Part 10
I asked Tuke where and how one could find a priest who would be able to tell one the rules of the Church with regard to marriage. Tuke said any of the Fathers at Farm Street or the Oratory. In the afternoon I went to the Oratory, sent in my card and asked to see a priest. I sat in a little waiting-room downstairs. Presently a tall man came in with very bright eyes and a face with nothing but character left in it. I told him I had come for a friend. It was a case of divorce, or rather of annulment. I knew his Church did not tolerate divorce. I was, myself, not a Catholic. It was the case of a lady, a Catholic, who had married a Catholic. The husband had always been unfaithful and was now almost openly living with someone else. Could the marriage be annulled? The priest asked whether she desired the marriage to be annulled. I told him she had said it was impossible. He asked whether the marriage had been performed under all conditions of validity. I said I did not myself know what these conditions were, but that she had expressly said that the marriage had been performed with her own free will, with every necessary condition of validity. I knew she thought it was out of the question to think of the marriage being annulled, but there was someone who was most devoted to her and wanted to marry her, and he was not satisfied with her saying it was impossible. He wanted the decision confirmed by a priest and that was why I had come. The priest said he was afraid from what I had told him that it was no use thinking of annulment. It was clear from what I had said she knew quite well the conditions that make it possible to apply for the annulment of a marriage. He said he was sure it was a hard case. If I liked he would lend me a book which went into the matter in detail. I said I would not trouble him. It would be enough that I had seen him and heard this from him. I then went away. I went straight back to the office and told C. the result of my visit. He was most grateful to me for having done this. He said he was dining with A. to-night. He said A. was in a terrible state.
_Thursday, October_ 6_th_.
Cunninghame told me that he had dined with A. and given him the information I had procured for him. He said A. was wretched. Mrs Housman arrives in London on Saturday. She is only staying till Monday; she then goes to Florence.
_Friday, October_ 7_th._
Cunninghame told me that Housman has come back to London. They have got their house back. Mrs Fairburn is in London also.
_Saturday, October_ 8_th._
A. has gone down to Littlehampton.
_Sunday, October_ 9_th._
I went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon--she was in. She leaves for Florence to-morrow. She told me she was going to stay there a whole year. She asked after A. and was pleased to hear he was still in good health. Miss Housman came in later after we had finished tea.
_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_
LONDON, _Sunday, October_ 9_th._
DEAREST ELSIE,
Thank you for your long letter. I am most worried about George. Mrs Housman goes to Florence to-morrow and is not coming back for a whole year. George has told me about the whole thing. She knows all about Housman and has always known. George has implored her to divorce Housman and to marry him. She can't divorce, as you know better than I do, and she told George it was not a marriage that could be annulled. However, this didn't satisfy him. He insisted on getting the opinion of a priest. I thought of writing to you, but there wasn't time, and then I didn't know whether it was the same in France or not. I got the opinion of a priest, who said there wasn't the slightest chance of getting the marriage annulled. I told George this and he won't believe it, even now. He keeps on saying that we ought to go to Rome, but I don't suppose that would be of the slightest use either, would it? In the meantime he is perfectly wretched. Mrs Housman didn't see him after Cornwall. George won't see anyone, or go anywhere now. He is at this moment down at Littlehampton by himself. If you can think of anything one could do, let me know at once, but I know there is nothing to be done. If the marriage could be annulled I think she would marry him to-morrow. I can't write about anything else, because I can't think about anything else.
Yrs. G.
_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_
_Monday, October_ 17_th._
Heard from Mrs Housman from Florence. She says the weather is beautiful and she is having a very peaceful time.
_Monday, November_ 7_th._
Heard from Mrs Housman. She has been to Rome, where she stayed a fortnight.
_Wednesday, November_ 9_th._
I met Housman in the street this morning. He said he had given up the house near Staines. It was dismal in winter and not very pleasant in summer. He had taken a small house in the north of London, not far from Hendon. He could come up from there every day and the air was very good. I was not to say a word about this to Mrs Housman, as it was a surprise. He said he was going to Florence for Christmas if he could. He said I must come down one Saturday and stay with him.
_Saturday, November_ 19_th._
Staying with Riley at Shelborough.
_Monday, December_ 12_th._
Heard from Mrs Housman. She is going to spend Christmas at Ravenna with the Albertis. Housman has written to me saying he will not be able to get to Florence at Christmas and asking me to spend it with him at his house near Hendon. I have told him that I was staying with Aunt Ruth for Christmas.
_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_
_Monday, October_ 17_th._
DEAREST ELSIE,
Thank you for your letter. I quite understand all you say and I was afraid it must be so, but thank you for taking all that trouble. George is just the same. He sees nobody except Godfrey and me. I have heard from Mrs Housman twice and I have written to her several times and given her news of George. I haven't set eyes on Housman nor heard either from him or of him.
Yrs. G.
LONDON, _Monday, October_ 31_st_.
DEAREST ELSIE,
I saw Jimmy Randall yesterday. He tells me that Housman is in London but has taken a house near Hendon and comes up every day. He is just, as infatuated as ever with Mrs Fairburn and has given her some handsome jewels.
I heard from Mrs Housman on Saturday. I am afraid she is quite miserable. George won't even go to stay with his sister. He dines with me sometimes.
Yrs. G.
LONDON, _November_ 14_th._
DEAREST ELSIE,
Lady Jarvis is back from Ireland. I went down to Rosedale on Saturday. There were a few people there, but I managed to have two long and good talks with her. She is of course fearfully worried. She hears from Mrs Housman constantly, she never mentions G. Lady Jarvis thinks of going out there, only, apparently, Mrs Housman will not be at Florence for Christmas. She tried to get George to come to Rosedale, but he wouldn't.
I have seen Housman for a moment at the play. He said I must see his house at Hendon. He said he had meant it as a surprise for Mrs H., but he had been obliged to tell her. He says he has bought a lot of new pictures and that the house is very _moderne_ in arrangement. I can see it. He wanted me to go there next Saturday. I said I couldn't.
Yours, G.
LONDON, _Tuesday, November_ 29_th_.
DEAREST ELSIE,
I am sorry to have been so bad about writing, but we have been having rather a busy time, which has been a good thing for George. I am going to stay with Lady Jarvis for Christmas. She asked George and he is going too. There is no party. He seems a little better, but he isn't really better, and he talks of giving up his job altogether and going out to Africa again. Will you choose me a small Christmas present for Lady Jarvis, something that looks nice in the box or case.
Yrs. G.
LONDON, _Monday, December_ 12_th._
DEAREST ELSIE,
Housman asked me so often to go down to Hendon that I was obliged to go last Saturday. The house is decorated entirely in the _Art Nouveau_ style. There is a small spiral staircase made of metal in the drawing-room that goes nowhere. It is just a serpentine ornament. The house is the last word of hideosity, but the pictures are rather good. He gets good advice for these and never buys anything that, he thinks won't go up. It was a bachelor party, Randall, Carrington-Smith and myself. We played golf all the day, and Bridge all the evening.
He said Mrs Housman was enjoying Florence very much and that we must all go out there for Easter again.
I heard from her three days ago. She said very little, and asked after George. He never hears from her. He dines with me often.
Yrs. G.
ROSEDALE, _Saturday, December_ 31_st_.
DEAREST ELSIE,
We have had rather a sad Christmas, only George and myself here, but Lady Jarvis has been too kind for words, and quite splendid with George. She has heard regularly from Mrs Housman and she thinks she will go out to Florence in January if she can.
Godfrey is staying with his uncle. Lady Jarvis says that Miss Sarah Housman makes terrible scenes about Mrs Fairburn, so much so that Sarah and he are no longer on speaking terms. I go back to London just after the New Year, so does George. The Christmas present was a great success. Lady Jarvis gave me a lovely table for my flat.
Yrs. G.
_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_
_Monday, January_ 2_nd_, 1911.
Received a small Dante bound in white vellum from Mrs Housman. It had been delayed in the post.
_Tuesday, January_ 3_rd_.
Cunninghame came to the office to-day. A. also.
_Tuesday, April_ 12_th._
Riley is spending Easter in London. He wishes to attend the Holy Week services. He is staying with me.
_Wednesday, April_ 13_th_.
Sat up with Riley, talking. I told him about Hope having said that he considered that to become an R.C. was to sin against the light. Riley said that Hope might very likely end by committing suicide, as views such as he held led to despair. He said: "If the Catholic religion is like what Hope and you think it to be, it must be inconceivable that anyone whose character and whose intelligence you respect could belong to such a Church, but, granting you do, does it not occur to you that it is just possible the Catholic religion may be unlike what you think it is, may indeed be something quite different?"
I said that I did not at all share Hope's views. Indeed I did not know what they were. I said that I agreed with him that when one got to know R.C.'s one found they were quite different from what they were supposed to be, and I was quite ready to believe this applied to their beliefs also.
I said something about the complication of the Catholic system, which was difficult to reconcile with the simplicity of the early Church. He said the services of the early Church were longer and more complicated than they were now. The services of the Eastern Church were more complicated than those of the Western Church, and to this day in the Coptic Church it took eight hours to say Mass. The Church was complicated when described, but simple when experienced.
_Saturday, April_ 16_th._
Went with Riley to the ceremony of the Blessing of the Font at Westminster Cathedral. Riley said he was sorry for people who had to go to Maeterlinck for symbolism.
Received a postcard from Florence. Housman did not go out after all.
_Monday, May_ 1_st_.
Cunninghame told us that Housman is laid up with pneumonia.
_Thursday, May_ 4_th._
Housman is worse, and Mrs Housman has been telegraphed for. He is laid up at Hendon. They don't think he will recover.
_Friday, May_ 5_th._
Mrs Housman arrived last night. Housman is about the same.
_Monday, May_ 8_th._
Had luncheon with Lady Jarvis yesterday. She says that Housman was a shade better yesterday. He may recover, but it is thought very doubtful. Mrs Housman has been up day and night nursing him.
_Wednesday, May_ 10_th_.
Housman has taken a turn for the better, but he is not yet out of danger.
_Saturday, May_ 13_th._
The doctors say Housman is out of danger.
_Monday, May_ 15_th._
Cunninghame says Housman will recover. He has been very bad indeed. The doctors say that it is entirely due to Mrs Housmans nursing that he has pulled through.
_Saturday, May_ 20_th._
Went to see Mrs Housman at Hendon. I was allowed to see Housman for a few minutes. He likes visitors. Mrs Housman looked tired. Cunninghame says that Housman has a weak heart. That was the danger.
_Saturday, June_ 10_th._
The Housmans have gone to Brighton for a fortnight.
_Letters from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_
LONDON, _Monday, May_ 22_nd_.
DEAREST ELSIE,
I am delighted to hear you and Jack are coming to London so soon, but very sad of course that you won't be going back to Paris. But I believe Copenhagen is a delightful post, and they say it always leads to something.
Perhaps you will let me come and stay with you in the summer?
Yrs. G.
_Saturday, June_ 10_th._
DEAREST ELSIE,
Your letter made me laugh a great deal. I expect you will get to like the place. I am writing this from Rosedale, where I am in the middle of a large musical and artistic party, one painter, two novelists, and two pianists. They all hate each other like poison, and it is pain to all the others when one of them performs. But the rest of us are enjoying it immensely, and Lady Jarvis is being splendid. The Housmans have gone to Brighton for a fortnight. Bert is quite well again, but Mrs Housman looks fearfully ill.
Write to me again soon.
Yrs. G.
_Monday, June_ 26_th._
DEAREST ELSIE,
I have just come back from Oakley, the Housmans' place, near Hendon. He has quite recovered, and everything was going on there just as usual. Jimmy Randall was there, and Mrs Fairburn. Housman said nothing about the summer, but Mrs Housman told me she was not going to Cornwall this year. I asked her if she was going to stay all the summer at Oakley, the Hendon house. She said that Housman had hired a yacht for the summer and asked several people. She said she couldn't bear steam yachting with a large party, and she has taken a small house on the west coast of Ireland, with Lady Jarvis. They would be there quite alone; she was going there quite soon: "Albert would probably go to France."
She told me Housman had wanted to take the house in Cornwall and ask us all again, but that she had told him this was impossible.
George has seen her once or twice, and he is of course happier, but things are where they were. She won't think of divorcing.
I shall start for Copenhagen at the end of July.
Yrs. G.
_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_
_Tuesday, June_ 27_th._ London.
Housman has asked me to go to Oakley next Saturday. He has asked A. also.
_Wednesday, June_ 28_th._ London.
Dined with A. and his sister. A. said he would be unable to go to Oakley next week. He had some people staying with him.
_Thursday, June_ 29_th._ London.
Dined with Aunt Ruth. Apparently Gertrude is still annoyed at the Caryls having got Copenhagen. She complains of this weekly.
_Friday, June_ 30_th._ London.
Solway is staying the night with me, his concert is to-morrow afternoon.
_Saturday, July_ 1_st_. London.
Went with Mrs Housman to Solway's concert in the afternoon, and she drove me down to Hendon afterwards in her motor. Mrs Housman is going to spend the summer in Ireland.
_Sunday, July_ 2_nd. Oakley (near Hendon)_.
Mrs Fairburn and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Mrs Housman leaves to-morrow for Ireland.
* * * * *
_Saturday, October_ 28_th. London, Gray's Inn_.
Mrs Housman returns from Ireland to-day. She spends Sunday in London, and goes to Oakley, near Hendon, on Wednesday. I have not heard one word from Mrs Housman since her long absence in Ireland.
_Sunday, October_ 29_th._
Went to see Mrs Housman in the afternoon. Ireland has done her a great deal of good, and she looks quite refreshed and rested.
She asked after A. I told her he was due to arrive from Scotland to-morrow, and that we expected him at the office. She asked me if I was going to stay with Lady Jarvis next Saturday. She said we would meet there. She said nothing about her plans for the future.
_Monday, October_ 30_th._
A. has arrived from Scotland, and Cunninghame from Copenhagen, where he has been staying for the last three months with his cousin. I called on Lady Jarvis. She told me she thought Mrs Housman would not remain long in England. She might go to Italy again.
_Tuesday, October_ 31_st_.
A. is going to Rosedale on Saturday.
_Wednesday, November_ 1_st_.
Dined with A. and Cunninghame. We went to a music hall after dinner.
_Thursday, November_ 2_nd_.
Cunninghame and I went to Aunt Ruth's after dinner. When Cunninghame said he had been at Copenhagen, Aunt Ruth said that she knew, of course, Caryl was a brilliant diplomatist, but that Edmund Anstruther ought to have had the post. Uncle Arthur said: "What, Edmund? Copenhagen? He would have got us into war with the Danes."
_Friday, November_ 3_rd_.
Dined alone with A. He asked after Mrs Housman's health.
_Saturday, November_ 4_th. Rosedale_.
A.. Cunninghame, myself, and Mrs Vaughan are here. The Housmans were unable to come at the last moment.
_Monday, November_ 6_th._
Housman asked me to go to Oakley on Saturday, November 25th. Mrs Housman has gone to Folkestone for a fortnight to stay with Miss Housman. Cunninghame says that Housman and his sister have quarrelled, and that she no longer goes to the house.
_Saturday, November_ 25_th. Oakley_.
Lady Jarvis, A. and Carrington-Smith are staying here. Cunninghame comes down to-morrow for the day. Housman was obliged to go to Paris on urgent business for a few days.
_Sunday, November_ 26_th._
Cunninghame and Carrington-Smith played golf. I went for a walk with Lady Jarvis.
_Monday, November_ 27_th._
Dined with A. and went to the play, a farce. A. enjoyed it immensely. I have written to Aunt Ruth to tell her I shall not be able to go there this year. I shall remain in London, as Riley wishes to spend Christmas with me.
_Tuesday, November_ 28_th._
Dined with Lady Jarvis. Mrs Housman has gone back to Folkestone. She stays there till Christmas, then she returns to London.
A. is going abroad for Christmas.
_Wednesday, December_ 20_th._
A. goes to Paris to-morrow night. Cunninghame is going to spend Christmas with the Housmans at Oakley.
_Letter from Guy Cunninghame to Mrs Caryl_
HALKIN STREET, _Friday, December_ 22_nd_.
DEAREST ELSIE,
As you see, I write from London. All my plans have been upset by an unexpected catastrophe. I will try and begin at the beginning and tell you everything in order as clearly as possible, but the fact is I am so bewildered by everything that has happened that I find it difficult to think clearly and to write at all.
I think I told you in my last letter that Housman asked me to spend Christmas with them at Oakley. I was to go down yesterday, Thursday, and George was going to Paris by the night train. I think I told you, too, that ever since we stayed at Oakley in November, George has been a _changed man_ and in the highest spirits. On Thursday we had luncheon together. I thought it rather odd that he should be going to Paris, but he said he was tired of England and felt that he must have a change. I wondered what this meant. I could have imagined his wanting to go away if he had been like he was before, that is to say miserable, but now that he seemed to be enjoying life it was rather extraordinary. I said I was going to Oakley. He said nothing, and talked about his journey. After luncheon he went to the office to give Mellor some final instructions. He said he might be away for some time. I left him there at about half-past three. I asked him why he was going by the night train, and he said he hated a day in the train and always slept well in the train at night. I said good-bye and went down to Oakley in a taxi. Housman had not arrived, and the butler (who has taken the place of the nice parlour-maid there used to be at Campden Hill) told me that Mrs Housman had gone up to London. Her maid thought she was staying the night at Garland's Hotel, but he, the butler, knew nothing of her arrangements. This astonished me, but I supposed there were no servants at Campden Hill. At a quarter to five Housman arrived in a motor with Carrington-Smith. He looked more yellow than usual. I met him in the hall and while we were talking the butler gave him a letter which he said Mrs Housman had left for him. He said we would have tea at once in the drawing-room. Then he said to Carrington-Smith: "I just want to show you that thing," and to me: "We will be with you in one minute." He took Carrington-Smith into his study and I went into the drawing-room. Tea was brought in. I again tried the butler and asked him whether Mrs Housman was coming back to-morrow morning. He said that she had left no instructions, but Mr Housman was probably aware of her intentions. He went out and almost directly I heard someone shouting and bells ringing, violently. Carrington-Smith was calling me. I ran out and met him in the hall; he said Housman had had a stroke, he thought it was fatal.
It was like a thing on the stage. A breathless telephone to the doctor. The motor sent to fetch him. Servants scurrying with blanched faces. Housman lying on the sofa in the study, his collar undone, his face ghastly.
Carrington-Smith said: "We must telephone to Campden Hill for Mrs Housman."
I said: "She isn't there." Then told him about Garland's Hotel. He seemed _dumbfounded_, sent for the butler, who confirmed this, and then got on to the Hotel. Mrs Housman was in. He spoke to her and told her Housman was dangerously ill and she must come at once. He said he would get on to Miss Housman and tell her to bring Mrs Housman down in her motor. This was arranged and he told Miss Housman the whole facts. In the meantime the doctor arrived--an Australian. He examined Housman and said it was heart failure and that he had always feared this. They had known he had a weak heart after his last illness. It might have happened any day.
Then Carrington-Smith told me how it had happened. When they went into the study Housman had sat down at his writing-table and read a letter through twice quite slowly, torn it up and thrown it into the fire. He had then said: "We will go," and at that moment fallen back and collapsed on the sofa.
He told me that Housman had had a terrific row with Mrs Fairburn yesterday and had talked of nothing else on the way down. Probably the letter was from her, he said. I said: "Yes, very likely"; but as a matter of fact I knew it was from Mrs Housman. He had not noticed that, or if he had he was lying on purpose.
Mrs Housman and Miss Housman arrived about six. Mrs Housman almost _frighteningly_ calm.
She wanted to know every detail. She had a talk with Carrington-Smith alone and then I saw her for a moment before going away. She asked me if I had seen Housman before he died. Then she made all the arrangements herself. I went back to London by train.