no "Peer of the House of Commons" [ X S93 



set before us the things he had seen and felt as one reads them in 

 Kipling. 



; ' 14th May (Sunday). — Spent the morning writing to the Sheykh 

 el Bekri. Then to see Loulou Harcourt who is in bed at a private 

 hospital for some slight operation, but is able to receive friends. He 

 says he expects the Government to win at the General Elections next 

 year, as they will take other bills besides the Home Rule Bill and 

 appeal to the country against the Lords. 



" 21st May. — Lunched with d'Estournelles. He professes the great- 

 est admiration for my politics, but that I suspect is because I oppose 

 English policy in Egypt. 



" 1st June. — Dined at Lady Galloway's in Upper Grosvenor Street, 

 Philip Currie being there with others. She is by birth a Cecil, 

 half sister to Lord Salisbury, an altogether noble soul." 



This marks the beginning of a friendship which put me in connec- 

 tion with the Cecil section of the Conservative party and their ideas of 

 foreign policy. Lady Galloway who spent much of her time travelling, 

 was of considerable use to her brother in regard to what was passing 

 on the Continent. 



"5th June. — Gave a dinner in Mount Street to Margot and Betty 

 Balfour, Harry Cust and d'Estournelles ; the latter, who came in full 

 uniform on his way to a State Concert, was very amusing, giving us his 

 ideas about English women and English men. 



" 12th June. — I hear from Lefevre that the despatches exchanged 

 between Rosebery and Cromer are ' most curious.' Cromer was for 

 the wildest violence against the Khedive, but he was given a douche 

 which has brought him to his senses. He is, however, quite out of 

 favour. 



" iyth June. — With Judith and Anne to a garden party at Kew, 

 given by George Lefevre in his official capacity (as Commissioner of 

 the Board of Works). The party was to meet at the pier of the 

 House of Commons, and go up the river in two steamers. As we did 

 not know precisely where the pier was we stopped outside the House 

 of Lords to ask a policeman. 



" Dialogue : 



" /. ' Can you tell me where I shall find the pier of the House of 

 Commons ? ' 



" Policeman. ' What peer did you say? ' 



" /. ' The pier of the House of Commons.' 



" Policeman. ' No, sir, indeed, we have plenty of peers of the House 

 of Lords, but I never yet heard of a peer of the House of Commons,." 



On the boat with us were old Maud Stanley, Carlisle, Maisie Stanley 

 and her daughter. Lord and Lady Denbigh, T. P. O'Connor and his 

 wife and the Mathew family, Justin McCarthy, Lord Acton and Lady 



