Even as an old man--though none of us who knew and loved him could
ever bring ourselves to think of Lord Roberts as old--his energy was
amazing, and the amount of work he got through was stupendous. His
mere correspondence alone would have kept any other man going all
day and with no moment to spare for the many great issues with which
his name was connected. He accomplished so much because he practised
in his own life the organisation, if not indeed the National Service
which he preached to the nation--the organisation which, as he
foresaw, would be so tremendous a driving power behind Germany when
the time came for her to force a war upon this country, the war
which he even more clearly foresaw.
As an instance of how Lord Roberts systematised his days, I may
mention that a friend of mine and his, recently returned from
Bulgaria, wished to see him to put certain military facts before him,
and also, if I remember rightly, to present him with some interesting
trophies of the war which he knew the Field-Marshal would prize. He
wrote accordingly and asked for an appointment. Lord Roberts replied
by return of post, from Almond’s Hotel, Clifford Street, W., to say
that he was then in town but was returning to Ascot the following
day. “If it will be saving you a railway journey--and I know what a
busy man you are,” he wrote, “to see me here at the Hotel, instead
of at Ascot, by all means let it be so. But I am afraid, if not too
early for you, it must be at 8.30 in the morning, as the rest of my
day is already mapped out.”
My friend smiled sadly in telling me the story. “As a matter of
fact,” he said, “8.30, and even later, generally sees me tubbing,
shaving, or at best breakfasting, but if 8.30 was not too early for
a great soldier who had turned 80 to be up, and ready to receive
visitors, I could hardly plead that 8.30 was too early for me,” and
the appointment was made.