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innoculating effect, and certainly it does far less harm than the existence
of our so-called aristocracy. I have often advocated that a Labor gov–
ernment, i.e., one that meant business, would abolish titles while retain–
ing the royal family. But such a move would only have meaning if
royal sentiment exists, and so far as I can judge it is much weakened.
I am told that the royal visits to war factories are looked on as time–
wasting ballyhoo. Nor did the news that the King had caused a black
line to be painted round all the baths in Buckingham Palace do much
to popularize the five-inch bath.
Well, no more news. I am afraid I have written rather a lot already.
It is a foul winter, not at all cold, but with endless fogs, almost like the
famous "London fogs" of my childhood. The blackout seems to get less
and not more tolerable as the war goes on. Food is much as usual, but
wine has almost vanished and whisky can only be bought by the nip,
unless you have influential pals. There are air-raid alarms almost every
night, but hardly any bombs. There is much talk about the rocket guns
with which the Germans are supposedly going to bombard London. A
little while before the talk was of a four-hundred ton bomb which was
to be made in the form of an enormous glider and towed across by
fleets of German airplanes. Rumors of this kind have followed one
another since the beginning of the war, and are always firmly believed
iu by numbers of people, evidently fulfilling some obscure psychological
need.
Yours ever,
GEORGE ORWELL
