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26 January 1897 — 3 Savile Row | |
Tuesday. 26th January [1897]. Wrote in morning. Ivor came to see me in the morning & brought me all my mother’s journal to get typewritten for him—& when Miss Oswell called in the evening she took some away to begin. I read some of them–& question whether it had been better not written. It is sad reading such minute details of a life now over– It is curious to see what a passionate nature hers was under her impassive manner– Lady Laura Redding came to see Sophy who is better tho’ not up—& she stayed to luncheon. At 3 Eda & I drove out & went to the old Misses Duff Gordons in Hertford St (34) where we heard Mr Godfrey Pierce (nee Mario) sing delightfully. Also Miss Hill accompanied by her mother Lady Arthur Hill. Miss Hill came in after Mrs Pierce had sung & oddly eno’ sang the same song we had just heard. Mrs J. Pierce’s is a very sweet & highly trained voice. Miss Hill is evidently quite young, her manner of singing very simple, her voice fresh & well trained for her age—& promises to be much finer. Came home early. Eda went out to tea– Lolly Redding returned to see Sophy & had tea with me & we had a nice chat. I went to dine with Mr & Mrs Beaumont 144 Piccadilly—the first real party I have been to alone. I met the Bayards & sat next him at dinner. Mr George Russell took me in & sat on my right. He talked in an interesting manner abt Biographies—& said no biography ought to be more than 1 vol. He said that Gladstone had prepared an overwhelming mass of materials for his Biography—all ready sorted &c—& journals during his public life which he had not kept since 1894. He said that he (Mr R.) told Gladstone he thought it a pity he had not kept it up—& G. had said that there was no reason to do so & he had kept a journal that there should be a record of his doings as he knew they had been so often criticised & misrepresented. Mr R. said that when Lord Rosebery had heard of this he remarked that were history written from this journal—it would not be very trustworthy. Mr R. said that Lady May had shown him some of Sir Erskine Mays autobiography with a view to publication—& that he lamented to have to tell her it was not possible to publish it– He says it is most puerile—abt daily small things & nothing about the great events or interesting people of his times. He praised Lord Selborne’s life—& was anxious for the other vols to come out—but he spoke slightingly of Ld Selborne & called him acrimonious—& evidently did not understand the man. After dinner I talked to my host’s daughter Mrs Bamfylde. | |
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