Page 96 - Life of Gertrude Bell

82 GERTRUDE BELL
South Africa, she observed: ‘There are good sides to the melan­
choly picture, such as the spirit of the nation, and its instant
response to calls upon it. It never seems to have lost heart for one
moment, and not to waste its time in useless recrimination, but
to turn all its mind to the important business of pushing the
matter through. And the Colonial loyalty has been splendid. But
oh! how I hope we shall take all this to heart, and never again be
found embarking on a war with neither soldiers, nor guns —nor
ministers! I feel that all the kudos goes to the Boers; their resistance
has been a piece of almost unparalleled courage, bother them!’
In the Jubilee year of 1897 she had written to her parents from
Potsdam; ‘Did you drink the Queen’s health ...? Such a subject
for congratulation.’ When she had recovered from the initial
shock of the death of the old Queen she wrote to her stepmother:
‘Aren’t you glad that our new King is Edward VII? I’m delighted.
I have been riding this afternoon.’ Now Lord Curzon was pre­
paring his durbar to announce to the princes and people of the
sub-continent of India the accession of Edward VII, King
Emperor. It was a rare opportunity to savour the glory of
Empire and Gertrude and her brother Hugo set off for the great
event, the first stage of her second world cruise, at the end of
November 1902. Just before they left Redcar, the Reverend
Michael Furse, a don at Trinity College during Hugo’s time at
Oxford (later the Bishop of Pretoria and of St Albans), visited the
family at Red Barns. Years later he recalled a conversation with
Hugo and his ‘charming sister’ Gertrude. They were taking an
evening walk when Gertrude turned on Furse and said, ‘I suppose
you don’t approve of this plan of Hugo going round the world
with me?’ ‘Why shouldn’t I?’ replied Furse. ‘Well, you may be
pretty sure he won’t come back a Christian.’ The visitor asked
her why that should be. ‘Oh, because I’ve got a much better
brain than Hugo, and a year in my company will be bound to
upset his faith,’ said Gertrude. ‘Oh will it? Don’t be too sure
about that,’ said Furse.
Ij
Several members of the Russell family, Lord Dartrey and other
friends accompanied them on the journey to India, most of which
was spent in theological dispute between brother and sister. Here
was the blue-stocking at her most persistent. They had hardly
reached the Thames Estuary before Gertrude began to put Hugo
to the sword. Fortunately both kept diaries during the voyage so
! that we have a two-sided account of the debate that occupied
r

!