With monogram HPC and motto 'Mens sana in corpore sano'. - Thanks Bob for his letter about the rooms [at Trinity, Cambridge]; intends to choose Whewell's Court. Hopes to see Bob soon; he need not be alarmed about the Grove, as a 'perfectly effectual reconciliation' has taken place; will tell the details of the story when they meet. Bowen is 'keeping on young Sandilands and [?] Becham for another year; George now feels 'quite comfortable about the house next term'. Bowen is being very kind to him, and helping him get his poem 'ready for the prolusiones-press'; the essay is to be printed almost exactly as sent in. Has got the "Seven Lamps [of Architecture]" and "Modern Pictures" with his prize money, which came to over twenty pounds, and has now 'got all the big [underlined] Ruskins' since he got the "Stones of Venice" last year; also bought the sixteen-volume edition of Browning with his prize money. Sandilands should get his [cricket] flannels: he and Rome did very well in the game against the Household Brigade; reminiscent of when Grove House had 'Pope bowling at one end and Rome at the other at Lords'.
Trin[ity College, Cambridge]. - Was sent an invitation for Bob from [Charles?] Pope to play in the '[Harrow] Old Boy's match' on 21 October by mistake, and 'by an even greater mistake' has torn it up. Hears occasional news of Bob and his 'ménage'; asks when he is coming for a visit. The exhibition is 'a great success', with 'all the mode[s]t virtues and staring faults of the impressionists well-represented'; [Roger] Fry's pictures 'are among the most generally liked'. Some of the paintings 'are very good, and all interesting'; George went to an 'advertisement debate' about them yesterday at Wallstein's [sic: Charles Waldstein], for the Walpole Society.
On headed notepaper for the Harrow Philathletic Club, with 'The Grove, Harrow' added in Robert Trevelyan's hand:- Thanks his mother for her letter. Good that she did 'not come down' yesterday, as it 'rained a good deal'; today it is 'quite fine'. There have been two cases of German measles in his house, which has meant he has been able to 'find [? share] with Clive and not with Pope' for a while, since 'one of the invalids used to find with Clive'. Is glad of this, and 'hope[s] the boy may be ill for a long time'.
Georgie is well, and playing fives; Robert is glad of this, as it 'is a very good game'. Thanks his mother for the food: the 'sausages were a great success, and are as good cold as hot'. Asks her to thanks Booa (Mary Prestwich) for the parkin. Luckock is coming for tea this evening; he is in Welldon's house, but Robert knows nothing more about him.
Asks her to give leave for him to see Woodhouse [his dentist] for another hour next Thursday; had forgotten to tell her. Also asks for leave for 'a pair of cricket gloves and one canvass shirt'. The Gregory [prize text] is 'not out yet'; wishes it was. Hopes his father 'will not be tired on Wednesday', and that they [the Liberal Party?] 'do well at Leicester at all events'.
[On headed notepaper for 8 Grosvenor Crescent, S.W.:]- Thanks his mother for her letter. It is 'very kind' of Booa [Mary Prestwich] to allow them to have Robert's room; he will write to her to thank her. The army [of toy soldiers?] 'was increased so much and is now so beautiful that Charlie has now been entirely won back to his old interest.
Expects she has heard that Robert did not win either of the prizes; does not much mind, at least about his Greek epigram as 'it was not on the subject and could not possibly have got it'. Welldon spoke to him about his hexameters, and said that if he had finished them and done more he would have won, as 'they were the best'; does not mind, as if Welldon says they were good that is better than winning. Has been working hard at other things and the Greek plays. Hopes Charlie will get the essay prize, though they 'are a long time in getting it out'.
Robert, Sanderson and Mitchell have 'just discovered du Maurier and... some other naughty little boy using a catapult, and have had to administer justice and also to take the catapult'; says they are 'very good house policemen'. Apologises for needing to ask for more money: it is 'against [his] principles to do so', but since his mother saw them he has paid a pound for 'school subscriptions', and another for a [cricket] bat which he bought here; one more pound will be enough. Adds a postscript saying that it rained so hard today that a match had to be put off; thinks Pope will get in but Oppenheim's chances of being picked are 'nearly all gone'; wishes 'it was the other way'.
[On headed notepaper for 8 Grosvenor Crescent, S.W.:]- Sanderson has decided that he can come on Thursday, so he will come up with Stogdon, Robert and Charlie, Sanderson said his father wanted Robert's father to write to him about it; Robert does not know if the fathers know each other. The address is "Kininvie House, Dufftown, N[orth] B[ritain.
They have just had 'about the most exciting house match ever played at Harrow', beating Stogdon's house, who are very good 'by one run' despite the fact that they only have Pope and Oppenheim 'with any reputation'. Harrison 'bowled exceedingly well, and got his cap'; Oppenheim made 38 and 40 runs and 'got his sixth-form coat'. Robert 'made 7 and 0, which was not very good'. His team had given up the game when suddenly five wickets fell for no runs, at 103, leaving Stogdon's 9 to make with the last wicket. Robert's house will now have to play a strong house, and 'will probably be beaten. Still, there is hope'.
Is getting on all right in trials. Is 'ready to agree about the new arrangement for seeing [E.P.?] Arnold', but wonders how they will go to Eastbourne; asks if that plan is now 'given up'; hopes his grandfather is 'quite well still'; wonders if she means that they will 'go there on Wednesday'. Now has to go for a three-hour 'stupid Greek Testament trial of which [he knows] nothing'.
[On headed notepaper for 8, Grosvenor Crescent]:- Thanks his father for his letter. Supposes that his mother sent him the Italian newspaper about [Giordano?] Bruno; intends to read it as he wants to learn more about Bruno, and will learn some Italian. Asks his father to thank her for it. The school will have a 'very good eleven' this year, and should win at Lords; [Charles] Pope, from his house, has got into the team, but [Lawrie] Oppenheim has gone to Margate to recover from hayfever and 'lost nearly all his chance'. He himself played for his house and 'by a great chance made 15, but the bowling was very bad'; the match was against Mr Marshall's new house so 'of course' Robert's house won.
Is 'still reading Greek plays in great numbers'. Forgot to say, though expects his father will have heard by now, that Charlie won the reading prize on Saturday; thinks 'he read far the best', and most people agree. Charlie read [The Battle of?] Naseby [by Macaulay]; remembers his father telling him that he was not allowed to read it when he was at Harrow. Charlie has 'a very good voice, and is not nervous'; Robert thinks 'he ought to speak very well when he grows up'.
On headed notepaper for 8 Grosvenor Crescent, S.W.:- Thanks his mother for the money, which 'will do very well until the end of term' since he has 'no more subscriptions or bats to buy'. All is going well; wishes they would read out Charlie's essay, and thinks they will tomorrow. [Charles?] Pope almost got into the eleven yesterday; expects he will on Tuesday and is certain to do so at some point. [Lawrie?] Oppenheim has got hay-fever and gone to Brighton and Margate for a fortnight; a shame as this will spoil his already uncertain chance of getting in, but Robert thinks he may just get the last place if he returns in time. Charlie has been 'distinguishing himself in cricket a good deal': he 'made 50 yesterday in the firsth fifth game'. Robert gets on 'well enough in the second eleven'.
Is currently reading Frederick Harrison's The Choice of Books; he does not much like the style, which seems 'to be too much for effect', but finds the 'matter and ideas' very interesting
[on headed notepaper for Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland] Thanks his mother for her letter; has got his 'double into Glazer's, as have Goetz and Giffard, Charlie is in Skipper's'. Thinks they will 'both get on all right'. Glazer's room is 'in the old schools, next to the chapel and opposite speecher'. Got his 'tails' [tail-coat] yesterday; has the same room as last year. The new boys [in his house] are Pope. Hardcastle, Soames, Landale, Wormald mi[nor], Parker and Usborne. Is still doing French, which he is 'very glad of'. Has been 'down to Footer [?] twice' and likes it 'very much'; had a game of rackets on Thursday. Does not find the work 'too hard'. There was rain this morning, but now it is 'quite fine'. Thinks he will write to Mr Arnold soon, Hopes his father is 'quite well'.
Arrived safe [at Harrow] with his luggage, though his portmanteau only came this morning. Is having his 'first game of rackets with [Nugent] Hicks'. Will 'hear our order tomorrow'. The weather is very fine. There are '7 new boys' ['chaps' crossed out and corrected] in his house, of whom Pope and Hardcastle are scholars. They [he and his brother Charles?] had a good journey down, travelling with 'a German most of the way, with the Usher in the next carriage'. Will write next Sunday.