The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 58
58 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN I walked down and picked up the receiver, the voice at the other end said, "This is Howard speaking. " I asked, "Which of the three?" The gentleman at the other end said, "It is surprising that you should remember. As a matter of fact, this is Walter Howard speaking. " I said, "I remember very well your father and mother visiting England in 1912, and they stayed in the same house in London where I was staying. Your mother talked often about the children as you were the same age that I was. I remember that you and I started a correspondence but when I went back to India, somehow our correspondence petered out. The moment you said 'Howard,' I guessed it could only be one of you. But how did you get to know I was here?" He said, "As a matter of fact, mother rang up from Brantford" - it was their home, not far from Toronto - "she had noticed your name as a delegate to the conference, and asked me to find out if it was the same young man whom she had met 21 years earlier in London. " I said, "It is the same one, and returning from Chicago only three days ago, I passed through Brantford. If I had known that your father and mother were there I certainly would have stopped and paid my respects to them. " He said, "Father died some years back, but mother still lives there. She remembers very well meeting you there and how you talked; she of us, and you of your own mother, and how close you were to each other, and she wanted to convey her very kind regards. If there should be any opportunity, she would be very glad to meet you. " I asked him to come up immediately and we had a talk. I have since met him every time I have been in Canada, or almost. Unfortunately, I could not meet Mrs. Howard, though she was alive during two of my subsequent visits to Toronto. Somehow a meeting could not be arranged. At the Conference we had Lord Robert Cecil, younger brother of the Marquis of Salisbury with us, who was a great advocate of the League of Nations and the idea of international co-operation and of the settlement of international disputes through peaceful methods. We had a very representative delegation from Canada and there were delegations from all the Commonwealth countries. We were entertained very hospitably in different homes in Toronto. One visit that I remember particularly, which was most enjoyable, was to the Donald Farms, outside Toronto, owned by Mrs. Dunlap. She took great pride in her excellent breed of cattle. She entertained us at