2,000 words of novel on Saturday. 2,000 word article for the Daily News yesterday, and a bad night in between. Sundry officers, including Saunders, Jacob and Cummings, dined on Saturday night, and the delight of these last two in singing more or less at sight good and bad songs from the "Scottish Students' Song Book", to my bad accompaniment, was most extraordinary. I should think these officers must count their blessings every night to be stationed on home soil, and must dread the prospect of being sent to France. No wonder they are so cheerful!Last night Richard was talking about being set to learn forty lines of "L'Allegro" in 45 minutes prep, and to write essays in ten minutes. My first thought was: "What a fool of a master", but later I reflected that it is probably a good discipline; forces a concentration on the essentials and demands action. I didn't say anything more about it to Richard today but I can't see it does any harm, and may do him some good. I imagine it is apprehension about returning to school that prompted the revelation. No sympathy from me. Just get on with it.
I bought an Eversley bible the other day. Not sure why, though it is striking in appearance. Anyway I have been browsing in it since. I am reading it as literature rather than as divine revelation. The Book of Esther is a good eastern story, exceedingly ingenuous, all based on copulation. I Kings makes excellent reading. But the way David ordered executions before he died, and Solomon upon his accession is rather startling. Nothing much seems to have changed in the arena of power politics though less actual blood is spilt nowadays. I was led on to re-read some of "Paradise Lost" and thought it very fine and interesting. The remarks of Adam and the Angel about the relations of man and wife have not yet been beaten for sense.
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