December 20th, 1916.
Dear Mr. T.:
Just back from a successful argument
with Fritz, to find your kind good wishes. It’s
rather a lark out here, though a lark which may turn
against you any time. I laugh a good deal more
than I mope. Anything really horrible has a ludicrous
side it’s like Mark Twain’s
humour a gross exaggeration. The maddest
thing of all to me is that a person so willing to
be amiable as I am should be out here killing people
for principle’s sake. There’s no
rhyme or reason it can’t be argued.
Dimly one thinks he sees what is right and leaves
father and mother and home, as though it were for
the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake. Perhaps it
is. If one didn’t pin his faith to that
“perhaps” . One can’t
explain.
A merry Christmas to you.
Yours
very sincerely,
CONINGSBY
DAWSON.