Page 43 - Life of Gertrude Bell

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EUROPE AND LONDON 3*
other young lacly and all the other people who crowd the English
stage. The mere fact that the Doll’s House was new made it
rather impossible to form a just criticism ... one felt that the
basis for comparison was swept away.’
It was, however, her first encounters with Henry James at the
Audley Square table that caused her to send the most detailed
reports of life in London to her stepmother. Florence and James
had been friendly since her childhood days in Paris.

Dinner at the Arthur Russells’ was most amusing. I sat by
Bernard Holland who is a very funny person and charming to
talk to ... Flora was on the other side of him, Claud of me and
beyond Claud Lady Colville. She was rather bored poor lady,
for she could not talk to Lord Arthur who took her in and she
could not very well talk to us because we were too far off...
;
after I talked to Mr Holland for a long time ... then came heaps
of people, Leo Maxse, the Grenfells, two Oxford young men
who I know and like, the Maurice McMillans to whom I "I
!
talked, they asked after you —so did Henry James who was in
great form ... Henry James said ‘M-did Mrs Bell enjoy herself I
in London, and is she glad to be at home—but perhaps the two
clauses of my question are not quite hum—ah —consistent’.

A few days later, she wrote of anodier meeting at the Russells’
place:c... presently Henry James appeared and delivered himself
on the subject of David [Mrs Ward’s The History of David Grieve].
Oh it was so good—he is the critic —so moderate, so just; and so
contemptuous I Every sentence hit the nail right on the head, and
every nail ran down into the coffin of Mrs Ward’s reputation as a
novelist. He thinks the Paris part the worst: “the poor lady” he
said with a litde shrug of die shoulders “and David—a shadow, a
character indefinitely postponed, he arrives nowhere.” H. J.
thinks Robert [Robert Elstnere by the same author] a much better
book dian David. He said to Mrs W. that he thought the book
lacked the purpose of the last. “Purpose,” said she, “why this one
has two purposes.” Isn’t that comic! “Two purposes said he, are
as bad as ten or twenty.” ’ She concluded: ‘Dearest, dear mother,
it is so flat and horrid without you. I hope you find your husband
a consoladon to you, you see I haven’t one to console me, that’s
why I miss you so much. Mother dearest, three score years and
ten is very long, isn’t it?’ It was not the only time that Gertrude
was to cry out for that consolation.