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29 Beaufort Street, Chelsea SW. - Jokes that his treatment of Bob has been 'shameful', especially after the 'splendid sonnet' which he compares to 'a piece of very neat cabinet work, not the highest praise perhaps but just what [he] wanted for an occasional thing like this'. Has been ill since he left Bob at Bristol but is now recovering. Has begun his Brighton lectures [for the Cambridge Extension Movement], with a 'large & enthusiastic audience of elderly ladies who palpitate with emotion'; sometimes stays with his sister [Isabel?] and feels it shows 'great nerve to stay at a girls school [Miss Lawrence's School, later Roedean] & have meals in the common room'. Wishes he were with Bob in the sun though agrees Taormina is not the 'best possible' place in Sicily to stay; warns him not to copy his relative [Florence Trevelyan, who married a Taorminan doctor] and marry the innkeeper's daughter. Remembers coming round a hill onto a terrace by the sea and seeing 'the monster' Etna for the first time. Syracuse is nice but he supposes not convenient to stay at. [Dugald] MacColl has just come for dinner.

Returns to the letter after two days. Went to the Fletchers' last night and heard some good music; [Hercules] Brabazon was there, and 'rather pathetic': has been too much for him to 'become at the age of 70 a great artist & consequently an authority on art has been too much for him'. Some good pictures at the Old Masters [exhibition at the Royal Academy], especially a Tintoretto. Has begun the "Odyssey" with the help of Bob's translation. Has 'some manuscript poems of Gerald Hopkins' [sic: Gerard Manley Hopkins] which would make Bob 'tear his hair'; quotes three lines [the opening of "The Windhover"], but won't disturb Bob's 'Sicilian vespers with the clash of footed metres'.

3 Via Camerata, Florence. - Does not think he can get to the Hague except around eleven at night because of the trains, so she is not bound to come and meet him. Can go straight to his hotel, probably the Angleterre as he cannot remember how to address the people at the Twee Steden, then come to see her early next day. Glad to hear good news of her aunt again. Knows a Miss Crommelin, 'half or whole Dutch', who lives with Isabel Fry; expects she is the same family [as Bessie's friend, see 9/31]; likes her 'well enough, though she is rather flagrantly "New womanly"'. Weather bad; is reading some interesting books; not inclined to work. Berenson has been telling him about old Italian and Russian books; has been reading Tolstoy's "Katia" ["Family Happiness"; hopes their marriage will turn out better; thinks it 'an interesting book, but rather unsatisfactory'.

Sent to Julian c/o Mrs [Isabel] Fry, Mayortorne Manor, Wendover, Bucks. - Julian's mother is in bed with a 'slight chill' so cannot write as she promised, but will do so in a day or so. Asks if Julian gets the "Children's Newspaper" regularly; tells him to keep them and bring them home for Alice [Elms?]. Sends 'Love to the pigs, and to Signor Fabian' [a reference to a recent production of "Twelfth Night"?].

Glad to hear Julian's birthday was so enjoyable; he should consider this 'a birthday letter' though it is ten days late, as 'since Einstein, Time is now known to be relative' and today may be his birthday 'in Sirius or ß Centauri'. Encloses "A Summer's Eve" by Michael Drayton [on a separate sheet] as a 'birthday poem'; discusses some points of vocabulary and grammar. Went with Elizabeth to see his translation of Aeschylus' "Agamemnon" acted by 'some Cambridge young men' [in Chiswick], which was interesting but 'they did not look much like old Greek heroes'. and Elizabeth thinks they should have been given 'bigger, bushier beards' and had muscles painted on their arms and legs. Wonders whether Julian will have to wear a beard as the King's guard in [Tagore's] "Cycle of Spring"; has the book and hopes that at the line 'What a poet writes, is not meant to have any sense' Julian will add that the poems of his 'Daddy, who is the best of poets... always have plenty of sense'. Elizabeth would like Julian to ask Miss [Isabel] Fry about his exact holiday dates and let her know, so she can plan the trip to the Netherlands.

The Shiffolds. - Reached home last Saturday evening and found Bessie 'very well and cheerful after a happy time in Holland with Julian'. Robert had 'five very full days in Paris, with a Cambridge friend, [Gordon] Luce', now on his way back to 'Burmah after a year's leave in England'; did not have time to see all his 'old Paris friends', though saw several of them. Had a 'very pleasant time in Italy, and did a good deal of work, in spite of he weather and the mumps'. Spent the last week at the Berensons' villa [I Tatti]; they had just returned from Egypt, and were 'very full of all they had seen, both the ancient Egyptian things, and the mediaeval mosques at Cairo'.

Bessie has just written to his mother suggesting that she should visit her at Welcombe next Tuesday; hopes she 'will find Mama quite recovered by then'. They have had a 'cheerful letter from Julian', and another from Miss Fry 'saying he has begun the term quite satisfactorily'. [Goldsworthy Lowes] Dickinson is here for a few days; Bessie reads them 'Tchekof's stories in the evening'. They have now got to the 12th volume, 'which must be nearly the last. Some of them are rather slight, and evidently written as pot-boilers to keep the family going. But even these are effective and lively; and the ones he took trouble over are often first-rate'.

Has not had time to read much lately, but is 'now translating the Antigone [of Sophocles], a few lines every day. Supposes his father still has 'several more Euripides plays to look forward to'. Sends love to his mother.

Pension Palumbo, Ravello, Golfo di Salerno. - Perfect recent weather; has done 'a fair lot of work' and thinks he is 'well started' on his new play about 'a man who comes back from the Crusades and finds his enemy in occupation of his castle'. [C.P] Scott, editor of the "Manchester Guardian", has asked him to send an account of the landslip disaster [at the Cappuccini hotel]; if Scott prints his letter he will show it her, as his 'first and perhaps... last attempt at journalism'. The accounts of the landslip in the papers are 'greatly exaggerated'; Bessie need not worry about him. Once read a review of [Kenneth Grahame's] "The Golden Age" by Swinburne, 'with more than his usual extravagance of praise'; was rather disappointed when he read some of it soon after. Fry's sister Isabel has written 'a somewhat similar book, but with no pretentions', which he thinks is worth 'twenty golden ages'; it is called "Unitiated" and he will get it for Bessie to read; Isabel Fry is very nice, and a little like Bessie in temperament. Will lend her [Stephen Philips'] "Paolo and Francesca"; does not think much of it. Is too lazy to copy out verses, as he promised. Agrees that it is wonderful to think of going out for dinner together; not that either of them do that much, but in moderation it is very good, and he has never dined out enough for the 'novelty of it to be spoilt' as it is for her uncle. Teases her about her dreams. Is sure with her uncle and Lord Reay's advice they will be able to arrange their marriage properly; they should have as few formalities as possible, and avoid being married again in England if they can; would like the date to be as soon as possible, in June, but she should decide. Notes that this is the last letter he will send dated 1899, and '1900 will look awfully odd'.

Very interested by her description of her childhood; Tuttie [Maria Hubrecht] is certainly ' not the sort of person to have understood [Bessie] at all'; he had something of the same difficulty with Charles, who however tried to be sympathetic and a good brother to him; Charles 'had a sterner and more orderly temperament' and Bob 'the more haphazard one'. George is 'a sort of cross' between the two, but with much more intellect than Charles. Encloses a letter from Mrs Cacciola [Florence Trevelyan]; knew she had taken a fancy to Bessie; 'her staccato style is admirably expressive. She does it in conversation often'. Had said in his letter that his parents might visit Sicily next winter and she might possibly see him with them and Bessie next year. Has nearly finished reading [Shorthouse's] "John Inglesant"; thinks it 'a most remarkable novel' though it does drag in places. Calls the muses her 'real rivals, my dear nine mistresses'.