Item 186 - Letter from Clara Tovey to Elizabeth Trevelyan

Hotel Black Barony, Edleston, Peeblesshire. - Is very sorry to hear of Lord [Clifford] Allen's illness. Donald is about the same, but she cannot tell from Dr Thin whether he is still improving or is at a standstill. He is very busy composing, which makes up a little for being forced to do so little; is now allowed to go to Edinburgh once a week, so is going in for rehearsals on the weeks there are no Reid Concerts. They will return to Hedenham at the end of the month and spend a quiet summer there. Dr Thin and Professor Ritchie agree that Donald is not well enough to go to Budapest, as he wanted. The composing helps Donald to stay cheerful; she hopes it will go on and that he will come to care less about the other things. He finished scoring the first movement of his Cello Concerto yesterday, and seems very pleased; wishes she understood more about such things.