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Monday 30 December 2013

Being polite

Thursday, December 30th., George Street, London.

In spite of much fatigue after Xmas night, when I gave a dinner at Claridge's, I did some work on my novel in the afternoon. 

Yesterday I lunched (alone) and dined at home and wrote 2,100 words, also of my novel.

After dinner I went out to the Royalty Theatre to be polite to the members of the "Milestones" company. Dennis Eadie was very gloomy. Stella Jessie, Ada Barton and two others were the gayest. Stella asked me whether I could tell her what old gentlemen with long beards did  with their beards when they took a bath.

The front-of-the-house manager displayed the usual illogical optimism in face of a poor house. The night was awful and the audience thin and chilly (according to Eadie). Perhaps that accounted for the atmosphere of the dressing rooms. I think that Harben was the only realist in the assembly.

Additionally for December 30th., see 'Back to Burslem' -
http://earnoldbennett.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/back-to-burslem.html

Walking through Burslem yesterday I saw two childs' funerals exactly of the same kind; a procession of five or six pairs of women in black with white trimmings; two pairs carried the small oak coffin which was covered with wreaths and which they held by white cords over their shoulders. Immediately behind the coffin, the chief mourners, in one case a man and a woman. The coffin occurred about the middle of the procession. These little forlorn, smug processions ambling towards the cemetery were very curious.

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