Saturday 13th
[To Truro festival again] … I went with W, who had a date with a member of Benenden, and in this manner I gained a new experience—how to talk about nothing to comparatively pretty girls. After much manoeuvring we got into the neighbouring compartment, whence we went into the corridor. About five girls appeared, the highlight being one Anne, or Andy, with nice long golden hair behind the ears, big brown eyes, a pretty face and a good figure. The conversation started when W gave them his lunch, which he did not want—they had just had lunch, but appeared to be starving. After a short sausage fight, we spent the whole journey talking utter rot, some of it, however, quite witty. I was amazed how easy it was to do this … The journey back was occupied in equally ridiculous waffle. … zcl zso zse
The thing which got me down was the giggling and shrieks. Their behaviour was not ladylike. They were quite intelligent, but didn’t sound it. I enjoyed the novel experience a lot, but have no wish to continue the acquaintance with any of them, as they did not seem to share my interests—they were just rather amusing. Without W nothing would have happened, for it was due to his past experience and tenacity that we found them at all. … Anne had lovely eyes. zop zse
Sunday 14th
… W has found a method of discovering Anne’s surname, via a cousin of M’s. He’s going to write to her—what tenacity! zso zse
The sermon was extremely good—by the headmaster of Clifton [a public school from Bristol, currently in Bude]—a young man. … The gist of the whole sermon was ‘ought the church meddle in social affairs’. He praised Temple (Arch. Canterbury, new) and told how Shoran Singha had found out from a reliable source that a deputation of Lancashire cotton [mill] owners had sent a deputation begging that he [i.e. Temple] should not be elected. He then blasted the church, showing how Buddhism, Mohammedanism and Christianity all professed high ideals for living but none of them had carried them out. After quoting Rowntree on York’s statistics [of] 40 years ago (1 child in 5 underfed), he pointed out that there was no public conscience about social zrl zpn zpl
