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intervals for the rest of the day. The steering had locked. I won't bother you about the rescue by a Col Villiers Stuart, who as a Bute cadet must be related to Susie; our crossing minus the car & journey by train to Tyndrum (the rest) & Edin^b (me) & the recovery of the car in due course repaired.

What a mess they have made of the Spean & Loch Treig. Indeed for folks like you & me we had the Highlands at its best.

Hugh Macmillan had a yacht but he stuck to Barra & South Uist till we went south. He feared the Hebridean sea between him and Loch Bracadale, where we were. There was a very characteristic article by him in the Times about the Hebrides about the middle of September. It was not signed but I spotted my Hugh & sure eought it turned out that he was the writer.

Johnnie [Jameson] & I are apte to "crole" (talk dismally) about the future in this awful time.

of dictators. But then I reflect: surely the Almighty didn't allow these delightful hostages to fortune to be born to us to make complete holocaust of the lot of them. There must be a way of wisdom out, but in the meantime the only thing to say is - "Oh you're going to make it hot for me, are you? Very well I'll make it a d-d sight hotter for you if you dare to try it on." Hitler is too fond of Wagner and the cinema to risk his Kadaver (you remember the controversy about the Verwertung Kadaver [the word] only used for animals) except for an absolute cert [underlined]. And the less powerful if more diabolical duce [Mussolini] thinks on much the same lines. Whate'er befal, they [underlined] must not come a cropper or be within a mile of one. The terror is that something internal makes a plunge with war the only hope of maintaining the dictatorship. But I am

not going to spoil my paper crack with you by havering about things I know nothing about.

How delightful for you & Canada to have your mother out & what fun for her. It would [do] her a world of good to get such a change & yet so much of our Scotland too I suppose. They tell me there is a great deal of Gaelic spoken in Eastern Canada & though that may not be the every day face of Mrs Buchan or me there is something in sounds associated with the Highlands & manners to & oneness with our Lowland Scotland that stirs the heart. And then there [is the] Kirk & the names & the voices of settlers.

The even tenor of a not very exciting existence must be my excuse for such a dull letter. The real purpose is to let you know that your old friends love to talk of you in that great place in that great country and to go on reminding you at intervals that we believe in you & your work & wish you well in it.

Ever yours Stair Gillon.