I read my paper before the Natural History Society this afternoon. It came out rather shorter than I had intended but I think people seemed interested although my little jokes were appreciated only in the moderate way most lecturers pleasantries are accepted!…
We had what I may almost call our usual tea party after the match this week in Ashburnham. I started conversation on a most dangerous subject, the actual date of Ashburnham House, thence of course we got onto Lord John Thynne and his enormities. ‘Why does John Sargeaunt so dislike him?’ asks Troutbeck. I said that he hated the school and all to do with it. ‘He was the type of Canon’ adds Barrington-Ward cheerfully, ‘of which [I saw it coming, I knew it, buy was too paralyzed to avert it] the present Sub-Dean is now the only survivor isn’t he?’ turning to me. Pleasant for me, sitting next to Troutbeck, his great nephew! I hastily murmured something and steered into safer waters but I don’t think anyone else noticed the slight fauxpas!…