2110-7-2-14

6, Oak Hill Park, Hampstead, N.W.3.

28 - iii - 35.

My dear John,

When I saw you in the Travellers' the other day, which I was pleased to do after so long, no sudden flash of foresight inspired me to address you as "Your Excellency"; and you wore no ghostly coronet upon your brow. In fact, thank goodness!, you looked the same as ever - and very fit, I thought.

But since then the secret has been told, and I am naturally eager to say my little piece and wish you luck in Canada. It is a grand business. Many people will be intensely pleased at your promotion to such a post; and few more than I.

And if you are to have a peerage, as originally (and perhaps prematurely) reported, you may

be sure that I am glad on behalf of you and yours, providing that you and they are glad as well. Certainly no-one would put such an estate to better public use than yourself; and few, if any, could bring more solid honour to it.

Supposing, however, that you privately look upon the latter as something which, in the circumstances, you cannot very well escape .... well, in that case you have my heartfelt sympathy. Your many friends and well wishers, the thoughtful ones, will not be so much concerned as to whether your letters will soon be curtly signed "Macnab" or "Greenmantle", but rather will be hoping that whatever pleasure and facility is to be had out of such a change will be your lot instead of the intermittent embarassment it brings to some.

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For myself, I sincerely wish you all you wish yourself: and not solely success, for you have much already and will undoubtedly move on to more; but a personal wish for your own content.

I have only bothered to see one peer introduced into our House: a quaint ceremony. Nevertheless, I shall certainly try to attend yours - that is, if you do come there.

There is nothing half-hearted about such shows. You don't enter by the short path of the King, but from the other end of the chamber; and between two supporters, like a prince of the captivity. You take thirty-nine steps and then stand fast, whereupon you all bow to the Lord Chancellor, as might three hostages.

All this, and much more, will be seen by the watchers on the threshold: but I, being a retiring sort of bird, shall look through a gap in the curtain; and if I catch your eye, I'll wink.

It is a curious place, the Upper Chamber.

Because of the wearers of strawberry leaves that it has furnished, and still furnishes, for the police courts of the morning, ribald people sometimes refer to it as the runagates club.

Later, in Ottawa, you'll go to live in a castle gay, and not need a blanket of the dark except in midwinter when there is a lot of snow and, so they say, the house seems very draughty - especially in the hunting tower and on the dancing floor.

And I gather there will be a lot of speechmaking to be done and diplomacy to be exercised, when you would far sooner speak your mind and be done with petty considerations. So when you are sick of it and must get away, remember that not far off there is a lodge in the wilderness witch wood enable you and your ain folk to be free fishers for a while, and where the moon endureth.

Seriously, John, will you accept the congratulations of a younger man? To see

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someone whose work one has consistently admired for years, given the opportunity to do more work of a valuable character, and with such scope to it, is a rather rare experience in these days. For there seems to be a spate of charming mediocrities in many departments of public life, and, of the really admirable people, a number appear to be at the top of the tree all right - but it is sometimes the wrong tree. Consequently there will be unusually widespread rejoicing over you.

After Canada, John, there is South Africa. After South Africa there is India, not to mention a small, arid spot called Australia. And why stop at that? I feel you will probably be the person to inaugurate Dominion Status in Elysium.

Yet wherever you go and whatever