ned with the President and Mme. Poincare at the Elysee that
night, and most of the French Cabinet, as well as Generals Joffre and
Gallieni, were likewise invited. Our Big Four were in some doubt as to
what garb to appear in, seeing that it was not to be a full-dress
function, sporting trinkets; and they eventually hit upon
dinner-jackets with black ties. So Sir W. Robertson and I decided to
doff breeches, boots and spurs, and to don what military tailors refer
to as "slacks" but what in non-sartorial circles are commonly called
trousers. The French civilians all wore frock-coats, so that there was
an agreeable lack of uniformity and formality when we assembled. I sat
next to M. Dumergue, the Colonial Minister, and between us we disposed
of the German Colonies in a spirit of give and take--or rather take,
because there was none of that opera-bouffe "mandate" which has since
then been wafted across from the Western Hemisphere, included in our
arrangements. In the course of the evening I managed to obtain General
Joffre's views concerning the feasibility of withdrawing from the
Gallipoli Peninsula without encountering heavy loss, a subject that
one had constantly in mind at that time. Pere Joffre's opinion was
that, subject to favourable weather and to the retreat taking place at
night, the thing could be managed, and he emphasized the fact that the
conditions of trench warfare rather lent themselves to secret
withdrawals of that nature.

We made our way back to London on the following day, leaving Paris in
the forenoon, and were to embark at Calais; but owing to some
misunderstanding our special ran into Boulogne and out on to the
jetty, where numbers of troops were assembled as a leave-boat was
shortly to cross. This afforded me an opportunity of experiencing how
very engaging Mr. Lloyd George can make himself when dealing with a
somewhat critical audience. For the whole party got out, glad to
stretch their legs, and I wandered about with the Munitions Minister.
We got into conversation with some of the men, he was recognised, and
a crowd speedily gathered round us. He questioned them, and it is
hardly necessary to say that, being British soldiers, they did not
forget to grumble; they were particularly eloquent on the subject of
the quality and the quantity of hand-grenades. But Mr. Lloyd George
handled them most skilfully, got a great deal of useful information
out of them, delighted them with his cheery manner and apt