312 The Modern Practice of Confession [ x 899 



was resolved on by him with the idea that he could get Lord Salisbury's 

 succession, if not as Unionist Prime Minister, at least as Unionist 

 Foreign Secretary. This is likely enough. We went to look at St. 

 Cross and the Cathedral at Winchester. The old ' brother ' at St. 

 Cross, one Joyce, who acted as showman, was describing to us the 

 mechanism of an ancient confessional in the wall of a church there, 

 and I asked him, ' Do you hold, sir, with the modern practice of con- 

 fession?' His answer was amusing. ' Modern confession, sir. I was 

 taking a lady round the church last week, and when we came to this 

 'ole in the wall, I invited her inside. " Now, Madam," I said, " have 

 you nothing to confess to me?" And she was a pretty woman, sir. 

 *' I confess," said she, "that I 'ave been in 'ere alone with you quite 

 long enough." That's my idea of modern confession and you may let 

 Sir William 'Arcourt know it with my compliments.' 



" i$th Jan. — Back to Lyndhurst, stopping on the way at Malwood 

 for luncheon. Sir William is immensely pleased with my confessional 

 story, which exactly hits his humour. Loulou was there, and Bobby, 

 the younger boy, and we had a great discussion about poetry and poets. 

 I expounded to them the glories of Malory's ' Morte d'Arthur.' 



" 20th Jan. — The papers give the text of a convention made between 

 Cromer and Boutros Pasha — a leonine convention indeed. The text, 

 however, shows it less of an annexation than Cromer's speech sug- 

 gested. As far as I can read its meaning it would become legally in- 

 operative if England evacuated Egypt, for it provides only ' a system 

 for the administration and making of laws . . . giving effect to the 

 claims which have accrued to Her Britannic Majesty's Government by 

 right of conquest to share in the present settlement and future working 

 and development of the said system of legislation.' This can hardly be 

 construed into sovereign rights. Nevertheless, it is practically as bad 

 as possible for Egypt, for it will saddle on her the whole cost and 

 labour of the war of reconquest not yet completed and make her budget 

 responsible for Soudan deficits. 



" 21st to 2yd January. — At Hewell. I have made friends here with 

 Rowton and have talked Egyptian and other matters over with him. 

 He is, of course, a Jingo of the Jingoes, as becomes a courtier of the 

 Queen and Disraeli's once private secretary, but he can talk without 

 asperity even on the delicate subject of the British flag at Khartoum. 



" 2nd Feb. — To-day is Judith's wedding day. I came up to London 

 and joined Edith Lytton and the family dinner party, where we drank 

 the health of bride and bridegroom. Edith had with her a telegram 

 from Her Majesty expressing sympathy, and later another saying that 

 she had telegraphed to Lord Cromer asking for news of the wedding 

 and giving his reply, ' marriage duly performed: This Her Majesty 

 had underlined to show, Edith explained, her disappointment at the 



