306 Shane Leslie's Account [ l 9 10 



ing of Thursday, the day before he was taken ill, he had seen some 

 of the Ministers who were worrying him about the political crisis, and 

 he had a bad fit of coughing. Mrs. Keppel came to tea with him in the 

 evening with the two Keyser girls. He had no idea that he was in 

 danger, and even the day before he died they told him nothing. He 

 had people to see him on business in the morning, and again he had 

 a fit of coughing and choking, which got worse and worse. They 

 sent for the Archbishop of Canterbury, but he did not see him, and 

 he smoked a cigar. Only once he said: ' If this goes on much longer 

 I shall be done for,' and soon after became unconscious and never 

 said another word. . . . He liked the society of women who could 

 talk, and Jews and people who could amuse him. He liked also every 

 sort of public function, and entertainment and theatres and card 

 playing. All the same he was a clever man, and knew all about foreign 

 politics better than any of them, and was a bit of a Radical. Things 

 would be very different now. 



" Lady C. went on talking about other personages she had known, 

 the King of Greece, the Emperor William, King Leopold of Belgium, 

 and the Crown Prince Rudolph, as to whose death she gave me almost 

 the same account as that I had from Countess Hoyos at Fiume. She 

 knew the story from King Edward, and I do not doubt that hers is 

 the correct one. 



" 14th May. — To Newbuildings, where I am entertaining the Rhu- 

 von Guests, Mark Napier and Shane Leslie. Leslie, who has re- 

 cently become a Catholic and a Nationalist, after being by birth an 

 Ulster Protestant, was run by Redmond at the last elections for a 

 Nationalist constituency. His mother, Mrs. Jack Leslie, Lady Ran- 

 dolph Churchill's sister, was a favourite of the late King and a friend 

 of Mrs. Keppel, and he has heard the story of the King's last days 

 both from his mother and from Winston. The first alarm about the 

 King, he says, was on Monday, the 2nd, when he went to play bridge 

 with Mrs. Keppel and spend the evening, the same evening, no doubt, 

 that Lady C. had talked of when the Miss Keysers were there. But 

 Mrs. Keppel had got him to go home and to bed early at half-past 

 ten. The next day, however, he could not be prevailed upon to stay 

 in bed, and got up to do business in the morning, and the same on 

 Wednesday and Thursday, when he had to receive some Colonial peo- 

 ple. He lost his temper because he misunderstood exactly who they 

 were, and said something mal a propos, and this caused a violent attack 

 of coughing, and the Prince of Wales was telegraphed for and the 

 Queen. 



" 15^/j May (Whit Sunday). — I have had a long talk with Leslie 

 about Irish affairs and think he may eventually take a lead in them, 

 as he has had the wit the join the National party. Young and being 



