12 MARCH 1937

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NEWS OF THE WEEK W HILE the difficulties in the way

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of the institution of a naval patrol off the Spanish coasts have been dis- posed of by the Non-Intervention Committee (all but one— the question of how Germany shall pay her...

France's Defence Loan The French Government's National Defence Loan, of

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Lio5,000,000, by which the Treasury's financial needs will be covered, is a successful attempt to meet the attacks of the Right and a critical financial emergency. M. Blum's...

A New Japanese Foreign Policy ?

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The speech on Japan's foreign policy delivered by Mr. Sato, the new Foreign Minister, before the House of Peers on Monday is reassuring. So is the fact that it was made by Mr....

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The Oslo Powers In a world of economic and political

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nationalism the Oslo Powers—Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg, Finland, Holland and Belgium—whose conference at the Hague ended on Saturday, seem to form a small but...

The Special Areas Bill In regard to the location of

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industry generally and the question of the limitation of the expansion of London in particular, the Government promises a Royal Commission; but Royal Commissions too regularly...

A Survey of South Wales The new industrial Survey of

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South Wales, carried out by Professor Marquand and a staff of assistants at University College, Cardiff, is a remarkably comprehensive and practical piece of work. The Survey is...

Italy's Gold Reserves Last week, after an interval of over

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a year, a statement was made of the gold reserves and holdings of foreign curren- cies by the Bank of Italy, no doubt in the desire to re-establish Italy's credit abroad. It is...

Mining Royalties Mr. Neville Chamberlain on Tuesday was curiously ambiguous

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on one vital point in his announcement of the appointment of a Tribunal to determine the value of the mining royalties which the Government proposes to acquire. The Tribunal,...

The Raw Materials Discussions The main effect of the discussions

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of the new League of Nations Committee on access to raw materials is to demon- strate the complexity of the subject. Sir Frederick Leith- Ross, for Great Britain, and Sir Henry...

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Mr. Elliot might have dealt less cavalierly with the suggestion

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of a Special Minister for the distressed areas. Nobody questions the zeal and energy of the Commissioners. But there is a widespread feeling that to entrust administrative tasks...

There was no spontaneity about the uproar which greeted Mr.

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Ernest Brown's appearance at the despatch box on Tuesday. Labour back-benchers were clearly resolved to stage a demonstration. For a time it almost seemed as if the sitting...

The Prime Minister, who, with mingled reason and urbanity, usually

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excels on occasions of this kind, failed to allay the discontent of many of his own followers. He drew a dis- tinction between Bills founded on a Money Resolution and Bills...

In the past three years there have been several protests

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against the detail with which Money Resolutions are drawn. Once such a resolution is passed no amendment which is inconsistent with its terms may be moved to the Bill which...

Reduction and Limitation of Rabbits The rabbit scourge in this

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country is not comparable with the rabbit scourge in Australia, but it is serious enough none the less. The Report on " Damage by Rabbits " published by the Select Committee of...

The Car-Parking Controversy Mr. Hore-Belisha appears to have no one

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but himself to thank for the construction that was put on the words he was reported as having used at the annual dinner of the Institution of Chartered Surveyors on March 2nd....

The Week in Parliament Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes : It

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is frequently observed in the House of Commons that the best debates are those which are confined within a fairly narrow compass. This has certainly been true during the present...

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IF LABOUR RULES

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T HE Labour Party is making no visible political progress, so far at any rate as representation in the House of Commons is concerned. In the election of 1932 it secured 191...

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THE FIGHT FOR POPULATION

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A CCORDING to the Lavoro Fascista last week, " the birth-rate problem is a cause of justified dissatisfaction to Signor Mussolini, and the Duce's dissatisfaction is like a sharp...

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A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK

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T HE professional rumourists who are now hard at work on the Prime Minister and Mr. Ramsay MacDonald leave it to be inferred that there is a definite obstacle to the elevation...

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ADDIS ABABA CIVILISED

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By G. L. STEER I Addis Ababa there are 25,000 soldiers of Italy, Savoy 1 Grenadiers, Blackshirts and Eritrean Askaris. There are many aeroplanes at Akaki, on the tawny plain...

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AN AGE OF PLASTICS

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By F. SHERWOOD TAYLOR T HE discovery of a new class of material is a great event in human history. The use of wood, leather, bone, ivory, pottery, brick, plaster and metal...

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THE GERMANS AND MOROCCO

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ELIZABETH MONROE By Fez, March Ist. A STAY of any length in Morocco brings to light a lot of small facts which prove that German propaganda is being skilfully managed in both...

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THE HERESY GAME

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By MARY BUTTS A T the end of one of his recent books Mr. T. S. Eliot has printed an appendix, containing his suggestions for an interesting new game. I have not the book beside...

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THE CORONATION AND THE VILLAGE

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By LADY ALLEN OF HURTWOOD T HE Coronation gives an occasion, long needed and long desired, for concentrating attention on restoring some of the corporate village life that is...

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BOURGEOIS BODYGUARD

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By SYLVIA STEVENSON "ChNE word is too often profaned," sang Shelley, in an J age when " love " included sex appeal. Nowadays, the word most frequently misapplied (and...

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MARGINAL COMMENTS

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By LAWRENCE ATHILL I ONCE heard a musical divine preach on the text " They shall sing a new song." Providence, he said, which had made death our common and inevitable lot, had...

MARY STUART

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MY brother Jamie lost me all, Fell cleverly to make me fall, And with a sure reluctant hand Reft my life and took my land. It was jealousy of the womb That let me in and shut...

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CZECHOSLOVAKIA'S GERMANS

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Commonwealth and Foreign From A. PRAGUE CORRESPONDENT Prague, March 8th. IT is too early yet to judge the practical effects of the agreement of February zoth between the...

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THE CINEMA

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"Camille." At the Empire—" Crack-Up." At the Tivon THE Dumas part was a necessary adjunct to Miss Garbo's career, for La Dame aux Camilias has become one of the accredited...

STAGE AND SCREEN

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THE THEATRE "The Revenger's Tragedy." By Cyril Tonmeur. A.D.C. and Marlowe Society, Cambridge Tire cunning complicated plot twists and turns and knots and unravels itself and...

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EN ECOUTANT LA RADIO

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[D'un correspondant parisienI " Qu'EsT - CE qui vous a le plus frappe cette fois ?" demandait- on l'autre jour a un colonial en conga apres deux ans d'Afrique. II repondit : "...

ART

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The French Again THE exhibition at M. Rosenberg's galleries in Bruton Street covers the usual ground " From Ingres to —," the blank in this cast being filled in with the name...

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COUNTRY LIFE

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Country Crafts We live in an age of vanishing country crafts, and no institution has done more than the Rural Industries Bureau to save such country arts and their exponents...

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CONDITIONS IN MENTAL HOSPITALS

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief as is reasonably possible. The most suitable length is that of one of our " News of the.Week"...

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—I too have read

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Part II of the current Report of the (Lunacy and Mental Deficiency) Board of Control. It is sorry reading, both from the social and the medical points of view. One does not know...

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]

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Sia,—In Mr. Peter Winckworth's interesting remarks oa Religion and Youth his most important statement seems to me to have been : " This generation must be shown that...

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sia,—Many besides myself will

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have read with appreciation Mr. Castle's article in The Spectator. He will, I am sure, forgive a friendly critic. In-the first- place, most young people I know hate being...

YOUTH AND A COMPROMISE RELIGION [To the Editor of THE

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SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Mr. Castle in his article in last week's Spectator states that the young people of today " see the world in the grip of two great evils—poverty and war." He may...

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RELIGION IN SPAIN

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Mr. Arnold Lunn attempts to refute the report of the English churchmen on the position of religion in Government- controlled Spain by...

Janus writes : " No one, of course, can tell

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precisely what the composition of his 7,53o votes was " ; but Janus is wrong. The secrecy of the ballot, so jealously preserved in all other Parliamentary elections, does not...

LOANS FOR ARMAMENTS

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—You speak of Germany's commercial debt of 40 millions to this country as " continuing " to be used to finance rearma- ment, and of the...

TRAFFIC OUTSIDE BUILT-UP AREAS

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—NOW that the Ministry of Transport is being empowered to take over trunk roads can we not at last adopt a bold policy and really tackle...

THE OXFORD ELECTION

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To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Sir Arthur Salter must not let his modesty mislead him into thinking that the significance of his victory " is obviously political and not...

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A WEEKLY BUDGET

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[To the Editor of Tux SPECTATOR.] Edward Elliott, J.P., in a letter published in the Kent Messenger, says he thinks the statements of Lord Northbourne and the Dean of...

" FIDEI DEFENSOR "

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sit,—It may be true, as your " Notebook " says, that few people know the origin of the King's title Fidel Defensor, but I think still fewer...

THE U.S.S.R. CONSTITUTION AND CHRISTIANITY

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Snt,—In your last issue the Rev. F. Stone points out quite rightly that the point in the new Soviet Constitution that " he who will not work...

SIR,-1 have just read the text of a most interesting

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paper by Mr. Harry Price, in which, amongst other interesting things, he said that the S.P.R. had investigated the case of Mr. Kuda Bux, the young Indian, who can walk barefoot,...

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THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF WILLIAM BECKFORD

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BOOKS OF THE DAY By JOHN HAYWARD I: seems unlikely that we shall ever know the whole truth about Beckford's life. There were periods in it, just as there are passages in his...

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The Note-Books and Papers of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Edited by

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Humphrey House. (Oxford University Press. 25s.) • THE HOPKINS PAPERS The Note-Books and Papers of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Edited by Humphrey House. (Oxford University Press....

A NEW PROTESTANT ETHICS AND PHILOSOPHY

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The Divine Imperative : A Study in Christian Ethics. By Emil Brunner. Translated by Olive Wyon. (Lutterworth Press. 25s.) The Philosophy of Religion from the Standpoint of...

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WHAT THEN MUST WE DO ?

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The Road to Wigan Pier. By George Orwell. (Gollancz. los. 6d.) IN the first part of this remarkable book, Mr. Orwell describes a cheap lodging-house, and its inhabitants, in...

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THREE WISE MEN

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Present Indicative. By Noel Coward. (Heinemann. 12s. 6(1.) Midnight on the Desert : A Chapter of Autobiography. By J. B. Priestley. (Heinemann. 8s. 6d.) Swinnerton : An...

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TREAD SOFTLY

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SAMUEL BUTLER popularised it : this habit of keeping a private note-book for public consumption. Mr. Stonier is not another Butler : he is a less interesting, though perhaps...

EUROPE

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A Survey of European Civilisation. Part I, To 1660. By Wallace K. Ferguson. Part II, Since 1660. By Geoffrey Braun. Under the editorial supervision of Carl L. Becker. (Allen and...

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AMERICAN FICTION

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A REVIEW in the normal sense it is impossible to give to Professor Quinn's American Fiction. The field is so vast ; the judgements are so involved in contrary opinions about the...

GIRALDUS CAMBRENSIS

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GIRALDUS CAMBRENSIS was a Welsh Archdeacon, the circle of whose fame has hitherto been limited to students of his own— the twelfth century. But he is emphatically worthy of a...

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FICTION

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By WILLIAM PLOMER Kit Brandon. By Sherwood Anderson. (Hutchinson. 7s. 6d.) Death Without Battle. By Ludwig Renn. (Seeker and Warburg. 6s.) Men Without Mercy. By Alfred Dublin....

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PIN JARRA By Ruby Fairbridge

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Pinjarra (Oxford University Press, 7s. 6d.) is the story of the founding of the first Fairbridge Farm School told by Kingsley Fairbridge's widow. The idea of taking destitute...

THE GAME OF SKI-ING. By A. H. d'Egville—THE COM- PLETE

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BOOK OF SKI-ING. By F. Hallberg and H. Mucken. brunn Mr. d'Egville has produced a serious, lucid little book (Arnold, 5s.) which will be of help, to beginners of all ages. The...

BALKAN SAGA By Donald Weir

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Mr. Weir and a friend drove their two-seater sports car across Europe to the Balkans, touching fourteen countries but seeing little of any of them. They never forgot that they...

THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN LONELINESS By Ernestine Hill

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CURRENT LITERATURE The author of The Great Australian Loneliness (Jarrolds, t8s.) is a journalist who has spent five years collecting these stories of life in the wildest...

Here is another rolling-stone's auto- biography. Mr. Soden followed more

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or less the same bumpy but by now well-defined track across the world as his fellow adventurers, for all are impelled by the same motives—or lack of them—and the only variations...

SAILING

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Sailing South American Skies (Barker, 7s. 6d.) is an account of a passenger- plane trip round South America, but apart from the chapter from which the book takes its title Mr....

HOUSING: VOLUME I The appearance of this large volume of

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436 pages, prepared by the Building Centre Committee and priced at 3os., realises the first half of a praiseworthy ambition to show in a representative and unbiassed way what...

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TRAVEL NOTES

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CANADA . THE average visitor to the Dominion of Canada sees no more of it than he sees of his first iceberg, which is about one-tenth' of the whole, for Canada lies betwixt-...

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WISE INVESTMENT

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ELECTRWITY supply shares are passing through an uncomfort- able time. Having emerged, somewhat shaken and not unscathed, from a disconcerting adjustment to gilt-edged yields,...

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FALL IN INVESTMENTS : RISE IN RUBBER SHARES AND BASE

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METAL SHARES FINANCE HOLDERS of securities, and especially holders of British Funds and other high-class investments, may be excused for expressing concern and even surprise...

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FINANCIAL NOTES

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INVESTMENTS LOWER. DEPRESSED conditions in the markets for investment securities and buoyancy in some of the speculative sections, such as rubber shares and the shares of base...

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A HUNDRED YEARS AGO

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" THE SPECTATOR," MARCH I ITH, 1837. On the close division on the Disjunction Bill, in the French Chamber, on Tuesday last, Mr. Goldberry, a Deputy who had been confined to his...

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"THE SPECTATOR " CROSSWORD No. 233

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HE ZENO. [A prize of one guinea will be given to the sender of the first correct solution of this week's crossword puzzle to be opened. Envelopes should be marked " Crossword...

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD NO. 232 SOLUTION NEXT WEEK

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The winner of Crossword No. 232 is Miss Thompson, The Old Farmhouse, Alveston, Gloucestershire.