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The Shiffolds, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking. - Julian has now had the whooping-cough for a while, though 'not very severely' so far; he is 'fairly cheerful, and is very busy making architectural plans, and also town-planning, and writing a Baedeker of his imaginary town [Hurtenham - perhaps a reference to TREJ/59/4]'. Robert is reading Romeo and Juliet with him, which he 'enjoys very much'. Bessie is well, though sometimes Julian's coughing keeps her awake.

Robert is going to Edinburgh next Thursday for a few days to 'see Professor [Donald] Tovey, and hear his performance of part of our opera [The Bride of Dionysus] at an orchestral concert'. Is reading Melville's Moby Dick, 'a queer, rather half-baked book, but full of vivid things''. Bessie says she will write to Robert's mother tomorrow. The weather has been fine for three days; there has been an East wind, 'but the birds have been singing, and lots of primroses are out'. Is sorry 'Robin [Price?] and Comfort's visit to Welcombe could not come off'.

West Melville, Northam, Devon. - Very pleased to get Bob's book of poems and to find some he did not know; good to have the ones he does know together, especially 'in this new form so easily adapted to the pocket'. Wishes he could come and see Bob and Bessie, but visits are not easy at the moment: 'Even though one carries a nosebag' [i.e. takes food rations] the demand on one's host's hospitality is 'not easy to meet;. Would love to 'stroll' with Bob on his terrace and talk. May manage to get to London in autumn, and hopes then to visit Raisley [Moorsom?] and his family. Wonders whether Bob has seen his autobiography, "But To What Purpose"; thinks it would interest him, though he may think he has been 'too severe on Bedales'. Learned a 'great deal' from writing it; may perhaps have 'more to learn'.

He and Katharine very much like their new home, which is 'the half of a beautiful old house', with 'the most lovely garden'; regrets that that is a 'very expensive item', and he finds it difficult not to work too hard there. Has 'slipped somehow, rather unwillingly, into [radio] broadcasts', and is about to record two 'Empire broadcasts' in the "Men and Book" series, one on Melville and the other on Conrad. Will take a 'very different approach from the fellow who talked on these two the other night on the Third Programme [William Plomer?]' They have just come back from a conference at Birmingham, having heard some interesting papers and discussions, particularly the papers by Wilson Knight on "Imagination" and [William?] Chaning Pearce on "Existentialism and Christianity". Wilson Knight's lecture was a 'masterpiece of extemporary speaking'; expects Bob knows "The Wheel of Fire" and "The Imperial Theme", Knight's writings on Shakespeare, and recommends them if he does not. Love to the Trevelyans from both Grant Watsons.