The Henson Journals

[70]

Monday, December 15th, 1919.

My letter appears in the Times. It does not read so savagely as I feared it might; & it does convey an impression of real distress.

After breakfast, the chaplain, Webb, took me to the barber, who cut my hair. By way of conversation with the artist, I said: "I have the advantage of my friend, the Bishop of Bristol, in the matter of hair": for the Bishop is almost hairless, & I have a fairly ample covering. " Ah, I dare say, you have lived a more regular life" replied the barber, to my great amusement. Nickson took me to the Club, where I lunched in a room crowded with commercial magnates, to some of whom I was introduced. Their talk was of nothing but profits, dividends, & fortunes. The Bishop is evidently on very good terms with them. Again, the suspicion that the Church might be paying too dearly for this popularity darkened over my spirit. I returned to Hereford by the afternoon train; and on arriving at the Palace found Jack Boden arrived from Oxford. I had some talk with him after dinner. He is considerably perplexed as to his course of action with a view to taking Holy Orders, on which his mind appears to be fixed.

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