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Hotel Valescure, St Raphael, France [on headed notepaper for 56 Belsize Park, Hampstead, N.W.]:- She may think him a ‘very shifting individual’, but he has altered his plans: he has been here a fortnight and ‘scarcely had one fine day’, with steady rain, so he is ‘tired of the place’ and does not think he would like to stay even if the weather were to improve. The Elliotts left two days ago, the Grahams are leaving tomorrow, and Sandilands [James or John?] thinks of going to Cannes, where Robert ‘certainly would not care to stay’. Thinks of going to Naples and then, if it is not too cold, to Corpo di Cava, where he ‘had so satisfactory a time two years ago’ and can live for ‘fr. 5 a day’, half of the pension at his current hotel. If it is too cold he can ‘go to Capri or Amalfi, either temporally or for good’ Is as ‘well as anyone can be who has been unable to take a walk without getting wet through for a fortnight’. If he starts this afternoon he will reach Naples next evening, ‘after a few hours to lunch and rest at Rome’.

He and Sandilands went to see the Rendels yesterday, and he met Mrs Goodhart for the first time. Clare [Clarice] was there, and drove them up the hill; Daphne was in England ‘keeping house for Lord Rendel’. Lady Rendel had ‘assembled the 8 oldest fogies from the Canne[s] hotels and villas’ and sat them at two tables ‘to play two games of four-handed chess, of which she is the apostle’; this was in the next room to that where tea was taken, and Lady Rendel took Robert to the door to see them, ‘as one might show a hutch full of tame rabbits, or guinea-pigs’. She pointed out ‘one old fellow… deaf and in blue spectacles’, saying he had played the game forty years ago; Robert hopes he has not played it continuously 'for it is a game plainly invented by the Evil One for man’s torment’. Clare has ‘weakly’ agreed to play, but says Daphne has ‘refused to learn the rules’. Asks her to send his letters to the poste-restante in Naples until further notice; supposes she will be in London, or just on her way.

Grand Hotel Valescure, St Raphael [headed notepaper]:- Postmarked Marseille; sent to Lady Trevelyan at Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland:- Has arrived safely at St Raphael and is staying at the Grand Hotel Velescure [Valescure]. Sandilands [James or John?] arrives today. Sir Charles and Lady Elliott, with their son Frank who was at Harrow and Trinity with Robert, are here. Bowen also recommended this place to them, and it ‘is about as delightful a place as anyone could wish for’. The Elliotts are ‘very good company’; he is on the London School Board, and must return in a week or two. Will write again soon.

Emmanuel College, Cambridge [Headed notepaper; address underlined and exclamation marks added]. - Glad Bob's '"Experience as a lawyer"' will allow him to visit next Sunday. Everyone is cheerful, 'flourishing on [their] old lines', but they 'expect "a sop"' such as Bob to be thrown them once a week: 'this week's sops were [Bertrand] Russell and his brother [Frank]'. Saw [Nathaniel] Wedd this morning for breakfast and a walk, who was 'quite all [George] had hoped or expected'. Has decided not to speak again at the Union, which is 'an inexpressible relief'. 'Great revolutions' here this term: there was 'a lady at MacT[aggart]'s "Wednesday evening" last week', and an exhibition [scholarship] has been started for history at Trinity; this is important as previously there have only been third year scholarships, which do not attract the best students; in the exams last May everyone in both years got thirds; the college have received a gift of two thousand pounds from Lord Derby. Inberg{??] has come up and is "flourishing"; [Frank?] Elliott is 'developing into the most delightful of fellows". Notes in postscript that he has 'found the kettle holder'; gives an account of the battle [of toy soldiers]; lists 'our table' as consisting of [Edward?] Marsh, [Maurice] Amos. [Ralph] Wedgwood, [Ralph] V[aughan]-Williams, [George] Moore, [Henry Graham] Dakyns, [Harry] Watkins, George himself, and his Harrow friend [Charles] Buxton.

The Grove, Harrow on the Hill. - Will not write to his father or mother today; Robert can tell them anything they want from this letter. Has three photographs from Hills & Saunders, and has given one to Tom [Macaulay Booth?] and one to Moss; Moss has 'already made himself popular in the house' with 'several common-sense reforms which Crooker [J. A. Cruikshank?] was too old to see'. Stow [?] says [Arthur] Bentinck gets along but is 'too retiring'; does not know anything about the new backs yet; Gilmore has grown a beard; has seen Hicks in chapel but nowhere else. Discussion of various reforms; thinks Robert will approve of the replacement of the Greek Test[ament] by Old Test[ament] history from the English Bible. Was surprised to get his remove; there were not many; sits with [Gordon William] Stow at the separate desk for two on Welldon's left and 'swot[s] with [Frank?] Elliott', who has Robert's old room; George may have it next term or soon, as Clive, Booth and Elliott are all leaving, probably also Farquhar, though George does not think 'Mo will let them all go'. The house is much changed this term, he himself is one of the large number of people who 'seem to be much more important', and he thinks he will enjoy the year very much. Sandilands is a 'capital head'; he and Arne [?] are going to join the Corps, but Tom is not. Explains in detail how he comes to be sharing a room with [Arthur Langford] Tregoning; Tregoning does what George likes, and 'does not make himself at all objectionable', but George will 'be most heartily sick of him by the end of the term'. El[liot] is leaving for India in the first week of the holiday; he will 'wander about the country with a tutor' and thinks he will do 'a lot of swot there'; George told him he will not do any at all. Tom [Booth?] is going to try to spend a year or two at Trinity before entering business. A Rothschild [Nathaniel Charles] has joined the house this term, but he 'has to conform, and will be allowed to eat the breakfast cold ham... one of the advantages of Xtianity'. Discusses [rugby] 'footer' and various members of the team; the '"sporting element"' is completely suppressed', with Lefroy 'quite a fish out of water'. Young Sandilands also encountered Haddock at the Balmoral a year or so ago.

Seatoller. - Expects Bob is enjoying himself abroad. Is having a good time at Seatoller with [Maurice?] Amos, [Ralph] Wedgwood and [George] Moore; Vaughan Williams left a few days ago; he and Wedgwood 'bathe in Cambridge pool every morning'; Amos and Wedgwood work hard for their triposes, while Moore chiefly reads "Jane Eyre" and other novels, and George 'all sorts of jolly books', none for his tripos. They are all getting on well, even better than at Stye since there is not the 'slight distance between Moore and Wedgwood'. They go up the mountains in the afternoon; he and Moore, as 'the Wordsworthians of the party' went over to Grasmere and Rydal; describes Dove Cottage, de Quincey's extension to it, and S.T.C. [Samuel Taylor Coleridge]'s house. Declares that there were 'men in England then', also naming Scott, Shelley, Byron and Keats. George got his scholarship; does not seem fair that Wedgwood has not, while they give one to someone like Charlie Buxton 'of very ordinary ability' in their first year; thinks this is 'bolstering up classics'. It is however a sign that the college is doing 'their duty to history' that there is now an entrance scholarship for it. Is glad at a personal level that Buxton has a scholarship: he and George will have plenty of money to go abroad in the long vacation now. Elliott has not got a scholarship, but is spoken of as 'certain' next year. Had a nice letter from Bowen; German measles is active in [Grove] house. Asks Bob to write to him about the novel if he needs someone to discuss it with: he knows the plan and beginning, and will keep it secret. Wedgwood is a really good rock climber. Notes in postscript that he will be seeing Moore's brother [Thomas] in London again next week, so Bob should write there.