“Mr. Forster can’t take the chair. Lord Derby declines, and now, at 2 p.m., comes a note to say the Princess Louise _will not be able to attend_! “Dr. Storrar goes to-morrow morning to see Mr. Holzmann, and consult with him. We hope to get access to Princess Mary. “If not where are we? Curiously enough, this sort of thing does not worry me—at least, not much.... Nothing but the necessity of working with other people would have made me allow the matter to be so delayed. _June_ is our month, and always has been. However, I am quite cool about matters. The inevitable must be endured.” “Myra Lodge, July 11, 8 a.m. “The chairman sends Col. Airey’s note to say Princess Mary declines. I shall go at once to consult Mr. Elliott.” “202, Camden Road, July 11, 11 a.m. “Mr. Elliott is going to try the Duke of Edinburgh. I am to get rid of the Albert Hall, however, _coûte que coûte_. “Everything is at a standstill. Never in my working life has there been such a complete _fiasco_.” “July 13. “I must write later to answer your notes fully, but, at 8 o’clock this morning, I went to our vicar, Mr. Cutts, for a note to the bishop’s chaplain, whom I do not know. I then went to Mr. Elliott; returned to breakfast, and then dashed out with the fixed determination not to return until the Prize Day arrangements had been made. “I drove in the storm to St. James’ Square (London House), Bishop not there, but at Fulham; drove to Fulham, sent in my note to the chaplain, who saw me _at once_, and asked me to go to the bishop. I said I wanted to ask a question, and would not disturb him if possible. So Mr. Gamier took in my message, ‘Would the bishop preside for even half an hour at our meeting—on _any hour_ and _any day_ in the next fortnight.’ “The bishop positively had not one hour available. He went through his list, but he would give me _Monday_, the _29th_, at 3 o’clock. Of course I accepted, rushed away to St. James’ Hall—not to be had anyhow for two months—thence to Willis’ Rooms, which we can have. “How much I regret allowing a committee to be formed! If Mr. Elliott, Mr. Danson, and I had been empowered to act, we should have had one of the Princesses. There would have been no delay by notes going first to the chairman and then having to be sent to me. If I had had the note of Princess Louise’s secretary at 8 a.m., by 10 I should have been at her house, and should _certainly_ have got an introduction to Princess Mary. In this case, the memorial to the latter would have been in her hands by Saturday morning, instead of Tuesday! and would have been accompanied by a note from either Princess Louise or Lord Lorne.