A GARDEN DIARY in 



" Quite true ma'am. Quite true ladies. You'll 

 find it written up at the War Office." 



" But how ? Where did they get in from ? 

 The enemy were right across ; so " 



" Well ladies, as I understand it were like 

 this. General French was sent north, and he 

 fetched a big circuit as it were so. And " 



With our umbrellas we drew a hasty but 

 effectual scheme of attack upon the park gravel, 

 then hurried away from our gold-braided in- 

 formant in the direction of Pall Mall. 



Oddly enough St. James's Palace did not 

 appear to be in the least irradiated by the in- 

 telligence ! its grim old face remained as un- 

 responsive, and as dirty as usual. Everything 

 else however had caught the glamour. It shone 

 upon the cabs, or at any rate upon their cabbies ; 

 it lit up the sea of mud ; it seemed to float along 

 the pavements scoured by a recent shower. Men 

 were coming out of the clubs in groups, talking 

 loudly ; everyone talked loudly ; not an acquaint- 

 ance was in sight, yet they seemed to be all 

 acquaintances ; more than acquaintances, friends, 

 dear friends ; we looked benignantly at them, 

 and they looked benignantly back at us. In 

 London ; in St. James' Street ! Tall or short, 

 stiff or pompous, young or old, it was all one ; 

 they were brothers ; brothers in a common joy, 

 brothers in a common relief from an all but 

 maddening dread. To smile for no reason in 



