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The Mill House, Westcot, Dorking. - Hopes to decide today whether the second post reaches its destination at the same time as the first. Had a busy time in London, spending much time with Sanger before he left for Greece, as well as dining out, going to Fry's lecture, and to see "Richard II" with [Thomas Sturge?] Moore and Binyon. Returned on Wednesday and has done some work; saw Fry and they discussed Sanger's illness; he is 'desparately in love with someone who is behaving very cruelly to him [Dora Pease]' and he does not know what she feels for him. Will tell Bessie more when he sees her. Certainly good for him to go to Greece with Dickinson, Daniel, Wedd and Mayor. Saw them off at the station and 'felt desperately incline to go off with them'; they were so cheerful, even Sanger, and he has always dreamed of going to Greece, which they know so well; regrets that after his marriage he will not be able to go with them 'with who one can talk as freely as one chooses, as blasphemously, as obscenely, as wittily, as learnedly, as jovially as any of the old Greeks themselves did'. Feels he should have 'made hay more assiduously' during his bachelor days, instead of living 'mewed up' alone in the countryside. Knows Bessie will compensate him for all he is to lose; she must come to Greece before long or she will find him 'running off' without her. Praises "Richard II"; it was well acted, though he thought the Richard [Frank Benson?] "vulgar". Has written to his Aunt Meg [Price]; she seems happy to get them a 'cottage piano' which will later be exchanged; asks if Bessie wants the final choice of the instrument or whether she trusts his aunt's 'professional friend' to do this. Sophie is 'Miss Wickstead [sic: see 9/117]], not some young lady friend' he has not told her about.

(Place of writing not indicated.)—Relates an amusing anecdote of Oscar Asche ‘to illustrate the uselessness of trying to explain everything to the general reader’.

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Transcript

An anecdote to illustrate the uselessness of trying to explain everything to the general reader.

[I hesitate to pass this on—but the story has a moral. I can’t vouch for its veracity but it comes (at one remove) from a convalescent home in which a friend of mine was recently staying and was told there by Henry Ainley, also convalescing—I should add, in case you leap to the conclusion that I have very intemperate friends, that it was a gland operation my friend was recovering from.]

Scene: a theatre during rehearsals.

S.D. enter Oscar Asche {1} waving a copy of a play of Shakespeare’s.

Asche (in a loud voice)—I say Benson, there are a lot of words in this play I don’t understand. There’s this word ‘cuckold’ that keeps cropping up—what does it mean?

Benson (with memories of the precincts) If you will come to my room later I will explain it.

This sounds too good to be true, but it should warn you that you may not be able to explain evrything! Would you have foreseen and provided for this?

[Added on the back:] Something to read in the train which should show you that although I am not getting on very fast with 2 Henry VI, I am in excellent spirits!

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Typed, except the note on the back. The square brackets are original.

{1} Asche had died just a few weeks previously, on 23 March.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Sent a post-card about the [Grosvenor Crescent] Club; hopes Elizabeth has heard from the Secretary. Lunched there when she had to be in London on Tuesday but was not able to see the Secretary; thinks it will be all right if the application is not in by the 20th. Glad some 'pleasant' people have been at the Pension. She and Sir George go to London on the 19th. Charles has been seeing lots of people in Paris and returns tomorrow, though he is not coming to Welcombe yet. Asks if Elizabeth and Robert will be back by Easter, and if so whether they will spend it at Welcombe. Also asks if she will come to see any of Benson's plays [at Stratford], which start on 20 April. Expects they are soon leaving for Sicily; hopes Elizabeth will find her cousin Marie [Hubrecht] better. Henry James has been to stay at Welcombe for a couple of days; he 'is so much nicer than his books, though she greatly admires some of them. Hope Robert's play is progressing; asks when the other ["Cecilia Gonzaga"?] will be published. Enough money has found to begin the new "Independent Review"; G[eorge] is 'continually rushing up to London about it'; he is taking rooms there with Hilton Young after Easter. Caroline has been attempting to read [Richardson's] "Clarissa" but fears she will not succeed; asks if Elizabeth is getting on better with it.

Hotel Timeo, Taormina:- The Frys have been here a week now, and Robert will stay ‘a little longer’ than he had intended, though he hopes to start back ‘some time next week’. Most of the time the weather has been ‘very fine’; in fact, ‘rather too dry’. Today they are going, in the boat of ‘the Cacciolas’ fisherman’, to see ‘the grottoes under the cliffs, which are very wonderful, something like the Capri grottoes’. They will then spend the rest of the day on ‘the Cacciolas’ island [Isola Bella] which contains everything, from rabbits and a ruined chapel to corals and Leonardo “Madonna of the rocks” sort of places’. Roger Fry is painting ‘a picture of the theatre and Aetna’, but Robert does not think ‘the place inspires him much for painting, though they both enjoy staying here very much’. They ‘looked in at an Italian carnival dance yesterday evening’; the Frys ‘danced a polka’ and Robert watched.

There is ‘great indignation here about the bombardment of the Greeks [in the conflict with the Ottomans over Crete]’; expects there also is in London, as ‘Public feeling seems to be entirely with the Greeks in England, France, and here [Italy]’. Sees Colonel Hay is the new ambassador [of the US in London?]. Will try and get Il Capello del Prete [by Emilio De Marchi] for her on the way back. Is not yet certain about coming down [to Welcombe] for the ‘Shakespearean week’, so she should not get him tickets; would most like to see As You Like It. Does not think [Frank] Benson ‘would do the Tempest very well’: his Midsummer Night’s Dream was ‘not altogether good’. Is glad Fairweather is ‘strong again’. Supposes his mother will be in London when he returns. Will go to Haslemere and ‘get settled there as soon as [he] can’; thinks the Russells are there now. Hopes his father is ‘still well’.