Romantic London

Friday, December 14th., Yacht Club, London.

Wakened at 6. I began writing about noon and by the end of the day, 7 p.m., had written 1,400 words of "The Pretty Lady". Not bad. I feel it is developing well. May cause a bit of a stir when it comes out.

Dugald MacColl

Lunched at Reform, and had talk with Dugald MacColl who was rather professional in appearance but not at all in ideas. He made one more real expert to confirm me in my anti-Sargent views. I spoke to him about his own watercolours and he said that the one that I liked took him half an hour, but that all his watercolours were chances - at any rate the sketches, and that the percentage of successes was about five only. Which is considerably higher than my percentage success rate!

During the evening F.E. Smith, Attorney General, rang me up - how he got hold of me God knows - and said: "Will you go to the United States with me on Saturday morning?" He then spoke, low, some confidential remarks about his mission. I didn't catch them all and didn't get him to repeat them as I hadn't the slightest intention of going - especially for two months. I only listened out of politeness. I did hear him say: "Nominally you'll be my secretary, but only nominally of course."

Although I like him as a dinner companion I didn't see myself going to the U.S. as F.E.'s secretary even had I spare time to do so. Of course it is all about raising money for the war.

Fog and mist and a most damnably romantic London. I walked from Oxford Street to Piccadilly. Scarcely one of my 'pretty ladies' about. Had there been I might just have been in the mood to make an engagement, purely for professional reasons of course.