DLA016-0048  Transcription

26th June, 1925.

To-day I have just come up to town to attend to various important matters. As I am here quite alone in the house, I am able to find time to quietly look back on all that has happened during the last ten days. It seems all like a dream and I cannot yet conceive that all that has taken place can be true, but first of all I must tell you all about our journey.^[1]

I wish also to say how much we both felt it, that we had to leave so suddenly and to break up your glorious programme, over which you had taken so much trouble. We cannot thank you and your dear wife^[2] enough for all you have done, for which we shall be forever most grateful. We had been so looking forward to our visit to you. It would have been so wonderful. I am so thankful to the Almighty that everything ended well and that we had at, least, a few hours – a few glorious hours – in your beautiful home. What agony I passed through during those two days in Budapest.

Now that our great anxiety is over, I am glad that we were able at least, to enjoy that afternoon in your home before we left, and to know how many friends, among the very best of my native country, I have, which was manifested in such a splendid way. But I must admit that I felt it very much that I kept Johnny a state from Lucy.

It is a very great satisfaction to me, after all that has happened, to know that my Exhibition in Budapest, had such a great moral success.^[3] Also, after so many years to meet again so many dear old friends who were all so charming and so sympathetic towards us in our great sorrow.

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You can imagine what we felt, on our arrival when the news reached us, on the boat, that the day after we had left, the Prime Minister had been also operated upon for appendicitis.^[4] I telegraphed to the Countess^[5] and was glad to hear that Count Bethlen was progressing well, and she rejoiced with us over the recovery of our Johnny. It was certainly a very strange coincidence!

I really left with a broken heart, but we appreciated your kind sympathy so much and your dear wife was so very, very good to us.

I must now tell you that in spite of all that Martzy^[6] had arranged for news to be sent to us at the various stations on our long journey to England, nothing whatever reached us, so we really expected that the worst had happened. On our arrival at Dover, the College had sent over a car to drive us to Brighton and the chauffeur, who belongs to the College, brought us the first good news. Unfortunately the operation had taken place too late, as the appendix had already burst, poisoning the system, with the result that pneumonia developed. From Wednesday to Thursday was the most critical time with the dear boy and he was more or less given up. Various telegrams were sent to us, but they never reached us and came back here. Thank God that for the last two days Johnny is considered out of danger; the lung is clearing and his temperature is absolutely normal and steady, so that we may look forward now to his recovery within the next fortnight. Lucy was wonderful throughout, up to the moment when we arrived at the Sanatorium, when seeing Johnny lying in such a critical state, she broke down, but we are so thankful that the Almighty has spared him to us.

Our plans, of course, have all been upset, and I shall not be able to go to Paris, as I am now so very busy.

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Lucy, with the exception of a few days, will not come up to town, but I shall have to come up throughout the whole month of July, with the exception of the week-end.

Now, dear friend, if you have in your mind any feeling that you are under any obligation towards me regarding that charming portrait of your dear Edith, please let me tell you that I am happy to know that there is none, and that feeling must disappear. Nothing could give me greater happiness than to know that picture is in your possession as a momento of our visit, and for all you have done, as a sign of friendship towards us.^[7]

Up to now, I have no letter from Martzy, and I am looking forward to see what the papers said after we left. I only hope that all those interviews that I gave with only a part of my mind and heart on them, will not be too bad. Please send me everything that you can. We are so pleased also that there will exist a photograph of your beautiful home, and only hope that at a not far distant time, we shall be able to repeat our visit to Budapest and enjoy your kind hospitality, and that you will be able to reciprocate it.

I have telegraphed to Horthy, expressing our regret that we were unable to pay our respects that day, and informing him of the progress of our boy.^[8] To all the other kind friends who wanted to entertain us, Lucy will write, and will you be good enough to tell them again how much we appreciated all their goodwill and kindness, and that our boy is now safe.

And now, dear friend, may I again shake your hand and thank you for everything you have done, and ask you to let me hear from you very soon. Please convey my homage to your dear wife and Believe me, Ever yours,

Editorial Note:

István Bárczy de Bárcziháza (1882-1952), Private Secretary to successive Hungarian Prime Ministers, later Permanent Undersecretary of State in the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office and close friend of de László; for biographical notes, see [111342].

ACW

27/07/2009