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Trinity [on college notepaper]:- Has had a 'slight cold', but is now recovered, 'chiefly owing to the use of a smoke ball'. Wrote to Lord Compton about Mr Arnold, giving him 'a very good character': Lord Compton seems to want to send his son [to Wixenford School]. Robert is going to play 'Rugby football', since he will then be able to 'get a game' whenever he wants, and 'it is a much better game than the other [Harrow football?].

The Observer has come out again; now 'managed by a new set of people, some... very clever', and so is 'much better'; hardly any of the old people are involved, and Marsh has 'nothing to do with it'. Expects it will succeed now, as they are 'much older people'. Robert is 'on the staff of the Review', but does not have time to do more than write to [Nugent] Hicks asking him to be their 'Oxford correspondent', and to 'look over a few proofs on Wednesday evening'; does not think he 'ever saw a worse paper', but then it is 'semi-official', and they 'must go on'. His work is going well. Has no other news, as 'things are very dull here'.

Adds a postscript asking how 'the Horsham petition' is getting on, as he supposes it must have begun by now.

28, Queen Anne's Gate, S.W. - Does not want to 'force [Caroline's] confidence', but has heard from Mary Cropper [letter originally enclosed] and received a letter from Robert this morning announcing his engagement. Hopes Caroline and George approve; Miss van der Hoeven sounds very nice. Hopes it will be 'a good omen of rapprochement between the Dutch and us'; specially liked the people from the Hague whom she saw. The [Second Boer] war is 'almost overpowering'; imagines the anxiety of her cook, Mrs Greenslade, thinking about her husband fighting for ten hours 'without food & water'; seems 'almost too good to be true' if he escapes a third battle; seeing her constantly does bring it home. Margaret [Holland] seems 'almost overdone' with work for the Surrey branch of the Soldiers and Sailors' Families Fund; Alice fears it is too much for her; often hears from her but has not seen her for some time. Notes in a postscript that she went to Charing Cross to see the Northamptons off for Egypt; she was the only one there; Lady Northampton is 'very helpless'.