28, Rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne sur Seine. - The money that Trevelyan has so kindly sent will enable Suhrawardy to come over to England. Has received some news from India which may develop into something good; will tell Trevelyan about it when they see each other. Is delaying his departure in order to travel with an uncle who is a member of the Indian branch of the Simon Commission [Abdullah al-Mamun al-Suhrawardy]. Cannot accept the Trevelyan's kind offer of hospitality, as he will need to be at the British Library every day, but would be happy to visit whenever is convenient; hopes to spend two months in England. Wonders whether he could get a job with the Simon Commission, and will ask Sir Sankaran Nair: this would give him enough money to stay in England. Will stay with the same friends as last year. Madame Germanova sends her regards. Met [Cyril] Connolly by chance; found him 'nice but very volatile'.
Originally enclosing another letter to Julian. The [Adolf] Busch-[Rudolf] Serkin visit was 'a great success'; his German was 'not up to the occasion' but that did not matter. Thinks they are going to Paris in November or December, but Elizabeth will send concert dates. Had meant to write to Betty Chetwynd and get her to go, but saw in the evening papers that her brother Philip has 'killed himself in a tube station' so she will probably be too upset. Did not know Philip as well as her other brother [Wentworth]. Will probably not go to Italy until January. So Julian has now met Cyril Connolly: he is 'a queer fish, very intelligent but very lazy'; always got on well with him, but has never been an intimate friend.
11, St Leonard's Terrace, Chelsea, S.W.3. - Thanks for the book with 'its lovely title' ["Windfalls"]: did not know Trevelyan could write 'such charming prose'. Especially enjoyed the autobiographical passages; suggests that Trevelyan write 'a more complete account of [his] adventures among books & people'. Has been re-reading [Alain-René Lesage's] "Gil Blas", inspired by a comment of Santayana in his "Persons and Places". As a 'word-wrangler', has a few points of contention with Trevelyan: gives his own definition of 'rhetoric', complete with references to his own published work; discusses the definition of 'lyrical' at length, and with numerous references. Will support Trevelyan's use of 'kindness' for charity or love, if in return Trevelyan helps introduce 'the fine French word bougresse', as used by Flaubert, into English; would be useful to describe 'Mrs Keppel, Lady Cunard, & such-like ancient females'. Their 'male counterparts' can be called 'bougre', now Cyril [Connolly] has printed the word in "Horizon", or "pagod", as used by Pope. Lady Colefax (not yet a 'bougresse') has told him that Harold Nicolson's son Nigel, a soldier in Italy, has written to say that B.B. [Berenson] is at Pistoia but is expected to be released soon. Asks if it is true that the Beerbohms were bombed out of their house The 'worst massacre in London' [the destruction of the Guinness flats in Chelsea in the 'Little Blitz'?] was 'just round the corner', but only a few windows were broken at St. Leonard's Terrace. Is ordering some copies of "Windfalls" for his friends.
I Tatti, Settignano, Florence. - Glad Bessie is in better health and spirits; he himself suffers but this is to be expected at nearly 89. Bessie's friend Mr Rees may visit I Tatti, and Berenson himself will be happy to see him if there and well enough. Molly Nicolson visited recently, before that Cyril Connolly; they are expecting Rosamond Lehmann and Ernest Hemingway. His book on Piero della Francesca will not appear before July.
Pension Moragues, Puerto Andraitx, Majorca. - Is ashamed of not telling Bob how much pleasure he got from his "Rimeless Numbers", though it was the Propertius, which is 'not rhymeless', which he liked best; also thought the part about the 'rhododendrons and azaleas' in "The Wood" 'marvellously vivid'. Likes his hexameters. Glad Bob did not get 'stuck' in the fifth volume of "[The Tale of] Genji"; has now done more than two thirds of the sixth volume, which is 'far better' than any other part, but 'correspondingly more difficult to do'; is doing four hours work on it every morning and usually several more later in the day, yet rarely manages more than two or three pages. Has written all of Bob's corrections, all sound, into his copy; had better note them at the beginning of the sixth volume. Has 'detected some indications' that Cyril Connolly is in Majorca, but has not seen him. A 'Nubian scholar' called Armbruster, who was at Kings [College, Cambridge] and knows Goldie [Lowes Dickinson] 'fairly well' lives here; his father was 'a good deal connected with Wagner'. He has a 'delightful house and a wife from Syria who cooks well, but his head is just a little too full of Hamitic particles'.