, and the trees
were gold in the ugly garden with the black river running through it. I
got a few lessons in motor driving, and I spoke at the hospital one
afternoon. I took the opportunity of getting a dress made at rather a
good tailor's, and time passed in a manner quite solitary till the
evenings.

Never before have I spent a year of so much solitude, and yet I have
been with people during my work. I think I know now what thousands of
men and women living alone and working are feeling. I wish I could help
them. There won't be many young marriages now. What are we to do for
girls all alone?

* * * * *

_To Mrs. Keays-Young._

CARDIFF CASTLE, CARDIFF,
_31 August, 1915._

DEAREST BABY,

Many thanks for your letter, which I got on my way through London. I
spent one night there to see about some work I am having done in the
house.

I have a drawer quite full of press-cuttings, and I do not know what is
in any of them. It is difficult to choose anything of interest, as they
are all a good deal alike, and all sound my trumpet very loudly; but I
enclose one specimen.

We had meetings every night in Glasgow. They were mostly badly organised
and well attended. Here I have an agent arranging everything, and two of
my meetings have been enormous. The first was at the dock-gates in the
open air, and the second in the Town Hall. The band of the Welch
Regiment played, and Mr. Glover conducted, but nothing is the same, of
course. Alan is at Porthcawl, and came to see me this morning.

The war news could hardly be worse, and yet I am told by men who get
sealed information from the Foreign Office that worse is coming.

Poor Russia! She wants help more than anyone. Her wounded are quite
untended. I go there next month.

The King of the Belgians has made me Chevalier de l'Ordre de Leopold.

Love to all.
Yours ever,
S.

* * * * *

Press-cutting enclosed in Miss Macnaughtan's letter:

"STORIES OF THE WAR."

CARDIFF LECTURE BY MISS MACNAUGHTAN.

AUTHORESS'S APPEAL.

TESTING-TIME OF NATIONAL CHARACTER.

[Page Heading: A CROWDED MEETING]

A large and enthusiastic audience assembled at the Park-hall,
Cardiff, on Monday evening, to hear and see Miss Macnaughtan's
"Stories and Pictures of the War." Miss Macnaughtan is a well-known
authoress, whose works have attained a world-wide reputation, and,
in addition