Passionately interested

Monday, March 3rd., Comarques, Thorpe-le-Soken.

On the 1st. I began my book on women but I only wrote about 100 words. I think I may call it simply "Our Women". I meant to go on with it yesterday but couldn't. After muddling about nearly all day I began again at 5 p.m. and wrote 600 good words before dinner. The book is now really begun. I must admit to some misgivings and I expect to get a fair amount of criticism when it is published, but something needs to be said about the changing role of women and if not by me then who?

I have written to Max Beaverbrook today about theatrical matters. I need some advice. For a man who has two telephones in his office he is singularly difficult to get at. It is all to do with the affair of the Hammersmith Theatre lease. If I don't get hold of the lease Horne will assuredly sell it to one of the theatrical rings, who, I think, would give him an appreciable profit. At the moment he is prepared to sell to me for the amount he paid originally. I don't want to miss the chance. I have now, to my immense chagrin, become passionately interested in it. People have told me this is what happens when you get mixed up in the theatrical business - it gets hold of you.

The theatre has been closed for over a year, and before that it had a bad melodramatic reputation. We have undoubtedly put it on the map, and unless the wild sensationalism of the Daily Express, the Daily Sketch and the Daily Mirror plunges this millionaire-ridden country into anarchy, we have an excellent chance of accomplishing something permanent and valuable. The artistic credit will be Nigel Playfair's. The credit on the practical side will be mine and Alistair Tayler's. The press has been exceedingly kind on the whole, and already our prestige is unquestionable. So much so that we have been invited to take sole charge of the Shakespeare Memorial Week at Stratford.