[53] It will not have been forgotten that, in 1920, a cinematograph actress received a welcome to London which may have been equalled by crowned heads, but has, I should think, never been surpassed. Wherever she went, the streets were thronged; in its desire to see her, the crowd at a theatrical garden party nearly crushed her to death. Would Madame Curie, I wonder, have secured a single cheer? Would Miss Nightingale have been recognised? [54] The temptation to make class-lists is almost irresistible: I have been taken to task for saying in an introduction to Couperus' _Old People and the Things That Pass_ that it was one of the world's half-dozen greatest novels; but the temptation should be resisted, for the proof of our fallibility is ever before our eyes. [55] On the first night of _L'Heure espagnole_ a devil entered into one member of the audience and tempted him to murmur at any open door: "Is this not extraordinarily reminiscent of Aïda?" Complete and immediate agreement was his reward. [56] _Naturam expellas furca, tamen usque recurret._ It is natural for Balliol to gravitate to the cabinet; and distinction was lent to the business government by the presence of Lord Curzon. [57] _Memorandum_ TO THE CABINET BY LORD MILNER ON HIS VISIT TO FRANCE, INCLUDING THE CONFERENCE AT DOULLENS, MARCH 26TH, 1918. The Prime Minister having asked me to run over to France in order to report to the Cabinet personally on the position of affairs there, I left Charing Cross at 12.50 on Sunday, March 24th.... On arrival at Doullens I was at once seized by Clemenceau, who startled me by the announcement that Haig had just declared that he would be obliged to uncover Amiens and fall back on the Channel ports. I told him I felt sure there must be some misunderstanding about this, and that before the general Conference I thought it was desirable that I should have a short conversation with the Field-Marshal and the Army Commanders, whom I had not yet seen....