The Henson Journals

[102]

Friday, December 5th, 1924.

The air was thunderous and unseasonably warm, &, though very tired, I was unable to sleep, & when the maid arrived with tea, I felt so unwell that I all but abandoned the effort to dress. Illness in a hotel is not lightly to be undertaken, so I persisted and gathered strength as I went on. Before leaving for Newcastle, I walked to the Cathedral. Leaving York at 9.35 a.m. I arrived in Newcastle at 11.10 a.m.: & strolled into the city. At 12 noon, I presided over a meeting of the Barnard Castle School Governors. Bircham was there, and, of course, made himself obnoxious, but I spoke kindly to him afterwards, hoping that, if there was any basis of good in his crabbed character, it might be brought into action. Time will show whether I reckoned wisely, or not. After lunching with my colleagues in the Hotel, I returned to Auckland in the car, which arrived to fetch us about 2 p.m. On reaching the Castle, I set to work on the accumulated letters. Jimmie Dobbie arrived about 6 p.m., and stayed to dinner. We had a great talk, and he promised to reconsider the whole question of taking Holy Orders. We would both pray regularly that he might be guided aright, and at the end of the year he would give me his final decision. He would but be reverting to his boyish purpose, & indeed, I think he has the makings of an excellent clergyman. But, perhaps, I am hardly an unbiassed judge.

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