Showing 71 results

Emsworth House, Emsworth, Hants. - Has looked into his notes for the story he wrote, and found a copy of an article about Sven Hedin's discoveries in the Teklamakan desert which had a short passage with the information that served as his inspiration. Responding to 'Uncle Don's' offer to do research into the story, he quotes from this passage at length. Comments that 'Mr Trevelyan' will be probably be able to tell Uncle Don about Fa Hsien, who introduced Buddhism into China, and, 'having travelled through the desert to China' returned with a tale about a beautiful city in the desert, destroyed because of the wickedness of its inhabitants; would like to know more about Fa Hsien and his book, and believes there is an English translation as 'Kipling mentions it as "Beal and Stanislas Julien" in Kim'. Does not expect Mr Trevelyan has the book, but would be very grateful if Uncle Don could find a fuller account of Fa Hsien's tale, or any more information about the desert cities; wonders if [Herbert?] Giles discusses them in the book Uncle Don told him about. Hopes he is well, and that Aunt Grettie is better; tells him to come to the sports [day at school?] if he can; it will probably be about the middle of June.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Upset at Elizabeth having 'such a bad attack'; was afraid she was unwell when she was at Welcombe, and the 'hot journey' must have made it worse. She herself has ben troubled again by nosebleeds; had to lie still all day yesterday. Glad that Mrs Tovey is with Elizabeth, and hopes Dr Cornish will keep her quiet. Was 'a great pleasure' to see her, and Julian is 'delightful'; hears the Warwick exp[edition]n was very successful.

Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth. - A letter from Bob has come, with news about his job as librarian [with the Friends War Victims Relief Committee]; seems sensible and pleases him; she thinks he will be 'very useful'. Good to hear that Elizabeth has found interesting work; had thought she might have found something with the Friends and spent the winter in Paris, but then there is Julian. He will learn self-control, and that he cannot have 'things always the same'. Good that Mrs Fish [headmistress of Dunhurst] takes an interest in him; Elizabeth will be very glad to see him. Kitty's behaviour is 'most pleasant'. Very good that Mrs Tovey is back with her husband; hopes it is a 'real cure'. The village has been busy; the 'Sayle' was very successful. Yesterday Meta Hearn was married to a young farmer; went to see the presents and meet the family; Hearn is very glad it is over. Must have been exciting to get into Edward Grey's 'big meeting'; has read the speech, and heard he spoke 'quite vigorously'; he is 'nearly blind, but in much better health'. Thinks they will leave Wallington on 5 November, stopping a night in York.

Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth. - Had not written, expecting to hear something definite about R[obert]; he is 'not going just yet' [to France to work for the Friends War Victims Relief Committee ]. Sorry Julian has not been well. If Robert goes this month, Elizabeth could bring Julian up to Wallington before he starts school. George arrived this morning; he is going to London on Monday and then hopes for some time in the lakes with his family. Very distressing news about Mrs Tovey [going into an asylum]; [Donald] Tovey will 'be "at a loose end" again in domestic matters'. Glad that Elizabeth has found a 'good home' for Miss B[arthorp, Julian's governess]. Miss Clarke has left so C[harles] and M[ary] 'have the children to themselves'; it will be hard work, but they seem happy. Janet and the children go to Robin Ghyll on Tuesday; the H[enry] Y[ates] T[hompson]s come a few days later. Sir George is not well, but it is not serious; he gets worried by change and visitors though 'in reality he likes it'. Asks Elizabeth to tell Julian that Humphry has caught a fish 'at last', and Georgie has shot a hare as well as rabbits

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Is glad Elizabeth thinks Julian better for his visit; he and Miss B[arthorp] were very happy. Sure his stories are funny, as he '"recounts" very well indeed'. Hopes it will be cooler by Tuesday, when they go to The Park; will go to Wall[ington] on Friday. Annie [Philips] seems to be getting better. Thinks Elizabeth's illness may have been gastric influenza, which she hears is going around; hopes she has recovered now. Sir George is 'not very bright' and needs a change. They went to the village yesterday to pay some goodbye visits; people seemed 'genuinely sorry' they were leaving. Glad Mrs Tovey is better; asks if the Toveys will go north soon. Mary is in London; Booa [Mary Prestwich] is away, she hopes she is resting and enjoying herself. Sends a message to Julian that she will look at the linnets [?] this evening when it is cooler.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Good that Julian got to go rowing while at Welcombe after all. He looks nice after his haircut. They played a game each evening before he went to bed; he seems to like them all. Annie [Philips] has 'bronchial influenza' but is said to be recovering well; they will have to cancel their visit if she is not properly well. Hopes that Elizabeth is recovering. Julian and Miss B[arthorp] are 'wonderfully good walkers' and like the field paths at Welcombe. Julian 'describes things very well' and has a very large vocabulary; Miss Barthorp is 'excellent with him' though he is getting old for 'so much individual attention'. He has been for walks with Sir George, 'listening to his storis, & holding his hand'. Hopes Mrs Tovey is much better.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Very sorry about Elizabeth's illness; felt 'uneasy' about letting her leave when poorly. Glad Mrs Tovey is looking after her. Has not yet seen Julian, as she looks 'rather unpleasant with a nasty cotton wool sticking out'; is recovering, but must be careful. Will be very happy to keep Julian as long as Elizabeth wants to spare him. He could not got boating this morning because of the weather, but another child is coming to play with him. Hears 'Warwick was a great success'. Miss Barthorp [the governess] is also enjoying herself. The syringe [lilac] has come out in the night, to Sir George's 'delight'.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Very sorry that her illness has led to Elizabeth's visit being put off; hopes she can come on Thursday, since Sir George and Dr [Cyril] Burt say Wednesday is too early. Had 'such a loss of blood' and the remedies made her 'uncomfortable, but is now recovering. Janet has been for two days, and kindly looked after Sir George. Longs to see Elizabeth and Julian. Glad Mrs Tovey is better; sure Elizabeth's care will be good for her.

Wallington. - Likes Julian's poems: he 'evidently has a good ear, & can Rhyme very prettily'. Had a 'great party to tea yesterday from Cambo' which 'looked like a school treat'; does not know how they all fit in the house. Glad Elizabeth has had friends; is very interested about Mrs Tovey; thinks [Donald Tovey's] decision to 'have a sensible person to look after him' was very wise. Glad that Miss B[arthorp, the new governess] and Julian are getting on. Mrs Sidgwick and the Bryces are coming next week, then Dr Hadow. They can only have two or three people staying as they have 'few servants & one sitting room', and Sir George gets too tired when 'there is anyone to talk to'. Sorry Elizabeth has had to change her 'girl'; they have trouble getting them. Sir George is reading her "These Twain", the last of Arnold Bennet's "Clayhanger" series.

University of Edinburgh. - Sends Homer, Bradbury and Crusius. Term begins next Tuesday. Is getting on with the vocal score of Act II [of "The Bride of Dionysus"], working from and correcting the copy of the full score. Miss Busch has been; he thinks they have the [German] translation quite right now. The [Reid] Orchestra is guaranteed for the next three years, and he has organised a consultative committee 'to regulate its interior economy'; expects it to be 'six times as good as last year'. Grettie has been 'over-exerting herself'; is going to the country 'for rest & feeding-up', but he feels that though depressed she is 'more completely herself' than he expected her to be for months; thinks she is in 'a chastened mood', an 'awakening to health & common-sense' rather than the 'dismal dumps' and he is much encouraged.

2 St Margaret's Road, Edinburgh. - Is glad Trevelyan agrees with his idea about the mist effect in Act III [of "The Bride of Dionysus": see 7/42]. Is getting on well, and has produced 'four big sheets', or forty-three pages of the old score, since he sent the wire to Trevelyan; he began in the examination room, 'racing the Mus Bac candidate at paper-spoiling'. He is also happy with the rest of the finished material: it is not the case that for him revision is 'an endless process, changing with [his] point of view'. Believes that when the job is finished, they will both feel he has 'not been unreasonably long over it'; in any case, it is 'the largest musical design that has ever been carried out with a fastidious sense of musical form and dramatic fitness'. Art and politics will not be 'exclusively governed by cads and invalids for ever' so it will not be so old-fashioned 'when the next half-dozen revolutions in art have become classical reality'. Odd to think he was afraid the opera would have 'dried up' in two and a half years away from it. Has been as tough a job for him as the "Ring" was for Wagner.

Has been working on 'the strong-winged foam-wanderers' chorus and has given it a new end; Vaughan Williams had criticised it 'in his vague puzzle-headed way' but neither of them could then see what the matter was; Tovey is now much happier with it. Discusses other changes he has made, including the removal of the effect used to represent Theseus' disappearance and the echoes of it; the double bass pizzicato he had had was 'curious confirmation' of his theory that plagiarism 'consists of echoing what you don't know properly' and is 'the exact opposite of the effects of scholarship upon art'; it came from [Richard] Strauss who uses the technique in "The Salad & the Electrocution" ["Salome" and "Elektra"] but always properly connected to something beyond the orchestra. Has got rid of it, not because he does not like Strauss - will happily reuse it elsewhere - as he has something else. Gives musical notation in his discussion of the 'hope only thy death's pain' figure. Proof of 'the finality of the big sheets' in Raabe's copy. Notes that in a work of this size 'most of what people say a priori about one's development of style is bosh' - compares Wagner - and decries the pressure on young artists 'to strike out new paths' which prevents them from producing work larger than 'watch-pocket size'. Will now move on to the Nereids. A pencil postscript on the first page that Grettie has 'been overdoing it' and ordered to take a rest, but she will be able to come with Tovey. They go to Oxford on 5 April. There are also pen and pencil postscripts by Tovey noting further progress on the opera on the back of the envelope.

2 St Margaret's Road [on University of Edinburgh headed notepaper]. - Is sorry not to have written sooner: meant to do so when [Trevelyan's] "Pterodamozels" came but this has taken longer than he expected. The move to the Toveys' new house happened just when Trevelyan's letter about [John] Foulds arrived; Grettie had a collapse due to the strain of the move and is only now recovering. Would be jolly if Trevelyan came to Edinburgh in October. Trevelyan may show Foulds anything of Ariadne ["The Bride of Dionysus"] which may interest him, as long as he first see the parts which are in a final state - 'the big sheets or Raabe's copy'.

Is interested in what he has seen of Foulds' work, though has seen nothing recent: sent an early set of variations on to Röntgen, who was very pleased; Trevelyan should encourage Foulds to send something to the Carnegie people, as their first year's list is very successful, with Vaughan Williams, Bantock, Stanford and Frank Bridges and 'three totally unknown names with them' [Boughton, Howells and ?]: calls it, short of founding orchestras, 'much the best thing that has yet been done for English music.' Grettie liked [Trevelyan's] "Pearl Tree" but since she is still recovering he has not introduced her to the "Pterodamozels" yet: [Austen's] "Emma" 'represents the limit of our joint capacity for satire'. Has discovered Chapman's translation of Homer, and also that with help he can read Homer himself.

14 Napier Road [on University of Edinburgh headed notepaper]. - [Trevelyan's] "The Pearl Tree" has arrived with its 'voluminous and varied accompaniments' ["An Annual of New Poetry, 1917"] and will give the Toveys great pleasure: Grettie says she likes no present better than a volume of poetry, and sends her thanks. Trevelyan has 'not planted [his] pearl tree before kine - whatever Krishna did'. Asks when Julian will contribute to the "Annual".

Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth. - Most interested to have Robert's definite arrangements [for his work in France with the Friends War Victims Relief Committee]. Very sorry about the Toveys' 'calamity' [Grettie Tovey going into an asylum]; would have been most surprised if they did not know from experience 'how definite a physical illness mental disturbance is' and that the 'most helpful and strong-minded people' can be subject to it; hopes for the best for them both. H[enry] Y[ates] T[hompson] and Dolly are visiting. Was very sorry to finish Aulus Gellius.

The Shiffolds, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking. - Hopes Julian [currently suffering from whooping cough] is 'now beginning to cough less'; two nights ago he had his worst coughing fit yet, 'but that did not last'; Robert will still be glad when he has quite recovered. Had an interesting time in Edinburgh: the opera [The Bride of Dionysus, with libretto by Robert and music by Donald Tovey] 'sounded very well, and people seemed to like it'. Mrs Tovey seemed well, and 'their adopted child is evidently a godsend. It is quite a fine child, and [Grettie Tovey] seems quite sensible with it'.

Is going to Cambridge on Saturday to see the production of Aeschylus [The Oresteia, in J. T. Sheppard's Greek production]. Expects he will go abroad with [Goldsworthy Lowes] Dickinson on 15 March, ending up in Florence, and returning in early May. Bessie will soon write about her plans. Is just finishing the 'story of Abraham [from the Bible, see 46/264] with Julian'; they also read some history and poetry together. Julian is 'going to read Treasure Island to himself now'.

Sends love to his father and to Booa [Mary Prestwich].

The Shiffolds. - Now back from Edinburgh, where he 'spent a few very interesting days staying with the Professor of Chemistry, [George] Barger, who is half Dutch, an old Cambridge man'. The Toveys do not have enough room in their house for guests, but Robert 'saw plenty of them, which was a great pleasure'. The concert went well: the [Reid] Orchestra is said to have 'played better than it has ever done, and the orchestra seemed to enjoy the extract from the opera [The Bride of Dionysus, and recalled Tovey several times']. If [Thomas] Beecham 'had not gone bankrupt, he would probably have produced the opera this year'; instead they will 'have to wait, for operas are expensive things'.

On returning home, found Julian's [whooping] cough much better; he is 'thin, and gets tired easily' but generally 'fairly well and cheerful'. Robert reads history, poetry, and the Bible with him; they 'don't read the bible at his school, so it is as well he should at home, and he certainly enjoys it a great deal', though Robert sees 'no signs as yet of his having a religious turn of mind'. Bessie is reading [Kipling's] Captains Courageous to Julian, who 'likes it very much'.

Robert will go to Cambridge next month to see the Oresteia performed [in J. T. Sheppard's Greek production; Robert's translation was available for the audience]. A letter from Robert's father to Julian came today; Julian will open it tomorrow on his birthday.

19 Kensington Park Road, W.11. - Yes, she is trying to keep to Trevelyan's divisions of the lines [in his play "The Bride of Dionysus"] as much as possible, except when it would sound completely senseless in German: she wants it to make it 'as good poetry & good German' as she can and her first version, 'before its wings got clipped everywhere', is best in that respect. Asks if she should send [Max?] Reinhardt Trevelyan's work, telling him of her translation and asking if it could possibly be performed at his theatre; supposes Tovey would have no objection. Thanks Trevelyan for sending Tovey's letter, which she returns; his 'anxious and passionate hopefulness' [about his wife] is pitiful; hopes 'he may do her good, but it sounds a difficult case', and the worry cannot be good for his work. Enjoyed the Schubert and Debussy concerts, and is looking forward to the d'Aranyis. Wonders if Trevelyan has read Hayden Brown's book [Haydn Brown, "Advanced Suggestion: Neuroinduction" ?] and what he thought of it.

c/o Mrs Wilson, Myers Farm, Silverdale, near Carnforth. - Was very glad to hear from Bessie that his mother is better and 'getting up again'; her weather will 'already have changed for the better' if it is the same as here. Mr Bottomley is 'fairly well', though has to stay in bed for many days. Robert 'got to work properly yesterday', since 'the first days were too stormy and horrid'. Bessie says she may go to Edinburgh on Monday to see the Toveys; much relieved to hear that [Donald] 'seems to be really better', as he has been 'getting very anxious about his health'.

Much enjoyed his trip to Wallington, and finding his father so well; also his mother except for the last few days. Will write to his father soon. Very sorry to hear about 'the Sycamore bough on the West Lawn coming down'. Hears Julian is well, and hopes George has now recovered.

The Shiffolds. - Thanks her for her letter, with the Mackail pamphlet on Shakespeare [Shakespeare after Three Hundred Years?]; will send it back to his father, with Mackail's letter, in a few days. Everyone is well here. The hay-making is now over, and it is 'quite chilly' today. He and Bessie met Mrs Tovey in London, and 'liked her a great deal. She is very Scotch and sensible, and probably is just the right sort of person to look after [Donald]'. The Toveys will probably come to the Shiffolds to visit in about a fortnight. They have had a 'very difficult time with Mrs Weisse, who has of course behaved outrageously', but Mrs Tovey 'wants to avoid a quarrel if possible.

The day they met Mrs Tovey, they also had tea at the House of Commons with Charles, who seems well. Will be 'very pleasant for Julian to see something of his cousins when he is at Wallington'. Bessie sends love; she says she will write soon, but has been 'very busy'.

Northlands, Englefield Green, Surrey. - Asks if he could visit before Friday, when Mrs Weisse and his 'precious Nimble Niceman' [John Wellcome Tovey] come south. Had already written to Johannes Röntgen that he thought his 'prospects at Edinburgh very good', not because of anything he himself could do (will 'do lots', but cannot make it pay financially) but because of the friends Johannes has made there of his own accord. If he wins his counter-claim Grettie will 'get her freedom' in any case. Has to pay the costs of both sides. The case should come on at the end of this month or the beginning of June.

University of Edinburgh headed notepaper. - Has just seen Bessie's letter dated the 5th, which seems to have been written earlier than the one he answered before. Encourages her to see Haydn Brown before she gets 'further involved in Grettie's doings': if the situation is dealt with in exactly the right manner this 'may cause her to behave nobly' and build up 'a healthy foundation for the future' for her, but any mistake may push her to take the 'bad line' of her current lawyers, which could end 'in a bad asylum crash'. The action brought against Tovey is 'impossible', and he must not only defend it but bring one of his own: must respond to the lie that he is 'not fit for marriage' by claiming that it is Grettie who is not fit; she knows it, Tovey can prove it, and will do so 'if driven'. She should withdraw her action and leave his undefended, but telling her so directly may push her towards 'a bad adventure'. Advises that she ask Grettie in a non-committal fashion what she would do if Tovey brought an action for annulment against her, and help her to the right answer if she can. Grettie 'is very mischievous when she is found out': this is not spite, but a serious warning that Bessie could not help her, as she did at the Shiffolds in 1917, without 'saying confidential things' that would then be 'at the mercy of people.... can do very grave mischief'. The 'unmasking of her plausibility is dangerous to her' as it 'drives her to extremes' and may lead to a crash in health. Begs Bessie to show this letter to Haydn Brown when she sees him; he may be able to help her to 'save' Grettie, but certainly will not advise that she should come back to Tovey.

University of Edinburgh headed notepaper. - Thanks Bessie for the letter. Is very glad his wife has friends among his friends, but warns her that Grettie 'will tell each person just what that person will... believe'; her guesses are shrewd, as when she guessed Bessie would think Tovey wants Haydn Brown 'to change her feelings'. A 'doctor doesn't take instructions like a solicitor', but Tovey's would have been for Brown to make Grettie well and 'establish her sanity'; he would then accept her decision; if Brown cannot, Tovey must have it established that he himself 'can do no more'. Believes that stage has been reached, and his responsibility ceases. His wife has been telling different stories to different people: Tovey asks if she told Bessie, as she did Mrs Sklovsky [Lucy Romain], that Dr Haig Ferguson had signed a statement saying the operation he carried out 'was necessitated by injuries originally inflicted by [Tovey]'. Dr Haig Ferguson of course 'flatly denies it'. Grettie also wrote to E. S. P. Haynes, whom she consulted not knowing he was a Balliol friend of Tovey's. Insists that he is not blaming Grettie, but pointing out 'her lack of moral responsibility, & the extreme danger of being misled by her'. Cannot say what he intends to do until he has seen his lawyer, Guthrie, and Bessie will be in a better position towards Grettie if she does not know what he plans. The action taken by Grettie through Messrs Freke Palmer, 'rather a Horatio Bottomley sort of firm', if not defended or if won by her, would leave Tovey 'on record as incapable of marriage', which he denies. Whatever he does will be 'in camera', but he must protect himself against the 'dangerous state of affairs' if he let 'things slide'; has already shown he will consider Grettie's interests.

University of Edinburgh headed notepaper. - Asks Bessie to talk to Dr Haydn Brown before she commits herself to helping Grettie further: she has no idea of 'the danger of the present action', nor of 'the uncontrollable mischief poor Grettie may... make of any confidence' Bessie has ever shown her. Has told Brown that he wants Bessie to talk to him, asks her not to tell Grettie she is seeing him: 'what she dislikes is not persons as such, but she dislikes being found out'. Bessie must not give Grettie any hint of Tovey's intentions: even if she were trustworthy, her family are not, and it was 'a vulgar little shark' [crossed out text seems to suggest this was a lawyer] who came with Hugh Cameron to see Tovey at Hedenham.

Merton College, Oxford. - Notes in the address that he is at the Congress of Universities, 'all incontrovertible talk & academic millinery'; his hired gown is 'a most appetising strawberries-&-cream affair'. Is 'very unsettled in plans and mind'. Unlikely that he will be able to get to the Shiffolds again this summer, and is going to try to organise time abroad from which he could come back at once if necessary. Dr Haydn Brown is sure he can cure Grettie if she will see him, and Tovey must do what he can to accomplish this; her relatives are 'quietly behaving in the most abominable way'. Has got a letter from her aunt Mary which will justify him 'in the most drastic measures which may be necessary' to keep the family away if Grettie ever returns. They deny she has been ill, except as a consequence of Tovey 'being impossible to live with' and claim that he is trying to 'get her shut up on false imputation of insanity'. However, all documentary evidence shows only his 'loyalty and care for her reputation as well as her health'. They support 'poor G.'s ravings', which alarmed the Principal's wife so much that she did not invite him to a recent lunch of Deans of Faculties, and told Mrs Morley Fletcher why. Tovey feels the 'only salvation' for his wife is to spread the story that what she says is 'the delusions of a fever' so it will be forgotten when she is cured, whether she comes back to Tovey or not. Asks if Johannes [Röntgen] has gone to Switzerland; he may possibly go there himself, and if so hopes to see Johannes and 'the future Mrs J.R.'.

2 St Margaret's Road, Edinburgh. - The Toveys are sorry to hear of Julian's whooping cough, especially as it prevents her from coming: they wanted her to meet 'Mr Nimble Niceman' [John Wellcome Tovey]. They have got a room nearby for Johannes [Röntgen], and when he comes he and Tovey can 'hunt around for something more suitable'; hopes he and 'the Poet' [Bob Trevelyan] will arrive in time for the concert with the 'scene of Ariadne' [Ariadne's soliloquy from Act III of "The Bride of Dionysus', performed by the Reid Orchestra,12 February 1921].

On University of Edinburgh headed notepaper - A great pity that Johannes [Röntgen] is missing the only concert with a modern work he does not know, Bantock's "Sappho" [performed by the Reid Orchestra, March 4, 1920] 'which is worth six times the best of Mahler', and was the main reason Tovey did not advise the Röntgens to send Johannes to Aurog [?] for the rest of the spring. Will try to arrange lots of interesting private chamber music, and give him 'plenty of orchestral exercises on paper'. Thanks Julian for his letter; hopes he has recovered. 'Mr N.N.' [Nimble Niceman, pet name for John Wellcome Tovey] has whooping cough, and Grettie has rheumatism; Tovey is 'on strike for a 48-hour day as usual'. The local press criticise the public for not giving the Reid Orchestra better audiences, but should instead point out that attendance is double last year (though this still is not enough).

University of Edinburgh headed notepaper - There has been a great improvement [in Grettie's condition] since Sir Edward Schafer recommended they try Haydn Brown; she has had four hour-long, and is still very sceptical, crediting improvement to use of her spectacles, but Tovey is confident. 'Freud & Jung are the crudest of pioneers compared to this man's technique'. Brown has written 'several queer & apparently bumptious popular books' which he thinks give a false idea, but he recommends that Tovey read "Advanced Suggestion". Brown has prejudices including 'Germans & pacifists' but 'his technique is too good for that to interfere'. Suggests that he may be able to help Julian

An enclosure [no longer present] shows that they have 'survived so far'; it is not 'as comprehensive as [their] earlier prospectus' but they will improve programmes as they proceed [reference to the Reid Orchestra?] Grettie has returned from the country 'looking very well'; hopes she will obey doctor's orders, rest and eat.

University of Edinburgh headed notepaper. - Is now 'pretty sure' that things will improve in the end, mainly because [Grettie's] family now 'understand the facts more intelligently than they did' so he can let them help, his sister in law Mrs Archibald in particular. Is sure that, if he and Grettie could have got away from them altogether, she would have improved in a few weeks rather than months. She is currently staying for a few weeks in the country with her Aunt Jane, while Tovey is in Edinburgh with his sister in law and another aunt. The doctor is their old family doctor, who has returned from the war; Tovey has come to a good understanding with him. The family's 'idea of its duty & its sympathetic impulses' was even worse than he had thought; it is really to their credit that they have 'come round of their own accord'. Has reached the Symphony in Act II in his arrangement of the opera ["The Bride of Dionysus"]; the German version is variable, and sometimes impossible to set. A novelty to have the music in 'a really playable form'. Has written what he thinks will be his last addition to the score, at the end of the first scene of Act I; describes this in detail, and gives the musical notation for the final chords. Hopes that Bob 'is satisfied with the behaviour of the [Paris Peace] Conference'; he himself feels that 'le mieux est l'ennemi du bien' and is thankful that so much progress 'towards common sense' has been made.