I was myself, moreover, rather impressed with the emphasis laid on it—"he is particular that I should tell you of this"—and accordingly made a half-hearted inquiry or two; but nothing more was heard on the subject for two months. On Monday, 29 November, however, a letter came from Mrs. Cheves, a stranger to us, mother of Captain Cheves of the R.A.M.C., who had known Raymond and had reported to us concerning the nature of his wound, and who is still doing good work at the Front.
Mrs. Cheves' welcome letter ran as follows:—
"28 November 1915
"Dear Lady Lodge,—My son, who is M.O. to the 2nd South Lancs, has sent us a group of officers taken in August, and I wondered whether you knew of this photo and had had a copy. If not may I send you one, as we have half a dozen and also a key? I hope you will forgive my writing to ask this, but I have often thought of you and felt so much for you in yr. great sorrow.
—Sincerely yours, B. P. Cheves"
M. F. A. L. promptly wrote, thanking her, and asking for it; but fortunately it did not come at once.
Before it came, I (O. J. L.) was having a sitting with Mrs. Leonard alone at her house on 3 December; and on this occasion, among other questions, I asked carefully concerning the photograph, wishing to get more detailed information about it, before it was seen. It should be understood that the subject was not introduced by Mrs. Leonard or her control. The previous mention of a photograph had been through Peters. It was I that introduced the subject through Mrs. Leonard, and asked a question; and the answers were thus reported and recorded at the time—the typing out of the sitting being all done before the photograph arrived:—
Extract from the Record of O. J. L.'s Sitting with
Mrs. Leonard, 3 December 1915
(Mrs. Leonard's child-control, Feda, supposed to be speaking,
and often speaking of herself in the third person.)
FEDA.—Now ask him some more.
O. J. L.—Well, he said something about having a photograph taken with some other men. We haven't seen that photograph yet. Does he want to say anything more about it? He spoke about a photograph.
Yes, but he thinks it wasn't here. He looks at Feda, and he says, it wasn't to you, Feda.