[CONTINUED.]
_Thursday, April 16_.--On looking through my book I find that I am
now a member of ten Billsbury Cricket Clubs, to most of which I am a
Vice-President. Not bad, considering that my average in my last year
at school was four, and that I didn't play more than half-a-dozen
times at Oxford. TOLLAND says there are many more Foot-ball Clubs
than Cricket Clubs--a pleasant prospect for me in the Autumn. Have
also had to subscribe to six Missions of various kinds, four Easter
Monday _Fêtes_, six Friendly Societies, three Literary and Scientific
Institutes, five Temperance Associations, four Quoit Clubs, two
Swimming Clubs, seven Sunday Schools, five Church or Chapel Building
Funds, three Ornithological Societies, two Christian Young Men's
Associations, three Children's Free Dinner Funds, one Angling
Association, not to speak of Fire Brigade, Dispensaries, and Brass
Bands. Have also given a Prize to be shot for by Volunteers, as
CHUBSON gives one every year. What with £80 subscription to
the Registration Fund, things are beginning to mount up pretty
considerably.
[Illustration]
Have spoken at three meetings since the Mass Meeting. TOLLAND said,
"You needn't refer to Sir THOMAS CHUBSON yourself. Leave our people
to do that. They enjoy that kind of thing, and know how to do it."
They do, indeed. At our last meeting, HOLLEBONE, the Secretary of
the Junior Conservative Club, went on at him for twenty minutes in
proposing resolution of confidence in me. "Sir THOMAS," he said,
"talks of his pledges. The less Sir THOMAS says about them the
better. I can't walk out anywhere in Billsbury for two minutes without
tripping over the broken fragments of some of Sir THOMAS's pledges.
It's getting quite dangerous. Sir THOMAS, they say, made himself. It's
a pity he couldn't put in a little consistency when he was engaged on
the job. We don't want any purse-proud Radical knights to represent
us. We want a straightforward man, who says what he means; and you'll
agree with me, fellow-townsmen, that we've got one in our eloquent and
popular young Candidate."
This went down very well. Next day, however, the _Meteor_
"parallel-columned" Sir THOMAS CHUBSON's career and mine.
Mine occupied six lines; Sir THOMAS's "Life of honourable and
self-sacrificing industry" ran to nearly a column. "It will be
observed," said the _Meteor_, "that there is a good deal of blank
space in Mr. PATTLE's comparative career; but this no doubt recommends
him to his Conservative friends, who are quite equal to filling it
brilliantly with their imaginative rhetoric about his chances of
success."
Primrose Day, the day after to-morrow. We're going to have a great
demonstration at Billsbury. Mother is going down with me to-morrow.
_April 20th, "George Hotel," Billsbury_.--The Demonstration yesterday
was a splendid success. At ten o'clock in the morning the Conservative
Band marched up to the Hotel and played patriotic airs under the
window. Mother and I drove to the Beaconsfield Club in an open
carriage and pair, escorted by the band. Mother's bonnet was all
primroses, and she carried an immense bouquet of them. _Carlo_
came with us and sat on the back-seat. His collar was stuck full of
primroses, and small bunches were tied on to the tufts on his back
and at the end of his tail. I wore a buttonhole of primroses, and
carried a huge primrose wreath to be placed round the bust of LORD
BEACONSFIELD, which stands in the hall of the Club. The coachman and
horses too were all tricked out with bunches. TOLLAND and CHORKLE,
and all the leaders of the Party, met us at the entrance of the Club,
and the ceremony of depositing the flowers all round the bust began.
CHORKLE, who once shook hands with DIZZY in the lobby of the House,
made a great speech, mostly composed of personal reminiscences of our
great departed leader. (By the way CHORKLE has six children, five
of them being sons, whose names are BENJAMIN DISRAELI CHORKLE, CECIL
SALISBURY CHORKLE, STRAFFORD THOROUGH CHORKLE, HOBBES LEVIATHAN
CHORKLE, and RANDOLPH CHURCHILL CHORKLE.) The sixth, eighteen months
old, is a girl. Her name is WILLIAMINA HENRIETTA SMITH CHORKLE. They
were all present, covered with primroses. I added a few words about
the inspiring effect that the contemplation of LORD BEACONSFIELD's
career must have upon the youth of the country. Mother's bouquet kept
falling off the place she had put it on, and two or three enthusiasts
always dashed forward to pick it up, causing a good many collisions.
In the middle of my speech, _Carlo_ walked into the centre of the
hall, sat down and proceeded to gnaw off the primroses which had been
tied to his tail. He then ate them all solemnly, and after that rolled
over on his back with his paws stuck straight out, pretending he was
dead. I must tell Mother not to bring that dog again. There was a
great banquet in the evening. VULLIAMY came down for it and spoke very
kindly about me in his speech. Said he had followed my career with
profound interest and pleasure from my earliest years. I've only known
him a year.
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