Nov 4

“If only there were a world,” my dear Excellency, “in which the facts were not brutal – in which the dreams were realities.” I quote Bernard Shaw (for I have just come in from John Bull and you, I think, will echo that sentiment – indeed I treasured it for you – as you would have echoed many another. “But don’t take it all! We cannot live on each other’s suffering.” – that’s the motto that I shall lay up for myself, and count my afternoon not without profit. I wish you had been there. It was brilliant, brilliant. Mostly politics, but psychological politics after the manner of Bernard Shaw, a little tendency to drop into roaring farce (which is again after his manner) but often so delicate, so lightly touched, so full of his wisdom-with-her-tongue-in-her-cheek. I was always looking round in the spirit to catch your appreciation, and it would often have been a silent appreciation while the other people laughed- you know the way of them. But when I looked round in the body (this is the devil’s own pen) it was only to see my good Mr Chirol, at time (the wrong times) laughing, at times bewildered, at times exclaiming “but this is preposterous!” Upon my soul, if he had only known it, that was the highest praise he could have offered to the author, for what is left if it is not preposterous – a [illegible] at which we laugh so long as we are not weary, so long as we can. And may that be very long. But I forgave my good Mr Chirol for the sake of a part of a part of his conversation at lunch. “Isn’t Swettenham a friend of yours?” I admitted it modestly. “Ah well, he is a great power.” And then followed a stream of praise which set me, as you may think, in high good humour. I am quite ready to back my own judgement, you understand Excellency, but I have the human weakness of liking to hear other people back it too. Mr Chirol thinks – and we shall both agree with him – that the Russians have outwitted us again. But he says he does not see what else we could do. His view is that we are going to make easy sacrifice to carry France with us, and we only part succeeded. After 2 days the Russians have bought the French press and public opinion had veered round against us. If we had stopped the fleet at Vigo it was war, a war in which, in the end, France would have joined – if only to keep Germany from openly siding with Russia – openly and effectually. For my part, I cannot see that we have gained much by listening to so doubtful a friend. Even Mr Chirol says that he has been disappointed in the attitude of France. It was touch and go. If the Channel fleet had been in the Channel, we should have stopped Rojestvensky [sic] on the Monday. It was the first thing Mr Balfour asked – can we stop them before they get out of our waters? [illegible] Mr Balfour! But they were not there – the danger was thought to be a Gibraltar. We hang by slender threads, Excellency. Do not break yours – oh do not break yours if you can help it. I send up this prayer so often to the gods that I want to say it also to you.

Now I must dine with Mr [illegible]. Tomorrow I go to Paris for a week – Hôtel St Romain, Rue St Roch. And when I give you my address, dear Sir, it is because I mean you to write to me –if you have time and the mind. Do not trouble to tell me that you are happy when you are not, and above all do not ever doubt that I shall understand. Therefore you need not ever write unless you choose.

            Yours every very sincerely

                        Gertrude Bell