ENPages
page_0001
3 Temple Gardens. Temple.
Jan : 19 : 06
My dearest Mother
What an awful fate we have suffered in Glasgow! You see my prophecy will come right, & 5 will be the number of Scottish Conservatives. I am very sorry about Sir J. Maxwell & Baird. In England yesterday 4 ex-Ministers lost their seats. So far only one of the old Cabinet has got in. I am afraid the Liberals will have to present us with a few
page_0002
Seats out of charity. Joe has scattered our party to the winds of Heaven, & the Tory working-man, who was our real strength, has become Liberal to a man. We shall have to start at the beginning & do the work of Disraeli all over again, & build up a new Tory democracy.
I have had a dismal week with the Election & a severe influenza cold ending in neuralgia. It is nearly gone now, but I have
page_0003
still twinges. On Tuesday I dined at Lord Hampden's & saw Bob Brand before he left On Wednesday I dined at the Grosvenors - the George Hamiltons, the Cobhams, Maud Lyttleton, Sir Alfred Lyall, & Willie Strutt. I lunched with Beit yesterday and examined a lot of rough diamonds - which was very interesting. On Wednesday I went to lunch with Meldrum & saw the Bones. Muirhead has a great beard & looks like a
page_0004
bad illustration from a Bible picture-book.
We have had a week of rain but today it is clear & fine. I am going down to Tylney to morrow for a farewell visit, as Mrs Phillips leaves next week. Strachey is neither to hand nor to bind just now. I beseech him to bear his felicity with fortitude, as the Senate implored Nero after he had murdered his mother.
Much love to all
Your affectionate son
John
