The Henson Journals

[225]

Tuesday, May 25th, 1915.

295th day

The brilliant weather continues. Hutton went off after breakfast. I worked at the "Magna Carta" lecture, & then succumbed to the lure of the sunshine, & sate in the garden. I attended Evensong in the Cathedral, and afterwards walked around Houghall Wood with Cruickshank. The flowers, foliage, & singing birds are all at their best. Then I wrote a series of letters, including one to Lord Stamfordham to condole with him on the loss of his only son, whose death is announced in the casualty list of today.

After dinner, at 9.30 p.m., there was an emergency test of our fire–extinguishing arrangements. Mr Newby, the plumber, appeared in about 20 minutes after the first alarm: Cummings, our responsible man, emerged a little later: and, under their guidance, we hurried into the Cathedral, & went through the process of getting out, linking up, and bringing to play the hose provided at certain danger–points. It was quite 40 minutes before anything effective had been achieved, and by that time, I should suppose, in the case of a fire the building would be in flames, &, perhaps, lost. The Treasurer had provided coffee in his hall: and thither we all betook ourselves. It is to be noted that all the canons took part in this drill, save only the Sub–Dean, who had been most of all dogmatic on the subject in the Chapter!

A Fall of soot in my study made the room uninhabitable, and covered everything with a coating of black dirt, infinitely injurious. Thus my little plan for escaping the horrors of a 'spring–cleaning' by postponing it until my absence in June appears to have broken down: & I am immersed in the filth and hustle of that annual abomination.

---