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2 Gordon Cottages, Duke's Lane, London W.3. - Thanks Trevelyan for sending his poems ["From the Shiffolds"]; there is no better form of Christmas greeting than a 'garland of poems'. Glad to read his work again, which 'runs clear and direct'; regarding the first poem ["Old Aristotle"] is sure it is not Trevelyan's fault [that he has difficulty with some modern poetry]: the 'great ancient poets are also the great modern ones; for they speak to all ages'. Has at last finished with the Army, and will go to Pembroke College, Oxford in January so is now busy studying and making up for lost time; the last two or three years have not however been 'wasted' as he has met new people and formed connections in Belgium, France and Germany. His family will probably leave for Italy in mid-January; he himself will stay in England at least for the present. Sends greetings in a postscript to Trevelyan's household, particularly to Bessy.

Hallington Hall, Newcastle-on-Tyne. - Is here arranging about the takeover of the house by the [Royal] Air Force for the duration of the war, a 'small thing, in this doomsday', but one he would have 'minded a year ago'; doubts whether Janet will be able to live here again, and he loves the house. Encloses a letter from Gilbert Murray: in response to the appeal to help Mrs [Elena] Vivante, George has written to the Home Office about her husband [Leone] and two sons [Arturo and Paulo], but does not know them personally. Believes that Bob knows Leone Vivante well, so asks if he could write a letter as suggested in the first part of Murray's letter, which Elena can use in her attempts to secure to get her husband and the son now on the Isle of Man [Arturo] released. Bob could either send it to Elena, or to Gilbert Murray, or to George himself, who plans to add a letter of his own about the 'known anti-Fascist fame of the family (Lauro de Bosis' death etc). Notes in a postscript that he 'hardly dare[s] to think about Holland - and Bessie. The world is a worse nightmare than imagination could have devised'.