2110-5-9-20

St. Stephen's House, London, S. W. 1.

29th September, 1931

My own darling

Things are still in a great mess. Apparently Reading went to Churt last Friday and got completely unsettled, and unsettled the P.M. on Saturday. Ramsay is very seedy, with bad sick headaches, and I am very sorry for him. The whole trouble seems to me to be coming from these wretched Liberals who are playing entirely on tactical grounds, and it ultimately comes from that wicked old spider at Churt.

Meantime I am having a lot of negotiations about the University seats. If we have an election the Prime Minister will probably get a seat in the City of London. There is a chance of Oman resigning and John Simon taking his place at Oxford, and I must try and get to the Committee to-day. It all depends on whether Baldwin can make a successful personal appeal to Oman, which I am sure will succeed.

I am most anxious to get Noel Skelton as my colleague in the Scottish Universities, and I think that possible if we can get over the doctors ' trouble. I am seeing Professor Graham Kerr at luncheon today.

I enclose a letter which you might give to John, and also a note from Charlie Londonderry in reply to my copy of "The Novel and the Fairy Tale", which I sent him.

It is cold grey weather and rather foggy. We shall prob

ably have Ramsay's announcement tomorrow in the House about the Election. If it is postponed, then I think we ought to introduce a tariff measure in the House straight away, to see what general agreement can be found on the main question. Our two troubles are the tactically-minded Liberals and the Protectionist mystics like Amery, and at the back of everything L.G.

This is all the news I have. I am very well, and I hope you are the same.

Much love.

John