74 Winston Churchill [i9°3 



in the ' Times ' of this morning, which he had not read. He read it, 

 and was rather put out by it. ' It is too stupid of Buckle,' he said. 

 ' I must write him a strong letter at once, and put a stop to this.' 



"31^ Oct. — Here I close this year's journal as far as my life in 

 England is concerned. The part I was able to play in Irish affairs 

 this summer has given me confidence my life has been not quite 

 wasted. I await the future calmly, feeling that I have almost com- 

 pleted my life's work. 



" Victor Lytton, who has been staying at Whittinghame and other 

 headquarters of information, has given me a true and particular ac- 

 count of the recent Ministerial crisis. Chamberlain's first shot, fired 

 in the Spring at Birmingham, was in consequence of the refusal of 

 the Exchequer to grant a preference in favour of the Colonies on the 

 Corn Tax or to continue the duty. The refusal was quite unexpected 

 by the rest of the Cabinet and was not taken seriously by them at 

 first ; later Arthur Balfour's whole effort has been to keep the Cabinet 

 together, but as he has been gradually converted by Chamberlain to 

 retaliation, and as Ritchie is an out and out free-trader it became im- 

 possible to do so, and the free-traders in the Cabinet had to go. 

 Ritchie and Hamilton and the Duke of Devonshire resolved together 

 on this course the day before the Cabinet meeting, and the two first sent 

 in their written resignations, but the Duke, who was always behind- 

 hand through slowness of thought, delayed writing his. So Arthur was 

 able to persuade him to stay on. Arthur is furious now with the 

 Duke, because in his own slow time he has got to understand the 

 drift of what was going on, and has now resigned and left them in 

 the lurch. It is like keeping on a cook after she has given warning. 

 She gives you nothing but cold mutton, and chucks up altogether 

 the day of your dinner party. Victor gave some amusing stories 

 of the Duke's slowness and forgetfulness. Lord Dudley had been 

 invited to dinner one day at Devonshire House, and as he was 

 driving up to the door saw a royal carriage entering the court- 

 yard in front of them, and began to trouble himself because he 

 had not put on his orders. When the carriage stopped at the front 

 door the King stepped out, but nobody seemed prepared for their 

 coming, and it transpired that the Duke had told no one of having 

 invited the King, and had forgotten about it himself. He was found 

 playing bridge at the Turf Club. 



" I stopped to luncheon with Victor and Pamela and met there 

 for the first time young Winston Churchill. He is a little, square- 

 headed fellow of no very striking appearance, but of wit, intelli- 

 gence, and originality. In mind and manner he is a strange replica 

 of his father, with all his father's suddenness and assurance, and I 

 should say more than his father's ability. There is just the same 



