Delicious to get your letter this morning. . . . We got news after midnight from French who had been fighting all day but had got back to his new position. This morning there is another message from him, which is pretty bad. The Germans harassed him all the way but were shaken off – not without considerable losses to the 2nd Army Corps (Smith Dorrien's) & the Cavalry: over 2000 in all. De Lisle's Cavalry Brigade, of which Anthony used to be Brigade Major, in charging some infantry got entangled in wire & were 'severely handled'. No names as yet of killed or wounded. French's troops were in the best of spirits & ‘quite ready to take the offensive', but the French resolved on a further retirement, & so our men have had to follow suit & are falling back on their original lines at Cambrai-Cateau. Kitchener is furious with the French who (he says) put their worst troops in the post of danger where they were annihilated by the Prussian Guards. So far the French plan of campaign has been badly bungled. To make things more mysterious, I have just seen a furious telegram from the Belgian Foreign Minister, who denies indignantly that Namur has fallen: 'Les forts resistent & resisteront au bout'. This (if true) makes the French retirement very difficult to understand. Later He of C. 4.0 p.m. The House met in large numbers, and we introduced another dozen Emergency War Bills. I made a guarded and not very 'luciferous' statement as to French's position. The Belgians who are really gallant fellows – and so far compare very favourably with the French – are now re-collecting their forces, and moving out of Antwerp with the King at their head, to try & cut the German lines of communication. I have just sent for Bonar Law to propose that we should pass an Address in the House of sympathy & laudation to the Belgian Army & people. They certainly deserve it. Kitchener is making his maiden speech in the Lords this afternoon. It is carefully type-written, and Winston & I have gone over it with him. It is quite nervous, but I think it will do very well. Bonar Law has now come & gone. (I don't know whether you like this sort of hour-by-hour diary. But you say to-day that I am to give you all my news – 'especially personal'. If that means my very own, you know well my darling how every hour you are with me.) He is disposed to agree about Belgium, and I went on to tell him in outline of my 'ultimatum'. He says that personally he would back it up, but he is going to impart it in confidence to Carson. The poor King wrote me a letter this morning strongly urging immediate settlement (I have lent it to Birrell, or I think I would have sent it you) and enclosing another in the same sense which he would evidently like me to publish. I have however got into enough hot water through giving constructive authority to his effusions and I am not going to repeat that experiment. Moreover, it is entre nous a rather banal & unimpressive document. I have let Birrell have the letter to me to use as a fly for Redmond & Dillon; the royal handwriting & his expression of willingness to see R. again may have some effect. I won't brusquer things for a day or two or any rate. I ought to stop now - for I have a lot to do - tho' happily I have ceased to fear that I shall weary you. Talking with you in this way is the one alleviation of my days - especially when one feels anxious as to what is going to happen. Write to me my own darling dear letter - such as you can; and it will be worth all the world to me. I love you.