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24 Queen Anne’s Gate, S.W.—(21 Nov.) Breccles needs a new hot-water supply, so she has planned to go down with Lutyens to the Nobles’ [Wretham Hall] to investigate. Will consult Surtees about further mortgages. This afternoon she went with Phyllis to see Viola's first night, and dined at home with guests.—(22 Nov.) She lunched with Nancy and Sydney, whom she dislikes. She dined [at home] with guests, including Coates, who is still in love with Diana.—(22 Nov.) Is dining with Cardie, K, and Asquith, which she thinks is a good sign. After the hospital she played tennis with Edgar and lunched with Hankey and Masterton, who is increasingly ‘soppy’ about Winston. Both seemed disappointed by the failure of the latest attack. Has just heard that Edward has been killed. Reflects on the number of friends who have been, and may be, killed.—(24 Nov.) Has not seen Diana yet, as she was at K’s and did not come to the hospital. Last night she dined with only Cardie and the Old Boy, and she and Asquith reminisced about Sicily. Today she lunched at the Curzons, where Hardinge and Curzon made friendly remarks about Montagu. She had tea with Viola and Hugo, who plans to start a small theatre with Nigel Playfair. She dined with Duff, and Patrick and Phyllis arrived later. Patrick is worried that he may have to marry Phyllis, but she has a new lover, Edgar Vincent.—(25 Nov.) After the hospital she saw Diana, who is wretched but determined to give Duff as much fun as possible. She lunched and dined with Pat, Duff, and Diana, and were joined by Phyllis and Hugo came in later.—(26 Nov.) She lunched with de Noailles, and went to see K and Frances. Discusses the effects of Edward’s death. She dined at Mansfield Street. Refers to the progress of Montagu’s bed.—(27 Nov.) She lunched at home with guests, including Birrell and Freyberg, whom she could not get to talk to each other; then, after visiting Frances, she went to the cinema with her ‘futurist friend’ Wyndham Lewis, and then to Cardie’s for a farewell party for Oc, though he has now got a fortnight’s extension. It is rumoured that he is engaged to Betty Manners.—(28 Nov.) She had lunch with Waxworks and Mikky, then sewed and read with Diana and Duff. She dined at Claude Lowther’s with Goonie, the Duke of Marlborough (who Duff thinks may be Goonie’s lover), and others. Lowther’s house is lovely, but his bedroom is ridiculous. ‘If you had wanted to caricature a bugger’s bedroom you couldnt have done it differently.’ She returned home to find Diana, Duff, and Pat reading.—(29 Nov.) Lord Lansdowne’s letter [to the Daily Telegraph, calling for a negotiated peace with Germany], more because she doesn’t want to lose anyone else than because she thinks it right. K[atharine] and Viola, who, with Diana, dined with her, disagreed violently on the subject.—(1 Dec.) The King and Queen visited the hospital yesterday and asked after Montagu. The King referred to Mrs Besant as an ‘odious woman’. Afterwards she visited Montagu’s mother and went to a party at the India Office to meet some Indian officers. Birrell, Phyllis, and Blanche dined with her. She and Lutyens are lunching together today, then going off with the Nobles.

Wretham Hall, Thetford.—Describes Wretham Hall and its estate.

24 Queen Anne’s Gate, S.W.—(2 Dec.) She drove with Lutyens to Breccles and they examined the house and discussed what needs to be done. They returned to Wretham for lunch, and are now off to London. (3 Dec.) Has received his letter from Aden [B1/146].

(The first sheet was rewritten on 1 December, the original having been lost.)

Continues A2/1/8. O'Dwyer has declined for the present an offer of extra staff, and reports the Punjab situation better. In reply to specifice inquiries, O'Dwyer reports that (a) in rural areas disorderly elements are looting trains and damaging Government property; (b) there is no evidence yet that demobilised soldiers are prominent, though some may have joined disorderly bands; (c) attempts have been made to seduce Indian troops, but so far their attitude is staunch, and they are being used everywhere. Annie Besant was at Simla yesterday, and is reported to have stated in an interview with the Press Association that there is nothing in the Rowlatt Act to which a good citizen could object; she had opposed passive resistance because she believed it would lead to disregard of law and consequently to rioting and bloodshed; she condemned Gandhi; and she admitted the existence of revolutionary movements in some places, and considered it the duty of all leaders to help Government in the task of putting down violence. At Calcutta, moderates have issued a manifesto condemning the passive resistance movement. Roos-Keppel [Chief Commissioner of the North-West Frontier Province] reports organised attempts in Peshawar to work up Rowlatt agitation and Mohammedan feeling. Large demonstrations have been held there, but there has been no breach of peace. Refers to A2/3/4 [a telegram received by him from Montagu, but intended in fact for Sir George Lloyd] and states that they regard deportation at present from a broadly preventative standpoint, but admits that deportation of an individual can lead to serious temporary local outbreaks.

(Typed. Marked 'B'.)

Salem, South India. - Thanks Trevelyan for his letter. Since his visit, Perch has 'done one or two hill-excursions', but such things are hard now: it was 104 degrees in the shade in Salem a month ago!' Glad Trevelyan had a good time at Tanjore; the 'dancers there include the best in India and are considerably appreciated'; some of them get 'as much as 200 rupees (say 14£) for a night's entertainment', about ten times as much as in England'. 'The Pandittar daughter's [children of Abraham Pandithar] are of course mere amateurs, but they are (or used to be) quite pleasing to look at and well-behaved'.

Envies Trevelyan for seeing Travancore, 'having heard such a lot about the beauty of the country and also of the people'. When he was in Madras recently, got a drawing of a boy's head 'by some nomadic Russian who settled in Tracancore for a spell', which seems to him to 'embody something of the spirit of this country, in which people have the look of graceful timid half-wild animals. They say that this is such a mysterious country and that you can never tell what the people really think'. Perch 'doubt[s] whether more of them trouble to think at all, unless with a definite practical object, and surely there is something to be said for this'.

Wonders 'how far the similarity of this country with what one reads about old lyric impressed Dickinson... It certainly strikes me and particularly with respect [?] to Dickinson's own book on lyrics. Even the Platonists have their counterpart in the Theosophists' - who are currently 'having themselves turned inside and [out? omitted] in the Madras Law-Courts just now. One can't help admiring Mrs Besan't courage in facing judge and jury over a case turning [?] with indecent suggestions, and it seems as if she was fighting for her life'.

Supposes it is 'unfair' to compare Theosophy with Platonism, but both seem to him to have 'elements of mysticism, eclecticism and a certain element of eroticism, planted in the middle of and contrasting wildly with the simple healthy emotions of an agricultural population'. The arguments currently being raised against Theosophy 'might be paralleled by those urged in the Trial of Socrates'. On the other side, the Church 'claims to be judged by conventional ethics and protests against a philosophy by which young men are led to consider themselves superior to all moral laws'. As the judge points out to Mrs Besant, the 'sincerity [of such young men, such as her colleague C. W. Leadbeater] is, as it were, no excuse for moral eccentricity in one who proposes to guide youth. But Leadbetter [sic] won't be killed, nor even posted [?] in the stocks I suppose'.

Hopes he and Trevelyan may meet in England some time, but fears he is 'tied here for some years now'.

Part 2. He hopes that the arrival of Malaviya, whom he is about to meet, may assist a solution of the crisis. Sapru will arrive on the 21st, with Jamnadas Dwarkadas, Mrs Besant, etc., to try to arrange a conference. Sapru continues to act loyally. Dwarkadas has gone to Bombay, apparently to see whether Gandhi would be willing to join in a conference. He believes Gandhi’s presence at a conference essential, and will invite him if necessary. There has been practically no violent disorder yet. His main object at present is to enable the Prince’s visit to take place without demonstrations, etc., during his stay at Calcutta. The hartal will only be a problem if it affects transport. The Prince has written to point out that his visits to universities have been attended by humiliatingly small numbers of students; his degree will therefore be conferred upon him at Government House instead of Calcutta University. Reading has cancelled his at-tendance at a Bar dinner in his honour, as a number of vakils and pleaders were proposing to boycott it; but a recent garden party at Belvedere was well attended.

(Typed. Continued from A3/14/5.)