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Mill House, Westcott, Dorking. - He and Bessie went over to the house yesterday with Mr [F. A.?] Richards, the architect, and Miss [Helen Margaret?] Waterfield, a 'garden specialist', to get ideas about the garden; they will probably have to do some planting and digging next month 'to make a beginning'. Work on the house had 'got on very fast', and the roof will be begun in two or three weeks; they hope this will be 'before the rains come'. Bessie is telling Sir George about the payments, which will be due earlier than Richards had thought. Before they go abroad, they will have to 'make arrangements for selling what stock is necessary for the rest'.

The weather has been 'very fine for some time', but is more unsettled now. Neville Lytton, the painter, is coming over today from Horsham. Wishes his mother could have seen Lytton's exhibition in London this summer; he 'is certainly among the most promising young artists nowadays', and Robert thinks some of his watercolours especially good. Does not care as much for some of his oils, but there is 'always something interesting in them too'; perhaps some of Lytton's admirers 'praise his work too highly', but Robert is sure he will 'do very well in the end'. He is a 'great friend of Fry' who is older and has 'helped him a great deal' with advice. [Goldsworthy Lowes] Dickinson is also coming to lunch today. Fry says he will come on the day of the Dolmetsch concert if he can; Mrs Fry, who 'has had scarlet fever very badly, is getting better, despite a severe attack of rheumatic fever'.

Bessie may well go abroad for about a week on the 29th, after the concert. They have not yet heard from her young friend Hylkia [Halbertsma] whether she can come abroad with them, but they hope she can: she 'would be a very good companion for Bessie, and she is a nice and clever girl'. They are looking forward to seeing Caroline next month in Dorking or London. Sends love to his father, and to G[eorge] and J[anet], whom he hears are at Wallington.

Northlands, Englefield Green, Surrey. - Thanks Bessie for her kind note; wishes she could 'just ship Donald [Tovey] off to Amsterdam', but he is going to play in Leeds then representing Oxford at the centenary of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. He is much better again, though things are 'still very difficult' for her. The gossips in London say Hugh Godley declares 'he will not rest till he has detached Donald' from her; 'whatever is really best for Donald' will be best for her and she is not afraid as long as he 'remains his own good self'. Wishes he could go and stay with the Röntgens and Bessie; he is with Neville Lytton at the moment. The Klinglers [Klingler Quartet] are coming to Northlands when they will have more of his music, and [Adolf] Busch is going to put on his music in Vienna, so she hopes 'proper appreciation is in sight at least'. Wishes Ariadne ["The Bride of Dionysus"] were finished. Donald has shown her a letter from Guilhermina Casals [Suggia] written in Munich, which he says 'was exactly like the one to Madame Röntgen'. Is convinced the letters were not written by Guilhermina but by Pablo [Casals]: they are not at all in her style. It is 'the most frightful tragedy': she believes Guilhermina still values Donald 'rightly', but love Casals and had to write the letters or 'be thrown out into the street again' so she has betrayed Donald. Asks if she can have Guilhermina's letters to her back; Donald took them but said she ought to have them. Has also received a letter from 'old Madame Casals', asking her to write her a 'bonne lettre'. Thanks Bessie for seeing to her 'poor little chain'. Has sent Donald Bessie's letter at the Lyttons.

22 Willow Road, Hampstead. - Is glad Trevelyan is back: the Frys will be at the Carfax Gallery around 2.30 but it will be best for him to come round to dinner to see the house. Hopes he will be able to see Fry's show [at the Carfax]: Marsh and Lytton [Strachey, or Sir Neville Bulwer-Lytton?] have bought many things; hopes his friends do not think the show is 'a polite form of passing round the hat'. Greets Bessie. Is sad not to be near the Trevelyans: perhaps the Frys will persuade them to move to Hampstead.

Northlands, Englefield Green, Surrey. - Is sorry Donald [Tovey] has been so vague: he is to be with the Coopers and Hal Rendel from 4 January, when the Northlands guests, leave till the 10th; Neville Lytton is here and thinks Donald then promised to go to Crabbett, this could be altered but she must find out from Mrs Lytton; is 'ground to pieces' by Christmas after the 'heaviest and most anxious term' she has ever had; still has to write some programmes to write for Donald before the post. Expects the Trevelyans will not be sorry if Donald does not get to them before April, but he may have time after the 12th before going to Scotland to play on the 14th. His father is spending next week here. Asks Bessie to give her love to Bobbie and say how glad she was of their 'friendlike talk'; is thinking 'constantly' of Bessie [in her pregnancy]. Donald ought to write himself, but he is 'in retirement... with a violin sonata'.

Colonial Office. - Thanks Bob for his letter. The operation [on Judith Lytton, see 15/305 ] was successful, and the surgeon is satisfied, though 'the pain is very great'. Is 'afraid' he can afford the Zoffany, which was his only doubt. Hopes Bob's dinner went well; has met the 'young he and she Evelyns [the children of William John Evelyn?], who are almost speechless but... amiable'; has heard much about 'old E' but cannot remember it, except that Mr [Wilfrid?] Blunt says 'he & himself are the only two remaining Conservatives'. When Bob is next in London, perhaps he can dine with Edward and Neville [Lytton?].

Pages 1-7: review of "Gruach and Britain's Daughter: Two Plays" by Gordon Bottomley [published in 1921]. Pages 8-13: review of book by Bernard Berenson ["Three Essays in Method", published in 1927]. Pages 13-14, review of "Studies: Indian and Islamic" by S. Khuda Bukhsh, published in 1927.

Notebook also used from the back in: on first back page there is a draft of some verse, 'Withdrawn to the gloom of her inmost vave in dark disconsolate anger...', and Neville Lytton's address and telephone number. Next page, list of poems, perhaps for proposed "Collected Poems", with numbers beside them which may indicate the number of pages. Ten pages of essay on Shelley [perhaps the one printed in "Windfalls", 1944].

Many loose sheets and bifolia inserted, with drafts of works by Trevelyan including "The Bride of Dionysus"; "Sisyphus"; "Archilochus on a Lemnian Trireme" [from "Mallow and Asphodel"; the two drafts of this poem are on sheets of Welcombe House notepaper]; "The Thrush's Song", Trevelyan's translation of Catullus 63 ["Attys"].

Also inserted in this book is a grouping of pages from another exercise book, most still bound together, with drafts of "The Rooks" and a long piece of blank verse; these notebook pages also contain a bifolium with extract from "Sisyphus".

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.