Tues. 3. [3 February 1903] Made our Chotu Hazri in the train and
reached Lucknow at 9. We arrived at the wrong station and had to
drive across. Most civilized town - streets of big shops, grass flowers,
smooth lawns. We breakfasted at Lucknow Junction and H [Hugo]
went off in quest of Alan Fremantle while I drove to the Museum.
Shockingly arranged, but I managed to see Buddhist ..... with dancing
girls on it (very Hindu) from Muttra [Mathura] and an interesting Tori
with an excellent low relief of pilgrims coming on horses and in bullock
carts. Harpies and Centaurs. Then down to the Chauk, the native
town and so to the Imambara, most hideous as architecture but
beautifully preserved with grass lawns between the buildings. All the
palaces of the Kings of Oudh are really[?] bad, over decorated
stucco. So to the Residency and so home - all this in an ekka.
Lunched with H at the station and went again to the Residency where I
spent the afternoon. It is exactly right-nothing touched or repaired but
all covered with flowers - bignonias in curtains, bougainvilleas, roses,
bamboos, peacocks strutting over the grass, doves calling in the
banyans. In the grave yard I saw Sir Henry's tomb: \n\n Here lies
\n\n Henry Lawrence \n\n Who tried to do his duty \n\n May God
have mercy on his soul. \n\nWrote to Justice Holmes there. It is
sacred ground, good for meditation. Green parrots - tellers of secrets.
So back to the station and wrote letters. At 7 Alan Fremantle
appeared and drove me in a swift tum tum to the Civil Service Camp
where I found H in his tent and we dined there. He is running this
camp for the race week - an extremely bad person to do so I shd say,
he is so wonderfully vague. He told us that there is no part of Lucknow
he wouldn't walk about in by himself at night with his pockets full of
money - more than he cd say of London. He drove us back to the
station and saw us off at 9.30.