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National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, S.W.1. - Is in London for the day, 'staying at the N.L.C.'. Saw Charles and his family yesterday, 'all seem very flourishing' except that Charles needed to wear a 'sandal on his left foot' since he had 'just had a cyst (or is it cist?) cut out of his sole, a minor, indeed minimus, operation'. They walked together to the House of Commons, where Charles went in to 'hear the budget-speech'; he will be 'right again quite soon, in plenty of time for the Lake Hunt at any rate'.

Bessie had a 'strenuous week playing in the Orchestra of the Dorking Music Festival'; thinks she greatly enjoyed it. Julian 'looks in very good health, and evidently has had a very happy term [at Bedales]'. He is continuing reading Latin with Robert, and they also read the Bible together: currently Samuel and Kings. 'That part of his education seems to be entirely left out the Bedales curriculum'. Does not doubt that 'too little scripture lessons is better than too much, and at least he is spared those terrible Sunday Bible repetitions. But it would be a pity for him not to read it at all, especia;;y as he enjoys it a great deal'. Last year they read 'the first part of Pilgrim's Progress.

Robert is doing a 'good deal of work, such as translating Theocritus, including 'The Fisherman', [Idyll*] XXI, which though it is said to be by Leonidas of Tarentum rather than Theocritus, seems to him 'a wonderful poem'.

Hotel & Pension Palumbo, Ravello, preso Amalfi. - She will see he did not need to 'test out the prudence and orderliness of his mind', as she instructed: he has almost finished Elizabeth's paper, but knew there would be plenty at 'so well-appointed a hotel as the Pension Palumbo'; expects Mrs [Helen] Fry has written to her again; has brought a strop, and also a new razor as he left his at the Hague. Hopes her photographs come out well; she must send one; he will get himself photographed on his return, meanwhile she has the drawing of him and the photograph from Taormina. Glad she had good music to 'compensate for her sufferings on Friday'; expects she will soon go to Amsterdam to see her new [violin] teacher [Bram Eldering]. Glad her 'translation ordeal' is over; reassures her that she must not worry about telling him little details: he likes learning how she lives, and she has 'the gift of making trifling events interesting'. Quotes [Hilaire Belloc's] "Book of Beasts" on "The Whale"; wonders how long '[Ambrosius] Hubrecht's whale' is, and how it will be taken to Utrecht; supposes it will have to be towed along the canal. Has not received the American speech. Honoured that she is dreaming about him; will try to 'live worthily of one who has been inside [her] head at night-time'.

Has been answering her letter [9/14] 'point by point'; little to say about herself as he has been 'pent up' by the rain since his arrival; fears it will be at least a week before the woods are dry enough for him to work there, but will have Mrs Reid's garden as soon as it is fair and some other places. Did not see Mrs Reid yesterday when he called as she was ill, only her companion Miss Allan, of whom Elizabeth need not be jealous: the Frys used to call her 'the grenadier', she is 'much too old' for Robert, though nice and good to talk to occasionally; Mrs Reid is 'a dear'. Has been reading Mommsen, which he likes 'better than almost any novel' and which makes him feel 'history is the only thing worth writing'; however, few people write it like Mommsen. Has also been re-reading [John Bunyan's] "Pilgrim's Progress" and liking it more than ever; those, with Chaucer and Sophocles, are his 'daily bread' until the storms are over, but Elizabeth is his 'wine'. Cannot 'quite put into words what it is... to have someone to whom [he] can and wish[es] to say everything that comes into [his] head'; has had many friends but always felt 'reserved in certain directions' in a way he does not with Elizabeth; makes him feel 'so much less lonely' than he has often done; will listen to and understand her as she will him. Is 'not afraid of marriage, in spite of Chaucer, and other pessimists'. Knows he 'linger[s] out his goodbye' as he used to do at her door in the evening; used to 'wish to run off' with her as she peeped round the door.

(Engraved by John Kennerley from a drawing by Satchwell, and published on 21 Feb. 1812. The illustration is captioned ‘Christian directed to the Cross as the Way to an immortal Crown’.)