War stories

Thursday, March 1st., Yacht Club, London.

Clifford Sharp, editor of the New Statesman, lunched with me at Reform Club. I seemed to be wandering about all day in search of ideas for novel. Went into the R.C. cathedral. Also Lanchester's Bond Street shop, clubs etc. By about 6.30 I had got them all. Whether they will prove to be good ideas is another matter. A Lieutenant Bayne (Gordon Highlanders, lost his left arm) dined with me and Shufflebotham at Cafe Royal - very well. I wanted to ask Bayne about the loss of his arm, how he felt about the war, loss of life, injuries, that sort of thing - but it didn't seem appropriate. 

Shuff told me that when he went into factory for lachrymatory shells at Walthamstow, the water poured out of his eyes and filled a jug. He does tend to exaggerate a bit.

Bayne told the tale of an Irish Company Sergeant-Major in the Gordon Highlanders, with a strong Irish accent, who said to him in the midst of the Loos affair (in reply to his question as to how he was getting on) - with enthusiasm, "Man, it's grand to be a Scotchman!" 

Marguerite has some daft idea in her head about 'closing up' Comarques. The problem is she hasn't got enough to do and she wants to be interfering in my business. She doesn't seem to realise that I cannot carry on my work without my books and without an office, and that to close Comarques would cause me grave inconvenience, quite apart from my health. Anyway, it will not be closed as long as I can afford to keep it open. I wonder what she will turn her mind to next? Somebody should warn you about this sort of thing before you marry!