on Thursday) & stay with some unknown Americans friends of Cousin Florence's for a day or two, then wander about in hotels till the 15th & then stay a day or two with Susan Duchess of Somerset on the Black Isle. Not a word as to whether I wanted to go or not (which I most emphatically don't) or as to whether I had any other plans, I had arranged to go to Ashtead this week-end, Edith was coming to stay next week & I was going to Plymouth with Kathleen on the 20th. Its a futile waste of money all for nothing & makes me furious.

Wednesday I went to London by the 7.40 a.m train & tore to get to the Vincents at Halfmoon St. by 9 o'c to go on a motoring trip with them and another lady, a Mrs Risson whose husband is the head of a big advertising company. We went first to St. Albans & saw the Cathedral which is very fine though patchy in a way as it is two churches. We had luncheon (bad & expensive) at a place called Towcester where they ran in & out of antiques shops. We went on in the afternoon to Litchfield [ Lichfield ], unfortunately there was a thick mist all day & the country was flat & uninteresting so far as one could see. Litchfield Cathedral we liked & we heard glorious singing at the afternoon service. We went to tea with the Charnwoods who live just outside Litchfield. Lady CharnwoodLink opens in a new window is very overpowering, the two girls are extremely pretty & Antonia who is a friend of Peggy & Kathleen seemed nice. We went on to Leamington where we spent the night at the Manor House HotelLink opens in a new window which was hideous & I should imagine very expensive.

Thursday We started off at 9 o'c in a thicker mist than that of the day before & went first to Kenilworth CastleLink opens in a new window ruins which left me cold compared to Corfe, then on to Warwick CastleLink opens in a new window which is wonderful but which I had been all over before when I stayed at Stoneleigh. Then we went to Stratford on Avon & saw Shakespeare's birthplace, a dear old house, & the Church which is beautiful. We stopped in a small village called Tisoe [ Tysoe ] & had an excellent luncheon of boiled eggs & bread & cheese at the Peacock Inn. Then we went on to Compton WynyatesLink opens in a new window which is the most beautiful old red brick Tudor house I have ever seen. It was not the show day & the agent a Mr Gould was rather rude at first & refused to let us in, however finally he relented very grudgingly & took us over. It is a most perfect old lovely manor house with wonderful pannelling & little winding staircases. We went on to Oxford & saw Christ Church & Magdalene & had tea at a very nice country house hotel some way out of Oxford & then came back to London by High Wycombe & Beaconsfield. We got to London at 8 o'c & Mrs Risson took Mrs Vincent & me to dinner at the Ritz where she was staying. I came home by the 9.30 train.

Friday I packed hard for Scotland. Mrs Rissone & another lady & gentleman came down for tea - the former offered me a job in the London office (in Bush House) of her husband's advertising firm & wants to buy a good many of our things for her house in America. It was altogether a most successful visit & they were charming.

Saturday I went up by the 7.40 and got the 10 o'c train by the West Coast Route for Perth. It was very empty & I had a good journey arriving at Pitlochry about 9.30. The Hewitts had a house called BalnakeillyLink opens in a new window about 1 1/2 miles from the town. The party consisted of Mr & Mrs Hewitt, their married daughter Mrs Gordon Stevenson & her husband; their son, Abraham, a Professor & Mrs Hay & their boy, a lady whose name I forgot & her girl & innumerable small children. They were all most nice & friendly.

Sunday We sat about the garden & talked in the morning & in the afternoon went on wonderful motor expedition about 50 miles through the most lovely scenery. We had tea at Taymouth CastleLink opens in a new window which has been turned into an hotel. It is quite hideous & was full of jazz bands & anaemic waiters wh: contrasted oddly with the glory & wildness of the country. We came back by Killin Bridge & the Pass of Killicrankie.

Sept: 5th - 11th.

Monday. Most of the party left in the morning. We did oddments with Mrs Stevenson all day & in the evening there was great excitement over the arrival fr: America of a newly married son & his wife whom they had never seen. They gave them a tremendous welcome with pipers & dancing in front of the house.

Tuesday We left abt 10.30 & went on to Aviemore where we had luncheon & tried to telephone to Cousin Con, however she wasn't on the telephone, so I left Daddie there to go over & see her & went on to Inverness where I was met by Charlie looking very glorious in kilts & dirks & he took me to Moniack wh: has now been rechristened Reelig.Link opens in a new window Phyllis was there more amusing & more full of talk than ever & I had a desperate time trying to talk to them both at once on totally different subjects. However they were both very entertaining.

Wednesday I went over to join the shooters for luncheon (Phyllis couldn't go on account of her foot) & distinguished myself (a) by getting lost on my way there & (b) by wearing a bright blue jumper. It was quite heavenly up on the moors with sunshine & clear, cold air & all the Ross-shire hills spread out in front of us. The other three guns were old Mr Maxwell, Colonel Mitford & the Master of Lovat. Daddie arrived to stay in the evening.

Thursday A damp & dreary day but I spent it most happily & successfully in catching trout.

Friday Phyllis, Daddie & I went over to Nairn to lunch at the Seaview Hotel to lunch with old Lady Congleton's married daughter Mrs Howard & were joined after luncheon by young Lady Congleton who turned out to be a friend of the Kleinworts. In the afternoon Phyllis went to see old Lady C and we went to the Liddells who take a house at Nairn every year & who looked more miserable & depressed than words can say. We called on some Frost Simpsons on the way back in the hope of getting tea but their house was let for the summer.

Saturday Charlie went off at screech of dawn for a round of visits in the west & the clan gathering. He lives in a whirl of gaiety & now adores all the things he previously hated. Mrs Murray (the Duchess of Somerset's sister) & her very dull married daughter, Mrs Burton & the other's husband came to luncheon. I fished both before & after their coming.

Sunday We started off about 11 o'c to go to luncheon with the Watneys half across Ross-shire towards the west coast. We stopped on the way to look at the Falls of RogieLink opens in a new window in the Blackwater and then went by Loch Garve & Loch Luichart. It was of course a perfectly glorious drive & mercifully fairly fine. The Watney's deer forest, Fannich, is completely in the wilds & was a drive 9 miles long up to the Lodge. The LodgeLink opens in a new window itself is purposely made very ugly so as to express simple life in the highlands but we felt that lobster & peaches for luncheon handed by a butler & two footmen were not in keeping. Mr Watney & Lady Margaret were there & Sylvia & her husband, & Lord Cottisloe [ Cottesloe ]Link opens in a new window & a rather domineering old Miss Taylor who turned out afterwards to be the sister of Miss Taylor at the C.C. [ Care Committee ] office in Bermondsey! We stopped for tea on the way back at Corle wh: is let to some people called Oldfield.

Sept: 12th - 18th.

Monday I fished & went for walks up the Glen.

Tuesday. We went for a wonderful tea picnic expedition up Glen Affric. First along by the Beauly, then through Strath Glass into Glen Affric & along to Loch Beneveian [ Benevean ]. The Country got steadily more beautiful as we went along till in Glen Affric we had the river Affric tearing through rocks down below, birch woods covering each side of the Glen, & the mountains rising beyond.

Wednesday I fished (unsuccessfully) in the morning. We went into Beauly in the afternoon & then to tea with the Mitfords who are great friends of Phyllis & Charlie's & have a very pretty little house at Lentran.

Thursday. Daddie & I went to Invergordon for the day on our way to stay with the Duchess of Somerset on the Black Isle. We arrived there at 11.30 & left at 4.30; Invergordon itself was hideous, there were no walks round & most of the FleetLink opens in a new window was out. So by the time we had rowed round the Revenge, Iron Duke & Marboaraugh [ Marlborough ] there was nothing left to do but to sit "gazing into vacancy" till we left. We reached Belmaduthy,Link opens in a new window the house wh: the Duchess takes every year about 6.15 & found only her, the secretary Miss Freeland & an uninteresting girl called Diana Wingfield a cousin of Anthony Wingfield.

Friday We went for a walk in the morning and in the afternoon went into Beauly.

Saturday We went over to Invergordon for the Games in the afternoon but only stayed about half an hour. On the way back we stopped for tea with Sir Hector & Lady Munroe [ Munro ]Link opens in a new window of Foulis.

Sunday We went to Church at Fortrose (a very dull Episcopal service) in the morning. And in the afternoon called at Kilcoy a very fine old castle & then went on to tea with Lady Leven at Ord House.

Sept: 19th - 25th.

Monday We left at 10.30 to return to Phyllis for the night. The train did not normally stop at Munlochy but it was stopped especially for us by a porter sitting on our luggage & waving a red flag – and when stopped had no one in it! Phyllis was overflowing with talk & laughter & it was a great relief to get back there after the rather pompous dull atmosphere of Belmaduthy. I fished in the afternoon & in the evening we went to a dance given by the Ogdens at Achnagairn.Link opens in a new window Neither Phyllis nor I could dance but it was great fun to watch the reels & I met Betty Waldegrave & Bridget Liddell there. We meant to leave at 11.30 but we didn't get home till nearly 2!

Tuesday Daddie & I left Inverness at 11 o'c & went down to Edinburgh. I felt very sad as the Ross-shire mountains disappeared on the skyline & wondered when I should see them again. We stayed at the North British Hotel because we couldn't get in at the smaller ones. We went straight off to see the newly opened Scottish National War MemorialLink opens in a new window at the Castle. It is by far the finest one I have seen & very beautiful.

Wednesday We left at 10 o'c by the Flying Scotsman, it was very full but we had reserved seats so we were all right. It got in exactly at 6.15; I went to the School & changed a book and we came down here by the 7.30. Shortie had gone home to Streatham for a good rest.

Thursday Colonel & Mrs Gurdon came over for luncheon & tea. He still looks very ill (anaemia) but is much better than he was.

Friday. I did oddments.

Saturday. Aunt Venetia & "Toby" Sullivan came down for the day.

Sunday I gardened. Marguerite Tenison & Mrs Farnworth came to tea.

Sept: 26th - Oct: 2nd.

Monday Daisy came over for me in the morning & motored me back to Wierton for the night. Papa & Mama were there and Jeanine & Marigold Alice's two little girls, and Lily's baby Peter. Herman & Rosemary Sophie's children and Roger, Christopher & Rissa Marieke's children came to tea, besides Mrs Stile & one of her little boys!

Tuesday We sat about in the garden in the morning & in the afternoon they sent me back in glory in the Rolls Royce. Papa & Mama were very pleasant & friendly.

Wednesday I went to London for the day. I saw Miss Eckhard at the School & I am to be tutored by Mr Lloyd the head of the department this term. Edith came to luncheon with me there; she is coaching 22 students at the Union of Girls Schools Settlement; giving about six L.C.C. lectures a week, conducting a correspondence course in social science for 37 Health Visitors going in for an exam besides doing most of the housework as Esther is away ill, and now, she has in addition taken on the job of deputy head of an evening institute! I went on to Bermondsey to see poor little Florrie & found Louie there. Florrie looks desperately ill & unhappy but Vera the baby is a dear & very cheerful. From there I went onto Streatham to see Shortie & found her very comfortable & well looked after by Grace but with that same terrible cough & pains & not able to walk more than a few yards & with no desire to eat anything. She goes out in a bath chair & is seeing heaps of people.

Thursday We motored over to have luncheon with Lord & Lady Norbury some newly rediscovered old friends of Mummy's who have a most attractive house in Ashdown Forest & are very nice themselves. There were two nephews of Lord Norbury's, Colonel Alexander & Lord Culloden, there & Lady Norbury's brother Mr Ellis. We had tea with Mr & Mrs Trefusis at Forest Row on the way back. Unfortunately it was a horrid day so we couldn't see much of the country.

Friday I gardened & read & wrote.

Saturday I gardened & read & wrote.

Sunday Went to Church and did many oddments in the house as it was the last day of the holidays.

Oct: 3rd - 9th

Monday Florrie Miller (Goddard) & the baby came down to stay for a fortnight at Mrs Jarrett's. I went to London at 1 o'c & went straight along to the School, there are masses of new Social Science students & some of them look nice. I am staying with Miss Wolff this term.

Tuesday I was at the school up till 4 o'c & then went to tea with Peggy who was very nice.

Wednesday School in the morning & then I went down to the United Girl's Schools Settlement to have luncheon with Edith who is working there. I stayed there all the afternoon & then she came back to the School with me as she was having tea with Miss Eckhard.

Thursday School in the morning. I lunched with Cousin Ruth & she took me over the Fulham Infirmary in the afternoon; it is a vast building very bleak & hideous but I should imagine well run. After that Wolfie took me to have my hair cut & waved.

Friday I was to have had my first coaching with Mr Lloyd but he was away. I went down to Streatham to see Shortie & found her in bed, very weak & with a good deal of pain. The doctor came while I was there, I had a talk to him & he seemed nice & very sensible. I caught the 5.15 by the skin of my teeth & found great agitations when I got back here. Mummy had had a fall & hurt both feet a few days back so that she could only just hobble about with difficulty, on Thursday Mrs Idie (who has been well for some time) had a very bad attack indeed & was rushed off to Sevenoaks Hospital & is not allowed to see anyone at present.

Saturday Florrie came & sat in the garden all the morning. She looks a different creature & seemed quite happy & cheerful. Rosalind came over for tea full of alarm over her job as secretary of the Industrial Law Bureau attached to the Y.W.C.A.

Sunday Florrie sat in the garden all the morning. I went to tea at the Cottage & found Mr Deane, Miss Helen Hanmer & Colonel & Mrs Granville StreatfeildLink opens in a new window there. Edith walked back with me.

Oct: 10th - 16th.

Monday I went to the School in the afternoon & found a note from Di asking me to go down for the night that afternoon instead of the next day. So I had to cut a lecture & dash back to Miss Wolff's to get my things and got down to the Cottage about 7 o'c. Lil was there & Uncle Claude was in bed with a bad cold so they had to put off starting for Italy on Sunday as they had hoped to do.

Tuesday Di & I came up by an 8 somthing train & she dropped me at the School in time for a 10 o'c lecture. I dined tete a tete with Betty & she was very nice.

Wednesday I went from the School down to the Club to have luncheon with Louie who looked terribly tired but was very pleasant. Alice Penny came in to see me & was great fun. I went up to see Miss Blew-Jones the new warden who was quite insufferably rude about some things I'd left behind at the Club. Ina came in while I was there. I went on to our After-Care Conference in the Girls Department at Albion St. School. From there I dashed back to the School for a lecture & worked there till nearly 8 o'c when I went to meet Edith at Endell St. evening institute. We had supper at a Lipton in HolbornLink opens in a new window and spent a happy evening pulling Blew-Jones to bits - she had previously been equally rude to Edith. On the spur of the moment I went back with her to her home at Finchley for the night & we talked for ages after we got there.

Thursday Edith's brother Bill took me in his car as far as Holloway tube station about 8.30 so I arrived at the School in very ample time. I had my first coaching with Mr Lloyd, he was very kind and treated me like a mentally defective child. I went down to Streatham to see Shortie & found her in bed looking pretty cheerful & her breathing was much better.

Friday I went to the Club to pick up my things & found that most of them either belonged to Edith or were books of Louie's. So that storm in a teacup was all about nothing. Edith & I both realise sadly that it will be impossible for us to go down to the Club any more. I came home by the 11.20 train.

Saturday Florrie & the baby came in the evening otherwise I read & wrote all day. We are still not allowed to see Mrs Idie but there are good reports of her. A Colonel & Mrs Donnet whom we'd known in India 20 years ago came for luncheon from London.

Sunday Florrie came in the morning & Mrs Dalglish came to see us in the afternoon, they leave Dunsdale for good next week.

Oct. 17th - 23rd

Monday I went up straight to the School & then back to Miss Wolff's in the evening.

Tuesday I went to tea with Peggy. Mary Loden arrived to stay at Miss Wolff's in the evening. I went to the Group which was at Celia's house. Japs & Marion were there & one or two others I knew.

Wednesday I went to luncheon with the Waldegraves & stayed on to talk to dear Conti afterwards. Daddie & I met for tea with Ina at the Lyceum Club, Miss Carcaud of the Indian Y.W.C.A. was also there & a Sir James & Lady Berry. Ina was very skittish & very full of her Indian trip.

Thursday I went down to see Shortie in the early afternoon. She was dressed & downstairs & really did seem much better. I took her for a little walk & then for a run in her bath chair. I tore back to London to meet Daddie at Mary Byng's wedding reception in St James's Square; the only people we knew there were Freddy Wallop & Lady Hylton & so we left soon after I got there. I dined with Peggy & she & I & Charles went to see "Fire" a marvellous film of a fire in a big orphanage.

Friday I had a coaching with Mr Lloyd. He was very encouraging about the first essay I'd done for him (on Instinct) asked me if I'd written much before & a great deal about what I'd been doing before I came to the School and said the essay was worthy of an alpha. I came down here by the 3.25 and found Mummy still very poorly.

Saturday It poured steadily all day. Mrs Bullough came to tea.

Sunday Daddie & I went to church.

Oct: 24th - 30th

Monday Mary Saxby a friend of Mrs Ashby's arrived as daily house parlour maid. She can't live in on account of an invalid mother, but it will be a mercy to have someone & she seems very nice. Mrs Idie is still in Sevenoaks Hospital having a "modified Weir MitchellLink opens in a new window treatment" - that is presumably a rest cure for nerves. But as it consists mainly in not seeing people & there is nothing she detests more it will probably make her much worse.

Kathleen & Ben & the baby were up in London for the latter's christening which took place at Brampton Parish Church in the afternoon. I was godmother & its two godfathers were Kathleen's cousin Lord ClydesdaleLink opens in a new window & an uncle of Ben's who lives at Venice (Ben stood proxy). Its names are Graeme, Douglas, Englebert. There was a tea afterwards at Rutland Court but most of the people there were Ben's relations.

Tuesday I was at the School all day & didn't go to the Group in the evening.

Wednesday I went to luncheon with Kathleen but didn't see much of her because Ben was there & just starting to motor back to Plymouth. The baby is too absurdly like her for words. Miss Wilcox came & had supper with me at the School. She is now working at Clerkenwell Adult Court, it was nice to see her again & we had long discussions on the iniquity of the penal system.

Thursday I went down to see Shortie & found her not nearly so well, very weak, in a good deal of pain & scarcely able to move. Also which is worst of all she is getting dreadfully depressed & is beginning to wonder what is really wrong with her.

Friday I went to luncheon with Miss Brodigan at Grey Ladies College Blackheath. She has a very nice room there with all her own furniture. I came home by the 3.25.

Saturday I went for a walk with Edith in the afternoon & she came back here for tea. Mrs Idie is back & seems better and quite cheerful.

Sunday Rosalind Chambers came over for luncheon & Miss Fitzroy came down for the day.

Oct: 30th - Nov: 6th.

Monday Mary Saxby never appeared in the morning & it transpired she had told Simpson on Saturday that she didn't intend to come back - never a word to Mummy what a way to treat people!

I went to a Committee meeting of the Industrial Law Bureau of the Y.W.C.A of wh. I have been elected a member. Rosalind, who is the new secretary of it, was there too & we went & had tea together afterwards. I went to the School & worked & stayed on there for supper.

Tuesday Betty came to tea with me at the School & I went to the Group in the evening.

Wednesday I went to luncheon with Aunt Mabel & then on to see Kathleen who kept me waiting an hour & a half & when she did come in there were other people there so I didn't see her at all. Mary Loden took me in the evening to a Fabian lecture by Miss Susan LawrenceLink opens in a new window on Bolshevism. It was very good & there were all sorts of big wigs on the platform.

Thursday Daddie & I had luncheon at a restaurant in Grafton St. with Josephine Forbes who was passing through London on her way back to America. She was delightful & just the same. I went down to see Shortie directly after, she is no better & very depressed.

Friday I came down here by the 3.25.

Saturday Toby came for the week-end.

Sunday Toby & I went to Church & for a walk in the afternoon. She is very strong on our selling this house & moving to London with which I entirely agree.

Nov. 7th - 13th.

Monday Miss Wolff took me to have my hair cut & waved at a shop called Henri in Brompton Rd. I had supper with Rosalind at the Portsmouth Club & gossiped about the School & her new job.

Tuesday I was at the School all day. I had luncheon with George Kerr, a very nice young thing who belongs to the Group, at the Holborn Restaurant. I went to the Group in the evening & we had an animated discussion.

Wednesday Anne was staying with Lady Helena Acland-Hood & I went to see her in the afternoon - the first time for 4 months. She was looking very well. We shopped together for "Herewad" & had tea at Buszard. I had an early supper with Betty & went down to the Club with her after. The girls were charming & it was so nice to see them again. Miss Blew-Jones was very affable & I had a talk with her.

Thursday I went down to see Shortie & found her very weak & feeble.

Friday Armistice Day Edith and I went for breakfast at the Strand Corner House.Link opens in a new window We walked along to the Cenoph [ Cenotaph ] - crowds of people - & then back to S. Martin's for the service. It was disappointing, done very poorly by a man I did not know who was both sentimental & off the point. I came down at 3.25 & went in the evening with Mummy & Daddie to a League of Nations Union meeting here.

Saturday Daddie went to Peterborough for the week-end & Mummy to London for the day. I wrote an essay on Habit & Custom with much effort.

Sunday Mrs Idie got the worst attack she has ever had in the night, was in great pain & became almost light headed. Dr Cotton came & gave her morphine at 3 a.m & again at 11 & she slept till the evening but was still very weak when she woke.

Nov 14th - 20th.

Monday Mrs Idie was very much better & out of pain. I went on from the School to have supper with Edith at U.G.S. [ Union of Girls Schools ] Settlement. I found her grappling with a children's Club but we talked when that was over & then had supper & afterwards went to a Club in Lambeth where she conducts an L.C.C. current events class. They were delightful people there & it was most amusing.

Tuesday School all day as usual. I had tea with Miss Haskins who was awfully nice & I stayed a long time. I dined with Japs at the Florence and we went on afterwards to the Group which I conducted.

Wednesday I went to see Lil in the afternoon. She was ill in bed & had just been X rayed & found to have gall stones & adhesions. They were to have a consultation next morning on whether to operate now or in the spring so she was feeling very depressed. Mummy came in while I was there having just bought Mrs Idie up to S. Mary's Hospital - very weak but otherwise better. I went in to see Peggy for a short while on my way back.

Thursday I went down to see Shortie & found her breathing very much worse. She was panting for breath which I am afraid means it is spreading on the lung. Beatrice came to tea with me at the School. It was so nice to see her again. I rang up Lil in the evening & found they had decided to operate next week & Di was arriving back from Italy on Saturday.

Friday I had a coaching & got another alpha for an essay on Habit & Custom - better than the B+ I fell to the time before on the Living Wage! I came down by the 3.25. Mummy is staying on in London. I went to tea with Mrs Bask & ran my nose into a fearsome tea party.

Saturday I worked all day.

Sunday I went to Church & Mrs Farnworth & her son Hugh came to tea.

Nov: 21st - 27th.

Monday I went up by the 1 o'c train and went to see Mummy at Miss Heathcote's on my way back from the School.

Tuesday Edith was at the School interviewing Miss Eckhard so she came & had luncheon with me & I went with her to Pater Noster Row afterwards. I read a paper on Education in the class; it was too short & the discussion was not particularly good. I went after tea to see Mrs Idie in S. Mary's Hospital. She looked very weak & ill but mercifully they had decided not to operate the next day as they had meant to do. I went to dinner with Peggy & she was so nice about Shortie.

Wednesday I had tea with Conti & Esther & Daisy Bevan & Baroness Schroder came in while I was there. I dined with Mummy & Miss Heathcote at Norfolk St.

Thursday I went down to see Shortie & found her breathing much worse & talking is obviously a great effort. Mrs Knight (who was Miss Ratcliffe at Westgate) came over from Sutton for tea. I went to see the doctor when I left & he was very keen she should be moved up to London at once before it was too late so that she might have some proper nursing. The trouble was to find somewhere that would have her as no hospital will take an incurable case. He thinks she has about 2 months. I went back to the School & had supper and met Edith at Endell St. at 7.45 & we went to John Knox. On the way as we went along Holborn we met a procession of the unemployed minersLink opens in a new window who have marched up from Wales to London; they each carried miners lamps lighted & were thickly guarded by policemenLink opens in a new window on each side. It was a most impressive sight. John Knox was marvellous, a prayer meeting led by Mr Little which sounds dull & ordinary but was actually very nearly perfect. We went on afterwards to the Club to see Miss Blew-Jones, there have been endless muddles & upheavals & the upshot of it all is that she has resigned. We saw Beatrice who was in for her boy's Club, for a few minutes.

Friday I met Mummy at Miss Heathcote's & we went along to S. Mary's & luckily saw Sir John who was very kind & said he would arrange for Shortie to go there for a week while we were looking for another place. He also said they had decided they must operate on Mrs Idie. We went on to the Hospital of S. John & S. Elizabeth & saw the matron who remembered us quite well & was charming but said quite definitely they would not have Shortie there; however she gave us addresses of two other places. I went to the School from there & down home by the 3.25.

Saturday Daddie went off to Reading to speak on Sunday. Edith was coming down for the night but she telephoned in the afternoon to say the fog was so bad that all the traffic was stopped & it was impossible to get here which was a dreadful blow.

Sunday I went to Church. Edith arrived at 12.45 for the day. She was more kind & understanding & helpful than words can say about Shortie & Mrs Idie. She had to leave at 5.18 & poor Daddie didn't get back till 10.30 because the other train left a 1/4 of an hour earlier than it used to do & he hadn't looked it up. Lil's operation went off splendidly & she is doing well.

Nov 28th - Dec. 4th.

Monday Daddie went off to start out to Bordighera to keep Uncle Claude company while Di is away; it is most angelic of him to go because he had to give up all sorts of things here to do it. I went up by the 11.50 & went along to the hospital; I found Mrs Idie was to be operated on the next day. She seemed extraordinarily cheerful & unperturbed about it though fully realising she might not pull through. I stayed on as Shortie was to arrive in the course of the afternoon. She was very exhausted when she got there & I think only just stood the journey. After leaving there I went to see Florrie Miller whose husband has returned & was then under remand at Tower Bridge Police Station (he has since been taken to Brixton Hospital) she was very relieved to have him back but wondering what would happen in the future. He sticks to it that it was loss of memory & he can't remember what has happened in the interval & there seems to be just a chance he is telling the truth although the police don't believe him. I went into the Club for a few minutes & then on to spend the night with Anne Dickinson who told me a certain amount about all the agitations over Miss Blew-Jones.

Tuesday I was at the School most of the day & then flew off to the hospital to hear about Mrs Idie only to find that the operation had been put off just as she was going to the theatre owing to the surgeon being ill. I dined with Celia, the group was very dull with Japs away ill & Colonel Foster at his worst.

Wednesday I went to the hospital in the afternoon & then to tea with Peggy.

Thursday I went to the hospital in the afternoon & then to tea with Mrs Bentinck who was more pleasant & friendly than words can say & kept me there till nearly 7 o'c. I went to a very dull dinner party at the Duchess of Somerset's in the evening.

Friday I went back to the hospital in the afternoon & stayed the night at S. Audley St. thinking I was going to Cecil for the week-end but Mummy bought me a message that she'd had to go off to her brother who was ill.

Saturday I went to the hospital & then tore down here by the 12.20 only to find Mummy had gone up to London for the day!

Sunday I went to Church in the morning & up to the Cottage in the afternoon. Sir John says they will keep Shortie at St. Mary's for the present which is a great mercy as it is appallingly difficult to find a place.

Dec. 5th - 12th.

Monday Dec: 5th. I went up by the 11.50 straight to the hospital & then dashed on to a meeting of the Industrial Law Bureau, Rosalind & I had tea together afterwards. I went to supper with Edith at U.G.S. Settlement & went on with her afterwards to her Current Events class in Lambeth.

Tuesday I was at the School most of the day & went to see Di after dinner. She was very worried because Lil was only getting on slowly & Uncle Claude at Bordighera had had an operation to his nose so she didn't know which she ought to be with. I arranged to go out there on the 19th.

Wednesday I spent most of the afternoon at the hospital & went to tea with Peggy.

Thursday I went to the hospital in the afternoon & in the evening met Edith; she had been coming to supper with me at the School but some things had not arrived for a bazaar at John Knox so we had to go out to Highgate to fetch them & stagger back to Stepney laden with things, it had its humourous moments!

Friday A woman came and acted the whole of the Iphegenia in Taurus [ Tauris ]Link opens in a new window at Miss Wolff's. It was a marvellous feat & she did it magnificently. I had luncheon at the School & went to see Mr Lloyd about books to read in the holidays as it was the last day of the term. Then I went to the hospital, Shortie had just had an attack & was very bad & very depressed. I came down here by the 6.30.

Saturday Edith came in for tea on her way back from the village & Mummy got back in the evening. Miss Violet Liddell died very suddenly on Friday night which was a great shock & surprise to everyone.

Sunday I went to Church in the morning & up to Hosey in the afternoon.

Dec: 13th - 18th.

Monday I went up to London at 10.40 & went along to the hospital & saw Shortie. Then I went to see Anne who had just settled in to the house in Cadogan St. which Lady Helena Acland-Hood has lent them. I had tea with her & we gossiped. I dined with Peggy & Charles came in after dinner. I saw the house physician at the hospital & from what he told me of Shortie's condition I decided not to go to Italy.

Tuesday I went to the hospital in the morning, & then met Mary Loden & two other people for luncheon in the City & went to a deadly L.N.U. Economic Conference at the Guildhall. I met Daddie at Victoria at 5 o'c on his return from Bordighera. I went to the Group in the evening.

Wednesday I did some Christmas shopping & went to the hospital in the morning. I had luncheon with Sybil Buxton & she took me to see a blood-curdling play called "The Wrecker" all about train smashes. I went to tea with Anne.

Thursday I flat hunted all the morning & went to the hospital in the afternoon. I had tea with Anne Talbot & met Edith at Golders Green for supper & went back to her home to spend a couple of nights with her. She was so nice.

Friday I flat hunted for a good part of the day & found two quite possible ones in Bloomsbury. I had tea with Anne & found Barbara there very amusing but apparently having had none too good a time in New York trying to sell things to the millionaires. I met Edith at the Club for the mystery play which was so bad (so far as the actual play went) that we left at 9 o'c & went back to Finchley where we talked till past midnight.

Saturday I left Edith deep in correcting exam papers and up to London & did more Christmas shopping. I went to the hospital in the afternoon & met Mummy & we went & looked at a flat in Thurloe Court, Fulham Rd. I came down by the 5.30.

Sunday I went to Church & spent the rest of the day writing letters.

Dec: 19th-25th.

Monday I went up by the 10.40 to the hospital and found Shortie very much worse; she had an attack while I was there & I gave her the oxygen & they injected atrophin [ atropine ]. She couldn't talk much but wanted me to stop. I also saw Mrs Idie who was to have her operation the next day. She was wonderfully cheerful. I went to look at a flat & couldn't get in & then went on to the Staff Party at the Club which was run by Edith; it was a good party & we did charades with me as Ina, but I didn't enjoy it. I came home by the 7.30.

Tuesday Mummy told me there had been a telephone message from the hospital to say Shortie was worse so I got ready to dash off to London & Daddie told me in the train going up that he'd rung up in the morning & she had died at 8.45 the night before. It was a staggering blow coming so suddenly. I telephoned to Edith as soon as I got to London & then went to the hospital & joined Mummy & Daddie & Grace & Fred. The nice nurse told me the attack came on about 6.45 & they just got Grace there in time but of course she was unconscious long before the end, so that mercifully she never knew either that she had cancer or that she was dying. Mrs Idie's operation was to be in the afternoon & they were of course doing everything to keep the news from her. I sat with Grace for a bit & then went off feeling quite dazed to finish my Christmas shopping. I met Edith at Anne D's house at 2.30 & she was so kind & understanding, we both went on to tea with Anne in Cadogan St. & had a nice cheerful tea making jokes. I had supper at S. Martin's Club and went to the Nativity Play; it was good but nothing like so good as before. I came down here by the 9.30.

Wednesday Mummy & Daddie went to London for the day. I went up to the Cottage in the afternoon.

Thursday I was very busy writing letters & getting off Christmas presents.

Friday Mummy went off to Miss Heathcote for Christmas & Daddie to Lady Portsmouth. I had been asked to both but preferred to stay here. Edith arrived down at 7.30 for the night. I talked over it all with her & she understood everything & put it all straight.

Saturday Edith opened my presents with me & then left by the 10.40. I wrote letters & did a mass of oddments.

Christmas Day I went to Church at 10 o'c & stayed on for the next service. I met Rosalie after the service & went up to the Cottage afterwards to spend the day & stay the night. They were all so kind & friendly & gave me presents & it was very nice up there. It was pelting when I went up but later it turned to snow with a howling wind.

Dec: 26th - Jun 1st.

Monday The snow was so thick & still coming down in a blizzard that I couldn't get down the hill so they kept me on another night.

Tuesday The snow had stopped in the morning so I was able to get down the hill, there were drifts several feet deep across the road & Westerham itself was completely buried with of course no traffic & no trains running. I went up towards Westerham Hill in the afternoon & only got as far as Force Green but there the snow was level with the tops of the hedges on either side & the wind was blowing the snow off in such clouds that it was almost blinding. Daddie got home at 10.45 having taken since 2.35 to get from Hampshire & having, I think, come by the fast train that ran on this line.

Wednesday I went to London by the 11.50, there were enormous snow drifts all the way along & great overhanging masses of snow in the deep cuttings by Chelsfield & Knockholt & there too the train had to stop at the signal boxes for instruction as the signal wires were down. I went & ordered my wreath for Shortie, then went to see Miss Wolff who is still in bed with a temperature & looking very weak & ill. Then on to Lil who is also still in bed but getting on very well; I consulted her about Bordighera & decided to go out there on Saturday for a week. From there I went to see Mrs Idie who was in a good deal of pain but has got through the operation quite wonderfully & is going on well. I went to tea with Anne & found her in bed not feeling at all well so we held a consultation with Charlie & sent off for the doctor. I went to spend the night with Peggy & she & I & Charles went to a movie in the evening; Charles is going to Switzerland on Saturday crossing by the same boat as me so we shall be able to go together which will be nice.

Thursday I went to the American Express Co to get my ticket for Bordighera which Uncle Claude is giving me. Then I went on to Anne, who was feeling very much better, to borrow her grey fur coat for the funeral - the Leighs had lent me everything else black. I met Mummy & Daddie at Streatham & the service was at S. Leonard's Church at 1 o'c - the clergyman read quite beautifully & it was all very nicely done. We all went on to Streatham Cemetery & she was buried there. It was all a terrible & harrowing business. She had beautiful flowers - & Kathleen, Peggy & Dolly Vaughan sent wreathes – she would have been so pleased. We came back to London & had some luncheon & then I went to Anne's to return the coat; Edith came just as I was leaving & walked with me to the bus. I collected my things at Peggy's & had tea with her & then dashed off to change books at the School only to find that the infernal place was shut. I came down by the 6.30 & met Daddie on the train, he had been to see Uncle Oswald who had given him a cheque for £10 for me which was nice of him.

Friday I wrote letters most of the day, I've written nearly 40 since Christmas. I had such nice letters about Shortie from Aunt Mabel, Toby, Conti, Di, Lil, Mrs Corry & most of all from Kathleen who has written almost every day & telephoned & taken endless trouble about sending a wreath. Daddie & I went out for a walk to look at the snow in the afternoon, it is still tremendous & has been the same over the whole country.

Saturday I started off for Bordighera by the 2 o'c train. Peggy's friend Charles GravesLink opens in a new window was going out to Switzerland & we travelled together as far as Boulogne. where I got a train straight through to Ventimeglia [ Ventimiglia ]; it was very empty & I had only one other lady in the carriage for the night.

Sunday We woke up in Provence in lovely warm sunshine & it was beautiful all along the Riviera. I got to Ventimeglia about 5.30 & was met by Read who took me out to their villa, Sant' Ampeglio, [ Sant'Ampelio ] at Bordighera. They were very welcoming & it is a nice villa.

Jan: 2nd - 8th 1928

Monday Di & I went & did all the household shopping in the morning. Everything is very dear. Uncle Claude joined us to watch the tennis. We went out again in the afternoon.

Tuesday We all three motored to Menton to lunch with Di's sister & brother-in-law the Thomas Stamford's who were staying at the Imperial which is the hotel of the place & gave us a most sumptuous luncheon. It was a lovely drive there along the hill side & looking down at the sea.

Wednesday We shopped & watched the tennis in the morning & in the afternoon I went for a lovely walk up through olive orchards behind Bordighera to a valley with snow mountains in the distance. Dr Thompson the first rate doctor who is attending Uncle Claude overhauled me thoroughly and says everything is quite all right but that I must have three months complete rest when the L.S.E. ends in June; and look on the 3 years after my illness as a period of convalescence.

Thursday Di & I motored over to Monte Carlo. Unfortunately, it was a dull cold day but we walked about & looked at the shops which were very good, & then went to luncheon at the Hotel de Paris next the casino with Mrs Zanifi a friend of Di's. She took us into the CasinoLink opens in a new window afterwards; it was mostly filled with elderly English ladies in tweed coats & skirts. We got back about 4.30.

Friday We watched tennis in the morning and in the afternoon Di & I drove up through the old town which is very picturesque.

Saturday The same morning and in the afternoon I went for a walk. We went to a lecture on birds after tea.

Sunday Di & I went to Church - a very nice church & packed. In the afternoon we drove to a lovely old medieval village perched on a hillside called Dolce Acqua.

Jan: 9th - 15th.

Monday I left by a 1.6 train from Ventimeglia [ Ventimiglia ] they were so kind & it was so pleasant basking in the sun there that I was sorry to go but I had to get back. Conti who had been staying with Lady Helen Acland-Hood at Cap Martin was going home the same day so we travelled together which was nice. The train was very empty & I got a whole side to myself for the night.

Tuesday We had a rough crossing and the train was nearly an hour late at Victoria. Daddie met me there & I went straight to Wolfie's. She is much better & able to go out but still looks very ill.

Wednesday I went to the School. In the afternoon I went to see Mrs Idie who looked extraordinarily blooming, had taken a new lease of life & was coming home on Saturday. I met Mummy there & she told me she had been to see the lady in that Bloomsbury flat I found & decided to take it from the 23rd for 2 1/2 months. I went on to a meeting of the International Industrial Committee of the Y.W.C.A. of which Miss Dingman is secretary. Miss Constance Smith, Miss Margaret BondfieldLink opens in a new window & Miss Edith Picton-TurbervilleLink opens in a new window were there & it was very interesting. Edith came to see me at the School for about 1/2 an hour after supper. We were both very dull & could think of nothing to say.

Thursday I went to tea with Anne; she was very tired having been on a long trail to Highgate for a nurse's references. I had dinner with Conti & Esther & Betty – Betty at her nicest.

Friday I came down here at 3.25.

Saturday Mrs Idie arrived down here in an ambulance in the morning accompanied by Grace. She was fearfully excited at being back.

Sunday I went to Church & Edith came to tea.

January 16th - 22nd.

Monday I went up straight to the School & then back to Miss Wolff's.

Tuesday I was at the School all day & went to tea there with Rosalind's friend Milne who is doing Miss Eckhard's tutoring while the latter is in America.

Wednesday I met Ruby Smith in the afternoon and we had tea at Fuller's in Regent St. It was nice to see her again after so long; she is just off to Australia for 6 months. I went back to the School to see Edith who was having tea with Miss Haskins & walked with her to Endell St. Evening Institute. I had dinner with Anne & a very amusing evening, Charlie was away in Scotland.

Thursday I started out early to buy a coat with the £10 Uncle Oswald sent me for Christmas, & finally bought a most superlative one at Debenham; it was reduced from 18 1/2 gns to 9 1/2 & is so fearfully smart that I don't think I shall ever dare wear it! I went on to the School & spent the rest of the day there.

Friday I went to the School & had a coaching with Mr Lloyd. I came down here by the 3.35. Mrs Idie looked very much better.

Saturday We packed & sorted linen & plate as we go into the flat on Wednesday & all the things had got to up on Monday.

Sunday Daddie & I went to Church. Edith & Mrs Farnworth came to tea, the latter is leaving here for good in February & going to Eastbourne.

January 23rd - 29th.

Monday I was at the School all the afternoon and went to meet Kathleen, who was in London for a few days nurse hunting, for tea.

Tuesday School all day & tea with Kathleen and we shopped together after tea. I went to the Group in the evening, Joan Money-Kyrle from the School came too. To my enormous surprise Buchman was there.

Wednesday Esther came shopping with me in the afternoon & I bought a very pretty red moracain frock.

Thursday I went to tea with Miss Constance Smith & she offered me the job of secretary of the Society for Social Progress an international society in close connection with the I.L.O. which has sub committees of experts to discuss and report on various social questions e.g., family allowances. It would have been very interesting besides being a paid job but they want someone at once so it was impossible.

Friday I went to tea with Anne & Barbara came in later. Daddie & I went to "the pictures" in the evening.

Saturday We got possession of the flat - 102, Ridgemont [ Ridgmount ] Gardens, W.C.1. in the morning. We ought to have got it on Wednesday but there was a difference of opinion over the agreement & the inventory. Grace came up to help & she Mummy & I got things straight before Hilda Cleave Mrs Idie's friend from Devonshire arrived. It is all very warm & comfortable & convenient & very nice having constant hot water.

Sunday I went to luncheon with Barbara & Mrs Bentinck. In the evening I went with Edith to Communion Sunday at John Knox - a wonderful service. Daddie got back from spending a night with Cousin Con in the evening.

January 29th - Feb: 5th.

Monday I went to a deadly committee meeting of the Industrial Law Bureau in the afternoon.

Tuesday School all day - Joan Money-Kyrle & I had tremendous discussions.

Wednesday Mummy went to Westerham for the day - poor Simpson has got blood poisoning of the foot & Arthur is running everything. I went to see Anne in the afternoon, we were both in a very silly mood & laughed a great deal. Went back to the School afterwards.

Thursday I was at the School all day.

Friday I was at the School all day and went to tea with Miss Haskins & had a very nice time with her.

Saturday Joan Money-Kyrle & I went to see Blanche Sirewright another girl at the School who was away ill. Miss Wolff & Mary Meade came to tea.

Sunday I went to St. Martin's in the morning & found Dick SheppardLink opens in a new window was preaching. He looked very ill but preached a wonderful sermon. In the evening I went with Edith to John Knox and stayed on for the Group Discussion afterwards which was most entertaining.

Feb: 6 - 12th.

Monday I was at the School all day.

Tuesday I was at the School all day.

Wednesday Went to see Anne in the afternoon and in the evening went back to the School for a Students' Union meeting at which Dr Hadfield gave an excellent lecture on "Healthy Mindedness".

Thursday Mummy had a luncheon party at the Guard's Club consisting of Sir Malcolm SetonLink opens in a new window (of the India Office) & Lady Seton; Sir Francis HumphreysLink opens in a new window (our minister in Afghanistan) and Lady Humphreys; Lady Cromer & Captain Granville Roly besides ourselves. I went back to the School afterwards & in the evening dined with Mrs Bentinck & went to see a film called "The Student Prince"Link opens in a new window at the Tivoli. She was very nice indeed.

Friday All day at the School.

Saturday Mummy & I wasted hours trying to choose hats at Bourne & Hollingsworth. She & Daddie went to luncheon with Conti & Barbara came & had luncheon with me here. Cousin Ruth came in the afternoon & we went to the British Museum & she came back here to tea. Daddie came in after tea bringing some Indian friends the Sens, Mr, Mrs & daughter the latter turned out to be a very attractive girl who is at the School & whom I wanted to know which was very odd. We went & had an Indian dinner with them at the Indian Students UnionLink opens in a new window in Gower St. & stayed on afterwards for a play which was being given by an amateur (& very good) company. There were two other daughters there & they are each one prettier than the last.

Sunday I went to the 10.15 service at St. Martin's. Mrs Corry came to tea.

Feb: 13th - 19th.

Monday I was at the School all day.

Tuesday I was at the School all day and in the evening went to a theatre party which Daisy gave for me. Esther was there and Colonel & Mrs Bennet (the eldest Kleinwort daughter) and three men; we dined at the Berkeley & went on to see the "Girl Friend" one of the funniest things I've seen for years & it was altogether a very nice evening.

Wednesday I went to see Anne in the afternoon & in the evening Joan Money-Kyrle, Alison Tennant, Blanche Sirewright & I dined with Alice Campbell (all people from the School) at the United Societies Club & we had a wildly hilarious evening ragging & playing games.

Thursday I went to an After Care Conference at Albion St. in the afternoon. Edith was there & we had tea at an A.B.C. afterwards. She came here after dinner & we talked about various things.

Friday School all day.

Saturday I went to see Anne off in the morning, they were leaving Cadogan St. & going down to Buckland for the arrival of the baby. Daisy, Violet Grenfell, Anne Talbot & Sybil Buxton came to tea.

Sunday I went to St. Martin's with Margaret in the morning. I had luncheon with Peggy & spent the afternoon with her. Alison Tennant, Alice Campbell & Phipps called for me in Alison's car & we went to tea with Mr Lloyd at Hampstead it was very nice indeed but each waited for the other to make the move to go with the result that we were there from 4.30 till 6.45! Alison took Alice & me back to dine with her at Burton St.; Blanche & Joan came too & we all went on after dinner to see a play of Eugene O'Neill's "Welded" at a tiny theatre called PlayRoom Six in New Compton St.

Feb: 20 - 26th.

Monday School all day. Margaret came to dinner.

Tuesday I went down to the Club in the evening. I had a long talk with Anne who was very nice & also saw Louie & many friends among the girls. I wish I could go more often.

Wednesday Anne Talbot & I had luncheon together at a restaurant. I went to tea with Violet & Leonore Henry who are staying with Miss Wolff. Christina rang up in the evening to say Anne's baby had arrived at five in the afternoon & was a little girl weighing 6 1/2 lbs, with lovely blue eyes & a face of great character!

Thursday Mummy, Daddie & I went to "The Pirates of Penzance" very well done by a Jewish Working Girls Club near here.

Friday I went to a Committee meeting of the Social & Industrial Committee of the Y.W.C.A. which lasted a perfectly interminable time. I found Edith had called when I got back. Beatrice came to dinner & was so nice.

Saturday I lunched with Daisy & we went to see "S.O.S." an excellent play with Gerald du MaurierLink opens in a new window in it. She came back to tea here & Betty & Violet & Leonore Henry came too.

Sunday I went to St. Martin's in the morning then to luncheon with Peggy. I had tea with Violet Grenfell who has two charming rooms in a house in Curzon St. After tea I went to see Uncle Oswald & Aunt Bobs & they were all very nice. I had supper with Rosalind at the Portsmouth Club & we gossiped about the School & the Industrial Law Bureau.

Feb: 27th - March 4th.

Monday I took Joan Money-Kyrle to a very silly debate at the Waldegraves wh: went on interminably on whether man really has free will.

Tuesday Barbara came to tea at the School to meet Alison & we had an hilarious time singing songs & telling stories. I dined with Joan & she & I & Blanche Sirewright went to a meeting of the Group at Celia's house where Dr Herbert Grey conducted a most interesting discussion on sex.

Wednesday I had luncheon with Miss Dingman she is extraordinarily nice & was most interesting. I went back to the School & then down to Bermondsey to have tea with poor little Florrie Miller.

Thursday I was at the School all day. Mummy, Daddie & I dined with the Hinks.

Friday I was at the School all day.

Saturday Celia, Joan & Edward des Graz came to tea & the latter took me to the Ideal Homes Exhibition after tea. All the demonstrators thought we were a young married couple & it was great fun.

Sunday We all went to the Chapel Royal & heard Dick Sheppard preach a marvellous sermon. I had luncheon with Peggy came back here for tea, went to St. Martin's in the evening & then to dinner with Esther & Betty. Poor Conti has had an operation for appendicitis & been rather bad.

March 5th - 11th.

Monday I went to a committee meeting of the I.L.B. wh. lasted for three hours & everyone was completely exhausted by the end.

Tuesday I read a paper in the class on Family Allowances. I dined with Japs at the Florence & we went on to the Group wh. I led. Joan & Blanche were there too.

Wednesday I was at the School all day.

Thursday I dined with Peggy. We went to a movie & then on to Ciro's where we met Charles. Poor Mummy was knocked down & run over by a backing car outside the Rembrandt Hotel, she had a wonderful escape & luckily no bones were broken but she ruptured a muscle wh. besides being very painful prevented her going out at all for 10 days.

Friday I was at the School all day.

Saturday Daddie & I went to see the wonderful jungle film "Chang".Link opens in a new window

Sunday I went to St. Martin's in the morning & lunched with Jock at the Naval & Military, it was awfully nice to see him again after so long & he was just the same. I went to St. Martin's in the evening & heard Dick Sheppard preach, the crowds were almost the largest I've seen there except on Armistice Days.

March 12th - 18th.

Monday Worked all day & stayed on at the School in the evening for a meeting got up by the Labour Party at wh. A.J. CookLink opens in a new window spoke; he ranted a good deal & there was no connecting thread at all. There was a disturbance in the middle when some young ass turned off all the lights & started firing a blank pistol. Jock came to the meeting & he & I and Alison went to the Charing X [ Cross ] Hotel & had coffee afterwards.

Tuesday Worked all day & had tea with Milne who was very sad that her term of coaching in Miss Eckhard's place was coming to an end.

Wednesday Worked all day. A young Trade Unionist called Goodwin lunched with us & was most interesting talking about the present position of Trade Unions, the Co-operative Movt. & the muddle & tragedy in the coalfields.

Thursday There was a terminal exam in the morning. We were all in a blue funk about it beforehand but it was a very easy paper (though divided into four parts) and I hope we all got through. We had great fun talking it over afterwards. Alison picked me up here at 5.30 & we all (she & I, Alice & Blanche) went with Joan to see "Back to Methusah [ Methusalah ]" it began at 6 & there was an interval from 7.30 to 9 during wh. we went & had dinner with Joan; and it ended about 11.15. It was most amusing & clever & a very entertaining party.

Friday I had tea with Miss Haskins who was so nice & most interesting. Mr & Mrs Goldman came here after dinner.

Saturday I had luncheon with Peggy.

Sunday I went to St. Martin's at 10.15, then met Barbara & she & I went down Petticoat LaneLink opens in a new window Whitechapel wh. was crowded & just like an Eastern Bazaar. I had luncheon with Sybil Buxton & we went to the Amateur Arts Exhibition; there was a fearful squash & it was difficult to see anything.

March 19th - 25th.

Monday I went into the School for a few minutes to see Miss Haskins in the afternoon & found her desperately tired correcting exam papers. I went on to Bermondsey & saw Florrie Miller who was looking very hopeless. I went on to see Mrs Taylor & had a very warm & delightful reception.

Tuesday I had luncheon with Alison to meet her very delightful mother who was Miss May AbrahamLink opens in a new window one of the first women factory inspectors. Barbara was there too. Alison & I went down to Bermondsey to a public health exhibition but it had been over a week so we went on to the Club & Louie & I had a long talk about Florrie. Alison came back here for tea.

Wednesday I met Edith Hanmer in the afternoon, we went to the London Museum (a deadly hole) and she came back to tea. Daisy & Baroness de Lynden also came to tea. I dined with Peggy & she & I & Charles went to see a marvellous film of the early days of the Russian Revolution called "The Last Command".Link opens in a new window We went afterwards & had cocktails at Ciro's.

Thursday Cecil came to luncheon. Joan, Alison & I had an hilarious tea with Blanche at the Ladies Army & Navy Club. When I got home I found Kathleen had telephoned to say she was in London for one night. I dined tete a tete with Anna & had a very nice time. Kathleen came there after dinner & came back to spend the night with me.

Friday Daddie gave a little luncheon party at the Wellington Club for Alison & Joan, Colonel Norton & Terence Skeffington-Smith [ Smyth ],Link opens in a new window it was most successful & they all got on well. Joan & Alison had been to the School to find out the exam results and they brought the news that I (to my vast surprise) and two others had got distinction. Joan, Blanche, Betty & Mary Meade came to tea.

Saturday I went down to Buckland for luncheon to see Anne & my future godchild, Juliet, who is a very healthy looking & attractive baby. It was so nice to see Anne & we had a good gossip. I got back to London in time to go to tea with Daisy.

Sunday I went to St. Martin's in the morning and in the afternoon I went to see poor Conti who was just home after an operation for appendicitis. I went to All Saints, Margaret St. in the evening. Margaret came to supper.

March 25th -April 1st.

Monday I careered off to Mansfield House Settlement, Canning Town at screech of dawn to take part in a Social Study week got up by the S.C.M. [ Student Christian Movement ] for students of London University. Joan was there and we had very good addresses from Valentine Bell the head of a Day Continuation School, Dr Ballard an L.C.C. school inspector, and Dr Eichholtz the chief medical inspector of the Bd. [ Board ] of Education. In the afternoon I went down to Becontree to see Eva Starling who has moved out there. The L.C.C. housing estate there is an enormous size & very nice when you get there but it is an enormous distance out. Eva was most friendly & very interesting too.

Tuesday I went to Mansfield House in the morning & we had addresses from Miss Constance Smith, Beresford Ingram the L.C.C. organiser of Continuation Education, and a Miss White from the Ministry of Labour. In the afternoon Joan & I and another girl & three men, one Indian, one a negro & one Norwegian went over Lockwood & Bradley's men's clothing factory wh. was most interesting. Daddie & I dined with the Goldmans, Cecily & Guy Boas were there & a charming youth called Pilkington.

Wednesday I went to Mansfield House & we had addresses from Miss Harford of Time & TalentsLink opens in a new window & Mrs Johnston of the Webbe Institute. In the afternoon we went to see a condemned housing area in Whitechapel (the Collingwood Estate) & the flats wh. were being put up on the site. It was rather awful going round in a large crowd staring. We had tea at ToynbeeLink opens in a new window & Mallon & Catchpole made speeches on the work of the Settlement. Mr Freddy Wallop came to dinner.

Thursday I went to Mansfield House in the morning & we had addresses from Miss Mary Pickford & Dr Hamer the chief education officer of the L.C.C. I went straight home afterwards & went to bed in preparation for the night out which was to end the week. We met at the "Daily Express"Link opens in a new window office at 10.30 & Beatrice Holdsworth came to join the party. We went all over & saw the paper being printed in huge machines & type being set up and photographs being prepared for printing. From there we went to the G.P.O. & saw letters being sorted; it was a long & footsore business & not frightfully interesting. Then we walked along the Embankment to the M.A.B. [ Metropolitan Asylums Board ] night office at the bottom of Northumberland Avenue where Mr Foley the man in charge explained all the workings of it and how the homeless are sent on from there to shelters or casual wards. Then we went to Lyons Corner House and stayed there for a long time recovering from all our walking & eating & talking. Mr Foley came in & we got him to come & join Joan & Beatrice & me at our table & he was most interesting talking about shelters & the problem of vagrants. We went to Covent GardenLink opens in a new window at 6.a.m. the flowers were quite lovely, far better than I had imagined. From there we went to BillingsgateLink opens in a new window & amused the fish porters very much & from there back to bed more dead than alive at 7.30! It was all great fun & well worth doing.

Friday I struggled up for luncheon & had tea & dinner with Peggy & we amused ourselves making hats.

Saturday Cousin V, Baron & Baroness de Lynden & Miss Gartside came to tea. I went to see Margaret at the Club.

Sunday I went to St. Martin's in the morning. I had luncheon at Tilney St. & went with Aunt Bobs & the children to the Children's Service at St. Paul's Knightsbridge. Mrs Bentinck came to tea & I dined with her at the Arts Theatre Club & we went to see "Wings"Link opens in a new window a movie with wonderful pictures of air fights in the war.

April 2nd - 8th.

Monday I went to luncheon with Peggy & did some shopping on the way back. Cousin Ruth & Mrs Clifford Smith came to tea. I went to hear Studdert Kennedy at Christ Church Westminster after tea.

Tuesday We had a terrible time getting packed up to leave the flat & finally got away down to Westerham by the 15.15. It has been nice having the flat & we shall all miss it. Mrs Idie looked most blooming & was very pleased to see us.

Wednesday I unpacked & got straight & then repacked to go down to Devonshire to spend Easter with Kathleen & Ben.

July 2nd So much time has passed this was last written & so much has happened that it is only possible to give it in weeks.

April 5th. I went down to Plympton to stay with Kathleen & Ben. Kathleen & I rode all right on Good Friday & next morning (the 7th) went out again but I remember nothing till I more or less came to in a nursing home at Plympton 24 hours later having, apparently, lost control of the horse on Dartmoor & been thrown on my head with the result that I got severe concussion & was lucky to get nothing worse. I was very muzzy & kept on thinking things were a dream for about a week. Mummy (who had come down on Sunday) was not allowed to see me till Wednesday. On the same day the doctor (Mr Parker - really a surgeon) told me I should have to convalesce for 2-3 months & do no mental work for 6-9 months wh. was a shattering blow as it meant giving up the School with the final exams coming on; however I determined to get back if it was humanly possible. I had day & night specials for nearly a week & it was fiendish never being left alone & not allowed to read or see much of Mummy or Kathleen.

April 15th - 22nd. I was moved out to Sydney House (Kathleen's) on the Tuesday with a very nice nurse - Sister Kitchen - and shoved straight into bed & not allowed to get up for another ten days. However I could read a fair amount by that time & was only too relieved to get away from the nursing home. Mummy came back on Wednesday & stayed for the rest of the time till we came home. Daddie came down for the week-end & Ian & his wife came over on Sunday.

April 23rd - 29th. Major Dunlop ("Pompey") who lives not very far away came over to see me & was just the same (I hadn't seen him for 5 yrs) & very amusing. I was allowed to dress & sit up for tea on Thursday, have a bath on Friday and gradually go downstairs & lie about in the garden. Graeme is the most angelic & clever baby & exactly like Kathleen; he used to come & sit on my bed & crow the house down.

April 30th - May 6th. Much the same things happened during this week, except that I was able to walk about a bit in the garden & appear for luncheon & tea. A nice girl called Betty Allcock whose mother turned out to be an old friend of Mummy's, used to come over and see me.

May 7th - 13th. Mummy & I came up to London on Tuesday as I was able to travel by that time. I went to spend the night with the Kleinworts at Belgrave Square & Daisy was frightfully kind & took no end of trouble. There were terrific telephonings in the evening to Joan, Alison, Blanche & Alice and next morning Alison & Alice came round to see me & we were all frantic with excitement. I went to see Sir John Broadbent later in the morning to see if there was any chance of my going back to the School; he went into the whole thing very thoroughly & at the end to my surprise said it would be absurd to give up the School without ever trying if I could do it and he thought it would be a good thing to start going back by degrees in about 10 days time, see how I got on & if I got bad headaches I would have to stop but otherwise it would be all right.

Joan & Blanche came in the afternoon & we all motored down here in a car provided by the Kleinworts. We were all fearfully excited about my coming back & had tremendous jokes & reminiscences, Alice came over for the day on Saturday.

May 14th - 20th. I was down here sitting out in the garden & reading & taking life very easy till Friday when I went up to the School. I had luncheon with Miss Haskins & she gave me a great lecture on coming back & the risk I was running. Mr Lloyd was very nice & put himself "entirely at my disposal" for coachings so I asked him to coach me weekly. The four others were very excited at seeing "Teacher" and we had great talks & jokes & I did practically no work. I was to do no lectures at all only go to Mr Lloyd's class & coaching (not writing essays) & read in the library. I went to Miss Wolff's for the night. Next day Alison motored Joan, Blanche & me down here for the day & then they went on to spend the week-end with Alison. Betty & Miss Wolff came down for the day on Sunday.

May 21st - 27th. Louie came over to see me in the morning of Monday on her way up to London & was full of gossip about the Club & so nice. I went up to London on Tuesday & was at the School every day till Friday feeling very much better & so glad to be back there. I did nothing whatever outside the School till the term was over. Mummy motored up in Mrs Blandy's car on Friday & fetched me back here. Rosalie Mackenzie was here for Whitsuntide & came down here several times.

May 28th - June 3rd. Monday I had luncheon & tea up at the Cottage with Rosalie. On Tuesday morning Miss Brodigan suddenly appeared here having motored over with a niece from Godstone. I went up to London in the afternoon & on my way to the School met Edith in the street, I hadn't seen her for 3 1/2 months. Wednesday I had luncheon with Norah Milne at a nearby restaurant & she came back to the School & coached me in the afternoon, she had said she would give me as much extra coaching as I liked wh. was extremely nice of her. Jock came to tea with me. Edith came on Thursday afternoon to give me coaching (I had written to ask her originally but as she didn't answer I'd written to Norah in the interval) but it turned out a dismal failure so we talked instead. Norah came after tea & gave me another coaching. Friday I came down here.

June 4th - 10th. Uncle Claude came over on Monday looking very much better & told me the joyful news (wh. had more or less leaked out already) that he is giving me a little car; it will be the greatest blessing & simplify life no end. I went to London on Tuesday & Norah came to coach me after tea. She had luncheon with me on Wednesday, I had a bad headache left over f. the day before & felt muzzy all together so she didn't coach me but was extraordinarily nice insisting on getting me Aspirin & making me rest. We both had tea with Minnie. It was the last time she could come as she was going to Holland on Friday for a week. Thursday Anne came to luncheon the first time I'd seen her since my accident, so we had plenty to talk about. Friday Miss Haskins gave me a severe lecture about being at the School. I had had fairly solid headaches & muzziness all the week whenever I tried to work & she urged me not to come back at all the following week, so as to be fresh for the exams wh. began on the 18th., I compromised by saying I wouldn't come back till Thursday. So I spent most of the week here lying in a hammock reading as much as I was able.

June 11th - 17th. Tuesday we hired a car & went over to Ashtead to see Di & Uncle Claude & the last of the Cottage; they had sold it & were leaving in a fortnight's time. It was very sad. Thursday & Friday I was at the School & went up from here on Sunday evening as the exams began at 10 a.m. on Monday. Mr Lloyd was very nice telling me I was to come out if I found I couldn't get through with them owing to my head.

June 18th - 24th. The first paper on Monday was Social Economics in wh. I did excessively badly. In the afternoon we had Social & Industrial History wh. was full of questions I'd banked on not getting & I did even worse. However I got through the day without headaches wh. was the main thing. Tuesday we started with a nice paper on Social Psychology & Philosophy & in the afternoon had a paper on Social Administration wh. I enjoyed thoroughly. All the papers were three hours each & five questions out of ten to be answered; they were set by Mr Lloyd & were a very interesting set of papers taken as a whole. The ravages of a muzzy head & not being able to work much were only too apparent in my answers & the majority of them I did extremely badly but it was a blessing to have been able to go right through with it & to be none the worse for doing so. Norah came to tea to see the papers & hear how we'd got on. Everything was such a rush that we five - Joan, Blanche, Alice, Alison & I hardly realized it was the end of all our good times at the School together. Wednesday I met Anne in the morning & shopped with her. I had luncheon with Margaret Anthony & Cousin Annie - just the same as ever - at the Burlington, then went to the School to change books & saw Miss Eckhard who was very nice, promised to lend me Miss Haskins' novel & the new Shaw "the Intelligent Women's Guide to Capitalism", & urged me to go back & do the Diploma. I had tea with Peggy whom I hadn't seen since before my accident. All the preceding is ascribed to Wednesday by an error in days & really belongs to Thursday, on Wednesday I actually lunched with Sir Ernest Wilton at the Troc. [ Trocadero ] & went with him to see a thriller called "The House of the Arrow". In the evening I dined with Mummy & Miss Heathcote at Norfolk St. I came down here on Thursday. Sunday afternoon I went up to the Cottage.

June 25th - July 1st. I went to London for the day on Wednesday, saw Peggy at her new shop (for ready made clothes) where she is working with Pamela BoscowenLink opens in a new window in S. Martin's Lane & went back to luncheon at Upper Berkeley St. with her. I had tea with Louie & Titmuss at Rotherhithe St. & saw the flat wh. Louie is making on the River; it will be frightfully attractive. I went in to see Florrie Miller for a few minutes, Jack was coming out of prison the next day.

Thursday Uncle Leslie, Aunt Kathleen & Laurie (who is home on leave) came here for luncheon on their way to motor to Devonshire. Laurie looked exactly the same & was full of jokes. I had a very nice letter f. Miss Eckhard saying I had passed my exams & shd. probably have got distinction if it hadn't been for that infernal fall. Friday I had a letter f. Joan saying the lists were out & she'd got distinction wh. was splendid & very well deserved. Alison & her father called for me in the car & motored me up to London; we had a hectic drive as he had an appointment at 12 o'c & they were very late owing to a puncture so that we didn't leave here till 11.10, unluckily we got into bad blocks in London so that he was abt. 10 minutes late. Alice & I had luncheon with Joan & found her scarlet with excitement over the distinction & terribly nice about my not having got it. Alice & I meandered in the afternoon & I had tea with her. We both dined with Alison at Burton St. & went to an evening party given by Mr & Mrs Lloyd at their house in Hampstead. All his other students were there & various other people besides. He told me he expected me to get distinction & Alison that she'd nearly got it but not quite which was crushing. Saturday I went to see Mummy at Miss Heathcote's & Alison motored me down here. I spoke to Di on the telephone & she asked me to go & spend a week with them at the house they've taken in Knightsbridge.

July 2nd - 8th. I went up to London on Tuesday morning left my things at 88, Knightsbridge - a most frightfully attractive house just like a country house & beautifully furnished - & then went to meet Daddie & we had luncheon with Hari SinghLink opens in a new window the Marajah [ Maharaja ] of Kashmir at the Carlton. Sir - Bannerman & his daughter were there & two other Indians. In the afternoon we called on Aunt Bobs who was at home & very friendly & sent us in the car to an At Home given by Lady Madden at the Mall House, there we met Mummy & all stood about & made polite conversation to various people. I found Uncle Claude fairly well, the treatment for his neck makes him very irritable; Di looked tired. Wednesday morning I shopped, I lunched with Violet & Leonore Henry at the Chelsea Poly, went shopping with Di & Lil in the afternoon & then went to a tea party of the Henry's at a house they have taken in Upper Brook St. Thursday morning I shopped with Lil & we bought a very smart navy blue hat at Madame Henry in Dover St. as a present f. Di. to me – reduced f. 5 1/2 gns to 2 gns. In the afternoon I shopped with Anne Talbot trying - unsuccessfully - to find a jumper suit. I had tea with Sybil Buxton. Daddie & I went to a terrific dinner party given by Gwen Schuster at their new house in St. James's Place. There were about 16-18 people & I sat next to Sir William BeveridgeLink opens in a new window the Director of the School & Vice Chancellor of the University. It was all great fun & a frightfully good dinner.

Friday morning Anna & I trailed jumper suits again with no luck. I had luncheon with Lil. Various people dined to play Bridge.

Saturday morning I made a most successful purchase of a navy blue woollen material frock with red embroidery & a red belt at Robert the tailor in Brompton Road; it was reduced f.15 gns to 3 1/2 gns & Di & Lil were in raptures over it when they saw it. Uncle Claude walked across the Park to Tilney St. in the afternoon & had tea there with the whole family & Mr Leigh. I took Joan to see an Edgar Wallace thriller called "The Squeaker" in the evening, it wasn't awfully good.

Sunday Joan & I went to the 10.15 service at S. Martin's & stayed on for the next; it was so nice to be there again. I Church Paraded with Joan afterwards & went back to luncheon with her. Anne Talbot came to see us in the afternoon & stayed to tea. I met Norah Milne at Paddington, had supper with her there & then saw her off home f. Waterloo.

July 9th - 15th.

Monday morning I did nothing in particular. Anna came to luncheon & I went off directly after to a Cte. [ Committee ] meeting of the I.L.B. Rosalind & I had tea at a Fuller afterwards, she is still very overworked & thinking of leaving. I dined with Alice at the Florence, she was frightfully excited because she'd been taken on straight away for Care Cte. work & had started that day at the Camberwell office. We went to see an appallingly bad play called "The Return of the Soldier".

Tuesday morning Blanche came to pick me up in tremendous form & we lunched early with Joan & went with her to the Oxford & Cambridge;Link opens in a new window it was grilling hot at Lords because a heat wave has come at last. Blanche came on with me to a tea party of Daddie's at the Wellington. Mummy & Miss Heathcote were there & Lady Emma, Di, Freddy Wallop & a couple of Indians. Alice came in late. Several people came to dinner.

Wednesday morning I went to S. Martin's & then to see Margaret who is in a great fuss over a Warden-Housekeeper for the Mabelle Egerton Residential Club in Grosvenor Rd. Finally I rang up Beatrice & arranged for her to see Margaret. I heard the interview went off very successfully but Beatrice is doubtful of being able to take it on. I shopped hectically & unsuccessfully in the afternoon & went to see Miss Wolff. I went back to Knightsbridge to say good bye & then collected my luggage & came down here having had a very happy visit but glad to get away from the awful heat of London.

Saturday Daddie went off to stay in London for a Geographical CongressLink opens in a new window & to follow it on to Cambridge on Tuesday. Mummy is still at Miss Heathcote's.

Sunday I went to Church & in the afternoon went over to Reigate to spend a few days with Anne who has been lent Wray Lane while the Bevans are in Germany. Juliet is an enormous baby, 5 months old & weighs nearly 20 lbs.

July 16th - 22nd.

Monday Anne & I went down into Reigate in the morning & shopped & lazed & talked in the garden for the rest of the day.

Tuesday we went to Buckland for luncheon & there was a mother's meeting there in the afternoon at wh. two quite fearfully Evangelical ladies gave impassioned addresses. Bex Kennedy Daisy Bevan's great friend was there, she is frightfully amusing.

Wednesday Anne & I took our luncheon up onto Collie [ Colley ] Hill right on the top of the north downs & with a wonderful view over the country.

Thursday afternoon I left & came home as Mummy had got back the day before. It was so nice seeing Anne like that after so long & we had many long arguments & discussions & disagreed about practically everything.

Friday Mrs Blandy & her sister Miss Bennington came to tea.

Saturday Mrs Blandy took me in her car to the auction sale of all the furniture up at Weardale but she had made a mistake in the time & it didn't begin till 1 o'c, so as it was only 11 o'c when we got there we came away.

Sunday I went up to the Cottage & spent the afternoon there.

July 23rd - 29th.

Monday Rosalind (who is at Crockham Hill on a fortnight's holiday) & I went for a luncheon picnic on Hosey. Edith & the Castles (the vicar & his wife) came to tea.

Tuesday nothing happened.

Wednesday I packed to go down to Corfe next day & Daddie came back fr. Cambridge.

Thursday I went to London in the morning, changed books at the School, scoured London for a bathing dress, changed at S. Martin's Club & had luncheon there & then went with Mummy to Jocosca [ Jocosa ] Carnegie's wedding at St. Margaret's Westminster. We went on from that to the Royal Garden Party where the heat was so frightful that one could scarcely bear to move away fr. the shade of the trees. I left after an hour went back to the Club & changed & went to Waterloo to catch the 6.30 for Corfe Castle on the train I met Lady Cecil & Barbara & we all travelled down together. Mr & Mrs Bentinck were both very affable. They have sold the car & only hire now so there were no nice long motor drives.

Friday we pottered & went for a walk.

Saturday a very amusing Mrs Alywn [ Alwyn ] Greville and a Mr BelinLink opens in a new window fr. the American Embassy came for the week-end.

Sunday we all drove to Swyre Head in the morning & it was quite lovely there.

July 30th - August 5th.

Monday Barbara & I went to Studland & read on the beach there till it began to rain. Barbara was very tired & not up to her usual form when I first arrived but in a few days she became her irresponsible self again & quite delightful.

Tuesday Cousin Vie Bond came to luncheon & asked me to go on to stay with them on Friday. Mrs Bentinck, Joseph, Barbara & I went into Swanage in the afternoon. Joseph is a very attractive little boy (aged 3 now) but in great danger of getting spoilt.

Wednesday Barbara & I spent a hectic afternoon making a dummy of a man wh. we hung fr. the rafters in an outhouse wh. some of the young maids had to pass through on their way to bed. He was very life like but alas they were not nearly as frightened as we had hoped they would be.

Thursday we all went into Swanage again & Barbara & I hunted very successfully for vulgar post cards.

Friday I left Corfe & went to Creech in the afternoon. Only Cousin Vie & Johnny there but all so nice and I love staying there.

Saturday Cousin Vie & I went to a tennis party at Spetisbury wh. was thoroughly uninteresting but the drive across the heath was lovely.

Sunday we went to Church in the morning & Mrs Bentinck, Barbara, BillLink opens in a new window & Clothilde (his wife) came over for tea. We went to see some sisters of Johnny's at East Holme after tea.

August 6th - 12th.

Monday we went to have tea with a Mrs Barrett who lives on Green Island in Poole Harbour. She sent a motor launch to fetch us at Poole & it was great fun.

Tuesday I left in the morning to go down to Plympton & did a long cross country journey via Templecombe to Exeter where Ben very kindly came to meet me with the car wh. saved two hours of train. Mrs Corry was staying at Sydney and also a nice Mrs Lawrence a young widow with her little girl, and a Captain Brackenbury also a gunner who was a nice cheerful young thing. Graeme had grown very much and crawls about & almost stands, they are still changing nurses perpetually.

Wednesday we went to watch polo in the afternoon wh. was rather fun & it was heavenly up on the polo ground looking over Dartmoor. In the evening we went into Plymouth to see "Yellow Sands" wh. I'd seen before with Mrs Corry but it was well worth seeing again.

Thursday most of the others went to a regimental garden party wh. I luckily managed to escape.

Friday Kathleen took me into Plymouth in the morning to see poor Sister Kitchen who was in hospital there as the result of a very bad operation to her knee wh. was badly damaged by her falling downstairs. People came for tennis in the afternoon.

Saturday Catherine Younghusband came to luncheon. I went into Plymouth to see Sister in the afternoon & then went to tea with Catherine & Ian who have a flat at Stoke. A Captain Borradaile who is very keen on exploring & dying to go on the next Everest expedition came to dinner.

Sunday Kathleen & Mrs Lawrence dropped Mrs Corry & me to go to Church at the Citadel & then went on to the beach with the little girl. It was a nice service but we had to wait an hour before it began & an hour afterwards till they came to pick us up wh. was a great bore. We went over into Cornwall in the afternoon to see a place called Pentilie [ Pentillie ] Castle.Link opens in a new window We thought it was an old ruin but it turned out to be an inhabited house. The perfectly charming agent & his wife insisted in giving us all tea at 6.30 & provided an enormous spread with Cornish cream.

August 13th - 19th.

Monday We went to see a wonderful old 14^th century & Tudor & Stuart house called BoringdonLink opens in a new window just outside Plympton. It is uninhabited & rapidly falling into a ruin but would cost fortunes to put into order. Mrs Lawrence, Kathleen & I had an orgy of shopping in Plymouth in the afternoon.

Tuesday was kept as Graeme's first birthday although it wasn't actually till Thursday. He had about a dozen small children to tea & got wildly excited over it. They had a treasure hunt in the garden & blew soap bubbles after tea.

Wednesday Mrs Lawrence left & Kathleen went with her in the car as far as Bath to stay the night with the Gwynne-James's & interview a prospective nurse. Mrs Corry & I were tete a tete most of the day.

Thursday Kathleen got back in the afternoon & in the evening she & I motored up to Yelverton. It was a marvellous golden evening & the view was too wonderful all across Dartmoor on one side & Cornwall on the other.

Friday frightful agitations. I had been half supposed to be going back to Creech but had heard nothing from Cousin Vie and so had actually started to motor into Plymouth to catch the London train when we met a telegraph boy with a wire from her asking me to come back by a train wh. was at that moment leaving Plymouth Station. We went on into Plymouth, wired that I would come by a later train, did some shopping, went & said good bye to Sister Kitchen; then dashed back to Sydney for luncheon scaring poor Mrs Corry into fits with tales of how I'd lost my luggage, and then back to Plymouth where I caught a 2.21 train, changed at Templecombe & arrived at Poole at 7.39 where the car met me & took me the 10 miles to Creech. They were so nice that it was well worth the effort & agitations of getting back there.

Saturday we went over to a big tennis party given by some people called Drax at Charlborough [ Charborough ]. Mrs Drax was perfectly delightful & it was all rather fun.

Sunday we went to Church in the morning & a Mrs Somthing Smith came to luncheon. I went for a long walk on the downs in the afternoon.

August 20th - 26th.

Monday I went into Swanage to do some shopping for Cousin Vie & then went to Corfe to have luncheon with Mr & Mrs Bentinck who were very affable - Barbara had gone abroad. I walked back over the downs 4.5 miles & a most lovely walk.

Tuesday I was leaving Creech in the morning & going home. I suddenly got a telephone message from Blanche in the morning to say she was staying with some people near Dorchester & I must go over to see her so I went there for luncheon on my way to London. It was rather a mad expedition as it was some way down the line & I saw nothing much of her because she was of course with these people called Acland. Poor old Joan has had an operation for appendicitis & is very sorry for herself. I came down here by the 6.30.

Wednesday Daddie & I went up to the Cottage in the afternoon & had tea there.

Thursday Edith telephoned over from Wrotham in the morning to ask if I could go over there so Budgie came to fetch me in her new little Austin 7Link opens in a new window after tea & I went over for the night. We found Edith grappling with team games for 8 children between the ages of 10 & 13. She & I went for walks before & after supper & shared a room for the night & talked till nearly 1 o'c.

Friday we all went into the village in the morning. Some girls from Edith's sister's school at Sevenoaks came to tea. Budgie motored me back here after tea.

Saturday Rosalie, who was here for a few days, came down in the morning & stayed to luncheon & we went for a long walk afterwards.

Sunday We went to Church. Daddie went off to Oxford for a Conference. Mrs Bask & Colonel & Mrs Tenison came to tea.

August 27th - Sept: 2nd.

Monday Anna came over fr. Friendly Green for the night arriving in time for luncheon. Major Streatfeild motored her & me & Rosalie over to a place near Brighton called Bolney to a house he was architecting;Link opens in a new window we had tea at a village called Cowfold & then a lovely drive home.

Tuesday Anna left in the morning & I did nothing much for the rest of the day.

Wednesday Mummy & I went to London for the day. I shopped in the morning & changed books at the School. Then went to luncheon with Uncle Claude & Di; he looks extraordinarily better & we discussed the car at great length but didn't get much nearer deciding what make it shall be. I went on to see Phyllis who is in a nursing home in Queens Gate after a very bad operation for gallstones. She was up & allowed to walk & of course was frantically amusing. I had tea with her & then we strolled along to South Kensington together. I went back to 88, Knightsbridge & met Mummy there, we talked a bit more about the car & then she & I came home by the 7.30.

Thursday Mummy & I went to tea with Major & Miss Baden PowellLink opens in a new window at Riverhead & by pure chance found Mrs Eckstein & Herminie there, it was very nice to see HerminieLink opens in a new window again & she is so nice. Rosalind came to luncheon here very full of a Conference of London Club Leaders she is getting up for Oct. 5th. & 6th. There have been fearful agitations because Hilda got ill at the end of last week, went to Dr Cotton twice this week & he sent her to see a surgeon at Westminster Hospital yesterday; he expressed no opinion but wanted her to go back on Monday. She is leaving us for good that day, it is a blow in many ways her going at a moments notice & she is frightfully efficient & thinks of everything but on the other hand she is at daggers drawn with Mrs Idie & Simpson & she & Mummy don't get on so she would never have stayed permanently.

Friday nothing happened.

Saturday I went to spend the week-end with Alice Campbell who lives at Kench HillLink opens in a new window Tenterden. I had an involved journey & got into the same train as her at Paddock Wood. Mrs Campbell met us at Headcorn & motored us to Tenterden. They have a nice old Georgian house & there are quantities of them - Norah, Mollie, Betty & Osoo [ Osu ], the last is 10 & very attractive. There was a girl called Hawthorn Barnes staying there. We bolted a hasty luncheon at 3 o'c & then went off to watch tennis at Rye. After tea Alice & I explored Rye wh. is a most enchanting old town, though full of artists & faintly sophisticated. A girl called Laura Neave & a Commander Johnstone came to dinner & we played games till midnight.

Sunday Alice & I went to see a nice Miss Barclay whose people live at Bordighera. Two girls called Skinner came to luncheon, one of them is going to the L.S.E. next term. We went for a walk after tea & in the evening started to write a play about us five at the L.S.E.

Sept: 3rd - 9th.

Monday we got up at 6.45 & Mrs Campbell (who is a wonderful woman & seemed to do & arrange everything) motored us to Headcorn to catch an 8 o'c train as Alice is supposed to be at work (Care Cte. [ Committee ]) by 9.30. I got back here about 9.45. Daddie came back fr. a day in London in the evening having had a very good time at Oxford.

Tuesday I did oddments most of the day. The Allingtons (the headmaster of EtonLink opens in a new window) have been lent Squerryes & Cathleen Allington [ Kathleen Alington ] came to tea she is very pretty & attractive.

Wednesday we all went to London for the day. I changed a book at the School, went to call on Miss Wolff who wasn't back & then went to luncheon at 88, Knightsbridge. Miss Pussy Philcox was staying there & she & Di went off to a matinee directly after luncheon. Uncle Claude has made friends with a garage proprietor who is going to find me a 2nd. hand car wh. is much the best way of doing it. Anne came to see me there for a short time, very excited because they have got a nice flat - 4 bed -, 2 recp. kit. & bath - in Drayton Gardens for £160 a year. Uncle Claude & I motored down to Richmond to see Cousin Gertie who has taken a house there. She has had a terrible time because Cousin Noel died in the summer after a long illness. I hadn't seen her for ages & had forgotten how attractive she is. We had a lovely drive back through Richmond Park. Mummy was at 88 & she & I came down by the 7.30. That was the last time I shd. see them before they left for Bordighera as Daddie & I are going to Geneva on Monday.

Thursday Daisy motored over for luncheon & was very nice.

Friday Mrs Farnworth was in Westerham for the day having motored over fr. Eastbourne & came to see us. She looks ever so much better. We went to tea with the Allingtons at Squerryes - Jenny Bailey was staying there & Mrs Castle was there for tea. Cathleen & I lay on the grass & talked, she knows Celia & most of that lot & she is so nice.

Saturday I went to Folkestone to spend the week-end with Aunt Kathleen & Uncle Leslie & Laurie. Laurie met me at the station & took me to the Municipal Concert hall where a the dansant was going on & we had tea there. In the evening we went to the theatre & saw Owen NaresLink opens in a new window in a frightfully amusing play called "White Arms".

Sunday Laurie motored me to Deal & Hythe & Dymchurch. It was very pretty across the Romney marshes. We spent the afternoon reading in the concert rooms & had tea there.

Sept. 10th - 16th.

Monday Daddie arrived down about 11 o'c and they motored us over to Dover to catch the channel steamer for Calais. We got there before the boat train came in & so we were able to get on board comfortably & had a lovely sunny crossing. We got a through train to the Gare de Lyons in Paris arriving about 6.30 and the train for Geneva left at 10 o'c. We went out & had quite a good dinner in a little restaurant for 10d a head. We walked about the streets a bit & then went & got into the train & had a carriage to ourselves the whole way, so we were able to lie down & sleep.

Tuesday We arrived at Geneva about 8 o'c & went to the Hotel des Familles opposite the station where we had booked rooms; they said the rooms weren't ready, so we walked along down by the Lake till we came to the League Secretariat where we thought we'd go in & see Miss Howard who is a private secretary to Sir Eric Drummond;Link opens in a new window we found her in a desperate rush just off to the Assembly. She gave us tickets & we dashed off over to the other side of the Lake to the Salle de la Reformation, the horrid little hall where the League AssemblyLink opens in a new window meets. We got very good seats in the front row of the gallery, the speeches were mostly very dull & all the more so that if they are in English they have to be translated into French afterwards & vice versa. Lord Cushenden, who was acting for Sir Austin Chamberlain, spoke on the need for slowness & caution in disarmament. BriandLink opens in a new window had made a speech the day before wh. had created a great stir. We went back to luncheon at the hotel & after luncheon asked to see our rooms, they said they were sorry but they couldn't let us have any till the next day but they'd taken two for the night for us at a Pension called Mon Repos in the Rue de Lausanne. It was a great nuisance having to go there for one night with all the luggage & then back again the next day, however there was nothing for it & the hotel conscious of its offence gave us taxis both ways. I slept like a log all the afternoon and at tea time we went to call on Mrs Barton who lives in the Villa Lannamoor by the Lake & was a Peel. Mr Mackenzie KingLink opens in a new window the Prime Minister of Canada was just leaving as we arrived. Mrs Barton gave us tea & told us that the League wants very badly to buy her villa to build its permanent Secretariat there because it wld. be a lovely situation down by the Lake & next door to the I.L.O. There was a great deal of talk about it afterwards & finally as Mrs Barton refused to sell the town has let the League have a piece of the Ariana Park opposite the I.L.O. We went for a walk through the town when we left Mrs Barton up to the Athenee where the meetings of the Universal Religious Peace CongressLink opens in a new window for wh. Daddie had come out were to be held.

Wednesday the first meeting of the Peace Conference was held in the morning, there were about 200 people there of most nationalities under the sun but English & American in the main. Among others Mr Henry the father of Violet & Leonore turned up to our great surprise, also Admiral Drury LoweLink opens in a new window who was staying in our hotel & there were a good many people whom Daddie knew. The Chief Rabbi Dr HertzLink opens in a new window gave a splendid opening address. Mr C.E. Andrews fr. India spoke very well and Japanese, Chinese & Indians also spoke. After the meeting three Committees were formed & we were both put on the Cte. [ Committee ] to discuss the holding of a world peace conference in 1930 (this was only a preliminary congress). We went back to the Hotel des Familles for luncheon & moved into our rooms. There was a meeting of the Cte. at 3 o'c at wh. endless discussion took place we left at 5.30 & heard afterwards that it had gone on till 6.30. That evening there was a big public meeting at the Victoria Hall; they had not expected many people but masses rolled up & the hall (wh. holds 2,000 & was given by Mrs Barton's husband) was nearly full. Unfortunately all the speeches were in English & most of the audience was Swiss so they all had to be translated into French. Dr NansenLink opens in a new window was in the Chair & Daddie gave the open address on Peace & the Drama;Link opens in a new window the Maharajah of Burdwan & Yusif [ Yusuf ] Ali also spoke among others. There were really too many speakers as it all had to be translated & the meeting (including an organ recital) lasted from 8.30 to 11.15.

Thursday There was a general meeting in the morning at wh. the recommendations of our Cte. were set forth, followed by a discussion & speeches; there was also a devotional service composed of bits from the scriptures of the great religions (with the result that it was a more or less meaningless hotch potch). We had luncheon with Mr Henry at the Bergues. There were two ladies there, a Miss Behrans (sister of Lady Cohen) and a Mrs Atherton Smith both connected with the L.N.U in Paris. In the afternoon Mr Henry & Mrs Atherton Smith took me to the I.L.O.Link opens in a new window wh. I wanted to see very much indeed. We were taken over it and saw all the gifts of the different nations & then we went to the room of a most charming Mr Ellison who explained to us all its workings & what it did. I joined Daddie at the Athenee and we went to tea with the Duchess of Hamilton & Miss Lind of HagebyLink opens in a new window who had a Humane killer & anti-vivisection exhibition in the Cours St Pierre. We went to the Conference again in the evening & the report of the 2nd. Cte. (statement & message) was given, followed by speeches & a discussion & the beginnings of a free fight between a Mohammadin & Hindu!

Friday was the last meeting of the Conference the report of Sub Cte. 3 (ways & means) was given, followed by an address by a nice old Chinaman in a flowing white kimono & sort of tea cosy headgear. Then there was a general discussion & patting on the back all round. It really was all most interesting and they have decided to hold a big conference two years hence at wh. there will be people belonging to all the great religions (in their individual not representative capacity) to discuss how religion can help in promoting international peace among the nations.

Mr Montagrier an American who has a chalet down the Dent du Midi motored the Gurdons over from Lausanne & gave us all a wonderful luncheon at the Parc des Eaux Vives. In the afternoon I met Mr Henry at the League Secretariat and we went to listen to two Commissions, the disarmament Commission was deadly & we couldn't hear a word but the Social Commission where they were discussing the drug traffic was very interesting & we heard an excellent speech by Dame Edith Lyttleton [ Lyttelton ].Link opens in a new window Geneva & more especially the League building was full of every sort & kind of nationality, journalists, writers & so forth, and among other celebrities Bernard Shaw was very much in evidence. I joined Daddie at tea with a very nice young couple called Armstrong, he is a Mahommedan Sufi and edits the "Sufi Quarterly"; there was also a poet there called Cammel who had a black beard & mutton chop whiskers, wore a high white collar & a floppy black tie and took snuff at intervals all through tea.

Saturday We left Geneva in the morning having had a very good time there & really having been very lucky in the hotel as they were nice people & gave us rooms on the 1st floor with hot & cold running water for 15 francs daily including all food wh. was very moderate as all prices go up in Geneva while the League is sitting. We went by steamer down the Lake of Geneva to Montreux intending to wander in Switzerland during the week-end and reach Sir Ernest WiltonLink opens in a new window on the Saar by Monday. They are beautiful steamers & it was lovely on the Lake, though unfortunately misty so that we could not see the mountains. At Montreux we got into the little Bernese Oberland mountain railway not knowing in the least where we intended to get out and spent the night. None of the hills were snow covered but they were very rocky & steep and we wound in and out through precipitous gorges with streams rushing below and through Apline [ Alpine ] meadows covered with mauve autumn crocuses (wh. we saw all through Alsace Lorraine too). We passed through Chateux D'Oex and Gstaad, both full of big sanatoriaLink opens in a new window for the sun cure. All the alpine flowers were over & we didn't see any place where we really wanted to get out, especially as the weather looked uncertain, so that finally we came to Zweisimmen where the mountain railway ends, there we changed and went to Spiez on the Lake of Thun where we decided to stay the night as it was dark by this time & we had to change there in any case. We went out in search of an hotel & stumbled down a foot path in the dark onto a little place called the Pension Erica wh. was quite good & moderate.

Sunday I woke at 4.30 a.m. with a queer buzzing in my ear wh. I decided must be an insect, it was much too deep in to be got at and I was terrified thinking it might perforate the ear drum. Directly after breakfast we went to a most efficient doctor who syringed my ear & out flopped a moth! luckily being soft it had done no damage but it was a most absurd thing to happen. We left at 10 o'c by steamer down the lake to Thun; most unluckily it was a grey, bleak and misty day, the waters were leaden & there wasn't the faintest sign of the Jung Frau, very unlike the glorious morning when we passed through there two years ago on our way to Italy. From Thun we went to Berne where we stopped for about four hours and had luncheon & explored the town; it is a fascinating old place with curious arcades under the houses and painted fountains in the streets, but of course we missed the famous view of the Bernese Oberland. We went on to Basle for the night & stayed at a little hotel near the station called Hotel Vogt where the food was excellent. We went out after dinner & found our way to the Rhine wh. looked beautiful with the lights reflected in it and was crossed by several very fine bridges.

Sept. 17th - 23rd.

Monday we left Basle at 10 o'c and went to Strasbourg passing through Colmar & Mulhouse and getting a very fine view of the Vosges. We explored Strasbourg wh. is full of old timbered houses some of them with carved beams & painted walls, and saw the Cathedral wh. is quite beautiful outside though disappointing inside. After luncheon we got into a tram and went to the Rhine at a place called Kehl about 2 miles fr. Strasbourg; the frontier is there & so we walked across the bridge (showing our passports three times in the process) in order to say we'd been into Germany & seen the occupied Rhineland. We calculated that we went into four countries that day, Switzerland, France, Germany and Saar wh. is under the League of Nations. We went back to the station and met the car wh. Sir Ernest had sent with his French secretary Monsieur Amail to motor us to Saarbrucken about 70 miles away. It was a lovely drive through the Petite Vosges which are covered with enormous forests and have little trout streams running through the valleys, and then out onto the plateau of Alsace where one looks for miles across rolling hills covered with fields and woods, and the roads are long and straight bordered by fruit trees, while the villages are very poor & very dirty with dung heaps in front of all the houses & chickens running all over the road. All the Saar is of course pure German & Saarbrucken itself turned out to be an ugly smoky town of about 170,000 inhabitants in the middle of the mining and iron foundary district. Sir Ernest is President of the Commission (wh. consists of a Frenchman, a German, a Czech and a Finn besides him) and is a bit of a bug; he has a fine, though not too big, house in the Schloss platz with every luxury – we had enormous bedrooms and a bath room each. Lady Wilton was nice, very quiet & looked dreadfully frightened & downtrodden - she was married to a business man in China who ill-treated her & she got a divorce & married Sir Ernest about a year ago.

Tuesday We motored in the morning to a place a few miles away across the French frontier to a place where there had been a battle during the Franco-Prussian War & wh. was dotted with graves. On the way back we went to look at some French working class houses wh. were being built; they were very ugly & had no indoor sanitation at all much less bath rooms. The ones we had seen coming through Switzerland were charming, both flats & houses; they were mostly built of white rough-cast with green shutters & tiled roofs. In the evening Lady Wilton took us to a most curious place in some woods where clouds of boiling steam was coming out of the rocks; it has been doing it for hundreds of years and no one knows what it is.

Wednesday Lady Wilton took me about in the town in the morning; it is a thoroughly uninteresting place. In the afternoon we all (including Sir Ernest who was usually occupied all day) went into the car to some woods and walked through them onto an open hillside where we had a picnic tea.

Thursday in the morning Lady Wilton took us to see over a glass factory - Villeroy & Boch at a place called Volklingen. We saw the glass coming out of the furnaces molten red hot and then being blown and shaped and later being cut with most marvellous precision without any guiding lines on big turning wheels. The hours of work were 6 am to 3 p.m. Most of the workers - men, women & young persons, looked well and healthy but it was all very dirty, most of the windows were not made to open, the walls were innocent of anything except dirt and there seemed to be a complete absence of cloak-rooms etc. However it was impossible to find out much in that line because the man who took us round only spoke German & did not explain anything except the actual work. The French member of the Commission came to luncheon. I went for a walk in the town in the afternoon and after tea we walked through some woods at a place close by called St. Arnold. There are beautiful woods all round and they all belong to the town and are public wh. is very nice. We went into a modern Catholic Church wh. had just been built; it was grey concrete outside and sort of yellowish brown concrete inside & quite hideous.

Friday I went and had my hair cut in the morning, the little youth who did it very painstakingly and fairly badly for the equivalent of 4d, didn't understand a word of anything except German so I had to let him do his worst. A nice young English officer who was stationed at Saarbrucken (there are 100 British Soldiers there) came to luncheon. We went over the town museum in the afternoon & after tea Lady Wilton and I walked up to a huge Victorian Gothic memorial to German soldiers who fell in the war of '70. Poor Sir Ernest developed a severe chill & had to go to bed wh. was very bad luck because we were setting out on a week-end expedition next day to go to Verdun, lunch with a Comte de Magnac on the Sunday & then on to Nancy & it meant he wouldn't be able to go.

Saturday we started off in the car at 9.30 on our expedition, passed through Metz, where we stopped to look at the Cathedral, and arrived at Verdun at 12.30. We stayed at the Hotel Coq Hardi and a Colonel Marshal (French) who had been in all the fighting and was going to show us round the battlefield, came to luncheon. We spent three hours in the afternoon going over the battlefield and then only saw an infinitessimal amount because it covers many square miles. It lies on the other side of the ridge of hills wh. protects Verdun & the Germans never actually saw the town. Every inch of earth is churned up and pitted & scarred & torn; little trees are beginning to grow up in some places but one can still see the old charred trees rising above them here and there. We went to two places where there had been villages & there literally was not one stone left upon another to mark the spot. There is much barbed wire still about & the trenches are there with rotting wooden props and one comes across rusty water bottles and old rifles and tin helmets; while many parts are still not safe because of the live shells that are there and they continually find bodies - or bones - as they clear the ground. We went to the very fine Memorial of the Bayonet TrenchLink opens in a new window given by an American - the Germans took a French front line trench after a heavy bombardment and found everyone in it, about 200 men, dead so that the Germans who followed behind just shovelled the earth on top of them to bury them and their bayonets are still sticking up through the earth, and all the oddments of helmets etc. are left lying about just as they were. From this we went to the huge - and very ugly - French MemorialLink opens in a new window wh. is not yet finished. There is a big cemetery with endless little wooden crosses nearby but of the 400,000 French who were killed there they have so far only found 80,000 bodies. We went on to the Fort DouaumontLink opens in a new window a huge underground concrete place built before the war but taken & re-taken during the war and practically shattered to bits. We went from there back to Verdun where the Colonel took us to see the Cathedral,Link opens in a new window there is still a great hole in the roof and the choir was completely destroyed, the shells however did a little good by revealing some beautiful old Norman arches whose existence had never been suspected before. Verdun has been practically rebuilt by now but there are still ruined houses here & there and many riddled with small holes. The whole place & more especially the battlefields felt almost intolerably haunted & it was nearly unbearable still after 10 years – not very surprising when one thinks that nearly a million men - 400,000 French & 500,000 Germans - were killed at that one place alone.

Sunday we started off at 9.30 to motor to Comte de Magnac for luncheon. Up to Bar-le-Duc we went along the Voie Sacree - so called because it was the only road by wh. the French could bring all their supplies and reinforcements up to Verdun because the Germans held the rly. [ railway ] and the other roads were destroyed, there is a little monument of a helmet wreathed in laurels on every kilometre stone. We reached Comte de Magnac's about 12.25, it was an old chateau in a small village whose name I forget about 13 kilometres beyond Joinville.

We were 12 altogether, Comte de Magnac & his wife & her brother, and two other people from Saarbrucken, and an elderly man and two girls. None of them spoke a word of English except the elderly man who knew a little, but they were all quite charming and so friendly and anxious to make us welcome. We started by all assembling in a small sitting room & being conducted quite impartially by our host or hostess to an incredibly smelly Aunt with no water laid on; then we had a huge luncheon in a beautiful old gothic room (much older than the rest & the one nice room in the house), there were two things in every course and we had four different wines and we were served by a young girl and a very old man who was gardener and general factotum and had been there 50 years. Daddie & I were very thrilled because Mummy's people's name was originally Magnac (the 'i' was only added in by my grandmother) and they came from France, we got Comte de Magnac to show us his crest & motto & asked him about the family but we couldn't find any connecting link. We spent the afternoon marching two by two around the garden wh. is really practically non-existent because he works in Saarbrucken 11 months of the year and can only afford to live in his Chateau for the remaining month - wh. Daddie & I agreed must be ample as there can't be anything at all to do there. We had tea (by wh. time my limited amount of French conversation was running very short) and then left for Nancy where we were spending the night. It was all great fun and the Comte & Comtesse were both quite charming. We took about 2 1/2 hours to Nancy & it was dark by the time we got there; we stayed at the Grand Hotel in the Place Stanislaus [ Stanislas ]; it was an old house in wh. Marie Antoinette had stayed at one time.

Sept. 24th - 30th.

Monday We explored Nancy in the morning. The Place Stanislaus is composed of fine late 17th or early 18th century houses and has at its four corners most beautiful wrought iron & gilt gates with hanging lanterns. We went to the Museum wh. is the old palace of the Dukes of LorraineLink opens in a new window & to the Chapel of the Cordeliers wh. belongs to Austria and to the Cathedral wh. is good Renaissance. We had luncheon at Walter wh. is apparently the great place, and after luncheon started back for Saarbrucken going through a part of the battle area and seeing a few completely rebuilt villages. Sir Ernest was up when we got back but didn't look very grand.

Tuesday We packed in the morning as we were leaving that day for England. They motored us to Thionville in the afternoon - about 50 miles - and we got the train for Dunqerque [ Dunkerque ] there; we went through Valenciennes and Lille & a great deal of the war country but unfortunately it was dark so we couldn't see it. The Wilton's took no end of trouble about entertaining us & it was very nice staying there & he talks very interestingly.

Wednesday we got onto the boat about midnight, it was very empty & we had a good crossing arriving at Tilbury about 7 a.m. and St. Pancras about an hour later. We took the luggage across to Charing X [ Cross ] and then I went to see Margaret Magniac, I found her still in bed but she got up after a time & I had breakfast with her. Then I went to the School to change a book & then to see Miss Wolff who gave me luncheon & very kindly offered to have me back there at any rate for the present (I am going back to the School to do the Diploma in Sociology). From there I went to see Blanche who is doing the housekeeping at the United Societies Club for two months; she was very blooming & most amusing but poor Alice was in bed with a bad cold. We all had great jokes. I came down by the 3.35 & found Mummy still here, & Mrs Idie looking ever so much better.

Thursday Mummy & Mrs Idie went off to stay with Miss Fitzroy. I went up to the Cottage in the afternoon.

Friday I sewed & read & gardened.

Saturday Douglas Bask came to dinner & was very entertaining about his time at Princeton & climbing in the Rockies.

Sunday we went to Church in the morning but otherwise nothing much happened.

Oct. 1st - 7th.

Monday Edith H came to tea & we went to the library afterwards.

Tuesday I read, wrote, sewed & gardened all day.

Wednesday I went up to the Cottage, had a walk with Edith & went back there for tea.

Thursday Daddie & I went to tea with Mrs Blandy.

Friday Ina came down for luncheon & tea. She was very perky & full of her handbook on Girls Clubs wh. she is writing for the Y.W.C.A. and all her committees & things. I took her for a long walk in Squerryes.

Saturday I went to London for the day for an I.L.B. Conference on Our Social Responsibilities got up by Rosalind. I went to the School to get a long locker & have a look round & met Edith for luncheon at 1 o'c; we lunched in the crypt of St. Martin's and then walked by a devious route to Tottenham Ct. [ Court ] Rd to meet a girl who was coming from Stepney for this Conference. It was at Clifford St. & there were about 30 people (Club leaders mostly) there Rosalind, Miss Harper the ex-secretary of the I.L.B. and Ida Barns a factory girl from the midlands all spoke extremely well. There were group discussions on how it was possible to get Club leaders & members to take an interest in & study industrial conditions both in this country & internationally; I was in Edith's group wh. seemed to be quite M.D. [ 'Mental Deficiency' ] & had practically no ideas at all & was more or less inarticulate. After tea there was a summing up & general discussion & it was decided to try & start a central class for training people in study circles & then to start them in various localities. It ended about 6 o'c and Edith & I went & had coffee & talked, we were both in a very cheerful mood & had a most amusing afternoon. I came home by the 7.30.

Sunday I went to Church at 10 o'c. Edie & Susie came down for the day. It was so nice to see them again & they were as nice as ever. Sir John & Lady Broadbent rung up the night before & motored down for luncheon, he was in great form, it was nice to see them but difficult to entertain both them & Edie & Susey - the latter went to dinner with Mrs Jarrett & I took them for a walk in the afternoon. When we came back the Broadbents had gone. We sat up in my sitting room & talked after tea & they left at 8.20.

Oct. 8th - 14th.

Monday I packed to go to London & went up by the 1 o'c train. I got to the School & went to see Mr Lloyd who was most cordial. Alice had a friend called Marnie Skinner coming this term to do the Certificate so we had tea together & I showed her round & explained how everything worked. I got to Miss Wolff's abt. 6 o'c & found her very agitated with no boy.

Tuesday I was at the School all day & went to dinner in the evening - only she & Mr Waldegrave & Lord Radstock were there - she was charming.

Wednesday I went to Stewart & Arden the motor people on my way to the School & put my name down for a Morris Minor the new little 7 h.p. car. Alison picked me up at the School at 4 o'c & took me to tea at Burton St. & then she & Mrs Tennant & I went to a lecture at Bedford College by Miss Fry on Penal Reform. Mr Maxwell the head of the Prison Commission was in the Chair & it was a most excellent lecture. I went to dinner with Alice at the United Societies Club, Blanche was there of course in tremendous form, and Norah Alice's sister, and Marnie Skinner, & Joan came in after dinner & we had uproarious jokes.

Thursday I went with Beatrice to see "Bird in Hand" by John Drinkwater; it was quite delightful & very clever. She goes off to Italy for several months in about four weeks time. Norah came to supper with me at the School, she is very worried about her mother who has developed high blood pressure.

Friday I had a coaching with Mr Lloyd. I met Anne for luncheon at Peter Jones & we went to see the flat they have taken at Priory Court, Drayton Gdns [ Gardens ]. It is on the ground floor & nice as flats go. I missed the 3.30 by two minutes & so had to wait for the next.

Saturday Budgie, Edith & a girl called Hazard who is teaching in Limpsfield schools & used to be a student at Avery Hill, suddenly appeared here in the afternoon & took me out for tea. Edith was staying the week-end with Budgie whose people have moved to Crawley near Guildford & they motored over to see Hazard & decided to come on here.

Sunday. I worked hard all day.

Oct. 15th - 21st.

Monday I went in the afternoon to see Mr Heller abt. this wretched Dr Stamp of Plympton who is sueing us for non-payment for visits wh. never took place. I dined with Joan & she came with me to a private view of the film "Verdun"; it was marvellously done & very terrible but most interesting to see when we had been there so recently.

Tuesday I was at the School all day & in for dinner at Miss Wolff's in the evening.

Wednesday I was at the School all day & in the evening went to spend a couple of nights with Louie at the most attractive flat she has made in Rotherhithe St. on the River. She & Titmuss were there both very nice & the flat really is charming.

Thursday I lunched with the Broadbents & Sir John took me to the Motor Show at Olympia in the afternoon; it was a great squash but we looked at most of the small cars; Sir John knows a good deal about their insides & could ask all the right sort of questions. I went back to Louie's in the evening & Beatrice came to supper & a nice Swiss lady called Miss Barloshe (?) from the Club. A mass of Club girls came in afterwards & when they had gone Louie put on some of her beautiful gramophone records wh. are a real joy.

Friday I went to se Alice Elmes & Mrs Taylor on my way to the School. I came down here in time for luncheon thinking Mummy was back but she didn't come till 7.30. She seems to have had a nice time with Aunt Venetia.

Saturday I had been going to London on Sunday evening to hear a friend of Edith's who was speaking at John Knox, & then to have supper with Edith & spend the night at College Bdgs [ Buildings ], but she put off supper at the last minute & as Mummy had just got back I telephoned to say I couldn't go.

Sunday I went to Church in the morning & did oddments including writing an essay for the remainder of the day.

Oct: 22nd - 28th.

Monday. Blanche came to tea with me at the School & was frightfully amusing.

Tuesday I was at the School all day & read a paper in the class on the Mechanism of Democracy.

Wednesday. Again School all day. Mr Symes & his sister Mrs Hervey came to dinner at S. Audley St.

Thursday Edith had asked me to lunch with her at Lewisham but never let me know where to meet her so I went down to Morden Terrace School where her institute is to find she wasn't expecting me & had had luncheon & was shortly starting for London. However she took me to have luncheon at Chrisnan & then we went together as far as London Bridge. Alice came to supper with me at the School in tremendous form and we went afterwards to a Fabian Society lecture by J.S. Haldane on "Science & Civilisation"; he was very amusing in spots. By an extraodinary fluke Mary Meade had the next door seat in the hall, she is still at the School of Art Needlework.

Friday I had a coaching in the morning. In the afternoon I joined Mummy & Daddie at an At Home given by the Sens, there were masses of Indians there & it was very crowded. Mummy & I came back by the 5.30 in pelting rain.

Saturday Sir William & Lady Plender came to see us after tea - they are so nice.

Sunday we went to Church in the morning but otherwise nothing happened.

Oct: 29th - Nov: 4th.

Monday I went to dinner with Uncle Oswald & Aunt Bobs; he looked very ill & she had a frightful cold.

Tuesday I was at the School all day. Joan came to tea with me & we had a very nice – though too brief owing to a lecture - talk.

Wednesday I went to luncheon with Daisy & dined with Peggy in the evening. I hadn't seen her for ages & it was very nice to see her again.

Thursday I went directly after breakfast to help Anne who was very busy moving in to their new flat - 3, Priory Mansions, Drayton Gdns [ Gardens ] - it is on the ground floor & I think will be very nice when it is finished. I went straight from there to S. Martin's, then had luncheon at S. Martin's Club & at last belatedly reached the School. I went to supper with Ina at Greyladies in the evening - all those large grey crows floating about always make me want to throw brick bats. I relieved my feelings afterwards by going to see Edith, whose Evening Institute is a stone's throw away, & pouring out to her as we travelled back to London Bridge, what I thought of the place.

Friday I went again in the morning to help Anne. She had been ill for a fortnight & it was frightfully bad for her having to undertake a very strenuous & largely unaided move. I went on to the School & came down here at 3.30.

Saturday Mummy went to London for the day. I went up to the Cottage & had tea with Edith.

Sunday Daddie was over at Sutton all day addressing two meetings for the Adult School Union. Miss Beresford came to tea.