Originally the piece we now call a queen was a counsellor or Government adviser.
Thursday, November 7th
It was just like Hallam had said, there were so many accidents on November 5th that the ‘awful death of man on fireworks night’ didn’t get into the national press at all and the local paper only gave it a couple of paragraphs and that was mostly devoted to a spokesman from the RSPCA.
November 7th was the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. Jean gave me four aspirins, which was her friendly overture, and Alice a coffee made with milk, which was her cure-all. I sent Colonel Stok an Eton tie from Bond Street, which was my revolutionary gesture.
The Mother-in-law’s Tongue was coming along nicely. Jean said that on the window-sill over the radiator was the best place for it and it certainly seemed to thrive there. Dawlish had decided that he was going to spend a few days busy in the country, which I suppose was to make himself scarce. He had taken Chico with him so the office was quiet enough for me to finish It pays to increase your word power. My rating was ‘fair’.
They wouldn’t let us offer Harvey Newbegin a job partly because he was foreign, and partly because I wore woollen shirts and said ‘like’ instead of ‘as though’. This left us weaker in both Berlin and Prague.
‘Going to the Home Office on Sunday?’ Jean asked. ‘You have an invitation. It’s the Remembrance Service. I said I’d phone them back this morning. There are only twelve places in Hallam’s room.’
‘I promised to go,’ I said.
‘Is it true that Hallam is in hospital?’ said Jean.
‘Ask them,’ I said.
‘I heard …’
‘Ask them,’ I said.
‘I did,’ said Jean. ‘They were very short and rude.’
‘That’s OK then,’ I said. ‘HO are like London theatres: if they answer politely, you can be sure the show is a little shaky.’
‘Yes,’ said Jean. She gave me a memo from Dawlish that said that some of the Broum documents had been damaged by grease and would I please submit a full explanation in writing. There was another document that authorized the cashier’s department to pay me £1,000 subject to my signing that it could be deducted from my pay over a two-year period.
I said to Jean, ‘How would you like a spin in the country this week-end in a new car?’ ‘
‘Perhaps,’ said Jean.
‘I’ve got every kind of eyebrow pencil.’
‘In that case,’ said Jean, ‘how can I refuse?’
‘Friday then,’ I said. ‘Back Sunday morning.’
‘Without fail,’ said Jean. ‘I’m looking after Hallam’s cats.’