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Thursday, 22 May 2014

An acquaintance

Sunday, May 22nd., George Street, London.

George Moore for lunch. He is very prejudiced, especially on the old subjects of James, Conrad and Hardy, but extremely interesting, though long-winded. He said he much wished our acquaintance to continue.

He said that Christine was the finest cocotte in Literature, and that I must have lived with her, and actually witnessed the Sunday afternoon kitchen scenes, etc. I don't think he believed my denial of this, and my statement that it was all invented, including Christine. I didn't tell him that when I was hunting about for a physique for Christine I saw Madame R. accompanying her husband at a concert, and immediately fastened on her physique for Christine - sadness, puckering of the brows, etc. Moore told me he was writing five short stories about celibates. He gave me a rather fullish account of one story, which seemed very good and Moore-ish. 

For more on George Moore see 'A man of opinion'

He left at 3.30 .... Fiddled about all afternoon. No ideas. I went to the Burlington Club. Personne! But at the Reform I read Conrad's essay on de Maupassant and then I read the first part of "Yvette", and this did me good.

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