Pièce 177 - Letter from Bernard Darwin to R. C. Trevelyan

Printed notepaper, Trinity College Cambridge, written 'as from Newnham Grange'. - Thanks Bob for the 'delightful Xmas card (on a magnificent scale) of poetry' ["From the Shiffolds"]; Eily will also write separately with her thanks [see 17/178]. They are reading [Austen's] "Emma", and he feels 'rather like Frank Churchill' who says he 'cannot presume to praise' Mr Knightley, but does admire Bob's poems very much. Admires the start with a 'matter of fact line' like 'The other day I broke my spectacles' and the movement to 'lovely things about what the world looks like without them'; his own short-sightedness is not like that, but Eily will 'sympathise intensely'; also liked the poem about going into the woods. Had a 'delightful visit from Ursula & Philip' and a nice sighting of Julian, who 'seemed to think his show [at the Lefevre Gallery] was going quite well'; may be able to see it when he goes to London on Monday.