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Glad to get Julian's telegraph [from Egypt] yesterday. One word could not be made out: in the description of his pastimes as 'painting, goffinping, and dancing', should the second word be golfing, 'driving your ball over the back of the Sphinx, or getting it bunkered between its paws?'. Expects the weather is hotter than here: today is the first day of spring weather, but 'everything is backward', with no sign of bluebells and cuckoos and 'the very primroses smaller than usual'. Has just had his new book published, and sent it to Ursula; Julian knows almost all of the contents; has become 'un vrai prosateur', as 'Flaubert used to call himself', writing 'nothing but Essays': has just finished one 'on (or rather against) books'. His Simple Pleasures was recently broadcast on the [BBC] Forces Programme; it was 'really rather awful, as they tried to poetize [sic] it, though [he] had meant it to be flatter-than-pancake prose', but he got his five guineas. Tom and Marie [Sturge Moore] are here - Marie unwell in bed but recovering - Tet Htoot is also here for a few days, as 'he too was unwell and wanted cheering up'. Bessie seems quite well, though will go to London on Tuesday to see [Dr Karl] Bluth. Supposes he should write Julian a 'Horatian verse Epistle', but cannot compose it in time for this post; if he does write one will have to send it to Julian on his return; it will 'of course be largely about Egypt, Cleopatra, Amenophis [Amenhotep] and Ramesis, but not Tutenkamen [Tutankhamun]' whom he does not approve of, though 'his predecessor Aknaton [Akhenaten] was an interesting failure'. Hopes Julian will ensure that the 'Memnon statue is camouflaged very carefully'. Seems a pity that now the Nile has only two mouths, lists the names of the seven which 'every school-boy once knew'. Is reading [Lytton] Strachey's Queen Victoria aloud, which is 'really very amusing'; amazing how much easier it is to read a well-written book aloud than a badly-written one. Tet Htoot is reading the first volume of Gibbon, while he himself reads the second; is just coming to the chapter on the Christians, where he knows 'one will have some fun, especially in the notes'. Went with John Luce, with 'a party of Waleys, Joan and Polly [Allen] etc' to quite a good production of the Magic Flute at Sadler's Wells, for which they 'tried, not very successfully, to make the scenery Egyptian'. John is being sent abroad next week, but does not know where; they hope his father [Gordon] is coming home. Mossot [sic: Julian's cat Maszat] has had just one kitten, 'a sad falling off'; is told all cats in Egypt are mummified as divine.

The Mill House, Westcot, Dorking. - Discusses post times. The weather has been 'absolutely beastly' and he has a cold, which gave him a nose-bleed this morning. Took a day off yesterday and lunched with the Frys; [Roger] Fry is very busy, having had to give an extra lecture last week, so Bob conveys his advice on house decoration. Need good painters, as [George?] Moore had trouble when he was having his Cambridge rooms done, due to the 'stupidity of the workmen'. Gives his aunt Meg Price's address. Thinks he is becoming 'more romantic' about her; wishes he had been with her to 'caress... and explain away [his] last cruel letter' in which he thoughtlessly exaggerated his 'regret at [his] fading days of singleness' [9/119]. She will certainly not come between him and his friends, as she has 'quite enough of their own intellectual qualities to be their friend in the same way' he is. Has usually gone abroad alone and not allowed his 'sensations to be interfered with by those of others'; will probably enjoy going to Greece more with her than with 'people like Daniel and Mayor'. Attempts to explain his feelings in detail. Will be able to talk freely to his friends after his marriage, though 'it is true that men do talk more obscenely, and more blasphemously, than they ever quite dare to talk before women' and he thinks that this difference is right. Should not have written 'so carelessly' and caused her pain. Has written to her uncle saying he and she should fix the date. Crompton [Llewelyn] Davies came for tea last Sunday; he is probably going to the Lizard at Easter; he said his brother [Arthur?] and his wife went to Land's End for his honeymoon which was 'very satisfactory', but that Savernake near Salisbury plain was the 'best place conceivable', with 'every kind of scenery' only an hour from London. He says it has a good inn; Bob may look on his way to Cornwall. Seatoller [in Borrowdale] is very nice too, but much further away. Has not yet heard from Daniel how Sanger is; will tell Bessie [about Sanger's unhappy love affair] when he sees her; she guessed correctly that the woman was Dora. He and Fry still think it would have been best for them to marry, but that now seems unlikely; her treatment of him is 'not through heartlessness exactly... but owing to circumstances, and also to her rather unusual temperament'. Has done some work, and has been re-reading Flaubert's letters; feels more in sympathy with him than any other modern writer. His mother says Charles and George are thinking of giving Bessie a 'very pretty sort of box to keep music in'; wishes they would give them the flying trunk or carpet Bessie mentioned. They will have to content themselves with meeting in dreams, though it seems [Empedocle] Gaglio has a dream-carpet which will take him into Bessie's brain; still, he does not have a lock of her hair so Bob has a start.

The Mill House, Westcot, Dorking. - Sorry to hear about Bessie's cold; hopes it has now gone. Has discovered some 'wonderful woodland places in the valley... the woods here are quite endless'. Impatiently waiting for spring; is usually in Italy in February and March. She should read Flaubert's letters; he expresses several things Bob feels but is 'too lazy' or lacks the power to explain. Is having difficulty getting into the right frame of mind to work, but thinks he has made his play better by his alterations. Has been reading some Heine and [Goethe's] "Faust" in German, but cannot really spare enough time for it. Much interested in the 'domestic politics' Bessie mentions, and would like to meet some more of her half-sisters; expects he will when he comes to the Netherlands soon. Asks her to thank her uncle for his kind letter; would like to leave the question of the post-marriage celebrations to her and her father; is always 'rather afraid of formal speeches and ceremonies' but would not object if they wanted it. Wonders how she likes "Wuthering Heights"; for him 'crude as it is in some ways... it beats almost all English novels'. Is pleased that [Alfred] Enticknap has got a permanent place at a nearby house, though he will still be able to do some work for him and even the Frys, who say he is a 'firstclass gardener'.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Sends Christmas wishes to Robert and Elizabeth, with an article he believes to be the best thing he has read about Macaulay and a letter from its author, a 'distinguished man', and 'a tattered bit from some newspaper'. Asks for Robert's opinion of [Flaubert's?] "Trois Contes" and about "Un Vie" and "La Maison Tellier" [by de Maupassant] whose authorship he has forgotten. Is not well, but he hopes he is recovering.

Hotel Scapolatielli, Corpo di Cava (written on printed notepaper for the Hôtel de Londres, Gênes - crossed out). - Marsh's letter gave Bob much pleasure, since the 'stupid people at Naples' have not yet sent his first on; his address 'hints fascinating suggestions of rustic English scenery, and milk drunk and mild-maids beflirted in dairies'. Asks if Marsh is alone, or whether this letter is '"solus ad solum", as Flaubert used to write to Maxime Ducamp'. Read [William?] Archer's review of the plays produced by the Independent Theatre [Society] in the "Pall Mall Budget", and supposes it was 'in some slight degree inspired by' Marsh's; hopes this 'wonderful pale-faced black-haired [man: Lugné-Poe, see 15/322]' will still be in London when he returns at the end of the month; asks if it was Titian's portrait of Ariosto Marsh was reminded of. Has read Maeterlinck's "Intruse"; did not feel anything strongly for the writer, but would not like to have written the play: did not think the 'poetical or romantic element to which realism was totally sacrificed... was not quite good enough', that Maeterlink was 'not the right man to do it well, but that he could imaging 'a real poet doing something very wonderful in that line'. Glad Oswald [Sickert] 'has seen the last of those Beautiful Englanders' ["Beautiful Britain", published by the Werner Company]; remembers Marsh talking about Sickert's second novel a while ago and thought he had said it was finished, so asks whether this is a third. Asks whether [Stanley] Makower's book is out yet.

Marsh seems 'to have been going the round of our distinguished men pretty thoroughly'; makes Bob 'writhe with envy to read your account; would particularly like to see [Robert] Bridges, and means to make Roger [Fry], Bridges' nephew, take him one day. Has a book of Bridges' verse with him here, which is 'very readable and at times very beautiful'; Fry is 'enthusiastic' about him, and reads Bob passages aloud from "Prometheus [the Firegiver]"; Bob thinks 'a calmness and gentleness of tone and harmony about him... seems to make him a sort of painters poet'; hopes Marsh was 'not badly shown up' for his 'neglect' of Bridges' recent books. A man called [Henry Charles] Beeching lives with Bridges [he in the Rectory at Yattendon, Bridges in the manor house there; Beeching married Bridge's niece] and 'has just published a volume of milky poetry for which Roger has done a frontispiece' ["In a Garden and Other Poems"]; Roger says they quarrel with each other 'off and on in a mild chronic sort of way'. Asks whether Marsh saw Beeching.

Is living an 'ideal sort of life here'; describes his daily routine of exercise, study and meals; he eats omelettes, risotto, 'some wonderful things they call fritelli', for which he gives instructions and states his intention to continue making them in England. His work is 'just as mysterious' to himself as it is to Marsh; does not have the 'faintest idea what it is going to turn out' as; the plot is a 'puzzle' to him, the style is he knows 'vicious and unnatural as a rule' though he hopes it is good sometimes, and the important thing is to get it finished. Has the greatest difficulty finding names for his characters; his hero is called Benedict, 'an awfull name... which mercifully shortens into Bendy'. Badly wants a name for 'a sort of Jim Stephen who has not gone mad' but has achieved nothing due to 'an incorrigible laziness and want of enterprise'; he is in danger of losing his wife to the hero. Bob was just creating a character called Paul who was turning out 'without my intending it, uncommonly like you'; Marsh's letter has made him realise with 'horror' what he was doing and he may have to take Paul out. The character is engaged to a very charming girl who is like someone Bob knows. Hopes to be back in England in about three weeks; intends to 'plunge into an incredible carreer of gluttony [sic] and Pantegruelizing'.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Very interested in Robert's account of the House of Commons; evident that Charles was 'very well received' and praises his performance. He is personally 'in despair': believes the Liberal Party 'if united, wise, and bold' might have stopped the [Second Boer] war, but even worse was the 'fatal step of announcing the annexation' with no idea of the consequences. Brodrick gives Napoleon in Spain and the Spaniards in Cuba as precedents for the current 'plight'; calls this 'a nice parallel!'. Sends regards to Jan Hubrecht, though asks Robert not to show him this letter. Sends some papers which need not be returned. The meeting is 'all very proper', but he has an 'intense repugnance' to going to a meeting for the purpose of talking about a friend like Henry Sidgwick. Browne [sic: T. E. Brown, see 12/29] seems to have been an 'eager student' of Flaubert. Caroline sends love to them both; he would have liked to see Elizabeth 'in her furs'.

W[est] H[ackhurst]. - Thanks Bessie for sending on a letter [from an unknown writer], 'how nice and warm-hearted she is'. Has received two copies of the book and sends one to Bessie; asks if she can post it to Sig and Ruth [Waley] when she has finished with it. It is the 'sort of book' he finds 'impossible to read' in his present mood: 'yet another of those "recipe books" which the earnest and uninfluential continue to turn out on both sides of the Atlantic'.

Comments on the 'bitter cold': they have frozen and burst pipes, but since they have 'so little water at any time' the 'results are in no wise tragic'. Has been to London and brought back his aunt Rosalie to stay, so they are 'now a nice quartet'. Florence [Barger] is 'slowly recovering from her cold'. They hope that Bob and Bessie are keeping well.Adds undated postscript: is starting [Flaubert's] L'Education Sentimentale; wonders whether he will ever finish it.

Another postscript, dated 28 Jan: has received her letter, and is very sorry about Bob's cold; 'We must all take care'. Confirms that her 'Tovey Beethovens are safe here and have been much enjoyed and played', though he has not been playing the piano at all recently. Can send them whenever she wants.

10 Prinsegracht, the Hague'; addressed to Bob at The Mill House, Westcott, Dorking, Surrey. - Sorry that Bob has a cold; he should 'choose a better way of showing [his] sympathy' with her. Discussion of comforting and sharing things with each other. Bob will have received her uncle's letter; thinks he is right to advise waiting to write to Sir Henry Howard [British ambassador to the Netherlands] until they hear from 'the Paris oracle' [Mr Barclay; see 9/40]. Hopes Bob has a good Easter with his friends; he must decide whether to go to Salisbury Plain rather than Borrowdale [for their honeymoon] as she does not know either place, and just wants the place to be 'retired from tourists... real country'. Describes Bob's enthusiasm for Flaubert and a performance by him from "La vision de St. Antoine" while they were sitting by the edge of a wood. Charming of [Bob's brothers] Charles and George to think of giving them a box to hold music. Spent a long time yesterday working on her will; it will be almost the same as her sister's. Will go to Amsterdam on Saturday if her cold is better to hear a Brahms chamber concert and have another lesson [with Bram Eldering]. Has read a great deal of "Wuthering Heights"; it is 'tremendously fierce & powerful'. Asks whether Bob has copies of certain books, if so she will leave them behind or give them to someone. The Boers have suffered a great loss with the death of Joubert; asks what the feeling is about it in England. Has had to order more photographs of Bob as she has given so many away. Scolds him for not spelling the name of the place where he lives correctly.

10 Prinse[gracht], the Hague; addressed to Bob at The Mill House, Westcott, Dorking, Surrey. - Hopes Bob enjoys his week in Cornwall; asks if Crompton [Llewelyn] Davies is going too. Is very sorry to hear about Mrs [Helen] Fry's illness; even a slight attack of pleurisy is serious, and it shows how weak she is, at least about the lungs; the amount she smokes cannot be good for her. Thinks the measurements of the box for music [see 9/42] are quite right; asks if the partitions could be taken out to give more room. Will write to thank George and Charles [Trevelyan]. Went to Ambro [Hubrecht]'s lecture about the evolution of the eye last night, 'interesting but hard to follow'. Will talk to her uncle this evening about the wedding since the answer from [Thomas?] Barclay, the Paris lawyer, has come at last; it seems the consul must be present; has had 'another wretched discussion' with her uncle about whether the consul should be invited to the wedding breakfast, which she does not want; her aunt has now talked her uncle round in secret. Has been reading an article in the "Revue de Paris" on 'Flaubert et l'Afrique'.