After Glasgow I went to dear Clemmie Waring’s, at Lennel, and found her house full of convalescent officers, and she herself very happy with them and her new baby.  I really wanted to rest, and meant to enjoy five days of repose; but I gave a lecture the first night, and then had a sort of breakdown and took to my bed.  However, that had to be got over, and I went down to Wales at the end of the week.  The Butes gave me their own rooms at Cardiff Castle, and a nice housekeeper looked after me.

[Page Heading:  CARDIFF]

There followed a strange fortnight in that ugly old fortress, with its fine stone-work and the execrable decorations covering every inch of it.  The days passed oddly.  I did a little writing, and I saw my committee, whom I like.  Colonel Dennis is an excellent fellow, and so are Mr. Needle, Mr. Vivian Reece{7}, and Mr. Harrison.  A Mr. Howse acted as secretary.

The first day I gave a dock-gate meeting, and spoke from a lorry, and that night I had my great meeting at Cardiff.  Sir Frank Younghusband came down for it, and the Mayor took the chair.  The audience was enthusiastic, and every place was filled.  At one moment they all rose to their feet, and holding up their hands swore to fight for the right till right was won.  It was one of the scenes I shall always remember.

Every day after that I used to have tea and an egg at 5 o’clock, and a motor would come with one of my committee to take me to different places of meeting.  It was generally up the Rhondda Valley that we went, and I came to know well that westward drive, with the sun setting behind the hills and turning the Taff river to gold.  Every night we went a little further and a little higher—­Aberdare, Aberystwyth, Toney Pandy, Tonepentre, etc., etc.  I gave fourteen lectures in thirteen days.  Generally, I spoke in chapels, and from the pulpit, and this seemed to give me the chance I wanted to speak all my mind to these people, and to ask them and teach them what Power, and Possession, and Freedom really meant.  Oh, it was wonderful!  The rapt faces of the miners, the hush of the big buildings, and then the sudden burst of cheering!

At one meeting there was a bumptious-looking man, with a bald head, whom I remember.  He took up his position just over the clock in the gallery.  He listened critically, talked a good deal, and made remarks.  I began to speak straight at him, without looking at him, and quite suddenly I saw him, as I spoke of our men at the war, cover his face and burst into tears.

The children were the only drawback.  They were attracted by the idea of the magic-lantern, and used to come to the meetings and keep older people out.  My lectures were not meant for children, and I had to adopt the plan of showing the pictures first and then telling the youngsters to go, and settling down to a talk with the older ones, who always remained behind voluntarily.

We had some times which I can never forget; nor can I forget those dark drives from far up in the hills, and the mists in the valley, and my own aching fatigue as I got back about midnight.  From 5 till 12.30 every night I was on the stretch.