Showing 52 results

Witte Huis. - The mild weather has turned to an 'old fashioned winter' so Arend [her son] has gone skating at Vinkeveen. Jan [her husband] has not yet been skating, but will do so when it turns less cold. He has been for a short stay in Mürren and Lauterbrunnen [Switzerland] as chef d'équipe of the Dutch students skiing group. Julie Graffman [her daughter] is staying here at the moment with her youngest child Sture; Holger [Julie's husband] is coming in about four days and they will all then travel to America. Six architects have also been staying, one of them Lucia [another daughter]'s husband [Van Ginkel]. Two of the architects are English - John Voelcker, and Peter Smithson, who knows Julian and 'thinks highly of him' - they are leaving tomorrow. All the architects love the Paddestoel [Lucia Hubrecht's house] and also think the Witte Huis 'very charming': how her aunt Bramine and Alphonse Grandmont 'knew how to live!', though she herself would like to be in Sicily [where Bramine Hubrecht and Alphonse Hubrecht also had a house] now for the winter. Sends her own love and that of Jan, who is sitting by the fire downstairs reading to Julie, Lucia, and the wife of a friend of Arend who works at the United Nations in America. Tante Liesje [?] is 'the same & well looked after'.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Will write to Jan Hubrecht at once and invite him; sorry M. [Ambrosius?] and Mad. H[ubrecht] are staying for such a short time. Has had interesting letters from Robert about the Chantrey Com[mission]n, [Roger] Fry and so on; he will be glad when Elizabeth comes. C[harles] and M[ary] hope to get into their new house on 8 August; G[eorge] and J[anet] are going to see Aunt Annie [Philips] tomorrow. If Elizabeth thinks Mary can play well enough to accompany her, they can 'make her practice'; it is very kind of Elizabeth to say she will play at a party. Caroline has to organise the Tenant's party. Asks if Elizabeth's subscription to the G[rosvenor] Cr[escent] Club is due; Caroline will give her the money when they meet; believes the Club has changed management.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Relieved all well about the measles; does not think it will spread and is glad the little girl [May Enticknap: see 46/174] is getting better. Would very much like to see Julian; expects he will soon be crawling. Mary goes home tomorrow; she has been very good, and much amused her grandfather, with whom she has long conversations. Sidney Lee stayed last night; the Ernest Trevelyans are coming from Oxford on Sunday. C[harles] and M[ary] cannot come till Sunday morning as it is 'the Ministerial ?Amusement'. She and Sir George will go up to town about the 22nd; she has a ticket for Elizabeth for the concert then. Sends her regards if Mrs Hubrecht [wife of Ambrosius Hubrecht?] is still there; had thought it was 'Mrs Jan' staying with Elizabeth. Glad her son's [Jan or Paul?] expedition is interesting. Hopes Mr Carter recovers soon. Sends love to Robert; hopes 'the musician with the striking name [Benvingut Socias i Mercadé, see 46/174] ' is pleasant. 'What praise of Strauss's new opera ["Elektra"]!'. A postscript saying she is glad 'Patterson succeeded'.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - The Leith Hill hotel is a 'very ideal caravansary' and must bring Robert and Elizabeth good company; glad Sidney Colvin admired Paul; is very keen to see him again. Met Jan [Hubrecht] in the street in London and 'mistook him for Hilton Young... no ill compliment'. Jan said it happened to him 'constantly' at Cambridge. Is halfway through his proofs [of the last volume of "The American Revolution"]; glad they will be alone until it is finished. Staying with them have been: Welby; Tom Brassey and his wife; 'the beautiful Lady Carew'; Lady Reay; Bernard and Mrs Mallet; Alfred Lyall. Is halfway through "Dombey" [Charles Dickens's "Dombey and Son"] and is reading other things such as Beugnot's "Memoirs", placed first in interest by Ferdinand de Rothschild 'the great authority on French memoirs'; Beugnot knew '"at home" the Diamond Necklace gang'.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - There is a provisional communication 'about the spade [?] on its way to Robert'. Would like to read [Guglielmo] Ferrero ["The Greatness and Decline of Rome"]: has always thought Caesar [subject of Ferrero's second volume] 'has been overdone as a... constitutional statesman', though it is hard to 'overdo him' as 'general... man of policy, and noble personal qualities'. He and Caroline will enjoy seeing Jan [Hubrecht]. Expects to get his last first proof tomorrow; will be glad to be finished.

2, Cheyne Gardens, S. W. - Thanks Bessie for her letter; they were 'much amused and pleased at Goldie [Lowes Dickinson]'s horror of the man of war', but Bessie never 'saw Goldie dressed up in his war paint' as George did when they were 'volunteers together'. Afraid he and Janet cannot lunch on Wednesday 20th, and he is lecturing at Cambridge on Thursday 21st. Invites her to come to tea with them on Wednesday, or to dinner just with Jan on Thursday. Asks to be remembered to Jan [Hubrecht], and sends good wishes to his wife.

Thinks this [referring to an enclosure now not present?] is a 'really dear old letter'; he is 'human enough to prefer such 'thinking aloud' to 'propriety' though he would not have written it himself and hopes he will 'be spared a correspondence'. Very pleased that Elizabeth so likes his book ["Garibaldi and the Thousand"]; values her opinion 'highly'. She is 'quite right about the Sicilians'; if it were not for his considerable debt to 'individual Sicilians', he would have been 'more humorous at the expense of their absurd countrymen'. Comments on what a 'jolly time we have on the Fifth of November'. Is lunching with 'the Jans' [Jan Hubrecht and his wife] tomorrow at Cambridge. Notes in a postscript that he knows about Aunt Annie [Philips] and has heard from her.

Penmenner House, The Lizard, Cornwall. - Likes the sketch of Bessie's wedding costume; quite Watteau-esque as she says. He is 'no judge of silks' but the piece she sends looks good; encloses samples of cloth for his trousers and for a tweed suit and asks her opinion. Will probably stay in Cornwall till next Wednesday; [George] Moore and MacCarthy are the only others there at the moment; [G.H.?] Hardy left yesterday, and he hopes both 'Llewelyn Davieses' [Crompton and Theodore?] are coming tomorrow. Describes the place; Moore 'played a lot and sang yesterday after tea', then they played cards and talked. Is reading James's "Daisy Miller", which is 'charming'. Discussion of the music box; has written to his mother to suggest having the partitions taken out; it is from both George and Charles. Expects it would be best to invite the consul [Henry Turing, at Rotterdam, to the wedding celebration]; he may not come. Did not mean that Sir Henry [Howard] would arrange all the legal marriage business, but he offered to arrange the ceremony and invitation of the consul; expects he could do this most easily but it would not matter if they or her uncle should arrange it. Will write to Sir Henry or Turing when he hears from her uncle, though is not sure what to say. Would prefer to invite Sir Henry to the wedding, especially as Bob's father and mother are coming, feels he should ask his parents what they think. Sir Henry is a relation, and has 'shown great good-will and readiness'.

Does not see why Bessie should cut herself off completely from her Dutch musical friends; she will 'often be in Holland', and will 'surely stay at Mein's [sic: Mien Rontgen's] in Amsterdam'; in England, she will of course have 'complete freedom to make her own friends' and must keep up and develop her own talents as much as she can; he will enjoy hearing her play, but also going to hear others and getting to know her friends, but that does not mean she should not have independence of interests and friendships. Thinks that women 'have not enough respect for their own intellectual lives' and give it up too easily on marriage, through their husband's fault or their own; she should 'quite seriously consider going to settle in Berlin for 5 or 6 months' for her music. Mrs [Helen] Fry's marriage has made her more of a painter. Her pleurisy is better now; thinks Bessie exaggerates the importance of her cigarette smoking, and that any ill effects it does have are balanced by the help it gives her to create art. Has never 'been in danger of being in love' with Helen Fry, but always found her 'more interesting and amusing than any woman [he] ever met... with a completely original personality', and would not think of criticising such a person's habits but would assume they are 'best suited to their temperament'; in the same way, Moore probably 'drinks more whisky than is good for his health, and smokes too much too', but he would not criticise him. Bessie is also 'an original person' with a 'personal genius of [her] own', but in addition he loves her; has never felt the same about any other woman.

Continues the letter next day. Has finished "Daisy Miller"; and is doing some German, getting on better than he thought he would. Part of the reason for saying he would 'never learn German' was an 'exaggerated idea of the difficulty', but more because he thought, and still thinks, it will be less of a 'literary education' than other languages; is chiefly learning it for Goethe, though being able to read German scholarship will be useful. Has read Coleridge's translation of "Wallenstein", which Schiller himself claimed was as good as the original; thinks English and [Ancient] Greek lyric poetry is better than the German he has read. Very sorry about Lula [Julius Röntgen]; asks if it [his illness] will do more than postpone him going to Berlin. Has heard from Daniel that Sanger is 'getting on quite well'; hopes he will return from Greece 'quite himself again'. Will be nice for Bessie to see the Joneses [Herbert and Alice] again; he has 'become a little parsonic perhaps' but very nice; has seen little of him for the last few years. Bessie should certainly get [Stevenson's] "Suicide Club" for Jan [Hubrecht]; will pay half towards it. Will certainly come before Tuttie [Maria Hubrecht] returns. Has grown 'such a beard, finer than Moore's and McCarthy's, though they have grown their's for weeks'. Describes their daily routine. Is encouraged that Moore likes several recent poems he himself was doubtful about; is copying out the play and will show him today or tomorrow. The Davieses are coming this afternoon. Signs off with a doggerel verse.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Thanks for Robert's letter, which answers his own of the previous day. Congratulations to Elizabeth on Jan [Hubrecht]'s success at Cambridge. Thinks he remembers Huc's "Travels [in Tartary, Thibet, and China]" as having 'greatly delighted [him] in very old days'.

At the marriage of Robert Trevelyan and Elizabeth des Amorie van der Hoeven.

University of Edinburgh. - Thanks Bessie, and asks her to thank [her sister] Mrs Röntgen for taking that trouble. Thinks everything is clear, except for 'two little places' which will wait until he gets back to Holland. The Röntgens seemed very well; Franz [Frants] was ill when he arrived, but was soon recovered. The Trio [Julius Sr, Julius Jn and Englebert Röntgen] has been having real success, received enthusiastically by 'audiences of 1500'. Englebert has developed 'most strikingly' in style and tone; Tovey felt 'as if something like the Joachim Quartet was still alive & young'. 'Der Papaselbst' [Julius Englebert Röntgen] is well, although sad about the state of the world, and has been writing some 'most beautiful unaccompanied choral music: Psalms against war'. He took Tovey to a beautiful neighbouring swimming bath and proved himself a good swimmer.

Will send Bessie a letter for G.B. [Grete Busch?] soon, though would be 'ashamed' to make much of his news since she 'so thoroughly sees how unenviable is the [position of a man who is out of it all'. Dreads Miss Weisse breaking bad news to him so is very glad he knows from Grete that she wants to get bad news before it reaches Tovey. Miss Weisse is in 'a very nasty state of mind... peculiarly inhuman pro-Germanism' which he would mind less if she were still in Germany or 'didn't do her duty to England with the savage energy of a District Visitor of the most ruthless kind'. He himself cannot hate anything as she does everything English. However, he is with his 'saintly & dear old aunt', who has much of his mother's wit, and returns to Edinburgh on the 2nd. Is concerned that Miss Weisse may accede to Lady Lewis [Elizabeth, Lady Lewis?]'s request to give Guil[hermina] Suggia an engagement at Northlands. Also, in a letter she sent enclosing Bessie's 'which she thinks contains Dutch criticisms', Miss Weisse urges Tovey 'to join some military organisation' which will benefit him 'both morally & physically'. Will not do so until he has finished his work in Edinburgh, in March, when he will probably join something in Surrey or Berkshire. Thinks Miss Weisse wishes to make his position in Edinburgh 'untenable', as she wants him to do more concerts in Holland as soon as Augustin offers, and knows he could not manage all three. Says in a postscript that he saw the Hubrechts at Utrecht: Mrs Hubrecht [Maria? or Johanna Maria?] took him to tea and he met Paul, and saw photographs of Jan dressed as a yound lady 'so exquisite' that he had to 'strike a Tamino attitude'. Professor [Ambrosius] Hubrecht was better than he expected, and joined fully in the conversation.

2, Cheyne Gardens, S.W. - Very upset by Bessie's 'sad tragedy' [the death of her cousin Bramine Hubrecht at the Shiffolds]; she was a 'dear woman'; Janet had a 'charming letter' from her about Theo's death and has often wished she could see her again; she was a 'real friend' to Bessie. Wonders whether Julian realised what was going on; he is very young to be 'acquainted with death'. Bessie must be tired out; good that she had the Hubrechts [Jan Bastiaan and his wife Leonore?] with her, and 'dear little Mama', who is 'a brick always to turn up when we want her'. Wishes Bessie would come and visit them in town; does not know how much longer Bob will be away, but it is 'much too long' since they saw each other.

Port Said. - Thanks his aunt for her 'kind' letter, which he received at Naples. The sea was rough in the Bay [of Biscay] and off Portugal, but he took remedies against seasickness and did not suffer too much. The weather was fine for the passage through the Straits of Gilbraltar, which are 'magnificent'; then more bad weather on the way to Naples, but it has been 'beautiful' since a thunderstorm at the Straits of Messina. They will reach Port Said at around 4 this afternoon. His 'cabin-companion' [Hugh] Lawrence, 'turned out to be a very pleasant fellow', and is an electrical engineer going to take charge of the works at Khartoum, who comes from Accrington which must be near his aunt. Got some China tea at Birkenhead, but has not yet used it, though the ship's tea is 'horrid'. Very kind of Jan Hubrecht to visit the ship again before it started. Bessie's letter is 'cheerful', and she and Julian seem well. Hopes his aunt did not tire herself on Saturday; it was very kind of her to come to the ship to see him off, and made it 'much pleasanter' for him and Bessie. Is reading "Studies of Indian Life and Sentiment" by Bampfylde Fuller, which is 'most interesting'. Will send a postcard from Bombay. Much looking forward to seeing Port Said, the 'first Oriental town' he has visited. Glad Jan Hubrecht could come to the Park [his aunt's house] and that she liked him. There is 'a nice elderly Dutchman on board who knows some of Bessie's relations'.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Glad Jan Hubrecht is visiting England; hopes he will see Cambridge and enjoy his time with Elizabeth and Robert; will be good for him after his illness. Is sending the Christmas present directly to the Mill House as [Mary] Prestwich does not have room in the hamper; there is also a pair of slippers which she has made. Hopes Elizabeth will use the purse [?] at once, in London and the Hague. Glad she is trying new ways to do her hair, and that her cough has gone.

Expects Aunt Margaret [Holland] 'would be much amused by a "Dolmetsch"'; Caroline and Sir George are reading her book [Life and letters of Zachary Macaulay] with much interest; Zachary was 'rather boring ' but 'did a great work' and the life is well written and edited. Sir George is very glad Elizabeth likes Persuasion; he thinks 'the offer is the best in fiction'. Caroline is reading Mrs Humphry Ward's Eleanor, whose novels always interest her though she feels 'critical about them'; Sir George 'cannot abide them'.

Robert's sonnet is 'very pretty'; asks whether Elizabeth could get him to write one about the [Second Boer] war like William Watson, as he feels so strongly; thinks it would do good. Expects she has seen George's letter in the Westminster and Charlie's to the Times; Charlie has also making good speeches and getting his views known. Asks her to thank Robert for his letter about the portraits; there is no hurry as they will not be back till Easter, but thinks Sir George would sit if she urged him to. Glad Elizabeth's aunt is improving; her visit will cheer her.

57 Gordon Sq[uare], W.C.1. - Asks if Bessie could arrange for some of his books to be sent to the [Nederlandsche] Anti-Oorlog Raad via [Jan Bastiaan?] Hubrecht; thinks they would not arrive if sent by post and would be best going via diplomatic bag. Letter originally enclosed a letter with the request from the NAOR. The books are "The Policy of the Entente", "Justice in War-Time", and "Principles of Social Reconstruction".

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Glad Elizabeth liked the things [presents?]; amused to hear about St Nicholas Eve in Holland; hopes she has a happy Christmas in her old house and that her aunt is a little better. Tells her to write every week while abroad. She and Sir George are staying at Wallington till 9 Jan; will keep Elizabeth informed of their plans. Sir George is 'working steadily' and keeping well; he is re-reading Mary Shelley's life aloud to her, which is 'so amusing & curious'. Hope the violin lessons continue to be satisfactory, and that Elizabeth's sister and Mr [Julius Engelbert] Röntgen will think her improved. Sends regards to Jan [Hubrecht]; wishes they could see him, but it is too far for him to come in the dark of winter. Next week they will have a Christmas tree, and the Arthur Sidgwicks are coming after Christmas Day.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - [The household of the Maharajah of Chhatapur] is a 'most romantic life to have witnessed, and become domesticated in'. Has been reading Kipling, and been increasingly 'impressed by the brutality of his attitude about the Bengalees' and also the 'genius' which turns 'such a perverted and artificial view' into such good reading. Bessy has just returned, and they have had a visit from Jan Hubrecht and his wife; Jan is 'so able all round' and has certainly 'matured'; he and his wife seem very happy. George has been here for a while and they have discussed their respective books; they seem designed 'to criticise each other in exactly the points that are specially needed'. Aunt Annie [Philips] is here, and they are a 'very jolly party'.

19 Prinsegracht, the Hague; addressed to Bob at Pension Palumbo, Ravello, presso Amalfi, Italia. - They have heard from Tuttie [Maria Hubrecht] that she had caught a bad cold, could not work, and decided to go now to Taormina as Bramine [Hubrecht] had proposed she should come and spend a month with them; thinks this is a good thing since she thinks it was parting from Maud [Howard] which upset Tuttie more than the cold; it 'really is a most morbid friendship'; discusses Tuttie's character, and the tension when she and her sister Mien came to live with their uncle and aunt after their mother's death and Tuttie had much of the responsibility of looking after them since 'she was far too young and domineering'. Reflections on the time that children grow up and do not take their relatives for granted, along with the varied nature of her own experience so far. Has to go and prepare as she is going with her uncle and aunt to a dinner party with the vice president of the State Council, a friend of her uncle's. Dreamt last night that she and her sister arranged to share husbands, though she herself was rather reluctant; later she had a still worse dream in which there was no Bob and a man 'like a young Dane I met last summer, a cousin of the Hartmann's' was kissing her 'and I even enjoyed it!!'.

Writes next day that she has received Bob's letter, and the enclosure from his friend [Thomas Tettrell?] Phelps which is charming; remembers what he said about Phelps' 'prophetic jokes' and hopes the one about the Hollanders does not come true; promises she will not get fat as she is 'too bony' and anyway has no figure to lose. Describes the dinner party last night: one of her neighbours at table was from Zeeland and told her stories about the customs of the peasantry there; the host was also from Zeeland and they usually have a very strong feeling for their province. There was some talk of Bob; a 'fat gentleman, the secretary of the Council' seemed to have read nearly all of the Trevelyan family's literature and asked many questions; their host proposed a tost to their engagement. Looks forward to reading 'the Paolo and Francesca play which is so much the rage' [by Ste[hen Phillips]; wonders if she will feel as critical about it as Bob does; will also read "The Merchant of Venice" and re-read "Romeo and Juliet", though she has a lot to read and the Hague is not as quiet as Ravello. Laetita Ede has sent her "The Golden Age" by Kenneth Grahame; asks if Bob knows it. Is glad the weather is better and he has got some work done; the Germans call a bad poet a 'Wasserpoet' or waterpoet; she could call him a 'weather-poet' as he 'can only do good work W[eather] P[ermitting'; apologises for teasing him. Asks what play he is working on; knows it is not the one he showed her a scene of. Now Bob has read Ambro [Hubrecht's] article he is 'clever & scientific again' and can let her go to lectures in peace. Gives a satirical sketch of his character, then says she is cross today, firstly for spilling tea down her new dress and secondly as she had bad dreams again last night.

Continues the letter on Sunday afternoon. Ambro and his wife are coming tonight or tomorrow to spend the week, with their children who are 'sure to make things very lively'; unfortunately the thaw has set in so they will not get much skating, which they love. Has read of the destruction of the Capuccini hotel at Amalfi by a landslip; asks if this is true and whether there has been anything felt at Ravello. Her uncle has written to Lord Reay to ask about necessary formalities for the marriage and has had a reply giving some but not all the answers he requires; Lord Reay has made inquiries about Mr [William Edward Hartpole] Lecky's marriage, as his wife is a Dutchwoman [Elisabeth van Deden] also with some landed property; they held the civil marriage in the Hague in the Town House and at the English Embassy. Hopes this will be enough for them; an 'English church marriage' would be 'very unpleasant in this case'; hopes he feels the same; would like to leave out as much 'conventionality for the world's sake' as possible. If they want the Grandmonts to be there, it will have to be after May, while it will need to be before August for the Röntgens to be present. Her uncle will write to Bob's father as soon as he knows exactly how things stand. Asks how [Pasquale] Palumbo is doing, and whether Bob had a good Christmas.

The Shiffolds, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking. - He and Bessie are glad to 'hear good accounts of Mary'; she will have had an 'anxious time'. Saw Janet on Friday, when 'things were still anxious, and thought her very calm and sensible, though of course looking tired'. Hopes his mother is well herself, and that his father's hand is better.

He and Bessie were both in London 'for the Women's meeting, where Charles made a very fine and successful speech'; the next day Robert got lumbago and had to stay in London another night - it is still not quire gone. [Goldswothy Lowes] Dickinson came for the weekend. He and Jan Hubrecht have just returned from the Hague, where they 'represented the UDC [Union of Democratic Control] at the International Conference'. Mrs [Laetitia] Hutchison is still with them; [Donald] Tovey may be coming for a few days next week.

Hopes to come to Welcombe for a 'short visit before long, perhaps at the beginning or end of Bessie's visit' if that would suit. Is going to Langdale with Charles and others at Whitsuntide. His book [The Foolishness of Solomon] should come out towards the end of next month. Bessie and Julian are both well; love to his parents.

c/o J. Hubrecht, 12 Campden Hill Gardens, W. - Is in town for a few days, and staying with the Hubrechts; will return to the Shiffolds on Monday or Tuesday, when Bessie and Julian come back. They seem to be having a pleasant time at the Park; Robert thought Aunt Annie to be 'very well and cheerful', and Francis says she looks better than on her return to the Park.

Hopes his book [The Foolishness of Solomon] will come out in the next few days; it is 'quite ready but for the binding', as the binders keep sending 'samples quite different to what they were told to do'. Tovey's symphony was 'not very well performed last Monday', but it 'had quite a good reception. It is a difficult work, and the program was too long', but Robert thinks it is 'really fine'. Has seen Charles several times, who is 'quite well, and as cheerful as may be'.

Today it is almost too hot; expects rain will be wanted in the country by now. Hopes his parents are well. Will write to his father when he gets back home. Bessie says she has taken The Spiritual Quixote [by Richard Graves] from the library [at Welcombe]; they will take care of it and return it soon.

Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth. - Likes to hear about Julian and Bessy; sure Jan [Hubrecht]'s letter will do Bessy good; hopes and thinks that the British government will take warning from the 'naval wars of 1782 and 1804-1814' and Holland will have 'an awful example of what comes of having Germans within a "friendly" kingdom'. Feels the fall of Dinant 'deeply'; had once hoped that he and Caroline could manage another visit to Belgium and the Netherlands, and they were reading Motley's "Dutch Republic" aloud. Caroline is as well as she was when Robert and Bessy were last here.

19 Prinsegracht, the Hague; addressed to Bob at Pension Palumbo, Ravello, presso Amalfi, Italia. - Had a letter from Bob's mother yesterday inviting her to Welcombe between the 5th and 17th of April, and another this morning thanking her from the photographs. This means she will seen Bob much sooner than she thought at first; is sure the time will pass quickly, with practising, reading, and 'learning cookery from the old cook' who is leaving soon. Dutch vegetables are 'often done so badly in England'; knows that things will be very different there so she will have to learn more then; 'these insular people... insist on using their own impractical weights & measures' instead of adapting the metric system. Had a lovely Christmas with the four Hubrechts; unfortunately Paul and his father [Ambrosius] have bad colds, though this has not affected Paul's 'enormous appetite'; the way Marie [Johanna Maria] scolds and swears at her husband and sons 'often in not very refined but very comical language' is most amusing. Bob has often been mentioned and she has been much teased, especially by her uncle

Continues the letter on the next afternoon: understands how Miss D. G. [Lina Duff Gordon]'s letter 'must have pained' him, though thinks that her saying friendship was no longer possible was 'rather called forth' by Bob's letter saying unnecessarily that he 'hoped it would always be the same'. She does think that Lina Duff Gordon's answer is 'silly'; is sure Bob did right in not telling her last October, especially as he is sure he has done nothing to give the impression he was in love with her; as he says, it is very possible that Mrs C. [Mary Costelloe] has had a bad influence on her. Acknowledges that Bob was right on a point of Italian grammar [see 9/19]. She and Jan took [John Wilfrid] Jenkinson, who is working with Ambro at Utrecht for a while and came on a day's visit, to the Mauritshuis this morning; he seems 'a nice bright little man & appreciated the good pictures'. Ambro has another lecture tonight, then he and Jenkinson return to Utrecht; the others will stay a little longer; Paul is much better and they have 'great games of chess'. Very sorry to hear of [Pasquale] Palumbo's death.

Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth. - Glad Julian is all right; sure Elizabeth must be relieved to have settled the 'governess business', and hopes she will be as lucky as Charles and Mollie are in Miss Clarke. Very interesting about Jan [Hubrecht]; thinks he has 'great aptitudes for his new career [in the Dutch diplomatic service]' and has 'learned to work' through his study of astronomy. George is spending thirty six hours with them, and has given them an idea of his 'complicated business' [heading a Red Cross ambulance brigade in Italy]; Janet has come from Robins Ghyll to be with him; his long and 'not unanxious' absences are hard on her, but he is 'doing a man's work'; he does not think she would 'have it otherwise'. Janet was herself meant to have spent September at Wallington, but her colleague [on the Committee for Relief in Belgium] Mrs Erskine Childers has to go away so she can only spend a few days, and will leave the children here.

19 Prinsegracht, the Hague; addressed to Bob at Pension Palumbo, Ravello, presso Amalfi, Italia. - Has had a very quiet and solitary New Year's Eve, which is usually the time for 'family reunions and games'; knows the idea of the old year ending is artificial, but she cannot help feeling it. Last year she was at Taormina, after spending 'a very cold and unpoetical Christmas' at Messina; she and Grandmont had bad colds; had no idea what the year would bring; quotes Browning on love as 'a passionate drawing closer'. has had a busy day; the doctor has been and told her aunt to stay in bed for a few more days so she has household and nursing responsibilities, though Marie [Johanna Maria Hubrecht] and her two sons have left to stay with her mother at Scheveningen. Willy van Riemsdijk has decided to go to Transvaal after all [see 9/32], a 'silly & rash decision'. If her aunt is well, may go to Amsterdam on Wednesday to play for [Bram] Eldering; worries about how little time she has. Expects Mrs Cacciola [Florence Trevelyan] has written to Bob as well; asks if she writes 'in the same enthusiastic strain to her dear Calverley' as she did to Bessie and Bramine [Hubrecht] about him; the letter she sent to Bramine was also complimentary about Bessie.

Returns to the letter on the following morning; Ambro [Hubrecht] arrived unexpectedly the night before; his visit cheered her aunt, and he told them that Willy van Riemsdijk was not now going to South Africa. Has several pictures of the landslide in Amalfi in the paper; other houses as well as part of the Capuccini Hotel seemed to have been buried. Had a letter from Bob's mother this morning asking her to send her photos to Bob's aunt [Anna Maria] Philips and her friend [Miss Wicksteed]. On the next day, scolds Bob because she still has not received a letter from him. Her aunt is much the same.

The Shiffolds, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking. - It is a 'great pleasure' to be home from Spain, and to find Bessie and Julian well; Julian has 'improved in many ways since the summer, and is much stronger, and also more vigorous mentally'. His current 'chief interests' are astronomy and 'making architectural plans'; therefore, he is much looking forward to the visit next week Bessie's cousin Jan Hubrecht, who 'will tell him all about sun-spots'; also to the visit of Robert's friend [Kenneth] Croos tomorrow, who 'was one of the architect of the Mission des Amis' in France. Bessie reads Wells' new Outline of History to Julian in the evenings, which 'seems quite well done'; so far however, they have 'only reached the beginning of the Pleistocene or thereabouts'.

It has been a 'great pleasure' for them to read [Theodore Roosevelt's] correspondence in Scribner's [Magazine]; thinks the 'strongest feeling' he got from Roosevelt's letters is what 'for what of a better word [Robert] would call his charm'; that indeed is his 'chief memory' of Roosevelt from when he met him at Welcombe. Roosevelt's 'wide reading and interest in everything would have made him interesting in any case', but it is 'something more personal than that, something which made any difference of opinion or point of view seem of little importance.

Had a good time in Madrid: got to know 'some quite interesting young men, and laid the foundation of at least a literary knowledge of Spanish'. Is preparing a 'book of translations from Lucretius', which will in total come to 'rather more than a third of the De Rerum Natura. Sends ;ove to his mother.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Robert and Elizabeth are getting away very soon; not surprised they cannot settle down at home; Elizabeth will have much to do and she hopes she is strong enough. Glad 'some occupations' have been arranged at Ravello, as it is 'a little dull'; wonders how Robert will teach Latin. Sir George once tried to teach her, but she 'was so stupid that it was a failure'. Sweet of Elizabeth to make her a blanket but she must not trouble to finish it before she goes; likes tehm 'big enough to put round [her] back on cold nights' and will think of her when she 'cuddle[s] up into it'. Pantlin has gone to Newcastle to buy presents for the schools' Christmas trees; organising treats for children is always 'rather a bore' but they do enjoy them. The [Henry?] Willoughby Trevelyans are at Wallington for a night and the Spence Watsons will be there for Sunday; he will tell them 'all about Derby'. Hopes Elizabeth has read George's article ["The White Peril", in the "Nineteenth Century"]; asks her to show it to her cousin [Ambrosius Hubrecht] and his sons.

Plas Penrhyn, Penrhyndeudraeth, Merioneth. - Writes on Edith's behalf to thank Elizabeth for her letter; Edith is recovering as well as can be expected, but will not be fully well until Christmas at the earliest. Remembers Elizabeth's cousin [Jan Bastiaan?] Hubrecht very well; always found him 'very agreeable and very enlightened'. It is kind of Hubrecht to invite him to stay at his house, and he would accept if he were going to Holland, but he 'never had any intention of going to the Congress of the World Federalists' and does not know what could have given any newspaper the idea that he would. Edith's illness would have prevented it in any case, but he has become 'rather too old for the sort of jaunts that I used to indulge in'. When he gets at all tired now, he cannot swallow; tells the doctors that this has been brought on by his 'attempting to swallow the pronouncement of politicians', but so far his diagnosis has not been accepted. Otherwise he is well. Hopes that they will be able to visit soon, but for the moment Edith is not allowed to drive and he cannot. Hubrecht's letter originally enclosed.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Very interested in Julian's Latin: Sir George believes Latin and Greek 'are the best of all legacies'. Has just finished the twentieth book of the "Odyssey", the end of which is a 'marvellous masterpiece'. Agrees with Robert about translations of Aristophanes, and about Frere having 'gone nearest to the impossible'. Envies Elizabeth's stay at 14 Great College Street [Charles and Molly's house]. Greatly curious about Jan [?, i.e. Jan Bastiaan Hubrecht; possibly Jon or Joris], as 'the development of an interesting, and most remarkable, sire'. Caroline is taking better care of herself and is well; he himself must 'act [his] time of life'. George leaves tomorrow; the children will be able to see him off.

Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth. - Thinks that Miss Boneleu's [?] letters are very promising; though there is a little 'pedantry' she is probably trying to give the impression of being a 'real teacher', and she ought to be able to interest Julian. Advises Elizabeth to engage her; expects she will find it less of a strain than class teaching. Good that Bob has seen her as she is likely to join them at meals. Looks forward to seeing them in the middle of August; Mary says she would like a visit from Elizabeth and Bob, so perhaps they could go in the middle and leave Julian at Wallington. Aunt Annie [Philips] is coming on 12 August for ten days. The school children are here today [for a treat] but the weather is 'doubtful'. Was 'astonished' by the news about Jan Hubrecht [his entry into the Dutch diplomatic service?]; Sir George thinks it a good thing, and she supposes he always seems 'more a "man of the world" than a student'; hopes he will have a 'prosperous' life, and is sure he will be popular everywhere.