‘Oh! What a crocodilian world is this’ as Quarles sings.
I was late for Prep for the first time this morning. Hobson told me that not a word was said to him about the row in the Big Dormitory last night. I knew the difficulties of the day would arrive with Marriott so I got down into Chiswicks as soon as I could (I always get ready in my own room) to support Hobson. As I thought, all was safe so I went back to the house and as I passed through Outer I looked back and saw Marriott go into Inner and shut the door. I hesitated a moment and then went back, but the harm was done. Subsequently Hobson told me Marriott had said ‘Did you go and tell the Old Man yourself?’ Hobson replied he did not and Marriott then called him a liar and a d***ed cad. Hobson taken by surprise had to make up his mind in a minute and though as he said ‘it made one boil’ he eventually said absolutely nothing. It is easy to be wise afterwards but I think I should have said some remark like ‘I think you are rather forgetting yourself’, but perhaps silence was best. What I objected to was the fact that he carefully waited until I was not there. It is the sign of a mean and dirty little mind which will say such things before one person and is afraid, for that I take to be the reason, to say it before the other, for he must know any insult like that is as much against me as it is against Hobson. I wondered all day if they would say anything to me, but they didn’t though it was not through any lack of opportunities and once or twice I thought they were going to do so.
‘Hall’ was really rather amusing. The humorous side struck me, there were Marriott and myself sitting straight opposite one another with Hobson on my right, all obviously thinking of the same thing, all desperately anxious to seem at ease, I making frantic spasmodic attempts at conversation with Hobson. Except perhaps by Marriott and Graham I seem so to say to be forgiven and I find myself talking and being answered quite naturally by the Chiswickites and even Tomlinson is smiling again. All the storm seems to fall on Hobson for which I am most sorry. I told him he could lay any responsibility he liked on me but he said he didn’t much mind.
Father, Aunt Mary and myself sallied out to see the Suffragettes but the row was more or less over and except for police in Victoria Street etc. was practically deserted. The moment we went out a policeman asked us our business! During Prep it was quite exciting the crowd emerged along College Street shouting and yelling and the Gates of Dean’s Yard had to be shut. Earlier in the evening the whole Chapter, except perhaps the Dean who I expect watched from his roof, came out. When Father went out earlier Broad Sanctuary was a surging mass.