"After dinner, Michael vouchsafed to me that he had had an encounter with Barbara Castle at a recent Tribune event: [MF] You told me about what she had done ... in your case. [Castle had asked for a fee as the price of an interview and I had refused.] [CR] I was really surprised. [MF] She spoke to me about that the other day. I don't want to cause any trouble. I don't want her to think that I've got any grievance against her because it won't serve any purpose. You know, we're longstanding friends and I'm now on very good terms with her ... She'd been in on the foundation of Tribune ... We've had our quarrels ... It was quite shocking--Barbara's reply to you. She shouldn't have done anything like that, but ... she's losing her eyesight. I may wake up any day to see that she is dead. I had quite a talk with her ... She was feeling very guilty about what she said to you, and she came out with it in some way or other, and I said, "No, no Barbara. You don't have to worry about this." I wouldn't ask to see her again. Very handsome? chivalric of my biographical subject, but not so helpful to me, I thought."