The Henson Journals

[100]

Thursday, March 13th, 1919.

There was a frost last night, and a brilliant day. The river fell with astonishing rapidity, and had returned to its banks by mid–day. I began the day by sending back the proofs &c to Chatto & Windus. Then I sat to work on the correspondence which Curzon had sent me. It is very interesting, but not worth much biographically. Mostly it belongs to the years, 1907 and 1908. I made extracts of the relevant portions, and sent them to the President of Magdalen, within whose province they would seem naturally to come, since he undertakes to deal with the Warden's Oxford career. After lunch I walked for a an hour, calling on the way to inquire for my victim, Croft, who still keeps his bed, and complains of pain. He is 70 years old. The shock must needs have been severe. The question of compensation is morally simple, but legally obscure: for there is no reason to attribute negligence to the chauffeur, who was driving carefully, and knocked over the poor man, while swerving in order to avoid a bicycle: nor is it clear whether Croft was in any measure blameworthy, for he was struck from behind, & had every reason to assume that he was safe. Equity demands that he should be compensated, though to what extent it is hard to determine.

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