hindrance in the Cabinet. First one thing and then another was
taken out of his hands--ordnance, munitions, war plans. When he
went to Gallipoli, some persons predicted that he would never come
back. There was a hot meeting of the Cabinet at which he was asked
to go to Russia, to make a sort of return visit for the visit that
important Russians had made here, and to link up Russia's military
plans with the plans of the Western Allies. He is said to have
remarked that he was going only because he had been ordered to go.
There was a hope and a feeling again that he might not come back
till after the war.

Now just how much truth there is in all this, one has to guess; but
undoubtedly a good deal. He did much in raising the army, but his
name did more. What an extraordinary situation! The great hero of
the Nation an impossible man to work with. The Cabinet could not
tell the truth about him: the people would not believe it and would
make the Cabinet suffer. Moreover, such a row would have given
comfort to the enemy. Kitchener, on his part, could not afford to
have an open quarrel. The only solution was to induce him to go
away for a long time. Both sides saw that. Such thoughts were in
everybody's mind while the impressive funeral service was said and
sung in St. Paul's. The Great Hero, who had failed, was celebrated
of course as a Great Hero--quite truly and yet far from true. For
him his death came at a lucky time: his work was done.

There is even a rumour, which I don't for a moment believe, that he
is alive on the Orkney Islands and prefers to disappear there till
the war ends. This is fantastic, and it was doubtless suggested by
the story that he did disappear for several years while he was a
young officer.

I could not help noticing, when I saw all the Cabinet together at
the Cathedral, how much older many of them look than they looked
two years ago. Sir Edward Grey, Mr. Asquith, Mr. Balfour, who is
really an old man, Lloyd George--each of these seems ten years
older. And so does the King. The men in responsible places who are
not broken by the war will be bent. General French, since his
retirement to command of the forces in England, seems much older.
So common is this quick aging that Lady Jellicoe, who went to
Scotland to see her