Tuesday 18th. Darling Father. I felt dreadfully lonely after you had gone but that didn't undo the permanent good of your visit. I can't tell you what a difference it has made to have you for 2 days - I'm so immensely cheered and encouraged. Added to which it's much more amusing to write to you now that you know what it's like. I may also mention that you made a deep impression upon all. Last night I dined with the Nicolsons - Mrs Vita was over for a day. She is a most attractive creature and would be more so if she didn't whiten her nose so very white. But today we should all have been well advised to do the same for our noses were different shades of magenta owing to the atrocious cold. I sat in Sir Arthur Hirtzel's office all morning - like the dog in Fredericks' seat - huddled as near as I could get to the hot water pipes and wrote some pages of comments on French complaints of our behaviour in Mesopotamia. Nothing more absurd than this document has met my eye - they really are an amazing people. T.E. Lawrence and I arranged to lunch together. As we were standing in the hall Lord Milner came in. Said Mr Lawrence "You go and ask him to lunch with us." So I, as bold as brass, invited him; he accepted and we had a delightful and most unofficial hour during which we got a good many useful things said. He also talked very interestingly and not very hopefully of the programme which is to be laid before the Germans but as he bound us over not to quote him as an authority I won't go into details. We assured him that people who lunched with us always were indiscreet. It's Mr Lawrence, I think, who induces a sort of cards on the table atmosphere. My American dinner is off tonight because Mr Westermann is ill. The kind Greens' gave me the choice of coming all the same or choosing another day. I went for the latter alternative as I want to write the note for which Edwin asked me. So I'm dining quietly with Domnul and shall come up to my room after dinner and work. General Seely fell into my arms last night - I didn't know that we were such friends - and invited me to dinner but I couldn't go. Gen. Allenby comes tomorrow and with his arrival things should become interesting. My dear love to Mother and I'm your very devoted daughter Gertrude This is your pen I'm writing with - ha ha!