estminster Dining Society (the predecessor of
the Wiseman), he wrote my mother an unnecessary apology:

DEAR MRS. WILFRID WARD--

I have wanted for some days past to write to you, but could not
make up my mind whether I was making my position worse or better. But
I do want to apologise to you for the way in which I threw out your
delightful Catholic Dining Society affair the other day. I behaved
badly, dined badly, debated badly and left badly; yet the explanation
is really simple. I was horribly worried, and I do not worry well;
when I am worried I am like a baby. My wife was that night just ill
enough to make a man nervous, a stupid man, and I had sworn to her
that I would fulfill some affairs that night on which she was keen.
As she is better now and only wants rest, I feel normal and realise
what a rotter I must have looked that night. As Belloc wrote in a
beautiful epitaph--

"He frequently would flush with fear when other people paled,
He Tried to Do his Duty . . . but how damnably he failed."

This is the epitaph of yours sincerely,

G. K. CHESTERTON.

My father and mother were hardly less excited than I at the discovery
of the greatest man of the age, for so we all felt him to be. Gilbert
later described my father as "strongly co-operative" with another's
mind, and this was perhaps his own chief characteristic in
conversation. The two men did not agree on politics, but on religion
their agreement was deep and constantly grew deeper as they
co-operated in exploring it. Our headquarters were in Surrey but when
we came up to London every spring my parents wanted to bring the
Chestertons into touch with all their friends. They tended to think
of their luncheon table as Chesterton "supported" by those most
worthy of the honour. One of the first was of course George Wyndham,
already a friend and admirer of Gilbert's. At this luncheon they
discussed the modern press, 18th Century lampoons, the ingredients of
a good English style, the lawfulness of Revolution, the causes of
Napoleon, Scripture criticism, Joan of Arc, public executions, how to
bring about reforms. It was absurd, G.K. said, to think that gaining
half a reform led to the other half. Supposing it was agreed that
every man ought to have a cow, but you say, "We can't manage that
just yet: give him half a cow." He doesn't care for it and he leaves
it about, and he never asks for the other half.

Talki