Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Glad Elizabeth is seeing some friends, and that the '[house] business is moving on'; advertisement from "Country Life", showing prices usually asked in Surrey, originally enclosed. Went to Newcastle yesterday to hear Mrs Ward 'speak at the opening of some "Special Schools"', which she did 'very well. Saw various 'Hodgkins & Peases's', and brought Mrs Ward and Dorothy back to stay at Wallington. Next week they are expecting Aunt Annie [Philips], Phil [Morgan Philips] Price, Hilton Young, Eleanor Cropper and Cicely [Frances?] Wedgwood; next week Theodore [Llewelyn Davies?], Mary Bell and Dorothy Wedderburnl. Elizabeth and Robert will see them if they come on 20 August, though they do not have to decide yet. The weather is so windy she has to tie on her hat. Keith [the head gardener] is sending some more fruit today. Sorry that Mrs Fry had 'the trouble of writing twice'; it was 'such a pretty letter, in picturesque handwriting'.
Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Is sorry 'about the wee doggie'; it is very sad but she hopes 'he may recover'. Is sending some game today; the grouse should be eaten first but the pheasants should keep until they return from Stocks [the Wards' country house]. Sir George has recovered, and he and his three friends are 'very happy together'; it is 'too funny sometimes to hear their reminiscences'; Sir George and Lord Belper 'took up an argument just where they left it 41 years ago!'. Mary is here; she and Charles are very happy; she 'certainly improves on acquaintance' and told Caroline that she was 'dreadfully uncomfortable' when staying in August, this is probably what 'made her so abrupt'. Mary is 'enchanted' with the house: they have a 'very tiny one in London' which is not as nice as Cheyne Gardens [George Trevelyan's new house]. Wants to hear what Elizabeth thinks of Cheyne Gardens; they will have fun on Friday and wishes she could be there. Is 'deeply grieved [sic] for Fry's anxiety [about his wife]'. Booa is 'very jealous about the apples & would like to have some'.
Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Would like very much to see the plans [for Elizabeth and Robert's new house, being built at Leith Hill]; hopes they will bring them up to London. It will be a busy time, but they must 'set apart an hour'. Asks whether they will be there on the evening of [Charles and Mary's] wedding, 6 January; Annie [Philips] will be staying with them, and Elizabeth and Robert could come to dine and show the plans then. Elizabeth can have her dress sent to Grosvenor Crescent and change there; they must leave by one o'clock. Believes 'Valescure is still very nice'; seems wise not to make a very long journey in January; expects they will come back earlier than usual to 'look after the house'. George has a cold, and they had a very quiet Christmas day; '[Charles Augustus?] Fitch and a game of whist in the evening being the high water mark of festivity'. Very distressed about [Roger] Fry [over his wife's illness]. Hopes Elizabeth got the pheasants by Christmas day. Very sorry 'the doggie did not recover'. Is reading James's Life of Story ["William Wetmore Story and His Friends"] which is 'in its way quite delightful' and 'makes one long to be in Rome'.
Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Sorry the 'pretty girl' [Hylkia Halbertsma, see 46/100] cannot stay with Elizabeth; wonders if she will have more success elsewhere; wonders whether, when Robert is settled with Madame Palumbo, Elizabeth could visit the Grandmonts at Taormina. Wishes she could have heard the concert [organised by Dolmetsch, see 46/100]; asks whether it was an artistic and financial success. Asks how she got on with the Arnolds; he [Ernest Penrose Arnold] 'had his faults' but both Robert and George owe much to him and his school [Wixenford]. The Arthur Severns have been visiting; she was Ruskin's niece [actually second cousin], and they live at Brantwood. Sir Courtenay Ilbert has also been; his daughters [Olive and Jessie] stayed with C[harles] and M[ary], as did F[rancis Dyke-] Acland and H[ilton] Young. George and Janet return to London on Monday; they want Robert and Elizabeth to dine with them and Caroline on 19 October, with a 'little party afterwards'; they could go to the theatre the night before. Amused by the idea of Elizabeth teaching a class; they are lucky to get her. Hopes [Helen] Fry is recovering; 'wretched for her' to be away from home as well.
Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Hopes the 'invalid' [Thomas Sturge Moore?] is better and can return home soon, though sure he is comfortable at the Mill House; Mrs Moore seemed 'such a nice creature, with her pretty French manners & sweet face'; sure Elizabeth likes helping her. Keen to hear whether Elizabeth got to Tunbridge [for the Conference, see 11/107]; admire her for having canvassed. She herself has had 'urgent telegrams' about a women's meeting in Horsham today; would be wonderful if Erskine won. Sir George is very pleased at [Theodore] Roosevelt's victory. Sir Charles Dalrymple and his daughter have been staying for a couple of nights. Mary's cousin Blanche Stanley has been staying with her, who has a 'lovely soprano voice' and has been well taught. Mary has also got Charles to sing better; they are away now. Sends love to Robert, asks if he would like his "1001 Gems [of Poetry]" to be sent. Looking forward to the play. Asks if Elizabeth would like to have a box of chrysanthemums sent next week, and whether Mrs [Helen] Fry would like some, or Mrs Moore when they get back.
8, Grosvenor Crescent. - Nice to hear of 'sunshine and flowers' from Elizabeth, as it is still very wintry here. Is glad to spend some time in London, see friends, and feel 'in the centre of things'. Charles, M[ary], G[eorge] and J[anet] often visit, and are all cheerful. George and Janet's wedding is fixed for 19 March; the Wards have taken a house at Oxford for a week for it, it is 'an original business' and she hopes it will satisfy everyone 'except the orthodox!'. Has paid Elizabeth's subscription to the [Grosvenor Crescent] Club, and seen the Secretary, who says its future will be 'settled next month' but she thinks it will carried on. Interested by Elizabeth's account of Madame Grandmont [Bramine Hubrecht]'s 'entertainment', and thinks it will be charming as 'the Italians have an artistic strain through all their vulgarity'. Does not think pipes [?] and jam will be useful [for bazaars], but would be glad if Madame Grandmont could send her five pounds worth of Taormina [embroidery and lace] work. Glad to hear the Frys are happier; has been very sorry for Roger Fry. Hopes Elizabeth and Robert will get the question of the road [to the house they are having built at Leith Hill] settled soon; annoying to have lost the winter for building. Wonders what Bob is writing; hopes their translation work is progressing. Politics very interesting, but she thinks the Government will hold on. Has no sympathy for either side in the [Russo-Japanese] War, and wishes 'they could both be beaten'.
8, Grosvenor Crescent, S.W. - Glad Elizabeth is enjoying her visit and has seen the [Gilbert?] Murrays; is 'so fond of Mary'. Letters to G[eorge] and J[anet] should be sent to the Wards, staying at Villa Bonaventura, Cadenabbia, who will forward them on. The latest news of them is from Florence; they were 'very happy'. Has had 'such a nice note' from Miss [Mary?] Fletcher, and has asked Imogen to play, since they are coming [to Caroline's party]. Arrangements for meeting; including the concert they are going to together. Encloses an invitation to the party [?] in case Robert would like to ask [Henry] Previté; they should say if there is anyone else they would like to come. She and Sir George liked Mr Howells, and found Mrs Atherton amusing. Very glad Elizabeth found Mrs F [Helen Fry?] better, but it 'does not seem satisfactory'.
Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Glad to hear they are all well; Caroline sends love; a 'cuckoo for ever calling here' makes him think of 'the dear little boy' [Paul] and of 'Will Shakespeare'. They have just finished Hogg [his life of Shelley], and thinks more of Hogg 'in his queer way' than ever; has been reading a Macmillan edition of Shelley: 'What a poet!'. Has read [Roger] Fry's article in the Burlington Magazine, and paid a second visit to the illuminated manuscripts [exhibition at the Burlington Fine Arts Club] yesterday before leaving London; has also looked through the British Museum facsimiles here and at Grosvenor Crescent. Hopes Fry's wife will 'go on satisfactorily'. The 'Doctorate business' [his forthcoming honorary degree at Cambridge] is 'very plain sailing': Lord Halsbury, Lord Rayleigh, and Sir James Ramsey will also be staying at [Trinity College] Lodge; they lunch at [Gonville &] Caius, whose Master [Ernest Roberts] is Vice Chancellor. Others receiving honorary degrees are: the Duke of Northumberland; Admiral Sir John Fisher; Charles Parsons; Sir James Ramsay; Sir W[illiam] Crookes; Professor Lamb; Professor Marshall; Asquith; Lord Halsbury; Sir Hubert Herkomer; Sir Andrew Noble; Rudyard Kipling; Professor Living; they will 'advance on the Senate House...like the English at Trafalgar'. in two columns. Is looking forward to dinner in the hall at Trinity. Went to Harrow on Tuesday and will tell Robert about it and about the 'Cacciola affair'.
Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Looks forward to discussing his book ["The American Revolution", Volume II] with Robert when it is read. The preliminary reviews are good, and the longer reviews in 'the great provincial papers' are 'most satisfactory'. He and Caroline are very distressed about the [Roger] Frys. They have had a 'famous old Harrovian shooting party': [Lord?] Ridley, [Lord?] Belper, Kenelm Digby, Charles and Sir George; good to increase 'old friendships, which had been loosened by politics for so long a time'. Belper is 'great fun, a humourist of a rough and strong sort' and a 'wonderful man of public business'; he took up an old argument about whether Sir George should have left him a gun-bag in Ireland exactly as it was left 41 years ago. Glad the plans for Robert and Elizabeth's new house are 'in fair train'.
Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Encloses two reviews of his book [the next volume of "The American Revolution"] which Robert may not have seen; asks for them to be returned. Satisfied that he must 'have avoided all contemporary allusions' given that the book was 'inspired throughout by [his] view of the South African [Boer] war'; the "Daily Mail", "St . James's Gazette" and 'any number of Tory papers unreservedly accept the views given in [his] volumes of the American war'. Also, according to a postscript, sending a letter which is 'almost as elegant as a sonnet'; no further details given.
6 Racknitz Strasse, Dresden. - Bob's letter reached here before he and Helen did, as Berlin kept them much longer than they expected; all the galleries closed at 3 pm so the officials could have their 'mittags essen' [sic]; not dining properly in the evening is the 'only really uncivilized thing they do'. Liked [Georg?] Gronau, whom B.B. [Bernard Berenson] introduced to him, and who took him to see a fine private collection of drawings and sculptures. Dresden is much nicer than Berlin, 'full of fantastic Barocheries and Rocochoneries'; the Gallery is huge but there are 'very few primitives & lots of Rubens & Corregio & 17th century people' whom Fry likes to 'look at lazily'. Helen 'won't come round' to Correggio and doesn't like [Raphael's] "Sistine Madonna"; to Fry's great surprise he finds it 'simply glorious', and 'Raphael painting almost like Titian'; wonders what he would have done had he lived. He and Helen 'never shall agree on Raphael Correggio & Rubens'; is 'almost annoyed' that he always likes the great artists. [Nathaniel] Wedd's "Quarterly" is very interesting; agrees with Bob that it is a shame 'to make it directly polemical', but he does not 'quite know these logrolled Oxford men'; in art he thinks 'most reputations are logrolled so one gets to think it the normal way'. Helen is asleep; they have both been unwell recently due to German food, but are getting well since they 'are in a young ladies Pension & are fed on pap'. Amusing about Miss V. d. H [Elizabeth Van der Hoeven] guessing; thinks she is good at that; is also 'frightened of her a little because she always seems to be observing more than she shows'.
Florence; addressed to Bob at The Mill House, Westcott, Nr. Dorking. - Leaving on Saturday or Sunday for Siena, where they do not expect to spend more than a week, before going on to Pisa and Milan. His book ["Giovanni Bellini"] has been attacked by '[Charles] Loeser & Co who think they will be dealing a blow at B.B. [Bernard Berenson]'; it seems to be 'humorous'; though the point they make is 'ridiculous'. He and Helen went on an expedition with Mrs [Janet] Ross, whom they like very much. Bob must tell them when and where to expect him.
Ivy Holt, Dorking. - Expects Bob will soon return, but has sent a ring [for his engagement to Elizabeth van der Hoeven] to his hotel; thinks it very beautiful and appropriate. Has not found time to do Bob's house but will go over soon and give instructions for the study and friezes. The 'accursed [Second Boer] war is upsetting everything'; has only forty-two people signed up for his lectures, which start in a week. Helen says he is too pessimistic, but he does not see there is 'much room for people like us in a blatant jingo inflated nation'. Supposes that 'the most incompetent toady' gets to the top of the army just as at the National Gallery and the S[outh] Kensington [Museum]. Discusses Bob's poem, which he likes very much, though is not sure he gets 'this kind of medioeval business as well as [he does] classical'. Has been reading some of the Franciscan poets: Jacopone [da Todi] is 'stunning'; also praises [Saint] Bonaventura's meditations. Has found 'a new and splendid subject' for Bob in the Gospel of Nicodemus, which is 'terrible extravagant & Byzantine'; has told it to [Laurence] Binyon but does not expect he will use it before Bob returns.
Ivyholt. - Has had influenza for a week, and apologises for not writing sooner; [Defoe's] "Moll Flanders", which he and Helen got on Bob's recommendation, has also perhaps had something to do with the delay; praises it highly; says he and Helen feel that Bob is the one person who could have a similar success and wishes he would try. Has been 'preaching before my Lord of Rochester' and other clergy belonging to the Church Crafts' League; does not think the Bishop appreciated his argument that the Church had given Italian artists 'a Polytheism & above all a goddess' which were needed to paint religious pictures; wishes George [Trevelyan?] had been there. Is going on with his altarpieces and wonders when he will have time to paint; has a pile of books to review. The 'assistant Chalism [?] become more & more wonderful an acquaintance', and Bob 'will have to take in him hand' for his knowledge of old books and history; he has read Macaulay four times, and might do better in that line than in painting. He and Helen miss Bob very much; Helen says she will leave Dorking if he does not return to give them 'the talk of the town', which Fry does not have 'the art to pick up'.
Ivy Holt, Dorking. - Bob's idea is 'exhilarating in the extreme'; says he will 'tame a wild rabbit... paint every hair on a stag'. Bob's letter is the best kind of 'patron's letter' as it 'gives the mood of the picture perfectly. It seems already painted'. Helen was as delighted with the letter and the idea as he was. Gives his thoughts on the painting; the figures 'must not be jesuitical' - Bob is right that that is a habit of his, partly as he intends figures 'to be furniture of a landscape and not serious people'. Will come over tomorrow to see [Thomas Sturge?] Moore, or Bob could bring him to the Frys' house, or they could come on Sunday morning. Mrs Crompton will be here tomorrow, and he would like Bob and Moore to see her; invites them to tea.
Les Andelys, Eure [postmark]; addressed to Bob at The Mill House, Westcott, Nr. Dorking. - Thanks Bob for the letter and the cuttings; [Thomas Sturge?] Moore is obviously an 'accomplished journalist' and 'got round to Mackmurdo's corner admirably'; does not enjoy Moore's criticism of his own work, but is 'awfully glad he likes Helen's so much'. They have had one 'divinely beautiful day' and cycled for about thirty miles along the Seine; Helen is already much better for the change. Lists their further travel plans. Thinks 'the Claude ought to have a dark background'.
22 Willow Road, Hampstead. - Glad Bob liked his [painting of] the Beechen Tote [near H]aslemere; thinks it is one of his best and that [John] Masefield is sure to like it. Also thinks that 'the Cowdray oil is the best thing in a way' that he has painted; delighted that [Neville] Lytton agrees, though it will 'almost disappear on the walls of the N.E.A.C.' Hopes to see Lytton this afternoon. The children are with; they are taking Pamela to see Helen this morning. Helen is 'going on well & steadily'; though she tends to be depressed, he thinks this is better than the 'exalted state', and he feels hopeful.
22 Willow Road, Hampstead. - Finds it hard to write what he feels about the suggestion put to him by [John?] Withers: Bob's 'constant and affectionate interest' is 'one of the most precious things' in his life; if it were necessary he would accept [the offer of help], which he cannot imagine doing from someone like Bob; expresses his gratitude and 'the sense of perfect reliance and affection'. His father has given him some help, and B.B. [Bernard Berenson] has managed to sell the Venetians; Fry has also nearly finished three restorations. When he has done so, and written some reviews, he intends to get to work on Bob's 'rabbits' picture [see 13/17]. Helen is not quite recovered, but nearly; the nurse has gone and she is taking an interest in household things; Edith [her sister] is making sure everything runs smoothly.
The Old Masters [exhibition at the Royal Academy] are 'the chief interest in now' London; disagrees with the attribution of a picture in it to Dürer, but [Charles] Holmes 'committed the Athenaeum' to it while Fry was away. Bob might like to join the new Arundel Club, fpr the reproduction of works of art in private collections. The "Burlington [Magazine]" is doing well and Holmes is showing 'infinite energy & business capacity' [as editor]. Relates a scandal created when [William Bell] Paterson asked Fry for his opinion on a painting, which Fry judged to be largely modern paint over the possible outline of a Giovanni Bellini; the painting turned out to have been sold by K[err] Lawson to Coates [unidentified] for a large sum; 'always feared that K.L. was not over scrupulous about his ascription of pictures' and thinks this may damage him 'considerably'; Kerr Lawson has 'sent his "Titian" as a Bonifazio [Veronese] to the Old Masters [exhibition] and ought to sell that.
Would be 'jolly' if Bob could write [Fry's sister] Margery's masque [for the opening of the new library at Somerville College, Oxford, see 4/55 and 4/104]; hope he has forgiven the suggestion he could 'polish it off quickly', as Fry likes to 'think of a poet as a perennial fount, bubbling up and overflowing with limpid words', and praises his skill with mythology. Has written 'an extravanganza on Blake for the Burlington' ["Three pictures in tempera by William Blake', Burl. Mag, Mar 1904 4 p 204]. Julian is very amusing, and has begun to sing a little; Edith has a cello here and Fry is accompanying her 'in very simple things' - tells Bob not to let his wife know - which Helen enjoys.
22 Willow Road, Hampstead. - Is writing to Bob's mother to say he will do the pastel, but not until the autumn; he and Helen hope to get to Oxford on Thursday to stay with Mrs [Christiana] Herringham and Mrs Flower if Helen is well; she has been 'very seedy' following a miscarriage but is 'wonderfully well in mind'. Has had 'another beastly summer' and cannot leave if she is not allowed to, as Edith [Helen's sister] will leave for her holiday soon. Is starting his article for the "Independent [Review?]" but wishes he had not promised it. Bob's story about Millais is lovely. Etching originally enclosed; 'a first attempt without any lesson so it was all guesswork', but means to return to it later, and to do the picture for Bob this year. Yes, the [book on] Titian is by 'the same [Georg] Gronau'; it is very good but dull to read, and not as good as his later book on Leonardo; is reviewing it [for the "Athenaeum", Sept 10 1904].
Has been to stay with [Neville] Lytton. States ironically that the [Royal] Academy has discovered that the Inquiry [by a Select Committee of the House of Lords into the Academy's administration of the Chantrey Trust] is really intended 'to advertise Lytton's drawings'. His own evidence was not printed in the papers, and lasted only half an hour; Lord Carlisle tried to catch him out 'by quoting the Athenaeum' but did not succeed. The Royal Academicians 'are physically mentally & morally on the level of small tradesmen'. [Dugald] MacColl was 'wonderful': gave evidence 'for 4 hrs without a slip' and would have 'made his fortune at the bar'.
22 Willow Road, Hampstead. - Hopes this will reach Bob before he leaves; a 'second American invasion' [related to the offer of a post at the Metropolitan Museum, New York] has taken all his time. He and Helen are grateful for the tickets and hope to get more music; he will definitely introduce himself to Miss [Sophie] Weisse and hopes to get to know [Donald] Tovey who may reform him. No money has come to Fry from Brimley Johnson's 'insatiable maw'; it is good of Bob to bother himself about it. Hopes to have something good for the 'great Agnew show' ['Some examples of Independent Art of today', Agnew's. Feb-Mar 1906]; they are 'all being done by Max [Beerbohm] for "Vanity Fair"; rather dreads it but 'one can't say that its not true of oneself after admiring him on others in print'.
Hendaye. - Was so busy after his visit to the Netherlands that he did not write and thank Bob for his letter to [Abraham?] Bredius; missed Bredius twice at the Museum and at Scheveningen, but managed to see most of the pictures at the Hague and Leiden. Praises the Hague gallery and the Mauritzhuis; the picture he went to see at Leiden ["Quintus Fabius Maximus", attributed to Rembrandt, now lost] was interesting, 'very late very ugly but imposing'. Covets some 'wonderful pictures' he found at a dealers, but got some good drawings there, including a 'superb Rembrandt'. The 'Rijksmuseum is too much of a good thing'; discusses the Dutch School, Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" and his "Anatomy Lesson" paintings at the Hague and Amsterdam. Criticises de Hoogh [Pieter de Hooch] for 'having painted so many second rate things', but Brouwer and Jan Steen have gone up in his estimation. Started this letter at Paris but was forced to stop due to the jolting of the train so is finishing it at Hendaye; hopes their journey to Spain will not be 'held up by a general strike'. Love to Bessie from him and Helen.
Rodney House, Montpelier, Weston Super Mare. - The whole family had a good short holiday at Burford then went to Failand together; from there Fry went on to London to finish some work before his trip to Normandy and Helen took the children to Weston. Helen then developed scarlet fever and had to be taken to an isolation hospital; the children and nurse returned to Failand where they also became ill; will be anxious for a while but hopes the children's attack is mild. Will have to divide his time between Hampstead, Failand and Weston for the next six weeks; Helen is 'of course fearfully lonely' but luckily her room is on the ground floor so he can visit and talk to her through the window; encourages Bob to write to her. Glad Bob liked his article. Cannot write more as is trying to get an article ready for the "Quarterly Review" [published in October 1904]; feels as if they are 'pursued by a malignant Fate' as he has had almost two years of constant anxiety about Helen and the children. They may come to Dorking for a while when Helen comes out of hospital, unless they go abroad after all. A postscript details when he will next be in London.
Lewes Ho[use], Lewes. - Has been to Paris about a Renoir ["Madame Charpentier et ses enfants"] which he has succeeded in purchasing for the [Metropolitan] Museum, which 'is quite secret'. This is the only time he has left Helen, who 'wants someone to walk with her all day', but hopes to get away for a few days and to 'look at the various houses'. Their own landlord is to turn them out at Christmas so they must find something, and it is 'evident that H[elen] ought to be in the country'. Encourages Bob to read Ferrero's "La Grandeur et Décadence du Rome", though he has the London Library's copy at the moment. Adds in a postscript that he is up for election at the Reform Club on 18 Apr; asks Bob to mention this to his father.
Chelsea. - Dated 'Sunday'. Apologises for not sending the books earlier; was very busy with the lectures and with arranging for his parents visiting to see Helen [Coombe]; Goldie [Lowes Dickinson] and 'a sister' have also been staying. Has filled the box up with clothes which Mrs Smith [their landlady] thought Bob 'ought to want'. Says 'I told you so' about Bob being in Italy: it is better than 'going Jonkopping in Sweden [visiting Jönköping?]' and he might get some work done; suggests going to Fiesole or Prato, though that might be too hot. Asks if Bob intends to stay till winter; if so they will arrange to meet. Everything now settled: he and Helen hope to marry early in November and come out to Italy. Has had 'rather an awful time with his parents': very sorry for his father and his disappointment in him and so 'made a huge effort to get through the misunderstanding' but only gave him and his mother pain. This has made him 'awfully depressed'; found it hard to 'pull himself together for the lectures' but thinks they were the best he has done; pleased that both Goldie and [Thomas Sturge?] Moore liked them. Has been bicycling with Goldie, who is 'getting more reconciled about Helen'; thinks he 'begins to see that it can't make any real difference between [them]'. They went to Woodbridge and tried but failed to find [Edward] Fitzgerald's grave, then to Dedham 'which is the only [piece of French country in England and explains Constable'. Helen's harpsichord [which she is decorating for Arnold Dolmetsch] is 'going to be a great success'; she is 'quite decided' that Bob must either come back for the wedding or meet them in Italy.
Bob's sonnet is 'delightful'. Suggests an alteration to the last line which makes it 'as topical, sublime, mysterious, & has the egoism proper to a great poet'; but seriously he 'must do something big' since this shows so 'complete a mastery of technique'. He and Helen will be at [a concert given by Charles?] Lamoureux on Friday and says they must meet up afterwards and dine at Gambrinus [Ye Olde Gambrinus, a restaurant/beer hall on Regent St] or something'. His wedding [to Helen Coombe] is on 3 December at 2 pm. Invites Bob to come and sit for his portrait and stay a night or two, not for long as 'everything is topsy turvy' and Mrs Smith [the housekeeper] getting progressively more worried; on second thoughts Bob had better not come as she has to 'clear all the things out and send them to Howard [?]'. The "Daphnis & Chloe" [a copy of the work by Longus?] has come and is 'splendid'; asks Robert to 'write a little epithalamium' and put it at the beginning; they are both very grateful.
Hotel de la Poste, Bruxelles - Does not know how to thank her for her 'extraordinarily kind letter' which arrived yesterday. She will have seen his last letter to his father, acknowledging that he did wrong in not consulting them before proposing [to Elizabeth]; thinks though that everything will be for the best. Is here for two days, as he and Elizabeth's uncle agreed it would be good for him to go away for a little while after 'this last somewhat eventful and in some ways anxious week'; will return to the Hague on Thursday, and there is plenty to see. Thinks Elizabeth's uncle sanctions the engagement; unlikely the wedding could take place before the summer, as Elizabeth wants to spend more time with the Hubrechts; she also wants the Grandmonts to be there, and they do not generally return from Sicily till May or June. Expects he will soon go on to Italy. Will send a photo of Elizabeth when he returns to the Hague; his mother 'must not expect a beauty', though he finds her looks 'anything but disagreeable'. Thinks she will be able to 'look after [him] properly' as she is 'prudent and orderly, and in many ways thoroughly Dutch'; glad that her intellect is 'neither particularly poetical, nor romantic' and she has 'quite enough imagination and insight to understand anything' he might want; she has good taste for art, literature, and other things 'for a woman', and tends to be 'reflective and critical, rather than positive or creative'; she is of course 'a Protestant, at least not a Catholic'. Thinks he wrote that she knows the Nicholsons, 'by which I meant the Donaldsons of St Andrews' [James Donaldson and family?]. Has told no-one apart from the Frys [Roger and Helen] about his engagement, and will not do so until everything is settled between his father and Mr Hubrecht.
10 Prinsegracht, The Hague. - Is writing to the relations and friends his mother mentions, and to some others; cannot therefore write for long to her, as he has to participate in some formal calls by Bessies's friends and relations this afternoon. Encloses the photograph of Bessie, which is not a good one but the best they have at the moment. All is well, which owes much to her and his father's 'extreme kindness'. Must leave for Milan next Thursday to catch the Frys [Roger and Helen] there. Kind suggestion that Bessie should visit England in the Spring; wonders if his parents will be in London or Welcombe around March, or she could come to Wallington; her uncle and aunt would certainly not object. His mother said he might find her advice 'a bore'; in fact he thought it 'very good', and will try to keep to it. Asks if she could send photographs of herself and his father to the Hubrechts; they will send theirs soon. Paid a visit to Amsterdam yesterday and saw Bessie's sister Mrs Röntgen, who is 'much pleased' with the engagement; they are very nice and he expects his mother will meet them at some point. Sends thanks to his father for his letter in a postscript; will reply soon; Bessie liked his mother's to her very much. Postscript in pencil adds that the photograph of Bessie is not good enough so they will not send it, she may perhaps get a new one done.
Hotel Biscione & Bellevue, Piazza Fontana No. 8 e 10, Milan. - Arrived on Friday, and is staying with the Frys [Robert and Helen] for a few days before going on to Ravello, to where she had better write as he plans to leave on Monday or Tuesday. Left all well at the Hague; will stop there on his way back and hopes a visit for Bessie to England in March or April may be arranged. They could not find a good photograph, but Bessie will have another taken and Caroline will be sent one. They celebrated 'old Hubrecht's' seventieth birthday last Wednesday with his son the professor [Ambrosius Hubrecht], his wife and two sons. Is having a good time with the Frys, though Mrs Fry is not well; there is much to see; the Castello is 'about the finest building in Italy... and full of treasures'. Liked the small painting by Francia he saw here; Fry says the Trevelyans' one is by far the best he knows, and that he was disappointed by the famous one ["The Adoration of the Child"?] he saw in Munich.
The Frys' prospects seem 'as dark as ever': Fry says there is 'no prospect' of selling his pictures, which the dealers will not interest themselves in, yet Robert believes he is painting very well now; Sidney Colvin was 'immensely struck' with the large one Robert has at Dorking ["The Valley of the Seine"?], thinking it 'one of the most interesting landscapes of modern years. Fry thinks he will have to turn to other work, perhaps lecturing again 'which of course he hates'. Fry's father's altered his three hundred pounds allowance to an investment, on which tax is payable, on Fry's marriage; Helen Fry has only the money she earns and is too ill to paint. Thinks Fry's art is 'too good to be sacrificed', and knows that they live in 'constant discomfort and worry', which he is sure contributes to Helen's bad health. Fry is 'very courageous, and may pull through'. but things would be much easier if his father 'had not such a hatred of art, and such absurd suspicions of his son and his wife'. This helps Robert appreciate how good his own father has been 'under somewhat similar circumstances'; Sir Edward Fry is 'narrow and prejudiced', but does not mean to be 'unjust or brutal', yet Robert believes he is so. Wonders whether his father has received the books by Pushkin and Hazlitt, and the life of Crabbe. Is just going to the Brera with Roger Fry.
Naples. - They go to Rome in two days, and can be reached there by Post[e] Rest[ante]. Bob must be generous to this letter as it was written 'after a day of rain & scirocco and sight seeing'. The news about 'Mrs Bertie' [Alys Russell?] has made them 'pretty indignant, and supports Helen's opinion of the character of 'P. Smith' [housekeeper at Beaufort Street?]. Bob, with his 'horror of moving & doing household things' will suffer; perhaps he should stay at Welcombe. Jokingly suggests then 'retract[s]' the idea that Bob should 'spend three years choosing or educating a wife'. Thanks Bob for all he 'did about the picture'; he and Mrs W[iddrington?] have been marvellous about it. A confusion over Taormina involving [Alfred?] Thornton and [Francis?] Bate. Never got chance to continue with the Galatea picture, but hopes he might yet finish it; has done 'lots of studies of seaweed etc', and Goldie [Dickinson] has seen the painting and likes it.
He and Helen had 'rather a serious time' when his parents came; they arrived a day early with 'all the other people whom we'd offended, including Ezekiel'. The talk was 'geological' rather than 'the wild orgies of the [Terence?] Bourke regime & the fierce gladiatorial shows... of [Bob's] reign'; assures Bob that their arguments do not matter; means to find out 'what it is that annoys some people so much in my way of arguing). His father was 'very nice' and got on well with Helen; his parents took her off on a driving tour of Etna while he himself stayed to work. Tells of visiting 'Mrs C' [Florence Cacciola Trevelyan] with his parents, and being menaced by her dogs. They went several times to see the Gramonts [Grandmonts] and had some 'splendid music', with ' more kindly scandal from Mrs G.'; they are nice people. Not enough time to tell of their 'quaint adventures at Pestum and Agropoli', and Pompeii, 'the apotheosis of shoddy' and so quite loveable, as 'immoral as the Brighton pavillion [sic] and as charming as a Japanese toy'. They stopped there a week at a 'filthy inn' where Goldie, [Nathaniel] Wedd and [Augustus Moore] Daniel came to stay: Daniel great fun, Wedd 'cussing & swearing because its not England'; got on 'splendidly with them'.
He and Helen are now staying in Santa Lucia; he goes out in the morning to buy bread and ricotta at street stalls, and milk straight from the 'street cows'; they have been up Vesuvius. Reassures Bob about his poetry: he and many others have 'betted heavily' on him so he must 'make a success of it'; is sure he himself will, having been just where Bob is; 'one comes though by mere pigheadedness'.
Hotel & Pension Palumbo, Ravello, Golfo di Salerno. - Has had dreadful weather and not been able to work until a couple of days ago, as he was kept inside; began yesterday and is now getting on well. Will return at the end of January as his mother suggests, and thinks it would be convenient for Bessie to visit England early in February; would not stay in Holland long on the way back if so as he wants to keep writing. Will come to Welcombe as he thinks it would be best for her to visit to be there rather than London; the Frys have invited her to stay with them in Dorking for a few days, which would enable her to see [Robert's house at] Westcott. Asks his mother to send George's address again, as he wants to write to him. Old Palumbo has been very ill, and it was thought he would die; he is better now but if he were to worsen again Robert would move pension, though his address could remain the same. Has had nice letters [about his engagement] from almost all his friends. Wrote to [William] Morton Philips. [Frank] Previté has published a book of short stories, "My Great Discovery" with Smithers & Co., under the pseudonym 'Henry Frances' as he does not want his family to know. Gives the book his qualified praise, and suggests his mother try it. Is pleased with what he has written of his own play; thinks it is 'better conceived and better carried out than the last', but knows these feelings can be deceptive. Has read Stephen Philips' play "Paolo and Francesca" which is so popular at the moment: thinks there is 'some decent poetry of a not very high order, and a good deal of theatrical cleverness', but that it is a 'bad play, and pretentious too'. Must not make his mother think he is jealous; hopes it will succeed on the stage, as this will make things easier for [Thomas Sturge] Moore, Binyon, and himself. Bessie says she is sending some photos to his mother, and seems well. Asks if his mother remembers a Countess Bylandt, who says she used to know her and his father: Bessie met her the other day at the Hague.