Metelliano. - Hopes Trevelyan has returned safely home 'without more internal troubles'; sends on a letter. Pancrazi is urging him to finish the article on [George] Moore and to talk about his novels, which he does not have at all; asks for help in getting hold of "Esther Waters", "A Modern Lover", and "Drama in Muslin", he will pay Trevelyan back through Nicky [Mariano] if it is a question of Birrell not wanting to send out unpaid-for books. Expects "The Lake" and "Aphrodite in Aulis" through Trevelyan's 'kindness', and has already read "Abelard", which he enjoyed very much, and "Memoirs of My Dead Life". Hopes Trevelyan can think out happily 'the meeting of St Francis with Flaminius' ghost'. Asks to be remembered to 'Lord Alan' [Clifford Allen]; the Allens should be persuaded to come to Italy.
Hôtel Floresta, Taormina [headed notepaper]:- Will start back towards England next Wednesday or Thursday, stopping perhaps for a few days at Rome; wants to be back by the end of the month. The weather has been ‘delicious for a while now’, but he is ‘a little tired of the place’, probably as he is now accustomed to the ‘strange sights that one sees in such a Southern climate’ and ‘no more moved by a cactus’ than he would be ‘by an oak tree in England’ - for which he is beginning ‘to feel a bit of a longing’.
The ‘priest element is still predominant’ at his hotel: a ‘high-church Anglican has arrived’, and he can ‘hear [Edward Sheridan] Purcell’s Manning being discussed on the terrace’ as he writes. Miss [Lena] Milman, ‘from the tower of London [her father was Major there]’ is also staying here; she was ‘deafened by the explosion in the Tower, and is spoken to and speaks in a loud voice’. One of the two Roman Catholic priests [see 46/45] is her cousin, and they ‘converse during meals with the voice of John Burns addressing an open-air meeting’: since they ‘discuss most topics, and pretty freely, the sober visitors are much diverted or else shocked’. Her cousin is ‘in an indirect manner’ rather like ‘the hero of a late story of George Moore, *John Norton’ - or ‘something like him, for the hero is an odious person, and the story too for that matter’. Miss Milman is a ‘friend and disciple of George Moore’s’ and once told him about her ‘priestly cousin, whom G. M. promptly transmogrified into the most detestable portrait… in his not over-choice gallery of characters’.
When he returns to England, Robert will ‘have had enough scrambling over the globe for some time’; will not go to Greece in July with Fry, Dickinson, and Wedd as he had hoped. Hopes Georgie will be ‘fit for his tripos when he returns’.
Department of Prints and Drawings, British Museum, London W.C. - Will be very nice [to visit]; will come to Ockley by the 5.38 on Saturday, and will not forget the "Life of [Rupert?] Brooke". He 'cannot forgive [Bob] for being able to read [George Moore's "The Brook?] Kerith"; asks how he manages it.
11, St. Leonard's Terrace, S.W.3. - Asks for a recommendation of a passage from George Moore to read for the BBC in April, since Trevelyan knows his work so well; does not think they would approve of something from "A Story-Teller's Holiday".
1 rue Budé, IVième, Isle Saint-Louis. - Is 'ashamed' not to have answered Trevelyan's 'two kind letters' for so long a time, and 'very grateful' to him for taking so much trouble; Trevelyan's second letter reached Du Bos on the 'very day Pearsall Logan Smith [sic: Logan Pearsall Smith] was here'. Still hoped then that he might be able to carry out 'so very pleasant a plan' [see perhaps 4/195, a postcard from E. M. Luce suggesting that Du Bos could stay in her room in London while she is away in June] but regrets that he will be 'tied down to [his] work all through summer' and cannot hope to get away. Will keep Trevelyan's 'invaluable indications' and hopes he will be able to use them one day. Much regrets that Trevelyan will not, as he offered, be able to introduce him to Desmond MacCarthy: admired MacCarthy's 'article of Souvenirs on Henry James' very much; if MacCarthy ever comes to Paris, asks Trevelyan to give him his address. Was unable to go to Jelly d'Arányi's concert due to 'pressure of work'; heard through some of his friends at "La Revue Musicale" that the Bela Bartok concert was very successful, and hopes she will come to visit Paris for a longer time one day, and will 'then report herself to the Ile Saint-Louis'.
Asks if Trevelyan's article on Shelley's "Epypsychidion" has appeared in the "New Statesman": is 'very impatient' to read it. Their conversations 'two years ago and the other day' on the 'tempo' of both Keats and Shelley were 'very interesting and fruitful': is increasingly interested in that subject and feels 'starved' of it when Trevelyan is out of Paris. Is sending a 'little notice' of his "Collection d'Auteurs Etrangers" [series published under his supervision]: now seems decided they will also publish either "Heloise and Abelard" or "The Brook Kerith" by George Moore. Has seen the Countess de Rohan-Chabot; is revising B.B.s translation [into French: of one of Berenson's books on Italian art] with her and has just written to him about it. Heard an interesting lecture by Valéry at Adrienne Monnier's recently on the 'ideas of Edgar Poe'; wishes Trevelyan could have been there. [John Middleton] Murry was there and 'enjoyed it greatly'; he is 'kindly' trying to get Du Bos 'regular employement [sic]' at the "Times". Sure if Trevelyan hears of anything permanent at the "New Statesman" or elsewhere he will remember Du Bos. His wife sends 'many messages' [of regard]. Adds postscript saying they lunched with [Edmond] Jaloux recently, who asked lots of questions about Trevelyan.
Will be happy to meet Trevelyan's friend Sir Augustus Daniel, and will make sure he is at home whenever he chooses to come. If Trevelyan knows which hotel Daniel is staying at in Siena, will write to him there in case it suits him to stay on his way from Siena to Perugia. The Clarks are spending Easter with Morra, though Kenneth has caught flu in Naples. Will not see Desmond [MacCarthy], which he regrets. Hopes Trevelyan will come down with the [Clifford] Allens in summer or in autumn: better to visit the Isola Maggiore in that season as the landlords are there. Describes the island's vegetation. His [article on George] Moore 'falls flat' because the journal Pègaso is 'breaking down'. Trevelyan should not bother about the Salvatorelli. Is very distressed about the news from Germany. Alberti and Moravia are here and send love; Alberti is 'free of his job'.
Postmarked Camucia, Arezzo. - Has returned after some days in Rome. Everything he needs has now arrived; Trevelyan bought [George Moore's] "Mummer's Wife" for him at Birrell's, so he thinks he is well provided for. Moravia is here, much better than expected. Elsa Dallolio has been seriously ill with pneumonia, but was recovering when he saw her in Rome. Has no news of Mary [Berenson]'s health.