see Mr. Abraham's point," he began argumentatively,
"but I----." He was thrown into pitiable confusion, was routed, lost
his guns, his baggage, everything, forgot what he was about to say, on
being brought up short by a snarl from across the table, "My name is
Jacob, not Abraham."

One day in the summer of 1915 when Lord K. had summoned me to ask some
question, he appeared to be in particularly low spirits, and
presently he showed me a communication (a telegram, I think it was)
from Sir J. French, intimating that one of the New Army divisions
which had recently proceeded across the water had not borne itself
altogether satisfactorily when assailed in the trenches. The troops
had apparently been in a measure caught napping, although they had
fought it out gallantly after being taken at a disadvantage owing to
keeping careless guard. That these divisions, in which he naturally
enough took such exceptional personal interest, needed a great deal of
breaking-in to conditions in presence of the enemy before they could
be employed with complete confidence, had been a bitter disappointment
to him. On this subject he was perhaps misled to some extent by the
opinions of officers who were particularly well qualified to judge.
The New Army troops had shown magnificent grit and zeal while
preparing themselves in this country for the ordeal of the field,
under most discouraging conditions, and they had come on very fast in
consequence. Their very experienced divisional commanders, many of
whom had come conspicuously to the front in the early months of the
war and had learnt in the best of schools what fighting meant under
existing conditions, were therefore rather disposed to form unduly
favourable estimates of what their divisions would be capable of as
soon as they entered upon their great task in the war zone. I remember
receiving a letter from that very gallant and popular gunner, General
F. Wing (who was afterwards killed at Loos), written very shortly
before his division proceeded to France, in which he expressed himself
enthusiastically with regard to the potentialities of his troops. His
earnest hope was to find himself pitting them against the Boche as
soon as the division took the field.

In one respect we most of us, I think, found Lord K. a little
difficult at times. He was apt to be impatient if, when he was at all
in a hurry, he required information from, or wanted something carried
out by, a subordinate. This impati