Gloom

Wednesday, December 19th., Yacht Club, London.

Yarned at Reform Club with Harold Massingham and a few others. Then finished Sardonyx article, and then saw Gardiner who said the "Thugs" were after him now. Apparently all to do with his recent attacks on Lloyd George interpreted as meaning that the Daily News is pro-German and represents nothing in England. What poppycock! Just wartime hysteria which will blow over, but I can see why he is anxious about it.

Then to Turkish Baths. Masterman and Squire. Masterman told us that the new Allied Military Council at Versailles is an absolute farce. I am not surprised. Seemingly their main concern is to get equal representation of all the allies on the Council. Nobody would guess there is a war on! Turkish bathing is very civilised. No wonder it was so popular with the Romans. Squire is something of a scholar and tells me that the Roman bigwigs would regularly meet in the Baths to talk politics and business. And they had a system of being oiled (by slaves presumably) all over and then 'scraped' with a special instrument called a strigil to remove the oil and dirt at the same time. I wouldn't mind trying it, especially if I had the right sort of slave to rub the oil in.

I was wakened out of my after-bath sleep by news of an impending air-raid. This made me feel gloomy. I didn't mind missing dinner at the flat, or anything - I was merely gloomy. As soon as I got out into Northumberland Avenue I heard guns. Motors and people rushing. Then guns very close. I began to run. I headed for the Reform Club, and abandoned idea of reaching the flat. Everybody ran. Girls ran. However, I found that after the Turkish bath I couldn't run much in a heavy overcoat. So I walked. It seemed a long way. Guns momentarily ceased. So I didn't hurry and felt relieved. But still prodigiously gloomy. When I reached the Club the hall was in darkness. No girls in the Coffee Room. The menservants manfully tackled the few diners. Nothing could be had out of the kitchen as it is under glass and deserted.

All clear at about 9.30. I heard later that there were five bomber planes and that ten people were killed and a lot more injured. Oddly that made me feel less gloomy.