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An early 20th century vellum-bound handmade notebook, with hand-made paper, including Loraine's bookplate. With a written dedication, "To Percy with love, as a souvenir of Paris! Valerie 1904." The remaining entries, of varying lengths on pages II to XIX, are written and dated in ink, and in some cases initialled, by Loraine. Most are in English with a few in French, some are quotations from other authors whilst many are Loraine's own often pithy observations on life in general. Loraine's first entry is dated is "Therapia 8.6.'05" which coincides with his initial diplomatic posting to Constantinople. His final entry is dated 1960 November 24. In chronological terms there is a gap from 1916 until 1946. It seems Loraine put the notebook aside for a period of 30 years, which more or less coincides with his major diplomatic postings. One entry, spread over 3 pages, differs from all others in that it recounts an episode from Loraine's diplomatic service around 1907. It concerns a "semi-official warning" communicated in writing to members of the British Diplomatic Service about the taking of foreign wives. Although the entry is undated, it appears after the February 1916 entry and includes the text of a number of verses written by Cecil Spring Rice, "then H. M. Minister in Persia", as a retort to the warning. In 1959, Loraine returned to this entry in his notebook in order to put down on paper further details of the episode. He writes that at the time the written "warning" was circulated he was serving on the staff of Spring-Rice "as a 3rd Secretary."