The Henson Journals

[649]

Thursday, February 10th, 1916.

556th day

I wrote to Olaf at last. From Frederic Harrison I received the permission I has asked for, and wrote to Reginald Smith enclosing the copy of F. H.'s letter, which she had kindly made. After lunch Godfrey (for such is now my mode of addressing him) and I walked into Lichfield, & called on the Dean. Savage made a display of pleasure at seeing me, which seemed somewhat excessive & was, therefore, somewhat suspicious. When I asked him whether he was student of Robertson of Brighton, he professed never to have heard of him. This argued either an all but impossible ignorance, or an extremely discreditable prejudice. As the Dean is not an ignoramus, I feel myself 'shut up to' the latter alternative. He agreed with Godfrey in saying that Lichfield was one of the most windy places in England: affirmed that the Cathedral stood on the loftiest site of all the cathedrals (some 300 feet above the sea): and said that airmen found the air–currents over Lichfield so difficult to traverse that they commonly avoided this district. On our return to the house a telegraph message was at the door with a telegram from Lady Londonderry asking us to dine & sleep next Monday. As Ella was not available, I returned an affirmative answer. I wrote to Bob Bineham at the Front. To dinner came the Bishop of Stafford and his wife (Mrs Crawford [Crawfurd]). These had but recently arrived in the diocese, & had formerly lived in the north. He seemed a fair specimen of a modern suffragan, & rather more natural than most. He said that he was a friend of Bowlby, & had once been carried by him to the Oxford House in Bethnal Green, where he had met me. This is a 'far cry'!

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