The Henson Journals

[176]

Wednesday, February 28th [^27th^], 1918.

1304th day

In the course of the morning, I called at the Petrol Controller's Office in Berkeley Street, and had an interview with a dejected female, who caused me to fill up a form, & promised me a monthly supply of 30 gallons. The office appeared to be "manned" by excited & incompetent flappers, & there was an impression of regnant chaos! I called at the Church Printing Company's office in Burleigh Street, & ordered note paper properly stamped. The clerk would make no promise as to the date of delivery, nor give any security as to the quality of the paper!

I lunched in the Athenaeum: & was there joined by Rashdall, who told me that some of my enemies were saying that I had made private recantations to Gore or to the Archbishop or to both: so I caused him to read through my journal, & told him to tell anybody who thus spoke that I stood explicitly to everything that I had written or spoken, & made no retraction whatever. Then we walked to the Church House, & attended the first meeting of the Committee of the Church & State business. Beyond electing the necessary officers – Bishop Ryle, Chairman: Lord Parmoor, Vice–Chairman: Charlewood, Secretary – we did nothing, but talk rather aimlessly. Pearce walked with me to Lambeth, where I made a fruitless attempt to see the Archbishop. Mrs Davidson assured me that he wd gladly see me, but Sir Thos. Barlow was with him: so I went away, promising to see him tomorrow. I dined at the Athenaeum with Jevons for my table companion: & so in due course to my bed in Morley's Hotel.

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