One can easily imagine him, sitting in his small, comfortable parlour and bending over his blotting-pad in unilluminated cheerful absorption after his day's work.

It can also without any special intellectual effort be imagined that the record might have begun with some such seemingly unprophetic entry as follows:-- "June 29th, 1914.

I made up my mind when I was at the office to-day that I would begin to keep a diary.

I have thought several times that I would, and Harriet thinks it would be a good thing because we should have it to refer to when there was any little dispute about dates and things that have happened.

To-night seemed a good time because there is something to begin the first entry with.