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5 The Grove, Boltons, S.W (on embossed notepaper for Boscombe Manor, Bournmouth, Hants, this address crossed out). - Jeaffreson's book The Real Shelley apparently slanders the poet: should her husband respond, and in what way? Professor Dowden was given private papers and could refute Jeaffreson's statements, but his biography is not yet published; reviewers are mostly against Jeaffreson.

Informs Sidgwick that Macmillan and Co. are planning to publish a series of school primers on 'the more prominent Greek authors; Jebb is to produce the primer on Sophocles, Gladstone is to undertake that on Homer, and a friend of Green's is to write on Herodotus. Asks Sidgwick to undertake to produce a primer on Plato. States the aim of the series to be the fostering of 'a more popular interest in these subjects...and a more intelligent study of them' in schools. Mentions that he has been reading Dowden's primer on Shakespeare, and remarks on how informative and interesting it is. Explains the terms of payment which the company offers.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Elizabeth seems to have had more snow than they have at Welcombe. Will be very good to see her and Robert again; asks if they will stop a night on the way through London, or prefer to get home then come after they are settled. Is thinking of hosting 'a weekly dinner on Tuesdays in March, & a "small & early for MP's & young people afterwards'; Elizabeth and Robert must come to one. Henry James arrived last night and is 'most amusing & delightful on his American experiences'. Audrey T[revelyan] and the Bells are coming today. She and Sir George go to London on 23 February. Will give Elizabeth her club subscription when she returns; she will then have to make enquiries about which is the best club and change next year; Caroline thinks the Gr[osvenor] Cr[escent] club has 'become very common & inferior'. Is glad Elizabeth saw Shelley's villa; the coast where Byron burnt his body is 'wierd [sic] & beautiful too'. Asks if she has read Mrs Shelley's "Life" of her husband, which Caroline thinks is better than [Edward] Dowden's. Mary has had to give up nursing Pauline, having done too much over the election and got run down. Charlie has accepted the position of Parliamentary Charity Commissioner, which is unpaid and not much work, but 'keeps him "in the running"'.

Seatoller, Borrowdale, Keswick. - Thanks his mother for her last letter. Is glad she met [Herbert James] Craig, who is an 'excellent person', who was in Scrutton's chambers when Robert was there. [Henry Francis] Previté is a 'great friend of his' and says he is 'really a first-rate candidate'. Robert would 'like to see him again very much'.

The weather has been 'excellent', with just one stormy day. Bessie seems to be getting on very well at Rottingdean with Mrs Salomonson, and is 'probably going to bathe'. Expects Dowden's [biography of Robert] Browning 'would be dull. Chesterton's is certainly lively' though it 'annoyed [Robert] very much': thought Chesterton 'said all the wrong things it was possible to say about Browning as a man of letters, and in fact entirely showed himself up as a critic'; he was 'more interesting about Browning as a man, but even there was exaggerated and paradoxical'. Admits this may not be fair, as he 'never can stand Chesterton'.

Has a 'few scanty notices of the Chantrey bequest committee' in his newspaper; the [Royal] Academy's defence 'has certainly been a fiasco, as it was bound to be'. Hopes 'the whole gang of them will get thoroughly discredited at last', as until that happens there is 'no hope of any adequate recognition of what is really good in modern art', or reform of the mismanagement of the National Gallery. Poynter 'has just succeeded in swindling Fry out of the Slade Professorship', as he thinks he has already told her; this is 'only one instance of the fatal power for evil that his gang possesses'.

Is getting on with his own work, 'rather slowly "eppur si muove"'; his father is also getting on with his, doubtless a little faster.