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18 Mansfield Street, Portland Place, W.—She hopes that he is still going to Penrhôs next weekend. She is joining Violet for a week at the (Archie Gordon Club) camp at West Lulworth. Since last seeing him she has been with the Horners at Mells and at Pixton Park. Aubrey was delighted by the snap division (on the Army vote). Asks whether he is unhappy about his forthcoming Budget speech.

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Transcript

Pixton Park, Dulverton
August 4th 1913

You have preserved a grave like silence as to your plans, which I hope means that your Budget comes on this week, or that anyhow you are coming to Penrhos on Friday {1} for Sunday. How hot it must be in London and how nice it will be there! I leave here tomorrow and join Violet at her camp at a place called West Lulworth, where I shall stay till Friday and if possible try and get to London in time to catch the 1.20 train to Holyhead. I suppose you cant get away in the middle of the day, because if you can we might travel together. I get so terribly bored by that journey alone!

I’ve led a very happy uneventful and utterly neglected life, as far as my absent friends go, since I left you at Paddington. First at Mells where I spent most of my time alone with Sir John and Lady Horner, then on here where I’ve been for nearly a week, lots of riding and an unexciting fluctuating party. Aubrey returning† from London flushed with joy at the snap division {2}. They take in no kind of papers so you may all be dead and I know nothing of it. I shall be very glad to see you all again. I’m counting the moments till I get to Penrhos, I’ve got real longing to be there, tho’ I expect Lulworth will be fun too.

Have you been feeling very unhappy with your impending speech. Tho’ outwardly unsympathetic I am really brimming over with sympathy. I am sure it will be highly successful, as usual.

Yrs
V

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{1} 8th.

{2} The Conservatives had tried unsuccessfully to defeat the Government in the Commons on 30 July in a snap division on the annual grant to the Army, having surreptitiously arranged for a large number of their members to be present in the building. The Government won the vote by a majority of 33, but the Conservative members seem to have been pleased by the relative success of the attempt. See The Times, 31 July, p. 10, Hansard, and Cecil Harmsworth, Parliament and Politics in the Age of Asquith and Lloyd George.

Robin Ghyll, Langdale, Ambleside. - Agrees with what Bob says about the 'present situation', but is very worried that 'the Greeks and Servians will [emphasized] behave foolishly and brutally', making 'the Turkish difficulty' very great. Venizelos [the Greek Prime Minister] is 'sensible, but his Greeks are maddened by the idea of leaving their "brothers" in Thrace under Bulgarian rule'. Has written to [Aubrey?] Herbert and encloses his reply, which 'amounts to nothing' since Herbert's information was 'apparently about Prizrend [Prizren] not Kumanovo [Komanovo]': there was only one Servian [Serbian] division at Prizrend and 'hardly more than a big skirmish'; expects there were no Turks there, and the Servians themselves always poke of it as against Albanians. Does not think he should try to write a 'contemporary history', as he knows nothing of the Balkans and their languages, and 'the Balkan peoples all lie like [the] Devil'. Janet is well again. Encloses a "Contemporary Review" article.

Tilstone Lodge, Tarporley, Cheshire.—Refers to the result of the South Somerset by-election. She and Oliver are staying with neighbours to hunt.

(Dated Friday.)

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Transcript

Tilstone Lodge, Tarporley, Cheshire
Friday

My dear Mr Montagu

I enclose 10/ which unfortunately I owe you for Somerset {1}. At one moment I thought I should be glad if Aubrey got in, and was prepared to be most sympathetic if he lost, but I’m miserable that we should have lost another good seat. He wont keep it tho’ I’m sure.

Oliver and I are staying away with neighbours {2} (not the Pride of Cheshire {3} tho’ I saw her to day) to hunt. It isnt very amusing and I regret the peace and chess of Alderley which is replaced by endless bridge and inane conversation about our other neighbours. Oliver frets under it too, even more than I do as he is less well socially trained. Alderley looms like a haven tomorrow.

Dinner now, I’m far too sleepy and tired for it.

Yrs
Venetia Stanley

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{1} Venetia and Edwin had apparently had a wager on the result of the South Somerset by-election on 21 November, in which Aubrey Herbert, the Unionist candidate, defeated Henry Vivian, the Liberal, by the narrow margin of 4,878 votes to 4,730. The seat had previously been held by for the Liberals since 1892 by Sir Edward Strachey, but it became vacant on his elevation to the peerage.

{2} Tilstone Lodge was the home of Charles Threlfall and his family.

{3} Barbara Tomkinson, daughter of James Tomkinson of Willington Hall, Tarporley.