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c/o Mrs Röntgen, 77 van Eeghenstraat, Amsterdam. - He and Bessie are having a 'very pleasant time in Holland', mainly staying in Amsterdam so far, but next Thursday going to the family country house at Doorn. Bessie is 'very well', and enjoying her return to Holland after three years. Last Thursday they visited Bessie's half-sister Mrs Versteg in the country at Heerde; this is near the Yssel, the river which, according to Ferrero, the fleet of [Nero Claudius] Drusus must have sailed along to reach the Zuider Zee. Bessie went this morning to visit her cousin Louisa Hubrecht at Leiden, but will return this afternoon.

Has just returned from a visit to the Rijksmuseum with Mrs Röntgen's eldest son Johannes; the arrangement of the pictures there has much changed. The Museum has also bought and now displays several paintings from the Six collection, such as Vermeer's 'Cook'; the Rembrandts remain in the house of the Six family, but cannot now be seen without 'an order from the consul or a friend of the family'. It is a shame for the collection to be broken up, but 'it seems that the tourists sometimes were offensive, and the Sixes, who are really quite nice people, hardly felt as if the house belonged to themselves.

Their friend [Donald] Tovey comes here on Monday night, and will go with them to Doorn on Thursday. Hopes his parents have had as good weather at Welcombe as they have had here, and that his father is 'quite well again'. Hears they are going to have an election at Stratford; fears there will be little chance of 'getting a Liberal in at present'. Here they are awaiting 'the birth of an heir to the house of Orange'; if this happens while Robert and Elizabeth are in Amsterdam, they will 'the cannons announce it in the Vondel Park opposite'. His mother's letter to Bessie arrived today; sure she will reply soon. Is finishing the fifth volume of Fererro's history of Rome: thinks he is 'very good about the most important things, such as the relations of Augustus and Tiberius, and the decadence of the aristocracy, but that in details Ferrero 'often seems to form theories with too much assurance upon insufficient evidence'. Perhaps, however, classical historians are 'almost bound to do that, where the evidence is so scanty'.

10 Prinsegracht, the Hague; addressed to Bob c/o B. Berenson, 3. Via Camerata, Firenze. - Discussion of the pet name 'bobboy'; her uncle has now stopped calling Bob 'Varello' and now favours 'le petit chéri' which she hates. Bob's 'little plum' reached her, still smelling quite sweet, but 'flat as a pancake'. Discussion of her aunt's slowly improving health; that and the nurse give her far more leisure, and she had a very good practice this morning. Has just finished writing a long letter to her youngest step-sister [Henriette], who is married to a doctor and lives in north Gelderland, and was very musical but had to give up her studies in Berlin because of a nervous breakdown; she has been in a doctor's care in Lucerne since last summer and Bessie did not know whether she knew of the engagement, but received a letter from her this morning. Asks if Bob forgot to enclose the 'little relic' he mentions; knows he thinks 'the Sicilian cook' brought them together and teases him for not following the chain of causes backwards. Her aunt is much the same; feels her uncle could do more to cheer her since she has 'little or no confidence' in Bessie herself. Hopes Bob will enjoy his time with [Bernard] Berenson; is glad Mrs C. [Mary Costelloe] will not be there as things will be easier for him. Bramine and Tuttie [Hubrecht] reached Taormina on Saturday but Bramine at once fell ill so Tuttie is nursing her. Has to go to the dentist again before Bob comes. Has received the letter from Bob containing the ticket which brought him to Ede and the fragrant green leaves; asks if this is really 'a little green myrtle bough... the bride's ornament'; very dear of Bob to send it; puns on Joost van Vondel and fondle to suggest how she will thank him. They now hear that Bramine is recovering but Grandmont is now ill.

10 Prinsegracht, Hague; addressed to Bob at Penmenner House, The Lizard, Cornwall. - Thinks Bob must not have got her letter of Tuesday [9/46]; hopes someone will send it on. Thanks him for writing his note before setting off and for the drawing of the eye. Hopes he does not mind that she is writing so frequently; asks him to say what he thinks of the music box, for which she has written to thank Mrs Price [Bob's aunt]. Alice Jones and her brother Herbert are coming to the Hague on the 26th, after a trip to Dresden; has not seen Alice since 1895, and Herbert since 1893 when he came home from the holidays and ate all her 'hopjes' [Dutch sweets] 'in one sitting' (he later sent her a box of Cambridge ginger sweets at school). Is going out for a slow walk with her aunt soon as the weather is 'heavenly'. Tomorrow is Jan [Hubrecht]'s birthday; she wants to order [Robert Louis] Stevenson's "Suicide Club" for him, and will tell him it is a present from them both. Will probably have another lesson with [Bram] Eldering next week, then may go to see an aunt at Hilversum and her [half] sister who is married to a doctor [Henriette]. Poor Lula [Julius] Röntgen has been very ill and cannot go yet to Berlin to start work. Tuttie [Maria Hubrecht] does not plan to return before 20 or 25 May as she wants to spend time at Florence on the way back; perhaps Bob could come over just before she arrives.

10 Prinsegracht, Hague; addressed to Bob at 3 Hare Court, Inner Temple, London. - Returns the samples of cloth, with comments on which she prefers for Bob's travelling suit; for his [wedding] trousers thinks he should find a light blueish grey cloth and encloses a sample of the colour she recommends; tells him not to get the coat of his travelling suit made too short as her aunt thinks he looks as if he is growing out of his old one. Has looked up the address at the British consul at Rotterdam, Henry Thuring [sic: Turing]; her uncle remains of the opinion that Bob should write to the consul and she agrees this is much more courteous; suggests he send the letter to Sir Henry Howard with a note informing him of their plans. Her uncle has been reading the marriage contract to her; it goes now to the notary 'for a last polish' and will soon be sent to Bob for his approval. Asks him to tell her when he does the shopping in London for the beds; discusses the things which his mother is kindly going to send some things from Welcombe. Will write to Charles and George [Trevelyan] to thank them for the music box. Goes for a lesson in Amsterdam [with Eldering] on Friday, and will stay the night with 'cousin [Gredel] Guye'; then goes to stay with an aunt at Hilversum till Sunday; will spend Sunday with her [half] sister [Theodora] who 'lives in the farm with her husband the socialist', and return to Amsterdam to [her sister] Mien, who has invited her to stay for the evening entertainment after Joachim's concert to meet him. When Joachim plays at the Hague next Friday, she will go with Alice Jones, who is staying a little longer than [her brother] Herbert. Cannot fit in a visit to Almelo [to see her friend Jeanne Salomonson Asser] and her other sister [Henriette] before May. Asks Bob to bring 'the gold spectacles' with him when he comes over. Tuttie [Hubrecht] is coming on May 17 or 18; her own birthday is on 21 May, asks if Bob could come before that. Encloses a newspaper cutting with a poem by Vondel's contemporary Hooft, translated by

The Hague. - Agrees with Bob that he should not come over till mid-May, and does not think her uncle seriously wishes him to come earlier; does not understand why he is having friends to stay and going visiting again if he wants to get some more work done, but is glad he is going to see them. Thinks there will be plenty of time for business or visiting; they might go to Utrecht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and would love to go with him to Heerde in Gelderland where her sister [Henriette] lives; will have to go there to see the children and her husband the doctor before she leaves, though her sister is probably coming to the wedding. Does not know where Bob left the bed catalogue; thinks she remembers seeing it last in Charles's room at Grosvenor Crescent; asks if they can order a softer mattress. Will measure her Dutch pillowcases tomorrow and send him the measurements; further discussion of fittings and furniture, and arrangements for packing and unpacking her things. Bob should ask his mother about what tie he should wear with his frock coat; Dutch husbands always wear white tie with their evening dress; thinks blue or green suit him if he is to choose a coloured tie. If the patent boots he wore to Roger [Fry]'s wedding are still good he can wear them again. Hopes he will soon hear from Mrs Pepper; 'what a name for a honeymoon lady!!'. Spent two nights at Almelo which were enjoyable but so hot she had difficulty sleeping; Jeanne [Salamonson Asser] very kindly tried to 'read her to sleep out of "Pilgrim's Progress"'. Then went to Amsterdam, where she helped Mien [Röntgen] arrange the flowers and table, before they went to the [Joachim] concert which was 'delightful beyond words'; they did a Haydn, Brahms and a Beethoven quartet. Then they returned for the supper party, at which '[Bob's] friend young Harold Joachim, the Oxford fellow' was present; he sat next to her at supper and seems a 'very nice fellow'; they had met once before at St Andrews when she thought him 'a strange odd person & was in great awe of him'. Thinks Harold wants her and Bob to come and see them at Haslemere when 'Uncle Jo' is staying with them; Bessie was at school with his sister. Tomorrow the quartet are in the Hague, and Harold is crossing by night so she has invited him to lunch. When healths were being drunk at the end of the meal and she went up to Joachim to touch glasses, he at once proposed 'Ihr Bräutigam' ['Your bridegroom']; he remembered that Bob's father had once taken him home in his carriage. On Tuesday she went to see her 'socialist sister [Theodora] and her husband [Herman Heijenbrock]' on their farm and enjoyed her day with them more than she had expected to; they are very happy together and she admires their convictions though they do not convince her.

Returns to the letter next day, before going to meet [Alice and Herbert] Jones. Is sure Bob would be 'amused' to meet the socialist couple, but he [Heijenbrock] does not know English so it would be no good. Then went to stay with the aunt who lives nearby; she is not a 'favourite' in their house and they do not see her often, but several of her sisters see her often; the aunt was very friendly but it is never pleasant to be there. Fortunately her daughter, Bessie's cousin, was also there. Found her uncle and aunt fairly well when she returned, but the house is in 'a horrible state' due to the repainting, and they both have a slight cold. Went to the station to meet the Jones and they did not appear; English visitors 'always change their plans at the last minute or miss trains... or don't wire in time' as is the case for the Joneses, who are now coming tomorrow. [Harold] Joachim also cannot come to lunch and is calling in the afternoon. [Joseph] Joachim is staying tonight with Mr [Nicolaas] Pierson, the Finance Minister, and his wife, who has invited Bessie to a select party this evening. Is going to the concert tomorrow night with Alice Jones; the Röntgens may also come. The cellist [Robert] Hausmann is 'a charming person, so refined and artistic'; talked to him the other night and he admired Bob's ring. Bob will get this letter when he comes up to London to see his father. She thinks he should bring any work she has not seen on their honeymoon, as they might not have much quiet time before the wedding. Understands that his 'literary ambition is not connected with [his] love' and thinks this is right. Last half page with pillowcase measurements.