Part 48 (1/2)
”'I encourage my boys all I can in this line; it promises well for their future'”
”After so Sir William look rather subdued, I told the servant to ask hiuest that I was in no hurry for hiet about and after a little he insisted on John Morley co men who minded other people's opinion or what the newspapers said of thehly sensitive to the Press, I encouraged the conversation
”JOHN MORLEY: 'I can only say I agree hat Joe once said to ainst me”'
”SIR WILLIAM: 'My dear chap, you would surely not rather have the DAILY CHRONICLE on your side Why, bless h the DAILY CHRONICLE than anything else!'
”MARGOT: Do you think so? I think its screah, are effective!'
”JOHN MORLEY: 'Oh, you like Massingham, of course, because your husband is one of his heroes'
”SIR WILLIAM: 'Well, all I can say is he always abuses lad of it'
”JOHN MORLEY: 'He abuses h not, perhaps, quite so often as you!'
”MARGOT: 'I would like him to praise me I think his descriptions of the House of Commons debates are not only true and brilliant but fine literature; there is both style and edge in his writing and I rather like that bitter-aled over to Lord Rosebery, didn't it?'
”Feeling this was ticklish ground, as Harcourt thought that he and not Rosebery should have been Prime Minister, I turned the talk on to Goschen
”SIR WILLIAM: 'It is sad to see the way Goschen has lost his hold in the country; he has not been at all well treated by his colleagues'
”This seemed to ht Goschen had done wonders in the House and country, considering he had a poor voice and was naturally cautious I told them I loved him personally and that Jowett at whose house I firsthis friendshi+p After this he took his departure, pro me roses from Malwood
”John Morley--theof ested quite seriously that, ent out of office (which ether He said that, if I would write the plot and do the fee the men and politics
I asked if he wanted the old Wilkie Collins idea of a plot with a hundred threads drawn into one woof, or did he preferanalysis and the infinitely little commented upon with elaborate and pretentious humour He scorned the latter
I asked hio permanently away from politics to literature and discussed all his wonderful books and writings I chaffed hie, in spite of the char letter he had written, how it had been repeated to ht-hearted indiscretions would ruin Henry's career; and I asked him what I had done since tocriticised h 'Honest John'
--the naularly ill- chosen, I never heard of Morley telling a lie He was quite irossing conversation, every ood-bye to azed at the pattern on the wall
”Henry came into my room shortly after this and told me the Government had been beaten by seven in a vote of censure passed on Campbell-Bannerman in Supply, in connection with sly and said:
”'Are you sad, darling, that we are out?'
”To which he replied:
”'Only for one reason I wish I had completed my prison reforms I have, however, appointed the best coles-Brise, the head of it, is a splendid little fellow!'
”At that moment he received a note to say he anted in the House of Commons immediately, as Lord Rosebery had been sent for by the Queen This excited usht down to WestminsterJohn Morley hadwith me, and Harcourt had only just arrived at the House in tiood night to enerally said his prayers by my bedside He told me that St John Brodrick's motion to reduce C B's salary by L100 had turned the Governht down to Windsor; that Canant and hurt; that few of our las, the Tory Whip, could not believe his eyes when he handed the figures to Tom Ellis, our chief Whip, who returned the St John Brodrick came to see me, full of excitement and sy instrumental in our downfall; but I am so fond of him that, of course, I told him that I did not mind, as a week sooner or later makes no difference and St John's division was only one out of many indications in the House and the country that our time was up Henry came back from the Cabinet in the middle of our talk and shook his fist in fun at 'our eneood- humoured as ever