s possessed plots of land
and a cow or two.

"The P.E.N. Club Dinner," Frances wrote in a letter to her mother,
"was, I fancy, considered by the Poles a huge success. If numbers
indicate anything, it certainly was. I found it a little embarrassing
to have to eat hot kidneys and mushrooms standing about with hundreds
of guests, and this was only the preliminary to a long dinner that
followed and refreshments that apparently continued until two o'clock
in the morning. The speeches were really perfectly marvellous and
delivered in English quite colloquial and very witty and showing a
detailed knowledge of Gilbert's works which no Englishman of my
acquaintance possesses. Gilbert made an excellent, in fact, a very
eloquent speech in reply, which drew forth thunders of applause."

Their hosts drove the Chestertons all over the country and showed
them home life on the little farms, home industries and
arts--brightly woven garments and pottery for use, not for
exhibition--and the great historic scenes of Poland's history. With
the scene he remembered most vividly, Gilbert's musings on Poland
conclude: they were visiting a young nobleman who excused the
devastation of his own home by Bolshevik soldiers in the heat of
battle but added, "There is only one thing I really resent."

. . . He led us out into a long avenue lined with poplars; and at
the end of it was a statue of the Blessed Virgin; with the head and
the hands shot off. But the hands had been lifted; and it is a
strange thing that the very mutilation seemed to give more meaning to
the attitude of intercession; asking mercy for the merciless race of
men.*

[* _Autobiography_, p. 330.]

Karel Capek who had long wanted Chesterton to visit Prague wrote
mournfully, "You wrote me that it would be difficult for you to come
to Prague this spring. But it was in the newspapers that you were
last month in Warsaw; why in Heaven's sake did you not come to Prague
on this occasion? What a pity for us! Now we are waiting for a
compensation." Two earlier letters had shown him eager for
contributions from Chesterton for a leading review. Another
delightful letter is dated December 24th (no year given):

MY DEAR MR. CHESTERTON,

It is just Christmas Eve; my friends presented me with some of your
books, and I cannot omit to thank you for the consolation and trust I
found there as already so many times. Be blessed, Mr. Chesterton.

I wrote you twi